2nd News Conference in Two Months... Not A Walk in the Park This Time....
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
President Obama gave his second Presidental news conference that lasted 50 minutes since becoming the President in January. But this time, he didn't have a walk in the park by the reporters attending the session. Instead, it most likely would be considered his toughest news conference. He most likely gained a few grey hairs from this news conference. He presented a very sober assessment of the state of the economy, but the President feels that he has the proper plan to attack the the issues from all fronts. He repeated the idea that the resssion did not start when he became president, instead he blamed the 'other party', as he put the blame fully on the past two President Bush's policies. He mentioned that there would be no quick fix, and that he has safeguards in place so that the economy will recover. He believes that his Stimulus package is the proper tool to accomplish this recovery, because it focuses on health care, energy, education, and "the kinds of things that can build a foundation for long-term economic growth, as opposed to the fleeting prosperity that we've seen over the last several years."
One of the reporters claimed that the scope of the stimulus may not be good for the country, but President Obama responded by saying "We haven't seen an alternative budget out of them," referring to the conservatives who have been so critical of his policy. He is still waiting for Congress to propose a future budget that will contain health care, energy, education and ways to reduce the budget deficit. Earlier today, Treasury Secretary unveiled the departments new bank rescue plan. Surely, there had to be a question posed to the President about the AIG insurance giant, and the president said " Keep in mind that it is precisely because of the lack of this authority that the AIG situation has gotten worse," Obama said, referring to the troubled insurance giant. He stood by his stance regarding stem cell research. He reiterated his vow to find ways to secure the 2100 mile Mexican border from drug smuggles, murderers and illegals that enter the country.
On his mind since his election he said the American people are judging himas they should: "Are we taking the steps to imrove liquidity in the financial markets, create jobs, get businesses to reopen, keep America safe? And that's what I've been spendin my time thinking about." What was interesting with this news confernce, no questions were posed to the President regarding the Iraq war or Osama Bin Laden, and not a word mentioned about terrorism. Along with the President, it was evident, at least at this news conference that the reporters wanted answers about things that affected the American people at home. President Obama had to originally mention Iraq in one of his responses regarding the global economy, and he mentioned that we are the leader to solve a worldly problem that affects every country. News outlets not normally heard from were Univision, Ebony Magazine and Stars and Stripes. The news conference was one of a few TV appearences for the week, as he made a historical appearence on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," then an interview on CBS's "60 minutes". It will be interesting in hearing the conservative responses from the likes of Rush Limbaugh. I will be listening intently regarding his responses, and will report on the response in a future article. With only 63 days since his election, I believe that President Obama may be ready for a vacation. What he has had to do in his first 63 days have been like he has been running a marathon. He is running hard, in an attempt to secure the economy to help people go back to work.
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