bama's Answering Questions Live Right Now At The House GOP Conference

This was a brilliant move by Obama! He has now boxed the republicans into a corner. They can continue to obstruct and be seen as the party of No (witness not supporting typical republican priorities) or they can come to the table and work in good faith. It is already having the affect he wants.

Some Republicans Fret That Opposition To New Obama Measures Could Seriously Backfire

Some senior Republican strategists and party veterans are beginning to fret that the party's refusal to work with President Obama, even when he crosses onto their own philosophical turf, could ultimately erode some of the political gains they've made this past year.

Over the past two weeks, Republicans in Congress have united in nearly unanimous opposition to a series of ideologically conservative policy suggestions, starting with a commission to reduce the deficit, a pay-go provision that would limit new expenditures, and a spending freeze on non-military programs.

Opposition has usually been based on specific policy concerns or complaints that the measures aren't going far enough. But the message being sent is that the GOP's sole mission is presidential destruction.

Now, some in the party are beginning to worry.

 

that's what she said.

 

Republicans dismayed by Obama’s strong performance, say it was a ‘mistake’ to let cameras roll.

House Republicans were fired up and ready to go for their conversation with President Obama at their annual retreat today. According to the New York Times, members of the conservative Republican House Conference said they were “itching to quiz the president and present their policy ideas rather than listen to another lofty presidential address.” Although such sessions generally occur behind closed doors, Republicans agreed to open it up after the White House said it was willing to do so. However, after Obama’s strong performance, some Republicans are now regretting that decision. As Luke Russert reported on MSNBC:

RUSSERT: Tom Cole — former head of the NRCC, congressman from Oklahoma — said, “He scored many points. He did really well.” Barack Obama, for an hour and a half, was able to refute every single Republican talking point used against him on the major issues of the day. In essence, it was almost like a debate where he was front and center for the majority of it. … One Republican said to me, off the record, behind closed doors: “It was a mistake that we allowed the cameras to roll like that. We should not have done that.”

“Accepting the invitation to speak at the House GOP retreat may turn out to be the smartest decision the White House has made in months,” writes the Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder. “Debating a law professor is kind of foolish — the Republican House Caucus has managed to turn Obama’s weakness — his penchant for nuance — into a strength. Plenty of Republicans asked good and probing questions, but Mike Pence, among others, found their arguments simply demolished by the president.”

 

One instance won't make much of a difference, but if he's willing to be recorded every time he meets with them, and they aren't willing to have that footage shown, there goes the whole "transparency" thing, to say nothing of the whole macho turf part of it.

 

They think they are smarter than him and I won't get into the issues why (although I honestly think one is the main issue)

they may have finally figured they are not, and its best to keep the attacks from afar

 

GOP=Leno
Obama=Kimmel

 

It won't be long before the Republicans do all their talking from facebook like Sara Palin. It's so much easier to win a debate when you're the only one talking.

 

Sincerely, most of the modern American political media, from Limbaugh and Beck to Olberman.

 

Healthcare still isn't going to pass regardless of what these meetings do. In politics, the minority party is never punished for the incompetence of the majority. Democrats need it desperately to save face. The GOP won't give into something that has become quite unpopular among Americans. The forecast will be a stalemate but I think other issues could be worked out like the Economy and job recovery. Republicans want real tax cuts for businesses not these $3000 tax credits for hiring an employee when you can't even afford the salary of one. If Obama wants to preserve his legacy, he needs to shift to the center-right and workout things like Clinton or else the GOP is going to take over Congress in November.

As for the people who think the GOP is killing healthcare, tell me what has stopped the Dems in power from passing it with the super majority they've had for a year now? Wasn't it suppose to be a done deal by August of 2009?

Scott Brown didn't kill healthcare, it's the blue-dog moderates within the Democratic ranks that are scared about having to answer to angry voters back home. The tidal wave is coming and they see it, the economy is the issue Obama used as his calling card and now the healthcare debacle is dividing the party from within. Look at Pelosi throwing in the towel last week when she made it clear "The votes are not there".

 

really?!?!?

Pelosi Says Votes Are There For Reform

Offering Democrats a potential means to revive their top domestic priority, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flatly predicted Wednesday afternoon that she could muster enough votes to pass the Senate version of health care reform if the upper chamber agreed to adjust the bill through the reconciliation process.

Speaking to columnists just hours before President Obama's first State of the Union Address, Pelosi said that if the Senate used the reconciliation process to revise elements of the legislation unacceptable to her members, the House could approve such a two-track approach. "What I'm saying to you is the Senate bill, stand-alone, I don't see any chance of it [passing the House]," she said. "Reconciliation resolving some of the issues: then we can pass this thing."

 

Any one say "Boy, you lie!"

 

ghettocheeze: Did you watch this event today? Did you watch the State of the Union Address? It really sounds like you've been misinformed or at the very least opinionated without factual relevance.

And I'll just say that I doubt it's as desperate as you make it seem for Democrats to save face -- that's the type of rhetoric and hysteria one would expect from an O'Reilly, Limbaugh, or Beck. I think politics, in terms of actually having the ability to get things accomplished, is a little bit more than the immature machismo of "You're wrong, I'm right," regardless of how the GOP sees things.

 

what do you mean "there goes the whole transparency thing?" that was Obama's promise, not the GOP's, and one that Obama has repeatedly, shamelessly broken.

i haven't seen your condemnation of his mendacity- where is the outrage?

 

Opinionated? Really tell me one thing the democrats have achieved in congress over the last 12 months?

The Stimulus was a waste, healthcare is on life support while the economy is still bleeding jobs and people continue to lose their homes.

I wasn't trying to play right vs wrong, my point is the Dems have been incompetent as a party even with a super majority. That is fact not some talking point fiction.

Look the GOP has nothing to gain by playing along with this phony healthcare when the real concern is the economy. Everyone in Congress knows it and now Obama will have to address it with something other than government spending or else he will watch his party get voted out of congress.

But you can continue to debate the GOP playing Dr No while the Democrats lose support from the moderates. Obama can't blame the GOP when his party has to cut backroom deals with its own members just to get things rolling.

Instead of trying to corner the Republicans, why doesn't Obama give a pep talk to his own party first to set them straight?

From now until November continue to blame GOP for blocking your agenda while the Democratic party divides from within. The moderates are running to the center-right while Reid and Pelosi continue to deny the shift and look to attack the GOP for their own failure.

 

Attack Obama for lack of promised transparency. Transparency given for one meeting with the GOP grilling Obama (unprecedented transparency which could potentially be damaging to Obama, really). Republicans retreat and think perhaps transparency isn't good for them.

Mom promises you that she'll give you some turkey bacon, and you keep begging and begging for it. Finally, one day at the dentist's office, you get the turkey bacon. You don't like turkey bacon. Don't you look silly for begging for it?

 

bacon is opaque, just like the obama admin.

 

You sure showed me. Burn!

 

As a frustrated liberal I'm tired of him doing a good job talking, but not having the stones to do much about it. He just keeps taking abuse from the right and doesn't seem to have the courage to fight back. His latest bs about trying to take a few billion from the poor and middle class with some silly little freeze on discretionary spending was typical. If he thinks it will appease the haters or appeal to the sort of independents who don't have the convictions to know whether to vote for Palin-McCain or Obama is weak.

 

After reading the rest of the thread I will have to catch the session. I wonder if it will be on youtube or C-span. Still jaded with Obama's good talk, weak action.

 

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