President Obama spoke during an 'open for questions' town hall meeting on Thursday. Questions were submitted and voted on by citizens via the Internet and answered live by the president.
(Larry Downing/Reuters)Photos (1 of 1)
For Obama, an online do-over of Tuesday’s press conference
He revisits same themes, but Thursday's inaugural Internet town hall was a friendlier showcase for the president's ideas.
By Peter Grier | Staff writer/ March 26, 2009 edition
President Obama delivered an opening statement about the budget. He fielded queries about his housing plan, healthcare, and veterans’ benefits. Then he wheeled about at a set time and left, disappointing those who did not get to ask a question.
A description of Obama’s March 24 press conference? Yes – and of his March 26 online town hall meeting.
The online meeting – billed as the first ever by an occupant of the Oval Office – amounted to something of a public affairs do-over for the administration. Mr. Obama got to readdress many of the same themes touched on during the earlier press conference, but with questioners that were more deferential and in a setting that played more to the president’s communication strengths.
“This is an experiment, but it’s also an exciting opportunity for me to look at a computer and get a snapshot of what Americans across the country care about,” said Obama.
The meeting was billed as one that would focus on the economy, and Obama’s opening statement reiterated his argument that much of the education, healthcare, and environmental spending in his budget is important to the nation’s long-term prosperity.
The administration’s proposed new spending on these issues amounts to a fraction of the long-term deficit facing the US, said Obama. Rising medical costs are the real problem, he said, because they are relentlessely increasing the costs of the already-giant entitlement programs of Medicare and Medicaid.
“Our healthcare costs are unsustainable,” he said.
This week, the real target of Obama’s words on this point might be Democrats in Congress, who are beginning the process of drawing up the framework for the year’s lengthy appropriations process.
Obama also said he would announce within days his decision on possible further federal aid for General Motors and Chrysler. He hinted that he might offer them more money, but only on condition that they undertake drastic reforms.
“Shareholders, workers, creditors . . . everybody is going to have to recognize that the current economic model of the US auto industry is unsustainable,” he said.
In other answers, Obama said:
•That his moves to help the housing markets mean up to 40 percent of current homeowners might benefit from refinancing their mortgages.
•That US factory jobs outsourced to developing nations in recent years are not all going to come back, and that the country instead needs to focus on solar, wind technology, and other “clean energy” jobs.
•That he is looking to Congress to help him design “an optimal system” for universal national healthcare, and that “my expectation is I will have a healthcare bill to sign this year.
Questions were submitted online in advance of the meeting, and the White House said it received more than 100,000. Proponents of the legalization of marijuana beseiged the system – so much so that Obama felt it necessary to respond.
“The answer is, no, I don’t think that is a good way to grow the economy,” he said.
Comments
2. Mark Sconce | 03.27.09
I suppose Kurt still thinks John McCain would have been ready on Day One to meet the country’s challenges. Ha!
4. HavePatience | 03.27.09
“Proponents of the legalization of marijuana beseiged the system – so much so that Obama felt it necessary to respond.”
This is disingenuous coverage. It was an open forum. This was not a coordinated ‘besieging’ as Grier asserts, but rather the many thousands of Americans who are fed up with prohibition asking the President many reasonable questions.
You are doing a disservice to the citizens who read your article who are anti-prohibition.
5. Teh Ako | 03.27.09
“This was not a coordinated ‘besieging’ as Grier asserts, but rather the many thousands of Americans who are fed up with prohibition asking the President many reasonable questions.”
It was “besieging”. A legalization group had their followers intentionally vote their marijuana questions up, which is awful; there were dozens of good questions about the budget, but the top ten were about weed.
6. Brooke | 03.27.09
I may not agree with everything Barak Obama has done but he is making Change. It may not be change we like but at least he’s trying different things.
7. MBradford | 03.30.09
Kurt…Let him at least hold the office for 100 days before mentioning that you fail to see the “Change”. He has a lot of W’s mess to clean up!
8. pkatt | 03.30.09
Did you miss the day when Obama and John McCain voted yes on the tarp bill? Did you miss the part where Obama was in Congress during the Bush administration? Did you miss the part about majority belonging to the Dems during the last years of the Bush Admin???
When Obama says: “Ive inherited this mess” he leaves out the part where he was part of the gov that caused this mess.
At any rate its time to stop blaming whatever president is in office solely for the mess and putting the blame where it belongs.. SQUARE ON CONGRESS
Congress who writes the bills for the president to sign. Congress who passes legislation in spite of the outcry of the American people. And in the next election cycle I certainly hope the American people look at voting records and not whatever sleezy commercial is created to choose their representives. Instead of just showing up at the polls complaining there is no one worth voting for, get involved enough at the primary stages to get someone worth voting for on the ballot!!!
9. citizenbfk | 04.05.09
It was not a “do-over.”
American press seems to have a sickness; needs to tarnish everything.
10. ernesto rodriguez | 05.07.09
the country is in a crisis. Ask the senate and house to take a 25% pay cut and set the example that our country needs. Plus take a 50% pay cut in health insurance so they can understand what the public is going through. Have everyone stop fighting and get the country in the right direction. I can bet that the senate and house will not take a pay cut bacause they think they are unreplaceable. Wait for the next election some of those people will not be there next term. The issue about abortion we need to stop finacing the project. If your wife had an abortion your children would not be here today and neither would you, people make choices and they need to take responsiblity for there choices. My President stand up for life. You tell the public that you stand for what is morally right well make it happen. It’s going to hurt but sometime you need to stand up for what is right. If people don’t like it then we will make changes.
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1. Kurt | 03.27.09
I got nothing new out of his presentation. I think when Obama talks about “Change” what he really means is that he is learning on the job and his perspective of how things work is different from his initial understanding that is based onhis lack of experience. I have not seen any “Change” yet, although I have heard a lot about it.