Jan 19, 2010 5:59pm

Tomorrow: My Exclusive Interview with President Obama

Tomorrow, I will be talking to President Barack Obama in an exclusive interview at the White House. Coming on the one year anniversary of the start of his presidency, and just hours after the critical special election in Massachusetts tonight, there will surely be a lot to discuss.

You can come back here, to ABCNews.com for excerpts from the interview starting tomorrow afternoon.  Part of the interview will air tomorrow on World News with Diane Sawyer,  and even more will air tomorrow night in a special edition of Nightline, and Thursday morning on Good Morning America.

So what questions do you want to hear the President answer? Post your suggested questions here as comments to this blog  post – or, if you are on Twitter (I’m @gstephanopoulos) tweet your question to me.

- George Stephanopoulos

User Comments

Ask him why they cant start over on health care and give us a bill that the benefits start at the same time as the taxes. Or one that takes each problem one at a time and do it partisan.

Posted by: earl | January 19, 2010, 6:21 pm 6:21 pm

Mr. President,
Do you think that bipartisonship is still possible in the House and Senate?
What your Government needs to do in order to get the Republicans engaged in the nation’s agenda?

Posted by: Tomas Martinez | January 19, 2010, 6:23 pm 6:23 pm

Ask him about Irak and the soldiers in the area that he promise they would come back in a short period of time and they are not in USA, they still in Irak

Posted by: Gaby Salgado | January 19, 2010, 6:36 pm 6:36 pm

Why cant we start low key with changes such as tort reform and lifting the ban on buying insurance across state lines. Why does the bill have to be 2,000 pages? Start out conservatively.

Posted by: Shawn | January 19, 2010, 6:36 pm 6:36 pm

Ask him:
Are we going to have Immigration Reform in 2010?

Posted by: Tomas Martinez | January 19, 2010, 6:46 pm 6:46 pm

Ask him: Given the ramifications of the election, with the Republicans emboldened, the Democrats(particularly the Bluedogs), looking for cover with the President’s approvals sub-50 on all major issues and 62% saying wrong track – is it time for his key personnel to change? Is it time, given his methods and attitude, for Rahm Emmanuel to go, and get some one who is better able to work with a strengthening opposition?

Posted by: ese | January 19, 2010, 6:55 pm 6:55 pm

Who cares what Obana says. He says one thing and does another.

Posted by: CW | January 19, 2010, 7:06 pm 7:06 pm

Quit telling me what to ask.
This is one of the greatest Presidents to grace our fine nation!
I intend to toss softballs to my buddy, journalistic integrity be darned!
No, seriously, I am going to ask unbiased, hard-hitting quest…..
Oops sorry, having a hard time keeping a straight face typing that last sentence.
Regards,
George

Posted by: George | January 19, 2010, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm

George – get to your job. Your supposed to be a reporter — not a democratic spin doctor. But then again, if you work for ABC, I suppose there’s no difference.

Posted by: EGHolder | January 19, 2010, 7:09 pm 7:09 pm

Ask him why when he speaks off of cards, he doesn’t look at the camera, but looks quickly to the left and right, not at the people who he is trying to reach. Is he afraid of us? It also looks like he is shaking his head “NO” while he speaks. At least he can look directly into the camera at us, the public!

Posted by: Ken | January 19, 2010, 7:10 pm 7:10 pm

I would like to know where the transparency in government is that he promised we would have if he was elected as President? Also please ask him about the pork added to these bills that he promised he would not allow.

Posted by: Marilyn Kay | January 19, 2010, 7:17 pm 7:17 pm

Could you please ask him.. When does he plan to end this war in afghanistan nad Iraq? My husband just left this morning to afghanistan for your idiotic plans for our country. I mean seriously Obama what are you trying to accomplish with this war… Killing more of our people!!

Posted by: Army wife! | January 19, 2010, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm

Ask him if he will begin working across the aisle now, developing a truely bi-partisan approach to governing and health care reform, rather than being so partisan.
All the options of health care reform (with Brown’s victory) have been various ways to force this through the congress. Why not go back to the drawing board and develop a package that could get a majority of both parties to support it.

