President Obama: 'Campaigning is different than governing' - Carol E. Lee

MINNEAPOLIS - President Obama offered a lesson for Republicans that he learned the hard way during his first two years in office.

"Campaigning is different than governing," Obama told reporters Sunday when asked about his meeting with GOP leaders later this week.

Continue Reading

Text Size

• -
• +
• reset

POLITICO 44

"They are flush with victory after a campaign of just saying 'No,'" he added. "But I'm sure the American people did not vote for more gridlock."

The president was speaking to reporters when he made a surprise visit to the press cabin of Air Force One during his flight home from Asia. It's rare for Obama to come to the back of the plane to talk to reporters, but he's done it twice in the last month.

Obama, who said in India that Republican gains in Congress will require him to make some "midcourse corrections," blamed his mishandling of politics for his Democratic losses - not his policies. 

He vowed to work to make sure his policies are better understood by Americans.

"I'm going to reorganize my efforts to go back to those first principles," he said.

Obama faces several legislative battles when the lame-duck session begins Monday in Congress, including the expiring Bush tax cuts and the new START treaty with Russia.

Obama said his priority is "making class taxes do not go up," as well as implementing "some business provisions to increase growth."

On the Start treaty, he said he feels "reasonably good about our prospects" for passage in the Senate during the lame-duck session.

He also tried to defuse tensions with Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, who is leading Republican opposition to the START treaty, saying he shares Kyl's desire for a modern arsenal.

"When we look upon how important Russian support has been" on Iran sanctions, Afghanistan supply route," Obama said, "my hope is that because this is a good treaty we should get it done."

Obama arrived in Washington on Sunday afternoon after spending nine days in Asia, where he tried to deepen ties to help boost the U.S. economy.

Asked his impressions of the trip, he said, "All of Asia is eager for American engagement."

"Sometimes because we've gone through a tough couple years, we have a tendency to think that Asia has forgotten us," he said, noting that he doesn't believe that's true.

But he also had a warning, based on how quickly the region's economies are growing.

"We should feel confident about our ability to compete," Obama said. "But we need to step up our game."

via politico.com

Posted via email from Brian's posterous