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PUBLISHED 2:29 p.m. ET -- President Barack Obama told his House Democratic colleagues that he would continue to challenge Republicans on how to best replace the impending sweeping spending cuts known as the "sequester."
Speaking at the House Democratic Issues Conference in Leesburg, Va., Obama said he wants to create an alternative to the sequester that includes some entitlement reforms but also more revenue through ending loopholes and deductions for the wealthiest earners, a point of disagreement with GOP lawmakers.
“I am prepared, eager and anxious to do a big deal, a big package that ends this governance by crisis,” he told the crowd.
Obama decried Republicans, who, he said, recognize “that the sequester is a bad idea, but what they've suggested is that the only way to replace it now is for us to cut Social Security, cut Medicare and not close a single loophole, not raise any additional revenue from the wealthiest Americans or corporations who have a lot of lawyers and accounts.”
While the president seemed to lament the lack of communication between himself and House Republicans, neither side has indicated that they negotiating in public or private. Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney lambasted House Speaker John Boehner’s reported offer, which includes cuts to Medicare premiums and federal pension programs, as “terrible.”
At the issues conference, Obama said he was steeling himself for another philosophical fight over cuts with the Republicans.
“I have to tell you, if that's an argument that they want to have before the court of public opinion, that is an argument I'm more than willing to engage in,” he said to applause.
But disagreements might not just be limited to the Republican side, the president added, saying he’s prepared to clash with fellow Democrats on key issues like immigration and gun safety.
“There will be times where you guys are mad at me, and I'll occasionally read about it,” he said.
Despite any such intra-party bickering, the president said he still believed Democrats would be in a good position in 2014 to retake the House of Representatives.
“As a by-product of doing that good work and keeping that focus, I would expect that Nancy Pelosi's going to be speaker again pretty soon,” the President concluded his remarks with, as the crowd erupted in cheers for their leader.
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Hey, $16 trillion in debt and rising, millions more on government aid, chronically high unemployment, the lowest workforce participation rate in 30 years, and no budget---what could possibly be wrong?
This IS the "new normal", people. President Obama has done ONE thing he promised--he has fundamentally changed America. Oh happy day.......................
You neglect Republican involvement in all this: Crashing our economy, obstructing ans sabotaging our recovery - and this is just the tip of the "Conservative" iceberg. What could have possibly gone wrong...???
yeah, yeah, yeah...keep telling yourself all that nonsense. Somehow Bush and the GOP were responsible for all that has gone wrong. Where were the Democrats back when all that bad stuff was going down? I know, they were the minority and utterly powerless to stop ANYTHING the GOP wished to do, right? But when the Dems had complete control, what did they do? Did they pass a budget? Increase or decrease taxes? Utilize "pay-go"?
Apparently, the Dems are helpless when in the minority. And also when in the majority, as evidenced by the constant whining. Why would people vote for a party that is ineffective when in the majority OR the minority?
Seems to me that Obama got his stimulus package. And to think the jobs it generated only cost about $300k each, and unemployment DID exceed 8%, no matter that we were told it wouldn't.
The economy crashed when the housing bubble broke. The root cause was decades of federal government involvement/support in the housing market. While both political parties were involved, it was a string of policies from Democrats that pushed home ownership and led to the inflated housing markets around the country plus huge numbers of people with mortgages who never should have been homeowners in the first place.
@mikehataway
@Peter17
The problem started back when Ronald Hussian Reagan became President. And every President since him, except for Obama, has helped caused this economic mess.
What the GOP low informed base that posts on here won't mention is that Obama's spending is some of the lowest of any President since Reagan. Wonder why they don't mention that FACT? Guess they hate him so much because he's 'uppity'.
I do agree, both parties caused this, along with Wall St and the mortage companies. Handing out loans to unqualified people is asking for a diaster to happen. And what also isn't being told to people is that every time a bank foreclosure on a house, that bank automatically receives $160K from the govt.
And then people wonder why the banks won't work with the home owners? The banks are making out like bandits, and the people are getting screwed. Yep, capitalism at it's best, or worst, depends on which side you are one.
And actually Peter, it wasn't a string of policies from the D's. Quit trying to re-write history to make your low informed base look good. The GOP hasn't had a decent policy in some time. Remember the "trickle down" policy? Yep, jobs were produced, just not here in the USA. We people here got the golden shower from that "trickle down" policy.
I could go on about more FAILED POLICIES, but is it really necessary Peter? We need the history books to tell the TRUTH, which is a foreign matter to the GOP. So let the adults write the history.
