Political Hotsheet
By

Brian Montopoli /

CBS News/ November 3, 2010, 1:53 PM

Obama: People Saw "Overreach" in My Actions

President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday that the results of yesterday's midterm elections - in which his party lost Control of the House as well as Senate seats and governorships - "underscores for me that I've got to do a better job."

"I won the election in 2008, one of the reasons, I think, that people were excited about the campaign was the prospect that we would change how business is done in Washington," he said. "And we were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done. And I think that frustrated people."

He also placed the blame for the outcome of the midterms on that "very tough decisions" made by his administration during his first two years in office on the stimulus package, the bank bailouts (which were first passed under President Bush) and the auto bailouts.

"I think people started looking at all this and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive into people's lives than they were accustomed to," he said. "Now, the reason was, it was an emergency situation. But I think it's understandable that folks said to themselves, 'You know, maybe this is the agenda as opposed to a response to an emergency.'"

Continued the president: "And that's something that I think, you know, everybody in the White House understood was a danger. We thought it was necessary. But, you know, I'm sympathetic to folks who looked at it and said, 'This is looking like potential overreach.'"

CBS

He noted that the costs of the policies prompted people to say, "Gosh, we already have all this debt. We already have these big deficits. This is potentially going to compound it. And at what point are we going to get back to a situation where we're doing what families all around the country do, which is make sure that if you spend something, you know how to pay for it, as opposed to racking up the credit card for the next generation?"

The president said last night was a "long night" for him, adding that "some election nights are more fun than others."

"People are frustrated," he said. "They're deeply frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery and the opportunities that they hope for their children and their grandchildren. They want jobs to come back faster. They want paychecks to go further. And they want the ability to give their children the same chances and opportunities as they've had in life."

Clad in a red tie, he also addressed the prospects for compromise with the GOP.

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"I am very eager to sit down with members of both parties and figure out how we can move forward together," he said. "I'm not suggesting this will be easy. There's a reason we have two parties in this country, and both Democrats and Republicans have certain beliefs and certain principles that each feels cannot be compromised."

He said he did believe the parties could find common ground on some issues, however, including energy policy.

"As I said before, no person, no party has a monopoly on wisdom," he said. "And that's why I'm eager to hear good ideas wherever they come from, whoever proposes them. And that's why I believe it's important to have an honest and civil debate about the choices that we face."

"We just had a tough election," he said. "We will have another in 2012. I'm not so naive as to sink -- to think that everybody will put politics aside until then. But I do hope to make progress on the very serious problems facing us right now. And that's going to require all of us, including me, to work harder at building consensus."

" I do believe there is hope for civility," he added. "I do believe there's hope for progress. And that's because I believe in the resiliency of a nation that's bounced back from much worse than what we're going through right now; a nation that's overcome war and depression, that has been made more perfect in our struggle for individual rights and individual freedoms."


Brian Montopoli is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of his posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
180 Comments Add a Comment
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noloyalisti says:
We needed another Franklin Roosevelt to go after the rich and break up the big corporations (media, health insurance, oil and other).

