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Obama Denounces GOP 'Pledge' as Echo of Failed Policies of Past

1 year ago
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President Obama blasted the House Republicans' "Pledge to America" on Saturday, calling it the same old "worn out philosophy" of tax breaks for billionaires, cutting slack for Wall Street and other special interests, and letting the middle class "fend for itself."

Obama in his weekly address -- which of late has amounted to a weekly attack on GOP positions in Congress -- said the pledge includes "many of the same policies that led to the economic crisis in the first place, which isn't surprising, since many of their leaders were among the architects of that failed policy." Click play below to watch the video:


The Pledge to America, unveiled by House Republican leaders on Thursday, calls for shrinking the size of government with spending and hiring freezes, banning future tax hikes, rolling back the health care law, and strengthening national security. It's an outline of how they intend to operate if the GOP wins control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections in November.

In their own weekly address, the Republicans said the pledge was a "rejection of the notion that we can simply, tax, borrow and spend our way to prosperity." Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it is "an approach focused on cutting spending, which is sadly a new idea for a Congress accustomed to always accelerating it."

But Obama said the Republicans' insistence on extending Bush-era tax cuts to families making in excess of $250,000 annually would, over time, add $700 billion to the national debt. Instead, he wants to keep the tax reductions in place for the middle class, speed up tax breaks for businesses that invest in new equipment, and add a permanent tax incentive for research and development.

His opponents in Congress, the president said, are not offering a prescription for a better future. "It's an echo of a disastrous decade we can't afford to relive."

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Carl W. Coleman

My God, 3/4 of you must bow to Rush Limbaugh every day. Do you REALLY know the facts? 30 years of college & business experience?

September 25 2010 at 10:34 PM
frederjr

Major economic turn down started in 2006 when Dems took power in congress. Obama is the worst ever and Pelosi and Reid are right behind him. Big wasteful government will never work just look at history.

September 25 2010 at 10:33 PM
stheel4

When you have nothing good for the economy to bring to the table....attack , attack , attack. There is your transparency America.

September 25 2010 at 10:32 PM
plowboy611

How can Obama recognize the Republican plan is a disaster when he can't even see what his own policies are ruining to this country. The only promise he has kept was Obamacare, which the majority of America doesn't want anyway. The news headlines said Republicans Blocked the Don't Ask Don't Tell, when in reality the two Democratic Senators from Arkansas voted against it also. Get your opinions from some other than the Obama press media.

September 25 2010 at 10:31 PM
sharonmlittle

President Obama knows what he is doing! He is intelligent, educated and has the american people's best interest at heart. I believe he is trying to do the right thing. He is a father who wants a better future for his little girls. We need to support him and give his policies a chance to work. He is battling the g.o.p who constantly try to block his progress in congress.

September 25 2010 at 10:30 PM
raydelv

Lets see under Obama poverty rate has risen to an all time high. He continues to blame GWB for the current problems, yet he came into office and got passed every major program he wanted to "stimulate the economy". He promised his health care bill would reduce premiums, a day does not go by without reading or watching a news story where someone's health premiums went up 25 percent because of Obama care. All the brains of his economic team have left or will be gone by the end of the year. Rambo is leaving to run for mayor and Obama has not even completed 50 percent of his term. Wake up folks these are signs that even Obama's team can see, the ship is sinking save yourself while there is still time.

September 25 2010 at 10:24 PM
flt6356

the new pledge the GOP alias CEO`s or paid puppets of the ultra rich who think politicians are actors and they write the scripts runs government like a company and the only way to get rid of defined programs such as Social security and Medicare ( pensions and health care in the private sector) is to bankrupt the united States of America and declare bankruptcy and then they can say see we can no longer afford these programs like the private sector has done since the seventies with steel and airline industries so I say our new pledge AS this will be recited every morning before work starts "I pledge allegiance to the CEO of the United Corporations of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one corporation, under dictated media, divisible, with less liberty and corporal punishment for all." we have separation of church and state but what is really needed is separation of corporate America from our politicians, so we the people need to have a national vote on this issue of Campaign finance reform, and that vote has to be national because our Representatives cannot be trusted to do the right things for We the people

September 25 2010 at 10:24 PM
jad2501

why does the president have to "take the republicans" His he just the president for the dems. Why cant he be president for everyone. share ideas share blame share responsibilty. When everybody fights everybody loses. All is time is spent blaming bush, blaming repubs, blaming everyone. Get over yourself and at least try to cooperate. No he cant do that it is my way or the highway.

September 25 2010 at 10:23 PM +3
David

President Obama talks tough obout his fellow Americans who happen to disagree wiht his polices because they are not in his polical party. But when someone as dispicable Iran's Ahmadinejad speaks at the U.N. saying the most dispicable things about our country he responds like a mouse instead of a Comander in Chief of the most powerful & benevelent country in the world.

September 25 2010 at 10:23 PM +2
Tom

How much longer are we going to be forced fed the same tired old rhetoric that it's not the Obama's administration's fault. We have been listening to lies and false promises for the last 18 months and its all the fault of the Republicans. He has the nerve to speak about people getting health care for pre-existing conditions without even metioning the part where it is going to raise insurance cost for everyone. Oh yes everyone except the elite who passed into law that they readily admit they never read. I honestly believe that if the same congess that passed this bill into law were forced to live under the same guidelines as what they have forced down the throats of the American people that they would have never passed it into law. More of the same "do as I say, not as I do" garbage that has been passed by the same liberal controlled congress that got us into this mess starting just four years ago. Congress makes the laws, the President just signs them into or rejects them. Bush just gives them somebody else to place the blaim on. Obama has had half of his elected term to make repairs and all he gives are empty promises that things are going to get better.

September 25 2010 at 10:21 PM +10

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