OFFICIAL OBAMA PRESS CONFERENCE THREAD =NOW ENDED= (link)

[Poll_Blind]

Watch it LIVE at White House: LIVE @ Whitehouse.gov

I'm not an Ed Shultz listener but I was listening today and he said something I thought was very true: "The hourglass has been turned over on the Obama administration", meaning time is running out and whether he chooses to work agains the Republicans or continue to work with them, this press conference will likely answer questions about his choice on the matter.

---FEED IS NOW LIVE AND STREAMING---

PB

[HopeHoops]

1. It is LIVE right now!

[Barack_America]

2. Smart money's on "work with" nt

[Poll_Blind]

5. Agreed, but the Republicans are pigs and working "with" means that...

...the Republicans are willing to put something on the line too, in negotiation. I'm not sure they'll do that.

PB

[bluedeminredstate]

3. Why did thank Harry Reid for his service?

Did the Dems lose the Senate? I don't get why he said he told McConnell he looked forward to working with him!

:wtf:

[de novo]

6. Because they are all spineless pushovers!

[gkhouston]

7. Thanking Harry Reid for his service makes it sound like a nudge out of the

Majority Leader position.

[AnArmyVeteran]

He just said "he's not too naive to think people will put politics aside"

Yes he is! Obama has been too naive and that is why we lost yesterday. Obama doesn't get it. We are in a fucking war against the right wing enemy. Wake the fuck up Obama!!!!

Damn he is pissing me off!!!

[de novo]

4. Updates for cube rats would be much appreciated.

I am interested to see how many times he mentions bipartisanship, compromise and across the aisle.

[dgibby]

15. He wants to sit down with members of both parties, find common ground.

Vote reflected the frustration of the American people re: economy, jobs, etc.

Work harder at building consensus.

Hope for civility and progress.

[de novo]

21. I could have written it. Naivete and foolishness.

[Lorien]

85. In other words; he's learned nothing

not that any of us are surprised.

[alfredo]

111. I think you are missing the long term strategy.

[Poll_Blind]

8. Jobs, energy, children's future. "Most important contest we face is not...

...between D's and R's, most important this century is between America and her economic competitors. To do this we need to be united."

PB

[AnArmyVeteran]

9. Just more blah, blah, blah... And no guts.

[Jamastiene]

31. Candidate Obama and President Obama are

most definitely two different people. He once had some fire, some spirit. Once he became president, his speeches and what he does has turned into this milquetoast drivel. It's so frustrating.

[DevonRex]

What? You expected him to do a song and dance or something?

:eyes:

[AnArmyVeteran]

113. I expected more than for him to be a human jellyfish, constantly caving to the enemy.

And even after every republican leader vowed to not compromise with him Obama will continue to give away even more of what he promised. Candidate Obama has disappeared and I have no idea who the man in the White House is anymore. I worked my ass off for over a year and spent a lot of money to get him elected, just so he could run terrified from every fight with republicans. The very least I should have gotten for my efforts (and millions of others) was someone with a spine.

Obama is now going to give away the rest of the promises he made by caving to the same republicans who virtually destroyed this country. Tea baggers are insane, but at least most appear to have backbones. Yeah I'm mad and I have every right to be.

[Poll_Blind]

10. "Don't want to spend the next 2 years refighting the battles of the last 2."

PB

[de novo]

13. The repubs do and will. Wisen up, Obama!

[bluethruandthru]

22. I wonder what he'll say when the R's start impeachment proceedings against him

as they've already stated they plan to do.

[Poll_Blind]

34. I haven't looked into that much yet but I would not be surprised if they did.

They're just that fucked up.

PB

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

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[lumberjack_jeff]

76. Doesn't matter what he wants.

That's what you're gonna be doing. Get good at it.

[kestrel91316]

11. I am tired of hearing about compromise. We did that the past 2 years and

it got us nowhere. Pandering to the lowest common denominator is a path to failure. I hear no defiance and no challenge to the failed policies of the RW who got lucky and got elected last night.

[CTyankee]

84. Bingo! This is truly the definition of insanity and I can't stand it anymore!

All you get from beating a dead horse is sore arms...

[Poll_Blind]

"I do believe there is hope for civility. I do believe there is hope for progress."

