English subtitles for clip: File:1-19-10- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Gibbs:
Take us away.

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The Press:
You said something last week about the Massachusetts

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election that Ax sort of repeated today that
I'm intrigued by. He said, "I think the White

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House did everything we were asked to do.
Had we been asked earlier we would have responded

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earlier." And that's similar to something
you said I think maybe on Friday or Thursday.

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I think I was asked Friday why we weren't

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coming on Tuesday but were coming on
Friday, and I said we had been asked.

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The Press:
No, I understand, but the implication here

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is that the White House, with an election
this important to the majority and to your

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agenda and to health care, can't assert itself
or won't assert itself into this issue and

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try to make a difference. So can
you talk about that a little bit?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, obviously the President went on

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Sunday, lent his support for Martha Coakley,
talked about why he believed she would be

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the best senator, somebody who has fought for
middle-class, working-class folks in Massachusetts.

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We're going to have plenty of time to get
into the back-and-forth of all this. I'd prefer

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to do that when we know what the result is.

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The Press:
Well, it sounds like you're either saying

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that you don't want to assert yourself when
something is important unless you're asked

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to do it, which seems a little weird, or that
you're setting yourself up for this election

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to be lost by the Democrat.

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, again, we'll have a chance to

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discuss the outcome of the election when we
know the outcome of the election, which, as

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many people know, is ongoing.

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The Press:
Stay tuned?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Right.

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The Press:
Quickly, on another topic, tomorrow there

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are I believe six hearings having to do with
the Christmas airline attack, Yemen, al Qaeda,

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Fort Hood -- six all in one day. Can you talk
a little bit about the object of that and

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how the White House is getting ready for that,
how you want that to play out tomorrow?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I don't know much about preparation

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other than -- I mean, obviously you've seen
John's report on both topics. Obviously many

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of these hearings were announced after the
incident but before these reports, and I think

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the administration obviously is more than
happy to discuss what's in these reports,

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but more importantly, the steps that we're
taking to address the concerns that these

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documents bring up. That's been the President's
charge to the team this entire time. I think

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you've seen the President be quite open in
discussing our failings. The onus is on, now,

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all of us, both Capitol Hill and the White
House, to ensure that we do all that we can

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to plug those shortcomings.

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The Press:
So in the event of a Democratic loss in Massachusetts,

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what kind of contingency planning is the White
House doing to prevent the -- to keep the

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health care bill alive as well
as to keep everything on track?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Obviously health care is a great priority

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to this President. We can get into discussing the
results of tomorrow, tomorrow when we have results.

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The Press:
But whatever the outcome of the election up

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there in Massachusetts, what's the thinking
within the administration that this has exposed

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public skepticism, perhaps even backlash against
the President's agenda, not just health care,

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but financial reform and --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I don't -- I think to get into why

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something happened before it happens -- we
will schedule a briefing not unlike this at

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approximately the same time tomorrow
where we can discuss a lot of it. Jake.

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The Press:
Forgetting the results of the election --

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(laughter) -- the fact is it's incredibly close,
right? You guys have said it's an incredibly close --

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Mr. Gibbs:
It's a heavily contested election.

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The Press:
Heavily contested election in Massachusetts.

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Does the President think that the fact that
it's so close is any reflection at all on

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him or his agenda or his governing style?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Look, again, as I said to Matt, we'll have

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a chance to get into --

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The Press:
But I'm not talking about --

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Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, I understand. Let me finish the --

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I think there is obviously -- and this isn't
something that's known simply because there's

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an election in one state. I think there's
a tremendous amount of upset and anger in

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this country about where we are economically.
That's not a surprise to us in this administration

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because, Jake, in many ways we're here because
of that upset and anger. That upset and anger,

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quite frankly, dates much farther back than
simply the 2008 election. That's not to talk

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about any previous administration, except
for quite some time the middle class has thought

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that Washington was looking out for Washington
and the big special interests, and not looking

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out for them. I don't think there's any doubt
of that. I think the President, who reads

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letters from people every day, will be in
Ohio during a town hall meeting later this

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week -- I have no doubt that people are going
to express anger and frustration about where

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we are. We have seen an economic downturn
and collapse that we haven't seen since the

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late 1920s and the early 1930s. I think that
is going to be the source of, rightfully so,

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a lot of frustration, understanding that there
were a lot of people that were hurting well

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before that economic calamity hit Wall Street.
Wages weren't going up -- you guys heard the

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President talk about this. People were working
longer, people were working harder, people

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were more productive even as their wages weren't
growing. So, look, the President understands

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there's a lot of economic
frustration out there.

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The Press:
If you look at the right track-wrong track

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number, which I know you guys pay attention
to, it was improving after President Obama

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took office. And it became that a majority
of Americans at one point thought that we

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were on the right track, and that number has
started to go down, even as the economy has

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continued to tank. So it would seem that a
lot of Americans are now attaching their frustration

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with Washington to President
Obama and what he's doing.

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Mr. Gibbs:
I think there is certainly some attachment

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to us. I think there is some larger attachment
to this town. I think there's an attachment

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to the pace of that recovery that you would
count the President among those frustrated

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about. The President is -- understands that there
is frustration out there and is frustrated himself.

