Obama admits who was responsible for the Do-Nothing Congress

[DSUrocks07]

[travelinman67]

"What? Hey, it's just, um, a matter of...uh, what you might call...
..."optics".
You see, it's still the fault of the Republicans for not giving me the bills I ask for."

[Ivytalk]

But...Boehner!

[CID1990]

You know what's funny here?

Very PREDICTABLY certain news sources have parsed his quote to leave out the part about the Senate blocking legislation he didn't like.

Check out these links - (especially those of you who like to poo pooh media bias to the left):

ABC News (using AP): http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStor ... 5-27873403" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

""I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office," Obama said in an NPR interview airing Monday. "Now, I suspect, there are going to be some times where I've got to pull that pen out.""

Huffpo (via AP): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/2 ... 89408.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

""I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office," Obama said in an NPR interview airing Monday. "Now, I suspect, there are going to be some times where I've got to pull that pen out.""

Some news sources actually included his whole quote to their credit, but way too many sources were perfectly happy to quote verbatim the AP article, which is misleading. I wonder why Huffpo and ABC didn't just write their own articles anyway? Maybe they could point to AP if any criticism about parsing came their way?

[AZGrizFan]

And, ironically, taken in COMPLETE context the quote is even worse:

On the other hand, now you've got Republicans in a position where it's not enough for them simply to grind the wheels of Congress to a halt and then blame me. They are going to be in a position in which they have to show that they can responsibly govern, given that they have significant majorities in both chambers.

And, you know, what I've said repeatedly is that I want to work with them; I want to get things done. I don't have another election to run.

There are going to be areas where we agree and I'm going to be as aggressive as I can be in getting legislation passed that I think help move the economy forward and help middle-class families. There are going to be some areas where we disagree and, you know, I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office, partly because legislation that I objected to was typically blocked in the Senate even after the House took over — Republicans took over the House.

Now I suspect there are going to be some times where I've got to pull that pen out. And I'm going to defend gains that we've made in health care; I'm going to defend gains that we've made on environment and clean air and clean water.

So, he wants to work with them--but not really. He wants to "get things done", but only what HE wants done. Fuck the REST of the government and the country. He's now promised to veto any legislation that he doesn't agree with--but only because BEFORE, it used to just get blocked in the Senate, letting THEM do his dirty work FOR him.

Obama. The gift that keeps on giving.

[Ibanez]

And, ironically, taken in COMPLETE context the quote is even worse:

On the other hand, now you've got Republicans in a position where it's not enough for them simply to grind the wheels of Congress to a halt and then blame me. They are going to be in a position in which they have to show that they can responsibly govern, given that they have significant majorities in both chambers.

And, you know, what I've said repeatedly is that I want to work with them; I want to get things done. I don't have another election to run.

There are going to be areas where we agree and I'm going to be as aggressive as I can be in getting legislation passed that I think help move the economy forward and help middle-class families. There are going to be some areas where we disagree and, you know, I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office, partly because legislation that I objected to was typically blocked in the Senate even after the House took over — Republicans took over the House.

Now I suspect there are going to be some times where I've got to pull that pen out. And I'm going to defend gains that we've made in health care; I'm going to defend gains that we've made on environment and clean air and clean water.

So, he wants to work with them--but not really. He wants to "get things done", but only what HE wants done. Fuck the REST of the government and the country. He's now promised to veto any legislation that he doesn't agree with--but only because BEFORE, it used to just get blocked in the Senate, letting THEM do his dirty work FOR him.

Obama. The gift that keeps on giving.

Where's the gift receipt?

[GannonFan]

Nothing terribly new here - Obama from day one was impacted by Reid and what Reid wanted to get done. Obama took a fairly hands off approach to legislation because he wanted to keep the Executive separate from that branch of government and, frankly, he didn't know how to deal with the Democratic leaders in Congress.

[dbackjon]

Still on the House - they were obsessed with their radical, anti-American agenda - it was great that we have had true American Patriots like Harry Reid around to stem the right-wing destruction of American Values.