PB

[Barack_America]

20. Such passion and resolve. nt

[corpseratemedia]

90. cube rat who is just wondering "wtf"...

sorry but I strongly feel we need a primary challenger in '12 or we'll be screwed even worse than in 2000

there is NO HOPE FOR CIVILITY OR PROGRESS with reactionary racist segregationists

[asdjrocky]

12. At this point he pretty much just puts me to sleep. nt

[kestrel91316]

14. Building consensus = doing EVERYTHING exactly how the RW wants it.

GET A SPINE.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Poll_Blind]

17. "While we may be proud D's or proud R's, we are all proud Americans."

PB

[Poboy]

32. Jon Stewart would be proud!

[Parker CA]

18. He's not giving much to the GOP at all. Said no single side holds all the power. Said he fully

expects both sides to work on goals the nation needs addressed. Says focusing on issues from the past two years is a waste of time and won't accomplish anything.

Looks like he's holding strong to the idea of moving forward and not getting mired in any gridlock.

Questions now...

[Poll_Blind]

19. Done speaking, now onto questions. A bit surprising to me.

PB

[dgibby]

23. Now taking questions from press.n/t

[MineralMan]

24. He doesn't have a lot of options. The House will do what the

house does. He can veto bills, of course, and probably will. But if anything is to happen, some things have to get enacted and signed. The country doesn't stop for 2 years. There are going to be compromises. There's no other option if things are to continue at all. We'll have to see where he draws the line, and where the Senate draws its line. Get ready for a lot of strife.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

25. Platitudes, concessions to the Repugs, and politics-as-usual.

[Skidmore]

56. Yeah, cause the President writes the laws, right?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

63. Right! I forgot that the "most powerful man in the world" is powerless.

[Skidmore]

68. Legislative branch...

we have one and its responsibilities are enumerated.

[Poll_Blind]

26. Q: Were last night's results a repudiation of your agenda? Who speaks for America, you or Boehner?

Very non-specific answer to it so far but he did mention common ground between the D's and the R's in regards to the shitty economy.

Calls for responsibility, working harder to come to consensus to keep the economy going for "children and grandchildren."

As he reflects on election, he "has to to a better job, just like everyone in Washington does."

"(Everyone) has to sit down and work together" because electorate (in his opinion) don't carry a fixed ideology which is described by either R's or D's.

PB

[gkhouston]

29. Obama seemed to imply that frustration with the economy was a large factor.

Savannah Guthrie up now, repeating the question (which was someone else's) and implying that the President "doesn't get it" and that his policies are at fault. Obama talking about averting the economic collapse when they first came into office and how that had to take precedence.

[bullwinkle428]

28. The only statement he could have made that would have fired me up:

"WE'RE RAMMING IT ALL THROUGH IN THE LAME-DUCK SESSION, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

[Poll_Blind]

30. Q: I don't see a lot of reflection from you on your policies. Are you not "getting it", Mr. Pres.?

He responds it's still early yet in the press conference and there are more questions to go.

Talks about his role in bailing out the banks and auto companies- but explains this was because of an emergency, not necessarily his agenda (this is basically what he said)

Talks about "overreach" in regards to bailouts and again describes this as a response to an emergency economic situation.

PB

[Poll_Blind]

33. Continuing, says in rush to get emergency bills passed, signed bills with earmarks in them.

Kind of tries to make the point that he hasn't done the kind of changes that people might have expected is because of the need to pass legislation so quickly.

PB

[RandySF]

35. Sounds like he's saying

"I understand why people don't like liberal programs".

[Poll_Blind]

36. Q: Lots of R's ran against your healtchare law, some saying they'll repeal it. Is there a danger...

...to your healthcare law?

[Poll_Blind]

39. A: We'd be misreading the election if we re-litigate the last few years.

Goes into pro-healthcare legislation commentary.

PB

[Poll_Blind]

40. "Now, if the R's have IDEAS on how to improve our healthcare system. If they..

...have ideas on how to get faster reform (for businesses and people)...I'm happy to consider those ideas."

Mentions 1099 provision (?) requiring too much paperwork.

