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Obama, Republicans Spar at House GOP Event

One hell of a difference between the US President and a local election in one of 50 states of the union....

Yeah, nice try - spin it as just "a local election". Ignore the fact that it stripped the democrats of the fillibuster proof marjoity in the senate and turned the politics around the nation completely on its head.

Well.. did they cut away to breaking news? No. Did they break away to start the criticism of the speech that was not finished? yes. So it must be they did not like what they were hearing and wanted to "spare" their viewers from more.

I don't think Fox should have cut the speach - however, other then your "feeling" there isn't any proof that they cut it away for the reason you stated. It's possible, but there are certainly other reasons they may have cut away. It might have been planned that way from the beginning - before the speach even started, which is my guess since they apparently had a guest lined up and ready to go (a congressman).
 
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the single most dramatic moment of his always dramatic sotu was his call to republicans---if anyone has a better approach, let me know, let me know, let me know

msnbc this morning promo'd they'd be showing this presidential pajama party, but it turns out they're only showing PORTIONS, interspersed with animated commentary from keith, rachel and chrissy

LOL!

paul ryan: you raised discretionary spending 84% in your 2010 budget

obama: the vast majority of govt spending has been adjustments mandated by expansions of medicare, social security and unemployment

chrissy matthews: the charm, the poetry, the prose, but i think he pulled a fast one, there, ryan who's really smart about these things was talking about the part of the budget that can be controlled and the president tried to shift it to the part that can't be controlled, i think he pulled a fast one

chrissy, continued: is he trying to stimulate the economy or depress the economy, cuz everyone knows what a spending freeze at times like these will do, he seems to want to say what sounds good at the moment

jason chaffetz: you said CSPAN, you said no lobbyists, you said you'd go line by line thru health care, you don't return our letters

obama: the truth of the matter is committees WERE on cspan, my "kick off" was on cspan, the merge was a messy process, it's true, i take responsibility, it's cuz there were so many meetings in so many places, logistically harder than it sounds, get em in one place and film

obama (continued): earmarks---none in the recovery act, they were in the omnibus (LOL!), i'm not the only guy responsible for this, some earmarks are perfectly good, the problem is no light of day

continued: i can state unequivocally, my administration been tougher making sure lobbyists do not have influence than any administration that's come before, i've been very consistent

never mind AIG, SEIU, Phrma

obama, continued: there have been a handful of waivers...

marsha blackburn: thankyou for acknowledging republican ideas on health care, pre existing conditions, ending rescission, portability, expanded access, frivolous law suits, buying across state lines, personal savings accounts, reduce bureaucracy, reduce govt

obama: i've gotten your ideas (how responsible of him), some of your ideas i've embraced, it's not that they're unworkable, the trouble is they're not making things better, my plan is pretty centrist

i have to go to the experts, he continues, he reads one sentence of the gop agenda mike pence gave him at the start, then complains about lack of specifics

i have to hold myself accountable, but it can't be all or nothing (tell it to reid)

to jeb hensarling, the final questioner: i hope there's a question in there somewhere cuz you're using up the time and there's a whole lot of assertions you're making, half of which i disagree with, and i'm just having to stand here

the poor thing, how does he think his 150 listeners feel when he goes on and on?

what ensued can only be described as combative, nothing but blaming bush for 5 minutes

we know, mr president, we know

we've heard it a million times

he calls jeb, "jim," 3 times after being corrected

your stage star sings like roseanne barr

grab-your-crotch-and-spit politics

he's committing suicide, WAY TOO MUCH obama, no one can wear like that

the arrogance, presumption, self involvement, ego, narcissism, napoleonic delusions

when people look at roseanne barr, they see something, they see pathologies

obama's starting to show a number of those, as well
 
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obama's truth:

his health care bill provides "support for states," tell it to every blue governor in the nation who's up in arms over the 200B dollars of unbacked mandates in the form of medicaid expansion

massachusetts was not aimed at him

he's not an ideologue

he doesn't deal with lobbyists, an insult to america's intelligence

he's been open

his health care is centrist

his stimulus created 2M jobs

republicans are the ones in danger of losing their seats if they follow him (tell it to dorgan, reid, coakley, corzine, deeds, dodd, lincoln, bayh, nelson, specter, bennett, feingold and more than 50 dogs and freshmen in pelosi's place)

he's being painted as a bolshevik

he hasn't been able to get his word out

republicans have offered no alternatives

meanwhile, his entire agenda is dead

he's delusional
 
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***** That's WHY he did it. He wanted the photo op.

