If Bush Had Done That

TAKEAWAYS – Here are some of the most important points from President Obama’s must-watch speech before the House GOP’s conference in Baltimore Friday:

- Obama began his remarks on a conciliatory note, telling Republicans he expects them to “challenge my ideas,” and: “Having differences of opinion, having a real debate about matters of domestic policy and national security, that’s something that’s not only good for our country, it’s absolutely essential.”

- He urged Republicans to come to the table and work with him on policy compromises, saying Americans “didn’t send us to Washington to fight each other in some political steel cage match.” What voters don’t want, he said, is “for Washington to continue being so Washington-like.”

- But the president also challenged the House GOP. “We have seen some party-line votes that have been disappointing,” he said, recalling the stimulus fight. “I didn’t understand then, and I still don’t understand, why we got opposition in this caucus for almost $300 billion in badly needed tax cuts for the American people” and other assistance and infrastructure projects. Obama jabbed: “Let’s face it, some of you have been at the ribbon-cuttings for some of these important projects in your communities.”

- Continuing on a confrontational tack, Obama defended key components of his agenda, including the proposed fee on bailed-out banks – telling Minority Leader John Boehner: “If you listen to the American people, John, they’ll tell you they want their money back.” And while he conceded that the health care debate had become “bitter and contentious,” Obama stuck to his basic position: “If anyone here truly believes our health insurance system is working well for people, I respect your right to say so, but I don’t agree.”

- At the end of his remarks – before taking questions – Obama told Republicans it’s time to make a choice between aiming for “success at the polls” or “lasting success” for the country. “Just think about it for a while,” he said. “We don’t have to put it up for a vote today.”

Same B.S. different day.
Shon Jimenez

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