Saturday, December 21, 2013

President Obama's speech from yesterday, plus a Q and A on all kinds of things.


Here are some of the highlights from the transcript.

On Heathcare.gov: 

The health care website problems were a source of great frustration. I think in the last press conference I adequately discussed my frustrations on those. On the other hand, since that time I now have a couple million people, maybe more, who are going to have health care on January 1st. And that is a big deal.

On the NSA:

As you know, the independent panel that I put together came back with a series of recommendations, 46 in total. I had an extensive meeting with them down in the Situation Room to review all the recommendations that they've made. I want to thank them publicly because I think they did an excellent job and took my charge very seriously, which is I told them, I want you to look from top to bottom at what we're doing and evaluate whether or not the current structures that we have and the current programs that we have are properly addressing both our continuing need to keep ourselves secure and to prevent terrorist attacks or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or other threats to the homeland, and are we also making sure that we're taking seriously rule of law and our concerns about privacy and civil liberties. 

So what we're doing now is evaluating all the recommendations that have been made. Over the next several weeks I'm going to assess, based on conversations not just with the intelligence community but others in government and outside of government, how we might apply and incorporate their recommendations. And I'm going to make a pretty definitive statement about all of this in January, where I'll be able to say, here are the recommendations that we think make sense, here are ones that we think as promising but still need to be refined further, here's how it relates to the work we're doing not just -- not just internally but also in partnership with other countries.

On struggles this last year and hope for the next:

And when I look at the landscape for next year, what I say to myself is: We're poised to do really good things. The economy is stronger than it has been in a very long time. Our next challenge then is to make sure that everybody benefits from that and not just a few folks. And there's still too many people who haven't seen a raise and are still feeling financially insecure. We can get immigration reform done. We've got a concept that has bipartisan support. Let's see if we can break through the politics on this. 

You know, I think that hopefully folks have learned their lesson in terms of brinksmanship coming out of the -- coming out of the government shutdown. You know there have been times where I've thought about, were there other ways that I could have prevented that -- those three, four weeks that hampered the economy and hurt individuals families who were not getting a paycheck during that time? Absolutely, but I also think that in some ways, given the pattern that we have been going through with House Republicans for a while, we might have needed just a little bit of a bracing sort of recognition that this is not what the American people think is acceptable. 

They want us to try to solve problems and be practical, even if we can't get everything done. 

So, you know, the end of the year is always a good time to reflect and see what can you do better next year. That's how I intend to approach it. I am sure that I will have even better ideas after a couple days of sleep and sun.

On the delegation that he is sending to he Olympics and the message that sends:

I think the delegation speaks for itself. You've got outstanding Americans, outstanding athletes, people who will represent us extraordinarily well. And, you know, the fact that we've got folks like Billie Jean King or Brian Boitano, who themselves have been world-class athletes that everybody acknowledges for their excellence but also for their character, who also happen to be members of the LGBT community, you should take that for what it's worth, that when it comes to the Olympics and athletic performance we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. We judge people on how they perform, both on the court and off the court, on the field and off the field. And that's a value that I think is at the heart of not just America but American sports.

In other words "Screw you and your homophobic bullshit Putin!"

I though the President addressed some very tricky questions about Obamacare, the NSA, Edward Snowden, his poll numbers, and Iran. There were certainly some questions that he did not elaborate on in any great deal, but there were also plenty that he did. And some of them were the tougher ones.

Oh and he also said "Merry Christmas" quite a few times.

Just thought I should mention that.

17 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:08 AM

    Oh, and the "New York Times" complained that President Obama was not informative enough about the NSA. How many press conferences did George W. Bush hold? And just how informative and specific were his responses to the few questions he ever took from reporters? President Obama is always held to a much higher standard than any of his GOP predecessors. I wonder why.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:23 AM

      Spot on, Beaglemom. We KNOW why.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous5:07 AM

    Stick another pin in your voodoo doll, Tundra Twat!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:12 AM

    Thought President Obama did an outstanding job at this Press Conference - as usual!! And, hope he and his family have a magnificent vacation in his birth place of Hawaii.

