Obama blames a "deeply ideological" Congress for lack of action
President Obama says it's not his relationship with Congress that's to blame for the lack of congressional action on his agenda -- but a "deeply ideological" Congress that "sees a political advantage in not getting stuff done.
"John Boehner and I get along fine,' Obama said in an interview with Time magazine's Fareed Zakaria. "We had a great time playing golf together. That’s not the issue. The problem was that no matter how much golf we played or no matter how much we yukked it up, he had trouble getting his caucus to go along with doing the responsible thing on a whole bunch of issues over the past year."
The question arose after Obama noted that he had developed "bonds of trust" with foreign leaders. But not with Boehner, Zakaria suggested. The president, however, said "personal relationships" aren't the issue.
"My suspicion is that this whole critique has to do with the fact that I don't go to a lot of Washington parties," he said. "And as a consequence, the Washington press corps maybe just doesn't feel like I'm in the mix enough with them, and they figure, well, if I'm not spending time with them, I must be cold and aloof.
"The fact is, I've got a 13-year-old and 10-year-old daughter, and so, no, Michelle and I don't do the social scene, because as busy as we are, we have a limited amount of time, and we want to be good parents at a time that's vitally important for our kids."
"John Boehner and I get along fine,' Obama said in an interview with Time magazine's Fareed Zakaria. "We had a great time playing golf together. That’s not the issue. The problem was that no matter how much golf we played or no matter how much we yukked it up, he had trouble getting his caucus to go along with doing the responsible thing on a whole bunch of issues over the past year."
The question arose after Obama noted that he had developed "bonds of trust" with foreign leaders. But not with Boehner, Zakaria suggested. The president, however, said "personal relationships" aren't the issue.
"My suspicion is that this whole critique has to do with the fact that I don't go to a lot of Washington parties," he said. "And as a consequence, the Washington press corps maybe just doesn't feel like I'm in the mix enough with them, and they figure, well, if I'm not spending time with them, I must be cold and aloof.
"The fact is, I've got a 13-year-old and 10-year-old daughter, and so, no, Michelle and I don't do the social scene, because as busy as we are, we have a limited amount of time, and we want to be good parents at a time that's vitally important for our kids."
Mitch McConnell - "Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term."
This is the top republican member of the Senate. And his stated priority in this time of national crisis is not creating jobs, not improving national security, not ending wars, not solving our healthcare crisis, not fighting crime, but to making sure they win the next national election so they can promote an agenda of lower taxes and deregulation for their rich backers.......and this Congress does not give a damn about approval ratings. 11% approval rating And almost all are likely to be re-elected next year. Do you think you could keep your job if your boss was that unhappy with your performance? Not a chance.
This is the top republican member of the Senate. And his stated priority in this time of national crisis is not creating jobs, not improving national security, not ending wars, not solving our healthcare crisis, not fighting crime, but to making sure they win the next national election so they can promote an agenda of lower taxes and deregulation for their rich backers.......and this Congress does not give a damn about approval ratings. 11% approval rating And almost all are likely to be re-elected next year. Do you think you could keep your job if your boss was that unhappy with your performance? Not a chance.
McClatchy blog: Planet Washington
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