Obama says he won't back down on 'trying to stimulate' economy
| Washington
President Obama has a message for voters angry about the sluggish economy: 鈥淚 feel your pain.鈥�
At his news conference Friday, Mr. Obama didn鈥檛 use that exact phrase. But a chief executive famous for his cool demeanor did his best to express empathy with Americans who might blame him 鈥� and congressional Democrats 鈥� for the nation鈥檚 high unemployment and slow recovery from recession.
鈥淔or all the progress we鈥檝e made, we鈥檙e not there yet, and that means people are frustrated and people are angry,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淪ince I鈥檓 president and Democrats control the House and Senate, it鈥檚 understandable that people are saying, 鈥榃hat have you done?鈥� 鈥�
At the same time, Obama attempted to frame America鈥檚 business troubles as something largely caused by the previous administration. To vote GOP in the upcoming elections, he said, would be a vote for returning to an economic approach that failed the nation in the past.
鈥淭he policies that the Republicans are offering right now are the exact same policies that got us into this mess,鈥� said Obama, who for an example pointed to the current debate over whether to extend Bush-era tax cuts.
Obama鈥檚 wide-ranging, full-scale press conference took place in the context of bad electoral news for his party, as Democrats face a blowout in coming midterm elections, according to current polls. Chances are high that Democrats will lose control of the House. There is a smaller, but still substantial, chance that they will lose the Senate as well.
With the anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday and controversy over the proposed mosque near New York鈥檚 ground zero still boiling, Obama fielded a number of questions dealing with war, peace, and religion, as well.
On the subject of the Bush tax cuts, the president stuck by his position that they should be extended for the middle class, but not for those with incomes above $250,000. Peter Orszag, Obama鈥檚 former budget chief, suggested in a recent opinion article that the politically expedient move might be to accept a blanket extension of the tax cuts, for now.
鈥淭he Republicans are holding middle-class tax relief hostage because they鈥檙e insisting we have to give tax relief to millionaires and billionaires,鈥� said Obama.
On the economy in general, the president said that the nation had suffered such deep setbacks, including the loss of 8 million jobs, that his time in office has not been long enough for administration policies to take full effect.
鈥淲e鈥檝e made investments that will strengthen the economy over the long run, but we鈥檙e not there yet,鈥� he said.
This continuing softness in the economy is why he has proposed further economic development measures, including a $50 billion investment in US infrastructure, said Obama. He brushed off suggestions that this package has little chance of passage due to partisanship, the US deficit, and the lack of time left in the current Congress.
鈥淚 will keep on trying to stimulate jobs and growth for as long as I am president of the United States,鈥� Obama said.
As to why his signature health-care reform effort has not yet begun to reduce the nation鈥檚 medical costs and is unlikely to do so next year, Obama said, 鈥淏ending the cost curve is hard to do.... I said at the time [of the bill鈥檚 passage that] it wasn鈥檛 going to happen tomorrow.鈥�
He also dismissed as unimportant a question that asserted some Democratic lawmakers are running away from the health-care bill in an effort to save their own jobs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a political season where every candidate out there has their own district, their own plan, their own message,鈥� he said.
