Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Obama: I'm No Jimmy Carter

President set out to prove he's got the muscle to pass health reform

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 10, 2009 7:38 AM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama’s speech on health care last night wasn’t just a bid for Congressional support for reform: It was a reassertion of Obama’s political strength, writes Adam Nagourney in the New York Times. He had to “display his authority to a Congress that had begun to question his fortitude,” proving he wasn’t another “professorial, aloof” Jimmy Carter “who perhaps was not ready to be the nation’s chief executive.” Did he do it?

"He managed to invest his case with both economic and emotional urgency," Nagourney writes approvingly, and while he offered several bipartisan gestures, "he used the kind of tough, confrontational language that suggested the extent to which the White House would seek to portray Republicans as recalcitrant and standing in the face of a historical tide." Too soon to tell if it will work, Nagourney adds, but Obama clearly put GOP opponents of reform on notice that he's going to be playing hardball.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

President Barack Obama gestures while delivering a speech on healthcare to a joint session of Congress , Wednesday, Sept., 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Obama greets Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, second from left, and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., after his speech about health care reform before a joint session of Congress, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, pool)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Mr. Obama is most engaged when his back is to the wall. - Adam Nagourney

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Obama: Aloof Image Is Media Creation

Press corps miffed by quiet social life, he suggests

(NEWSER) - President Obama isn't aloof, he says—it's just that he and Michelle don't tend to paint the town red. "My suspicion is that this whole critique has to do with the fact that I don’t go to a lot of Washington parties and, as a consequence, the Washington press corps maybe just doesn’t feel like I’m in the mix enough with them," he tells Time in an interview, noted by Politico . "And they figure, well, if I’m not spending time with them, I must be cold and aloof." More»

Obama Defies Congress With More Recess Appointments

He picks three for National Labor Relations Board

(NEWSER) - President Obama isn't winning much love among his political enemies on Capitol Hill today. Hours after making a controversial recess appointment to lead the new consumer protection agency, the president announced three more—this time to the National Labor Relations Board. The move will please the president's pro-union allies and irritate Senate Republicans who were likely to filibuster the nominees, reports the Hill . More»

Members of Congress With Lowest Net Worth

Alcee Hastings leads the way with a negative $4.7 million

(NEWSER) - Apparently, not everyone in Congress is rich . The Washington Post compiled a list of the 25 lawmakers with the lowest net worth, based on 2010 disclosures analyzed by the Center for Responsive Politics. Here are the "top" 5, all of whom are in the red. (There's no explanation given for the debt): More»

House Expects to Clear Payroll Tax Cut Today

Though it's possible dissenting members could delay things

(NEWSER) - The payroll tax cut deal is expected to be ratified today, with congressional leaders planning voice votes that would require just a handful of members to be present, the Washington Post reports. Politico notes that the House will be using unanimous consent rules, however, meaning a dissenting member could force a vote next week. Because of the timing, disapproving members will have a hard time making it back to DC in time, but there are at least two who may object and force House members to return next week. More»

Americans to Congress: Do Your Job

Public frustration over gridlock, politics hits new highs

(NEWSER) - Congress has been extremely unpopular for some time , but Washington's inability to pass a payroll tax cut extension before adjourning for the holidays appears to have people disgusted like never before, reports the AP . "It's just another smack in our face for the working public. We just can't get ahead," said an Illinois construction worker. "I mean, I'm at a loss for words, and I just can't understand it, why they have to keep arguing." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Obama: I'm No Jimmy Carter