WASHINGTON, July 2, 2009
Obama "Deeply Concerned" with Unemployment
Obama Talks Unemployment, Russia, and MJ in AP Interview
-
President Barack Obama gestures during his interview with The Associated Press, Thursday, July 2, 2009, in the West Wing of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
With joblessness rising, President Barack Obama said Thursday he was "deeply concerned" about unemployment and conceded that too many families are worried about "whether they will be next" to suffer economically.
In a White House interview with The Associated Press, Obama said that since he took office, "we have successfully stabilized the financial markets," and "started to see some stabilization on housing."
"But what we are still seeing is too many jobs lost," said Obama, commenting after new government figures showed the unemployment rate had risen to 9.5 percent last month.
On an important international subject, Obama is scheduled to travel to Russia next week, and he said the agenda includes talks on a new treaty to curtail long-range nuclear missiles. Asked why he intends to meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the former president, Obama said he "still has a lot of sway." Putin now is nominally the second-in-command in the Kremlin.
Obama also is to meet with the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev.
It is important that both Medvedev and Putin hear the same message from the U.S., said Obama, who added that he believes Putin "has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new."
Obama praised Russia for its cooperation in attempting to persuade North Korea and Iran to abandon their nuclear development programs. The United Nations recently approved "the most robust sanction regime that we've ever seen with respect to North Korea," he said.
Asked if he was resigned to Iran's possession of nuclear weapons, he said, "I'm not reconciled with that, and I don't think the international community is reconciled with that."
Obama spoke sympathetically of white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who won a Supreme Court case this week after claiming they had been unfairly denied promotions because of their race. But he added, "Keep in mind the Supreme Court didn't close the door to affirmative action" to help minorities.
At the same time, he conceded the justices were "moving the ball" on the issue with a 5-4 ruling in the case.
Obama, a former teacher of constitutional law, said, "I've always believed that affirmative action was less of an issue or should be less of an issue than it has been made out to be in news reports. It hasn't been as potent a force for racial progress as advocates will claim and it hasn't been as bad on white students seeking admissions or seeking a job as its critics say."
Asked about his plans for detainees currently held at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the president said the idea of indefinite detention being part of his legacy as president "gives me huge pause."
But he also said there are some detainees who don't fall neatly into existing categories for criminal prosecution in the United States or under international law. He said dealing with them is going to be one of the biggest challenges of his administration. He said he's not comfortable with mandating indefinite detentions on his own through executive orders, but he didn't explicitly rule that out.
And his view of Michael Jackson, whose death has dominated news coverage for nearly a week: The president said Jackson was "one of our greatest entertainers" and "I still have all his stuff on my iPod." But he said Jackson's life had been tragic and in many ways sad.
On light subjects:
The president spoke enthusiastically of the White House pastry chef. "Whatever kind of pie you want, he will make it," Obama said, adding ruefully that that was a problem for him and wife Michelle in regard to their weight.
Asked whether he was a bigger fan of Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, one the reigning MVP of the National Basketball Association and the other a retired superstar, the basketball-playing president said without hesitation: "Michael. I haven't seen anybody match up with Jordan yet."
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The secrets of tennis legend 
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 38 CommentsWhy is that I wonder?
He said that the carbon-swaps-tax would be that 'engine' or the new 'British-bubble South Sea Company', that helped wipe out most of Europe and plunged it into a Dark Age for generations.
Folks, I try to warn you with everything I got to listen to Lyndon Larouche and help stop the bailouts of Goldman Sucks and JP Morgan.
Goldman Sucks, JP Morgan, and British Banks like Barclay's Capital needs the bailout money to start this new 'South Sea' bubble which was a complete fraud, like the Dutch 'Tulip' bubble.
The difference about this carbon-swap-tax 'bubble' is that the derivatives to be used in it will kill and reduce the human population by 2/3rds.
Once the American sucker makes the mistake and transfers what's left of their 401(k)s and pensions over to these mega-hedge funds like Black Rock and the Carlyle group for 'green stocks', it's over.
Because then it will be a 'systemic risk' to back out of the 'carbon-swap-tax' bubble.
Please connect the dots folks, don't be a herd of sheep and fall for this Wall Street/City of London scam.
Even Mitt Romney said: "...we need to do something about CLIMATE CHANGE", which makes him just another corporate puppet for BIG FAILED BAMKS.
THE STOCK MARKET CLOSED BELOW 8300 TODAY!
