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Obama finally faces tough questions from reporters

As President Obama's poll numbers continue to fall as well as the approval ratings of his pet programs, he was no longer the affable, smiley faced, charmer at the White House press corps conference on June 23, 2009.  He was not able to conceal his testiness when asked hard questions for almost the first time since he took office.

As the polls  show Americans wary of the amount of spending and of expanded government control, the White House Press Corp has finally responded to ridicule coming from voters who are rejecting their love affair with the President and pushing for tougher questioning. 

Obama was on the defensive almost from the first question but did admit that the Democracts economic stimulus package had not worked as well as he had expected.  Questions about the Democratic health care reforms seemed to annoy and unsettle him. He even tensed up when a reporter asked about his cigarette additition.

It is no wonder he was edgy about the unemployment rate which he had said would only be 8 percent and now has already reached 9.4 percent with even his acknowledgement that it would soon top 10 percent.  (There are some reports that it is actually 17 percent if everyone who had stopped looking for work, working part time,etc. were included.  Many states are reporting unemployment at 12 to 14 percent.) However, Obama maintained it would have been even higher without the $787 billion stimulus package (although there are few signs that it has made a difference.)

Obama defended his call for a government-sponsored health-care plan to compete with private insurers even though polls show that Americans are cooling off to the idea. Even some Democrats in Congress, for example, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), worried about the upcoming 2010 elections, are not as enthusiastic as they once were. This happened after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the program would cost more than $1 trillion and would kick millions out of their present insurance plans. Republicans were quick to jump on that and apparently, the American public was finally listening carefully to what would happen and the prediction that they would lose their present health coverage.

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich), the  top Republican on the House and Ways Committee, was a quoted as saying:

"It is very disturbing that the president refused to stand by his promise that Americans would be able to keep their doctor and health care plan if they wanted to...

and that Democrats are pushing for more government control.

Obama continued to be defensive throughout press conference and more so when his response to the uprising in Iran was compared with that of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) , his rival in the presidential election.

To read the entire article, go to

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/24/obama-presses-struggling-agenda/?source=newsletter_must-read-stories-today_more_news_carousel

To read more coverage of the press conference, go to:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/23/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5106892.shtml

Transcript of Obama's Press Conference:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/23/AR2009062301656.html

More articles about Obama programs:

Americans become poorer in first three months of 2009

Obama stimulus plan boomerangs with higher unemployment

Privatization of public property losing luster

Health care benefits Obamanomics next tax target

Obama stimulus plans no help for surging unemployment

Obama booze tax to pay for health care program?

Obama tax and spend programs meeting resistance

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