Õbãmá's Press Conf Re: Debt Reduction

[privateinvestor]

— In a blunt challenge to Republicans in Congress, President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that eliminating selected tax breaks for oil companies and the super-wealthy must be part of any deficit reduction plan.

"That's not radical," he said at a White House news conference. He was quick to add that a bipartisan agreement is possible to cut deficits, raise the government's debt limit and avert a threatened financial crisis.

"We're going to need to look at the whole budget," said the president. "And eliminate waste wherever we find it."

Obama continued, "I spent the last two years cutting taxes for ordinary Americans ... it would be nice if we could keep every tax break there is, but we have to make some tough choices to cut our deficit."









Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS
President Barack Obama makes an opening statement at a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 29, 2011.


Obama tells lawmakers to get moving on deficit, debt ceiling



www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43575197/ns/politics-white_house/

[deziloooooo]

I thought it was a good talk...I know, I know..some here feel other wise but for me..he showed his leadership..so we can agree to disagree.

"Obama said both parties must be prepared to "take on their sacred cows" as part of the deficit-reduction negotiations."

seems he was right on there..

"publicly urged lawmakers to raise the U.S. debt limit, now $14.3 trillion, and warned that failure to do so could produce a spike in interest rates and "severe shock to the economy and world financial markets."

He's correct there too..and actually I can post all the different points he brought up and just say the same, no way to argue against any of the points , including the one on Gays , opening up and doing away with discrimination, that SHOULD take care of the objections from the ultra left..they are as bad as those from the right in their feeling of "their way or the highway.." and to not support him in his reelection campaigne because he hasn't been able to deliver all of what they want..he's the best they are goingto get..

To me, a good talk and announcement from the POTUS..

[djAdvocate]

i would like to see some cooperation for once. if i don't see it, i am going to take it out on those in office in 2012.

[Deleted]

nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/obama-it-s-kids-versus-corporate-jets-on-debt-ceiling-talks-20110629

Obama: It's Kids Versus Corporate Jets on Debt-Ceiling Talks
By Ron Fournier
Updated: June 29, 2011 | 2:48 p.m.
June 29, 2011 | 12:53 p.m.

Kids versus corporate jets.
If President Obama's news conference accomplished anything on Wednesday afternoon, it underscored, in striking tones, his strategy for winning the debt ceiling fight with Republicans: Make it a clash of classes.
Rich versus Poor.
Us versus Them.
Those who support children, food safety, medical research and, presumably, puppies and apple pie versus the rich fat cats who don't.
In Obama's world, Democrats are for kids and Republicans are for corporate jets. That is a sharp distinction that could help put the GOP on defensive, but it may not be enough to persuade Republicans to change their posture on the debt-ceiling talks.
Republicans have cast Obama as a tax-raiser and a Big-Government spender. This was his jujitsu move to turn their arguments against them. With a hint of disdain, Obama even dredged up the death of Osama bin Laden to score a political point.
"I've been doing Afghanistan, bin Laden and the Greek crisis," Obama said, jabbing Congress for being out of session so much. "You stay here. Let's get it done."
(WATCH: Obama's Frustration with Congress on Display at Press Conference)
In his first full-scale news conference since March, the president insisted that Democrats had compromised in private talks by agreeing to billions of dollars in budget cuts that would hurt their voters. But, he said, Republicans were refusing to bend by not agreeing to eliminate tax breaks to owners of corporate jets and profit-rich oil companies. If Republicans get their way, Obama said, the end result would be unbalanced deal that lifts the debt limit but forces the government to make deeper-than-necessary cuts.
"If we do not have revenues, that means there are a bunch of kids out there who do not have college scholarships," Obama said. "[It] might compromise the National Weather Services. It means we might not be funding critical medical research. It means food inspection might be compromised. I've said to Republican leaders, 'You go talk to your constituents and ask them, "Are you willing to compromise your kids' safety so some corporate-jet owner can get a tax break?" ' ''
Just in case any viewer missed his class-clashing message, Obama referred to corporate-jet owners at least three more times before he took his second question.
This was not the first time Obama has spoken in grim terms about the consequences of cutting too deeply in order to strike a bargain that wins enough votes to raise the debt ceiling. But his rhetoric was sharper, even harsher, than in the past -- and it threatens to anger Republican leaders just as he's supposedly reaching out to them in compromise.
(RELATED: Obama Comes Close to Endorsing Gay Marriage)
Obama is gambling that public pressure will force Republicans to bow to his demand. But Republicans face pressures of their own; the influential tea party movement won't accept any tax increases and wants draconian budget cuts. Obama's rhetoric may only back them into a corner.
Normally, the constitutionally pragmatic Obama seeks a middle road in his rhetoric, keeping his options open and burnishing his image as somebody always willing to find a bipartisan solution. Look at his response in the same news conference to a New York law allowing for gay marriages. With liberal activists demanding that he support the measure and make gay marriage a cause of his presidency, Obama demurred. It's a states-rights issue, he said.
"Each community is going to be different," Obama said. "Each state is going to be different."
Obama and GOP leaders in Washington must soon come to grips with the fact that the nation's sluggish economy will almost certainly take a major hit if Congress doesn't soon increase the amount of money the U.S. can borrow. Raising the debt limit was once a routine affair, but it's been caught in the increasingly partisan Washington maw. Republicans are demanding steep budget cuts and no tax increases as the price for a few votes in favor of raising the limit. Obama hopes to save face, as well as some government programs.
"The question now is, are we going to step up and get this done?" Obama said. He knows the answer is yes, and the only question is how.
"Call me naive," Obama said, "but my expectation is leaders are going to lead." Obama is naive only if he thinks a single news conference is going to change the political paradigm.

[Deleted]

washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/06/flashback-ap-stimulus-includes-tax-break-promote-private-jet-sale

FLASHBACK: AP: Stimulus includes tax break to promote private jet sales
By: Charlie Spiering | Examiner Blogger Follow Him @charliespiering | 06/29/11 12:42 PM

During President Obama's press conference today, he scolded Republicans for demanding tax cuts for corporate jets.

From the Associated Press in 2009:

Just a few months after lawmakers scolded auto executives for flying to Washington in private jets, Congress approved a tax break in the stimulus package to help businesses buy their own planes.

The incentive -- first used to help plane makers recover from the 2001 terror attacks -- sharply reduces the up front tax bill for companies who buy assets like business planes.

[Deleted]

blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/06/obama-scolds-congress-says-malia-and-sasha-are-more-disciplined.html

Obama Scolds Congress, Says Malia and Sasha Are More Disciplined
June 29, 2011 1:05 PM

In an animated rant that livened up an otherwise subdued press conference, President Obama today lit into Congress for failing to reach an agreement to raise the country’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling as an Aug. 2 deadline approaches, despite repeated urgings by the administration to do so. At one point he even reprimanded lawmakers by noting that his two daughters manage to do their homework ahead of time, a diligence rarely seen on gridlocked Capitol Hill.

“If the United States government for the first time cannot pay its bills, if it defaults, then the consequences for the US economy will be significant and unpredictable and that is not a good thing,” President Obama said of the debt ceiling debate. “We don’t know how capital markets will react, but if capital markets suddenly decide, you know what, the US government doesn’t pay its bills so we’re going to start pulling our money out and the US Treasury has to start to raise interest rates in order to attract more money to pay off our bills, that means higher interest rates for businesses, that means higher interest rates for consumers. So all the headwinds that we’re already experiencing in terms of recovery will get worse. That is not my opinion – I think that’s the consensus opinion. And that means that job growth will be further stymied, it will be further hampered as a consequence of that decision.”

“These are bills that Congress ran up,” he noted. “The money’s been spent. The obligations have been made. So this is not a situation – I think the American people have to understand this – this is not a situation where you know, Congress is going to say, ‘Okay, we won’t buy this car or we won’t take this vacation.’ They took the vacation, they bought the car, and now they’re saying maybe we don’t have to pay or we don’t have to pay as fast as we said we were going to. That’s not how responsible families act. We’re the greatest nation on earth and we can’t act that way. So this is urgent and it needs to get settled.”