Now, it is up to Obama to save what is left of America, and pray that we can overcome GOP election fraud/buying of votes to win back the House/Senate and keep the White House in 2016

[AZGrizFan]

Still on the House - they were obsessed with their radical, anti-American agenda - it was great that we have had true American Patriots like Harry Reid around to stem the right-wing destruction of American Values.


Now, it is up to Obama to save what is left of America, and pray that we can overcome GOP election fraud/buying of votes to win back the House/Senate and keep the White House in 2016

troll obvious troll

[Ibanez]

Still on the House - they were obsessed with their radical, anti-American agenda - it was great that we have had true American Patriots like Harry Reid around to stem the right-wing destruction of American Values.


Now, it is up to Obama to save what is left of America, and pray that we can overcome GOP election fraud/buying of votes to win back the House/Senate and keep the White House in 2016

There's no way you typed that while not laughing like a maniac. One day you will realize that Democrats, Republicans, Senators, Representatives, etc... don't give a shit about you, me or America.

[Ibanez]

Still on the House - they were obsessed with their radical, anti-American agenda - it was great that we have had true American Patriots like Harry Reid around to stem the right-wing destruction of American Values.


Now, it is up to Obama to save what is left of America, and pray that we can overcome GOP election fraud/buying of votes to win back the House/Senate and keep the White House in 2016

troll obvious troll

Tollers gonna Troll

[Baldy]

Still on the House - they were obsessed with their radical, anti-American agenda - it was great that we have had true American Patriots like Harry Reid around to stem the right-wing destruction of American Values.


Now, it is up to Obama to save what is left of America, and pray that we can overcome GOP election fraud/buying of votes to win back the House/Senate and keep the White House in 2016

[D1B]

Another conk circle jerk. Move along.

[Chizzang]

Why does this mater now..?
It's effectively over

And plus - we're all excited to see the next Republican President fix all of America's problems
Please lead the way

[JohnStOnge]

The way things are perceived IS interesting and has been frustrating. Like, as a procedural matter, Bill Clinton "shut down the government" in 1995 and 1996. But the idea that the Republican Congress shut the government down then is firmly established in the public mind. Then it happened again last year. Procedurally and as an objective matter, the Democrat controlled Senate shut the government down. And, again, it was firmly (and incorrectly) established in the public mind that the Republicans did it.

I heard Brent Hume comment on it a while back. He said that "regardless of what the proximate cause of a government shutdown is, the Republicans are going to get the blame." He said that's been clearly demonstrated by history and it's correct. It's just a reality that the Republicans have to deal with. Doesn't matter if they're really the ones that do it or not. They're going to be perceived as the ones who do it.

[kalm]

Wait! I thought gridlock was good?

I wonder what important pieces of legislation will be vetoed?

[JohnStOnge]

Wait! I thought gridlock was good?

I wonder what important pieces of legislation will be vetoed?

In most cases I think it is. I think we'd be a lot better off at this point in history if Congress had done a LOT less over the years in terms of making laws that it has.

But with this next 6 years or so it needs to do something in that it needs to get rid of the Affordable Care Act if possible. That'll depend on what happens in the 2016 elections. But if they get the Presidency in 2016 and still hold both houses of Congress they need to make a serious effort to get rid of that.

Of course that would be doing something in the form of "taking back" something it did earlier so it's kind of different. And they could do that with a lot of things theoretically. Things like getting rid of the EPA and the IRS. Getting rid of the income tax. That kind of stuff is "doing things" but it's more along the lines of moving back from things that were done in the past. Call it "UN doing" things.

I mean, once you're sitting here at the end of centuries of Congress doing stuff it shouldn't have done you have to DO something in order to get rid of those things.

[CID1990]

Still on the House - they were obsessed with their radical, anti-American agenda - it was great that we have had true American Patriots like Harry Reid around to stem the right-wing destruction of American Values.


Now, it is up to Obama to save what is left of America, and pray that we can overcome GOP election fraud/buying of votes to win back the House/Senate and keep the White House in 2016

troll obvious troll

I dunno

Sometimes I think the difference between Brokedickjon and D is that Jon really believes his own bullshit.

[CID1990]

Wait! I thought gridlock was good?

I wonder what important pieces of legislation will be vetoed?

Why dont you ask The One?

Apparently he thinks it is imminent enough to comment at length about his veto pen.