Obama Blames Himself for Partisan Tone

[Mass]

FGS.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/11/15/obama_blames_himself_for_partisan_tone.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+PoliticalWire+(Political+Wire)

Obama Blames Himself for Partisan Tone
President Obama said his own "obsessive" focus on implementing the right policies "had led him to ignore a part of the reason voters handed him a mandate in 2008," the New York Times reports.

Said Obama: "I neglected some things that matter a lot to people, and rightly so: maintaining a bipartisan tone in Washington. I'm going to redouble my efforts to go back to some of those first principles."

[no_hypocrisy]

1. This is a classic fake-out, right?

He really doesn't mean it, right?

[Clio the Leo]

2. It's spin for sure. nt

[grumgrum]

13. Let's hope so...for America's sake.

[no_hypocrisy]

27. Welcome to DU

[Betty]

3. I cannot believe he is this clueless

he is clearly such an intelligent man, how can he possibly say the exact opposite of what actually happened and believe it to be the truth? He has been obsessive on sucking up to the repugs and ignored the reason he was elected: to fight for the little guys, not prop up the fascist big business and super rich.

[ProSense]

4. See, this is a classic example. Here is the President's full statement

Press Gaggle by the President en route Andrews Air Force Base

<...>

THE PRESIDENT: As I said in the press conference the day after the election, I spent the first two years trying to get policy right based on my best judgment about how we were going to deal with the short-term crisis and how we were going to retool to compete in this new global economy.

In that obsessive focus on policy, I neglected some things that matter a lot to people, and rightly so: maintaining a bipartisan tone in Washington; dealing with practices like earmarks that are wasteful at a time of -- where everybody else is tightening their belts; making sure that the policy decisions that I made were fully debated with the American people and that I was getting out of Washington and spending more time shaping public opinion and being in a conversation with the American people about why I was making the choices I was making.

So I think, moving forward, I’m going to redouble my efforts to go back to some of those first principles. And the fact that we are out of crisis -- although still, obviously, in a difficult time -- I think will give me the capacity to do that.

<...>

Other headlines generating from the same press session:

Obama to Redouble Effort on Core Principles

Obama rested and ready for clash with Republicans

[Pirate Smile]

6. A lot of people here will bite if the press spin feeds their negative view. They are as willing as

the RW to believe the worst.

[SarahB]

7. "And the fact that we are out of crisis"

No we're not. What planet is he living on?

[ProSense]

11. We are out of the crisis that existed when he took office

a slow recovery is not a crisis equivalent to a potential depression.

[zipplewrath]

19. No, we're not

Instability internationally still has us in a very weak position. There is still a real danger of more collapse, especially in the real estate markets. Ireland and Spain are only two of the dangers. The IMMEDIATE crisis is over, but the longer term crisis is still here.

[ProSense]

23. Yes, we are

"Instability internationally still has us in a very weak position. "

"Still" is not the same as the position in January 2009. It's just not.

[zipplewrath]

25. Not the "same"

But still a crisis. The world economic system is extremely unstable. Worse, much of what we can do in that regard we have done and are now "dependent" upon the rest of the world to do. As recent events have demonstrated, the world no longer holds our view on how best to address the continuing problems. One can presume that the EU will act "correctly", but that is far from a given.

[zipplewrath]

15. How is that better?

That doesn't really make me feel any better. He still doesn't actually think he made any bad choices, just that he didn't communicate to the people how brilliant his choices were. His conclusion is to talk more, and more politely.

That wasn't his problem.

[ProSense]

16. You're right

the spin is better, to hell with what the President said.

"That doesn't really make me feel any better. He still doesn't actually think he made any bad choices, just that he didn't communicate to the people how brilliant his choices were. His conclusion is to talk more, and more politely."

Oh, I thought messaging was the complaint of the day? I actually like his policies. The majority of Americans actually like health care reform (including Krugman) and Wall Street reform.

[zipplewrath]

17. They like the so much they elected the GOP

You really sticking with that explanation? The majority of Americans like the way he bailed out the banks and their bonuses, but didn't manage to help home owners? The majority of Americans like the stimulus package and the fact that it didn't do what he said it would do?

You sticking with that explanation?

[ProSense]

18. They?

You mean conservatives?

