Hey, y'all -- Pres. Obama LIVE today - 5:35p - Iowa town hall.

[quiet.american]

Live online at:

whitehouse.gov --> Photos & Videos --> Live Streams
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live

(And C-Span.org will have it live, too.)

[quiet.american]

1. Okay - y'all, I'm just going to ruminate to myself in here.....:)

[quiet.american]

2. The audio from this sounds like the old Malcolm X speeches somehow....

And just as I was thinking this, Obama said "By any means necessary" -- talking about job creation.

[quiet.american]

3. "Deficits... over many decades... well -- actually just *a* decade...ten yrs ago, we had a surplus."

Love it.

[quiet.american]

4. "We're making the biggest investment in clean energy in years, creating middle-class jobs..."nt

[quiet.american]

5. Wild applause on the student-loan reform mention. "Putting that money back into edu." nt

[quiet.american]

6. More wild applause on "We finally passed HCR." - Obama - "I'm proud of it." nt

[quiet.american]

7. Obama talking "pie" now - Telling the story of "Janice".

Ran into "Janice" at the pie shop -- Janice: I know it takes a few years to get this thing started, but we need help now, our premium just went up $700 -- Obama -- "That's who we fought for HCR for -- people just like Janice...."

Obama: What happens this year:
Seniors get help this year
Parents of children with pre-existing conditions get help this year
Insurance companies won't be able to drop you when you get sick
Under 26, stay on your parent's policy

[quiet.american]

8. Hello! Obama -- calls out teabaggers -- "I don't where they were the last ten years."

Where were they when the Republicans were creating a $1.3 trillion dollar deficit that I found on my desk my first day in office?

[Cha]

13. Perfect! Obama addressing everybody

with his intelligent humor..driving the point home.

[quiet.american]

14. Hey, Cha - nice to see you. :) nt

[quiet.american]

9. "2nd time in 24hrs. Senate GOP blocked debated on Wall Street reform."

[quiet.american]

10. "It's one thing to block the bill, but to block even just debate on it -- that's not right!"

[quiet.american]

11. Obama re: Wall Street reform: "I'm not going to let this go!"

[quiet.american]

12. Obama to Iowa: "You're the ones who inspired me to run." nt

[Cha]

16. Thanks QA, I saw this

OP with 0 before I answered your other OP and I came back to it and it had "10"! I thought.."wow, a whole bunch of peeps just jumped into the BOG.:)

[quiet.american]

17. Hey, Cha -- and you saw it was just lonely ole me, lol! But thanks for checking in! nt

[Cha]

20. Just you..doing your

civic duty and reporting on the Prez' Town Hall in Iowa which I thank you kindly for.:)

[quiet.american]

22. Aw... cheers. :) nt

[quiet.american]

15. Question time: Small business owner talking about credit flow.

(At least I think he's a small business owner). -- And I should say, *lack* of credit flow.

[quiet.american]

18. This may be another of Obama's famous 17 min answers.... :) nt

[quiet.american]

19. Talking about balancing exports to make them more favorable to U.S.

[quiet.american]

21. "Small biz owners getting more orders, but still can't get credit from banks."

"Trying to use SBA to double loans to small biz's, some of the money paid back from big banks should go to increase loans to small biz's -- that will make a huge difference in our economic growth, and is a top priority for our administration."

[quiet.american]

23. Union question: We supported you, what's in it for us -- esp. re: healthcare reform?

Obama first talking about working with NLB to make sure people get the chance to organize....

Yeah... he *didn't really* answer her specific question -- and have to admit, I didn't see the questioner, but she sounded a bit miffed....

[quiet.american]

24. Obama "What's going to help us become competitive is" a STRONG middle class.

[quiet.american]

25. Uh-oh -- getting into teachers' unions now --

[quiet.american]

26. Obama "I've always been a strong supporter of teachers"-- applause.

Talking about providing a competitive environment for young people -- making sure they have higher skills.

[quiet.american]

27. Next question: "How you doin' Mr. President" -- Can I have a pic w/ you before you leave?

[quiet.american]

28. Obama: I think that's within my Executive power. :) nt

[quiet.american]

29. Immigration question: What can be done?

[quiet.american]

30. "We are a nation of immigrants - that's what that whole Plymouth Rock thing was about."

[quiet.american]

31. "-- but we're also a nation of laws."

[quiet.american]

32. "Unlike Europe, we are constantly replenishing ourselves w/young, dynamic immigrants."

[quiet.american]

33. Obama: I want secure borders, crackdowns on co's hiring undocumented workers -

As long as there are employers who want to exploit undocumented workers, they're going to continue to come.

[quiet.american]

34. Re: AZ law -- "I think it's a poorly conceived law."

[quiet.american]

35. Obama talking about now how if you don't "look right" in AZ, you could be harrassed.

And that's not the way to go. Especially if your grandparents were here in the U.S. before AZ was even a state.

[quiet.american]

36. Needs GOP at the table, not going to solve this problem by politicizing it.

[quiet.american]

37. Talking about creating common sense law with path to citizenship.

Can't have illegal immigrants pouring into AZ, but also can't have overreaction like the AZ bill.

[quiet.american]

38. Recovery Act funded billions in projects across country.

Missed the question, but Obama talking about $160m in recovery funds that is available for this Iowa town - and Obama will personally follow up on the question with his staff to see what the problem is.

[quiet.american]

39. "Everything that's happened on my watch, we will have paid for."

But I inherited a structural deficit that's going to worse (cites two wars, and entitlement programs).

"When politicians say: I'm going to cut your taxes, lower the deficit, expand Medicare - ask politicians that make these promises -- exactly what are you going to cut? There's no free lunch."

[quiet.american]

40. Obama: I didn't get a lot of clapping when I just said "we're going to have some hard choices."

But when I ran, I told you I wouldn't only tell you what you wanted to hear, but what you needed to hear."

[quiet.american]

41. Little girl: "What kind of pie did you have?"

[quiet.american]

42. "Rhubarb pie." "My cholesterol's gone up because the WH has really good pie."

[quiet.american]

43. Student: How will you help students who don't graduate H.S.?

[quiet.american]

44. Arne Duncan and I are trying to figure out how to jumpstart education efforts

Recovery Act was one of the largest investments by fed. gov. in history -- helped to pay for training programs and equipment, etc.

Have to really emphasize better treatment of teachers -- higher salaries, more access to training, better incentives, recruit more math and science teachers -- have to treat teachers better.

I don't want teachers to *just* be judged on student performance - but they have to help shape an accountability system so we know our kids are doing well

Race to the Top Program -- if you can come up with great ways to train teachers, hold schools accountable, and focus on low-performing as well as high-performing students, we'll give you (schools) extra monies.

[quiet.american]

45. Parents have to be accountable and involved, too. Gov't can only do so much.

[quiet.american]

46. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America!

[quiet.american]

47. Hmn - interesting. Closing music is not "Hail to the Chief" but one of the '08 campaign songs.

Sorry, don't know the title of it! :)

[quiet.american]

48. Well, nothing like a good Obama town hall to cheer me up. :)

My critique:

I hope Obama gets really good again at giving *soundbite* info -- campaign season is almost upon us.

He's going to have to get very clear and specific on his administration's policies that rankle "the left" -- especially four topics that I can see:

Unions
Teachers
Afghanistan
DADT

But the crowd was LOVING him and I was loving their energy!

[Cha]

49. Nothing like this fat thread in

the BOG reporting on Pres Obama's Town Hall in Iowa to cheer me up.

Thanks, QA~:fistbump:

[quiet.american]

50. Cheers! And a return *Bump*!

:fistbump: