Obama "eager and anxious" to end "government by crisis"

President Obama speaks during the House Democratic Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort February 7, 2013 in Lansdowne, Virginia. / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Giving House Democrats a preview of his upcoming State of the Union address, President Obama today said the foundation of his second-term agenda will be creating an economy that works for all Americans. With that in mind, he said he's ready to cut a "big deal" with Republicans to end the lingering sense of uncertainty over the economy.

"I'm prepared, eager and anxious to do a big deal, a big package that ends this government by crisis," Mr. Obama told the Democratic lawmakers at their retreat in Lansdowne, Va.

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Obama: "I am prepared, eager, and anxious" to do a big deficit deal

"We are threatening this hard-won recovery where finally housing's starting to pick up," he said, yet "we continue to have these self-inflicted crises in Washington that suddenly lead everybody to tap the brakes...I want to do something big to provide steadiness and certainty for the economy, a balanced package that will reduce our long-term deficit and debt but still allows us to invest in those things we need right now."

In the coming weeks, Congress will have to address a series of potential fiscal "crises": By March 1, Congress must decide whether to avert the so-called "sequester" spending cuts, which slash $1.2 trillion from defense and non-defense government spending. They will also have to raise the debt ceiling in the spring, as well as pass a bill to continue funding federal government operations. All the while, lawmakers are searching for a "comprehensive" plan for deficit and debt reduction.

Mr. Obama reiterated his argument today that a "balanced" approach to deficit reduction must include closing tax loopholes and deductions to raise new revenue. He charged that Republicans want to avert the "sequester" simply by cutting Social Security or Medicare and said, "If that's an argument they want to have before the court of public opinion, that is an argument I'm more than willing to engage in."

• Obama calls on Congress to avert sequester
• Congress digs in for sequester battle -- again

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, told CBS News that the president has no credibility on the issue of serious government reform, in part because "his entire campaign was about raising taxes on millionaires." He said he's "not at all encouraged" Washington lawmakers will reach an agreement over the looming sequester cuts.

"For a year and a half, they've talked and finger-pointed and in large measure I blame the president," McDonnell said. "The president has failed to get directly involved and lead and put anything realistic on the table in spending cuts and entitlement reforms."

In the face of such Republican pushback, the president today urged his fellow Democrats "to feel confident and bold about the values we care about and what we stand for." At the same time, he warned them "not to read too much" into their 2012 victories.

The nation "is big, it is diverse, it is contentious, and we don't have a monopoly on wisdom," he said.

Mr. Obama said his decision-making over the next four years will be guided by the idea that "our economy succeeds and our economy grows when everybody's getting a fair shot and everybody's getting a fair shake."

"I believe that is a growth agenda -- not just an equity agenda, not just a fairness agenda," he said. With that in mind, he said his State of the Union address on Tuesday will cover job creation, energy and education, among other things.

"It means that we're going to talk about, yes, deficits and taxes and sequesters and potential government shutdowns and debt ceilings -- we'll talk about that stuff," he said. "But all from the perspective of how do we make sure that somebody that works hard in this country... that they can make it."

CBS News senior political producer Caroline Horn contributed to this report.

[hypnotoad72]

http://www.infowars.com/pdd-51-new-executive-order-give-obama-dictator-power/

There you go.

Bush had the same ability, since NSPD51 and HSPD20 were his babies.

Reagan had REX84.

Now, what happens after something like this happens is anyone's guess.

[CWSMTB]

Letter to Democrats in Congress:
Why is Obama flying from city to city for photo opportunities supporting gun control when he should be in Washington working on a budget?

Why is Obama scheduled for weeks of fund raising for the Democratic party when he should be dealing with the crushing debt and economy?

Please, stop Obama from being a entertainer and get him to do the job of President by submitting a balanced budget.

You and Obama supported the sequester cuts so you could pass tax increases last year, now you blame everyone but yourselves. If Obama can't submit a balanced budget by end of February, the cuts should take place since it is the only way the nation's debt will ever be addressed under Obama's administration.

[SbroCali]

You are completely correct CWSMTB !

[hypnotoad72]

SbroCali -

Just as cwsmtb is being myopic, parochial, and partisan.

See peoples' responses to others below, and stop acting as if you lot were born yesterday because your party is HARDLY an innocent babe, either.

