Obama Discusses The Message Of Massachusetts, Healthcare Reform, Bailouts & Voter Anger
ABC Video: Obama interview with George Stephanopoulos -- January 20, 2010
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STEPHANOPOULOS: So you saw it coming by then?
OBAMA: By that time, we did. And here's my assessment of not just the vote in Massachusetts, but the mood around the country.
The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office.
People are angry, and they're frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years.
You've got really hard-working folks all across the country, who have seen their wages flat line and their incomes flat line.
They feel more secure than ever. Then suddenly you've got this bank crisis in which their 401Ks are evaporating, their home values -- their single-biggest investment -- is collapsing.
And here in Washington -- from their perspective -- the only thing that happens is that we bail out the banks.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But you're in charge, now.
OBAMA: No -- well -- absolutely. No, keep in mind the point that I'm making here.
It was the right thing to do for us to salvage the financial system, and I make no apologies for that, at all. But we knew at the time how politically toxic that was.
What it gave people a sense of is, "We're spending all this money, but I'm not getting any help."
And, "Gosh -- I wanted Obama to come in there to start making sure that I was getting help; not the big special-interest and the institutions."
Now if I tell them, "Well, it turns out that we will actually have gotten TARP paid back and that we're going to make sure that a fee's imposed on the big banks, so that this thing will cost taxpayers not a dime," that's helpful. But it doesn't eliminate the sense that their voices aren't heard, and that institutions are betraying them.
And I think that's been expressing itself all year. And they've gotten increasingly frustrated over the course of the year.
So I take complete responsibility for the fact that -- A -- we had to salvage a financial system that could have made things much worse. We had to take the steps that we did at the beginning of the year, in order to stabilize the economy.
And I am actually glad to see that the economy's now growing again, and we have the prospect of a much better economy in 2010. But that doesn't negate the anger and the frustration that people are feeling.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But a lot of the Republicans say that the anger goes beyond the bailout. The financial bailout.
I was talking to Michael Steele this morning -- the Republican National Committee Chair. He says it's repudiation of your entire agenda.
OBAMA: Well, I think if he's suggesting the people voted against credit-card reform, so that credit card companies can't take advantage of people, or prevention of housing fraud reform, or that they were voting against national service, or they were voting against the 4 million children who have health insurance now because of the steps that we've taken... I don't think that's a plausible point.
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Read the complete transcript at ABC News >>
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Jan 21, 2010 at 4:22 AM
Reader Comments (25)
http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2010/01/obama-seat-scott-brown-and-health-care-next-steps.html
Exclusive: President Obama Says Voter Anger, Frustration Key to Republican Victory in Massachusetts Senate
Obama to Senate: Don't 'Jam' Through Health Care Until Brown Seated
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/77143-sanders-expects-brown-win-to-turn-dems-against-bernanke
(Have you seen the SNL Obama?): Nope!
But we'll see. Maybe he can be our patsy for a change.
"News of the announcement came shortly after Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had a private dinner Wednesday night with chief executives from some of the top Wall Street banks."
This is why I'm totally skeptical of anything significant happening. I couldn't believe that they would suddenly decide to actually do something in the way of regulation as a knee-jerk response to Brown's victory -- WITHOUT filling the banks in first.
This dinner meeting would not have been enough time to help the banks prepare for the coming announcement, so I assume it was just a nice little dinner to say, "Hey guys, don't worry. This is just campaign rhetoric. You know, like Canada and the trade agreements."
Thanks, Timmy!
And they think that Sarah Palin, and not John McCain, lost the Presidential election to Barack Obama.
It's interesting that the first person Brown will talk to in Washington is John McCain.
John McCain who came from a privileged background (his father was the commander the Pacific fleet during the Vietnam war), ran with Sarah Palin for populist ballast, against two populists but his political ship careened off course badly.
American politics is still about advertising and the marketing of images, not about substantive issues. It is still controlled by corporate interests and, even so, is in gridlock all over the country, at the local, state and federal level.
As a result we have an enormous number of pretty, ex-football players and beauty queen Republican and Democrat actors in office. Their ambition seems to be to retire from politics wealthy, and to build political dynasties
It's odd that the populists either can't, or don't want to, preserve America as a country of equality of opportunity, the very thing that made it possible for them to succeed.
What we've got here is failure to communicate.
Some men you just can't reach...
So, you get what we had here last week,
Which is the way he wants it !
Well, he gets it !
MUST SEE PICTURE..LINK
http://marketoracle.co.uk/Article16560.html
John McCain was no Populist, he was in the pocket of the banksters long before his service to our nation as a member of the Keating 5.
We would like to preserve America as a country of equality of opportunity, but it is next to impossible to break the elite herds, and the true majority seem to be uninterested in their nation through their disinterest in things as simple as voting. It will have to get a lot worse before the majority will awaken.
Brown is meeting with McCain for one reason, he must get saddled up to the feed trough fast, for his next election is right around the corner.
Brown is a message to Washinton for sure, but he is no savior, the game is still played by the same rules as before.
Obama believes Brown won for the same reasons he won. Was that the blame Bush message or the change we can believe in message? I didn’t see Oprah crying.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00002
This is why I'm totally skeptical of anything significant happening. I couldn't believe that they would suddenly decide to actually do something in the way of regulation as a knee-jerk response to Brown's victory -- WITHOUT filling the banks in first.
This dinner meeting would not have been enough time to help the banks prepare for the coming announcement, so I assume it was just a nice little dinner to say, "Hey guys, don't worry. This is just campaign rhetoric. You know, like Canada and the trade agreements."
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and it looks like someone who was there is leaking tim's thoughts to the media...read this...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN2123718120100122?pageNumber=1
Geithner aired concern on bank limits-sources
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012103200.html
Senate rejects GOP bid to end TARP payments
When government “representatives” deliberately sell into slavery the citizens of a so-called free Republic, they have committed treason against those people. This is exactly what has happened in the United States: the citizens have been sold into debt slavery that they and their descendants can never escape, because the debts piled onto their backs can never, ever be paid. Despite expensive and sophisticated brainwashing campaigns emanating from Washington, claiming that America can “grow” out of its deficits and debt, it is arithmetically impossible for the country to do so. The government’s statements that it can dig the nation out of its fiscal hole by digging an even deeper chasm have become parodies and perversions of even totally discredited and morally disgusting Keynesianism.
The people no longer have elected representatives; they have elected traitors.
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article16702.html
I am in India...................
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/economy/story/82899.html
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/economy/story/82899.html
Goldman under investigation for its securities dealings
Are you kidding, I have watched enough movies to know that the guys in the front always get shot. Besides, I am more Machiavellian for Ken. He wouldn't be able to carry out my orders.
But the guys out front receive all the glory, til the guys hiding under the beds steal it from them.
Yesterdays Supreme Court Ruling that allows Corporations to spend freely and use unlimited amount of money to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress is the death knell of our democracy and is a "War on Democracy".
The five conservative justices on the supreme court by their ruling, have enabled foreign countries through the shares they can buy AND OWN in US companies can now influence our American elections.
To me this is tantamount to Treason. Many are already saying the five justices of the Supreme court who ruled in favor should be prosecuted for Treason. Treason as defined by Article III of our constitution : "Betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power"
Treason. A breach of allegiance to one's government, usually committed through levying war against such government or by giving aid or comfort to the enemy. The offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance; or of betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power. . Art. III, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution.
This is no longer the United State of America but The United States of Corporations. It is no longer "We the People" but "We the Corporations".
I am sickened and in shocked that this could have happened. I believe any one supporting this will be sending their sons and daughters into a lifetime of Corporate Slavery not unlike Serfdom in Medieval times.
This ruling snuck up on all of us and smacks of the treachery not unlike what happened when the Federal Reserve was secretly created in the cover of darkness in 1910 on Jekyll Island GA. by JP Morgan et all Bankers ot the time.
This is a fight against Corporate Communism. We must come together ,as this is no longer about left or right ,conservative or democrat but about preserving democracy for us the American citizens and against the Corporate Special Interest take over of our country.
I am sickened as a son of the Greatest Generation that the Americans who died on the beaches of Normandy or Iwo Jima, saving democracy for we the people of this country could may have died in vain for the special interests of corporations.
We owe it to all who went before and after us who made ultimate sacrifice to preserve democracy for the citizens of this country . I myself have been lazy and too comfortable when it came to any sacrifice for this country, but this is one I am willing to give my all to, as we owe to all that went before us.
Here are Dwight D. Eisenhour's, a conservative and republican president, in his own words of his farewell speech upon leaving office after serving this country first as one of our greatest generals in WWII and then president. When he refers to military industrial complex he is referring to the military "corporation "complex
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."
I have some ideas on how we may kill this ruling. There are some short term tactical actions we can take well which I will post on at a later time. Any other ideas on stopping this would be more than welcome.
IF WE DO NOTHING "THIS COUNTRY WILL CEASE TO EXIST AS A DEMOCRACY FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY AS OUR FOUNDING FATHERS HAD INTENDED"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEZXLwAAur0