Obama's Town Hall: 'A good four years'

by Mark Silva

"Now -- and all of you are here. Give yourself a big round of applause.''

Talk show host?

No, president of the United States.

"It is always good to get out of Washington for a little while, and come to places like Costa Mesa,'' President Barack Obama said yesterday at a "Costa Mesa Town Hall'' at the Orange County Fair and Convention Center in California.

Never mind that it was Obama's Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, who had basically patented this brand of stump speaking - assembling supporters, and simply the curious, at town-hall styled sessions where anyone can ask questions of the candidate - or, in this case, the president.

McCain had held campaign audiences spellbound with his 2000 campaign appearances in the actual town halls of New Hampshire, though falling short of the nomination that year. Former President George W. Bush adopted the formula for his reelection campaign, though appearing before carefully screened audiences. And McCain revived the town hall during his successful bid for the 2008 nomination.

But it was Obama, the Democrat, who won the contest. And now it is Obama, the president, who has taken the town hall on the road - in Indiana, in Florida, in Colorado, and now in California - as he courts support for his agenda.

"The climate is a lot nicer,'' Obama told his California audience, "and so is the conversation....

A president's got to love conversation like this:

"Love you, Obama,'' an audience member called out in Costa Mesa yesterday in the middle of Obama's formal opening remarks about AIG, the budget and much more.
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"I love you back,'' Obama said to applause.

And what is the first question posted at this town hall with the president?

"Good afternoon, President Obama. I have a very simple question. Do you have intentions of, when the reelection comes, of running for president again?

"Oh, well,'' the president replied, "first of all, let me say this: I've been in office -- I've been in office for two months now. The last thing I'm thinking about is reelection.

"But I will tell you this -- I mean -- and this is a serious answer to your question: If I could get done what I think needs to get done in four years, even if it meant that I was only president for four years, I would rather be a good president taking on the tough issues for four years than a mediocre president for eight years.

"So I will -- and I will also say this -- I will also say this, that my obligation is to make sure that we've improved our economy, that we've gotten serious on health care, made significant progress on energy, made education more affordable, and improved the excellence of our educational system K-12, that we have started controlling our deficits.

"So there's some very specific standards by which I think you should hold me accountable and measure my success. And if I don't deliver on those things four years from now, then I think you will be answering the question of whether I run for re-election or not, because ultimately I'm answerable to you -- I'm your employee.''