At their party retreat January 29 in Baltimore, Republicans had an unusual guest speaker – a democrat. And not just any democrat, but President Obama. The president spent more than an hour talking to and answering questions from Republicans.
“Having differences of opinion, having a real debate about matters of domestic polity — policy and national security — that’s not something that’s only good for our country; it’s absolutely essential,” Obama said. “It’s only through the process of disagreement and debate that bad ideas get tossed out and good ideas get refined and made better.”
Not surprisingly, economic and health care issues dominated the discussion. “Thank you for acknowledging that we have ideas on health care,” Marsha Blackburn, a representative from Tennessee told the president. “We want to work with you on health reform and making certain that we do it in an affordable, cost-effective way that is going to reduce bureaucracy, reduce government interference and reduce cost to individuals and to taxpayers,” she said, noting that Republicans have specific ideas on how to accomplish these goals.
You can watch the event or read a transcript on the White House Web site.
Comments (6)
n.mackinnon
2 February 2010 at 22:55 EST
Permalink
it makes me proud of the president… he indeed has balls of bronze to stand before his severest critics for an hour and provide them with thoughtful answers to their questions…unprecedented and admirable.
a man capable of thinking on his feet in a most sceptical context…for an hour…as he said of himself, ‘I’m Skinney but I’m tough !’
…a man capable of providing thoughtful leadership to his country, and through his representatives to the world… the country and the world in these perilous times deeply need this kind of courage and thoughtfulness… no doubt the respect lost to the United States will be benefitted considerably by the president’s performance.
Ravinder kumar
3 February 2010 at 03:04 EST
Permalink
The debate has been great, absorbing, hitting on eliminating politics at caucus level emphasizing a look into Reality on policy matters, recognizing ability of formulators, accommodating tactical moves considering both the so-called good and bad ideas with their retention and elimination through debates by and large absorbing President’s view, who came into power with a recessionary legacy of the past, assuming its heights with a huge financial crunch for the President to handle at his best level of charisma that had also to adjust with Washington’s past Charisma of white house for Washington as the seat of Power, where he had to come in and establish himself with a lot of inherent adjustment?
It was a great courtesy on the part of Republicans, inviting him for interaction on various issues both domestic and international and what the debate finally has revealed is that both Democrats and Republicans showed oneness in the defense of America on national issues, - not to miss the least that Republicans also showed great courtesy through Marsha Blackburn on health care being the main delicate issue going rounds appearing to be offering as confiding with the President with openness to sort out petty differences in perceptions that are policy based to the core where small business promotion has come to be planned for job promotions and where acceptability of health care or Medicare plans also stand integrated and taxation structure of its levels of absorption and benefits in social terms without the political or business interests are also being sought by the President to tide over economy.
It is expected that Republicans would cooperate with the President who has a brain first and then the mind – lucky America is of its state of participating democracy as unique example for the rest of the powers of the world on it to follow and be worthy of that intellectually to grow with true democracy.
America believes in advance planning of the future, where brains as minds to figure things come in, sustaining its people, while, also sustaining others in human terms of cooperation where trade and vital security issues also crop up integrated in interrelationships – not only that, America also stands with the integrated intelligence system to monitor regions of the world to tide over the past legacy as history of the nations of the world that has to be brought into legitimacy of existence through aid and education.
What he sees going on in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other parts of the world is actually not his heart – it is actually compulsion that he would soon like to see going out, - certainly not at the cost of his own people and there, Obama stands to be understood properly and not the President of America.
Well, one can watch him speaking the way he does in his absolutely natural and spontaneous way. America should be proud of him and the world around of nations should be equally proud because he sells himself as nothing of him that is at stake except where his mind comes into the picture for brains through his brain where agree to disagree aspect is shown by him with all human politeness inviting second thoughts giving complete respect to the ego - be it of the opposition or of the governing party.