In response to suggestions by prominent Republicans like House Speaker John Boehner that the Aug. 2 deadline set by the Treasury Department was “artificial,” the president said, “Aug. 2 is a very important date and there’s no reason why we can’t get this done now. We know what the options are out there. This is not a technical problem any longer. This is the matter of Congress going ahead and biting the bullet and making some tough decisions.”

If his two daughters can do their homework with plenty of time to spare, the president then asked, why can’t Congress get their work done, too?

“You know, Malia and Sasha generally finish their homework a day ahead of time. Malia is 13 and Sasha is 10. It is impressive. They don’t wait until the night before. They’re not pulling all-nighters,” he said to laughter from the assembled press corps. “They’re 13 and 10. You know, Congress can do the same thing. If you know you’ve got to do something, just do it.”

But the president wasn’t done yet. After touting his leadership on the debt ceiling issue, pointing out that he’d met with members of Congress repeatedly in recent months, the president took some shots at the Congressional calendar that leaves lawmakers ample time to leave Washington and return to their home states and districts.

“They need to do their job. Now’s the time to go ahead and make the tough choices. That’s why they’re called leaders. And I’ve already shown that I’m willing ot make decisions that are very tough and you know, give my base of voters further reason to give me a hard time, but it’s got to be done, so there’s no point in procrastinating. There’s no point in putting it off. You know, we’ve got to get this done. And if by the end of this week we have not seen substantial progress then I think members of Congress need to understand we’re going to have to start cancelling things and stay here until we get it done. They’re in one week. They’re out one week. And then they’re saying Obama’s got to step in – you need to be here, I’ve been here, I’ve been doing Afghanistan, bin Laden, and the Greek crisis. You stay here. Let’s get it done.”

“Alright, I think you know my feelings about that,” he said with a chuckle.


- Matthew Jaffe

[Deleted]

www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/06/29/obamas_to_summer_on_marthas_vineyard_once_more/

Obamas to summer on Martha’s Vineyard once more in August
June 29, 2011

WASHINGTON — For the first family, their Vineyard haven is taking on the flavor of a summer White House. President Obama, for the third straight year, is planning to return to Martha’s Vineyard for vacation this summer, according to a White House official.

The Obamas are scheduled to spend seven to 10 days on the island in mid- to late August, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Arrangements for White House staff members and Secret Service personnel who travel with the Obamas have been made.

The family is expected to stay at Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark, the same 28-acre estate the family rented in 2009 and 2010. The farm overlooks Tisbury Great Pond and includes a basketball court, pool, and boat house.

Last year, White House officials told the Globe that the Obamas like Martha’s Vineyard in part because of its natural beauty, beaches, and food.

“And it’s someplace that the president went before he was president and likes to go back because it’s a comfortable place where he can rest and recharge the batteries a little bit,’’ said Bill Burton, Obama’s deputy press secretary at the time.

During past vacations on the Vineyard, the president spent much of his time on the farm but ventured out sporadically for golf and for family jaunts for ice cream and shopping.

— Donovan Slack

[Deleted]

What a jerk. LIAR!!! Can't STAND that barely suppressed laugh on his face whenever he talks.

[deziloooooo]

The Vine yard is one of my favorite spots Krickett..back in the day it was a pretty reasonable place to go to too, use to stay at a Guest house in town called the Carlisle house, think it's still operated as a place to stay..they use to have a big rolled rope near the window to use as a fire escape, LOL, seriously. I think they had to put in wooden fire escapes since..loved renting a boat with a kicker to go across the harbor to the other side, no one lived there since a Hurrican in the 30's destroyed all the homes there, it was isolated, secludede, great place to fool around witht he better half, went with some vodca and mixes..great place to be secluded, also biked the whole Island, the POTUS sure picked a wonderful place to vacation..


