I honestly do not know why the President would even bother to waste his precious, non-existent time (considering what he has been saddled with by the reckless, incompetent and irresponsible, if not criminal, W. Administration and its rubber stamping Congress) with the Republican Party whose only goal is to destroy him. Indeed, the Republican far right, led by Rush Limbaugh, has even far more sinister plans for our President.
The President Obama ran on a platform of change and bi-partisanship. He won the 2008 election hands down. He speaks to Democratic conservatives, moderates, centrists, progressives and Independents. I guess he is also attempting to reach out to a bunch of corrupted, lying crooks and political thugs, too.
On Friday, two days after the State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama, an invited guest, spoke to the House Republicans at their annual retreat meeting in Baltimore.
Videos of the President's remarks and Q&A are below the fold.
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The President's address, followed by an extensive question and answer period, sharply focused on the difference between the hard work of legislating policy and the easy, self-serving and lazy paths of over the top scorched earth rhetoric and beyond the pale cheap shots.
The President reminded Republicans that they have boxed themselves into a very narrow place by failing to communicate honestly and openly with their constituents. The Party's over the top rhetoric has its dire consequences that are far from helpful as far as finding solutions to the problems that challenge us.
The President also honed in on the difference between real math that would grow our economy while bringing down the deficit vs. the politically expedient rhetoric of voodoo math, i.e. sticking two wars, deep tax cuts for the rich and a huge federal entitlement program on the federal credit card.
Weaving between pleas for bipartisanship and direct criticism of GOP politicking, the president took Republicans to task for voting against last year's stimulus package and then attending "ribbon cuttings" for projects funded by it.
"A lot of you have gone to ribbon cuttings for the same projects that you voted against," Obama said. "I say all this not to re-litigate the past, but it's simply to state, the component parts of the recovery act are consistent with what many of you say are important things to do."
Obama touched repeatedly on the theme that, in opposing his policies, Republicans at times oppose things that are in line with their ideology. Among those things, Obama argued, are his proposed fee on banks and a freeze on discretionary spending.
Part I
Part I: Q&A.
No one can say the President has not extended a huge olive branch to the Republicans, especially those on the far right. Let's see how the Republicans respond. Will they slap it away, yet again? Or will some Republicans have the integrity to stand up and start doing the work of the people?