One feels proud to record that he accepted Republican Party’s invitation accepting the bipartisan level of communication in him that also stands as light to show others in democratic terms that democracy at the governing levels is all about that. That’s all
Facebook application
Location: US
3 February 2010 at 03:45 EST
Permalink
On Thursday Obama charged that Republican leaders are engaged in a vast right-wing conspiracy (sounds like the Clintons) to kill health care reform in order to repeat the 1994 mid-term takeover of Congress. Wow and here I thought the Democrats controlled Congress and could pass it by themselvesFacebook application
Kim
12 February 2010 at 21:14 EST
Permalink
During the Bush administration he came to talk with the Dems at their retreat but President Bush had class and didn’t invite the cameras in.
Obama was not invited, he assumed, and in an effort to try to make the Republicans look bad he cut them off in their questioning, didn’t actually answer questions, and stood above them and became the bully he is.
He never provides facts, just repeats the same lies over and over and the foolish kneel at his feet, praising him and falling all over themselves with glowing reports of his words and demeanor.
Obama is sending billions and billions of taxpayer dollars overseas to foreign countries while Americans lose their jobs, their homes, their livings, etc.. He signs orders to give away our freedom in every way and you are apparently too stupid to see.
Tea Parties, 9/12, Town Halls are made up of not just Republicans but Conservatives, Independents, Democrats, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Black, White, Gay, Straight, We the People are working together to stop Obama and his administration from taking our country away from us. Listen.
Read the Declaration of Independence and learn that Obama is doing just what the King of England did, establishing an absolute tyranny over the States. It took a Revolutionary War to establish our Freedom and the Constitution is our Foundation.
Read the Constitution, the government derives their power from the consent of the Governed, the American People. Government works for us, we own that big White House.
In 2007 Democrats took congress and that is when things began to crumble. The facts are ignored and lied about with them, Obama and his administration. What kind of person meets in secret, bribes and threatens opponents and even those in his own party, blames everything on the previous administration? You need to look into this mans history, and not the book Bill Ayers the radical neighbor Obama didn’t know, shadow wrote, but his real history.
Who has he ever helped? He was never in business so hasn’t a clue about any of that. Who is in his administration? Radicals, lobbyists, corporate and bank execs and yet he said he didn’t approve. Would you take your child to a church where the pastor swore and condemned America and those not of his skin color? do you want some head guy of SEIU deciding about your healthcare along with ACORN because that is what is happening. Where is Code Pink with Obama?
And don’t use MediaMatters or Factcheck.org or Wikipedia or the New York Times because they are all owned by liberals. Do your own research like I do and know just what kind of guy needs to be on TV every day and makes demeaning remarks about anyone not blindly accepting his agenda.
I am a Christian, Conservative, Tea Party, 9/12 and Town hall attender and I am Pro-Life. do you know that just knowing that I am considered a Right Wing Extremist and the Obama administration considers me a terrorist, worse that the Muslim who shoots down 14 innocent people in the name of his religion?
Open your eye and wake up like so many American have done and are doing. 61% of Americans want Obamacare scraped and for a bi-partisan start over? What kind of person who works for us totally ignores us. Obama meets regularly with George Soros and Andy Stern yet met with Republicans one in his first year. In that meeting, which wasn’t televised, he told them he was going to push his agenda through no matter what.
Become a Patriot before it’s too late.
MANSI DEWAN
Location: DELHI
22 February 2010 at 10:27 EST
Permalink
WELL , I THINK OBAMA IS DOING PRETTY WELL FOR AMERICAN’S. WHATEVER HE IS DOING IS FOR THE WELL OF HIS OWN COUNTRY AND TO SAFEGUARD AND PROMOTE UNITY OF HIS CONTRY. IF HIS SAME GOOD DEEDS WILL CONTINUE THEN HE SURELY HELP AMERICA IN ACHIEVING NEW HEIGHTS . GO ON OBAMA GO ON.
Ringera
Location: Kenya
25 February 2010 at 15:49 EST
Permalink
Definately Obama is America’s president rather than just democratic president