Yep, just checked, still there as a Guest house..wow, been say over 40 years or just a bit under..impressive.
Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a nice place, central to the Island to stay.
================================

www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g29527-d144518-Reviews-The_Carlisle_House_Inn-Nantucket_Massachusetts.html

[Deleted]

To see the whole thing, click the person's name top of video on you tube, several parts. I can't find the entire thing right now except in articles I can't copy from.

[deziloooooo]

Jun 29, 2011 14:37:42 GMT -5 @krickitt said:

What a jerk. LIAR!!! Can't STAND that barely suppressed laugh on his face whenever he talks.

Ya know Krickett, "

free speech or not"

It really is unbecoming to you your thoughts..something just not normal..seriously, IMHO..weird really..sorry kid, just had to say it..now you can yell at me, ignore me but , what i said, it's a truism..just not nice or even needed..

[Deleted]

Another IGNORE enacted. Personal judgement on my character.

[deziloooooo]

Jun 29, 2011 14:55:04 GMT -5 @krickitt said:

Another IGNORE enacted. Personal judgement on my character.

Just remember..if this one of low charecter hadn't gone looking for you, you probably never would have found this place, and the remark is nothing about your charecter, just about your comment, it is a 'Icky " comment..and I didn't think you were a "icky" poster..the comment was beneath you, but guess it isn't, to bad.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

...hey krick... I, too, had to cough a bit after the press conference... I even added a blurb about it in my "sacred cow" thread, since obviously POTUS reads my posts, huh? ;D ...and my "kracken/kraken" thread also references the dilemma we face as we talk about making cuts and compromises... and I sure hope we can make some real headway against these headwinds of deficit and debt... it's getting uglier by the day, imo...

[bubblyandblue]

I never use the ignore. If I did, it would never allow me to see the true depth of anothers character - which is sometimes truly amazing.
I leave it to the reader to interpret my meaning.

[Deleted]

I have to ignore, or I will be the next to get banned. I'm glad most people here are not on ignore, and sorry for all the reports I could have that I will miss. Not worth reporting when it gets you in trouble-- so just ignore. Fair?? Oh, hell, no.

[jkapp]

>>President Obama today lit into Congress for failing to reach an agreement to raise the country’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling<<

Yeah crush those future generations Obama...f&*^ 'em!! It's (not) our money, and we need it now!!!

[privateinvestor]

I think the Repubs got a tongue lashing by Obama for their frequent vacations, and he was pissed off about not wanting to raise the debt ceiiling...Obama wants the Repubs to bend on taxes so I don't see a deal anything soon no chance unless the Repubs blink...but we have a few more weeks to see if I am correct or not.

But I wanted to see what Obama will do about defense, entitlements, and etc where is his guidance on these hot button issues including medicare... We balance the budget or have issues
Another ominous sign for Obama: By nearly 2-1, voters disapprove of how he's handling the federal budget deficit, expected to hit a record $1.5 trillion this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

>>> But I wanted to see what Obama will do about defense, entitlements, and etc where is his guidance on these hot button issues including medicare... <<<

...medicare, that middle-class balm that cures what ails ya, huh?

[ugonow]

So why are coporate subsidies and loopholes for the uppermost brackets sacred cows and medicare is a must have target? IMO, you can not erase years of debt in one fell swoop in spending cuts without severe consequences.It will take a well thought out combo of spending cuts and revenue increases. These "tax increases" don't seem that radical to me.

[diamonds]

Perfect example of dichotomy in his every sentence, filled with defiant and abysmal scare-mongering. Class warfare at it's finest. The smug fatcats vs. "let's cut entitlements again for SS/Medicare/ Military". Oh, government has spent the Stiumulus so now "Let's Get it Done". Obama lecturing on leadership when he is M.I.A. most of the time while golfing 17 times, 33 fundraisers and only spending a few hours on the debt crisis? Do you know what it feels like to lose your house and, job and struggle to feed your family? I don't see a middle class anymore, already with the declining dollar and still wanting to raise the debt ceiling? You sit down with Congress this weekend as you worked about the clock behind closed doors to pass ObamaCare and figure a way to cut your spending without raising the debt ceiling.

[Value Buy]

I was sort of taken aback by the President's harsh words about rich people.
He attacked the oil companies again also. No mention of all the nationalized oil fields overseas raping the American public. Only the ones that are based here and pay royalties and taxes to the government.
Corporate Millionaire jets are now a target also.
This man is so transparent.
And yet, today, all day. CNBC was showing polls of Americans, and how they really feel about America's current situation.
In almost every category, Independents are now favoring Republicans and their agenda rather than the Democrats.

The President just does not get it.
If he wants the "rich versus everyone else", he has lost the Congressional budget battle.

[diamonds]

On January 4, 2007, Pelosi's first day as Speaker, the national debt was 8.6 trillion. The day she handed over the gavel on Jan 5, 2011, the deficit was 14.01 trillion. Both House and Senate were Democratic till recently. Seems obvious that there was no control over spending and now we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff and surprised?
K to you as your're absolutely right, "he just doesn't get it", or maybe he just doesn't care???

[djAdvocate]

Jun 29, 2011 20:06:18 GMT -5 diamonds said:

Perfect example of dichotomy in his every sentence, filled with defiant and abysmal scare-mongering. Class warfare at it's finest. The smug fatcats vs. "let's cut entitlements again for SS/Medicare/ Military". Oh, government has spent the Stiumulus so now "Let's Get it Done". Obama lecturing on leadership when he is M.I.A. most of the time while golfing 17 times, 33 fundraisers and only spending a few hours on the debt crisis? Do you know what it feels like to lose your house and, job and struggle to feed your family? I don't see a middle class anymore, already with the declining dollar and still wanting to raise the debt ceiling? You sit down with Congress this weekend as you worked about the clock behind closed doors to pass ObamaCare and figure a way to cut your spending without raising the debt ceiling.

this debate SHOULD BE about CHOICES.

what matters to us?
what do we want?
what do we NOT want?
what are our priorities?

you can frame that as class warfare, if you like.
tax and spending policy always has an element of that.
but to me, it is about choices.

i do have to strongly object to one of your points, tho. during the Bush administration, the dollar lost 1/3 of it's value. the dollar index fell from 120 to 84. since that time it has fallen another 12% to 74. in other words, Obama has not done anything to halt the delcine (because he has not changed the same reckless policies and bad management since he arrived), but he is not the source of the problem. the systematic destruction of the dollar is a decade old, now. and it WILL get worse. until REAL change is made.

[djAdvocate]

Jun 29, 2011 21:44:17 GMT -5 diamonds said:

On January 4, 2007, Pelosi's first day as Speaker, the national debt was 8.6 trillion. The day she handed over the gavel on Jan 5, 2011, the deficit was 14.01 trillion. Both House and Senate were Democratic till recently. Seems obvious that there was no control over spending and now we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff and surprised?
K to you as your're absolutely right, "he just doesn't get it", or maybe he just doesn't care???

and the GOP had nothing to do with it?
and Bush had nothing to do with it?

seriously, if we can't do a better job of assigning blame than this, we will never solve the problem.

[diamonds]

Well, we shall see, it won't change under this President. I disagree with you as far as the 10 year period as after 911 the dollar was strong. I know this for a fact as I watch the markets and the exchange rates. As far as choice and class warfare, that can change quickly also, as you have seen so many celebrities or friends go bottom up since Obama took office. This is my opinion, and you can rationalize all you want. I was raised Conservative and this debacle of getting deeper in debt, shifting money around to pay the interest and printing money is out of the realm of basic reason.

[diamonds]

Take Bush and the race card off the table, it is ad nauseum. I have things to do now.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

>>> this debacle of getting deeper in debt, shifting money around to pay the interest and printing money is out of the realm of basic reason. <<<


...agreed...

[billisonboard]

...the 10 year period as after 911 the dollar was strong. I know this for a fact ...

_{it has only been approximately nine years and ten months since the attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001}

[diamonds]

Oh excuse me sir for generalizing. I fell short of 3 months. I haven't been to 57 States either, only 13. ;D

I happened to be busy cleaning the house as I can't afford a cleaning lady as I had in prior years.