Obama to GOP: 'Get serious'

[kpete]

Source: Politico

By JOSH GERSTEIN | 9/10/10 11:00 AM EDT Updated: 9/10/10 11:34 AM EDT

President Barack Obama came out swinging at a White House news conference Friday — denouncing the economic policies enacted under Republican control and calling on the Senate to end a month-long standoff over a small-business jobs bill “that’s been held up by a partisan minority.”

“I ran for president because I believe the policies of the previous decade left our economy weaker and our middle class struggling” while benefitting the wealthy, by including a tax cut for the nation’s top earners, Obama said in his opening statement. “It left everyone else pretty much fending for themselves…and left us with a financial crisis and a terrible recession which we are continuing to dig ourselves out of today.”

“I understand there’s an election coming up, but the American people didn’t send us here to think about our jobs, they sent us here to think about theirs.”

Without mentioning his predecessor George W. Bush by name, Obama took aim at Bush’s economic record – saying the nation lost 4 million jobs in the six months before Obama took office. And he said Republicans seeking to take back the House and Senate in this fall’s midterms will just be more of the same.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/41971.html#ixzz0z8p2zMAI

---

LIVE FEED: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Obama: We may call God different names, 'but we are one nation'
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/10/obama-to-hold-question-and-answer/

Obama insists Dems can do well in this fall's mid-term election
By Michael O'Brien - 09/10/10 11:31 AM ET
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/118031-obama-dems-will-do-well-this-fall-if-we-can-frame-the-choice-to-voters

[SpiralHawk]

1. "No no no no no no." - Republicon Homelanders

[Evasporque]

2. kick because I can't stand the GOP and I like Obama...

[Schema Thing]

3. It's funny because this news conference is still going on as I type this

[onehandle]

4. This is a message to swing voters. Talk to the base and the 2008 Obama voters.

There is an overlap between swing voters, the base, and Obama voters, but if Obama wants to save his agenda, he better start talking to the last two real quick.

Swing voters are Not going to win this for us.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

5. All in due time. Swing voters might be turned off now by what the President may have

to say to the base later.

IMO now is the time to begin a sustained negative attack on Republicans aimed at making swing voters think twice in November. Luckily, the big turnout in 2008 means in many jurisdictions we don't have to worry so much about getting the base registered.

The base needs to be fired up during the last two weeks before Election Day, and, IMO, that will happen in due time.

[cliffordu]

8. Ah, bullshit.

the swing voters gave him the last election.

Moderates and centrists and all.

[No Elephants]

39. Yes, none of the base helped with donating, volunteering, keeping up momentum or voting.

None of that (and more) had a thing to do with winning over swing votes. It was all about the morans who flip a coin just before they vote.

:sarcasm:

Reality is, neither party's Presidential nominee can, these days, win without both the base and swing voters. And each Party seems to see that as a reason to appear to be more like the other Party. Looking for someone to blame, that portion of swing voters who also happen to be low info voters simply goes anti incumbent. (Not intending to imply that all swing voters are low info.)

[Hekate]

25. The polls say the voters are evenly divided. How is it that swing voters are not significant? nt

edited for typo :blush:

[No Elephants]

41. If voters are evenly divided, a dispirited base is very significant. Pls. see Reply 39.

[Chulanowa]

32. Most of the people who voted for Obama in 2008 are still with him

It's the people who voted "Anyone but Bush" that he has to cultivate.

[No Elephants]

40. Did Bush run in 2008?

[Chulanowa]

45. No, but his malignant tumor did

Look at that grotesque thing.

At any rate, you know precisely what I mean. A lot of the people who voted for Obama - and a huge number of the current ones screaming and crying about everything he does - would have voted for a Cabbage in 2008 just "because I feel it's time for change"

[boomerbust]

6. Listening to this news conference

There is no doubt in my mind that this was the right man for the job at hand.

[Rozlee]

7. It won't work unless he keeps these talking points going and instructs

all Democratic candidates to pick them up and keep hammering them until the election. They need to aggressively pick at the economic plans of their Rethug opponents, whose only ones are tax cuts for the rich that will only increase the deficit and not address the unemployment picture. AND talk about their obstructionism of plans Obama and Democrats had in place to improve the economy. But, no. They'll sit there and be beat over the heads by their Rethuglican opponents, over and over again, about how they comb their hair or what kind of shoes they wear. Why, oh why, do I belong to such a wussy party? Oh, yeah. Because the other one trashed the country. But, where are the Jedi knights when we need them? The only one is Alan Grayson and he can't handle Emperor Mitch McConnell and the other Storm Troopers by himself.

[chervilant]

10. Not only

pick them up and keep hammering, but laugh derisively every time one of these naysayers articulates a divisive or destructive Republican meme.

[EC]

9. Politico's review?

Couldn't find it anywhere else?

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[EC]

14. That's better thanks...

Yeah, sometimes she does go way overboard, but her coverage of live events has always been good...

[INdemo]

11. So where in the hell was this guy 6 months ago or even a year ago or longer

when we needed real legislation passed and the Repukes were blocking everything..Where were these comments when we were hoping for real health care reform? ..and oh yes did everyone in Washington forget about the 99ers..thats economic news..
OK is this just another great speech amd after the election will he go back to pampering Wall St??

[cliffordu]

23. Try to keep on one insult at a time,

you're mixing up fauxrages.

[INdemo]

36. Well his record speaks for itself

[cliffordu]

43. Shaw nuff.

[WingDinger]

12. In the end, they will embrace the grownup, that talks to us like grownups.

[perdita9]

15. The GOP wants us all standing in breadlines

Because they think that will benefit their own political positions.

The country better wake up to who's on their side and who's not.

[Roy Rolling]

16. the trap is baited

The trap is baited....Republicans can either say "no" to small business and look like hypocrites or they can say "yes" to small business and make Obama a winner. I think this is political genius...now if they had used the same genius to fix the problem of unemployment they wouldn't be in this mess. But "giving them enough rope to hang themselves" (all imagery aside) over the next 60 days is timely and excellent political strategy.

The hardcore Republicans aren't listening and will never change their mind, they will continue to hammer for failed policies and turn off the swing voters more than progressives can persuade them to let current policies continue and show benefits. Remember, millions and millions of jobs were created (with a higher tax rate) under Bill Clinton PLUS a budget surplus. Equitable policies work in the long run. But what did it get Clinton politically? Hardcore Republicans impeached him----so forget about working with them, they are incorrigible. The biggest salesmen for progressive economic policies are Boehner and McConnell---they will drive more people away than Democrats could ever attract.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Frisbee]

19. Source please...

"That is simply a fact, attested to by the IRS every time it has been tried"

I'd like to see a reputable source on this please.

[Frisbee]

26. That's what I thought, you're the source. n/t

[SteppingRazor]

21. You appear to be severely misinformed.

Letting the top tax rate expire would affect about 3 percent of small businesses:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/04/AR2010080407188.html


Also, it's not true that Obama considers government jobs the same as private sector jobs:
"Now, government can't create jobs, but it can help create the conditions for small businesses to grow and thrive and hire more workers."
-- Barack Obama

Also, it's not true that government employees are a drain on the taxpayer -- certainly, it can't be said in all cases, when you consider that government employees provide necessary services that far outweigh the tax dollars spent on them -- teachers, for example, provide a service that allows our children to make more money, thus assuring a stronger future economy and are therefore a net good in terms of real dollars. (Much less the moral good of a society providing for its own children's education.)

Yes, it's true that millions of jobs have been lost since Obama took office. Also, 4 million were lost in the tail end of the Bush years, and private-sectors jobs have been created in the last eight months straight. So, thank Obama for turning around Bush's mess.

Have any other bullshit you'd like me to smack down?

On edit: Worth noting that, when a troll can't even spell the president's name right, it's probably not even worth the effort I took to write this reply.

[BlueCollar]

22. I'll second the source request...

:popcorn:

[tanyev]

24. It's spelled "Barack".

[Spazito]

27. Wow, so many erroneous statements all at once....

I can only grab some :popcorn:, settle back and watch the show!

:rofl:

[cosmicone]

28. Your ID should be ..."Republican_Talkingpoints" n/t

[JonLP24]

29. LOL

All the cutting taxes didn't do jack shit to stimulate the economy and create jobs. In fact many jobs were lost. Those top 3% have been pocketing the money from those nice tax cuts and here you are trying to convince us, even after all this--increasing the deficit, that trickle down economics work. :rofl:

[opihimoimoi]

30. Sorry, your RW whacko stuff do not pass...FAIL

[Frisbee]

18. I wish he'd quit calling them "Top Earners"...

Most of them don't earn jack, at best they're grossly overpaid, and in many cases they are essentially stealing it. He needs to start calling them the Financial Elite, because we all know how much the conservatives and rednecks hate the "Elite".

[groundloop]

20. K&R Good points Mr. President. Keep them coming

There are times when President Obama needs to take a back seat to Barack Obama the candidate. I think right now, and the next 2 months, is that time.

[deacon]

31. k + r n/t

[Enthusiast]

33. K&R...nt

[indimuse]

34. knr! n/t

[anachro1]

35. But - but - but

Hasn't anyone noticed he's BLACK??!!

[No Elephants]

42. Besides you? Not on this thread.

[anachro1]

44. Missed

the sarcasm?

[stlsaxman]

37. "Without mentioning his predecessor George W. Bush by name, ..."

POLITICO is such bullshit.

[pansypoo53219]

38. i'd rather he tied the republikkklan to their

strategy of letting america to fail so obama fails. proof it's all about winning. no legislating.