Today’s Qs for O’s WH – 11/6/2009
EmailTAPPER: Kind of a — a theoretical question, but what — at what point does an attack become considered a terrorist attack, even — even if it's a domestic terrorist attack?
GIBBS: I don't know that I would have the theoretical background to — to answer that. I would pose that to somebody at — at the FBI. But, again, I don't know that we're at a point yet where we fully understand motive.
TAPPER: OK. In terms of the House health care reform bill, right now one of the big logjams, as you know, has to do with abortion language and also has to do with whether or not illegal immigrants, undocumented workers can have access to the health insurance exchanges. Those are both issues that you have said from this podium, I think, that should have been settled, theoretically, because you said that the bill the president signs will not fund abortions, I believe, and…
GIBBS: The president said that.
TAPPER: The president said that. And you've said that the bill the president signs will not — illegal immigrants will not have access to health care…
GIBBS: Well…
TAPPER: … the health insurance exchanges. So why are they still debating this on Capitol Hill if the president has made his position as to what he's going to sign clear?
GIBBS: Congress, obviously, is working through a process that will ultimately, we believe, before the end of the year get a bill to the president's desk. I think there are still discussions going on, on both of these two issues up on Capitol Hill. While the president would like it, tomorrow will not be the final vote on a bill coming to his desk, but he sees tomorrow as an important step forward. He'll go to Capitol Hill tomorrow to advocate for continuing that progress and passing in the House of Representatives a bill.
TAPPER: Well, I guess the question is, the people who are — have the — have the — have the Democrats who are urging a different position from the one that you and the president have stated about what the president will sign, have they not gotten the message? Has the president not conveyed to them what he wants in the bill sufficiently?
GIBBS: Well, as you mentioned, the president's been clear about what he said, and I think those that — that have a different viewpoint than what the president might have, on either side of the aisle, are best to speak to their motives.
-jpt
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
Question: What is a “Shout Out”?
Posted by: Mjim | November 6, 2009, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm
The first one is an interesting question.
For it to lurch from criminal act to terrorism, would there have to be a political/ideological component?
Posted by: Ryan C | November 6, 2009, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm
GIBBS: Well, as you mentioned, the president’s been clear about what he said, and I think those that — that have a different viewpoint than what the president might have, on either side of the aisle, are best to speak to their motives.
================
Wowza.
Posted by: MayBee | November 6, 2009, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm
“GIBBS: Well, as you mentioned, the president’s been clear about what he said, and I think those that — that have a different viewpoint than what the president might have, on either side of the aisle, are best to speak to their motives.”
hehehe…he sounds like Chevy Chase giving a briefing in Spies Like Us.
Posted by: Ryan C | November 6, 2009, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm
The president chose promises made before the recession fully took hold, rather than more pressing and pertinent public concerns. In the language of marketing that has become the language of politics he thereby, in his first year, damaged his brand.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 6, 2009, 1:59 pm 1:59 pm
Jake,
Hassan was a militant Islamist and had been brought to the attention of the the chain of command.
It is outrageous that he was not discharged and this was allowed to happen.
We want the truth of this. The whole unvarnished truth. The american public and our military deserve some answers on why this nut was so coddled after voicing extremist muslim views and publicly proclaiming terrorist homicide bombers as heros and advocating the same thing happen in Times Square.
For the sake of America, ask questions and demand some accountability for this totally preventable horror.
Posted by: yamal | November 6, 2009, 2:00 pm 2:00 pm
Huh, it’s almost like the President doesn’t have the Constitutional power to write the exact language of the bill and has to rely on bluff and bluster to get as close to what he wants as he can. I would have thought the right way to do it would be to write the entire thing personally behind doors and then drop it on Congress and demand they accept it verbatim and vote it through – maybe his wife could help with the writing. Yeah, that’s what Obama should have done.
Posted by: jhw539 | November 6, 2009, 2:00 pm 2:00 pm
Mr. Obama and the House leadership may be too deep into health care to make a shift now and get in line with the American people’s concerns. But they should start paying attention to what the people are saying. What happened Tuesday isn’t a death knell, but it is a fire alarm: Something’s wrong, fix it, change course. Show humility. Bow to the public. “Public opinion is everything,” Lincoln is said to have said. It is. It can be changed and it can be shaped, but it always has to be listened to. This White House has gotten bad at listening. It paid the price for that on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 6, 2009, 2:07 pm 2:07 pm
Obama’s Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting….From NBC Chicago
Posted by: and u call this a president? | November 6, 2009, 2:08 pm 2:08 pm
SOOOOOOO Obama still will not make a decision on troops to Afganistan.. more than 2 months after HIS chosen commander ask for them…….No wonder he is so insenitive about the murders at Ft Hood
Posted by: No leadership in the WH | November 6, 2009, 2:14 pm 2:14 pm
“GIBBS: Well, as you mentioned, the president’s been clear about what he said, and I think those that — that have a different viewpoint than what the president might have, on either side of the aisle, are best to speak to their motives.”
Hmmmm. Exactly what does “motive” have to do with the President saying “no” and democrats in Congress saying “yes” re whether illegal alien get taxpayer-paid health care under Obamacare?
And what is Gibbs struggling so hard to communicate when he says, “those that have a different viewpoint than the president . . . on either side of the aisle” regarding illegal alien coverage when the right side (the republicans) already agrees with the President that illegal aliens should not receive any taxpayer-paid health care?
Or did Joe Wilson correctly called out the President on his claim that illegal aliens would not be covered? But Gibbs certainly clears any confusion by first saying clearly (euphamism for lying?) that, “that the President’s been clear about what he said.”
Yeah. For sure. Definitely.
Very clear. As mud. Now, get a tune to go with Gibbs’ lyrics and Bob Dylan will have a new hit for which no one will know what the heck he’s saying.
Posted by: TParty4USA | November 6, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
Hey ..hows that stimulus working out for ya America? maybe we need another one to keep unemployment under 20%
Posted by: No leadership in the WH | November 6, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
To answer your first, theoretical question, according to the DHS report “Right-Wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” an attack might be considered a terrorist attack if it was carried out by “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”
Clearly, the Fort Hood mass-murderer does not fit this definition.
Posted by: JSmitan | November 6, 2009, 2:17 pm 2:17 pm
This White House has gotten bad at listening. It paid the price for that on Tuesday.
Fascist Hyena | Nov 6, 2009 2:07:30 PM
Not sure how picking up another seat in the House to help out Pelosi is really paying a price, but whatever you say.
Posted by: jhw539 | November 6, 2009, 2:18 pm 2:18 pm
Hmm. If DC had never passed the stimuls the unemployment rate would 1.4 lower than it is now.
Can we go back in time on this, as some in NoCal are calling it, not real numbers
Posted by: DJ | November 6, 2009, 2:22 pm 2:22 pm
The Iraqi government just awarded a juicy contract to Exxon. Let me be the first to applaud Mr. Obama for keeping our troops there in order to make this oil deal possible.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 6, 2009, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm
Breaking: Kratovil of Md. to vote no; House vote delayed. Kratovil listened and heard.
I believe they’ll get 218, pairing votes to let the most vulnerable vote no for cosmetic reasons. But Mr. Kratovil will not be among them.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 6, 2009, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
Don’t count on what Obama has said.
Look at what has happened in the past…..it is the best indicator of what will happen in the future, and on that basis, it is my own view, that Illegal Immigrants MOST CERTAINLY will be able to access free health care, on the taxpayer’s nickle.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | November 6, 2009, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
Kratovil’s statement:
“We need health care reform that reduces long-term health care spending and expands coverage, but we must find a fiscally sustainable approach to accomplish these goals. After months of thoroughly reviewing legislative proposals and speaking with constituents and stakeholders, I am not satisfied that this bill before us is a sustainable solution. While I applaud the efforts to improve this bill, I still am concerned that this bill does not do enough to bend the long-term cost curve and that it lacks adequate provisions to reduce the deficit and protect small businesses. While I will continue to work with my colleagues to pursue a better bill as this process continues, I do not support HR 3962 and will vote against it when it comes to the floor this weekend.”
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 6, 2009, 2:47 pm 2:47 pm
“A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action,” stated the CBO [in 1994]. “The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States.”
“An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique,” said the CBO. “First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government.”
In addition, an October 2009 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report said that mandating individuals to buy health insurance may be “the most challenging question” posed by the health care reform proposal.
“Whether such a requirement would be constitutional under the Commerce Clause is perhaps the most challenging question posed by such a proposal, as it is a novel issue whether Congress may use this clause to require an individual to purchase a good or service,” the CRS report states.
My personal opinion is that the current Supreme Court would uphold the mandate on the basis of some fairly sweeping opinions concerning the reach of congressional power under the Commerce Clause, but one obviously can’t be certain.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 6, 2009, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
What does this tell us? Moderates have apparently balked at the pressure Pelosi has put on them to swallow the public option and a $1.8 trillion price tag. Today’s unemployment numbers probably had something to do with that as well. Robert Reich advised Democrats to stop their push on health-care overhauls and start worrying about job losses, or risk becoming an irrelevancy in the midterms. The moderates in Pelosi’s caucus probably came to that conclusion on Tuesday night.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 6, 2009, 3:34 pm 3:34 pm
GIBBS [talking]: Congress, obviously, is working through a process that will ultimately, we believe, before the end of the year get a bill to the president’s desk. I think there are still discussions going on, on both of these two issues up on Capitol Hill. While the president would like it, tomorrow will not be the final vote on a bill coming to his desk, but he sees tomorrow as an important step forward. He’ll go to Capitol Hill tomorrow to advocate for continuing that progress and passing in the House of Representatives a bill.
