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Pres. Obama Says GOP Pledge To America Has “Irresponsible Policies”

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NBCU’s Education Nation week kicked off with a half-hour interview of Pres. Barack Obama by Today show’s Matt Lauer, roadblocked across NBC and all its cable platforms.

While the majority of the time was spent talking about education (“there’s nothing more important,” said the President), Obama also made his first public comments about the GOP’s Pledge To America.

Lauer asked Obama about the “rhetoric” from the other side – “coming from the Republicans toward you, coming from the tea party toward you.”

“I’ve got a very sharp difference with the republicans on a lot of issues,” he said, clarifying his remark to “republican leadership,” while noting how many “wonderful people out there who are Republicans and Independents.”

“What I’m seeing out of the Republican leadership over the last several years has been a set of policies that are just irresponsible,” said Pres. Obama. “We saw in their Pledge To America a similar set of irresponsible policies.”

He also weighed in on the possibility of his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, running for mayor of Chicago.

Check out the Pledge and Rahm section of the interview below, and the full interview here:

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  • ImJustThatDamnGood

    Did the GOP included which country they will invade next in their Pledge to America?

  • Big Eddie

    ” When pilot unreliable , ship cannot keep true course “. … Staff leaving : ” Smart rats know when to leave ship ” .

  • Tony the Fist

    Irresponsible Policies like tax cuts. “When will you plebs get it that your money belongs to us?”

  • StandUp

    Pres. Obama Says GOP Pledge To America Has “Irresponsible Policies”

    Spoken by an expert on the subject

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Lamb/1085325013 Andy Lamb

    When you want opinion on “Irresponsible Policies”, talk to an expert. Matt Lauer is certainly doing that in this interview.

  • Tony the Fist

    ImJustThatDamnGood said:
    Did the GOP included which country they will invade next in their Pledge to America?

    I say make it a nice country this time, like coastal Spain. Our boys and girls overseas are getting tired of sand with no beach.

  • Pablo

    ImJustThatDamnGood said:
    Did the GOP included which country they will invade next in their Pledge to America?

    They were going to put Pakistan in there, but then they remembered that Obama already did it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Lamb/1085325013 Andy Lamb

    An opening statement from the first debate between DE Senate candidates O’Donnell and Coons last week –

    “As we look to Washington, we see a place that is broken down. For many of us who voted for change, we have not yet gotten the change that we hoped and worked for.”

    You’d expect O’Donnell to say that, right? Yeah, except it wasn’t her, it was COONS that said it. A high profile Senate race, and the first thing the Democratic candidate does is take a shot AT THE PRESIDENT! I find this absolutely amazing,

  • Pablo

    “I’ve got a very sharp difference with the republicans on a lot of issues,”

    You’ve got a very sharp difference with the electorate too, Champ.

  • Mr.Papshmer

    Obama’s a loser, plain and simple. Those associated who have political experience are bailing, as they see the writing on the wall. In short order, all Barry’s going to have left are the hard core Marxists. Obama’s an embarrassment, but it’s funny in a way… It’s going to be at least a full generation before Progressivism rears its ugly head again.

  • Patrick Henry

    Mr.Papshmer said:
    It’s going to be at least a full generation before Progressivism rears its ugly head again.

    Right on!

  • soccermom

    Mr President, based on this quote from your Reg Czar, Cass Sustein, I’d say it’s your side that is irresponsible:

    “Some conservative legal thinkers like Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas think that the Constitution means what it originally meant. That means we should understand the document by going into a kind of ‘Time Machine’ and capturing the public understanding of the public that ratified the document a century or more than a century ago.” ~ Cass Sunstein

    It’s you Sir, that have NO regard for the constitution. You have a list of 25 American’s that can be assassinated, but refuse to tell us who they are. There are appearantly mobile X ray machines roaming the streets with the ability to see through walls into our homes. You’re seeking to expand wiretaps on the internet. You sir are a disgrace that fortunately, will only last another 25 months.

  • writer

    And lately he’s been getting rhetoric coming from the left. A two front war!

  • jukin3

    As opposed to his highly irresponsible policies. That have added $3 trillion dollars…that’s $3,000 billion dollars to our national debt in less than 20 months.

    America is waking up to the fact that until the donks took over control of the congress after 2006 the proverbial sh*t hit the fan.

  • RichS

    ImJustThatDamnGood said:
    Did the GOP included which country they will invade next in their Pledge to America?

    Tell you what, you compile the list of names of the countries that the GOP unilaterally invaded and, when you present that, I’ll compile the list of names of the countries that President Obama has unilaterally appologized to, okay?

  • Azarkhan

    “irresponsible policies.” Pres Obama

    But not as irresponsible as legislating a massively expensive new entitlement program, Obamacare, in the midst of one of the worst recessions on record.

