Obama challenges lobbyists to legislative duel


WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama challenged the nation's vested interests to a legislative duel Saturday, saying he will fight to change health care, energy and education in dramatic ways that will upset the status quo.

"The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long," Obama said in his weekly radio and video address. "But I don't. I work for the American people."

He said the ambitious budget plan he presented Thursday will help millions of people, but only if Congress overcomes resistance from deep-pocket lobbies.

"I know these steps won't sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they're gearing up for a fight," Obama said, using tough-guy language reminiscent of his predecessor, George W. Bush. "My message to them is this: So am I."

The bring-it-on tone underscored Obama's combative side as he prepares for a drawn-out battle over his tax and spending proposals. Sometimes he uses more conciliatory language and stresses the need for bipartisanship. Often he favors lofty, inspirational phrases.

On Saturday, he was a full-throated populist, casting himself as the people's champion confronting special interest groups that care more about themselves and the wealthy than about the average American.

Some analysts say Obama's proposals are almost radical. But he said all of them were included in his campaign promises. "It is the change the American people voted for in November," he said.

Nonetheless, he said, well-financed interest groups will fight back furiously.

Insurance companies will dislike having "to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that's how we'll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs," the president said. "I know that banks and big student lenders won't like the idea that we're ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that's how we'll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won't like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that's how we'll help fund a renewable energy economy."

Passing the budget, even with a Democratic-controlled Congress, "won't be easy," Obama said. "Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington."

Obama also promoted his economic proposals in a video message to a group meeting in Los Angeles on "the state of the black union."

"We have done more in these past 30 days to bring about progressive change than we have in the past many years," the president in remarks the White House released in advance. "We are closing the gap between the nation we are and the nation we can be by implementing policies that will speed our recovery and build a foundation for lasting prosperity and opportunity."

Congressional Republicans continued to bash Obama's spending proposals and his projection of a $1.75 trillion deficit this year.

Almost every day brings another "multibillion-dollar government spending plan being proposed or even worse, passed," said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who gave the GOP's weekly address.

He said Obama is pushing "the single largest increase in federal spending in the history of the United States, while driving the deficit to levels that were once thought impossible."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090301/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_lobbyists



Burr is my next target.
Hopefully he will not be reelected!

Isn't it funny, not, that when Bush was pooring billions into the war in Iraq the republicans were too cool with it but when the spending is for the American people, to make this country stronger and better, they have an issue with it.

One thing for sure is he picked the right person to champion his efforts.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius

She has been there before!

I heard Obama talking about changing how special interests and lobbyists operate there. He said that it's the only way to keep earmarks out of everything.

Interesting, isn't it?

That is good, he will need strong people because they are going to battle him all the way.

She has battled the Insurance companies lobbyist before. And won!!

This is a president out of touch with the economy.

Fine. cut $30B in tax breaks to the oil companies. You just cost America jobs. cut the subsidies to the lenders. You just cut off credit to many - those subsidies were a perk to looser lending practices (so I guess this is a good thing IMO).

Cutting off subsidies to the banks will not make college cheaper because the costs of college are determined by the college, not the bank. even with the public schools, $50B will not go far and as it is, schools are overcrowded. College isn't meant for everyone. It is for the brightest students to continue to better themselves. If everyone starts getting their BS/BA, then it will be worth even less.

Obama needs to learn real quick that we don't have this money. We didn't have it under Bush and we sure as hell don't have it now. I mean, with Bush, last year was the worse spending deficit in history. Obama just topped that by $500B with his budget proposal alone - let alone the stimulus and other bills being forced through.

****'s going to hit the fan pretty quick. We're quickly approaching a 1:1 GDP to debt ratio and eventually, he'll realize that taxing the rich and corporations that form the backbone of the middle-class workforce. They're not going to sacrifice their bottom line when they can just fire a few employees and make everyone else work harder.

Didnt you read the article?

Congressional Republicans continued to bash Obama's spending proposals and his projection of a $1.75 trillion deficit this year.


And I dont care. At least its going to better us all.

