Did you like the President's press conference last night?

Even handed? It was a cheap political trick that is gambling our our economy to pressure congress to get his way. Many pundits are predicting that we will face a downgrade whether a deal is struck or not. If that happens it will be a direct result of Obama’s press conference. He went out to scare the public and financial institutions and apparently he has succeeded. Why the President would put us at risk is beyond me.

Unfortunately, Obama has little negotiating skill. As a ‘Community Organizer’ the primary weapon is to denigrate and threaten those you want to knuckle under to your demands. You call them names, deride thier motives, disrupt their business until they succumb to your demands. As president, he uses the same negotiating tactic that he did as a community organizer. Unfortunately, that puts us all at risk. A risk that he seems more than willing to take to get his way. Most unfortunate.

@Jaxk How is the President gambling with our economy? It is the Republicans who are doing that. As for cheap political tricks, that was Boehner walking away from the negotiations so he looks good to his hardline party members.

@marinelife – don’t try to present facts. They won’t work.

@marinelife

Not so. It was Obama that went to the press. It was Obama that said we may Default. And it was Obama that changed the deal at the last moment. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not defending Boehner. His actions were not the best either but this should never have gone to the press. The reaction by the Market and the credit ratings institutions were very predictable and unrecoverable. As President his job is to support the country, not his petty grievances. When Obama walked out of the meeting a week or so ago, everyone covered his butt. Even Boehner said it was not a big deal. Obama however went to the press with an unprofessional display of our dirty laundry. Whether you believe Boehner or Obama on the deal change, going to the press is what put us in jeopardy.

One final point on his negotiating style. As a community organizer, his success is measured by what concessions he gets. Whether or not the programs work is not the measure. If he goes after a million dollar grant to aid the community and gets it, he is successful. Whether that money actually helps the community is not relevant. He does the same thing as president. He wants to be measured on what programs he gets through not whether they are successful. Stimulus was passed, he was successful, It didn’t help but that doesn’t matter, blame the Republicans. He passed unemployment extensions. They did help the recovery but it doesn’t matter he was successful, blame the Republicans. He passed Health Care but costs have risen. It doesn’t matter because he was successful, blame the Republicans (or insurance companies). His lack of success on the economy is staggering but he always has a ready scapegoat. Don’t blame him if they didn’t work, blame the Republicans. And now, he will get his debt ceiling increase by hook or by crook but we’ll lose our AAA rating but it doesn’t matter. Blame the Republicans. I’m amazed that so many buy this crap.

@Jaxk, there is one situation in which it would be reasonable to keep saying “blame the Republicans”... and that is when the Republicans are to blame. Or do you think that the Republicans should not be held responsible for holding the American people hostage for their own political and financial gain?

Is the balancing the budget on the backs of the old and the weak a petty grievance? Really? What are the Republicans willing to sacrifice? Nothing that’s what. So let’s play chicken and see who has the most to loose.

I wanted transparency from any government, so YES.

He merely kicked the can down the road for the next Prez to try and fix the problem.