He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. He wants transparency. This was a perfect example of it. I would prefer to make my own conclusions about his performance versus reading what journalists write.
 
The GOP took the high road and took Obama up on his offer. I think they scored by having a discussion with Obama. Politically they can say they presented him with alternative policies, and now have a right to block everything he does that is outside their suggestions.

I thought that the GOP behaved extremely well. When they took their jabs at him (some were warranted), they weren't jerks with him. I give them credit for listening to him and not interrupting him. I didnt' think the GOP looked bad in this scenario. In fact, I thought they looked very good. They showed respect for the presidency but didn't hesitate to call Obama out for things he had promised and had not kept.
 
Harshaw, he was complaining this past year about the republican unwillingness to work with democrats on health care. I don't believe he ever said that republicans had no plans. The problem is, while democrats did put some republican ideas into the bills, republicans where not willing to compromise at all. "The Party of no" is a talking point, and it is not entirely accurate, but it is not entirely inaccurate either. While democrats and Obama have to do better, republicans have to actually show a willingness to not reject out of hand.

I thought a good point made was about the GOP wanting 100% or even 80% of their ideas, and then when they don't get it, complaining that the President was not being "bipartisan."

Well, no, that's not how democracy works. Most of the time, each side only gets 50% of what it wants. (Heck, I could argue that the GOP, being only about 41% of the Senate, should be happy with 41% of what they want.)

I also wonder where all those Republicans who claim that they honestly want health care reform were when they had both Houses and the Presidency.
 
Neither is "bipartisanship" crafting your own agenda and inviting the other side to come along, and calling them "partisan" if they don't. It's a process which starts at ground level.
 
Here's a good article on the event. I would love for this to become a weekly or monthly event!! That would be the most positive development in politics for years.

Obama in the Republican lions? den: Obama 2, lions 1 / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

President Obama walked into the lions’ den Friday and came out with limbs still in place. In fact, to many who watched the spectacle, the lions were left sulking and hungry.

This was the GOP House Issues Conference in Baltimore, to which Obama had been invited as a guest speaker. And to those who watched, it was high political drama – very much like the weekly “Questions to the Prime Minister” sessions in the British House of Commons, an energetic and entertaining debate on policy matters that is unscripted, unrehearsed, and there for all the world to watch on live TV.

As the Monitor’s Dave Cook reported, the interchange was lively, civil, and substantive.

Questions were asked respectfully (for the most part), although some questioners took long minutes of speechifying to get there. As in the House of Commons, the questions were blunt and sometimes pointed. But Obama came right back at them, citing chapter and verse from legislation and nonpartisan government reports, appearing to be at his wonkish best.

“I’m having fun,” he said at one point.
 
The GOP took the high road and took Obama up on his offer. I think they scored by having a discussion with Obama. Politically they can say they presented him with alternative policies, and now have a right to block everything he does that is outside their suggestions.

And what if they block things that are consistent with their own policy positions?
 
I also wonder where all those Republicans who claim that they honestly want health care reform were when they had both Houses and the Presidency.

Right where we are today.

Patient control and portability, patients bill of rights, driving down costs allowing interstate competition and tort reform, a health care savings account initiative, realizing medicare and medicaid responsibilities, funding medical research, putting patients first and empowering the individual rather than government, supporting health care happening between patient and doctor rather than government and patient.

You are amazingly unaware as is the thanker of this post of yours, your "wonder" here, is it sincere?
 
Perhaps I can find something on Google, Groucho, I'm bothered by this "wonder" of yours, I think this is Al Gore and Bush in a 2000 debate, lets return 10 years and see where Republican thought processes are on health care, Obama a spokeperson for Lib plans in 2010, where were Bush and Repubs, I'm saddened so by your 'wonder' and confusion.

BUSH: I’m absolutely opposed to a national health care plan. I don’t want the federal government making decisions for consumers or for providers. I remember what the administration tried to do in 1993. They tried to have a national health care plan, and fortunately it failed. I trust people; I don’t trust the federal government. I don’t want the federal government making decisions on behalf of everybody.

Rock solid consistent here, so I'll assume this isn't the source of your wonder.

BUSH: Step one is to reform the Medicare system. I want to call upon Republicans and Democrats to take care of a senior prescription drug program. I think it’s important to have what’s called Immediate Helping Hand, which is direct money to states so seniors don’t have to chose between food and medicine.

This can't be a wonder either.

Bush proposed spending an additional $67 billion over the decade to search for cures for age-old afflictions, including Alzheimer’s disease. “As president, I will fund and lead a medical moonshot to reach far beyond what seems possible today.’’ Specifically, Bush would complete a five-year plan already in progress in Congress to double NIH funding by 2003, to about $27 billion.

Also poured billions into Africa for AIDS.

The Bush plan will:Modernize Medicare.Give seniors a greater choice in plans with more options & access to the latest medical technology.
Provide a prescription drug benefit now.Underwrite at least 25% of the cost of prescription drug premiums for all seniors.

Provide catastrophic Medicare coverage. Ensure seniors suffering from life-threatening illnesses will never pay more than $6,000 annually for Medicare costs.

Provide patients a bill of rights.Provide patient protections, like those in Texas, to ensure quality of care from health care providers.

Provide access to health care for the uninsured and underserved.

Refundable health credit of $2,000 to help purchase health insurance.

Commit $3.6 billion over five years to build 1,200 new Community Health Centers.

Support caregivers and long-term care. Additional exemption ($2,750 in 2000) for each elderly relative; plus 100% tax deduction for long-term care insurance premiums.

Solid policies, still wonderin?

This link continues on medical savings accounts, etc, you'll find many issues Repubs are promoting today, observers shouldn't think Groucho nor Glinda's being unaware of Republican policies on health care mean we have none.

We've actualaly been quite specific and consistent, we just don't want a public plan nor an economy ruining/government expansion plan.

Glinda/Groucho, I can link you to more Republican consistent health care reform policy if yer still wonderin.

http://www.issues2000.org/george_w__bush_health_care.htm
 
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And what if they block things that are consistent with their own policy positions?
Since Democrats oppose everything conservatives support, how would that happen?
 
Since Democrats oppose everything conservatives support, how would that happen?

Take a look at what you just said: The Democrats (a political party) oppose everything conservatives (a political lean or mindset) support... That's not true at all. When you peel back the layers of punditry and look at voting records there are 'conservative' (left-center and right-center) Democrats. There are Democrats supportive of economic/tax policies favoring big business (especially ones in their state).

Neither party has been truly fiscally conservative in the last decade. It's easy for the minority party to appear fiscally conservative by voting No on the stimulus package--meanwhile, taking credit for infrastructure projects and a modest extension of unemployment benefits to states hit hardest.

The majority (whether it be Dems or GOP) tends to push for expansion of Government in areas that benefit their constituents, and deregulation in areas that benefit their corporate supporters.

I'm hoping that the populists movements and recent state elections can push both parties toward a fiscally conservative, pragmatic center on spending.

It will be interesting to see how the small business initiatives play out.
 
Right where we are today.

Patient control and portability, patients bill of rights, driving down costs allowing interstate competition and tort reform, a health care savings account initiative, realizing medicare and medicaid responsibilities, funding medical research, putting patients first and empowering the individual rather than government, supporting health care happening between patient and doctor rather than government and patient.

You are amazingly unaware as is the thanker of this post of yours, your "wonder" here, is it sincere?

No, the wonder is this: Why didn't they implement any of that then, when they had the chance? If they really cared about the issue, why didn't they act on it?
 
Perhaps I can find something on Google, Groucho, I'm bothered by this "wonder" of yours, I think this is Al Gore and Bush in a 2000 debate, lets return 10 years and see where Republican thought processes are on health care, Obama a spokeperson for Lib plans in 2010, where were Bush and Repubs, I'm saddened so by your 'wonder' and confusion.

No, no, you miss the point, but maybe I wasn't clear enough.

Some conservatives absolutely say no health care reform at all. They are being consistent.

Others say "Hey, we care about health care reform! We want to do something! So listen, instead of the democrat's plan, let's do ours instead!"

My point is toward this second group: If you really truly cared about health care reform, why didn't you do anything about it when you had the power to? Why are you only acting on it now?
 
No, no, you miss the point, but maybe I wasn't clear enough.

Some conservatives absolutely say no health care reform at all. They are being consistent.

Others say "Hey, we care about health care reform! We want to do something! So listen, instead of the democrat's plan, let's do ours instead!"

My point is toward this second group: If you really truly cared about health care reform, why didn't you do anything about it when you had the power to? Why are you only acting on it now?
Perhaps it is because we had (and still have) a far more pressing issue than government-run healthcare, and that is National Security.
 
well, it's 24 hours later, so, naturally, the white house has a completely new line and spin

all over the sunday talks they're repeating the mantra this morning that THEY'VE BEEN OPEN TO AND HAVE ACTUALLY ADOPTED QUITE A NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN IDEAS

LOL!

david gregory asked axelrod on mtp, do you think republicans want you and the economy to fail?

ask john boehner (gregory's next guest), they've been sitting on the sidelines, we use their ideas

on health care, gregory showed a clip of obama last year proclaiming loud and proud, "health care NOW"

ax: the american people want it, lower premiums, costs, pre existings, rescission, outta pocket, we've incorporated republican ideas

gibbs on cnn, asked by king about their once huge agenda now boiling down to jobs, jobs, jobs

we talked about this in baltimore, we've done small biz tax cuts, infrastructure, gonna use money recovered from tarp to lend to small biz, the engine of jobs creation, in the range of a 100B jobs bill, d's and r's work together, hope r's meet us halfway

gibbs' overall impression of baltimore---the recovery act (the admin's new term for "stimulus") had 300B in tax cuts, the recovery act implemented a lot of republican ideas, r's need to find something they like

evan bayh on fns---i voted against the administration on medicaid funding, on reimbursement of doctors, the freeze is a good start, a wake up call

john mccain and i actually wrote up parts of jim ryan's legislation, we're heading in a better direction

unbelievable

it looks like the white house mantra about "party of no" is turning universally into "we're open to republican ideas, we've always been open to republican ideas"

the drama queens in the white house change their minds like teenage girls
 
well, it's 24 hours later, so, naturally, the white house has a completely new line and spin

all over the sunday talks they're repeating the mantra this morning that THEY'VE BEEN OPEN TO AND HAVE ACTUALLY ADOPTED QUITE A NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN IDEAS
I seem to recall Onumbnuts bragging about his win and rubbing it in??

My sentiment exactly!

david gregory asked axelrod on mtp, do you think republicans want you and the economy to fail?

ask john boehner (gregory's next guest), they've been sitting on the sidelines, we use their ideas

on health care, gregory showed a clip of obama last year proclaiming loud and proud, "health care NOW"

ax: the american people want it, lower premiums, costs, pre existings, rescission, outta pocket, we've incorporated republican ideas

gibbs on cnn, asked by king about their once huge agenda now boiling down to jobs, jobs, jobs

we talked about this in baltimore, we've done small biz tax cuts, infrastructure, gonna use money recovered from tarp to lend to small biz, the engine of jobs creation, in the range of a 100B jobs bill, d's and r's work together, hope r's meet us halfway

gibbs' overall impression of baltimore---the recovery act (the admin's new term for "stimulus") had 300B in tax cuts, the recovery act implemented a lot of republican ideas, r's need to find something they like

evan bayh on fns---i voted against the administration on medicaid funding, on reimbursement of doctors, the freeze is a good start, a wake up call

john mccain and i actually wrote up parts of jim ryan's legislation, we're heading in a better direction

it looks like the white house mantra about "party of no" is turning universally into "we're open to republican ideas, we've always been open to republican ideas"

unbelievable

the drama queens in the white house change their minds like teenage girls

What a hot steaming pile of BS. Anyone even without a crystal ball knows the Democrats are in deep sh!t. All of this is nothing more than attempted damage control.
 
saturday afternoon, cnn did back to back segments on the stimulus, which the administration now insists upon calling the recovery act

the first 5 minutes was about aggregate industries, a cement company that got busted for its crummy construction on boston's big dig, the underground freeway that came in 1000% over budget and took almost 15 years to complete

cnn reports that aggregate industries, which has paid its punishments and cleaned up its act, got 10 million of stimulus for what aggregate says is 100 jobs, or 100K per

the second cnn segment talked about a train station in elyria, ohio, a town obama has twice visited

4 million dollars of stimulus created or saved exactly 17 jobs, says cnn

that's about 250K per

finally, in fort collins, colorado, a wildfire prevention program is benefiting from 10.6 million dollars of obama-money for an unstated number of jobs

the president is very, very correct about the "deficit of trust" he's been dwelling on since his sotu

cnn seems quite critical
 
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