Obama's Teach In
The scene was incredible really, a press conference with members of Congress and think tankers instead of reporters asking questions. I've really never seen anything like it and whether it and events like it can really change the tone in Washington, of course, remains to be seen. One indication it won't? This statement from Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees Medicare--the subject of much discussion at the Fiscal Responsibility Summit.
"Fixing America's long-term fiscal problems is a major issue, so I very much appreciate attention being paid to finding solutions. I hope today's summit marks the beginning of the kind of dialog, education and cooperation it will take to achieve a sustainable budget policy."I'll be working in the Senate as the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee and a senior member of the Budget Committee for fiscal responsibility and an honest accounting of how Congress and the administration tax and spend. The current administration inherited a $1 trillion deficit, and in just the first few weeks it added another $1 trillion to the debt with its economic stimulus bill. The bill included new and expanded entitlement programs, and if they're made permanent, they'll add at least another $2 trillion to the deficit.
"Looking ahead, we're hearing from some people that we can't reform government entitlement programs until we reform the entire health care system. The problems with our health care system need fixing, but for a lot of people, health care reform is code for spending more, not less. American taxpayers are being asked to swallow a lot right now, and it brings to mind the old joke about Wimpy's hamburgers. Wimpy said, 'I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.' There's too much of that kind of attitude in Congress and the White House today."
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
That statement sounds like Grassley could have released it before the fiscal summit.
Could you be more specific about why you found this event so intriguing?
February 23, 2009 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chuck Grassley might have a wee bit more bipartisan creds than his Goopers-in-arms in the Senate. Wasn't he the guy who went with Obama to Iraq (et al.) during the campaign?
Seems like he's got a particular interest in healthcare-spending issues. It was interesting to read this article in New Scientist about his work exposing ties between Big Pharma and doctors and journalists.
February 23, 2009 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chuck Hagel went on the trip with Obama and Reed. Hagel is no longer a Senator from Nebraska. Unfortunately, Chuck Grassley still is a Senator from Iowa.
February 23, 2009 9:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whether he has bipartisan cred, and I don't believe that he has, this statement sounds like it was canned.
February 24, 2009 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
"I've really never seen anything like it and whether it and events like it can really change the tone in Washington, of course, remains to be seen. One indication it won't?"
This must be the talking point of the day since I heard the blabberheads on MSNBC saying the same thing. Since on Day 30 something the "tone" hasn't changed Obama is a failure on his promise of change.
IMO "tone" take years to take effect. And there will likely always be a dinosaur or two in elected office in DC that can be relied upon for an "old tone" quote. The real impact, if any, won't be seen until the mid-term elections when Americans (even the fake ones) get to decide if they like the new direction Obama is leading, or if the old tone gets reinstated.
February 23, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
In a weird kind of way, though, there really has been a change in tone. The crazed neo-McCarthite lunacy we've seen for years, that reached such a fever pitch during the election, has faded a bit in Washington, if not on talk radio or the net.
Now Republicans are back to mouthing their incoherent crazy-talk points and fuming about actual policy and they've overlaid it with the smarmy hypocrisy that used to be the WD-40 of Congress back before Newt and Rover taught them that calling Democrats traitors and rats was the Way to Win.
The occaisional backslide into vicious ignorant stupidity by some of the more outstanding idiots like Shelby and Bunning, notwithstanding, of course.
February 23, 2009 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
It doesn't change anything.
I'm convinced more than ever bi-partisanship in DC is a mirage. It's not going to happen until GOP is further reduced in numbers.
But I congratulate Obama for getting the optics right. He looks like the one willing to change, work together- yet again.
Hope he doesn't again make any preemptive concssions.
February 23, 2009 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Took the words right out of my mouth.
He's very smart to continue making the effort, to keep being the grown-up in the room, the problem-solver rather than the posturer.
And I do think -- or at least hope -- he learned the preemptive concession lesson from the stimulus.
February 23, 2009 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guarantee that he will not make that same mistake again. Guaranteed. He bought the republican bs pre-stimulus that they were in favor, which was a lie, and it was shoved in his face. Won't happen again.
February 23, 2009 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
May I be the first to say that Senator Grassley's statement makes no sense in the current economic climate. Where was he when over 1 trillion in tax cuts was passed? Oh yeah... he voted for it. Who advocates making those tax cuts permanent? He does.
Senator Grassley lies out of both sides of his mouth.
February 23, 2009 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
And his ass, don't forget that.
February 23, 2009 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's always been congentially and disagreeably cranky, but since we won, he's rapidly made the transition into out and out crank.
February 23, 2009 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
It won't change because you all keep saying it won't change. What is it that Obama kept saying during the GE? : "Change doesn't come from Washington, it comes to Washington" or "Power does not concede easily". I took all this seriously, but those calling Obama naive or saying bipartisanship is a waste of time just brush it off. It is too early in the game to determine what the fruits of his labor will be, but so far he is looking like the only adult in the room. His opponents will only appear to be a blockade on the road to progress, regular voters will notice and kick them to the curb.
February 23, 2009 5:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dude, no one is talking about regular voters.
We're talking about D.C. The only way D.C. can work is when GOP is further thinned in numbers. And Obama hopefully is not too naive to think these DC politicians will change. They will not.
I think his efforts and optics here are for "regular" voters and I hope I'm right.
February 23, 2009 5:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
And I have news for you. The vile, disgust and acute power hungry GOP hated will only become more potent and audible as move along.