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The Press:
But when you look at the polls on what the

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American people think about his handling of
health care reform and the health care reform

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bill itself, they don't -- they don't approve.
Is it possible that it's not just -- that

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along with President Obama, they are frustrated
with the pace of economic recovery, but maybe

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that Americans disagree with what President
Obama is doing, disagree with the direction

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he is taking the country?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, we have had a vigorous back-and-forth

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in this country about health care. I think
we'd be the first to admit that we think there

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are a lot more benefits than people see and
feel in these bills. If that's a failing,

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I think that is certainly a failing that I and
others here at the White House take responsibility

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for, up to and including the President.

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The Press:
Robert, if the Senate loses the 60-member

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filibuster-proof majority, does the President
feel that it would be in the best interest

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of moving health care forward for House Democrats
to support the Senate bill and get it on his

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desk as soon as possible?

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Mr. Gibbs:
These are going to be all great questions

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tomorrow. But I just --

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The Press:
You'll answer them tomorrow?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I promise I'll be here
tomorrow, how about that?

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(laughter)

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The Press:
Can we turn to Haiti then, if you would?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Sure.

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The Press:
U.S. planes are flying -- are U.S. planes

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flying over Haiti broadcasting a message to
the Haitians that they should not try to come

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to the United States, that they would be turned
away? Can you tell us what that's about?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know of the particular message that

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you're talking about. We certainly -- we have
seen no preparation for any type of mass migration

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that some might have been concerned about.
We don't see any evidence coalescing around

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that at this point.

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The Press:
And you're not aware of any message that the

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United States government is broadcasting?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I can certainly check on that. I know that

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there's a 2:00 p.m. call, the regular updated
calls that we've done on giving you all information

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from our disaster response teams about the
latest on the ground. And our focus obviously

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is on search and rescue right now.

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The Press:
And Governor Rendell said that the White House

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was involved in actually getting the plane
of the orphanages, taking them out of Haiti,

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bringing them to Pittsburgh. Can you explain
what the administration's role has been? And

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just clear up --

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Mr. Gibbs:
They're working on putting some of that together

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for me now, but I don't have
that up to date with me.

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The Press:
Okay. And do you know if half of those orphans

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were actually sent to Pittsburgh? There
was a number, 53, that they had --

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Mr. Gibbs:
They're working on some of that, and we'll

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get a better -- a fuller readout of that.
They're putting that together. Some of the

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folks that were involved in that are on their
way back from Haiti back to Washington today.

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The Press:
And is there a 4:00 p.m. meeting with USAID

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here at the White House?

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Mr. Gibbs:
With?

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The Press:
USAID -- here at the White House?

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Mr. Gibbs:
There is a principals committee meeting, not

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a presidential meeting. And there may be some
updates out of that that we would brief you

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on as well. But it's a meeting not unlike
we've had before -- sometimes the President

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has been in, sometimes he hasn't -- coordinating
our response and ensuring that if people feel

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like we need -- if they need more help in
doing stuff that that reaches the highest

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levels and we can make sure that happens.

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The Press:
What's the President's agenda for his second

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year in office and what's the top priority?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I think the top priority, obviously, Helen,

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is to continue to work hard on getting this
economy back on track and creating jobs again.

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I think that is -- he outlined some ideas
in December on -- some successful programs,

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some of which were in the Recovery Act, that
many people have, in the parlance of oversubscribed

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in terms of the amount of money that was available
but having applications for two or three or

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four times that amount of money. His primary
focus will be on creating jobs. Chip.

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The Press:
I'd like to talk about a different topic

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-- the election in Massachusetts.

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(laughter)

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You said earlier that you don't want to discuss
-- you don't want to discuss why something

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happens before it happens, but something has
already happened, and that is that there has

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been a groundswell of support for a Republican
in the blue state of Massachusetts for a candidate

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who's running against the
President's agenda. Is this --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, now, just -- well, again --

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The Press:
Go ahead?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Go ahead. I don't know if that was the end

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of your question.

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The Press:
Well, there are so many different questions

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here, but one of the questions is -- the big
question that a lot of people are posing now

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is, is this a sign that the White House has
simply lost touch with the American people

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that they just don't get it? This
is not something that's happening --

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Mr. Gibbs:
When I read your poll I didn't come away

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with that conclusion. When I read the CBS
poll and they said 70 percent of the American

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people thought the President was -- cared
about people like them, I came to the conclusion

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that 70 percent of the people believed that he
cared about people like them. So, no, I don't --

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The Press:
That's a good diversion, but I mean this is

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still happening -- it's still
happening in Massachusetts.

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Mr. Gibbs:
No, that's your poll. I hate to quote CBS

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to CBS. I should have tried it out on you
and used your poll on him and sort of --

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The Press:
It sounds to me like you're confident that

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the Republican is going to lose in Massachusetts
if you think that poll is reflective of where

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the American people are right now.

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Mr. Gibbs:
Your question was whether the vote would be

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reflective of the American people. I simply
said what I said your poll showed, Chip. Again,

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we'll have time --

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The Press:
-- question of do you think that this White

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House has just lost touch
with the American people?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I think according to any reasonable measure,

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the answer to that is, of course not.

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The Press:
Has the President -- have you heard him express

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surprise or frustration about how
close this race is in Massachusetts?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Yes. He was both surprised and frustrated.

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The Press:
Can you give us some details? Anything else?

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Angry? And at whom?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Not pleased.

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The Press:
Frustrated at whom, about what?

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Mr. Gibbs:
We'll get in more of that tomorrow.

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The Press:
Recognizing you don't know the results yet,

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in the interest of preparedness, which I'm
sure the President views as a virtue, have

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you talked to Speaker Pelosi at all about
this so-called plan B of the House passing

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the Senate bill as is?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know if the President has had an opportunity

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-- I can check on whether the President
has spoken directly with Speaker Pelosi.

