President Obama Takes Public Questions on YouTube

In the White House library today, Mr. Obama took questions on health care, the economy, closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay and a host of other topics. Here are a few highlights from the exchanges:

– Mr. Obama said the health care debate should remain open in Congress. He did not offer a specific path forward, given that Democrats no longer have 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a Republican filibuster, but left open the idea of scaling back the bill to garner more support.

“We are calling our Republican colleagues to get behind a serious health reform bill,” he said. “My hope is they accept that invitation and that they work together with us over the next several weeks to get it done.”

– The president also defended – and sought to explain – the delays in closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. He blamed “pretty rank politics” for playing a role in complicating the closure. He did not mention the prison in Thompson, Illinois, which his administration has recommended as the alternative site to house the prisoners.

“There has been a lot of political resistance,” Mr. Obama said, conceding that some Americans were “legitimately scared” about the prospect of suspected or convicted terrorists moving nearby. He dismissed the threat, saying: “We have them in our federal prisons. They’ve never escaped and these folks are no different.”

The president participated in a quick lightning-round of questions, in which he was asked to say whether he thought something was a good idea or a bad idea.

Should the Postal Service be privatized? “Bad idea,” Mr. Obama said.

If people get better insurance rates for taking driver’s education classes, should people get discounts on their health insurance for taking healthy-cooking classes or stop-smoking classes? “The idea is a good one,” Mr. Obama said, but added that insurance companies probably shouldn’t be making these decisions.

The major difference between the forum, moderated by Steve Grove of YouTube, and a full-blown press conference was that YouTube format did not allow for follow-up questions because the queries were submitted in advance.

“This was terrific,” Mr. Obama said at the conclusion of the 30-minute session. “I hope we get a chance to do this on a more regular basis.”


article: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/obama-takes-questions-on-youtube/

read transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/interview-president-youtube

. . . their guy was a pure idiot in office. Nice change!