Obama sees areas for compromise with GOP

[mike r]

Source: Associated Press

Ahead of midterm elections likely to produce big Republican gains, President Barack Obama said Monday that conservative activists are right to be worried about the deficit and he foresees compromising with the GOP on that issue and others.

Responding to a question at a backyard town hall with middle-class Virginians, Obama extended an unusual olive branch to tea party activists even as he implicitly acknowledged he'll be confronting empowered congressional Republicans after November's elections. Whether the GOP retakes the House or just makes big gains there and in the Senate, Obama's comments indicated the president has been thinking about how to move forward without the large Democratic majorities he's enjoyed since taking office.

"Where I think we have a great opportunity to work together is on the issue of our long-term debt," Obama told a resident who asked how he planned to work with a Congress heavier on Republicans.

"I have to say I understand a lot of people who are upset on the other side, and some of them were rallying in D.C.," Obama said, referring to a rally Sunday by the FreedomWorks group that attracted tea party adherents. "I do understand people's legitimate fears about are we hocking our future because we're borrowing so much to finance debt and deficits. I understand that. ... So I think there's an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to come together and to say, 'What are the tough decisions we've got to make right now?'"


Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7199358.html

[Winterblues]

1. Obama...Compromise...Duhhh

:shrug: what else is new?

[Ian David]

2. "I mean, if the scorpion stings the frog in the middle of the river, he drowns too, right?" n/t

[Donnachaidh]

3. jesus h. christ on a cracker

:argh: :wtf: :nuke: :thumbsdown: :banghead: :rant:

[msongs]

5. maybe the poor guy is just a closet republican but is ashamed to admit it? nt

[Donnachaidh]

7. if it just effected HIM, I'd say whatever dude

But repeating the same action expecting a different outcome is the definition of CRAZY. And many MANY people are effected by his *need* to be liked by the other side.

[MissDeeds]

14. That about sums up my feelings, too

I'm fired up, alright, and ready for change.

:grr:

[frylock]

4. this is news?!

looks like SOP to me.

[2critical]

6. when will he get it...

Republicans are pure evil. The Eisenhowers left the party long ago. It is the goal of the Republican Party to destroy the middle class. "There is no middle ground between a man and his murderers." - Ayn Rand.

[DRoseDARs]

8. This image sums this up nicely:

[Pirate Smile]

9. He got asked a question at the backyard townhall today. He gave a basic answer. Everybody chill

on the freak out mode.

[msanthrope]

66. Poutrage always overrides common sense and facts on DU. n/t

[county worker]

10. Spells social security and medicare cuts to me

Cutting "entitlements" is the only thing the right wants to do in the name of defict reduction. Playing ball with them means just that, cutting social security and medicare benefits. And that has nothing to do with the deficit.

The real thing to do is to raise taxes on the wealthly by letting the tax cuts expire and ending spending on the wars. But the right does not want to play ball with Obama.

I hate hearing that and I hate using the word entitlements. We pay into the programs and we are entitled to get the benefits.

[lib2DaBone]

23. You forgot the G.I. Bill and Vet care.....

..they also hate the G.I. Bill... ," we don't want to have to pay for college for all those damm military people coming home."

"If they want to go to college they should do it.. using the Family Trust or Inheritance."

* An actual statement overheard at a football party this past Sunday.. lots of Teabaggers in attendance.

[izquierdista]

11. He is getting to that age where you need bifocals...

[FiveGoodMen]

12. Jesus sees areas for compromise with Satan

Not really calling Obama Jesus, but you get the point.

[cosmicone]

13. Areas to "cave in" is more appropriate n/t

[depakid]

15. Well, the man's wanted nothing more desperately than to work with them

Now it looks like he's going to get his chance- and is not beyond pimping their own narrative making statements along these lines in an election campaign in order to ensure he gets it.

[Old Codger]

16. WOW

He is not as smart as I thought he was that is for sure... Really slow learner

[laughingliberal]

17. In other news...sky blue.

Deficit reduction, at this point, is a disaster. He needs to let it go, quit courting the right, and channel his inner FDR/LBJ.

[T Wolf]

19. Face it - there is no inner FDR, LBJ, JFK, HHH, or even HRC in there. We were sold

on a myth that does not exist.

[MissDeeds]

21. Sadly, I agree

[Hawkowl]

25. Bingo

The only thing Obama is channeling is his inner Reagan. Blathering on about deficits in the midst of the Great Recession just identifies him as one of the biggest economic ignoramuses since Herbert Hoover.

If he is serious about "the deficit', he'd cut the military in half and restore taxes to a pre-Reagan level.

[2critical]

27. HRC = DLC = Koch Bros.

I may be disappointed with BHO, and will prolly be voting Socialist in upcoming election, but I think HRC would have been as bad or worse. I don't regret my support of Dems in last election. I took them at their word. Fool me once, shame on them.

[Enthusiast]

48. Don't feel too bad,

it was a good ruse.

[No Elephants]

51. Obama = New Dem=DLC=neocon+neolib

Thing is, we all knew about HRC's DLC connection before the primary, while Obama tried to let us believe he was left of her, keeping his inner New Democrat to himself until after he got into the WH.


Yeah, in hindsight, there were clues, buc many of us were so desperate for hope and change, we closed one eye and squinted with the other. I confess to being in that group. Geez, how I wish I had my donations back.

[2critical]

61. ja, that is exactly the way I feel

[Skittles]

44. anyone who paid attention did not buy it

[LostinVA]

62. Yup

[HughBeaumont]

49. And if there's an inner FDR or JFK in any politician . . .

. . . they'll be marginalized into a comedy act. If they get past that level of popularity, they'll be taking a bullet or an underfueled/malfunctioning plane.