  • jooce81

    Mr.Papshmer said:
    It’s going to be at least a full generation before Progressivism rears its ugly head again.

    I wouldn’t say that.. look at the disaster the GOP created under the Bush administration , people were mad, and voted them out, here we are a couple years later and their “pledge” is pretty much the same policies. John Boehner comes out and says they arent changing. Americans have a short track mind when it comes to politics

  • Patrick Henry

    jooce81 said:
    I wouldn’t say that.. look at the disaster the GOP created under the Bush administration , people were mad, and voted them out, here we are a couple years later and their “pledge” is pretty much the same policies. John Boehner comes out and says they arent changing. Americans have a short track mind when it comes to politics

    Jooce, this is different. This is not just about Republicans vs. Democrats, it’s about average, ordinary people who want their country back from the ruling class in D.C. That includes both the Republicans and the Democrats. If Boehner and the others don’t fall in line, their time is limited. If the Republican party does not get back to real conservatism, it can disappear for all I care. I think there are many others that feel the same.

  • Mr.Papshmer

    jooce81 said:
    Americans have a short track mind when it comes to politics

    That’s another thing that’s funny as hell. When the voters dumped the Republicans, they were wise and enlightened. Now that they’ve had enough of the Obama experiment, they’re stupid and short sighted.

    Yes, most people had had enough of the big government Republicans, and wanted change. But after realizing their mistake, they’re ready to correct it. Hopefully, true conservatives, rather than liberal Republicans will take the reigns of the party.

  • The_Reasonable_Lib

    Yes, another pledge, because they kept that other one so well. When will people realize that this is a cycle?

  • musiccityvic

    Viewed on NBC and all their affiliates. Another unpaid infomercial for Obama and the Democrats from the “neutral” media.

  • dahni

    Obama has kinder and more living remarks about Ahmadinejad and Chavez thaen he has for Republicans. Maybe he thinks the three of them are the best rulers for the world.

  • dahni

    ‘loving’ remarks!!

  • http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

    soccermom says: “Cass Sunstein…You have a list of 25 American’s that can be assassinated,….”

    The paranoid style is on display here.

    There is one American that has been targeted for assassination, and that case is before the courts now. Incidentally, it’s one of very few issues that Glenn Beck and I agree on.

    http://www.examiner.com/progressive-in-syracuse/sometimes-beck-is-right-on-the-mark

    Just one, soccermom; the rest is paranoia.

  • http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

    Before you Tea Party reactionaries go off too many more times about the national debt, bear in mind that a whopping $9.2 trillion of our debt was taken on by the Reagan/Bush tax cuts. THAT’s the irresponsibility that the Tea Partiers and Republicons are turning blind eyes toward.

    http://zfacts.com/p/318.html

  • Mr.Papshmer

    GlennBeckReview said:
    Before you Tea Party reactionaries go off too many more times about the national debt

    Here’s a better link for you:

    http://www.ProgressivesArePanicing.com

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Aladine-Vargas/644022687 Aladine Vargas

    Rom is getting the Mayor Job some Obama, Jarret and Michelle can have a friend to find them a job in 2 years.

  • Azarkhan

    Speaking of “irresponsible”, why haven’t the Democratic Congress and the Democratic President passed and signed a federal budget yet?

  • CAconservative

    That’s rich! Obimbo speaking about irresponsibility?! If he was truly worried about our education system he’d abolish the “no child left behind” garbage! This little bit of Bush nonsense was designed to educate the children of illegal aliens. What it’s done to the legal children of California is criminal! Of the nearly $11 Billion spent annually on illegal aliens, $7.7 Billion is going to teach the children of illegal aliens!! That’s nearly $8 Billion dollars in school expenditures taken from from the children of legal California citizens and given to people who are not suppose to be in this country in the first place. Education in California has gone from being among the best in the world to being nearly at the bottom!

  • CosmosDan

    I watched two shows on education on MSNBC last night that were both very good. ONe about a new documentary called “Waiting for Superman” and the other was a teacher town hall. Very informative.

  • Penguin60

    I love the term “reactionaries”, you’ll notice all the card carrying, kool-aid drinking libs throw it around quite often. They must have all got the WH memo for that peach. I guess it replaces racist.

  • TfT

    Say it ain’t so Matt. Another anchor on the national barak channel gives hehimselftheone an opportunity to bash republicans/conservatives without any competing position?

    No way!!! No how!!!

    Bwahahahaha. NBC becoming a laughing stock at the openly loving obama suck-upery.

  • TfT

    NROs tweet of the day is from David Gregory – extraordinaire “journolist” from the National barak Channel:

    “Education reform is a new form of patriotism; it’s not just about our kids but our country.”

    So was David speaking for himself as a National Barak Channel anchor, or was he speaking for Obama as a National Barak Channel anchor:

    I report, you decide.