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The Press:
Have any member of staff that you're aware of?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I assume some people here have talked to the

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Speaker. I do not have a catalog of each
and every one of those conversations.

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The Press:
Why didn't the President lay out the stakes

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when he was in Massachusetts on
Sunday and say to those folks --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I think the President did.

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The Press:
-- if you don't put Martha Coakley in the

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United States Senate our
health care bill likely dies?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I don't -- again, let's wait for the results.

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I don't think the President believes that.

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The Press:
Okay, so he doesn't look at health care

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as sort of hanging up by a string here?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Health care is a priority for him now. It

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will be a priority for him tomorrow.

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The Press:
Is there any particular reason why he didn't

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00:14:37,834 --> 00:14:39,264
-- that could be a pretty
compelling argument to Democrats.

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00:14:39,266 --> 00:14:41,666
Mr. Gibbs:
I think the President laid out exactly what

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00:14:41,667 --> 00:14:47,267
was at stake. For the people of Massachusetts,
it's about electing somebody that will represent

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their interests in the United States Senate.
And are you going to elect somebody who has

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00:14:53,200 --> 00:15:01,400
consistently fought for middle-class, working-class
interests, as you heard the President say,

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or somebody who campaigns as an independent
and has voted 96 percent of the time with

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00:15:06,233 --> 00:15:11,463
Republicans in the state Senate? I
think he laid it out quite clearly.

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The Press:
Is his decision not to put it in those terms

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-- that if you don't send Coakley to the
Senate my health care bill could fail --

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a tacit acknowledgement that that's not a very
compelling argument for voters right now?

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Mr. Gibbs:
No, again, I don't think the President believes

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and subscribes to that as an overall premise.

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The Press:
Beyond talking about -- focus
on the economy and --

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Mr. Gibbs:
-- there's a race near Connecticut.

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00:15:36,734 --> 00:15:38,104
(laughter)

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The Press:
I wasn't going to mention New England at

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all in this question.

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Mr. Gibbs:
Right.

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(laughter)

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States that begin with "M" --

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The Press:
My question is -- but feel free to answer

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your own question if you -- (laughter)

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Mr. Gibbs:
Mississippi is lovely this time of year.

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The Press:
Can you give us some concrete, specific examples

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00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:03,670
of what you'll be doing in the coming months
to persuade the American people that you are

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00:16:03,667 --> 00:16:08,197
focused on the economy and on jobs, beyond
just talking about it in general terms?

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00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,870
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I could give you a list of what we're

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00:16:12,867 --> 00:16:21,467
going to do -- we'll have economic events
here later this week, on Thursday here. He'll

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visit Ohio on Friday. He'll talk to the U.S.
Conference of Mayors about a jobs-creating

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agenda here also on Thursday. But the President
isn't going to get focused on the economy

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in the coming months; the President obviously
has been focused quite clearly on the economy

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00:16:37,333 --> 00:16:45,963
since his first moments in office. Last week
the President discussed a bank responsibility

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00:16:45,967 --> 00:16:53,537
fee that focuses in on the health of the economy.
The President will talk about an agenda for

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00:16:53,533 --> 00:17:00,063
creating jobs, about getting ourselves back
on a path toward fiscal responsibility; making

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00:17:00,066 --> 00:17:07,236
college education more affordable and taking
the banks out of being the middle men for

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00:17:07,233 --> 00:17:13,133
college loans. A lot of those things the President
has talked about and will continue to talk

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00:17:13,133 --> 00:17:17,733
about, and you'll see obviously some of
that in the State of the Union. Mark.

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00:17:17,734 --> 00:17:20,464
The Press:
Well, since you've answered all our questions

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00:17:20,467 --> 00:17:24,567
on the special election, can I ask you if
the President is going to take notice in any

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00:17:24,567 --> 00:17:28,767
way tomorrow about the end
of his first year in office?

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00:17:28,767 --> 00:17:30,097
Mr. Gibbs:
Nothing special, no.

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00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:30,900
The Press:
No?

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00:17:30,900 --> 00:17:31,900
Mr. Gibbs:
No.

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00:17:31,900 --> 00:17:32,870
The Press:
Press conference?

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00:17:32,867 --> 00:17:33,837
The Press:
Is he aware of it?

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00:17:33,834 --> 00:17:35,934
(laughter)

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00:17:35,934 --> 00:17:37,564
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I mean, I don't want to be technical

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00:17:37,567 --> 00:17:40,737
about it, but wouldn't today actually be the
end of his first year?

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The Press:
Well, noon tomorrow would
be the end of it, technically.

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00:17:41,867 --> 00:17:44,497
(laughter)

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Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know if there's anything that he'll

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00:17:47,467 --> 00:17:53,067
do prior to noon that's -- I mean, I've got
to be honest with you, Mark. I think in many

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ways it is -- it's an anniversary of types,
but I don't see that a lot of people are ultimately

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focused on marking the first year. I mean,
since we've been here, we've had the anniversary

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of the election -- that was the first year;
and then there was the end of the first year,

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00:18:17,567 --> 00:18:21,667
which was the end of the year; and then there
will be the end of the first year, which you

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00:18:21,667 --> 00:18:25,897
appropriately point out will be at or
around noon on -- so, I mean, there's --

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The Press:
First 100 days.

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00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,970
Mr. Gibbs:
Right, first 100 days, first 200 days, first

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six months -- I mean, there is --

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The Press:
It's what we do.

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00:18:33,166 --> 00:18:34,896
(laughter)

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Mr. Gibbs:
Much to my chagrin.

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00:18:36,166 --> 00:18:37,666
(laughter)

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00:18:37,667 --> 00:18:47,297
No, but I don't -- there will be no surprise
parties for the end of the first year.

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00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:49,370
The Press:
Will the President call for a bipartisan commission

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00:18:49,367 --> 00:18:52,437
on the debt in the State of the Union?

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00:18:52,433 --> 00:18:56,303
Mr. Gibbs:
He has -- in talking about Laura's question

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00:18:56,300 --> 00:19:04,330
about the economy -- the President obviously
has talked a lot about the need to get our

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00:19:04,333 --> 00:19:12,703
fiscal house in order; shares the concern
about where our fiscal situation is, and is

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exploring many options for, in both the budget
and in the State of the Union, that we would

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00:19:23,066 --> 00:19:25,896
talk about our commitment to doing so.

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00:19:25,900 --> 00:19:27,570
The Press:
And back to health care, why didn't the President

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00:19:27,567 --> 00:19:33,667
and Harry Reid work even harder to keep Olympia
Snowe on their side back in October and November?

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00:19:33,667 --> 00:19:36,637
Mr. Gibbs:
The President continues to work hard on that.

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00:19:36,633 --> 00:19:38,963
The Press:
Robert, I understand you're still gathering

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00:19:38,967 --> 00:19:42,837
information on Governor Rendell and the adoptions.
But I'm wondering does the administration

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00:19:42,834 --> 00:19:48,334
hope that maybe this is a blueprint for future
adoptions of Haitian children following this?

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00:19:48,333 --> 00:19:50,003
Mr. Gibbs:
Let me get a little bit more information before

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00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:57,730
I get -- I mean, look, I think obviously it
is a -- I think we have all seen remarkable

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00:19:57,734 --> 00:20:09,704
stories coming out of such a calamitous disaster;
our search and rescue teams finding more and

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00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:14,830
more people every day, a record number of
people for an earthquake just yesterday. And

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00:20:14,834 --> 00:20:21,704
I think as you've heard administration officials
on the ground in Haiti say, we will do better

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00:20:21,700 --> 00:20:27,500
today than we did yesterday. We will do better
tomorrow than we're going to do today. We're

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00:20:27,500 --> 00:20:33,600
trying as hard as we can in working with the
Haitian government and with our international

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00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:40,870
partners to address I think what anybody would
term the largest humanitarian effort they've

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00:20:40,867 --> 00:20:48,137
ever seen. Again, what we do today will
be bettered by what we do tomorrow.

301
00:20:48,133 --> 00:20:49,103
The Press:
Can we follow on Haiti?

302
00:20:49,100 --> 00:20:50,770
The Press:
A totally new topic -- any update on where

303
00:20:50,767 --> 00:20:54,167
the President is going to
donate his Nobel Prize money?

304
00:20:54,166 --> 00:20:56,396
Mr. Gibbs:
I know they continue to talk about it. I think

305
00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:02,870
he has not received any money yet. But as
soon as they -- as he makes those donations,

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00:21:02,867 --> 00:21:06,497
we will let you guys know.

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00:21:06,500 --> 00:21:10,770
The Press:
Robert, you talked earlier about that during

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00:21:10,767 --> 00:21:17,167
the campaign, you guys were able to tap into
the sort of anger and angst in the country,

309
00:21:17,166 --> 00:21:20,266
as essentially the outsider
fighting on behalf of --

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00:21:20,266 --> 00:21:23,666
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I also said that obviously we -- that

311
00:21:23,667 --> 00:21:26,467
anger was there and we
certainly acknowledge it.

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00:21:26,467 --> 00:21:28,837
The Press:
So I guess the question is, do you guys feel

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00:21:28,834 --> 00:21:34,604
that what you've -- what's now happened to
the President and the White House is that

314
00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:39,030
you guys are now the recipients of that anger
in a way that you maybe didn't expect would

315
00:21:39,033 --> 00:21:40,233
happen as quickly --

316
00:21:40,233 --> 00:21:42,703
Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, no, no. To go back to Mark's question,

317
00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:49,530
we haven't been here for a year wondering
what it is we were here to do. Obviously,

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00:21:49,533 --> 00:21:56,703
the President was elected to deal with a set
of problems, to make the right decision whether

319
00:21:56,700 --> 00:22:05,170
or not it was the popular decision. Look,
this was the case long before the poll that

320
00:22:05,166 --> 00:22:09,936
Jake or the poll that I mentioned to Chip
point out. Some of those decisions weren't

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00:22:09,934 --> 00:22:16,334
popular ones -- well before we got to what
you were talking about, Jake. Ensuring that

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00:22:16,333 --> 00:22:23,833
the banks didn't collapse was not a popular
decision. The President strongly believes

323
00:22:23,834 --> 00:22:30,434
it was the right one. Ensuring that two domestic
auto companies didn't go out of business

324
00:22:30,433 --> 00:22:37,303
-- not popular. Again, the President believed
it was the right decision to make. He understands

325
00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:41,470
-- again, he understands that frustration.
He's heard it -- in all honesty, he heard

326
00:22:41,467 --> 00:22:56,997
it when he ran for the United States Senate
beginning in 2003. So I don't believe that

327
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:02,570
-- certainly there's frustration. I think
it is with a lot of people in this process.

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00:23:02,567 --> 00:23:05,967
The Press:
Robert, you said moments ago that you'd be

329
00:23:05,967 --> 00:23:08,867
the first to admit that there are more benefits
in the health care bill than many Americans

330
00:23:08,867 --> 00:23:14,597
see, and that if that's a failing to communicate
that, that you and others at the White House,

331
00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:20,300
including the President, take responsibility
for it. Why do you think, given the many words

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00:23:20,300 --> 00:23:25,000
that have been spoken, the many appearances the
President has made around the country on this --

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00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,030
Mr. Gibbs:
Do you think he's over-exposed?

334
00:23:27,033 --> 00:23:28,663
The Press:
Why do you think he's been unable --

335
00:23:28,667 --> 00:23:29,497
Mr. Gibbs:
I'm baiting you.

336
00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:30,800
The Press:
I know; I'm not taking the bait.

337
00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:31,730
Mr. Gibbs:
I know.

338
00:23:31,734 --> 00:23:34,264
The Press:
Why has he been unable to convince the American

339
00:23:34,266 --> 00:23:38,296
people, to fully convince them that this bill
is a good idea and the right thing to do?

340
00:23:38,300 --> 00:23:41,300
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I think in many -- some of this

341
00:23:41,300 --> 00:23:45,770
is drowned out -- there's no doubt, as many
words as the President has uttered and as

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00:23:45,767 --> 00:23:52,067
many interviews as he's done and as many appearances
as he's had, there's no doubt that in some

343
00:23:52,066 --> 00:23:59,196
ways it's drowned out by arguments that may
or may not be central to the focus of the

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00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:08,900
bill. But whether we had -- whether health
care today was passed or not, the President

345
00:24:08,900 --> 00:24:14,500
would be talking about the benefits of that
bill even if it was passed. Many of those

346
00:24:14,500 --> 00:24:21,630
benefits that he would talk about go into
effect immediately -- ensuring that a child

347
00:24:21,633 --> 00:24:26,833
that had previously been discriminated against
in trying to get health insurance because

348
00:24:26,834 --> 00:24:32,634
of a preexisting condition will get wiped
away as soon as the President signs health

349
00:24:32,633 --> 00:24:34,733
care legislation. And he'll discuss that.

350
00:24:34,734 --> 00:24:37,434
The Press:
We're talking about failings. Was there anything

351
00:24:37,433 --> 00:24:42,133
that you would do differently, looking back?
Is there something you could have done better

352
00:24:42,133 --> 00:24:46,633
to make your case better to the American people
so that we wouldn't be -- you wouldn't be

353
00:24:46,633 --> 00:24:48,463
in this situation that you're in right now?

354
00:24:48,467 --> 00:24:53,667
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, if we -- I'm sure that -- Sheryl, I'll

355
00:24:53,667 --> 00:24:56,867
read this transcript and think there's things
that I could have done better. I don't think

356
00:24:56,867 --> 00:25:03,367
there's any -- there's no doubt about that.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time, at least

357
00:25:03,367 --> 00:25:09,137
now, going through all that. Suffice to say
we do not -- nobody believes anybody has pitched

358
00:25:09,133 --> 00:25:11,563
a perfect game. I don't think anybody does.

359
00:25:11,567 --> 00:25:14,437
The Press:
You mentioned Olympia Snowe. The President

360
00:25:14,433 --> 00:25:18,833
spoke to her by phone, I gather, on Friday.
Can you tell us what they talked about? Is

361
00:25:18,834 --> 00:25:20,064
she part of a plan --

362
00:25:20,066 --> 00:25:23,436
Mr. Gibbs:
Let me -- I don't have a readout on whether

363
00:25:23,433 --> 00:25:26,033
they talked or not, and I
can certainly look at it.

364
00:25:26,033 --> 00:25:28,533
The Press:
And is that also the subject of the meeting

365
00:25:28,533 --> 00:25:30,363
this afternoon, Chris Dodd coming by here?

366
00:25:30,367 --> 00:25:33,097
Mr. Gibbs:
I believe, if I'm not mistaken, my guess is

367
00:25:33,100 --> 00:25:36,800
I'm sure they'll touch on health care as well
as financial reform.

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00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,870
The Press:
Just can you give us an overall state of what

369
00:25:38,867 --> 00:25:42,697
we were talking about last week, the negotiations
to try and bring the two houses together,

370
00:25:42,700 --> 00:25:44,230
or if that's on hold until --

371
00:25:44,233 --> 00:25:48,733
Mr. Gibbs:
No, I know the staffs met and discussed a

372
00:25:48,734 --> 00:25:54,504
lot of this going through the weekend. I don't
have any meetings at this point to announce

373
00:25:54,500 --> 00:26:00,370
that the President is in, but I know they
continue to work through at a staff level

374
00:26:00,367 --> 00:26:08,037
based on hours and hours of meetings
of merging these two bills together.

375
00:26:08,033 --> 00:26:10,403
The Press:
It's not on hold, pending the
outcome of the election?

376
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:11,400
Mr. Gibbs:
No.

377
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:13,100
The Press:
Should President Obama take this special election

378
00:26:13,100 --> 00:26:14,330
personally?

379
00:26:14,333 --> 00:26:16,533
Mr. Gibbs:
How so?

380
00:26:16,533 --> 00:26:19,863
The Press:
You have said it's not a referendum on him,

381
00:26:19,867 --> 00:26:25,637
but should he feel, or does he feel, that
he bears some responsibility for the vote?