    I go there annually too and there is no better place for calmness and peace!

    Merry Christmas, President Obama, First Lady Obama and your beautiful daughters!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:26 AM

      Let the 4pees bawl as they are over "how DARE he...we have to pay for it, too!" I, for one, have no problem funding this trip through my taxes.

      Delete
  4. Sorry to you early birds who found the video marked private. I swear it worked fine last night.

    However I have replaced it with one that you can actually watch so enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The president does look tired, and how could he not with the relentless attacks. I hope they have a wonderful, restful vacation.

    Merry Christmas to all of you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous6:50 AM

    2013 and the regressive progressives:

    http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2013/12/how-has-barack-obama-disappointed-you.html

    I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the defeatist emoprog liberal crybabies who populate the American Left are, quite simply, jealous of a president who has accomplished more actual good with five years of pragmatic action than they have with all their silly, impotent fist-shaking, foot-stomping, and slogan-chanting....'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:34 PM

      Well, I'm a lifelong Democrat and President Obama has not disappointed me at all. The US media has disappointed me and the refusal of the GOP in Congress and in state governments to act on behalf of the American people have disappointed me. But the president, not at all. He has been amazing in the face of so much obstruction and orneriness.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  7. Anonymous7:10 AM

    This video of President Obama rapping a parody of Snoop Dogg and Pharrell’s hit song Drop It Like It’s Hot, from Obama impersonator Iman Crosson, is actually pretty funny.

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/so-theres-an-obama-drop-it-like-its-hot-parody-that-wants-yo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous7:13 AM

    Seriously? He said this? What a tool!

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/rick-santorum-health

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anita Winecooler8:40 PM

      That's Ricky! I'm shocked he didn't mention his sick daughter, oh right, he's not campaigning yet.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous7:14 AM

    Do nothing Congress sets new record!

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/giving-new-meaning-do-nothing-congress

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous7:44 AM

    Deft Diplomacy: How a Little-Known Document May Have Just Prevented an African Genocide

    As multiple media outlets this week have bashed President Barack Obama for having a difficult year, he very well may have just had one of the greatest triumphs of his presidency.

    And, not surprisingly, nobody in the media is talking about it.

    The background on this story involves the escalating conflict in the Central African Republic between secretariat Christian and Muslim groups for the preceding eight months. In early December, nearly 400 people were killed in clashes in the capital city of Bangui. Thousands of refugees fled the city and it appeared that there was nothing that could be done to prevent the additional violence and murders. The world appeared to be watching the events of a modern-day Rwanda unfold in front of its eyes and seemed perfectly content to let it happen.

    Enter Barack Obama and a little-known 2011 document called Presidential Directive Study 10, or PSD-10.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2013/12/21/deft-diplomacy-little-known-document-prevented-african-genocide.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:46 AM

    Just saw this on Facebook...wish it could be run on tv as often as the ads telling us that Walmart is a wonderful place to work, or that BP Oil is totally concerned about the environment...a pleasing thing to watch:

    http://www.upworthy.com/the-snoop-dogg-y-spoof-of-president-obama-thats-too-good-not-to-see?g=2&c=ufb1

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love this president. I was only 9 years old when Kennedy was killed, too young to appreciate his importance, but now we've surely got another one, and a first lady every bit as classy.

    I was there before dawn to vote him in in '08, and before I'd gulped half of the morning's first cup of coffee in '12. Obama's never done anything to make me regret it, but I do often wonder how much more progressed we'd be if he didn't have to cope with such deliberate (and typically racist) obstructionism.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anita Winecooler8:46 PM

    I was cheering him on! I loved how he handled the guy from FOX news, poor guy's head was spinning trying to figure out if he was being made fun of or not. I swear I heard heads explode when the marxist socialist wished people "Merry Christmas".

    Happy Holidays, First Family. This time you got there on time and don't have to babysit Congress as they go to "Plan B", which didn't exist, when "Plan A" failed. Get plenty of rest, relaxation and sunshine, you deserve it!!!

    ReplyDelete

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