PB

[gkhouston]

41. Me-ow! "If the Republicans have ideas" he'll consider them.

:rofl: It was encased in a lot of polite language but he said that as part of his last answer, too.

[Poll_Blind]

44. I didn't like that bit. It concerns me a lot. TO BE FAIR he said he didn't think there....

..would be much support to agressively go after the current legislation but what I was hoping was "Fuck NO, I will set anyone on fire who tries to fuck with this legislation."

PB

[gkhouston]

50. First, he can't. Second, when people learn what the individual provisions in the

law are, they're in favor of them. Going after "Obamacare" is a two-edged sword.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

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[AngryOldDem]

42. What can he say?

I mean, really?

He squandered two years.

[gkhouston]

Are you watching the press conference? He doesn't look unconfident or nervous

at all. He's just standing there calmly answering questions.

[Subdivisions]

104. He looks like he's been beat down. n/t

[gkhouston]

79. self-delete; wrong place in thread. n/t

[piratefish08]

38. fucking weak.

sorry.

but it was.

[Poll_Blind]

43. His answer about working with R's to amend the healthcare laws scares the shit out of me.

You kind of have to be listening live to know what I'm talking about.

[Jamastiene]

58. I heard that.

I think he's talking about rescinding the pre-existing conditions part of the health care reform bill, because the Republicans don't like it. :banghead:

[HopeHoops]

46. "It also means 1 out of 2 voters think it was the right thing to do."

DAMN is it nice to have an intelligent adult in the White House!!!

[Poll_Blind]

47. Q: Is spending to create jobs now a dead issue given the R's won't go for it?

[Poll_Blind]

49. A: References his Deficit Comission. Talks about cutting programs that don't work,

but NOT cutting core investments- I actually don't know what he's saying by that. (sorry)

"What are our priorities? What do we care about? That's going to be a tough debate. I've inherited a big deficit, which has been made wose by the recession. I don't want to cut education or research and development because if we can devleop new tech like clean energy that could make al the difference in regareds to creating jobs her at home. We shoudl be able ot agree now it makes no sense for China to have better rail systems than us or Singapore having (something else). China has best supercomputer on Earth now, (and that sucks because we need to have that kind of cutting edge tech)

During lame duck session, taxes shoudl not go up on middle class families next year.

PB

[Poll_Blind]

51. "Extend unemployment insurance" Talks about balancing budget cuts which....

...help job growth.

[Poll_Blind]

52. "Without any R support on anything, it's going to be hard to get things done. But I don't...

...anticipate that." (paraphrased)

PB

[Poll_Blind]

53. Talks about accelerated depreciation for business. Says it's not considered a liberal idea and...

...that's actually an R/Big Business idea. (I think he's supporting this or at least conceding it in negotiation)

PB

[Turborama]

69. Thanks a lot for your rush transcripts!

I can't watch it live right now and it's really good to get an idea of what he's actually saying.

[AnArmyVeteran]

77. It's good you can't see it. Republicans are painting a yellow stripe down his back.

And Obama is letting them.

[WinkyDink]

82. More like a target.

[AnArmyVeteran]

93. Exactly, and Obama thinks he's being fitted for a new suit.

[BlueCheese]

103. You're pretty fast at the transcribing...

Do you have experience with this? Just curious.

[WinkyDink]

48. OMG. Just said his "Deficit Commission will include Democrats and Republicans." LESSON NOT LEARNED.

[Poboy]

54. They are coming for SS and medicare. Book it.

[AngryOldDem]

59. Yep.

What will all the Tea Baggers have to say when THAT happens?

Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.

[Jamastiene]

64. Yup.

We're fucked.

[dgibby]

74. It already does.

It's the "Catfood commission". I think they're due to present their findings/proposals before in the next 2mos. Unfortunately both co-chairmen are on the record as wanting to gut SS and medicare.

[Enthusiast]

101. If President Obama agrees to compromise

social security I will actively support an Obama opponent in 2012.

[Poll_Blind]

55. Q: What policies will you compromise on now that you didn't in the past?

[Poll_Blind]

61. A: I've been willing to compromise since taking office. Let's find those areas...

...on which we both agree.

Mentions: Electric cars being developed in the U.S., something about natural gas/oil research, restarting nuclear industry as a means of reducing depedence on foreign oil.