382
00:26:25,633 --> 00:26:28,503
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, let's see what the outcome is before --

383
00:26:28,500 --> 00:26:31,230
The Press:
Will you say anything about it tonight? Do

384
00:26:31,233 --> 00:26:32,503
you imagine a statement or anything?

385
00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:33,930
Mr. Gibbs:
I assume that -- well, the President will

386
00:26:33,934 --> 00:26:39,364
call the winner. We'll have a readout of that
call. I don't -- I mean, I think the polls

387
00:26:39,367 --> 00:26:44,767
closed, what, at 8:00 p.m. I don't anticipate
that the President will have a statement tonight.

388
00:26:44,767 --> 00:26:49,597
The Press:
On financial reform, is the President going

389
00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:54,430
to do a little arm-twisting as far as the
Consumer Protection Agency, or is he coming

390
00:26:54,433 --> 00:26:58,933
around and thinking that maybe that could
be a responsibility divided up among --

391
00:26:58,934 --> 00:27:02,334
Mr. Gibbs:
No, the President's viewpoint on this I think

392
00:27:02,333 --> 00:27:12,003
is quite clear that we have to have a strong,
independent voice on behalf of consumers.

393
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,000
That's something the President has talked
about repeatedly in this process, and something

394
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:17,300
he'll emphasize again.

395
00:27:17,300 --> 00:27:20,070
The Press:
Do you expect him talk about
this with Senator Dodd?

396
00:27:20,066 --> 00:27:24,136
Mr. Gibbs:
I believe that -- my sense is financial reform

397
00:27:24,133 --> 00:27:30,103
writ large will come up. I can get a sense after
the meeting whether the consumer part came up.

398
00:27:30,100 --> 00:27:31,470
The Press:
Okay, leading --

399
00:27:31,467 --> 00:27:33,097
Mr. Gibbs:
You don't have to stand up. I can hear from

400
00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:34,100
you from here.

401
00:27:34,100 --> 00:27:35,600
The Press:
I have trouble projecting. So excuse me.

402
00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,400
Mr. Gibbs:
Jake will help you out.

403
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,000
(laughter)

404
00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,530
The Press:
Leading bank economists last week predicted

405
00:27:42,533 --> 00:27:47,903
that private sector hiring will increase during
the first three months of this year, and they

406
00:27:47,900 --> 00:27:55,870
suggested that politicians refrain from spending
more tax dollars on job creation until the

407
00:27:55,867 --> 00:27:59,567
end of the three-month period. They said,
if our projection is wrong, well, then you

408
00:27:59,567 --> 00:28:05,097
should spend federal dollars. I'm just wondering
if the President, this week when he talks

409
00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:09,530
about the economy, will exhibit that kind
of patience -- let's wait and see -- or is

410
00:28:09,533 --> 00:28:12,533
he ready to go full speed
ahead and spend more money?

411
00:28:12,533 --> 00:28:15,633
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, the President outlined a series of ideas

412
00:28:15,633 --> 00:28:24,233
which I mentioned earlier: increase in funding
for clean energy jobs; there's obviously been

413
00:28:24,233 --> 00:28:28,433
discussions about infrastructure aid. There
have been discussions about state and local

414
00:28:28,433 --> 00:28:36,963
fiscal relief. The President believes that
the ideas he outlined in December are no less

415
00:28:36,967 --> 00:28:45,797
needed now than at any point. And he'll continue
to push forward. Do I hope the private forecasters

416
00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:51,670
are correct? I think there are certainly millions
of Americans that hope that's true. The question,

417
00:28:51,667 --> 00:29:01,997
obviously, we will eventually get to is the
pacing of that and are there things that can

418
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:07,730
be done to accelerate this process? That will
be -- that's what the President has asked

419
00:29:07,734 --> 00:29:15,604
his team, and that's what the President will
demand of all of us, including Congress --

420
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:16,930
The Press:
So you don't have an answer yet? Because these

421
00:29:16,934 --> 00:29:20,164
economists say that if you spend
more money now it's overkill.

422
00:29:20,166 --> 00:29:26,496
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, I mean, the hole -- the employment

423
00:29:26,500 --> 00:29:33,630
hole as we sit here and speak is about 7.5
million since that recession began in December

424
00:29:33,633 --> 00:29:40,503
of 2007. I don't think that anybody that
-- and, again, that's just -- 7.5 million

425
00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:45,200
that have lost their jobs. There's obviously
people that continue -- that are not even

426
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,700
in the statistics anymore because they continue
to look but they've been looking for more

427
00:29:48,700 --> 00:29:56,130
than six months. I don't think we're in danger
in this three-month period in filling that

428
00:29:56,133 --> 00:30:01,533
hole completely. The President believes that
we've got to do that and begin to add jobs

429
00:30:01,533 --> 00:30:07,903
based on a new foundation that doesn't depend
on the bubble-and-bust economy that we've

430
00:30:07,900 --> 00:30:11,500
relied on for a long, long time.

431
00:30:11,500 --> 00:30:14,870
The Press:
Robert, so broadly speaking, can you talk

432
00:30:14,867 --> 00:30:18,937
about the difference between 59 and 60 votes
in the Senate and what that means for the

433
00:30:18,934 --> 00:30:20,364
President's agenda this year?

434
00:30:20,367 --> 00:30:21,967
Mr. Gibbs:
Broadly, it's one.

