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The President’s Press Conference: Questions that Won’t Be Answered, Candidly
Oct 6th, 2011 | 15 responses
During his press conference this morning—one that focused on the economy and the American Jobs Act, the so-called Jobs Bill—president Obama showed some frustration with an obstructionist, just-say-no, do-noting Congress.
In what became a recurring theme, he posed a number of rhetorical questions, preceded by the admonition:
So as we look towards next week, any senator out there who’s thinking about voting against this jobs bill when it comes up for a vote needs to explain exactly why they would oppose something that we know would improve our economic situation at such an urgent time for our families and for our businesses.
Some of the questions:
Pointing to our broken infrastructure and the opportunity to give millions of laid-off construction workers a job, he asked, “Why wouldn’t we want that to happen? Why would you vote against that?”
Referring to “commonsense ideas that historically have been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past,” he asked, “[W]hy would you be opposed to tax cuts for small businesses and tax cuts for American workers?”
Mentioning traditional Republican efforts to lower taxes “for folks”: “Well, why wouldn’t we want to do that through this jobs bill?”
Pointing again to the need to rebuild our crumbling schools and bridges, “… historically Republicans haven’t been opposed to rebuilding roads and bridges. Why would you be opposed now?”
On creating more public sector jobs, such as teachers, “Why wouldn’t we want to make sure that those teachers are in the classroom teaching our kids?”
Now, I don’t have the savvy to know for a certainty whether the President’s Jobs Bill will actually do everything the President says it will do.
I can only go by what independent economists say. According to Obama:
Here are the best ideas I’ve heard, not just from partisans, but from independent economists; these are the ideas most likely to create jobs now and strengthen the economy right now, and that’s what the American people are looking for. And the response from Republicans has been: No. Although they haven’t given a good reason why they’re opposed to putting construction workers back on the job, or teachers back in the classroom.
And, “a little [presidential] homework assignment”:
Go ask the Republicans what their jobs plan is — if they’re opposed to the American Jobs Act — and have it scored, have it assessed by the same independent economists that assessed our jobs plan.
These independent economists say that we could grow the economy as much as 2 percent, and as many as 1.9 million workers would be back on the job. I think it’d be interesting to have them do a similar assessment — same people. Some of these folks, by the way, traditionally have worked for Republicans, not just Democrats. Have those economists evaluate what, over the next two years, the Republican jobs plan would do…
But back to the questions. I have no idea how, today, Republicans would answer the President’s questions.
All I can go by are answers already given by prominent Republicans and Conservatives.
Such as Mitch McConnell’s “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
Such as Rush Limbaugh’s infamous hope that the president will fail.
There have been other, perhaps not as blatant, versions and answers.
Now, in fairness, some have “clarified” or walked back their positions, others have doubled down.
I doubt it that prominent Republicans, today, will as candidly answer the President’s questions.
15 Responses to “The President’s Press Conference: Questions that Won’t Be Answered, Candidly”
My guess is the Republican’s response would be that they do support a lot of those things, but the problem is Obama’s insistence on an all-or-nothing approach to the bill instead of passing the elements both sides agree on.
To DaGoat… yes, I agree that there needs to be compromise on both sides.
However it seems that the Republicans are against all these things. I can’t actually find anything in this that the GOP is currently for in this legislation. I’ll be watching what the Republicans say on this. Looking forward to updates and hopefully some negotiation!
DaGoat says:
“My guess is the Republican’s response would be that they do support a lot of those things, but the problem is Obama’s insistence on an all-or-nothing approach to the bill instead of passing the elements both sides agree on.”
From the same press conference:
The President:
“Now, with respect to working with Congress, I think it’s fair to say that I have gone out of my way in every instance, sometimes at my own political peril and to the frustration of Democrats, to work with Republicans to find common ground to move this country forward — in every instance, whether it was during the lame duck session, when we were able to get an agreement on making sure that the payroll tax was cut in the first place, and making sure that unemployment insurance was extended, to my constant efforts during the debt ceiling to try to get what’s been called a grand bargain, in which we had a balanced approach to actually bringing down our deficit and debt in a way that wouldn’t hurt our recovery.”
And, answering another question:
“So the bottom line is this, Ben: If next week senators have additional ideas that will put people back to work right now and meet the challenges of the current economy, we are happy to consider them. “
DDW unless Obama has changed his position recently he has made it clear he does not want the bill broken down into components. My guess is that he GOP would be open to the small business incentives and tax cuts, plus any areas of reduced spending. What Obama really wants is the increased spending and does not want that broken out of the plan because it would be next to impossible to get the GOP to agree to those elements.
Is the GOP being obstructionist – sure they are. But what Obama has done is come up with a plan he felt was balanced, then said take it or leave it, then accused the GOP of being against individual elements within the plan. Politics as usual.
What you are NOT hearing from Republicans now are any references to those Tax cuts for the rich that Bush rammed through. The largest transfer of wealth this country has ever seen, and it was from the poor, and, middle class, straight to the wealthy. They do a heck-of-a-lot of shucking and jiving around it, but they won’t address it.
The president has to answer question from the press, but the Republicans get to just make a few statements, no detail. I can only assume this is because they have no answers palatable to the general public and the Corporate Press is giving Republicans a pass on the subject.
This why we need these blogs more than ever. Maybe somebody from New York would like to go to the demonstrations and observe for us? Congressman Charlie Rangel was heckled by a heritage foundation Republican operative as soon as the cameras came on. Don’t ask me how I know, because I can’t tell you, and this is the very reason we need someone on the ground their. These Republican operatives are slipping into these demonstrations with evil intent and I think they need to be exposed. The corporate media won’t do it.
The people have the power, USE IT!
Maybe they don’t to be called a Jew when a 20 something guy says he doesn’t want a $7 an hour job. Happened today, in NYC, old guy with yarmulke and loud young guy.
See, all the schmucks in the world are not relegated to the TPers. All mobs, audiences have them.
It sure would be nice if one of TMV’s right leaning front pagers would post an article about how out of line they think Occupy Wall Street… and Obama… and the Democrats are being regarding the Jobs Bill and “Money and Power, Inc.’s” abuse of 85% of the American people.
They’re silence is both deafening and quite telling. Even comments from the ‘wing-nuts’ seem to have either started comparing (positively) the TP and the OWS or they’ve simply faded away.
This is all Very interesting… but stupid.
After leaving my last comment I thought I’d go to YouTube and cheer myself up… I re-bumped into Ry Cooder and thinking I was in my 20′s at the time re-listened to How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live. Doing the math I was in my 40′s but I’m in my 60′s now and it’s still the same.
duck-
One side has to win.
Republican evil or Democrat good.
It has come to that.
You young punks should go back to Woodstock and cheer up.
And, we all lose when either the Reps or the Dems win.
SteveK says,
“I’m in my 60′s now”
Wow, you’ve only lived “six days.” Still a young kid. Wait until you have lived seven or eight days…
Nevertheless, you may be old enough to appreciate one of my recycled “sentimental pieces”:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dorian-de-wind/a-post70-boomer-looks-back_b_992101.html
Good stuff, Dorian. Thanks for sharing.
I’m on my seventh day, but why do I keep thinking it is the fifth.
Thanks, dduck.
“I’m on my seventh day, but why do I keep thinking it is the fifth.”
That’s called “staying alive” just a little longer by fooling your internal sand timer…
BTW, I had you for a young duckling
Added: “young duckling,” I just realized that’s “overkill”, that would be a young, young duck. Oh well…
Thanks Dorian, that was great. I hope you don’t mind but I copied it (full credits and link of course) and sent it to some of the ‘special people’ in my life.
I’d have said so sooner but yesterday was my day in Tucson.
No problem,whatsoever, Steve.
In fact, I am honored that you would do that.