Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obama Calls for 'Grand Bargain' on Economy: 'Everybody's Going to Have to Give'
ABC News ^ | January 10, 2009 | George Stephanopoulos

Posted on 01/10/2009 9:10:12 PM PST by stevie_d_64

In my exclusive interview with Barack Obama airing tomorrow on This Week, the president-elect told me that fixing our economy over the long term will require sacrifice from every American and scaling back some of his campaign promises.

"Our challenge is going to be identifying what works and putting more money into that, eliminating things that don’t work, and making things that we have more efficient. But I’m not suggesting, George, I want to be realistic here, not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace we had hoped," Obama told me in his first interview since arriving back in Washington, DC as president-elect.

I asked the president-elect, "At the end of the day, are you really talking about over the course of your presidency some kind of grand bargain? That you have tax reform, healthcare reform, entitlement reform including Social Security and Medicare, where everybody in the country is going to have to sacrifice something, accept change for the greater good?"

"Yes," Obama said.

"And when will that get done?" I asked.

"Well, right now, I’m focused on a pretty heavy lift, which is making sure we get that reinvestment and recovery package in place. But what you described is exactly what we’re going to have to do. What we have to do is to take a look at our structural deficit, how are we paying for government? What are we getting for it? And how do we make the system more efficient?"

"And eventually sacrifice from everyone?" I asked.

"Everybody’s going to have to give. Everybody’s going to have to have some skin in the game," Obama said.

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 0bama; ayers; bho; bho2008; bhoeconomy; collectivist; commies; corruption; economy; extended; hussein; jeremiahwright; obama; obamanomics; radicalleft; rahm; rats; redistribution; socialism; spreadingthewealth; theplan; wright; yeswecan
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 141 next last
To: stevie_d_64
"Everybody’s going to have to give. Everybody’s going to have to have some skin in the game," Obama said.

Gonna have to come and get it, sucker.

So what happened to only tax increases on the "rich"? I guess we're all rich now....

61 posted on 01/10/2009 10:24:06 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Most Animals protect their babies. Palestinians kill their babies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pepperhead

“It’s time to be patriotic and pay more taxes. Also we can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times.”

Not for him or anyone else!!

Just eliminate 90% of the government programs and everyone that draws a paycheck from them!

Absolutely no stimulus or bail outs!!

After about 2 years if the government stays out of it and everyone living on credit is washed out of the system including the people that made the loans things will retutn to a sensible level.


62 posted on 01/10/2009 10:25:04 PM PST by dalereed
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Danette

“Obama” is Kenyan for “Liar. Liar. Turban’s on Fire.”


63 posted on 01/10/2009 10:28:23 PM PST by CDB ("'Tis the times' plague, when madmen lead the blind." (King Lear))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64

How much are folks who don’t pay taxes already gonna pony up Bwana?


64 posted on 01/10/2009 10:28:40 PM PST by wardaddy (Monarchists for Palin 2012)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64
But ... I don't understand? If he's going to make things better then how is that going to *increase* the pain??

And, if he's going to increase the pain how will it be remotely possible for things to get better?

I think he's playing with fire here.

65 posted on 01/10/2009 10:31:02 PM PST by The Duke (I have met the enemy, and he is named 'Apathy'!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64; Jeremiah Jr; null and void; freema; F15Eagle; Quix
"Everybody’s going to have to give. Everybody’s going to have to have some skin in the game," Obama said.

Just a right hand or a forehead is all.

Okay, so what's the number of his name, "Zero", or The "One"?

66 posted on 01/10/2009 10:32:30 PM PST by Ezekiel (Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ezekiel
Okay, so what's the number of his name,

Tell me his real name and we can start computing it...

67 posted on 01/10/2009 10:45:05 PM PST by null and void ("Sure, first there's the Ooooos and Ahhhhhs, then there's the running and the screaming.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64

Looks like we’ve gone from “New Deal” to “Grand Bargain.”


68 posted on 01/10/2009 10:50:45 PM PST by ponygirl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Frantzie
Missing Village Idiot
69 posted on 01/10/2009 10:59:25 PM PST by Larousse2 (Like June Carter Cash, "I'm just tryin' to matter.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64; All
"Change"
70 posted on 01/10/2009 11:00:56 PM PST by Larousse2 (Like June Carter Cash, "I'm just tryin' to matter.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CurlyDave

what? Are you in a parallel universe?

What inflation adjustments? We are in a period of DEFLATION mr smartypants. That means all social security payments will be adjusted DOWN, unless they chop the adjustments.


71 posted on 01/10/2009 11:01:26 PM PST by mamelukesabre (Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (If you want peace prepare for war))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64

Ah,the old “Sacrifice of the individual to the Collective”.
Where have I heard that before?


72 posted on 01/10/2009 11:10:23 PM PST by gigster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64
Guess I'm going to have to quit my job and go on welfare... Get on the gettin' side and get off the givin' side.

If everyone of us did that, the ponzi scheme would collapse like a house of cards in a hurricane.

73 posted on 01/10/2009 11:13:29 PM PST by LibWhacker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Perdogg
I guess that means he will be cuting back from the gym, right?
Only after he spends millions on his planned basketball gymnasium for the basement in the White House. Wait and see what his horrid wife spends on redecorating. Now we have to support her mother too. They are trash.
74 posted on 01/10/2009 11:13:53 PM PST by mojitojoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: Entrepreneur

it will probably take Jesus coming back, but when the income tax is stopped we will have a lot of sanity back in our country.


75 posted on 01/10/2009 11:15:07 PM PST by fabian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64

We already give.

Guess we should just slit our wrists and give blood.
Bout all we will have left soon.


76 posted on 01/10/2009 11:16:30 PM PST by Names Ash Housewares (Refusing to kneel before the socialist messiah. 1-20-13 Freedom Day.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stevie_d_64

“Everybody’s going to have to give. Everybody’s going to have to have some skin in the game”

How about, “Everyone’s going to have to save,” or, “Everyone’s going to have to produce”? Why does the money have to pass through the central government’s hands for recovery to come?


77 posted on 01/10/2009 11:27:01 PM PST by Tublecane
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Danette

“There goes the tax cuts for 95% of the people.”

Actually, when he says “everyone” he probably meant some small portion of taxpayers, or what I like to call the really productive people. You know, rich enough to make it worth the government’s while, yet small enough in total number not to matter come election time.


78 posted on 01/10/2009 11:29:55 PM PST by Tublecane
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Larousse2

That cartoon says it all, he is all hat (all talk) and no cattle.


79 posted on 01/10/2009 11:30:34 PM PST by Nowhere Man (Is Barak HUSSEIN Obama an Anti-Christ? - B.O. Stinks! (Robert Riddle))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Dallas59
Screw you Hussein. I'm not giving anything up for your arse.

Count me in too. When I saw this article, I'm reminded of an old cartoon I saw in Hustler Magazine around 1979 or so (hey I was a curious 13 year old) where you saw President Carter on TV saying "We all need to roll up our sleeves," and in the foreground, you see a guy rolling up his sleeve ready to shoot up on heroin. Wish I could draw, I'd make a version with Hussein on the TV screen.
80 posted on 01/10/2009 11:36:46 PM PST by Nowhere Man (Is Barak HUSSEIN Obama an Anti-Christ? - B.O. Stinks! (Robert Riddle))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 141 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson