Obama: Republicans Will Have to Learn to Get Along With Me

[Paslode]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010...blicans-learn/

President Obama reveals in a magazine article that he is weighing what to do if Republicans win the House majority next month, and has come up with a novel approach: Make the GOP work with him.

In a seeming twist on the post-1994 midterm calculation made by President Bill Clinton -- when Republicans pummeled Democrats in the congressional election -- Obama said he thinks Republicans will have to move in his direction no matter the outcome of the Nov. 2 vote.

"It may be that regardless of what happens after this election, they feel more responsible," he is quoted saying in the Sunday edition of The New York Times Magazine, "either because they didn't do as well as they anticipated, and so the strategy of just saying no to everything and sitting on the sidelines and throwing bombs didn't work for them, or they did reasonably well, in which case the American people are going to be looking to them to offer serious proposals and work with me in a serious way."

Accusing the public of mistaking his abilities, the president also told the magazine that he's a little taken aback that voters are disappointed with the current turn of events in his administration.

"The mythology has emerged somehow that we ran this flawless campaign, I never made a mistake, that we were master communicators, everything worked in lockstep," Obama is quoted saying. "That's not how I look at stuff, because I remember what the campaign was like. And it was just as messy and just as difficult. And there were all sorts of moments when our supporters lost hope, and it looked like we weren't going to win. And we're going through that same period here."

The inside-the-White-House account of trouble and turmoil in the administration comes 20 days before the midterm election and is sure to deflate Democrats reluctant to hear the president detailing mistakes from his first 20 months in office.

"It's pretty clear to me based on this interview that the president is saying, 'I've given up, You're on your own,'" said Democratic strategist Doug Schoen.

Among the regrets the president said he felt during the 111th Congress is letting Republicans make him out to be "the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat."

Obama said he also realized too late that "there is no such thing as shovel-ready projects," a familiar refrain made by the president when he was trying to sell the stimulus package.

"There are almost 100 shovel-ready transportation projects already approved," he said in August 2009. As recently as July of this year, he said, "Shovels will soon be moving earth and trucks will soon be pouring concrete."

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who was present during the interview, said Wednesday that he does not think the president was making predictions about the coming election.

"There's no postmortems that are going on here ... People are focused on what we have to do each day," he said.

But Schoen said Democrats fighting for their political lives know they have to keep a distance.

"Right now what I'm hearing from Democrats is the president is only useful for fundraising," he said.

Another regret expressed by the president was his failure to communicate effectively. Obama said he and his team took "perverse pride" in focusing only on policy while ignoring the sales pitch to the public.

He said he realizes now that "you can't be neglecting of marketing and PR and public opinion."

But former Bush White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said the message isn't the problem.

"I think he's more out of touch than anybody ever thought if he believes the problems are from marketing and not substance. Cap and trade its not a communication problem it's a substance problem," Fleischer said.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Vice President Biden is quoted saying Democrats are not running on health care, financial regulatory reform or the stimulus because "it's just too hard to explain" to voters.

The president's comments suggest he agrees, but a Democratic official said if it's a PR campaign Obama must sell, the magazine article isn't helping get the message out for his party's candidates.

A Media manufactured aura is a bitch when your selling snake oil

[bandycpa]

Contrast with just 22 months ago.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/0...-to-gop-i-won/



January 23, 2009, 2:32 PM ET

Obama to GOP: ‘I Won’

Jonathan Weisman reports on the White House.

The top congressional leaders from both parties gathered at the White House for a working discussion over the shape and size of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan. The meeting was designed to promote bipartisanship.

But Obama showed that in an ideological debate, he’s not averse to using a jab.

Challenged by one Republican senator over the contents of the package, the new president, according to participants, replied: “I won.”

The statement was prompted by Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona , who challenged the president and the Democratic leaders over the balance between the package’s spending and tax cuts, bringing up the traditional Republican notion that a tax credit for people who do not earn enough to pay income taxes is not a tax cut but a government check.

Obama noted that such workers pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, property taxes and sales taxes. The issue was widely debated during the presidential campaign, when Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, challenged Obama’s tax plan as “welfare.”