Gibbs [thinking]: Yum. I love french fries!
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | November 6, 2009, 3:37 pm 3:37 pm
write the entire thing personally … Yeah, that’s what Obama should have done.
Posted by: jhw539 | Nov 6, 2009 2:00:09 PM
Personally, I prefer he write his letter of resignation… and take Biden with him.
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | November 6, 2009, 3:41 pm 3:41 pm
Hmmmm. Exactly what does “motive” have to do with the President saying “no” and democrats in Congress saying “yes” re whether illegal alien get taxpayer-paid health care under Obamacare?
Posted by: TParty4USA | Nov 6, 2009 2:16:32 PM
Ooo! Oooo! I know! I know!
Nada.
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | November 6, 2009, 3:43 pm 3:43 pm
Obama’s Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting….From NBC Chicago
Posted by: and u call this a president? | Nov 6, 2009 2:08:23 PM
Read that this morning. I was shocked! Chicago!? What the heck?! They were all wee wee’d up about it!
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | November 6, 2009, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
This White House has gotten bad at listening. It paid the price for that on Tuesday.
Fascist Hyena | Nov 6, 2009 2:07:30 PM
Not sure how picking up another seat in the House to help out Pelosi is really paying a price, but whatever you say.
Posted by: jhw539 | Nov 6, 2009 2:18:19 PM
Oh. Ha ha! I get it. Cause the two governor’s races… whatever.
Did you see anything in the post about Congress? No. It says White House. Repeat after me “W-h-i-t-e H-o-u-s-e.” There you go guv’nah!
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | November 6, 2009, 3:49 pm 3:49 pm
Voters in two congressional seat had the opportunity this week to move Democrats OUT of the federal government and show their disappointment with Congress and the federal Democratic administration. What did they do?
Voters ELECTED Democrats to Congress – booted Republicans out of one seat and elected 2 Democrats.
The right wing doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. Time for them to start reading some real journalism.
Posted by: tierra | November 6, 2009, 3:55 pm 3:55 pm
Posted by: tierra | Nov 6, 2009 3:55:33 PM
I take it that was off topic?
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | November 6, 2009, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
“What does this tell us? Moderates have apparently balked at the pressure Pelosi has put on them to swallow the public option and a $1.8 trillion price tag. Today’s unemployment numbers probably had something to do with that as well.”
Written by Ed Morrisey of the right wing blog Hot Air.
Fascist hyena prefers to steal other’s work rather than giving them credit.
Posted by: Ryan C | November 6, 2009, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
“The right wing doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. Time for them to start reading some real journalism.”
So, you agree with Obama that dissent must be silenced?
Posted by: malclave | November 6, 2009, 6:30 pm 6:30 pm
Quote:
“What is a shout out?”
Kinda like a fist bump. Or like a “wassup bro”
Or like a “thank you for the slimey donations”
Posted by: mjishernameo | November 6, 2009, 8:35 pm 8:35 pm
This White House has gotten bad at listening. It paid the price for that on Tuesday.
Fascist Hyena | Nov 6, 2009 2:07:30 PM
Not sure how picking up another seat in the House to help out Pelosi is really paying a price, but whatever you say.
Posted by: jhw539 | Nov 6, 2009 2:18:19 PM
___________
The comments posted by Fascist Hyena at 2:07:30 PM were actually written by Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal.
Posted by: J. Biden | November 6, 2009, 9:08 pm 9:08 pm
“at what point does an attack become considered a terrorist attack, even — even if it’s a domestic terrorist attack?”
I know this one! At the point that the media determines the attacker has some kind of right wing ideology. Even faster if the attacker is a Christian!
Posted by: mbs | November 6, 2009, 11:11 pm 11:11 pm
Healthcare, Pelosi style:
Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 7, 2009, 12:00 am 12:00 am
“So, you agree with Obama that dissent must be silenced?”
________________________________________
I agree with candidate Obama that the far right wing fringe seem almost proud of their own ignorance. They’re almost boastful about how poorly informed they are.
Posted by: tierra | November 7, 2009, 1:01 am 1:01 am
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Posted by: Lorean Gewinner | December 2, 2011, 3:55 am 3:55 am