It is now right back where it opened on the morning of Jan 20.
It could be sliding even lower, just like it did in 1930, the first year of the Depression.
The market rose in the first quarter - then it dropped off and fell even lower than it was at the beginning of the year.
It kept stair stepping down until 1932.
Are we going over the first stair step?
The next few weeks should tell.
His stimulus bill must have saved a few million jobs because it sure hasn't created many. Little Barak needs to wake up and understand the campaign is over and it is time for performance not rhetoric.
----------------
Excellent post.
Seems like the discussion board got too anti-Obama, so they started a new one and gave the Obamabots a second chance to load up the board with their propaganda.
Have you ditto heads ever though about what it means if this man fails?
---------------
It means the voters finally turn against the Democrats just like they turned against the Republicans.
Madoff proved there's a limit to how much a Democrat can get away with.
And remember why the Republicans swept into power in 2001 - not just the White House, but also Congress. They didn't all steal the election.
There is a limit to what the voters will tolerate from the Democrats.
OBAMA IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN 100 YEARS
IT IS NOW OBAMA'S WATCH
OBAMA IS TO BLAME.
-----------
So what's your solution? More free trade? That's what Obama plans to do.
----------------
Obama's solution is to pay a tow truck to tow your car to work.
And then tow it back home again.
And just keep towing the car day after day without ever doing the first thing to fix it.
Perhaps Obama should ACTUALLY BREAK A TABOO and VISIT AN UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE OR TWO, talk to those standing in line to get benefits, and really get close to the suffering and fear that George W. Bush and his neocon Fascist Nazi GOP thugs "blessed" us with! Maybe its time he stopped listening to all his "airhead, pie-in-the-sky, light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel" advisors and get back to the people who REALLY put him in the Oval Office!
After all, the unemployed pay taxes too AND THEY VOTE!!!!
AND THEIR RANKS ARE GROWING!!!!!!!!!!
AND the 2010 Congressional elections are only 18 months away!!!!!!
THINK ABOUT THAT ONE BARACK!!!!!
HAIL OBAMA????????????
We need to take care of things in the USA !
At home we are digging our stuff out for the yard sales.
--------------
So what's your solution? More free trade?
Too bad, because that's Obama's solution.
Now this MESS started in December of 2007... that's a full YEAR before the Elections! Now IF Bush and the Party of De-Regulation are NOT responsible, just who is.
-----------------------------
You just deny all facts and history.
The Democrats are the party of deregulation. Clinton signed NAFTA.
It is now Obama's watch. No matter who "started it," it's Obama's turn to take responsibility for it.
It is Obama's watch. Obama is to blame.
It's that simple.
This guy has destroyed 2 million jobs so far. Now he has to create 4.5 million to fulfill the job creation he promised.
When Bush and McCain lied to the country about the strength of the U.S. economy, we should have realized how bad things acutally were. We knew the previous administration would be bad for the country. We just had no idea how long the effects would last.
I know he inherited this from George Bush because he keeps reminding us of that every chance he gets. Maybe George should call him and apoligize. That seems to be the way to be successful in politics these days.
Sorry, you're wrong. This mess started long before President Obama took office, but it's his responsibility to fix things now that he's there. It's also up to Congress and the business community to some up with ways to stop the job bleeding. Once that happens, we can worry about job creation.
When Bush and McCain lied to the country about the strength of the U.S. economy, we should have realized how bad things acutally were. We knew the previous administration would be bad for the country. We just had no idea how long the effects would last.
What about when Dodd lied to the country? You know when he said our banks were in great condition? Why is it you only bring up half of the story? Why??
Who was the chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee? Who said the banks were stable and that there were no needs to issue regulations on the banks? That was Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut. A Democrat. You know if your going to blame people blame everyone involved.
-----------
So what's YOU solution? MORE FREE TRADE?
Obama says he WANTS FREE TRADE. Free trade is what's destroying our jobs.
Obama is destroying our economy with his actions, while his words say he is "deeply concerned."
Action speak louder than words.
This mess started long before President Obama took office, but it's his responsibility to fix things now that he's there.
------------------------------
Finally somebody gets it!
He is not 'deeply concerned' about unemployment.
He only cares about Goldman Sucks and JP Morgan.
He could give a damn about what happens to this country as long as we bailout trillions of absolutely worthless derivatives and credit-default swaps @Goldman Sucks and JP Morgan.
----------------------------
Right on! Excellent post.
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 38 Comments