Everybody see this?

D. Scarlatti · #1 01-30-2010, 04:47 AM

Fox cut away halfway through

&feature=channel
Where has this Obama been?

California Tanker · #2 01-30-2010, 05:08 AM

That the visit to the House Republicans? Was on AFN in our command post. Definitely a courageous and laudable move. I wonder if he thought of it before or after the Democrats lost their 60th Senate seat?

NTM

D. Scarlatti · #3 01-30-2010, 05:19 AM

He should do it once a month. It sure as hell changed my opinion of him. He's a smart fucker.* The House Republicans, on the other hand, are a pretty sad bunch of doofuses. But that's not a recently revised opinion.

* I knew he was smart, obviously, but I didn't realize he knew the Republican game better than they know it themselves.

LadyShea · #4 01-30-2010, 06:03 AM

I love the "We are not obstructionist!". Who are you fucking kidding? Might as well be The Knights Who Say No

D. Scarlatti · #5 01-30-2010, 06:15 AM

Butthurt overwhelms Faux

Caligulette · #6 01-30-2010, 06:20 AM

We Report a little bit until We Decide to cut away.

livius drusus · #7 01-30-2010, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D. Scarlatti

He should do it once a month.

I don't think there's snowball's chance in hell that Congressional Republicans will ever agree to expose their gonads for Obama to stomp like this again, never mind once a month.

erimir · #8 01-30-2010, 06:27 AM

Transcript here: Obama speaks at House Republican retreat in Baltimore | In Obama's Words | The Washington Post

It takes less time to read it than to watch it... and you don't have to deal with as much mumbling and drawn out questions.

Also, I thought it was pretty good.

Actual conversations are good.

I particularly liked where he pointed out that the Republican was asking about how (essentially) to cut Medicare costs down, and meanwhile when Democrats suggested cutting certain parts of Medicare, Republicans turned that into "Obama wants to hurt seniors!"

Aah, hypocrisy.

D. Scarlatti · #9 01-30-2010, 06:30 AM

That smile is really something, though.

ChuckF · #10 01-30-2010, 06:30 AM

It's great to see him get out of the fucking corner and stop sharing the presidency with the Republican minority. Let's see if it keeps up.

viscousmemories · #11 01-30-2010, 01:52 PM

It's weird to hear a president making coherent arguments.

D. Scarlatti · #12 01-30-2010, 05:01 PM

How come I have not seen anything about Obama at the GOP Retreat on O’Reilly or Hannity tonight? Maybe Obama was so over the top that to comment on this would make him look unstable.

Yes, that must have been why.

Jug Pilot · #13 01-30-2010, 05:48 PM

My favorite response:

Quote:

OBAMA: The problem is, I couldn't find credible economists who would back up the claims that you just made.

This reminded me of what the British do. I'd really like to see more "President Question Time" programs like this.

beyelzu · #14 01-30-2010, 09:48 PM

"Alot of you have gone to ribbon cuttings for a bill that you voted against"

Obama rules

Plant Woman · #15 01-30-2010, 10:00 PM

California Tanker · #16 01-31-2010, 05:49 AM

Quote:

"Alot of you have gone to ribbon cuttings for a bill that you voted against"

I don't have much of a problem with that, actually. Once the decision has been made, you can either sulk about it, or embrace it. Sulking is just petty.

NTM

Kael · #17 01-31-2010, 05:58 AM

Since when has that stopped a politician from doing it? It's just good politics to show up at ribbon cuttings for projects that mean jobs and infrastructure to your constituents. That such projects would never have happened if you had had your way on Capitol Hill probably doesn't even occur to many of them, and almost certainly is not discussed.

Clutch Munny · #18 01-31-2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by California Tanker

Quote:

"Alot of you have gone to ribbon cuttings for a bill that you voted against"

I don't have much of a problem with that, actually. Once the decision has been made, you can either sulk about it, or embrace it. Sulking is just petty.

NTM

Taking a stand on principle = sulking. Got it.

viscousmemories · #19 01-31-2010, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by California Tanker

Quote:

"Alot of you have gone to ribbon cuttings for a bill that you voted against"

I don't have much of a problem with that, actually. Once the decision has been made, you can either sulk about it, or embrace it. Sulking is just petty.

Somehow I don't think Obama was suggesting that they should have sulked. He probably meant it appears hypocritical to condemn the stimulus out of one side of the mouth while cheering the expenditure they didn't have to make out the other.

livius drusus · #20 01-31-2010, 03:30 PM

Not to mention that some of these dicks actually took credit for the projects, as if they had supported them all along instead of calling them America-hating mooslem socializmz.

California Tanker · #21 01-31-2010, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Not to mention that some of these dicks actually took credit for the projects, as if they had supported them all along instead of calling them America-hating mooslem socializmz.

That's going a bit too far, obviously. If they didn't support it, they shouldn't take credit for it.

Quote:

Taking a stand on principle = sulking. Got it.

The principle that we're a representative democracy, and the country is governed by the decisions and opinions of the legislative body as a whole, not individuals? He had his vote, the bridge/train station/concert hall/whatever got built and the ribbon cutting is happening. Ill-advised or not, it's an event of some note, and evidently the decision was by the body of which the politician is a member. Attending, even if opposed, is perfectly appropriate.

NTM

viscousmemories · #22 01-31-2010, 07:32 PM

Are you suggesting that politicians who opposed the stimulus had no choice but to accept and spend the money?

Kael · #23 01-31-2010, 08:43 PM

Oh, and in regard to the OP, if this is indicative of how the President will behave going forward, I feel some degree of renewed confidence.

Jug Pilot · #24 01-31-2010, 09:18 PM

I'm beginning to think the democrats think if they let the republicans filibuster they will get koodies. It's the only way to explain their fear.

BTW, did you guys read the viewer comments to the video above? We can only hope this is not a cross section of the US.

California Tanker · #25 01-31-2010, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Are you suggesting that politicians who opposed the stimulus had no choice but to accept and spend the money?

Was it within their position to have the choice to accept and spend it? I don't think that a Representative has the ability to veto a decision to spend money on whatever project, which strikes me as generally being a State-level decision. For example, if the Representative for San Bernadino did not wish to have federal money spent on a California Welcome Centre in San Bernadino, voted against, and was out-voted, the decision on whether to accept the money and build the centre would go to the California State Governor's office, not the Congressional Representative's office.

NTM