Follow Barack Obama prior and during his tenure as the 44th President of the United States. Read about my personal observations along with every day facts as they happen. This blog will only submit factual information about the first black President, now in his 2nd term of office.
BARACK OBAMA MEMORIBILIA available right HERE at www.obamaitems.info

BARACK OBAMA IN THE WHITEHOUSE

Send E-mail to the Editor at: obamainthewhitehouse@mail.com
Click on the GOOGLE TRANSLATE BUTTON BELOW AND SELECT YOUR LANGUAGE

Search This Blog

President Obama’s press conference addresses health care, Gates arrest

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The President gives a conference yesterday to promote plans for health-care reform

Natalie Custodio


On July 22, 2009, President Obama hosted a prime-time televised press conference in an effort to discuss his plans for health-care reform.

He fielded various questions from reporters at the White House about his plans to universalize health care in the United States, citing it as “the driving force behind the national deficit,” according to National Public Radio

He opened with a report on progress from the White House so far, explaining the impact of the Recovery Act and its work with helping families and small business owners with tax breaks in order to keep them afloat.

Obama then announced that the public should not be discouraged, that although the country isn’t ideally back where we need to be, we are on track to total recovery.

He even left the press conference on a glimmer of hope with a gem of honesty, saying that “new hiring is always one of the last things to bounce back after a recession,” according to transcripts.

The President is utilizing his recent public appearances as a way to clarify his plans, citing both the problems with current health-care (expensive, difficult to obtain, often unreliable to hold on to) and then following up with a solution (universal health-care). As momentum for his plans pick up, so does flack from his opponents

He hasn’t had much support from his constituents in Washington D.C., and many conservative figures are busy doubting his abilities altogether.

House Republican Eric Cantor told MSNBC that, “What I heard last night was a president that seems somewhat frustrated that people do not understand what this government health-care plan is all about.”

Though not everyone is against him here.

Recent polls taken show a 50% support rate in favor of Obama’s reform, but a close 43% against it. (The other 7% were indifferent or could not be surveyed) Some conservatives are even giving their own approval rates.

Louisianna Governor Bobby Jindal (a leading Republican figure) also told MSNBC “You listen to what the President said. He said he does not want to increase the deficit, does not want government control of healthcare. He wants people to keep their insurance. He wants to crack down on the abuse…All that’s great, the problem is, that’s not what’s in the House Democrat bill.”

President Obama also made an unexpected dig at Cambridge, Mass. Police in response to a question about the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates.

Gates was arrested by police after forcefully entering his own home. The charges were later dropped, but when the President was posed with the question of his opinion, he commented on Gates’ arrest in relation to race saying, “...there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That’s just a fact.”

Gates is of African-American descent.

Our Take:

President Obama came along at a very unstable time for the United States, not only economically, but nationally as well. He may experience quite a bit of flack for his ideals and changes, mainly because we are a nation set in our ways. As evidenced by the Harvard professor’s arrest, certain stigmas and fears will never disappear, regardless of who is in office or what progress is being made.

0 comments:

  © Free Blogger Templates Columnus by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP