Obama vs. 'Jim' (er, Jeb) Hensarling

[Enrique]

Run time: 10:01 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG8JZgN3wZU   Posted on YouTube: January 29, 2010 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 29, 2010 By DU Member: Enrique Views on DU: 1480

 
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/01/obama-takes-question-from-dall.html

Well, that was pretty compelling TV.

President Barack Obama wrapped up an hour or so of grilling by the loyal opposition, finishing up with a pretty snarky exchange with Dallas Rep. Jeb Hensarling. The emcee, Rep. Mike Pence, called on Hensarling for the last question and Obama just did not get off on the right foot. Misheard the intro and kept calling him by the wrong name, even after being corrected.

Obama: "Jim"

Hensarling: "Jeb, Mr. President"

Hensarling recalled a conversation they'd had about a year about ago the national debt, and offered his dismay that Obama soon after that ignored a GOP budget proposal which would have frozen all non-military discretionary spending and saved billions over the Democratic plan.

"Jim, I know there's question in there somewhere," Obama interjected as Hensarling went on to frame his concerns about stimulus spending and the spiraling federal debt.

Hensarling eventually offered a direct question: "Will your new budget triple the national debt?"

Obama dressed him down -- hard. He all but called Hensarling the exemplar of the problem he'd laid out earlier in his talk, blasting him for ignoring the plea to set aside point-scoring in favor of constructive dialogue.

"Jim, with all due respect... the whole question was structured as a talking point for running a campaign."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG8JZgN3wZU

[MarinCoUSA]

1. There were 6-8 questions. & OB pushed back on each and every one

From the snarky shit about "boutique" tax cuts in the first question to this last teabagger debt question.

Half the questions seemed Confederate teabaggers and were all some version of the Limbaugh-Hannity propaganda mush.
A question from some woman from Tenn was totally embarrassing.

OB was taking all these jackasses downtown, with a smile and making it look easy.

Big message to independents/low info crowd: I am the president and only work with sane people.

[butterfly77]

2. This was my favorite part of which I saw...

I was screaming at all of the repugs but,I already can't stand this Hensarling.

While he was making his speech with talking points I was screaming at the tv to the President, tell this MF where to get off.

The pres must have heard me because as far as I was concerned he kicked :kick: :kick: :kick:

[BeyondGeography]

3. He should change his name to Jim after that

[quiet.american]

4. Not only did Obama reject GOP "freeze" idea - the country did. That's what McCain campaigned on.

Duh, Hensarling.

Edited to clarify: the difference between McCain's freeze and the one proposed by Obama, is that McCain would have started his freeze right away, smackdab in the middle of the worst of the economic crisis, and he would have frozen EVERYTHING, except for military spending and entitlements -- and you can bet he would have cut those.

There would have been no Cash-for-Clunkers, no money for stem cell research, no mortgage program, no $250 checks to those on Social Security, no funding/increased funding in the 2010 budget for high-speed rail and other clean energy initiatives, education intiatives or healthcare intiatives.

Obama's freeze proposes keeping spending for *certain* items in the budget (NYT calls them "low-priority items) at the increased funding level already provided for in the 2010 budget for 2-3 years, *starting* in 2011.