I read it in full. I stand by what I say. We will be worse off in two years than we are now. We'll likely be worse off his entire presidency until either he figures out he's just digging a hole or he gets beat by a (hopefully) true fiscal conservative and not another dubya or palin (god forbid). That is what this economy truely needs but unfortunately, the Republicans didn't feel it necessary to put them up for the job.

and the 1.75 deficit is what's in his budget proposal for 2010, not this year though I'm sure it'll be pretty close to the same.

I wonder, while spewing more sweet talk, what the other hand is doing.
To get the last stimulus passed, how many unnecessary, special interest earmarks did yes to?
I'll get back to you on that. Got to investigate.

They are there. He doesn't like it and wants to change the way the lobbyists and interest groups are involved with the earmarks.

Yes you are right winx.
There was much haggling back and forth trying to get some Republicans to vote for the bill.
I think Obama called it compromising.
That is when and where the earmarks came in, and most were added by the Republicans just so they would have it to throw up at times like now.

They cut out many good programs destined for states to gain added benefits for their friends. Like the guarantee that the super-rich would continue to go tax free while sacrificing education benefits for children.
That's why Pelosi was so mad and threatening to go with the original bill without Republican support.

At least it did get them 3 Republican votes though. Pelosi was wrong (as usual).
They needed those 3 Republican votes!

Yes, comprising. Pacified the ones that wanted earmarks so he could try to get the other things through to help an emergency situation for our country.

He's the boss? If he really believed what he just said, he would have sent that plan back until all the fat was trimmed.
He accepted;
There’s $198 million to compensate Filipino World War II veterans for their service. Most don’t live in the United States.

No doubt the yacht repair yards in Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s district in South Florida would benefit from the insurance exemption for work on boats longer than 65 feet.

There is another $62 million for military projects in Guam.

1) Green golf carts. Ever rode a "neighborhood electric vehicle?" Well, you might want to now. The stimulus includes a tax credit toward the purchase of NEVs, which closely resemble golf carts in appearance. They are considered green vehicles because they use an electric battery instead of gasoline. You fill it up with juice by plugging it into a home electrical outlet. Don't expect to be able to take your NEV far outside of your neighborhood, though. Federal regulations limit their top speed to between 20 and 25 miles per hour. Freeway cruising is out.

Ask any coal miner if he's seen clean coal.
4) Clean Coal. While Obama has stressed the number of "green jobs" his stimulus will create, $3.4 billion of the $787 billion will be spent on old-school, non-green energy technology. That's how much goes to the Fossil Energy Research and Development program, a Department of Energy project that, among other things, seeks to reduce the amount of carbon emitted by the use of fossil fuels. Daniel Weiss, a senior fellow and director of climate strategy at the Center for American Progress, says that most of this money will go toward the development of clean-coal technology. "The goal is to develop a technology that can capture carbon dioxide from coal in a coal-fired power plant," he says. And where's the stimulus in clean coal? Weiss says that we won't see the results of this investment anytime soon, and $3.4 billion is probably only a fraction of what is needed for real clean-coal technology to ever be achieved. But, he adds, in the short term, "this would create research jobs and jobs at power plants." That isn't stopping critics from calling this fossil energy provision pork.

The following sounds like a lie to me.
When President Obama signed the landmark $787 billion stimulus package, he proudly declared that he did not allow any members of Congress to insert wasteful, last-minute earmarks in their bills to benefit special interests in their states and districts.

Who cares if they live in the continental US. The Filipino vets fought hard for us and were very loyal.

{quote]No doubt the yacht repair yards in Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s district in South Florida would benefit from the insurance exemption for work on boats longer than 65 feet.

As would Rep. Gov Charlie Crisp, Sen Mel Martinez, or any of the other Republicans in Fla or many other states in America. Why do you just pick on one Fla Dem? This country is surrounded by water and contains many large lakes.

If he hadnt supported the military, how many would have cried.

I want one! I dont live far from work and it would be perfect.



There is a cleaner coal. It is used by our local power plant. When they dont use it people notice as the soot destroys the finish on their cars and make breathing difficult for the elderly and those with respiratory problems. Its all about the mining techniques used.



He said he was willing to compromise in order to make the bill bipartisan.
I know because it was on the news and every newspaper in the country!

Yep, he is very big on bi-partisan.

Say I dont, or cant, back-up what I say and I'll pull up the proof.