****Heads Up: POTUS Town Hall in Shanghai, LIVE!!!****

[Clio the Leo]

Here we go!

(live stream)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-holdstown-hall-with-chinas-youth-0

***TURN UP YOUR AUDIO!!!!***

Also on CNN (at the moment at least.)

[msongs]

1. pic ok but no sound yet nt

[Clio the Leo]

3. Yeah, they haven't turned it on yet I dont think. Not unusual. NT

[rasputin1952]

2. Thanks for the Heads Up...

they just had an announcement to shut off cell phones, I suspect he'll be there in a moment or two...:D

[Clio the Leo]

4. Which feed are you on?

Because Msongs and I aren't getting audio.

[rasputin1952]

7. There is no audio yet at the link you gave me, just that announcement...

I don't think he's up there yet...;shrug:

[Clio the Leo]

10. lol, but I didnt even hear the announcement. NT

[Drunken Irishman]

5. Bah. I thought CNN would be carrying it.

[boppers]

9. Nothing's happening for them to carry, yet.

If it starts now, it'll interrupt a Palin segment.

:evilgrin:

[Clio the Leo]

12. ha ha........

.... but they usually have the stream up before anything starts. I doubt they are carrying it. I'm sure there are press/media issues.

The only way the WH is able to broadcast is because the President told the Chinese he'd blow up the moon again (for REAL this time!) if they didn't let them broadcast. (har har)

[Drunken Irishman]

13. That would be awesome.

[Stephanie]

51. They are! Just tuned in, it's on CNN

[boppers]

6. Very quiet. I can hear room noise, but that's it.

Sssh!

[Clio the Leo]

8. I cant even hear room noise. NT

[rasputin1952]

11. I think the audio feed is down until he comes out...

looks like he's running late...:hi:

[Clio the Leo]

15. well....

... this may go down as the least fired up town hall we ever see. Even the .... oh, who was it? Turkish? kids were pumped up more than this.

Cultural thing perhaps.

[rasputin1952]

20. I'm sitting here wondering if any of them have to pee...

:rofl:

Looks the SS guy is talking into a mike, and the Chinese Security guy looks bored...:D

[Clio the Leo]

26. poor things, they look like a middle school band up there. NT

[Drunken Irishman]

14. That's your room.

:P

[Clio the Leo]

17. and boppers.....

.... if the President walks into YOUR room, be sure and let us know! :)

(I'm going to go get a cookie, maybe that will get things started if I leave the room.)

[boppers]

27. LOL, my room's noiser than this! eom

[jefferson_dem]

16. That crowd is off the chain crazy!

They are alive, right?

[Clio the Leo]

22. lol, give them a break....

.... they are living in a repressive socialistic society.

That's how we'll all be at the end of Maobama's third term. ;)

Please take a moment to revere Dear Leader's likeness...

[jefferson_dem]

36. Indeed.

They were just freaking me out a bit right there.

Their calm patience is ... impressive.

[Cha]

18. Amazing video stream all the way from Shanghai

even if there's no audio yet!~ Thanks, Clio!

[Clio the Leo]

23. Neat huh?

I like the new chocolate secret service barrier draping.

[Pirate Smile]

19. I've got it - waiting for it to start. Soooo quiet. Definitely a different country.

[rasputin1952]

21. Dear God...I hope the delay ahs nothing to do w/a haircut!...

:D

[firedupdem]

24. Ha!

;-)

[Undercurrent]

25. Waiting

patiently. Soooo quite!

[rasputin1952]

30. I heard a cough...it really IS quiet...

kind of eerie!

[rasputin1952]

28. AHA! Someone coughed!

:D

[boppers]

29. Press...travelling staff...

[boppers]

31. Started. eom

[Warpy]

If you've got satellite or cable

Bloomberg is carrying it.

[sandnsea]

42. Ooooh, thanks

I hate watching stuff on laptop. My sound isn't that great to start with.

[O is 44]

50. CNN has it live as well n/t

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[Undercurrent]

33. Can hear speaker but not translation.

.

[Clio the Leo]

34. THERE we go.....

.... I was ABOUT to say, "yo! GIbbs!!!! Push the button!!!!"

[grantcart]

35. I can barely hear it

[grantcart]

38. Listening to the Audio only in a second window is much better than

listening to it with the visual

[Clio the Leo]

37. Ambassador Huntsman!!!!

......... why do I know that name?

[Pirate Smile]

39. Another moderate Republican Obama yanked out of their party. Listen to him speak Chinese.

[Clio the Leo]

44. That's what I thought....

.... for I moment I thought it was our NY-23 guy, but that former Rep went to the Defense Dept I think?

[Pirate Smile]

78. NY23 was McHugh who went became Secretary of the Army.

:)

[grantcart]

41. Former Governor of Utah --- His Mandarin accent is very good

[jefferson_dem]

43. Former Republican Governor of Utah...

His Mandarin is impeccable.

[Clio the Leo]

40. Wouldn't y'all just DIE..........

.... if the President suddenly busted out speaking Chinese? Like he had been learning Mandarin in his spare time?

[Clio the Leo]

45. CNN is carrying it now. NT

[gblady]

46. thanks for the headsup.....

I heard on the news tonight that the Chinese government would not let the press broadcast it...
maybe just not to their citizens....

[Clio the Leo]

49. Gibbs or someone told OUR press earlier....

.... that they were hoping some of the Chinese would be able to get the feed via the WH website. You'll notice that one of the links is written in Chinese. Hopefully the site is not being blocked.