With those two words — “I won” — the Democratic president let the Republicans know that debate has been put to rest Nov. 4 .

Democratic and Republican aides confirmed the exchange. A White House spokesman said he wasn’t immediately aware of the exchange. The aides who heard the remarks stressed that it wasn’t as boldly partisan as it might sound.

Still, other Democrats echoed the sentiment. As he left the White House, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina was asked about Republican complaints that Democrats aren’t listening to what their GOP colleagues have to say. “We’re responding to the American people,” he said. “The American people didn’t listen to them too well during the election.”

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by Paslode

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010...blicans-learn/
A Media manufactured aura is a bitch when your selling snake oil

That is a magnificent statement. I have no clue what it means but it sure sound(bites) effectively. And the use of highlighting color does the same. If your choice of words is delusive then your use of highlighting color is a sleight of hands.

Let me try:
"The mythology has emerged somehow that we ran this flawless campaign, I never made a mistake, that we were master communicators, everything worked in lockstep," Obama is quoted saying. "That's not how I look at stuff, because I remember what the campaign was like. And it was just as messy and just as difficult. And there were all sorts of moments when our supporters lost hope, and it looked like we weren't going to win. And we're going through that same period here."

Another regret expressed by the president was his failure to communicate effectively. Obama said he and his team took "perverse pride" in focusing only on policy while ignoring the sales pitch to the public.

The arrogance.

IMO this is the part that is instructive from the article:
"It may be that regardless of what happens after this election, they feel more responsible," he is quoted saying in the Sunday edition of The New York Times Magazine, "either because they didn't do as well as they anticipated, and so the strategy of just saying no to everything and sitting on the sidelines and throwing bombs didn't work for them,
or they did reasonably well, in which case the American people are going to be looking to them to offer serious proposals and work with me in a serious way."

I so remember the 20001-2004 period when the Democrats were not even invited to the table. And we got magnificent pieces of legislation like the PATRIOT Act. I've often wondered why Obama and the Democratic leadership didn't do the same thing with the 2000 majority. It may have been accepting the fact that elections are not coups d'etat.

We will see how well the Republican Grizzley Bear strategy works. I personally hope the pendulum's amplitude is greatly reduced. I'm up for government that is a little LESS extreme.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Dozer523

.....]the American people are going to be looking to them to offer serious proposals and work with me in a serious way......

Ahhh, if you make a seious proposal and the MSM does not report it - did you make it?

The Republicans did offer serious proposals - and ammendments to the passed bills. But they were not reported by the MSM and the D's did not consider them.

The MSM full court press is going to hit the Republicans in January. Nothing they do will be good enough. Everything must be bipartisan - in other words do what the D's want.

Just wait. It's coming.

[T-Rock]

A Media manufactured aura is a bitch when your selling snake oil

The “Old Media” has given us more information on Alvin Greene in four months than they have about Obama over the past three plus years ...

[Paslode]

Let me try:
"The mythology has emerged somehow that we ran this flawless campaign, I never made a mistake, that we were master communicators, everything worked in lockstep," Obama is quoted saying. "That's not how I look at stuff, because I remember what the campaign was like. And it was just as messy and just as difficult. And there were all sorts of moments when our supporters lost hope, and it looked like we weren't going to win. And we're going through that same period here."

Another regret expressed by the president was his failure to communicate effectively. Obama said he and his team took "perverse pride" in focusing only on policy while ignoring the sales pitch to the public.

Ah yes, you can spin it several ways, which is the sales pitch to the public. And too a large degree is the major problem with our politicians aka Snake Oil Salesmen and their crowd warmers in the Media.

Personally I would prefer a Joe Friday 'All we want are the facts' type instead of the Billy Mays types that sell Miracle Putty gimmicks which rarely live up to expectations.

Originally Posted by Dozer523

We will see how well the Republican Grizzley Bear strategy works. I personally hope the pendulum's amplitude is greatly reduced. I'm up for government that is a little LESS extreme.

We agree and I am not holding my breath on that possibility.

[dennisw]

Originally Posted by Dozer523:
I so remember the 20001-2004 period when the Democrats were not even invited to the table. And we got magnificent pieces of legislation like the PATRIOT Act.

Are we talking about the same act that was originally supported by a majority of both parties and was as recently as February 2010, extended by the Democratic controlled congress? How was this forced upon the democrats?

Originally Posted by Dozer523:

We will see how well the Republican Grizzley Bear strategy works. I personally hope the pendulum's amplitude is greatly reduced. I'm up for government that is a little LESS extreme.

Now that the dems have passed a mountain of socialistic legislation, you want everyone to play nice? If you are gun shy when it comes to extreme politics, the last two years must have been hell.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by dennisw

Now that the dems have passed a mountain of socialistic legislation, you want everyone to play nice? If you are gun shy when it comes to extreme politics, the last two years must have been hell.

You are on the money IMO on the extreme Socialist Legislation.....it brings fire to my eyes to put it mildly!

However.....Not to put words in Dozers mouth, but what I believe he meant was we seems to be treading into the more extreme politics proceeding each and every election......and he is in hopes someone will step up so we can reach a less extreme middle ground.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Paslode

You are on the money IMO on the extreme Socialist Legislation.....it brings fire to my eyes to put it mildly!

However.....Not to put words in Dozers mouth, but what I believe he meant was we seems to be treading into the more extreme politics proceeding each and every election......and he is in hopes someone will step up so we can reach a less extreme middle ground.

Just what is middle ground?

What you think is a bad bill does not get better just because you could slip some pork in for your district.

Finding "Middle Ground" on bad bills is a slow march to the left.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Pete

Just what is middle ground?

What you think is a bad bill does not get better just because you could slip some pork in for your district.

Finding "Middle Ground" on bad bills is a slow march to the left.

Concur.

Death by 1,000 cuts.

TR

[dennisw]

I don't see how it is possible for us to avoid extreme politics when the core beliefs of many or so widely different. There are a preponderance of citizens who believe and expect government can solve their problems. They expect the government to create jobs and shield us from all natural disasters, etc. Where the core beliefs are so extremely divergent, how can there be common ground?

It seems the only way we can find common ground is in finding a common enemy.

[rdret1]

Conservative America is waking up and it scares the crap out of the liberals. Obama's self centered ego can't understand or take the criticism. He really does not understand what is going on.

In the broader view, I don't think I have seen a nastier mid term cycle! Some of the ads are going past the mud and slinging the crap thats underneath. In NC, Bob Etheridge runs an ad that claims his opponent wants a 23% sales tax on everything from food to medicine. This is partly true, but what he fails to mention is the fact that she also wants to abolish the NC income tax, making the sales tax the de facto revenue builder for NC, much like Texas and a few other states.

[Richard]

In NC, Bob Etheridge runs an ad that claims his opponent wants a 23% sales tax on everything from food to medicine. This is partly true, but what he fails to mention is the fact that she also wants to abolish the NC income tax, making the sales tax the de facto revenue builder for NC, much like Texas and a few other states.

Maybe...but 23% is a BIG leap from the 6.25-8.25% local sales and use taxes we pay here in Texas.

Richard

[rdret1]

Originally Posted by Richard

Maybe...but 23% is a BIG leap from the 6.25-8.25% local sales and use taxes we pay here in Texas.

Richard

True, but it still makes a big difference when you leave out the part about getting rid of the annual income tax.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by rdret1

..... This is partly true, but what he fails to mention is the fact that she also wants to abolish the NC income tax, making the sales tax the de facto revenue builder for NC, much like Texas and a few other states.

Not true. The "23% tax" ref. is for the National Fair Tax. "Who Are You" Bob is having his folk running a push pole in the area. I got called - and called the caller on it.

The 23% tax is true but it comes with cutting all the imbedded taxes.

Want to see a liberal on a rant about the fair tax eye's glaze over? Ask them to explain the difference between inclusive and exclusive tax rates. Libs like to blend the two in order to scare the depends off the AARP crowd.