[tsigili]

With half of the country opposing all that Obama does.......his entire second term will be nothing but a war!

[hypnotoad72]

And Obama will continue to compromise and bend over.

Web search "Obama is Bush's third term" as being ANOTHER example of Obama being little different to the GOP.

[ebrew3]

Gov. McDonnell's response of "...I blame the president..." is typical of the Republican mindset of non-problem solving. Rather than advocating collaboration in order to come to a consensus, McDonnell continues to play the blame game. Obama has been more than reasonable with an intransigent, ideological, hidebound Republican party.

[SbroCali]

Really, the President has been doing nothing about the debit but spending more, and blaming Repubs & Congress. He talks about how if congress doesn't vote to increase the ceiling our soldiers won't get paid, then in the same breath, puts aside billions for new gun control "reforms". He's like a child that just got a credit card, that doesn't know that the money actually comes from somewhere, and you have to pay it back! He's obviously not interested in fixing anything! Just pushing his agenda!

[hakori]

SBROCALI, the first thing you should know when trying to make a point is getting you facts straight. If you can't do that, nothing else you say will be taken seriously. The deficit has been reduced since Obama took office: FACT. You're more than welcome to fact check that FACT. And speaking of deficits, what took the republican party so long to even pay lip service to the deficit? And it is only lip service. Just ask "deficts don't matter" Cheney, or Paul Ryan whose deficit reduction plan will take years and years and years to even start to address the issue. I've been concerned with deficits since the 80's when Reagan was racking up huge tabs, now the tea party wants to harp about deficits not because of the actual deficits, but because a democrat is in the white house. These same people were silent as W ran up unprecidented debt. Please, just spare us.

[tsigili]

That means he wants another huge tax increase.......and the only place he can get that, is the middle class.

[Barry-been-inhalin]

True......it might also be time for him to start the talk of confiscating our IRA's and 401k's in the name of "fairness".

[Mike239239]

Right wingers have the same mental capacity as the people of 1930 germany.I used to wonder how someone could take over an entire country but apparently all you have to do is have every radio station and two thirds of TV stations spew out what ever lies you want the morons to believe and keep saying it over and over and the brain dead ditto heads will goose step in line.

[michaelz06]

Mike, you might as well go back to sleep....you obviously can't grasp waking reality. Your version is about as far from the true state of affairs in this country as we are from the next nebula.

[Cowmpound]

Mike,

Couldn't agree more. Things are going in the right direction but the pubs would rather have our country fail than admit being wrong. Similar to the congressional and senate lack of leaders they follow.

AMERICA IS COMING BACK!

[diddy_back_again]

Mr. President, you sound like a dope. You're going to lecture us on how to reduce the debt and deficit with a 'balanced' approach. You have spent us into oblivion and are a disaster. It is no wonder that your supporters have miserable fiscal lives. You could have taken care of this when your party had control of the House and Senate. Instead, you gave us a shiny turd called The Affordable Care Act. You truly are a senile marxist.

[hypnotoad72]

Were you born yesterday?

The debt has been going up for 30 years.

We give taxpayer handouts to corporations that offshore jobs.

When we lose jobs, or see wages go down, the government then has less revenue to get... so how do we continue to pay for corporate handouts?

Do you not recall 2001-2006 when the GOP had full control? Here's some edited highlights, and the people in here also voted to continue the handouts going to corporations gutting this country.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/14/158424/republican-leaders-debt-limit-hypocrisy/
(that site cites unbiased sources. At least check out the sources they present, even if you don't agree with Thinkprogress itself. Those sources are irrefutable. )

Obama also went to Romney's own people to craft the healthcare reform you hate. So if you hate it, you have to hate Romney as well.

We've said these things to you before.

[peter_out]

What did Obama do yesterday to add a single job? The day before? Will he actually add one single job in America today?

Every new job reduces welfare and adds to both tax revenue and GDP. To top it all off, each new job decreases gun crime.

[wcfanfourever]

The man is just ignorant

If his skin wasnt half black he would be pumping gas somewhere. And since there arent many full service stations anymore he would be unemployed or selling weed on a streetcorner in Chicago

[SlimeBagObama]

Comrade Obama, do you really want to help the country? You and Natasha take the children and go back to the Kremlin where you belong. Don't forget to take the rest of the Communist Party with you.