On Feb 3, 1:22*am, "nom=de=plume" wrote:
"RGrew176" wrote in message

...





Tom Francis - SW Sports;779351 Wrote:
I couldn't stay away for very long. *So I'm back with a bang. *I was
so impressed with Obama's appearance at the GOP convention that I
wanted to chime in with my $.02

Here's something for Worldnet Daily that gives good insight into how
the GOP handed Obama his behind during the conference.

It was so embarassing for Obama that Fox news cut the feed half way
through the event.

Fox News cut live feed of Obama debate half-way through; GOP aides say
allowing cameras was a 'mistake'

A combative President Obama sparred back and forth with Republicans at
a House GOP retreat in Baltimore Friday, telling House members they
had backed themselves into a corner by painting his administration as
being radical.

It was an unusual question-and-answer session that some observers have
compared to Question Period in the British House of Commons, when the
prime minister takes questions from opposition lawmakers. And even
some conservative commentators admit Obama won the debate and gave
himself a much-needed image boost.

Invited by the GOP to attend their annual conference, the president
accepted but surprised Republicans with a request to allow cameras
into the conference room, Politico reports. The GOP agreed.

Weaving between pleas for bipartisanship and direct criticism of GOP
politicking, the president took Republicans to task for voting against
last year's stimulus package and then attending "ribbon cuttings" for
projects funded by it.

"A lot of you have gone to ribbon cuttings for the same projects that
you voted against," Obama said. "I say all this not to re-litigate the
past, but it's simply to state, the component parts of the recovery
act are consistent with what many of you say are important things to
do."

Obama touched repeatedly on the theme that, in opposing his policies,
Republicans at times oppose things that are in line with their
ideology. Among those things, Obama argued, are his proposed fee on
banks and a freeze on discretionary spending.

"Join me" in passing the spending freeze, Obama asked the GOP, adding
there's "nothing in this proposal that runs contrary to the
ideological predisposition of this caucus."

On the proposed bank fee, designed to recoup some of the money the US
government lost in bailing out the banks in 2008, Obama told House
Minority Leader John Boehner: "If you listen to the American people,
John, they ll tell you they want their money back."

And in very frank language, Obama warned the GOP they are painting
themselves into a political corner by using strong rhetoric in
opposing White House ideas.

"If the way these issues are being presented by the Republicans is
that this is some wild-eyed plot to impose huge government in every
aspect of our lives, what happens is you guys don't have a lot of room
to negotiate with me," the president said. "The fact is that many of
you, if you voted with the administration on something, are
politically vulnerable with your own base in your own party. You've
given yourselves very little room to work in a bipartisan fashion
because what you've told your constituents is this guy is doing all
kinds of crazy stuff that's gonna destroy America."

The president also chastised Republicans for presenting health care
reform as "some Bolshevik plot." But he spent a considerable amount of
time arguing for bipartisanship, and for his own credentials as an
open-minded leader who can work across party lines.

"I am not an ideologue," Obama said, adding, "These are serious times
and what's required of all us is to do what's right for our country
even if it's not best for our politics. ... There may be better things
than poll numbers."

Even some conservative commentators conceded that Obama won the day.

"Obama did well, got the better of GOP today," the Weekly Standard's
Michael Goldfarb tweeted. "Fortunately, we got the better of him the
last six months or so. And health care is dead."

Daniel Foster at the National Review argued it made both sides look
good.

"It would be hard to argue the exchange is anything but a plus-plus
for Obama and the GOP," he wrote. "Both sides emerged from it looking
as if, contra the public's greatest fears, they are serious about the
deficit and health-care reform. ... [T]he Republicans went a long way
toward showing that they are hardly a party of obstructionists with no
solutions to offer Americans."

UPDATE: Some commentators are pointing to the fact that Fox News cut
off the live feed of Obama's debate half-way through as proof that the
president got the better of the GOP on Friday.

"Perhaps the most telling aspect of the speech reactions," writes
David Weigel at the Washington Independent, is that "Fox News, alone
among cable networks, cut away mid-broadcast and went to a newsless
interview with Rep. Peter King (R-NY)."

NBC's Luke Russert offered more evidence that at least the GOP views
it as a loss for their side.

"GOP aides telling me it was a mistake to allow cameras into Obama's
QA with GOP members," Russert tweeted Friday. "Allowed BO to refute
GOP for 1.5 hours on TV."

To bad Obama did not have cameras placed behind the closed doors when
the dems were crafting the health care bills. Cameras with the reps but
not the dems. Oh well.

--
RGrew176

To bad you're devoid of facts.

--
Nom=de=Plume

You are free to take up the slack and share the facts with us,
D'Plume. Now where shall you start?