Fuel efficiency for cars and trucks and working with corporations and shareholders (and unions, I believe) to get it done.

Talks about problems between D's and R's causing shift to look at topics they DO agree on.

PB

[dgibby]

57. People would have more confidence in my policy choices

if unemployment was 5% instead of 9.6%.

Re: health care: if repubs have ideas on how to improve health care, he's willing to consider them. Need to talk with r's on specific objections, not generalities. Will not scrap HRC, but willing to "tweek" it.

Spending: Deficit commission will be putting forth it's ideas. Hopefuly, they'll have ideas on how to save money, streamline govt (no mention of specifics). Doesn't want to cut back on ed, reasearch and development. Wants to look at all ideas on the table to create jobs. Wants to extend unemployment insurance, keep taxes down.

Chip Reid: What you call investments, repubs call wasteful spending, dead in the water.
Obama: We all have to come to the table with an open mind.

Obama: I was willing to compromise in the past, and I'm willing to compromise going forward. Need to find areas where we can agree.

[wisteria]

99. He is absolutely correct on this point. n/t

[Gold Metal Flake]

60. Oil, coal and nuke industries are safe!

Yay!

[Poll_Blind]

62. Q: Willing to compromise on Bush tax cuts?

[Poll_Blind]

65. A: (Doesn't want to raise taxes on middle class (no "spike"))

Wants to see middle class extensions but also doing things to help businesses invest to grow the economy. Says it all needs to eb worked out with Boehner, Reid, et al.

[Lorien]

83. You knew that would happen. Dems didn't want to piss off rich sugar daddies,

so they delayed the vote so that the Repugs could take the credit for it.

[AngryOldDem]

66. Good question on health care.

Do you regret making those deals?

[Poll_Blind]

67. I won't be able to keep up with the Q's and A's, please tun in if you can. Also..

...there will be a transcript published by the White House not too long from now.

PB

[Gold Metal Flake]

70. So long, Cap & Trade!

[Doctor_J]

72. You have to be pretty brave to watch that

I fear he will be cowering and giving up the little bits he's managed to claim over two years.

[Chisox08]

73. More Compromise

How did that work out for you?
I'm sick of all the reaching out the Republicans. I hope Grayson or some with a spine runs against him in 2012.

[asdjrocky]

75. Good job not answering the question on DADT Mr. President.

Way to show a spine!

[AngryOldDem]

78. Does he still think that the GOP will be willing to work with him?

When they have made no bones about shutting him down, and you have people like Rand Paul now in the mix?

[dgibby]

80. OMG!

Ed Henry,CNN: re: your statement that if you want the car to go forward, put it in D, do you think,based on election, that American's think your policies have put the country in reverse? Obama: No, etc.

[gkhouston]

81. Hang on, I covered that up-thread in the wrong place. Let me grab it...

Here: Ed Henry asked Obama about the car analogy; wanted to know if Obama thought maybe he was wrong about the Dems putting the car in "forward" since that idea was apparently "rejected" by the voters. Obama explicitly said no, the Dems are going in reverse, at the worst, we're stuck in neutral, and the D's and R's are pushing on the car in opposing directions. Henry not happy about that answer. :rofl:

Obama says DADT might come up for vote in the lame duck session but I'm not holding my breath.

[gkhouston]

86. You know, the President's party got its collective ass kicked last night, yet he's

collected, coherent, and responsive. Compare and contrast to interviews with Boehner, McConnell, etc.

He's not done yet.

[flamingdem]

95. He was very sharp and well spoken considering he probably stayed up almost all night nt

[AngryOldDem]

87. "Great leaders -- Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan"?????

He would have done well to mention Jimmy Carter.

[AnArmyVeteran]

88. Obama "I don't believe people walk around with a fixed idealology". LOLOLOL!!!!

Obama "I don't believe people walk around with a fixed idealology". LOLOLOL!!!!

There are no levels of cluelessness than what I am listening to from Obama right now. The level of cluelessness is profound! No one in this country (except for Obama) could believe what he just said. It's delusional to believe people dont have ideologies. The right wing has been trying to destroy him for over two years. Our country is filled with right wing fanatics from coast to coast who want him destroyed or worse. No one, NO ONE could be this clueless, delusional or stupid.