435
00:30:21,967 --> 00:30:23,067
The Press:
All right, can I try another?

436
00:30:23,066 --> 00:30:24,766
(laughter)

437
00:30:24,767 --> 00:30:26,797
So tomorrow, several progressive
groups including --

438
00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:27,930
Mr. Gibbs:
Mark taught me that.

439
00:30:27,934 --> 00:30:29,734
The Press:
Technically, it's one.

440
00:30:29,734 --> 00:30:31,104
(laughter)

441
00:30:31,100 --> 00:30:33,230
The Press:
-- including Code Pink, Greenpeace, are planning

442
00:30:33,233 --> 00:30:37,333
a rally outside the White House to protest
what they say has been a failure to act or

443
00:30:37,333 --> 00:30:40,803
at least deliver on a lot of the change that
was promised a year ago. What's the White

444
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:44,970
House's message for folks like that who are
questioning the lack -- or at least the pace

445
00:30:44,967 --> 00:30:48,067
of the action on a lot of those priorities?

446
00:30:48,066 --> 00:30:52,036
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I -- this isn't directed at --

447
00:30:52,033 --> 00:30:59,433
look, this isn't directed as a response to
those interest groups or what have you. I

448
00:30:59,433 --> 00:31:06,203
guess, going back to Mark's question, the
President -- I guess the reason that there's

449
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:12,670
not a lot of recognition about one year is
it's certainly -- it's a calendar date that

450
00:31:12,667 --> 00:31:23,137
denotes you've been here a year, but the President
didn't outline throughout the campaign, here

451
00:31:23,133 --> 00:31:26,163
are the things I'm going to do the first year,
here's what I'm -- here's how I'm going to

452
00:31:26,166 --> 00:31:31,166
fill years two and three, and then on year
four it will be this volume of -- change takes

453
00:31:31,166 --> 00:31:34,336
a long time. Change isn't ever easy.

454
00:31:34,333 --> 00:31:40,663
The Press:
What did he learn?

455
00:31:40,667 --> 00:31:46,967
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I think he learned, Helen, part of what

456
00:31:46,967 --> 00:31:54,997
I'm talking about, which is that change is
never easy; that change takes time; that change

457
00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:04,530
has to go through Congress. And that's not
to say -- I think what Congress has accomplished

458
00:32:04,533 --> 00:32:14,833
this year has been enormous. Getting a recovery
plan through as quickly as was done to get

459
00:32:14,834 --> 00:32:20,634
resources into the economy that we've already
seen has helped pull an economy from negative

460
00:32:20,633 --> 00:32:26,663
economic growth for four consecutive quarters
to the positive -- I think there's an awful

461
00:32:26,667 --> 00:32:33,297
lot to be proud of in what has been accomplished.
I can assure you the President never thought

462
00:32:33,300 --> 00:32:39,700
that we'd wake up at 11:59 a.m. January 20th,
2010, and he would think, wow, I've finished

463
00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:44,830
it all and now what am I going to do?
We always knew we'd have plenty to do.

464
00:32:44,834 --> 00:32:48,734
The Press:
Robert, is it fair to expect that the tenor

465
00:32:48,734 --> 00:32:50,034
of the State of the Union address
next week will depend greatly on what

466
00:32:50,033 --> 00:32:51,833
happens in Massachusetts today?

467
00:32:51,834 --> 00:32:55,734
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't think that's true, no. I think we've

468
00:32:55,734 --> 00:33:02,304
been working on a series of ideas and proposals
-- Helen asked what the most important issue

469
00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:07,500
was -- on jobs. The President will -- regardless
of what happens in Massachusetts, the President

470
00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:11,270
is going to talk about jobs. The President
is going to talk about fiscal responsibility.

471
00:33:11,266 --> 00:33:19,596
He'll talk about our obligations in Iraq and
Afghanistan to address terrorism. I honestly

472
00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:26,430
don't think that -- they're writing the speech
right now, so if they're going to change it

473
00:33:26,433 --> 00:33:32,003
all tomorrow, I hope Favreau hears me and
just goes a little early to the gym today.

474
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:33,470
The Press:
But isn't there a little difference, perhaps,

475
00:33:33,467 --> 00:33:38,367
in the body language between
boldness and contrition?

476
00:33:38,367 --> 00:33:42,137
Mr. Gibbs:
I think the President understands that regardless

477
00:33:42,133 --> 00:33:46,063
of what happens in Massachusetts, we face
a set of circumstances that have to be addressed

478
00:33:46,066 --> 00:33:53,766
and have to be dealt with. Whether there are
59 seats in the Senate or 60, we still have

479
00:33:53,767 --> 00:34:00,567
to work hard to get our economy back on track.
We still have to work hard to make the promise

480
00:34:00,567 --> 00:34:07,867
of affordable, accessible health care for
millions of Americans a reality. I don't believe

481
00:34:07,867 --> 00:34:15,267
that there's an entirely new agenda behind
some door based on the result of tonight. David.

482
00:34:15,266 --> 00:34:18,296
The Press:
Senator Voinovich said he thinks that President

483
00:34:18,300 --> 00:34:21,730
Obama agrees with him on the need for the
bipartisan debt commission but isn't sure

484
00:34:21,734 --> 00:34:25,534
the politics are there for it. Does that sound
right?

485
00:34:25,533 --> 00:34:28,233
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I know that in the coming days

486
00:34:28,233 --> 00:34:39,663
the Senate is going to vote on what Senators
Conrad and Gregg have proposed. That's certainly

487
00:34:39,667 --> 00:34:45,737
one thing that, among others, that we have
looked at to get our country back on a path

488
00:34:45,734 --> 00:34:47,934
toward fiscal responsibility. April.

489
00:34:47,934 --> 00:34:50,064
The Press:
Back on the State of the Union. What number

490
00:34:50,066 --> 00:34:53,236
draft is the speechwriter on for the speech?

491
00:34:53,233 --> 00:34:56,533
Mr. Gibbs:
Jon, if you can hear this, please call.

492
00:34:56,533 --> 00:34:57,603
(laughter)

493
00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:00,400
I don't know -- I honestly don't know. I don't
know. We've been working on it for a little while.

494
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:01,800
The Press:
When you say "a little while," so this is

495
00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,000
not like a first or second
draft? This has been ongoing?

496
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,400
Mr. Gibbs:
Yes, it's been -- he's been
writing for a while.

497
00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:11,000
The Press:
Also on the speech, when it comes to Haiti,

498
00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:16,330
will the President deal with the issue of
Haiti in the speech, and giving and the compassion

499
00:35:16,333 --> 00:35:19,733
of the American heart? Is that
part of the speech next week?

500
00:35:19,734 --> 00:35:26,264
Mr. Gibbs:
He will undoubtedly mention Haiti. I think

501
00:35:26,266 --> 00:35:40,096
what we are all enormously proud of as Americans
is the outpouring of support for the suffering

502
00:35:40,100 --> 00:35:48,730
that people have seen on their televisions.
One of the things -- that's one of the reasons

503
00:35:48,734 --> 00:35:57,234
he wanted to visit the Red Cross yesterday.
I think we have -- the spirit of the American

504
00:35:57,233 --> 00:36:05,503
people always meets the challenges that it
faces, and I think again we can all be proud

505
00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:08,570
of that spirit.

506
00:36:08,567 --> 00:36:10,197
The Press:
A follow on that. Is there a concern about

507
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:16,600
some of the organizations that are raising
funds, raising food, raising clothes for the

508
00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:20,930
relief effort there -- is there a concern
in this White House about some of the controversies

509
00:36:20,934 --> 00:36:25,934
around some of these organizations right now, as
there's an immediate need and a long-term need?

510
00:36:25,934 --> 00:36:31,364
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I don't know enough about individual

511
00:36:31,367 --> 00:36:37,637
-- all the individual charities. Obviously
there's a set of criteria that people can

512
00:36:37,633 --> 00:36:43,433
look at before they give their money on how
much is spent on overhead, how much goes to

513
00:36:43,433 --> 00:36:56,133
what is needed on the ground. Obviously former
President Bush and former President Clinton

514
00:36:56,133 --> 00:37:02,933
have helped to set up an organization to deal
with both the search and rescue and what is

515
00:37:02,934 --> 00:37:09,264
needed to get food and water and resources
there now. But we'll also be there in the

516
00:37:09,266 --> 00:37:15,966
months and years to come in what will clearly
be a very long-term project of renewal and

517
00:37:15,967 --> 00:37:17,167
of rebuilding.

518
00:37:17,166 --> 00:37:20,266
The Press:
Thank you, Robert. Two things. You've said

519
00:37:20,266 --> 00:37:24,196
the President was angry. With whom
is he angry? Could you clarify --

520
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:25,370
Mr. Gibbs:
I didn't expand on that.

521
00:37:25,367 --> 00:37:27,097
(laughter)

522
00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:29,170
The Press:
Okay. Can you now?

523
00:37:29,166 --> 00:37:31,236
Mr. Gibbs:
I won't now.

524
00:37:31,233 --> 00:37:32,703
The Press:
But you might tomorrow?

525
00:37:32,700 --> 00:37:33,970
Mr. Gibbs:
There's always hope.

526
00:37:33,967 --> 00:37:35,867
(laughter)

527
00:37:35,867 --> 00:37:36,937
The Press:
Audacious.

528
00:37:36,934 --> 00:37:40,304
(laughter)

529
00:37:40,300 --> 00:37:41,830
Mr. Gibbs:
-- should have Mark annotate the transcripts --

530
00:37:41,834 --> 00:37:44,634
(laughter)

531
00:37:44,633 --> 00:37:46,503
The Press:
You've emphasized the President's concern

532
00:37:46,500 --> 00:37:52,330
about the unemployment numbers and about the deficit.
In dealing with one, do you exacerbate the other?

533
00:37:52,333 --> 00:37:55,163
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I think that the President understands

534
00:37:55,166 --> 00:38:06,266
that -- for instance, the recovery plan was
split up to basically cover two fiscal years

535
00:38:06,266 --> 00:38:13,036
because nobody believed that we would have
turned this completely around, given the depths

536
00:38:13,033 --> 00:38:21,663
of the recession that we were in, immediately
or only after a year. So I think the President

537
00:38:21,667 --> 00:38:29,437
is understanding of whatever -- what tension
may be there in dealing with the medium- and

538
00:38:29,433 --> 00:38:38,633
long-term fiscal challenges that we face.
But, absolutely -- if you necessarily pull

539
00:38:38,633 --> 00:38:47,703
back completely, you're not -- you've got
a gas-and-break going that isn't going to

540
00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:52,370
necessarily help where the
economy is. Thanks, guys.

541
00:38:52,367 --> 00:38:53,367
The Press:
News conference tomorrow?