No, it started during the Carter administration. It is not the republicans that are rewriting history.
Am I wrong, or has NBC failed to report the Benjamin Carson speech story? No way to spin it? Or is it here somewhere?
Hey, it is NBC. They will run the Bachmann story about a list her campaign used (and subsequently paid for) longer than they will a story about Jesse Jackson, Jr. being convicted of crimes!
You know, NBC is hardly a credible source anymore. But, it is kind of entertaining!
I wasn't aware of it and looked it up as a result of your post. It appears to be important for beckerheads and other religious Taliban types but a non story. I didn't realize the president went to prayer breakfast's and wish he would spend his time at more useful activities.
Like constantly campaigining?????????????
The president has an agenda and I hope he gets out of DC and campaigns for it. He won't succeed unless he gets his message out directly to the people. Most Americans support his agenda.
Are you sure you don't like him because he is an intelligent black man. Racist much?
Just as in the fiscal cliff dispute, the president holds all the cards. After more threats and bluster the republicans will be forced to extend the sequester deadline and there will be no cuts. Sometimes kicking the can down the road is the only solution.
Obama holds no advantage in this debate. The Democrats will have a hissy fit if even one thin dime is cut from their social programs. The GOP won't LIKE the cuts to the military, but remember who holds the power of the purse! It is the House's right to allocate money. Watch what happens!
And if cuts are made to social programs, watch the Democratic base turn ugly!
No sane republican wants to hear of an embassy attack after sequestration and hear the president blame it on a cut in funding or an aircraft carrier kept in the US as Iran ramps up terrorist activity in the Gulf. After the sequestration is extended for x number of month( and later for x more months, etc,etc) you will realize how wrong you are. The president would like nothing more than a government shutdown or debt ceiling refusal by the teabaggers at this point because it will finally entirely destroy the republican party.
sharky,
So how would a majority in the House handle such a horrible situation. The House has the authority to issue WHOLE budgets or issuance of a single dollar to one very specific item, and everything in between.
So when the House sends authorizations to the Senate to resolve those horrible situations, do tell us, how insane is Reid & democrats?
Of course, that would leave BHO holding a 'hot potato'. OOPS
FINALLY, Mikehataway. You are one of the few that realize Obama can't be spending that much, it is the GOP controlled house that is doing the spending.
SEE HOW the GOP and it's low informed base spread lies? Well Mikehataway just gave up the truth of the matter. I expect the low informed to be attacking him soon.
And yes, the GOP has painted itself into a corner with this budget and their cuts. Obama is forcing the GOP to not ONLY make the decision on what to cut, but how much. And keep in mind these elected crooks are eyeing next years election.
That is why I am laughing and calling it a GOP circus. Can you see Boner telling his people in Ohio that the nasty Dem's made me cut those programs. I'm sorry if your parents, grandparents, etc got their Social Security and Medicare cut, but it was Obama's fault, sob sob sob, and those tears are just rolling down his cheeks, staining his orange makeup. What a sight to see when it happens.
And it WILL HAPPEN unless the GOP wakes up. They put themselves in this position, saying NO to everything. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, Obama is telling the baggers NO. Weeeeeeeeeee
Pelosi and the rest of the idiots who think spending cuts inhibit growth are prime reasons they need to get out of politics and raise rabbits or chickens. These are the imbeciles who have supported the massive spending and do you see any jobs as a result??? Get real you morons and lets start earning the big paychecks you nuts get for doing nothing!
The American people will tell you that we have a spending problem and whatever idiots like Pelosi and Obozo the liar-in-chief say, raising taxes will not do the job!
How stupid do you have to be to remain in Congress and the top executive job in the country and understand reality?? The idiots in charge have all the money for themselves and their families, relatives, friends or whatever and the American taxpayers are continually getting screwed because of their insanity!
They all need to be tossed out on their fat rearends starting with Pelosi and the rest of the morons who keep spending us into fiscal disaster. Cut the lousy social programs and the wasted BS the socialist-in-chief is in favor of and lets get the country some jobs.
The people who wasted their votes on these morons are the real losers in this deal. You may get more handouts from Uncle Obozo now but it isn't going to last. By the way, would you work if you had a job?
The President and his followers want to make this a two class society. That would be the ruling class and the proletariat.
Wasn't the whole sequestration idea originally proposed by Obama himself? Didn't he do so to try and force the Republicans into putting a Band-Aid on the fiscal cliff situation?
So why is Obama now saying that it is a horrible idea, and that the Republicans must "compromise" (that means doing only what he wants) and pass legislation to avoid the cuts sequestration will mandate? If the Republicans had an ounce of brains, they would simply do nothing, and keep asking loudly why, if sequestration is so horrible, did Obama propose it in the first place?
Ed,
BHO isn't a governing guy, he's a campaigning guy. He didn't think it through, not the first time a POTUS has done that.
But you are correct, sequestration cuts are the only way an actual reduction in spending will ever occur.
I have to admit, I am interested in seeing how many in each group, pops their head like a ripe melon, over not being able to spend OUR money.
Pelosi will never be speaker again, ever. The deficit will continue to grow, the old will get older and need care.
Now is the time to stop the out of control spending.
No budget, then you sure as hell do not get to raise my taxes if you cannot explain where you are going to spend it. Now if you believe the current administration should have that authority, then please make sure you send me some money, don't worry I will spend it and let you know where afterwords..
Can people really be this stupid? Apparently yes if they are on the receiving end.
@Jerry D Williamson, I hope she never becomes speaker again, but one of her fellow D's most likely will as the R's are handing this upcoming 2014 election to the D's.
People have not forgot that the GOP ran on a platform of JOBS JOBS, and more JOBS. But ended up passing more anti-abortion bills than job bills. Yes, people do remember that, and will be remembered of that the closer the elections come.
And like a fellow R's of yours said, it isn't Obama and his spending, it's the GOP controlled house that is controlling the money, and they are spending it like drunk sailors on shore leave. And yes, people are really that stupid, just look at the low informed base the GOP has.
And we both know you won't get any explanation from where they are spending our money. And I sure won't be sending you or anyone else money. Get off your lazy rear and go work for it like I have to do. However, if you work at Walmart, you do need your foodstamps, as they don't pay livable wages to non management people.
The irony of republican support is that it suggests the GOP actually has the interests of the country in mind because according to them "the democrats are bankrupting the country". We need to remember no GOP politician is making statements even hinting at improving things, they always simply demand spending cuts. Why? Because they know they will spend more than they cut, even if they eliminate every government program that helps the needy ("entitlements") because of the spending that they create by massive funding to big business like the hugest pig of them all, the military, and of course the tremendous cost of deliberately failing the USPS since going private will mean using more expensive services like Fedex and UPS for all government mail.
Overall the GOP does not play well with others (irrational), this image is a scan of a notebook page that eight year old Kelsie adopted from china 15 years ago wrote on "Rules In our house" for the other kids to follow:
http://straygenius.com/files/kid-kelsie-rules.jpg
Any eight year old knows the republicans in the congress are not following the rules.
That is one hell of a stretch.
Bush 1 and Bush 2, no one could clean up the Dr. Sues cartoon mess, not even you!
Out of control military spending has bankrupted the country. 9/11 was the blank check that was required to fire off a shopping spree that never ends, especially since Bush's experts can start a war over the wrong determination of weapons of mass destruction, which in fact did not exist. Iraq not only got us to borrow from countries so that the deficit would be saved till another president actually had to paid the bill, it cost the lives of 4000 US service men and women as well.
Well ok perhaps there was one other thing in addition to the military spending of those horrid things, Bush 1 & 2, it was deregulation of the banking industry. With that the entire world suffered and has not even yet recovered from the economic devastation. Mortage backed securities were picked up by tons of foreign interests and countries, all betting the republicans in the white house knew what they were doing. Bad bet.
So we tromp all over foreign countries starting wars on lies, throwing our weight around, and crashing the world economy with our banking industry, causing many entire countries to falter and fall economically. It's amazing that Obama has been able to secure some respect from the world, considering all that the GOP has done to destroy our image and successfully achieved gaining the hatred of most of the world's people.
How did Bush I and Bush II deregulate the banking industry? I keep seeing that posted but no liberal has ever explained that.
@Not:
About mortgage backed securities and the global economic meltdown, leveraged by Pres. Bush, from the New York Times:
Lawrence B. Lindsey, Mr. Bush's first chief economics adviser, said there was little impetus to raise alarms about the proliferation of easy credit that was helping Mr. Bush meet housing goals.
"No one wanted to stop that bubble," Mr. Lindsey said. "It would have conflicted with the president's own policies."
Entire article detailing Bush's role in the destruction of the banking industry by a total loss of the securities value:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/business/21admin.html
Another bit from the article:
"Today, millions of Americans are facing foreclosure, homeownership rates are virtually no higher than when Mr. Bush took office, Fannie and Freddie are in a government conservatorship, and the bailout cost to taxpayers could run in the trillions".