To be honest, I didn't vote...Didn't have to because around July of that year, I knew he had the presidency (Enter Lady Sarah). Also, I aticipated the republicans stonewalling every policy he put in the arena...But gosh dang I'm pleased as punch to see a brother with the kibbles to smack the bad guys when they tried to bumrush him on National TV!!! Get 'em, Mr. Pesident!!
"Such music flows on the Fringe, and no one can resist singing to Scarlet" >From "THE SIDE STREET CHRONICLES" by C.W. Badie --- On Sat, 1/30/10, Kelwyn <ravena...@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Kelwyn <ravena...@yahoo.com> Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: that's the !@@#$%$ guy I voted for To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 10:36 AM I wish we had British "question time" here in America. Obama would routinely clean the Republican clocks. ~rave! --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@... > wrote: > > I still don't trust the guy, but dayum it was good to see him run circles > around and smack down the Republicans at their retreat in Baltimore.. As one > commenter put it: > > > > "that's the !@@#$%$ guy I voted for" > > > > view the whole exchange at the link below: > http://gawker. com/5460040/ video-obama- patiently- explaining- things-to- > house-r > epublicans > > > > Exchange and political impact summarized below > > > > Obama Goes To GOP Lions' Den -- And Mauls The Lions - > > http://www.huffingt onpost.com/ 2010/01/29/ obama-goes- to-the-gop- > lio_n_442331. > html > > President Obama traveled to a House Republican retreat in Baltimore on > Friday and delivered a performance that was at once defiant, substantive and > engaging. For roughly an hour and a half, Obama lectured GOP leaders and, in > a protracted, nationally-televise d question-and- answer session, deflected > their policy critiques, corrected their misstatements and scolded them for > playing petty politics. (Full video and transcript available HERE > <http://www.huffingt onpost.com/ 2010/01/29/ transcript- of-president- > o_n_442423 > .html> .) > > White House officials told the Huffington Post they were absolutely > ecstatic. MSNBC's Luke Russert, who was on the scene in Baltimore, relayed > <http://twitter. com/RussertXM_ NBC/status/ 8380253627> that a Republican > official and other GOP aides had confided to him that allowing the "cameras > to roll like that" was a "mistake." > > So effective was the president that Fox News cut away from the broadcast 20 > minutes before it ended. > > It was the type of performance that Obama's supporters have long demanded > and that his own aides have been eager to deliver. The question-and- answer > session at the end wasn't initially supposed to be broadcast, but the White > House pressured GOP leadership to bring the cameras in. They knew the optics > it would generate, a source with knowledge of the planning relayed. Hours > before the event began, Republican leaders finally relented. > > What resulted was what one Democratic strategist described as "amazing > theater" -- certainly for cable news. Standing on a stage, looking down at > his Republican questioners, Obama assumed the role of responsible adult to > the GOP children, or, at the very least, of a college professor teaching and > lecturing a room full of students. > > He chastised Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) for calling his economic agenda > radical and poked fun at the GOP's own platform. "I am not an ideologue, I'm > not," he said. "It doesn't make sense if somebody could tell me, 'You could > do this cheaper and get increased results,' then I would say, 'Great.' The > problem is, I couldn't find credible economists who could back up the claims > that you just made." > > He rebuked a questioner who insisted that the monthly deficit is higher now > than Bush's annual deficit. "That's factually just not true," he said. "And > you know it's not true." He lampooned Republican lawmakers seated in front > of him for portraying his health care legislation as "some Bolshevik plot." > He mocked Republicans for railing against the stimulus package and then > showing up at "the ribbon-cuttings for some of these important projects in > your communities. " And he did it all while calling for "a tone of civility > instead of slash and burn will be helpful." > > Whether it was chutzpah, political savvy, or both, it certainly was > refreshing. Reporters were thrilled with the British Parliament-style > exchange between president and lawmakers. The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder asked > <http://twitter. com/marcambinder /status/83770592 88> that forums like these > be held monthly. The Nation's Chris Hayes suggested > <http://twitter. com/chrislhayes/ status/837756793 1> Obama next go before the > progressive caucus. Ezra Klein of the Washington Post labeled > <http://twitter. com/ezraklein/ status/837769096 4> it "the most compelling > political television I've seen...maybe ever. NBC's Chuck Todd added > <http://twitter. com/chucktodd/ status/837731136 0> : "The president should > hold Congressional 'town halls' more often. Public needs to see this if > they'll ever trust Washington again." > > From the narrower vantage point of the White House, the event also made for > effective politics, spurring some comparisons to the type of political > engagement relished by former President Bill Clinton. > > "Most people thinking about this would have thought 'ooh Obama is going into > the lion's den," said Dee Dee Myers, Clinton's former press secretary. "But > there was a great opportunity to jujitsu that. On one level it looked brave > but on another he was the substitute teacher there, lecturing the audience. > > "A lot of us have been waiting for that moment, a little more fight, a > little more politics," she added. "He is in a political business and he has > to pay attention to not just the substance but the politics." >
