Today’s Q’s for O’s White House
Email ABC News’ Yunji de Nies Reports: de Nies: Robert, two questions. The first one on the bipartisanship issue. I mean, you have the president coming out saying that he wants to work together. But just moment later you have Republican leaders coming out saying that the White House just wants to blame Republicans, saying that this administration just doesn't get it. I mean, how do you move forward together if that's the climate coming out of this meeting? GIBBS: Well, I think you'd come together understanding this. I mean, look, the American people have watched for decades the blame game, all right? If the blame game put people to work, we'd all be rolling in money. The blame game — I'm glad some people want to continue playing the blame game. That doesn't work. That doesn't get anybody a job. It doesn't cut people's taxes.
It's — it is time — I think — I will say the president — has the president been frustrated about this? Absolutely.
We — we took some extraordinary actions. We wish there would have been more Republican support for taking those actions and pulling our economy back from an economic cliff, falling into another Great Depression.
Setting all that aside, we're now at a certain point where we have got to begin to fill in the enormity of the hole that this economic downturn created. The president is willing to work with Democrats and Republicans. And, again, I think it was important that the president started out the meeting by mentioning that two of the ideas that the president had talked about in his speech — two of the three ideas were — were ideas that have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support.
We heard throughout the recovery debate that there needed to be more money put into infrastructure. That's what the president outlined. We've heard — even as up to recently as the past few days we have to help small business get access to capital, cut their taxes, ensure that we're doing all that they can to create an environment for them to hire more. The president agrees. I think it's time that everybody took yes for an answer. de Nies: But if the attitude is that this administration ‘doesn't get this,’ is this administration then willing to try to navigate this alone? GIBBS: The president will do what has to be done to help the American people. The president is hopeful, through this meeting today, that Republicans agree.
But, again, if the president outlines ideas that the Republicans have previously supported and then Republicans seem unwilling to support the ideas they supported then now, you can leave it up to others to judge why it is they don't want to participate in a solution that we all agree and we've said in the past would put people back to work.
Gulf of Mexico to Become Gulf of America? 
Can Mitt Romney Win Conservatives Back?
Why are these news conferences held ? Do reporters feel some need to watch each other get insulted and ignore their professional calling ?
Posted by: nat turner | December 9, 2009, 3:26 pm 3:26 pm
“I mean, look, the American people have watched for decades the blame game, all right? If the blame game put people to work, we’d all be rolling in money. The blame game — I’m glad some people want to continue playing the blame game. That doesn’t work. That doesn’t get anybody a job. It doesn’t cut people’s taxes.”
Gotta love the irony here. POTUS is obsessed with playing the blame game. He’d might be a senator if he wasn’t so good at blaming.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | December 9, 2009, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm
Nat’s right. Reporters don’t need to go to Robert Gibbs to get insulted.
Posted by: bgates | December 9, 2009, 3:36 pm 3:36 pm
GIBBS: Well, I think you’d come together understanding this. I mean, look, the American people have watched for decades the blame game, all right? If the blame game put people to work, we’d all be rolling in money. The blame game — I’m glad some people want to continue playing the blame game. That doesn’t work. That doesn’t get anybody a job. It doesn’t cut people’s taxes.
_________________________________________________
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL……..
Wait a minute, I need to get my composure. Okay, now, is this man serious? This is the spokesman for the MOST blame filled WH I have ever seen!! Poor Obama, he INHERITED everything!! He DIDN’T inherit squat. He ASKED for it when he decided to run for and become President. He KNEW the condition of the economy, jobs, racial issues, etc. and he CHOSE to take them on. So for God’s sake SHUT UP!! As I just typed on another post, no one is holding Obama accountable for the Bush errors, but everyone IS holding him accountable for fixing them. I don’t think that’s being unfair, I think that’s holding Obama to the promises he made during the campaign.
It’s a darn shame we can’t find a shoe thrower for one of these pressers.
Posted by: Shoe | December 9, 2009, 3:45 pm 3:45 pm
Everytime Obama attacks Bush he by extension attacks the Americans who voted for him and still hold him in high esteem, doesn’t he understand that?
He’s supposed to be more than just the President of the Democrat Party, but he’s not and he diminishes with every passing day.
And how this guy can point fingers at anyone when in a short time he’s shown himself to be the least qualified/competent President in US history, along with the most partisan and corrupt.
Posted by: Brian | December 9, 2009, 4:42 pm 4:42 pm
Everytime Obama attacks Bush he by extension attacks the Americans who voted for him and still hold him in high esteem, doesn’t he understand that?
__________________________________
Not really, in the year when Bush left office approximately 70% of Americans disapproved of the job he’d done.
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
I felt sorry for Bush he was always being smeared with lies and misinformation. He didn’t whine at all the attacks or call people up and ask why they were “demeaning him.” He took it as part of the job and did what he felt was in the best interest of the country. The previous poster was right on the money.
*********************
Republicans have only been in control of Congress four (4) of the last 8 years, it’s true. George Bush came into office with a split Congress in 2000, won it all in 2002, and Democrats came to power in 2006. Count them: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005… four. And Barack Obama says Republicans are playing the blame-game? Hey Barack, Democrats have been in control of Congress since 2007, and you know what happened in 2007? The economy collapsed! And who’s fault is it? “uh uh uh, Republicans!” Ridiculous, deserving of ridicule. Americans are a people of personal responsibility, and you know what we see in our President? A “it’s not my fault” or better yet “it’s never my fault” amigo who wants to call himself the “Chief Executive,” or better yet, “Commander in Chief.”
