Last night, I went to set up the VCR to record “24″ (I know, I live in the stone age) and caught the last few minutes of President Obama’s press conference.
Thanks to the wonders of the amazing internet workers, I was able to find a YouTube clip of the segment I saw.
NPR’s Mara Liasson asked the President what he learned from the stimulus bill process. Knowing that he will need true bi-partisan support – not just 3 Republicans in the Senate, none in the House – for meaningful reforms to health care, energy, and entitlement programs, what does he think he will need to do to get bi-partisan support?
First, he blames Republicans for this highly partisan bill.
“Old habits are hard to break.”
“People want to test the limits of what they can get.”
“…positioning for the next election.”
Then, he claims that Republicans were brought in and consulted. (They were, but they were also ignored and told, “I won,” by the President.)
The money quote, the line that is the very quintessence of Obama’s attitude toward bipartisanship, comes at about 2:07.
Let me set it up. He says that when the Republicans were brought in they liked the tax cuts that were in there and those tax cuts are still in there. Apparently, that is what he considers “bipartisan” – when the other party doesn’t hate everything in the bill your party wrote.
Then he says,
“I suppose what I could have done was started off with no tax cuts, knowing that I was going to want some, and let them take credit for all of them. Maybe that’s the lesson I learned.”
That’s what he has learned about how to create a bipartisan solution to tough problems? Leave out things he wants that the Republicans would like, then put them in to make them think he was actually listening to them and taking their concerns – and the concerns of those who elected them – seriously?
But to get these important things done that Liasson asked about, it’s only the Republicans who need to “break out of ideological rigidity.” Yeah, okay.
I have no problem with President Obama and the Democrats using their power to do what they want to do, without consideration for bipartisanship. They won the election. It’s their prerogative.
What I do have a problem with is this pretense of bipartisanship. The continued claims that this is a bipartisan effort, if only the Republicans would stop playing political games.
This is not a bipartisan bill. It was written by the Democrats and contains Democratic spending priorities. Even the tax cuts are limited to the ones that the Democrats wanted.
If President Obama really believes that this bill is the right thing to do for the economy, then he should have no problem taking full ownership of it.
At least when President Bush did something without deference to bipartisanship, he would admit that and accept the responsibility that comes with making a tough decision.
I really never thought I would miss the Decider as much as I do.
Ed Morrissey has more on the press conference, with the two lies and misunderstanding/rewriting of history therein.
February 10th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
“That’s what he has learned about how to create a bipartisan solution to tough problems?”
I think he was joking Charity…that’s the impression that I got when I watched the tail-end of this thing in prime-time. BTW, when was the last time GWB gave a press coference in prime-time (and not in the middle of the day when everyone was at work)?
“What I do have a problem with is this pretense of bipartisanship.”
Obama’s learning the hard way what a lot of us were saying before the election ever happened. The GOP is not interested anymore in being “bipartisan” at the federal level…look at the way that they ran things (particularily in the House) when they were in charge.
“then he should have no problem taking full ownership of it.”
LOL…I don’t think that this will be a problem at all. What will happen of course, just like after the 1993 effort (which got NO GOP votes at all) to deal with the rising federal deficit, when this stimulus bill has its intended effect…the GOP will try to take credit for something that they were opposed to in the first place.
The only thing uniting the GOP at this point seems to be their opposition to Obama.
February 10th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
He was joking, in the sense that he said it jokingly. That is the kind of joking that means, I’m making fun of you, but it is all in good fun. Yeah, real funny.
So, you are saying that the GOP is to blame for the lack of bipartisanship because they opposed the bill? I guess you missed the entire point of this post. It is not bipartisan for one party to create a bill, then reject all suggestions made by the other party. That is what happened with the house bill. That is why the Republicans stayed unified opposing it. If that is Obama’s definition of bipartisan – and it is – he uses a different definition then the people were voting for. (Except for the partisan lefties.)
This bill will be the downfall of the US economy. The GOP was right to oppose it. It’s a bad bill.
February 11th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
“you are saying that the GOP is to blame for the lack of bipartisanship because they opposed the bill?”
I’m stating the obvious…there are many in your Party that wanted no part of any stimulus plan, period. Why do you think Fox “News” & several hard-Right blogs were pushing the “NoStimilus” website so hard?? The GOP is still unfortunately trying to capitilize on some of the opposition to the federal rescue/bailout plan from last year.
Apparently the GOP, almost en-masse, is opposed to:
Energy conservation programs (the upgrade of federal buildings & low- and middle-income homes to include replacing windows & adding insulation) & rebates for people to buy new efficient appliances, public transportation (building train lines, adding new bus routes, and upgrading existing systems), renewable energy loans (grants for various renewable energy & transmission projects in the early stages of development…like wave power, geothermal, offshore wind, or solar projects), tax breaks for large-scale industry projects (allowing companies to take a “carry-back” – a tax credit against prior profits, plus allowing for direct federal grants), tax breaks that will cut taxes for 95% of American workers, and billions of dollars for states that face the prospect of making deep cuts in school aid & other programs.
“It is not bipartisan for one party to create a bill, then reject all suggestions made by the other party.”
Who would you rather create the bill…the Green Party?? The Dems are in control of Congress…so they created a bill at the insistence of their newly-elected Democratic President. There are many portions of the bill that have support from the GOP, but the calculus (and I’m being nice calling it even that) that is being done right now in most of the GOP is that they need to try & stop Obama now before he gets momentum and more support from the American people for what he is out to change.
“This bill will be the downfall of the US economy.”
Wild hyperbole is not going to get your side anywhere Charity…the age of fear-mongering is fading fast I suspect…
February 11th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
“the age of fear-mongering is fading fast I suspect…”
Tell that to the president, Mr. Pass-my-bill-or-face-catastrophe.
“The Dems are in control of Congress…so they created a bill at the insistence of their newly-elected Democratic President.”
Umm, yeah. Do you read, or just comment?
I said, and I quote, “I have no problem with President Obama and the Democrats using their power to do what they want to do, without consideration for bipartisanship. They won the election. It’s their prerogative.
What I do have a problem with is this pretense of bipartisanship. The continued claims that this is a bipartisan effort, if only the Republicans would stop playing political games.”
So, in other words, you agree with what I said. This is not a bi-partisan bill. Glad we cleared that up.
Nice distraction tactic with the “GOP wants no stimulus” line. I notice you did not refer to any actual GOP congress members who are saying that.
The fact is, the GOP does have an alternative stimulus proposal – two, in fact. They were rejected.
February 12th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
“This is not a bi-partisan bill.”
LOL…tell that to the GOP members that are supporting it.
“Nice distraction tactic with the ‘GOP wants no stimulus’ line. I notice you did not refer to any actual GOP congress members who are saying that.”
Wow, do you read anything but your own blog?? Tell that to Senators Jim DeMint (SC), Jim Inhofe (OK), Jeff Sessions (AL), Michael Enzi (WY), and David Vitter (LA)…all who are apparently backing the “No Stimulus” whine. It’s not working either…