by Mark Silva
President-elect Barack Obama plans a "fiscal responsibility summit" in February to focus on long-term economic problems and the cost of federal entitlements.
He said so in a meeting wih Washington Post reporters and editors today.
"We need to send a signal that we are serious," Obama said, according to the report by the Post's Chris Cillizza.
Obama says difficult choices are looming - especially with Social Security and Medicare.
"We've kicked this can down the road and now we are at the end of the road," he told the newspapers's reporters and editors. While he hopes to "stop the bleeding" in the economy in the short run with the economic stimulus he proposes, he will ask congressional leaders to focus on future challenges as well.
And, while promising 3 million more jobs that will "stabilize the patient" in the next few years, he declined to say how soon Americans can expect to see tangible results from his recovery plan, Cillizza reports.
""We are in uncharted waters here," Obama told the Post. "I don't have a crystal ball."
Comments
.Should be not problem with his Clinton Left Overs and his magic CHANGE.
Posted by: Inky | January 15, 2009 6:02 PM
A rational statement. This won't sit well with the rabid.
Posted by: bill r. | January 15, 2009 6:15 PM
Big surprise: I've been a booster of our Hyde Park senator for many years.
And now I'm sensing he's getting a little like the famous centipede.
When asked, "How do you coordinate the motions of all those legs to achieve locomotion?"
Pondered the answer and became immobilized.
I've sensed that Barack is guided by an inner light and a powerful one.
Which may be the functional equivalent of a crystal ball.
Follow those instincts.
Holder, Geithner, Richardson have toes if not feet of clay.
Let's hope they can all rise to your example.
But don't be a centipede.
Posted by: ornery | January 15, 2009 10:27 PM
Broken promises on social security and medicare.
Thrown to the wolves.
Posted by: Jerry | January 16, 2009 5:46 AM
The One plans a "summit" to discuss economic plans!
4 years in the senate, 2 years on the campaign trail, and he still doesn't have a plan?
Wow.
Posted by: Pay for Play | January 16, 2009 8:39 AM
"You know, now if the business community's argument against the Employee Free Choice Act is simply that it will make it easier for people to join unions and we think that is damaging to the economy then they probably won't get too far with me. If their arguments are we think there are more elegant ways of doing this or here are some modifications or tweaks to the general concept that we would like to see. Then I think that's a conversation that not only myself but folks in labor would be willing to have. But, so that's the general approach that I am interested in taking. But in terms of time table, if we are losing half a million jobs a month then there are no jobs to unionize. So my focus first is on those key economic priority items that I just mentioned."
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/obama_on_the_employee_free_cho.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/15/AR2009011503516.html
Posted by: The Rest of the Story | January 16, 2009 1:21 PM
The One plans a "summit" to discuss economic plans!
4 years in the senate, 2 years on the campaign trail, and he still doesn't have a plan?
Wow.
Posted by: Pay for Play | January 16, 2009 8:39 AM
Yeas, because the economic situation hasn't changed at all in the last four years, and remains perfectly static. Why on earth would anyone want to talk about the economy? What worked four years ago should be just fine. Things are staying just dandy. It's not like we're in a crisis that envolves on a daily basis or anything.
Posted by: Lou | January 16, 2009 1:40 PM