In other words we need a people's champion to completely change our current un-democratic system of predatory capitalism. Without that, we are going to slide deeper and deeper into this Second Great Republican Depression.
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inmaryland1 says:
What Commander of the free world speaks and says, "I think" and "you know" and offers some kind of flappy explanation as this? Good gracious, man, act like a leader. This sounds like you are answering to a high school prinicipal for some prank. Stand up and act like a leader. Churchill is spinning in his grave.
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yd372801 says:
For a profane man will be seemed strange that I should an issue from an opposite a point of view be concerning powerful spurt a Respublican party
and conformable loss most of placement among Democratic party in Senate.
Howeverdoes better method was understand of a political situation USA It's possibility lookin a mentality the President Barack Obama, because - as a leader the Great of Country - Him does the ideas has ability to more become materialize,than outward of a circumstance were dictation him an opponents,of casual men.... Has been an establish a fact that in 2008year Barack Obama h'd been of the financial support for future an election of the President Usa among a simple population,a progressive an intelligentsia. Him does amazing an eloquence,a juridical education were allow him easy - as yellowmouth birdle- to win a victory above him opponents. And , at the same time,Barack Obama does greater of degree to pay attention more of business-like quality own a partner - outside him is an accessories Democratic of Respublican of party. Where is a classical an example:Hillary Clinton-theFirst Lady of theUnited States.
With many to regrets been the first of months is a Presidential gorvenment were become gloomy by terrible of World crisis,a Global an Ecological catastrophe it's spill of oil spot Gulf of Mexica,it's too a long be delayed take out American Military ofArmy from Iraq,Afghanistan.
All this an enormous money , but where was taking theirs...?
Now on this difficult a situation Barack Obama dos meet an invisible "class enemy" to be the groups of Millionaries , which were not support to GOP on Health Care to be guess; that most of sick men and women was needing free diabetes vaccine, an influenza vaccination to be treatmen ill "drug addict" among youth men. Indeed,if was following an ancient Spartacus and were killing helpless old men and weak of the childrenwere leave only is a healthy men, then We will be similar "Fascism", which We were pass out in 1941- 1945 years.
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j40405 says:
Overreach? Heck, More like a communist takeover.
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code_name_nina11 says:
by nuttyworld November 3, 2010 8:22 PM EDT
"Starting with the ones who break the law"? Just by virtue of being here they have broken the law. That is why they are called "illegal". Deport them all. If we can afford trillions in bailouts and buyouts, we certainly can afford to round up the bloodsuckers of our jobs/economy and send them home.

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Exactly 100 percent the truth,after all its not all that nutty world when men like you post the true nature of things...
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code_name_nina11 replies:
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Yes back to the Ghettos of Europe...
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nuttyworld says:
"We were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change HOW things got done. And I think that frustrated people." REALLY? I don't recall other administrations acting as you do. Meeting in the dead of night. Shutting out opposing party on bill discussions? Saying one thing and doing another? Promising to have bills online in advance of voting on them, immediately comes to mind. We didn't need a health care bill. We needed tort reform. You can take your "fundamentally changing" this country and take a hike. He said, "I am very eager to sit down with members of both parties" sure, just like you said you would do but instead said during the one opportunity Republicans had to discuss health care bill, "I won".
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dronemonk says:
Overreach? Such nonsense... How many war criminals got charged on his watch? You know, people who ordered torture, and (to a lesser degree) people who carried out those orders? I had to look no further than Obama's "look forward, not back" take on war crimes and torture. Then there's his continuation of the looting of the US economy to make broken bansters whole again. His take on those two issues make Obama Republican Lite. If I'm gonna go Republican, I want the real deal, not the mamby-pamby Republican Lite that Obama has demonstrated himself to represent. Take that Obama, this is what you get when you don't dance with thems that brought ya...
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code_name_nina11 replies:
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Exactly right on 100 percent correct,only the truth and nothing but the true nature of things.
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code_name_nina11 says:
Dog has more courage than the American citizen...You expect too much fruit cake...
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code_name_nina11 replies:
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Democrats lost because they have idiots like you posting the mangled,strangled truth before diving into the holy grave...
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oldbasicgal says:
I'm for closing the border and booting illegals, starting with the ones who break the law. I'm not sure about legalizing and taxing mary...how would you police it for taxation if people grew their own?
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Lifeson2112 replies:
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You wouldn't have to. Just put a higher tax on cookies at the convenience store and you'll make your money!
code_name_nina11 replies:
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You need to learn a great deal about your country oldie girl...Illegal aren't the problem,its the damn legals that are the biggest problem,who have swindled America and its citizens,leaving them homeless,jobless,retirement savings plans wiped out,40 million people went hungry in America,1 in 7 below the poverty line...None of them were illegals,get off your ignorance of blaming the wrong people for the wrong reasons....
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morriswise says:
There is only one person who can open prison doors and release 500 thousand non-violent African Americans, and that is Obama. It might be politically incorrect, but millions will never forget his understanding and compassion. Kareem was busted for selling a few grams of coke to an undercover cop, he is serving 4 years of a 10 year sentence. There are many African Americans like Kareem who are serving long prison terms for non-violent offenses.
As a small token of reparations for years of hardship and slavery they should all be pardoned.
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Lifeson2112 replies:
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Wow. I've never met anyone in America who was a slave. Where are they?
code_name_nina11 replies:
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YES? while the lying,swindling,thugs rule America and they are walking free, unlike your fellow African...Obama is a puppet of the puppet masters,knowing the puppet masters is an art, that most clueless American lack...
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