[Cha]

47. I love Pres Obama ..he's always

looking for the common ground even if it's table tennis!

[Clio the Leo]

48. lol or Yao Ming. NT

[Clio the Leo]

52. The video questioners are all plants!!!

They're paid Hollywood actors!!!! :)

(I wanted to beat the Freepers at saying that ha ha.)

[Cha]

53. Obama's pushing that clean

energy on the whole wide world:bounce:

[Clio the Leo]

54. "America develops a culture that celebrates diversity..."

... is part of a question asked by one of the students.

Awwww ...... how cool is it that at least ONE person on the other side of the world thinks that of us.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

55. THANKS

[Cha]

56. Affriming the rights of women all over the world.

[Frank Booth]

57. Sounds like the Propaganda Bureau wrote this question.

[tishaLA]

58. I think it's a lovely question. and his answer is wonderful

[Frank Booth]

60. I was referring to the cross-straits relation question.

This one's just fine.

[O is 44]

59. Shout out to all the east coast peeps...

it is getting late for you guys, thankfully I'm out west. It's worth staying up for though!

[Cha]

67. Well that's mighty

Sweet of you..I'm just glad I can stay up and catch this historic event.

[Clio the Leo]

77. I usually dont go to bed until about 2am....

..... and I hate that those who couldn't hang missed it. They missed another good one.

But it will hopefully be on Youtube.

[Clio the Leo]

61. lol, asked why he thought he was awarded the Nobel....

... and will it affect how he governs.

(He thinks it's an excellent question and it was)

Says he was surprised and honored, not sure he deserved it considering those who have won it before. All he can do is, with humility, accept the fact that the committe was inspired by the American People and their desire to change how we dealt with the world. They gave him the prize, but he was just a symbol, the award goes to the people (wink, wink, nudge nudge.) Says he knows there's a burden that he must now live up to.

Says that EVERYONE has an obligation to promote peace even though it's not always easy. The middle east has conflict that goes back a thousand years for example. As Commander in Chief, his first priority is to protect the American people. He is obliged to protect the US and to "root out" terrorist organizations who threaten the world. He knows he can never eliminate the threat, but can surpress it through dialogue and understanding. One person could detonate a bomb that could kill thousands and now, more than ever, it is important to maintain that dialogue. Hopes the US and China can work together to reduce conflicts.

We must keep in mind that when we use our military, we must be self reflective and not just using them because we are stronger than everyone else. We must act responsibly. Hopes China and the US can work together to reduce conflict.

[boppers]

62. CNN just complained about softball questions (and cut away), when he was being asked about...

The Great Firewall and Twitter access.

[O is 44]

65. That is why I have the sound muted on the TV

but listening via the WH website. Pundits drive me nuts.

[Clio the Leo]

70. Write them and complain...

... I just did.

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?2

Be sure and tell them you appreciate MSNBC covering the entire thing and will gladly support MSNBC's sponsors.

[Politics_Guy25]

63. It's been over a year but I STILL get excited

whenever the Prez does these kinds of events. They are so cool and give me chills almost.

[Clio the Leo]

64. lol, says he has never Tweeted....

... that his thumbs are too clumsy to type things on the phone.

(this was in response to a question about the Chinese firewall)

He thinks information should be shared freely and supports open internet use and non-censorship.

lol, he says he WISHES information didn't flow so freely "because then I wouldn't have to listen to people criticize me all the time" but he recognizes that because information is free, even those who disagree w/him because it makes our democracy stronger and makes HIM a better leader. FOrces him to reexamine what he does and helps him make sure he is doing the best job he can.

Talks about how his campaign was strengthened by the internet.

the down side of openness is that extremist, terrorists can use it to organize, but it's better to have openness.

[Clio the Leo]

66. one student compliments the President saying, "your speech is so clear...."

"I do not need a headset."

[Clio the Leo]

68. They are all a bit nervous and star-struck. It's very cute. NT

[O is 44]

69. MSNBC has live coverage, CNN no longer covering.

[Cha]

71. The people President Obama admires

the most are the ones who don't just think about their lives but what kind of contribution they can make for something bigger than themselves.

He lives that.

[Clio the Leo]

72. In regard to the al qaeda in Pakistan....

.... they still have ties to cells in Afghanistan and it's important to stabalize that situation so things do not escalate.

Says it makes him very heavy-hearted to meet with the families of the fallen, but that the men and women fighting are willing to go. It is imporant to have UN forces become ready to take over so the US can pull most of its troops out.

We must go to the source, try and stop young men from becoming terrorists to begin with. Young people have no education or opportunities, they feel terrorism is their only opportunity. Wants to improve schools and agriculture so that people can have a greater sense of Hope.

That wont stop extremists, but it will shrink the pool of people they can get troops from and that will decrease the threat over time.

[Cha]

73. Thanks for making such an great summary

of what PO's been talking about in replying to the questions from the students in China.

There's a thread in another forum accusing the President of "selling us out to the Chinese".

[Clio the Leo]

76. Yeah, I hope I got it all down...

.... I transcribed oral histories in grad school but he's a pretty fast talker. ;)

It's not verbatim, but I think I got the gist of it.

[Cha]

79. I'm in

Awe~

[gblady]

74. I loved the looks.....

and smiles on the faces of the students as they shook PO's hand....

Gracious...that is the word that is going through my head about our President.
He is a gracious man.

[Clio the Leo]

75. It's obvious by looking at the photos...

.... he'll consider this the highlight of his trip.