WASHINGTON (AP) — A combative President Barack Obama blamed Republican lawmakers Friday for failing to stop automatic spending cuts that were to begin kicking in later in the day, calling the cuts ‘‘dumb, arbitrary.’’
Republicans said the fault was his, for insisting that increased taxes be part of the resolution.
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‘‘I can’t force Congress to do the right thing,’’ Obama said.
This is the right thing. Live within our means-we have to.
Wow the blamer in chief blaming someone else for his idea. Amazing since there are not actually any cuts, just lesser increases. What we need is leadeship. What we have is an empty suit.
You have just seen the preview of the new show "Dumb and Dumber" the networks have picked it up for the next 4 years at ths expense of the middle class in this country. Obama will still take care of his 40 something percent at any cost. The next show will feature Michelle Obama and her mid life crisis and how Obama goes out on tour to explain that away!
How do people who are put in positions of power act like AH and the people in this country keep putting them back in office I will never know. There should be term limits on all these jokers.
"Frustrated Obama??" What a FAKE of a headline that is. That's the Boston Globe's headline, NOT the AP's. This is an entirely CONTRIVED speech by the president. Here's the proof; House Republicans and Senate Republicans both voted to give Obama complete authority to choose what bedgets will be cut from the sequester. Obama announced "I will VETO such a bill". On Obama's orders Senate Democrats voted down the bill. Reason: Obama WANTS to cause economic pain but not be held responsible for it with his signature.
Also, Obama WANTED the sequester. From the Des Moines Register:
President Obama said he is prepared to use the $109 billion sequester as leverage to force action on a grand deficit bargain in an initially off-the-record interview with the Des Moines Register that was released Wednesday. After the debates with Mitt Romney.The president predicted that a $4 trillion deal to reduce the debt would come in the first six months of his second term.
His remarks on the automatic spending cuts are a contrast to comments in Monday night's debate when Obama reassured the public there is no way the sequester will ever happen.
“In the short term, the good news is that there’s going to be a forcing mechanism to deal with what is the central ideological argument in Washington right now, and that is: How much government do we have and how do we pay for it?” Obama said.
“So when you combine the Bush tax cuts expiring, the sequester in place, the commitment of both myself and my opponent — at least Governor Romney claims that he wants to reduce the deficit — but we’re going to be in a position where I believe in the first six months we are going to solve that big piece of business,” Obama said.
The Obama campaign released a transcript of the interview after the Des Moines Register complained about it not being for public release.
Also TRANSCRIPT of Obama interview with the Des Moines Register in which he takes credit for the Sequester. http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/10/24/transcript-obama-campaign-releases-transcript-of-presidents-interview-with-des-moines-register-after-insisting-that-it-be-kept-off-the-record/