Showing posts with label speaker of the House. Show all posts
Showing posts with label speaker of the House. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Obama knocks Republicans for anti-Muslim rhetoric, seeks to set 2016 tone in ...


The Chainsmokers - Good Intentions (Speaker of the House Remix)
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama knocked Republican presidential candidates for anti-Muslim rhetoric and accused critics on Tuesday of playing into the hands of Islamic State in a speech aimed at setting an optimistic tone for his last year in office.

Obama, delivering his last State of the Union speech to Congress before leaving office next year, said it was fiction to declare the United States was in economic decline or getting weaker on the international stage.

In a direct slap at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, Obama said insulting Muslims hurt the United States and "betrayed" its identity.

"When politicians insult Muslims ... that doesn"t make us safer," he said, drawing applause from the crowd in the House of Representatives chamber. "It"s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals."

Businessman Trump is leading the Republican field in the race for the Nov. 8 election to replace Obama. Trump has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, ideas Obama strongly opposes.

The Democratic president said critics played into Islamic State"s hands by comparing the fight against the militant group to World War Three, even as he acknowledged that the group and al Qaeda posed a direct threat to the American people.

"Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages, they pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence," Obama said.

The remarks were a repudiation of criticism of his strategy against Islamic State, which Republicans have called insufficient.

Obama"s address comes as 10 sailors aboard two U.S. Navy boats were taken into Iranian custody. Iran told the United States the crew members would be "promptly" returned, U.S. officials said. The event gave Republicans further fodder to criticize Obama"s nuclear deal with Tehran.

Obama did not address the issue in his speech. The White House expects the situation to be resolved quickly.

The address was one of Obama"s few remaining chances to capture the attention of millions of Americans before November"s election of a new president who will take office next January.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is delivering the Republican Party"s response to Obama"s address, will knock his record on fiscal and foreign policy while delivering a not-so-subtle jab at Republican presidential candidates such as Trump.

"During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country," she will say, according to excerpts of her remarks.

Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Shaping legacy

Obama stuck to themes he hopes will define his legacy.

He emphasized areas where compromise was possible with Republicans in Congress including criminal justice reform, trade and poverty reduction.

He called for lawmakers to ratify a Pacific trade pact, advance tighter gun laws and lift an embargo on Cuba.

The president also said he regretted not having been able to elevate U.S. political discourse during his time in office.

To help "fix" U.S. politics, Obama pressed for an end to "gerrymandering," the practice of drawing voting districts in ways that gives advantage to a particular party; reducing the influence of "dark money" or political spending in which funding sources do not have to be disclosed; and making voting easier.

Obama also said he had tasked Vice President Joe Biden, whose son died last year of cancer, to lead an effort to find a cure for the disease.

Politics loomed over the speech.

Obama is eager for a Democrat to win the White House to preserve his legacy, but anger over his policies and fears about security threats have helped push non-traditional candidates to the fore in the Republican and, to a lesser extent, the Democratic races to succeed him.

Self-described "socialist" Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont is giving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tough competition in early voting states for the Democratic primary contest.

Source: http://www.unionleader.com/Obama-knocks-Republicans-for-anti-Muslim-rhetoric-seeks-to-set-2016-tone-in-final-State-of-the-Union-address

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Republicans Criticize President Obama"s Timing in State of the Union, Lack of ...


What Does The Speaker Of The House Do?

Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan leave after speaking to reporters following the weekly House GOP Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 12, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Credit: Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

Republicans Criticize President Obamas Timing in State of the Union, Lack of Inclusion of American Detainment inIran

Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan leave after speaking to reporters following the weekly House GOP Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 12, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Credit: Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

Most Republicans didnt enjoy President Barack Obamas last State of the Union, except for the fact of it being his last.

The energy level in the Capitol for Obamas seventh and final SOTU address felt lower than in past years. Earlier in his term, lots of members of both parties stopped by Statuary Hall to give pre-buttals, pitch themselves for interviews, and chat up the issues they expected to hear about from the President. There wasnt as much such activity this year, only some brief commotion and camera flashes when leaders, cabinet members and Supreme Court justices walked through on their way to the chamber.

Obama did not mention the 10 American sailors taken into custody by Iran earlier Tuesday and still not released by the time of the speech, but he did promote the nuclear deal the administration reached with Iran and other countries last year.

I was very concerned that hes missing where the challenge of the world is with security he sits and talks positively about Iran when they just took 10 of our Navy sailors, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

National security is our number one issue and I think hes in a different place than the rest of the country, he added. I do believe weve taken a step back and weve allowed others to fill the void and its made the world unsafe. We need to take a stronger approach.

Sen. John McCain, Obamas old presidential campaign rival, said Obama completely omitted mentioning the sailors, this latest example of Irans provocative behavior, so as not to interfere with his delusional talking points about his dangerous nuclear deal with Iran.

Obama called for Congress to take up an Authorization for the Use of Military Force resolution this year, but Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, wasnt impressed.

If he asked for a real AUMF that didnt hamstring the next president, he would have support, Johnson said. Thats the problem. Right now by precedent hes using the AUMF thats in place that gives him the power. Nobody is challenging it. I dont see what he needs more than that, quite honestly. Hes not going to get support for a weaker AUMF than he already has.

Changing politics?

Obama used his speech to call for one last change to the political system that seems hopelessly broken and partisan. Economic opportunity, security and a sustainable, peaceful planet are possible, if the country could return to rational, constructive debates, Obama said. It will only happen if we fix our politics.

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin came away saying that Obama missed a prime opportunity to fix politics in Washington, and Tuesdays speech came too late.

Ive been here for six years If you had seen this type of rhetoric and seen some follow-up with it, I think youd see a different Washington right now, Manchin said. Its never too little too late but its a shame he missed the opportunity. He recognized that.

Lets see what he does in this year. Knowing that were in a real toxic environment with the presidential campaign makes it more difficult but at least I give him credit for realizing it needs to change, Manchin added.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn labeled that part of the speech preachy.

Hes a product of politics in America, Cornyn said. I dont know. Its a little preachy for me.

Moonshot politics

Obamas nod to working to cure cancer was something that drew Republican support.

It was the one thing McCarthy said he could work with the president on. I want to cure cancer with him, the California Republican said, noting that he lost his father to cancer and the House already passed a bill attempting to boost the governments approach to finding a cure.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton echoed that sentiment.

I spent some time with Vice President Biden before the speech, and he is committed to helping us get important, bipartisan reforms through the Senate and into law, Upton said.

Source: http://ktla.com/2016/01/13/republicans-criticize-president-obamas-timing-in-state-of-the-union-lack-of-inclusion-on-american-detainment-in-iran/

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