Live Blog: President Obama's Speech 3/24
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/01/02/liveblogfinal.copy.jpg] Here's your chance to weigh in President Obama's speech. What would you ask our panel?? We want to know. Please tell us in the comment section below. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment posted if you follow the rules: 1) Please keep it short 2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (no need to yell) 3) Use your real name 4) No links 5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated, PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
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John I totally agree that this is a time of great challenge and am sure many do, I take strongly the point that the president highlighted, spending on health care, education and energy to sustain the economy in the long term and this looks like the way to go, and how cool is the word cloud, I love it.....
President Obama's plan seem very clear to me, investing in growth is to the benefit of the country & our childrens future. We have been waiting since the 1970's for the energy crises plans to be implemented. How much longer does congress want to wait? I was in my youth, now I in the youth of my old age. Take action now, it does take money to make money. Why is it the common folk understand this & the press does not? I trust the decisions he is making, he grew up watching the inaction & understands the logical answer! American is on board. Congress is not.
I thought the tone and the deliberation on the answers was a welcome change from the last adminstration and showed that after only 60 days, he is getting to be very comfortable in the job. Great answer during the press conference about charitiable giving and taxes. paraphrased.. "If it's truly charitable, why are you worried about the tax benefits?"
Toyia I'm glad you see my point, president Obama is a breath of fresh air compare to the 'Stench' that was coming from the whitehouse for the past 8yrs!! Obama has only been in the office for 70days & look @ what he's accomplished already, @ this time 8yrs ago Bush was still on vacation!
While Princess Diana was the Peoples Princess, President Obama is the Peoples President!
@Teri- Ed Henry is totally my hero too! I love how he was the so-called non-conformist of the group.
Makes me happy to see that a reporter doesn't care what others think, that he can just do his job...
BO needs to start taking responsible for the economy. AIG happened because HE didn't read the spending stimulus he RUSHED thro in a week. He soooooooo responsible for this AIG debacle. He is way over his head. 2012 hurry up.
The American public needs to understand and realize that our economy has been declining for the last 4 years. It will take more than 1 year to make significant change. Obama has a tough task ahead of him and I am glad that he is the one who is leading this country. Instead of criticizing his efforts, we should be more involved in solving the issues.
I love our president and couldn't be prouder of his vision for humanity in general. President Obama helps us to see and understand the great possibilities our futures can be if we remain healthy, respect the earth, educate ourselves and live within our means. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to strive for this? I see a bright future!
Now that employers have free reign to cull the heard of senior employees with impunity, and retirement savings have been decimated, why wasn't Social Security a priority bailout? Most politicians should dread seeing millions of hard-voting grey panthers in breadlines. ..They're soon to be a majority.
Pres. Obama is a good reader, not a good speaker. Finally, the media ended their love affair with him and asked the tough questions. He seemed like a deer in headlights, and quite frankly downright angry at times. He really needs to get his facts straight before he goes public with them. GO ED HENRY!!!!
I don't think it really matters who is addressing the problems of executive compensation and the messes like AIG. It is important that someone is. If Obama and Geitner can either lead or follow Mr. Cuomo, then we all win.
I thought this was a refreshing change from the secrecy of our last 8 years. He was candid which the American people need right now.
@John- I agree with you. History is set in stone and shouldn't be affected by one's thoughts. I think we as a nation should focus on our leader's speech techniques. If everyone could understand the Logos Pathos and Ethos of the speech then maybe there would be a chance of destroying partisanship.
WOW what an EXCELLENT job Ed Henry did!
There should be more reporters like this.
Great work ED
I think President Obama will go down as one of the worst presidents in history. He says one thing and does another and expects people to believe his continuous campaigning. Yes, he did inherit a mess, but he and his incompetent advisors are leading us down the path to socialism. Too bad most of the public and the media refuse to see through this sham. Whatever happened to critical thinking?
Every time I hear our President speak he makes me proud to be an American. He also continues to instill a level of confidence that he is the right person to lead our country out of the mess he stepped into. He is smart, intelligent, confident and someone we can trust. This has been missing for a long time.
Obama'a speech very good. He is able to address many different tiopics well and in depth. I feel confident about his economic strategies and wish that the Republicans would stop being so negative and think about helping the country and back this president's plan to pull out of this mess.