Posted by: DanielChi | January 19, 2010, 7:45 pm 7:45 pm

Ask him the question Bush got asked: What were your mistakes you made this past year as president?

Posted by: DanielChi | January 19, 2010, 7:48 pm 7:48 pm

I would like to know:
Why didn’t President Obama reject more strongly the idiocy of people who defend a health care system which has doubled their premiums over the last ten years?
Why didn’t he show the people that it is in THEIR interest to get 95% of their premiums back in real health care and annual rebates from the companies and pay just 5% for administration costs instead of receiving only 80% and giving 20% for corporate greed?
This TAX mantra is so efficient that people prefer to pay 20% when it is called PROFIT but are scared to death when it is called TAX and amounts to only a quarter of that (5%).
Why didn’t President Obama stop this idiocy?

Posted by: Hegelfan | January 19, 2010, 8:19 pm 8:19 pm

Obama is a disaster. All talk and no action.

Posted by: Cw | January 19, 2010, 8:37 pm 8:37 pm

I think Obama is a very Good Person and the people should understand how many problems that was put into his lap. He have his hands full with all the problems put in his lap. Some of US Citizens insn’t giving him a chance! Listen, “He isn’t God,just President.”
Cecile J

Posted by: Cecile J | January 19, 2010, 9:58 pm 9:58 pm

Immigration!!!!!!
Immigration!!!!!!
Immigration!!!!!!

Posted by: Wentor | January 19, 2010, 10:16 pm 10:16 pm

Obama is just a waste. when he had Senate 60 vote, he could not do anything. Ask him where he stands on immigration. My dad once told me – When a man talks too much he invites confussion.

Posted by: Paul | January 19, 2010, 10:32 pm 10:32 pm

George… we all know this will be an interview of little substance.
Obama cant handle confrontation and he can’t handle real tough questions.
Which is why I will not watch.
ABC is a bogus news media and Obams is a bogus POTUS

Posted by: abc is going down the tubes | January 19, 2010, 10:48 pm 10:48 pm

Here’s a question for George:
Is the reason you got the nice job at GMA a reward for all these ‘exclusive’ interviews with the president?
Am I the only one that has noticed all the ‘exclusive’ interviews the President has with George or maybe Katie?
I would like President Obama to hold more real press conferences where press members from several entities can ask questions. Or is that too risky?

Posted by: malcat | January 19, 2010, 10:49 pm 10:49 pm

Hey Geo. don’t go correcting him as you did on a previous interview when he mentions his muslim faith.

Posted by: charles cavagnetto | January 19, 2010, 11:03 pm 11:03 pm

You realize of course that Rahm won’t allow any of these tough questions to be asked, right? So why don’t you ask him some more soft questions that the MSM is so fond of, that way he can sound “presidential” while not actually saying anything.

Posted by: Tim | January 19, 2010, 11:14 pm 11:14 pm

Please Please What about CSpan? What About open government? Why special treatment to union vs nonunion… is this not like white vs black???????????????

Posted by: Linc Pinicole | January 19, 2010, 11:17 pm 11:17 pm

Do not forget to ask him about his commitment to immigration reform.

Posted by: George | January 19, 2010, 11:20 pm 11:20 pm

George, by this time you obviously have worked out with the producer exactly what questions you are going to ask the President. So let me ask you, which of the questions drafted do YOU consider the most direct and toughest for the President to answer?

Posted by: Roger H. | January 19, 2010, 11:23 pm 11:23 pm

I’d like to ask him what I, as a MA resident, can do to still support the Health Care reform that MY family needs…does Brown’s election really mean that the bill is as good as shot down, like Mr. Obama’s recorded telephone message warned last week (as part of his contribution to Coakley’s campaign)?
Can he work with Brown, who was so scathing in his campaign against Obama’s policy and proposals?

Posted by: Becky | January 19, 2010, 11:43 pm 11:43 pm

Ask him why he doesn’t rein in his party’s current congressional leaders and put Ron Wyden in charge of health care negotiations so we can get something actually bipartisan and useful.