Posted by: wow | December 9, 2009, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm
I felt sorry for Bush
_____________________________
I . . . suggest you read The GOP’s misplaced rage at the Daily Beast and read. Here’s a sample:
“To the extent that there were mistakes in housing policy that contributed to the recession, those were necessarily committed by Bush political appointees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and other agencies. To the extent that banks and other financial institutions made mistakes or engaged in fraudulent activity, it was either overlooked or sanctioned by Bush appointees at the Securities & Exchange Commission, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and elsewhere.
But in a larger sense, the extremely poor economic performance of the Bush years really set the stage for the current recession. ”
Also see Bruce Bartlett’s post at Capital Gains and Games called Supply-side Economics, RIP. A sample:
“During the George W. Bush years, however, I think SSE became distorted into something that is, frankly, nuts–the ideas that there is no economic problem that cannot be cured with more and bigger tax cuts, that all tax cuts are equally beneficial, and that all tax cuts raise revenue.
These incorrect ideas led to the enactment of many tax cuts that had no meaningful effect on economic performance. Many were just give-aways to favored Republican constituencies, little different, substantively, from government spending.”
Keep going to the end.
Also see “The Reckoning: Bush’s Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire” (NYT)
Also, going back to 2007, see “The Conservative Origins of the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis”
And you might want to consider that Oxley said he received very little support (hostility!) from the WH, the Fed or the Republicans in Senate after he passed a bill to regulate the mortgage industry.
Thanks to Colette.
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 8:19 pm 8:19 pm
“Bush’s Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire…”
Trying to explain the subprime mortgage meltdown in terms of mistakes made by only one political party is a fools errand for the partisans.
The truth is both political parties played enabling roles in the greedfest. The truth is that banks are still failing and mortgage defaults are still happening and our elected “leaders” have not done a damn thing to address the issues.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | December 9, 2009, 9:33 pm 9:33 pm
The truth is both political parties played enabling roles in the greedfest. The truth is that banks are still failing and mortgage defaults are still happening and our elected “leaders” have not done a damn thing to address the issues.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | Dec 9, 2009 9:33:09 PM
___
Funny how you seem to only mention these kinds of things when the heat is being put on the Republicans by Democrats. Why is that?
Incidentally, some of our elected leaders in the House have actually done something about it– though I’m unclear whether it will be enough and how the House vote will go, probably on Friday– meanwhile, per twitter, “House Republicans Huddle With 100+ Lobbyists to Kill Financial Reform Bill.”
So much for being a populist party concerned with the concerns of the Tea Party movement.
Posted by: Verity | December 9, 2009, 11:05 pm 11:05 pm
You all seem to forget about the Community Reinvestment Act that started the problem. You know, you plant the seed and end up with a big pile of acorns. A huge problem created by government intervention to help the needy.
Posted by: wow | December 10, 2009, 1:52 am 1:52 am
Sorry Cara…you can pick and choose your info but the CRA had a great deal to do with it. It opened up a Pandoras Box and all sorts of unethical practices ensued. Google it.
Forcing banks into bad lending is NOT a good idea.
Posted by: wow | December 10, 2009, 11:07 am 11:07 am
Forcing banks into bad lending is NOT a good idea…I don’t care what party promoted it.
Poor are poor, no matter what ethnicity. I taught in a poor district, those kids came in all colors of the rainbow. What they needed was hope for their future, understanding the power of a good education and a family unit. Most of their parents were in jail and they were living with their grandparents who were overburdened with responsibility.
Those kids were full of potential and love and wonder and the lack of support from their family broke my heart.
Posted by: wow | December 10, 2009, 3:10 pm 3:10 pm
Realistic is very different from bitter.
There are good ideas and bad ideas. People recognizing that they have the power to better themselves by their own work and talent = good idea. Depending on government to make your life better = bad idea. You need to take personal responsibility and pride in your own achievement.
Best government program I have witnessed is low income housing for working families in high achieving school district. The kids flourished. Both the high income and low income kids benefited by their friendships and all the kids I knew graduated and were moving on to college.
Posted by: wow | December 10, 2009, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
People recognizing that they have the power to better themselves by their own work and talent = good idea. Depending on government to make your life better = bad idea. You need to take personal responsibility and pride in your own achievement.
Best government program I have witnessed is low income housing for working families in high achieving school district. The kids flourished. Both the high income and low income kids benefited by their friendships and all the kids I knew graduated and were moving on to college.
Posted by: wow | Dec 10, 2009 5:43:02 PM
I actually agree with you on all this. You know, if we all had a six-month time out on the blame game and could gag the partisan pundits, and just worked on solving the problems we likely wouldn’t be nearly as divided as we sometimes seem :>) Sounds like a very good program (and btw, its the children without support that break my heart, too– bi or non partisan agreement!)
Posted by: Cara | December 11, 2009, 1:05 am 1:05 am
Cara, I took some political personality test (for what their worth) and I was straight down the line moderate. I think most of the country is. My two best friends are Democrats and we agree on almost everything. We just come to our solutions in different ways.
I think the fight for power in politics is really destructive.
Posted by: wow | December 11, 2009, 11:58 am 11:58 am