Skip to main content

Let The Fiscal Talks Begin

As President Obama gets set to meet with Congressional members today regarding the fiscal sanity of the country, we get some pretty good color commentary from White House pool reporters.

Just as President Obama spent his anniversary debating with presidential candidate Mitt Romney, we find that House speaker John Boehner is spending his birthday duling it out with President Obama.


The president's remarks come from pool reporter, Amy Gardner of The Washington Post.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  "I want to welcome the Congressional leadership here and thank them for their time. I think we're all aware that we have some urgent business to do. We've got to make sure that taxes don't go up on middle class families, that our economy remains strong."

"That's an agenda that Democrats and Republicans and independents, people all across the country share. So our challenge is to make sure that we are able to cooperate together work together find some common ground, make some tough compromises build some consensus to do the people's business."

The president said folks are looking for "action."

"They want to see that we are focused on them not on the politics here in Washington. My hope is this is going to be the beginning of a fruitful process that we're able to come to agreement that will reduce our deficit in a balanced way, that we will deal with some of these long-term impediments to growth and we're also going to be focusing on making sure that middle class families are able to get ahead.""And with that we're going to get to work."

In his first news conference since being re-elected, President Obama told reporters Tuesday that Americans cannont afford tax cuts for millionaires.

"And what I have told leaders privately as well as publicly is that we cannot afford to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.  What we can do is make sure that middle-class taxes don’t go up.    I think the foundation for a deal that helps the economy, creates jobs, gives consumers certainty, which means gives businesses confidence that they're going to have consumers during the holiday season -- is if we right away say 98 percent of Americans are not going to see their taxes go up; 97 percent of small businesses are not going to see their taxes go up.   If we get that in place, we are actually removing half of the fiscal cliff". 

On a cheerier note to what will sure be the opposite as the two sides meet again of this issue, the president wished Speaker Boehner a happy 63rd birthday.

"I have one more announcement to make today, which is to wish the Speaker a happy birthday. We didn't make him a cake because we didn't know how many candles we'd need."

The two laughed and shook hands, and Boehner said, "Yeah, right."

--

Congressional leaders in attendance included Secretary Tim Geithner, Speaker Boehner, The President Majority Leader Harry Reid, Chief of Staff Jack Lew, House Leader Nancy Pelosi, The Vice President Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Story Behind Presidents' Day

Did you know Presidents' Day isn’t just about a day off?  Originally established to honor George Washington’s birthday, it has since grown to celebrate all U.S. presidents who’ve shaped the country’s path. It’s a day to reflect on leadership, service, and the values that drive national progress. Presidents' Day dates back to 1879, when it was first recognized as a federal holiday for Washington. Later, Abraham Lincoln’s February birthday brought attention. By 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act combined the days, creating the long weekend many know today—but its purpose goes far deeper. From decisions that forged independence to policies steering modern challenges, U.S. presidents have helped shape history. It's a moment to appreciate lessons in courage, responsibility, and the impact of strong leadership on society today. How do you celebrate Presidents' Day?  Is it by learning about the leaders who influenced American history? Do you read their biographies, visit ...

Gary Locke Nominated as Ambassador to China

Gary Locke, former White House Secretary of Commerce, has been nominated by the President as U.S. ambassador to China. Locke replaces former Utah governor  Jon Huntsman, who has stepped down to (wait for it) possibly challenge President Obama in the 2012 presidential race. Locke was the first Chinese-American governor and should the Senate approve his nomination, would the be first Chinese-American ambassador to China.  He is a partner in the Seattle office of the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine which lists China as one of its specialties. "Gary has distinguished himself as one of our nation’s most respected and admired public servants.  As our country’s first Chinese-American governor, he worked tirelessly to attract jobs and businesses to Washington State, and he doubled exports to China", said President Obama during this morning's announcement. "He’s been a point person for my National Export Initiative, and last year, Gary’s depa...