Posted by: phil | January 20, 2010, 12:02 am 12:02 am

Ask him why he won’t go on Fox News and face common-sense questions from O’Reilly? If he is so confident that what he is doing is right, then he should have answers to any questions thrown at him by anybody. Otherwise, he is a fake.

Posted by: JT | January 20, 2010, 12:19 am 12:19 am

Ask him if he’s ready to concede that Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, and the rest of his hate America first teachers have impacted him as much as a lot of this country knows they have. If he’s ready to defend the Constitution instead of rewriting it, which has been our primary problem for decades.

Posted by: Bill | January 20, 2010, 12:19 am 12:19 am

Do you actually believe we are that stupid to believe you are going to derive any question from these blog comments or Twitter? Come on George, get real.

Posted by: frequency | January 20, 2010, 12:24 am 12:24 am

Please ask him: Mr. President, you and the Dems. keep saying Brown’s win is NOT a referendum on your healthcare reform program and does NOT indicate a lack of support for it. So, WHAT WOULD indicate to you that the American people do NOT want your version of healthcare reform? What WOULD it take to convince you that they do NOT LIKE your plan in its present form?

Posted by: Nancy Jones | January 20, 2010, 1:16 am 1:16 am

When are you going to do a REAL press conference? AND Why didn’t you have Reid apologize to the DARK skinned african american children who might like to be POTUS one day?????

Posted by: TM | January 20, 2010, 1:23 am 1:23 am

Timetable for immigration reform.

Posted by: Orly | January 20, 2010, 1:51 am 1:51 am

Now that he has been in office for one year, does the President see the US as being largely governable or are there parts that are ungovernable?
What time perspectives does Obama work with on the various issues? (How does he balance long-term solutions with the need to show results ahead of the re-election? )
Thank you :-)

Posted by: Clementine | January 20, 2010, 2:49 am 2:49 am

Proposed changes are trying to pay for a broken sick care system instead of actually coming up with a health care system. The Federal Government through the FDA and the FTC attack anyone who provides an effective, safe, low cost alternative to expensive dangerous drugs. You can improve health care by calling off your attack dogs.

Posted by: Donald | January 20, 2010, 4:36 am 4:36 am

Mr. President, how is your war with FoxNews going? Is one side closer to surrendering?

Posted by: danielchi | January 20, 2010, 4:51 am 4:51 am

Mr President
Is there is a posibility to have a immigration debate in this year? if yes than do you think that it has a good chance to get pass by both chamber of House?

Posted by: zee | January 20, 2010, 4:57 am 4:57 am

We need Immigration Reform NOW!! Please?

Posted by: Immigration | January 20, 2010, 6:00 am 6:00 am

Mr. President,
What are you going to do with Iran?(Simple as that.Right? )I am scared for the future of My world.Pleas let us know.Thanks.

Posted by: Gaill | January 20, 2010, 6:27 am 6:27 am

What have you liked most about your job over the last year?
What have you liked least?
Based on your goals and campaign promises; how do you rate yourself so far?
What has been your biggest accomplishment thus far?
What are your top priorities for the next year?

Posted by: Koukla | January 20, 2010, 6:53 am 6:53 am

Ask President Obama.: What shnuld we do with the Island of Puerto Rico,one of our territories.In middle of this economic crisis we have a territorie which depends from federal help for almost everything.More then 70% of its families recieve federal help ($) for rent,education ,health care (medicaid),unemployment among others.?

Posted by: David Shaw from P.R. | January 20, 2010, 6:59 am 6:59 am

more lies and propaganda on da way, SWEET.

Posted by: realman1963 | January 20, 2010, 7:25 am 7:25 am

George, We Want the President to Legislate. There has been NO intent from the other party to work with this President. We want Healthcare Reform for the sake of our Nation. Period! We want regulations on our financial institutions and we want the remaining monies that he and Bush got from Paulson to be put in rebuilding America! We want the Tax Cuts repealed, and given back to the middle class Americans that has Carried this country since it’s birth. This is the Topic George.

