Obama: Republicans will "Play to their Base"

[sabra]

Source: CBS News

President Obama is starting off the new year with a clear-eyed assessment of the opposition he'll face from Congress this year.

Fresh from a nearly two-week vacation in Hawaii, Mr. Obama told reporters aboard a Washington-bound Air Force One last night that he expects Republicans "to play to their base for a certain period of time."

Indeed, one of the first acts of the new GOP-led House next week will be to vote to repeal Mr. Obama's signature accomplishment, the health care overhaul. Asked specifically what he thought about that largely symbolic vote, Mr. Obama declined to say.

"I think that there's gonna be politics, that's what happens in Washington," the president said. "But I'm pretty confident that they're going to recognize that our job is to govern and make sure that we are delivering jobs for the American people and that we are creating a competitive economy for the 21st Century. Not just for this generation but for the next one."

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will realize, Mr. Obama added, "that there will be plenty of time to campaign for 2012 in 2012."

"Our job this year is to make sure that we build on recovery," he said. "We started making good progress on that in the lame-duck, and I expect to build on that progress when I get back."

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20027138-503544.html?tag=stack

[elocs]

1. "Play to their Base". What a quaint notion. Democrats should try that sometime.n/t

[RT Atlanta]

11. WELL SAID!

I was thinking the same damn thing... why didnt the Democratic Party play to our base, instead of "reaching across the aisle," the last two years?

[RhodaA]

13. His "base" delivered the House to the GOP

“The left of the left — at least as represented by some of its commentators hovering around the Democratic Party — has a choice: make a New Years’ resolution to rejoin the reality-based community, or head for its own version of Tea Party la-la Land negativity.” -- by Frank Schaeffer


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obamas-lefty-critics-owe-_b_802911.html

[mvd]

14. The base delelivered nothing to the GOP

The stupid Teabaggers did. I consider myself part of the base and voted in November despite disappointments.

And the Left should continue to support their principles.

[JDPriestly]

15. Where Democrats ran real Democrats, they won.

Hawaii, California, Oregon, even New York.

The base in those states voted Democratic because the Democratic candidates in those states stood for Democratic values.

We could have had major victories around the country had Obama supported the candidates with strong Democratic values, but instead he chose to support neither/nors like Blanche Lincoln.


Obama threw away the chance to have a strong Democratic majority in the House.

[RhodaA]

16. Sestak? Grayson?

[mvd]

17. Sestak wasn't all that liberal. Grayson made mistakes on..

the campaign trail, but was a fighter. That's what I like to see. Most of the House members who lost were Blue Dogs.

[closeupready]

19. Blanche Lincoln?

n/t

[JDPriestly]

24. Grayson did not get support from Obama. And he was running

in a very Republican district which just happened to go Democratic in the 2008 election.

Sestak probably lost a lot of votes from Obama voters who may have voted for Spector in the primary.

But here in California, after years and years of Republican governors, we finally have a solid Democratic governor, Jerry Brown.

And he started by contacting local governments at various local levels and promising to return a lot of decision-making power to those local leaders. Good move. That is a truly Democratic move. Jerry Brown will make the tough choices fairly. And we know that the choices in California will be extremely tough.

[pnorman]

25. Not to mention Russ Feingold!

Obama Comes to Wisconsin, Feingold Disappears

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/09/05/obama_comes_to_wisconsin_feingold_disappears_107024.html

[Arkana]

43. Obama threw it away?

Please elaborate. I would LOVE to hear how it's the President's fault that Congressional Democrats are cowards and shitty campaigners.

[newspeak]

38. I find it downright amusing

that the relabeling of long time FDR democrats as "fringe" to be identified by their alleged counterparts the corporate faux astroturf teabaggers, are the democrats who actually believe in the democratic platform, not the DLC corporate platform. Now we are the fringe. What a fekkin joke!!!!

And the reality is that some democrats are republicans carrying wallstreet's water against mainstreet. And, some are more than willing to march with the rest of the neo-cons to drown any social safety net in the tub, but not that which will still control the proles.

[backtomn]

22. "Play to their base" ???

Apparently the administration doesn't see the irony in those comments......or they hope no one in paying attention.

[elocs]

23. Wouldn't it be special if the administration would respect and honor their base?

At least Republicans seem to at least fear their base, knowing that without them they would not be where they are at.

[Arkana]

46. Except that isn't what the "base" wants.

When they're not loudly and belligerently proclaiming themselves to be his "base" and shrieking that they will destroy him, Obama's "base" is demanding unswerving, unconditional loyalty from a guy who was elected to the Presidency of the United States, not the Presidency of the People Who Agree With Him.

[justabob]

2. and the dems will bludgeon theirs

if recent events are any indication.

[bowens43]

3. Obama will also play to the republican base......

if the last two years are any indicator.

[emulatorloo]

5. Which Teabag Inspired Legislation has Obama Promoted?

[Tempest]

7. Look at all the times he acquiesced to GOP demands. n/t

[emulatorloo]

8. Specific teabag-agenda legislation he supported or acquiesced to?

[Kweli4Real]

20. Are you noticing a pattern?

They make some pithy victimized talking point about PRESIDENT Obama supporting the right; you challenge them to point out one; they return with yet another pithy victimized talking point.