HRC . . .. really? HRC is less of a progressive than her husband was, especially on economics. She supports job offshoring and free trade.

[No Elephants]

54. In your totally unsupported opinion.

[HughBeaumont]

60. Really? Any hope of a Kucinich, Sherrod Brown or Bernie Sanders presidency?

Sure hope I'm wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.

[No Elephants]

53. Disagree on HRC. He has plenty of Clinton DLC in him and throughout his administration.

During the primary debates, a moderator questioned how Obama was going to represent change from Clinton, given so many Clinton folk were working for Obama. And she herself laughed and said, "Yes, I'd like to know that myself."


Looking at HRC through rose colored glasses is not the solution. DLC, New Democrat, Third Way--no matter how many aliases they come up with, it's all the same issue.

[COLGATE4]

63. You hit the nail on the head. We desperately wanted to

believe and we did. Now we're seeing what we got. Really sucks!

[OhioChick]

18. "Compromise?" I'm shocked. n/t

[jaysunb]

20. An AP inflamatory headline designed to elicit

the above response from this audience.

When will we ever learn? :evilfrown:

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. How exactly does one compromise with a pit full of vipers?

Jesus H..............

[leeroysphitz]

24. We can finally put all the ugly partisanship behind us and focus on the countries real problems.

[No Elephants]

56. An optimist 's view of the one -party system. Well, it's what we had in 1789. Maybe it'lll work.

Didn't last long, though.

[Historic NY]

26. Forget the compromise Mr President, they won't give you dog food for the effort.

[deutsey]

28. What is it with Democrats and "battered wife syndrome"?

"Yes, he beats me but he says he's really sorry...and besides, it's my fault, really...but he says he wants to try to work it out again..." :evilfrown:

[ramapo]

29. Nothing will make many Democrats happier

Most Democrats in Congress are happy to be able to act like Republicans. After all, most of them, Obama included, are funded and empowered by the very same power brokers. No matter what Obama wanted to do, I am of the opinion that once he walked through the WH doors, that he was sat down and told just what it is that he was/is allowed to do. Clearly, a progressive agenda was not on the list, as evidenced by the health insurance "reform" giveaway to the insurance interests.

He might actually do better with Republicans in control of one or both houses. Democrats were fairly inept and Obama did not wield much in the way of control over his fellow Dems. There is no doubt that Obama wanted to work with Repubs but their strategy (which has worked brillantly) was to just say FU to everything.

Dems were too dumb to see that their infighting and lack of guts played right into the Repub's hands.

The irony is that Repubs will have to compromise in order to get anything done, if in fact they gain control.

It is all rather meaningless since they all serve the same masters...sad to say. And those masters are not the people who vote them into office.

[Iowa]

30. He's finally going to get what he wants...

...a Republican led Congress he can play nice with. He's setting the table to slash Social Security and Medicare. He may as well just change parties and be done with it.

[onehandle]

31. If he would have come into office holding a well earned flaming sword...

...instead of taping a kick me sign on his own back, this would be a whole different game.

[niceypoo]

32. Republicans are incompetent in budget matters

Why would anyone want to include them? They caused the whole mess.

[Enthusiast]

50. But niceypoo,

in the M$M we never hear the truth of Republican incompetency on the budget. We only hear that Democrats are the party of tax and spend.

One talking point I would like to hear from Democrats is, "Every dime of the tax cut for millionaires was borrowed from China."

[Frisbee]

33. I can't say what I really want to say...

(for fear of being tombstoned) but at this rate it is only a matter of time until I can no longer bite my tongue.

[Tansy_Gold]

34. Ditto

TG, NTY

[Psephos]

35. +10 n/t

[Enthusiast]

52. You have to skirt the edges.

I understand your frustration.

[MissDeeds]

57. Same here n/t

[unkachuck]

36. "...I understand a lot of people who are upset on the other side..."

....that's where I'm confused, Mr. President....

....the 'other side' is fervent about tax cuts, the 'other side' is fervent about deficits....the 'other side' is fervent about war....

....the 'other side' are schizophrenic assholes, that I don't understand....

[Odin2005]

37. QUIT COMPROMISING WITH THESE FUCKERS!!!

[lonestarnot]

42. DITTO!

[QC]

38. You could run that headline every day and it would work. n/t

[struggle4progress]

39. Republicans have trouble understanding multisyllable words like "compromise"

[alfredo]

40. GOP won't compromise, and he knows it, but he wants to

be the one that looks reasonable and the GOP cold and rigid.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Skittles]

43. EVERY area

:thumbsdown:

[jgraz]

45. Dear Mr. President: THEY'RE JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU

:banghead:

[No Elephants]

55. LOL!

[girl gone mad]

46. We'll need bigger deficits to fix our economy.

So how is it going to happen when he's already caved to their framing?

[Enthusiast]

47. Yeah, we need to be more bipartisan.

:sarcasm:

What the President should really do is recognize that deficits only matter when there is a Democratic president.

[w4rma]

58. Obama's Catfood Commission is in place to cut social security. That is definitely one of his plans.

Obama is such a con-artist. He campaigned against most of what he is supporting these days.

[SusanaMontana41]

59. GWB duped his supporters by using fear; Obama

duped his supporters by using hope. Both are obscene.

Are there any Democratic principles that President Obama holds dear, that he would go to the mat for? What won't he bargain away?

[Bragi]

64. Assume the position! /nt

[blueworld]

65. I hope he means individual plea bargains. n/t

[ProudDad]

67. Of Course He Does -- the 2 right-wings of the Corporate War Party

always find a way to fuck us over...

[yurbud]

68. let's see, we compromised when we didn't need to and lost seats, so even more compromise

and we won't have to worry about what to do with power very soon.

Problem solved.