Posted by: sara | January 20, 2010, 7:35 am 7:35 am

Please ask Mr Obama, how he could justify signing off on that 950 page pork barrel request, and even think about cutting Medicare, Medicaid, or any other social program that aids the elderly, poor or homeless. Did he even read it? Or is it his style to check things off a “to-do list” taped to the refrigerator. He comes across as a very thoughtful person, but his actions don’t seem to support this persona.

Posted by: Maureen | January 20, 2010, 9:01 am 9:01 am

Ask him to man up, grow some ball and run for single payer.

Posted by: jonytk | January 20, 2010, 9:19 am 9:19 am

People are tired of same old gov. and all the pork added to every bill; national deficit. More want to vote all out of office and set limits on terms.

Posted by: Sam | January 20, 2010, 9:31 am 9:31 am

Ask the President what happened to his promise to televise the health care deliberations? Doesn’t it matter to keep your word?

Posted by: Ken | January 20, 2010, 9:38 am 9:38 am

Who was the first person you quoted this morning regarding the Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts??? Sarah Palin that’s who. You should be ashamed of yourself as a journalist. I still haven’t gotten over your not challenging Guiliani regarding no terrorist attacks during the Bush years. George, you are getting very sloppy and I expect much better from you.

Posted by: Jane | January 20, 2010, 9:43 am 9:43 am

Stop building bridges; either put money to small businesses and manufacture as these are the jobs that keep on increasing in revenue or stop!!

Posted by: Richard | January 20, 2010, 9:43 am 9:43 am

When will he start immigration reform people lives are hanging in the air.

Posted by: Steve | January 20, 2010, 9:46 am 9:46 am

Hi George,
Ask the president if he is getting any inkling of how dissatisfied the American people are with his agenda, and if so, what does he plan to do about it?
Thank you

Posted by: Justice | January 20, 2010, 10:09 am 10:09 am

Why don’t you ask him why he has targeted the elderly from the day he took office. We didn’t have enough to live on and now he cut out our tiny raise while giving raises to officials in office who already had more money than they can ever use. i doubt you will ask him this. But at least I have had my say.

Posted by: Marlene | January 20, 2010, 10:25 am 10:25 am

Mr. President,
Thank you for taking on a huge agenda in an effort to straighten out the problems you inherited when you took the oath of office. What the Democratic Party leaders need to do is revive the grassroot support of Americans that voted for you. Don’t you think it is time to aggresively fight back the untruths that are being put forth by the “hate” media outlets?

Posted by: Dorothy Green | January 20, 2010, 10:29 am 10:29 am

It is interesting, that a web poll yesterday, showed that 68% of respondents would give Obama a grade of C or less, on performance, and 43% would give him an F.
Just a tad below his own personal self evaluation of a B+. It is obvious he is not operating in the real world, and even more obvious that some media are reporting higher approval ratings, than is reality.

Posted by: Rick McDaniel | January 20, 2010, 10:41 am 10:41 am

we Americans forget we live in a democracy not dictatorship , one person at the top can not solve all are problems ,the house and senate ,our representatives have the answer ,he is the president of all of us not only Democrats or Republicans,besides
he inherited the war,and the bad economy.

Posted by: ali Raouf | January 20, 2010, 10:52 am 10:52 am

I would like to know why it is that if heath care reform is such a great thing for us, the American citizen, that the president, senators and representatives are all exempt. Is there not an amendment that states that congress can not pass a law that exempts them or in reverse that exempts the American citizen from the action of that law?

Posted by: Gary | January 20, 2010, 10:53 am 10:53 am

Even if the healthcare bill dies
(I hope)Will he show us where that 500 billion in waste is in Medicare and do somthing about it? Or was that even true ?

Posted by: scotty1700 | January 20, 2010, 11:01 am 11:01 am

George, In light of the stunning reUlts in mass Does he know this is the majority of Americans speaking?? This is the most liberal state inthe country !! Yet I saw the report on the news that despite this , he stated this am through axelrod this morning he will proceed with this same agenda!!!! How arrogent is is that!! Rembember we pAy your salary!!! With due respect , you are not liStening to the people who put u In office! This is so sad for our country !!! Thank you… A recovering democrat!