We have to have faith and also pray for the President. He is not always going to say or maybe do the right things but majority of the decisions he is going to make will be right. I am NOT happy with ED Henry right now and this is not about trying to put someone on the spot light this is about us coming together to work on the problems and challenges we are facing. We all have to come together.
The options in front of the President are 1) Do nothing and hope for the best or 2) Get in, get dirty, and get it done.
Reporters, CEOs, and politicians are not the best people to be second-guessing the President.
And for crying out loud, he's only been in office two months, Guitner too. The media's treatment of him is unfair.
John King, Agreed! Any and all questions about the state of the union, no pun intended, should be considered legitimate and the president should make an effort to address them in a direct and honest manner.
Outstanding Mr. President......
I love the fact that for the first time in my life I can say " I love my President!!" This man is the best thing to ever happen to this country. And he was not angry when he answered Ed when he stated he wanted to wait and know what he was talking about. That 's called being smart. Think before you speak, which most people should do. That one guy on your show who said he looked tired and it looked like he couldn't wait to get out of there....well, I think it was him who couldn't wait for him to get out of there since he can't handle the brains of this great man.
I feel wonderful, secure, hopeful, and if I had my way, I would vote for this man every 4 years until the day I die!!
Ed Henry is my hero - way to press the Prez and ask the very question I was thinking.
I don't understand the concerns about "doing too much". I run a business and have raised a family–and i have no choice but to do it all. I am immensely impressed by this president's ability to manage so many crises with grace, intelligence and–this was most impressive tonight–a clear, wonkish grasp of the myriad issues and details that he showed in this press conference. We are blessed to have Barack Obama as president at this time of crisis–and I think his priorities are spot on. (This from an old, white-guy business owner–who has also become a big fan.)
Is it that people do not understand contracts? The AIG contracts were written last fall. How can the U.S. Government over ride contracts, courts can do that. If people do not like the AIG contracts why do they not call for the removal of the AIG board of directors. Obama as a lawyer must have thought that the AIG contracts would hold up in court. I believe that for the first time in a long time we have a President that actually cares about the people on Main Street, good job Sir.
Outstanding Mr. President.......They can't intimidate him...
I was pleased with President Obama's speech tonight. He is a "people's President " and not a "politician's President". I think President Obama wants to tell "we the people" the truth and politician's don't like that.
Also, if you all ( the panel members) know how to resolve the budget deficit and have detailed plans of doing so, please help all of us and yourselves by sharing your wonderful ideas! I am sure that Mr.Obama being the type of President is he is, will be happy to hear your thoughts! Thanks Roland and Gloria! You all always make sense!
@Ali In reference to Ed henry's question about reaction time of the President and State of NY having more success with investigating AIG. I am sure you can explain the fact that insurance companies are regulated by the states they do business in and specifically the state they have their headquarters in. They are not regulated by Federal Reserve and etc. So yes, the state of NY is going to have more control and powers in the AIG situation. I think people need to under this. So it would make sense that NY is reacting faster.
this discussion underscores the intensity – and the stakes – of the many debates the president tried to advance tonight, many of which fall under the umbrella of his budget proposal .......
whether you agree or disagree with the president's approach – and that's not my job – it is true when he says this is a time of great challenge and that he has a full plate. coming to talk to reporters and the american people should always be welcomed and encouraged, regardless, again, what you think of the president's politics. we all learn from such discussions and exchanges.
In my opinion President Barack H. Obama is doing everything in his power to straighten out the mess that the Republican party has left!!! ...It took 8 years to formulate these dilema's ... President Obama has been in office for about 2 months. (Patience is a virtue...please have plenty). I'm really tired of the two parties fighting like crips and bloods...call a truce. We are all facing hard economic times together and it's going to take the effort of all to get over this hump!!!
I thought he did seem confident, particularly on the dollar. We've seen some indications of what's being put in the pipeline and surely we can, as a country, exercise a little patience and supress our collective need for an instant fix to our problems.
President Obama keep saying that his package will create more jobs and prevent lay offs. Here in CA teachers are getting pinks slips and the districts are saying that they don't have money to cover expenses . Therefore, the last resource is to increase class size and let these teachers go. What he would do about it? There are 6,000 thousands teachers who will join the unemployment line.
I thought the news conference was great, the president explained the fact that dealing with health care was a prerequisite to a lower budget cost in the future.
I think he was only annoyed with your reporter because he had just covered the topic and did not understand why he couldn't keep up.
I totally support the President's priorities. I want to see his vision for our economy supported by the passage of his budget. I find his long term view refreshing. I'm sick of the constant second guessing and nay saying by the pundits and the political establishment. Let the man do the job we hired him to do! He's spot on in my opinion.
I'm a total President Obama fan, but I fear he is in trouble right now. The country, even the press, is starting to split right in support and opinions. Our president had some good moments tonight and quite effective at times, but too hesitant on other answers and sometimes not forceful enough. As an average citizen, I'm thrilled that Obama is optimistic and moving some of his plans along, but at the same time, I'm still hearing a campaigning tone and some of the same old things he's said over and over during his many publicity stints as late. I still believe in him, but I'm anxious to start hearing him sound like a president to be reckoned with.
I continue to be so impressed by this president's depth and acuity of thought. He's tackling issues as though solving them will make a difference for the whole country and not just a few businesses and wealthy friends. We're so lucky to have him leading us through this difficult time!
I think he is on the right track. It will take time, it took us awhile to get in this mess. I do wish people could see further than tomorrow. To build and change things takes time. Seventh Generation and all, think about it.
Wow! I can't believe we have a President who answers questions. More importantly, I can't believe we have a President who understands how to deal with conflict. Unfortunately, most Americans will have no idea what he's talking about (i.e. ocean liner, I like to understand before I speak, things don't change over night, etc.). When more than half of all Americans are divorced, his message will go over too many heads; it's a shame. Well, I couldn't imagine a better President for the job.
Prez Obama's speech and answers to reporters made me so proud to be a U.S. citizen I had tears! He understands the problems we regular people experience and he speaks like he cares. He is the right man for the office he occupies.
What a mess my President inherit...this is a lot of work to get done.
People are saying that his agenda is to ambitious. Yet if he only did one thing at a time, then people would be saying he is doing to little..go figure. He has all heavyweights in his cabinet that should be able to manage on their own just fine.
Ali - loved your blogging with us - please do it again soon! Let me know if you need those gold chocolate coins - they are available at my local confectionary, which I love to visit often!
Love seeing you report occasionally from the Chicago Merc - my brother's been a commodities broker there for years - I always look to see if he's in the background when you report from the floor.
Wow! Ed Henry was combative, instead of discussing substanative issues, Ed Henry and a couple of others were playing 'Gotcha.' How sad that during the most challenging of times, we are still resorting to one ups manship, by the R's and some in the media. The American public is behind and believes this President, let us enjoy this..it has been a long time! And one more thing, I find it insulting and condescending that many words, phrases are above our intellect – it happens way too often. We are not ordinary or average, we are talented, intellegent people, no matter what our bank accounts or business card may say.
Thank you R. Bradshaw...Ditto!
I think our President has done an exceptional job tonight at answering/addressing questions posed to him by the reporters. He went well beyond the "typical boundries" in explanations, than those who have preceeded him.
President Obama is one of the most dignified, humble, compassionate and extremely intelligent presidents we've ever had in our lifetime and we, as one country, one people... should embrace him and his tireless efforts, without question.
The United States of America WILL BE on track again. Have patience and never EVER give up on who is fighting for us.
John King, I knew that is what you meant. You and Dana are two of the best journalists around and not just on CNN!
Mike Bivins,
I have to agree with you. Over the years we have ben issued lies or not issues any comments at all. I think that it is good that the President is addressing teh Nation, and I think we need to give him a chance and not be so critical. I too will possibly face a difficult situation as many other Americans by not having a job towards the end of the year, but I'm preparing. Working on my resume, and going to job fairs. We will get through this...It could be way worse...We could be in a third world country full of famine and disease and strife, and I could go on and on!
Hey everyone! Still have questions for President Obama? Send us your video iReport questions, upload at iReport.com.
Thanks!
It is so refreshing to hear this man speak. No matter if you agree with all he is trying, you see there is a mind in there working to tackle this mess. Hence why he is so popular. As for finger wagging by Congress and the media (yes you), where were YOU when we needed investigative journalism on the banking industry? Don’t jump all over Obama when you weren’t doing your job when it mattered.