It's really sad that we must endure this AT DU. We could go to a rightwing site and get the same unsupportable crap.

[Tempest]

28. What a crock

No one is saying Obama supports the right, that's just B.S. from the people who are not realistic about Obama and the times he has backed down to GOP demands.

Like the tax cut.


What's really sad are the Obama supporters who can't see his faults.

[SammyWinstonJack]

39. "What's really sad are the Obama supporters who can't see his faults."

Sickening more than sad, really. :puke:

[Arkana]

44. And who would those be?

Please, enlighten me--because I have not seen a single person on this board who has agreed with the President on everything.

And you'd be lying if you said you did, too.

[Tempest]

27. The poster you originally responded to specifically said the BASE

The tea baggers are not the base.

And I was referring to how Obama gave in to the GOP BASE in Congress on several issues.

[katnapped]

35. Gave the rich their tax cuts!

What, not pandering to the GOP base?

[Bandit]

47. Escalated war in Afghanistan, extending tax cuts for the very wealthy

Not allowing Single Payer or even Public Option on the table..Gitmo still open..No terrorist trials within the USA..Some people held even after found not guilty...Official admission that some people even Americans can be assassinated by government agents..The Conservative lean to this Administration has been noticed by many, but not you....

[socialist_n_TN]

48. How about the "catfood commission" that he set up?

nm

[girl gone mad]

26. Killing the public option..

watering down FinReg, drill baby drill, expanding the wars, condoning torture, forgive and forget Bush war crimes, targeting WikiLeaks, attack unions, privatize public education, etc.

[Tempest]

29. They didn't even bother to respond to your post

Says a lot.

[Tempest]

34. Here's another one to add to your list

The Obama administration “will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning” included in the new health care law, an abrupt change because the new rule just took effect January 1. The New York Times notes that, while “administration officials cited procedural reasons for changing the rule, it was clear that political concerns were also a factor.”

[Tempest]

30. Why are you bringing up tea baggers?

He specifically said the "republican base".

[LibDemAlways]

4. At least repukes acknowledge their base. Obama considers his to be

little more than a pain in the ass.

[FightingBobsghost]

6. And in other news...

Fire is hot and water is wet.

[somone]

9. What a novel strategy

They don't insult their base either.
Duh.

[newspeak]

40. well, at least not publicly

remember the e-mail to Reed to fire up his "religious loony" base to go against some gambling bill? They use their base by whipping up their pet domestic concerns like gays, choice and immigrants. See, jobs and helping others don't need to be addressed.

[madrchsod]

10. yuck......

[DrDan]

12. that is certainly one thing this administration will not be accused of

[closeupready]

18. Yeah, and so do you play to that same base, it sometimes appears.

:sarcasm:

[Phlem]

21. Talk about stating the obvious

from the word Meister.

Dear President Obama.

Believe it or not, you do not need to state the obvious anymore. Please start filling your speeches with actionable substance instead of go no where flourish.

-p

[Hardrada]

31. Where is Barack's base these days?

GWTW.

[harun]

37. I would love to hear a reporter ask him who he thinks his base is.

But I am afraid he will answer it with, "Those guys I keep ripping on".

[Arkana]

45. See, if I were him, my answer would be "Those guys that got me elected in 2008."

Not "The 15% of perpetually-pissed off "liberals" who don't like good news because they've already made up their minds that I've sold my soul to the devil."

[Nossida]

32. Greetings Citizens

to be quite frank,

When it comes to consideration of the 2012 Election Cycle.
Give those shyster republicans 2 years, and the Masses will
be gnashing their teeth to vote for anyone but a republican.
Republican Hubris over regaining the House will be their
undoing. People are angry, so they 'voted the bums out'.
After Americans digest the garbage the republicans are now
proposing, and will no doubt deliver for their Corporate
Bosses, only a well programed Diebold machine will save them.

The President should know by now that he will get ZERO cooperation
from the Good'ol Boys Club.

[Javaman]

33. Who else would they play to? the opposition?

we have talking points too. Sadly, ours are just as bad as theirs.

[jasigirl33]

36. Ding, ding!!!

Their base leaves a lot to be desired. Ignorant, ill-informed, brainwashed by the RW pundits.

[newspeak]

41. unfortunately, true

even when things get economically worse, the right's water boys and girls will have access to MSM to tell their willfully ignorant base who is really at fault, as they've already done. It's those greedy civil servants, those immigrants, those socialists-but it's not wall street insiders betting on our misery and loss, or banks scalping us or greedy, bottom line corporations or politicians shoveling our money to their best corporate friends.

Those who cannot defend themselves the most will be the scapegoats-poor, disabled, elderly, immigrants.

[Arkana]

42. I guess I have to give him credit for being so publicly upbeat.

He's gotta know how it's gonna go down though. Endless subpoenas from Darrell Issa's House O' Crazy.