Tuesday, December 07, 2010

President Obama Shows Good Sense

Today President Obama showed better political and "common" sense than half* of the White House press corps questioners. Their questions were mostly versions of "Why are you not sticking with a leftist agenda?"

Many of the White House press seem not to have understood the implications of a national vote in which Republicans gained 64 seats in the House and 6 in the Senate.

President Obama may be showing an ability to be an effective president by thinking of the American people first and political agenda second.

Is this the beginning of an intelligent pivot? We'll see.



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*Examples of "we don't understand the 2010 election results" questions:

Chuck Todd, NBC News: "Mr. President, what do you say to Democrats who say you’re rewarding Republican obstruction here? You yourself used in your opening statement they were unwilling to budge on this. A lot of progressive Democrats are saying they’re unwilling to budge, and you’re asking them to get off the fence and budge. Why should they be rewarding Republican obstruction?"

Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic Magazine: "Mr. President, thank you. How do these negotiations affect negotiations or talks with Republicans about raising the debt limit? Because it would seem that they have a significant amount of leverage over the White House now, going in."

Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post: "Some on the left have questioned -- have looked at this deal and questioned what your core values are, what specifically you will go to the mat on. I’m wondering if you can reassure them with some specific things in saying, all right, this is where I don’t budge."

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