They're not able to stomach an Obama presidency. They love gay-hating, gun loving, jesus freak, anti- human and women rights America. Any other version is not acceptable, even if the future of this country is at risk.
February 23, 2009 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
And Kash, as they get louder and uglier they will look dumb and dumber espcially compared to Obama. He is setting the bar at a very natual level for him. The republicans will have to go into heavy training to even think about measuring up. Jeeze, the man inspires me - I'm going to go do 30 on my eliptical!
February 23, 2009 9:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dude, no shit! Isn't that what I said in my post. The more Obama reaches out and the more vile the Repubs become, the better Obama looks and it becomes more likely that "regular" voters will kick them out. And you are right - no one is talking about regular voters - no one talks about what they really think. Left, Right, MSM, Pundits - sometimes compeletly disconnected from regular voters.
February 23, 2009 11:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is Grassley really as foolish as he sounds? Yes, Obama did inherited a $1 trillion deficit. But Grassley seems to have selectively forgotten that $1 trillion was but a mere down payment to fix the economy he, Bu$h and his fellow repugs left broke for Obama and the Democrats to fix.
I have to give Obama credit for keeping his cool and trying to reach a gentleman's agreement with the repugs to work together as a unified group dedicated to getting us back on our feet, but the time is coming soon where he'll have to go with a one Party rule to keep the economy from falling into the abyss.
February 23, 2009 5:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
This post would be more appropriately titled "A Republican's Unsurprisingly Predictable Spin on the President's Conference."
Meanwhile, readers drawn by the "Obama's Teach in" title will just have to learn of the actual substance of the conference from another source.
February 23, 2009 5:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
You should look at Politico's take on it. Obama "blasts" Bush. The optics were "weird". The Page is just as bad: McCain ribs Obama for two helicopters.
Makes Cooper look downright informative by comparison.
February 23, 2009 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Beltway whores have to reflect the perspective of their corporate pimps, after all.
February 23, 2009 6:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here is the link to the transcript. I don't know if any vids are available yet, sorry.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-question-and-answer-session-at-the-closing-of-the-Fiscal-Responsibility-Summit/
February 23, 2009 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wasn't this sorta like McCain's idea where he said he's visit the floor of the House and Senate and take questions like the Brits?
I like this idea because it makes the GOP have to say things to Obama's face and give him the opportunity to rebut said person in front of everybody. If you can't say it to the man's face, then you're a coward and you shouldn't be taking jabs behind his back either.
February 23, 2009 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ok, I know this is off topic, but I have to vent. More money for AIG??????? No, no more money to any financial corporations. They are hemmoraging and the money is just a paper transfer. It accomplishes nothing. The economy is in complete free-fall at this point. The government should send in the fdic and put these companies basically in receivership. No more handouts. Fire them all and restructure.
Manufacturing is a totally different animal, because they employ american workers. The financial fools can rot on the vine. The whole system is frozen. Wouldn't it make better sense to start a new bank, put the hundreds of billions of dollars in capital in the bank and lend it to businesses and consumers??????? That seems the logical way to go.
February 23, 2009 6:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just saw the clips from the Fiscal Responsibility Summit;
If this is another part of Obama's long term strategy to take control of the dialogue, I like it because it immediately took out the BS MSM middelemen and middle women. I thought the visual of McCain et al in the places of the White House Press Corp was awesome.
I suspect that the next Summit or the one after that will become the Put Up Reality Based Ideas or STFU and Get Outta Here Summit.
Overall, as the weeks roll on, the Repubs seem to be more and more marginalized in the public eye, despite the best efforts of the MSM.
I continue to hope.
February 23, 2009 6:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I enjoyed Obama joking around with Cantor. The more human Obama makes himself, the harder it will be for some of those bozo's to totally trash Obama.
Now, only if losers like Newt would gtfo of Washington, we would all be better. Newt's goal is regaining power for Republicans, and if it consists of causing Obama to fail, then so be it. Newt has nothing to lose. If his apparent encouragement of Cantor and Jindal posturing against Democratic members of Congress backfires, he'll just scurry back into his cave until he can find some other big issue to posture his beloved GOP on.
February 23, 2009 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Somehow Newt reminds me of Bill Clinton. I can't quite put my finger on it.
February 23, 2009 9:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Similar levels of marital faithfulness, perhaps?
February 23, 2009 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama should continue to make nice to the Republicans but he surely knows by now that what they have in mind is his failure at any cost.
They don't care if the country goes under, they just want to convince us that they are financial conservatives when, of course, they have proved they are not.
Not only that, they are always hankerin for a fight. Are you convinced that the Republican/Bush policy of preemptive war was a good idea? I'm not.
All of the GOP spokesmen remind me of a cartoon character, "put 'em up, put 'em up!"
If they were so worried about burdening the next generation, why did they set the drug companies up to milk the federal government and old folks like cash cows?
February 23, 2009 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Grassley's statement?
Who the fudge cares, Cooper? Why the hell would I bother reading 600 words of what that rump party ass has to say?
Change the tone? How about posting something relevant about the President or the Economic Crisis the adults are trying to solve, rather than covering the Republican party's whining and pants wetting.
February 23, 2009 6:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about linking when you cite?
February 23, 2009 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Obama holds these things regularly we basically have the US version of Prime Minister's Questions. Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching that will have to agree: THAT would be a change in tone!
February 24, 2009 4:27 AM | Reply | Permalink