[Poll_Blind]

89. Just listening to the audio, there is a melancholy mixed in with so many of his answers.

Just wondering if anyone else noticed that? I'm just listening to the audio at the moment, not sure what it looks like.

PB

[dgibby]

91. It's coming across on tv, too.

In fact, I was just getting ready to post how sad he seems, especially in that last answer to the question as to if he was "out of touch".

[gkhouston]

92. I had the video on, too. He looked reflective, but not melancholic. He seemed

to be thinking of a lot of his answers as he spoke them, instead of giving canned responses.

[AngryOldDem]

94. To me he looked and sounded very tired,

[queenjane]

96. My personal take on Obama's reactions

is that he is just stunned, baffled, discombobulated, by the rabid, foaming, spitting hostility towards him from the Right. Seriously. He campaigned on HELPING this country recover from 8 years of mismanagement, on aiding the middle & lower classes, and was met with a tsunami of rage from the Republican party and its minions. I truly believe he still can't comprehend it. Not excusing his lack of fight, just wondering if the hatred has so thrown him off his game that he can't muster the will to fight back.

Which doesn't help us or the country, of course. I think he's biggest mistake was/is overestimating the intelligence of the American rabble. Continuing to insist that the people "get it" is beyond naive, and very dangerous.

[alfredo]

97. Appearance of bipartisanship by Obama is good in the long term. Make it clear

That it is the Reps that are being unreasonable and obstructive. We want wall to wall investigations. We want the Reps to spend more time investigating every little thing. We want them to be all they can be. Encourage them to impeach Obama, and to shut down our government. We want them to go after Medicare and Social Security. We want them to go after the patients bill of rights and other protections under HCR. We want them to attempt to repeal wall st reform.

We also want Rove to continue, as promised, his CrossroadsGPS/American Crossroads TV ads. We want them to continue the ugliness.

Be the assholes we've grown to love. Feel free to show your ass holiness to the world Republicans. Let you light shine.

[wisteria]

100. I agree, we have to drum the poor attitudes and lack of cooperation from the Repubs

into the heads of reasonable Americans.

[alfredo]

110. We will be able to frame them as more interested in punishing Obama than doing

Doing the people's work.

[YankeeLeft7x]

98. Typical Lousy Questions

by the dopes in the news media.

[Subdivisions]

102. Weak, mamby-pamby response by the President. I'm floored. n/t

[Vinca]

105. I couldn't bear to watch. Can anyone sum it up in one word?

[Subdivisions]

106. Mamby-pamby. That might be two words. n/t

[Vinca]

107. Jeeeeez - we're so fucked.

[BlueCheese]

108. I think I'm pretty critical of the president at times...

... but despite all the work-together talk at the press conference, I don't mind it too much.

You have to pay lip service to the notion, held by most Americans, that the parties need to work together.

Even if you're privately thinking, "Well, screw you guys--you won the election by cynical obstructionism and baseless fearmongering, and you'll get your tax cuts for the wealthy over my cold dead body, and I'm going to go over your heads to the people and make you wish you dread the day you thought running for office might be a good idea," you can't say that out loud today.

BUT...

All of that happy-talk about finding common ground, etc. better only be lip service. Politics is sometimes about shaking hands with one hand for the cameras while picking up the knife with the other. We'd better see some real spine and aggressiveness.

The tax cuts will be a big first test. In the lame duck session, we still have both houses of Congress. The public overwhelmingly supports our position--extend the middle class ones, retire the ones for the wealthy. If we can't muscle that through, then it's going to be a very long two years.

[Neurotica]

109. Well said...

I'll be waiting to see that spine!

[EmeraldCityGrl]

112. Obama appeared unprepared for the the election results.

This worries me because most of us here, while still trying to be optimistic saw this coming.
Who is advising him? Beside his bedtime letter reading, does he ever go on the internet and
read what real Americans are posting about their circumstances and perceptions? It feels as if
other than his campaign trips, he's relying on some poor sources for his much needed reality checks.
Many of those around him have their own agendas. Rahm's race for mayor of Chicago is a good example.

I'm waiting to see if he makes any staff changes. If he does not, he's screwed in 2012.