"Obama rested and ready for clash with Republicans"

[Clio the Leo]

div class="excerpt"]Obama rested and ready for clash with Republicans
Posted by:
CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry

Washington (CNN) – After a shellacking at home, it was nine grueling days on the road in Asia, or as President Obama himself put it with a laugh, "Around the world - in less than 80 days."

But when Obama showed up unexpectedly in the press cabin of Air Force One Sunday afternoon after a long flight of about 14 hours home from Japan, I was one of the few reporters onboard and he looked rested and ready to face off with Republican leaders on tax cuts on other issues.

"Campaigning is different than governing," Obama told reporters. "They are flush with victory after a campign of just saying no. But I'm sure the American people did not vote for more gridlock."

Obama also made news on some international hotspots by saying he finds a new Israeli settlement plan "promising" and he feels "reasonably" confident he can get the new START treaty with Russia ratified by the Senate in a lame duck session of Congress that starts this week.

But Obama again made clear that extending the Bush tax cuts for the middle class will also be a top priority in the lame duck, repeating his mantra that tax cuts for the rich "usually won't boost the economy and we can't afford it."

Obama seemed to be issuing a bit of a challenge to the Republican leaders, Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Rep. John Boehner (Ohio) by saying it is "my expectation" that they will work with him in the lame duck and "won't just want to obstruct."

He added there will be plenty of time in 2011 for "philosophical differences" to be fought out between the parties, but the lame duck should be focused on coming together.

Obama also hinted again at a mid-course correction, vowing he will adjust his approach to better connect with the American people.

"I spent the first years trying to get the policy right," Obama said. "In that obsessive focus on policy, I've neglected a few things that matter a lot to me."

http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/14/obama-rested-and-ready-for-clash-with-republicans/

[polichick]

1. "but the lame duck should be focused on coming together" - Yikes! nt

[Clio the Leo]

3. It's spin love...

... MOST of the country are not members of DU.

[polichick]

5. Most of the country wants him to fight those sociopaths...

...not play footsie with them - DU members, or not.

[Inuca]

12. Most of country?

Most of the country gave them control of the House! No matter how much we dislike it, it's still a FACT. So I don't think that it's correct (unfotunately) to say that most of the country considers them sociopaths.

[polichick]

14. Most of the country didn't vote for the sociopaths...

They were elected because many Dems and indies didn't vote.

[totodeinhere]

15. Then it's their fault for not voting. We have elections based upon who actually voted

and those who actually voted gave the GOP a big victory. There is no other way to spin it.

[polichick]

17. The election didn't change the fact that voters expect the prez to fight against...

...policies that put corporations and the wealthy ahead of middle class people - which means they expect him to fight the politicians I call sociopaths.

For example, every poll shows that the majority of Americans want tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. If the prez thinks the election means he should cave on that, he'll pay again in 2012.

[ruggerson]

7. The American people tell pollsters they want bipartisanship

but then they vote completely differently.

What they really want is a hyper partisan, strong leader who will cajole, campaign, arm twist, lean on, shove, out-wit, pretend to negotiate, but shut down and then fully prevail over the opposition, all the while keeping a sense of humor about it and sticking to principle.

[Clio the Leo]

9. What is that? some kind of modified Bradley effect?

"The American people say" .... the American people never say ANY ONE thing.

Anyway, I like Andy Rooney's 9 friends better.

[ruggerson]

10. It's the way it is

They usually respond to the tough, partisan sumbitch. It's a generalization, like everything else in political commentary, but a fairly reliable one.

Bipartisanship is given a helluva lot of lip service though.

[Skittles]

2. 1) I am sick of the use of the word SHELLACKING

and 2) should he have been ready for a clash with repukes on his first day in office?

[Clio the Leo]

4. well, that's one MORE thing you can blame Obama for.... "shellacking"

[Skittles]

6. I realized he said that but

is it really necessary for writers to endlessly repeat it? ugh

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. Now he can smack the Republicans!

[Beartracks]

11. No more shellacking. Time for smacking! n/t

[lunatica]

13. The thought has come to me that he's giving the GOP all the rope they need

to hang themselves. His language seems very carefully crafted and just vague enough. He may not be as progressive as we want, but he's the smartest man in the room. Any room.

[MBS]

16. this is also my hope, that there's deliberate strategy here

and that while or after he's handing them the rope, he will still come out swinging, fighting hard for the policies he and we stand for.