No, I mean most Americans.

[zipplewrath]

20. Who voted for the GOP

In large numbers.

[ProSense]

21. If that's a question

the answer is conservatives.

[zipplewrath]

26. So Obama's made no major mistakes in the last two years

His only problem is bad messaging and poor communication with the American people.

You really sticking with that explanation or has it begun to occur to you that he's made some significant mistakes in the economic choices he's made over the last 2 years?

[ProSense]

28. Everybody makes mistakes, including the President, and he has, but

what does that have to do with conservatives showing up and voting for Republicans?

[zipplewrath]

29. The fact that moderate and independents did not

Conservatives showed up in the 2008 elections too.

[ProSense]

30. Are you going to pretend

that mid-term turnout is the same as turnout for a Presidential election? Also, are you going to pretend that conservative turnout didn't significantly increase this year?

[zipplewrath]

31. No

I'm also not going to pretend that those things were independent of the choices this administration made during the last 2 years. I'm also not going to pretend that the administrations only problem is communication. It is a failure of leadership that is their problem.

[ProSense]

32. Hmmmm?

"I'm also not going to pretend that those things were independent of the choices this administration made during the last 2 years."

Then sit back and enjoy the Republican House majority.

[zipplewrath]

35. Enjoy?

There's a non sequitur for ya.

[Mass]

34. Is the quote incorrect? If not, he is out of touch.

We dont need him to be more bipartisan. He is way too bipartisan at this point.

[Greyhound]

37. Which makes no difference at all. n/t

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Really?

:wtf:

It's nice to have a reflective leader but he's off the hook with me in terms of his "tone" during his Presidency so far. He's been plenty "bipartisan" in tone IMHO.

What I really want to know is what kind of soul-searching have the Republicans done in regards to their obstructionism and refusal to do anything for the American public? :shrug:
They now think that they have "political capital" to wage all out war against Obama's agenda and they intend to spend it, so I'm already guessing that they haven't done ANY whatsoever. :eyes:

[Mr. Sparkle]

8. I hope he is taking the piss! n/t

[ProSense]

9. The NYT piece is horrible spin

Mr. Obama told reporters that he “very confident” that voters this month were not casting ballots for gridlock.

“They are not going to want to just obstruct, that they’re going to want to engage constructively,” he said of his Republican adversaries. “And then we’re going to have a whole bunch of time next year for some serious philosophical debates.”

Except that's not what the President said in context.

<...>

THE PRESIDENT: Campaigning is very different from governing. All of us learn that. And they’re still flush with victory, having run a strategy that was all about saying no. But I am very confident that the American people were not issuing a mandate for gridlock. They want to see us make progress precisely because they understand instinctually how competitive things are and how we have to step up our game.

So my expectation is, when I sit down with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner this week, along with the Democratic leaders, that there are a set of things that need to get done during the lame duck, and that they are not going to want to just obstruct, that they’re going to want to engage constructively. There are going to be some disagreements. There may be some need for compromise. But we should be able at least to get through the lame duck, making sure that taxes don’t go up for middle-class families starting January 1st, that some of the key business provisions that can assure economic growth get done. And then we’re going to have a whole bunch of time next year for some serious philosophical debates. And they should welcome those debates next year.

[Mimosa]

33. The President really loves that 'C word'.

Obama: "There may be some need for compromise."

Only it's the Dems -even when in charge- who do all the compromising. Look how well that worked out for 'Affordable Health Act'. *gag*

[Deep13]

10. *delete*

[Jakes Progress]

12. Someone get him some touch.

He seems to be out of it.

[woodsprite]

14. My first thought when I saw this was I wish

Biden could grow a spare pare of balls and gift them to Obama. Maybe they have something planned, but are just keeping it very close to their chest, but the longer it goes on, the less I'm inclined to think that way.

[polichick]

22. The president's speaking ability doesn't help him with the press...

Almost everything he says can be spun a number of ways - he could help himself by using fewer words and choosing ones that have a clear singular meaning.

[BlueIris]

24. That's not your mandate, Mr. President.

And you damn well know it. Voters may not know it in this decade, (although I'm starting to think you are going to get outed eventually) but history will.

[budkin]

36. Weak weak weaksauce.