November 11, 2013
Lauren Staehle
News Writer
POTUS
I know health care is controversial, so there’s only going to be so much support we get on that on a bipartisan basis. Until it’s working really well, and then they’re going to stop calling it Obamacare. They’re going to call it something else.
— President Obama speaking in New Orleans
President Obama spent much of this week addressing the healthcare issues, as well as economic concerns he hopes to resolve in, what he called, “the three years I have remaining.” There was a lot of travel in the president’s busy schedule this week, but he set aside time for a few enjoyable events at home.
The weekend weather was too gorgeous for even the president to ignore, so on Saturday, he headed to Ft. Belvoir to play golf with Occidental College buddies Hasan Chandoo and Vinae Thummalapally, as well as Marvin Nicholson. The golf group soaked up the autumn air for six hours on the golf course before heading home.
On Sunday, President Obama went to Washington-Lee High School in Alexandria to give remarks at a Terry McAuliffe campaign event. Around 1,600 people were in attendance, and the president spoke after an introduction from McAuliffe.
“Are you fired up? Are you ready to vote on Tuesday?” the president asked the crowd. “It is good to be back in Virginia.”
President Obama then spoke about what an important election this was for the state of Virginia. “You’ve seen an extreme faction of the Republican Party that has shown again and again and again that they’re willing to hijack their party, the country, and the economy…if they don’t get 100 percent of what they want,” Obama said. “This isn’t just speculation. You just saw it last month. Here in Virginia, you saw the pain of the first government shutdown in 17 years.”
Monday started off with something a little more fun, as the president honored the Chicago Blackhawks for winning the 2013 National Hockey League championship. “Since I’ve been president, only one team has brought the world championship to my hometown of Chicago and now the Blackhawks have done it twice,” said the president. “This team is a great example of what Chicago is all about. It’s not just — by the way — because of what they’ve done on the ice. In Game 6, Andrew Shaw got hit in the face by a puck. He ended up needing more than a few stitches. But after the game, he decided to make the best of a painful situation. When those stitches came out, he auctioned every one of them off. That does raise a question like ‘who’s buying them?’ Somebody bid on this stuff.” The president got a chuckle from the crowd, and then ended his remarks by thanking the team for bringing home the win.
Later in the day, President Obama headed to the St. Regis hotel for an Organizing For Action event. He first spoke to a group of 50-60 people about a range of issues including the healthcare website, immigration reform and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
On Tuesday, President Obama hosted business leaders for a meeting at the White House. The meeting was focused on immigration reform, and the president commented before the meeting began: “We’ve got an outstanding group of leaders here, a wide cross-section of industry; we’ve got manufacturers, service sector, food, high-tech. And they represent just a small cross-section of the businesses all across the country who are deeply committed to making sure that we get comprehensive immigration reform done, and done quickly.”
Later on, President Obama went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland to meet with wounded veterans, and then headed 5 minutes down the road to Fisher House, which is also home to many wounded veterans.
Wednesday’s events were a little further from home, as the president traveled to Dallas, Texas to discuss healthcare, and to attend two Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee events. The first stop was Temple Emanu-El, where 150 attendees cheered for the president and the Affordable Care Act.
The purpose of the president’s appearance in Texas was partly to encourage Governor Rick Perry to expand Medicaid. “I know that sometimes this task is especially challenging here in the great Lone Star State,” President Obama said. He then added that if that state expanded Medicaid, “133,000 people who don’t currently have health insurance would immediately get health insurance without even having to go through the website.”
The presidential motorcade then rolled on to the home of Dallas lawyer Peter Kraus for the first DSCC event. After an introduction by Kraus, President Obama began his remarks. “In the three years that I have remaining, I am intent on squeezing every last bit of possibility to make sure that we’re moving this country forward,” he said. “To make us more competitive; to put business in a position to succeed; to make sure we’re creating more jobs; that we’re exporting more; that we stay on the cutting-edge of science and research; that we educate our kids better than anybody else in the world does; and that our kids aren’t loaded down with debt when they get that high-quality education; that we keep our people safe; that having wound down two wars, we make sure that we are judicious in terms of how we use military force around the world. So we’ve still got a lot of stuff on our agenda.”
The second DSCC event was at the home of Russel Budd where President Obama echoed many of the points he made at the first event. He mentioned the need to get the “Republican Party back in a functioning state,” adding that “because this country has two parties, we need both of them operating in a way that allows us to move forward.”
President Obama then headed home for a late night arrival at the White House. Luckily, on Thursday he was able to work from home before hopping on another plane for New Orleans on Friday. The trip down south was a chance for the president to discuss the economy and healthcare, and around noon on Friday, he spoke to a crowd of 650 people at the Port of New Orleans. “It is great to be here,” he began. “It is especially happy for my staff. They love coming to New Orleans. But we did schedule the event early, because I figure there’s a limit to how much trouble they could get into.”
After a chuckle from the audience, he moved on to the topic of job growth and his desire to “restore that sense of security” that a stable economy provides. Towards the end of his speech, he brought up Obamacare and again explained the need to expand Medicaid. “I know health care is controversial, so there’s only going to be so much support we get on that on a bipartisan basis,” the president said. “Until it’s working really well, and then they’re going to stop calling it Obamacare. They’re going to call it something else.” That comment got a roaring round of applause and laughter from the audience, and his points on the benefits of Medicaid expansion were well received.
After the short visit to New Orleans, President Obama took yet another flight to Miami to attend three fundraising events. The first was a Democratic National Committee event, and the two other events were for the DSCC. Among the many comments he made at the various events, the president stated: “I have never been more optimistic about America’s possibilities for the future.” He also added that, “lately, the one thing that’s been holding us back is our government and the seeming incapacity for people to come together and move forward on common-sense solutions,” and emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation.
The president was then free to engage with his supporters and address their concerns. After three consecutive events, and no doubt a lot of difficult questions, he was surely ready for a night’s rest. So the week ended for the President with a stay in a Miami hotel, and the promise of yet more work in the week ahead.