Posted by: Diana holland | January 20, 2010, 11:32 am 11:32 am

Please ask President Obama what we can do about the lobbyists like the Chamber of Commerce and others who have, along with the Republicans, run such a sucessful misinformation campaign regarding health care reform. I think most all Americans would want heathcare reform if they could separate fact from fiction.

Posted by: Sandy | January 20, 2010, 11:51 am 11:51 am

Since he lied about having open negotiations televised on C-Span to see who was fighting for the American people and who wasn’t, why would he say “We screwed up and did it wrong” and start that transparent process right away from scratch? Small single topic bills in series is the real answer not 2000+ page bills chock full of kickbacks, special interest paybacks, bribes etc. Did the President support the bribes in this bill? Where does he stand on that subject? And please no softball questions, please do a real interview with the questions we the people want to here answered. No one cares about his family or who he thinks will win the Super Bowl. Thanks, George.

Posted by: Tony | January 20, 2010, 12:38 pm 12:38 pm

George,
You are a definite best political correspondent. Extremely unbiased. Please maintain it and Wish you the best always. I guess CNN team should learn from you and your network
Warm Regards and Best Wishes

Posted by: darahs99 | January 20, 2010, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm

Why does he run after the Republicans and Indy’s and turn his back on the Democrats who voted for him? Is he sure that he can turn out the vote in 2012 for himself if he can’t deliver in state races. (and I voted for him in 2008!)

Posted by: Clt | January 20, 2010, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm

ask when is all the pork going to be taken out of the Health Care Bill and why does his wife have so many people on the payroll ?

Posted by: Carol | January 20, 2010, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm

On illegal aliens: Why is there talk about giving these criminals citizenship? A greencard is enough. If they turn out to be criminals, you can send them back home.

Posted by: newsbird | January 20, 2010, 1:17 pm 1:17 pm

As a collective group you American’s are moron’s. You have a president willing to take on the hard issue’s that bankrupt the people of your own nation, and yet you back the Doom and gloom party of Republicans. Who by the way have bankrupted your nation, and take the easy way out of roadblocking without any direction. My inlaws pay close to a $950 per month for medical because they are retirement age. You think you have a good medical system…LOL….check out your standings compared to the rest of the world. Also check out how many citzens flee the US for medical…Tourism…I think not…

Posted by: Jacky | January 20, 2010, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm

Ask him why he allowed his party to sink SO LOW as to pay off Senators? (It must be Nancy Pelosi’s tongue lashings)
Ask him what he was doing for 3 days when he was not responding to the terrorists?
Ask him to be honest about all the people in his past?(the racists Rev Wright)
Ask him about the 110,000 criminal illegals in Arizona that threaten our lives?
Ask him if he has any touch with reality and how we approach our golden years knowing that we will be denied health care.
Ask him why Congress does not have to deal with the same kind of healthcare that the taxpayers might?
Ask him about transparency and why he did not immediately display to the American people his birth certificate(He must be hiding something)
Ask him why terrorist might be given Maranda Rights and trials at the costs and security of the tax payers(They have no rights as citizens)
Ask him why he thinks he can sit down and have civil talks with our enemies in the Middle East who HATE everyone and have for thousands of years

Posted by: Christie Vollmecke | January 20, 2010, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm

could the president reflect on why Democrats have lost the last four by elections? Has he got to revise his direction, id so how is going to do it? or is that too simplistic?
Margaret

Posted by: margaret | January 20, 2010, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm

Ask him why he has failed what he preached over 10 times during his campaign that he wanted C Span and cameras in closed door meetings to let the American people see whats going on, such as health care etc. These meetings have all been behind closed doors in secret meetings!!!!!! SEEMS NO ONE WANTS TO ASK HIM TO GET A COMMENT FROM HIM ON NATIONAL TV

Posted by: Jim | January 21, 2010, 1:53 pm 1:53 pm

I hope that Tsilh us We the people of Bahrain, we who represent the immune system to protect Hedda world of virus Wahhabi who attacked you in your homes, we are fighting their thoughts straying to protect you from them and but Dzaina that before attacking the Alinh Hedda virus destroys the immune system and the wall barrier to repel Hedda virus erosion of Aintcher

Posted by: redha | April 13, 2011, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm

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