President Obama: 'Enough Is Enough'

[bigtree]

(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

With just nine days before a payroll tax break for 160 million Americans expires, President Obama assailed House Republicans for a "ridiculous Washington standoff" and stepped up pressure on them to pass a two-month extension bill that sailed through the Senate by a bipartisan vote.

"This isn't a typical Democrat versus Republican issue. This is an issue where an overwhelming number of people in both parties agree," the president said today. "How can we not get that done? Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things, we can't do it? It doesn't make any sense."

"Forty dollars can make all the difference in the world," Obama said today, as he read out stories from Americans who had responded to his request.

Obama said more than 30,000 people have responded to the White House's "What 40 Dollars a Paycheck Means to American Families" campaign on Twitter, Facebook and whitehouse.gov.

read: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-publicly-pressure-house-republicans-pass-payroll-tax/story?id=15212988#.TvOO4laLPXI



(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Joining Obama on the stage were 16 people described by the White House as “Americans who would see their taxes go up if the House Republicans fail to act, including some of those Americans who have responded to this call to illustrate what $40 means to them.”

These people, Obama said, see that as a substantial amount of money in their own lives, but “it may be that there are some folks in the House who refuse to vote for this compromise because they don’t think that 40 bucks is a lot of money.”

“Enough is enough,” he added later to applause. “The people standing with me today can’t afford any more games.”

“So many of these debates in Washington end up being portrayed as which party is winning, which party is losing, but what we have to remind ourselves is this is about people, the American people, and whether they win,” he said.

read: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70791.html



(REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque )

The people standing with me can’t afford any more games. They can’t afford to lose $1,000 because of some ridiculous Washington standoff,” Obama said. “The House needs to pass a short-term version of this compromise, and then we can negotiate an agreement as quickly as possible to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance for the rest of 2012.”

“This is not just my view,” Obama continued. “Just a few hours ago this is exactly what the Republican leader of the Senate said we should do. Democrats agree with the Republican leader of the Senate.”

McConnell released a statement earlier today saying that the House should pass the Senate’s two-month extension bill and that the Senate should accede to House GOP demands that they appoint conferees to come to an agreement on a yearlong extension. McConnell indicated in that statement that more time is needed to work out the details of a yearlong deal to extend the payroll tax holiday, unemployment benefits and Medicare reimbursement rates.

read: http://www.rollcall.com/news/obama_tries_to_up_pressure_on_house_republicans-211240-1.html



(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"It's time for the House to listen to the voices who are up here, the voices all across the country, and reconsider," Obama said, surrounded by several people who wrote to the White House about how they would be impacted by the expiration of the tax cuts.

"What's happening right now is exactly why people just get so frustrated with Washington," he added. "This isn't a typical Democratic-versus-Republican issue. This is an issue where an overwhelming number of people in both parties agree."

"We've seen the economy do better over the last couple of months, but there's still a lot of sources of uncertainty out there -- what's going on in Europe, what's going on around the world," Obama said. "And so this is insurance to make sure that our recovery continues."

He added, "It's the right thing to do for the economy, and it's, most importantly, the right thing to do for American families all across the country."

read: http://www.rttnews.com/1786797/obama-continues-to-push-house-republicans-to-pass-payroll-tax-cut.aspx?type=ts


(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

[louis-t]

1. I'm sorry but, this is one classy, presidential guy.

I cannot imagine ANYONE in the so-called repug 'field' of candidates who would not be an embarrassment to this country.

[handmade34]

9. no need to be sorry...

I respect my president

[quinnox]

2. damn, whats up with the HUGE PICS

I know Obama is a handsome dude, but is that necessary?

[MineralMan]

5. That's your issue with this post? WTF?

I give up...

[TheWraith]

3. I'm loving that pointed finger.

He looks like a parent lecturing the Republican children in the House.

[Scurrilous]

4. Thanks.

[Itchinjim]

6. The smartest guy and the only adult in the room.

GOBAMA 2012!

[Laelth]

7. He's milking this one hard!

Good for him. Nice change.

-Laelth

[SunsetDreams]

8. K&R Stop playing games Repukes!

[hifiguy]

10. When he's right, he's right.

I am often quick to criticize him, but he is absolutely right about this and I applaud him for dressing down Boner so publicly.

[Bill USA]

11. He should have been a lot harder on the Corporate Lobbyist party...should have said something like..

It's particularly incomprehensible and reprehensible for these Republicans to hold hostage help to the very people THEY PUT OUT OF WORK! If it hadn't have been for Republican policies of shifting too much of the tax burden from the very wealthiest in our society to the middle class and hostility to regulation of businesses we wouldn't have had the TRICKLE DOWN - DEREGULATION DISASTER that put these many millions of people out of work in the first place. Republicans have no sense of responsibility for the greatest Economic disaster this country has experienced since the First Great Depression.

It's time for these Republicans to stop working for political victory over the bodies of millions of American families and FOR ONCE act responsibly and approve the Payroll tax cut and Unemployment benefits extensions - which THEY made necessary. Their 'Scorched Earth' politics is costing too much in terms of the livelihoods of millions of Americans - or don't they give a damn about that?

[JohnWxy]

13. I agree with that!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

16. It *would* be great to hear him say this---absolutely right on. That said,

I love what he DID say.
I've never understood diplomacy, but it's required. He has to maintain decorum. Unfortunately, in these times, that requires avoiding calling a scumbag a scumbag.

He still managed to whack the pukes.

[bigtree]

12. .

[tavalon]

14. I do not agree with this "payroll tax holiday", but

that said, Obama played good politics.

I'm concerned that Washington has wrested the conversation back to their agenda. No more of that class consciousness talk!

[SunsetDreams]

15. .