  • ganymede

    I want to take this opportunity on the publication of the “Pledge to America” to thank and honor the Teapublican Party for their service to the country and the world. As we watch the polls begin to turn against these noble reactionaries I would like to point out how much these people are helping Americans see much more clearly how the right is helping and continues to help this country. Especially their brilliant ideas to reduce the deficit and budget, help create jobs, get more money to the top 1% and help work out peaceful solutions in the Middle East and elsewhere. We also appreciate their ideas for improving health care and helping make social security more secure. Like Newt Gingrich’s brilliant “Contract for America”, we look forward to the new crop of Teapublican leaders who will make this country a world leader once again. Thank you Sarah Palin, Sharron Angle, Michelle Bachmann, Rand Paul and your corporate/media backers, Rupert Murdoch, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and, of course, the Koch Brothers. You will go down in the history books as the heros who finally freed us, once and for all, from the yoke of your great ignorance, selfishness, wamongering and phony patriotism .

  • felixw

    Tonight on the mainstream news:

    “You know that pledge we won’t tell you about. Well today the President called it irresponsible. Especially the parts we won’t mention. Which is pretty much the whole thing, now that I think about it…..”

  • http://none pyrope

    Mr.Papshmer said:
    It’s going to be at least a full generation before Progressivism rears its ugly head again.

    Hopefully you are correct but be aware that they will ever march toward the erosion of our Constitution, they always make incremental steps; some large, some not so large.

    “Pres. Obama Says GOP Pledge To America Has ‘Irresponsible Policies’”

    Yep, that Constitution is a real wet blanket to the progressive agenda.

  • http://www.libertarianism.com/ Burnnotice

    Instead of a “Pledge to America,” the Republicans should have written an “Apology to America.” It should have gone something like this:

    “We’re sorry, America. Sorry we grew the federal government budget from $1.7 trillion to over $3 trillion. Sorry we added $5 trillion to the federal debt. Sorry we doubled the size of the Department of Education. Sorry we started two incredibly costly foreign wars. Sorry we supported the absurd and costly TARP bailouts. Sorry we created a huge and costly new Medicare entitlement. Sorry we did nothing to end the costly and destructive War on Drugs. Sorry we did nothing to reform the federal government’s near-prohibition on immigration. But hey, at least we helped you by shifting a lot of your tax burden onto your children and grandchildren.”

    There are so many lies, distortions, hypocrisies, and idiocy in this document that it’s hard to know where to start.

    It is deeply insulting to see the Republicans refer to “America’s founding values” on their cover. The Republican Party has no understanding whatsoever of America’s founding values. They have proven and re-proven that for decades.

    The document talks a lot about “tax cuts.” Unfortunately, the Republican “tax cut” proposals would really do nothing to cut taxes. All their proposals achieve is to defer taxes, pushing the burden onto our children and grandchildren. The only real way to cut taxes is to cut government spending, and the Republican document does almost nothing in that regard.

    The Republicans say they want to “roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels.” In other words, to re-create the situation near the end of the Bush administration, after Republicans had massively increased federal spending on almost everything.

    Republicans must love it when Democrats expand government, because it gives them the opportunity to propose small “cuts,” while still ending up with huge government.

    One shocking aspect of the document is that it actually includes subtle Republican proposals to increase government spending.

    The Republicans offer no plan whatsoever to reduce military spending, America’s foreign wars and nation building, or our military defense of rich foriegn nations. On the contrary, the Republicans apparently want to increase military spending, promising to “provide the resources, authority, and support our deployed military requires, fully fund missile defense, and enforce sanctions against Iran.”

    The Republicans also appear to want to increase government spending on border control. They say “We will ensure that the Border Patrol has the tools and authorities to establish operational control at the border,” a costly proposition.

    Furthermore, as expected, the document complains about “massive Medicare cuts,” implying that Republicans want to make sure Medicare is kept gigantic.

    The bulk of federal spending is in three places: Social Security, Medicare, and the military. The Republicans propose absolutely nothing to reduce spending on these three things, or even to slow down their growth.

    There must be a typo in the document where it says “Undeterred by dismal results, Washington Democrats continue to double-down on their job-killing policies.” That probably should read “Washington Democrats continue to double-down on Republican job-killing policies.”

    The best way to restore American prosperity would be to implement the straightforward 28 planks of the Libertarian Party platform, or even just follow the Constitution. I mean the actual Constitution, not the Republican re-write that allows for every federal government program imaginable.

    I suppose the one positive aspect of the document is that it finally dispels any illusion that Republicans want to shrink government in any meaningful way.

    Apparently the Republicans are hoping they can “fool some of the people all of the time.” The Libertarian Party is ready to point out Republican lies and hypocrisy to American voters, and we hope that Americans who actually want small and constitutional government, not just hypocrisy and worthless rhetoric,

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