Was Gibbs right?
Washington (CNN) - Remember this exchange from November 30th between White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and ABC News White House Correspondent Jake Tapper:
TAPPER: So just to put a period on this, the president thinks that funding the government, passing unemployment-insurance extensions "don't ask, don't tell" repeal, the DREAM Act, tax cuts and START all can be done?
GIBBS: Yes.
TAPPER: In the next 18 days?
GIBBS: Yes.
TAPPER: Good luck.
GIBBS: Yes. Well, thank you. (Laughter.) Yeah, you'll have a lot to cover.
Well, it's been 22 days, but as the lame duck nears conclusion, lets bring you up to date.
A two year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans and a one year extension of jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed, part of a deal between President Barack Obama and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, was overwhelming passed by Congress and signed into law by Obama.
Lawmakers also passed the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," the 1993 measure that prevented gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. military. The president signs the bill into law Wednesday morning.
The Senate is expected later Wednesday to approve the START treaty with Russia. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, resumes inspections of each country's nuclear arsenals while limiting each nation to 1,550 warheads and 700 launchers.
A budget pushed by Senate Democrats that included billions in earmarks was scuttled, but Congress did approve a temporary budget that funds the federal government for another ten weeks.
The DREAM Act passed the House but failed to advance in the Senate. The measure would have offered legal standing to immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children under the age of 16 and have lived in the country for at least five years.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
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Yes he was right. Now if the Senate hurries up and ratifies the START treaty and passes the 9/11 healthcare bill, this lame duck will have kicked some elephant assets. Looks like we won't see any action on the DREAM Act due to republican obstructionism. Alot of these republicans supported the DREAM Act and now all of a sudden they're all against it. I hope voters remember this childish behavior by republicans in the next election.
Tapper was taking his cue from McConnell – as always. It's very hard to break 8 years of training.
Strong finish! Please keep it up!
I will be sooooooo glad when this lame duck president is out of office. Never have I ever seen such an arrogant person!
Shows how stupid White House reporters are. Most them become BFFs with the administrations and it takes outsiders like Woodward and Bernstein to uncover the real stories. The real irony is that the GOP dragged their feet on this stuff til after the election, expect more moral legislation and conspiracy theories from the party that brought you Katrina, Schivo and White Water.
Yes, was Gibbs was right was.
more democrate destruction of the America Dream, I wont support any of the idiots in Washington because they dont support America.
Oh my god, the mainstream media actually doubted a democrat? Must have been the Eclipse of the Solstice moon. More likely the polls have shown the Republicans to be the mean spirited, self serving toadies of the rich and well to do and the average person is starting to figure out that they got conned by a supreme court decision and the chamber of commerce. Campaigning is easy when you lie and run attack ads with menacing music and border fences with people jumping them but actual governing isn't quite as easy. The president has governed the GOP has stalled. Keep a score sheet handy because it's about to become a rout. We will see some really cool grand standing by the house but in the end looking at the last 50 years were you, the average American better off with Tip O'Neill and Pelosi with the gavel or Gingrinch and his clone Boehner? Hell they couldn't even draft their own Contract For America jthey just dusted off the one that was over whelmingly put to death by the American public. We are smarter than they give us credit for.
I'm confused about the point of the article...are you saying they did all those things or did not? Looking at the list, Congress passed a budget for just the next ten weeks, certainly not what they were hoping to do. The DREAM Act failed. However, the unemployment benefits were extended (yet again), the tax cuts were extended, START will be passed and the repeal of don't ask, don't tell was passed. So to answer the question...no, they did not do everything they listed but I'd say it was a remarkably productive few weeks for the Dems...for the first time since they took over Congress, I'm impressed.
Even though I disagree with extending the bush tax cut for another year, I accept the whole package under the circumstances, the dream act, well they could have lowered the age limit, because in some countries 15 year old is considered grown, the extention of unemployment, is the one I love because people are finally realizing that demand runs this country work after DEMAND and if the people don't have any money to buy stuff companies cannot survive. The start treaty is the most important, it's time people get their minds out of the cold war error and into a new reality. I know that will be hard as hell for some of the people that grew up in these times, but the cold war is over, you don't have to dig a hole and hide every time you here sirens,
time for a new religion: humanity.
time for a new party: civilized.
thanks Obama, for trying to do your part.
President Obama has completed 85% of the agenda he was elected on. Now, watch the republicans try to undo all the progress and move us back to the antebellum.
A Lame duck Congress signing off on more BS inflated liberal la la legislation is not legislating, it is cramming more entitlement spending up bankrupt America's rear end once again. I truly believe that the elitist core of progressive liberals goal is to carry on the original ACORN philosophy of bankrupting our Nation by overloading the systems, initiating class warfare and hoping for the collapse where they envision themselves picking up the pieces (never happen). I mean look at it: G'vt mandated bad Housing loans, G'vt mandated bad Student loans, failure to secure our borders, a Healthcare Bill that is costly and non-sustainable, overinflated government pensions and pay...
Time for TEA!
Just another article tossing out the notion that "more activity" is somehow "better" for the country, regardless of how unimportant or catastrophic said action is.
Obama has been gettin a lot of knocks this past two years. What his critics (left & right) don't get is he put through a huge bit of complicated legislation with the health care reform bill. Also, it always takes a while for any President, to get their stride. He's now learning how Congress works and how to make deals/twist arms etc. I think you'll see a lot more good things coming down the pike now that he has a grip on how Congress works. Even with the new conservative House you will see some important stuff happening. The Republicans will now have to play or pay.
So Jake, what say you now........................?
Despite the hiccups this president gets things done period. Already a long track record of sucesses. Who said change was going to be easy. It is not and the fallout is what we see everyday in the media. this president has done more in two years than most did in eight. Although white racists still equate blackness with laziness and stupidity as evidenced by the amusing comments made by high school grads on these forums. We have not come that far. As Palin would have it we shoudl be back in the glory days of real America i.e the 50s = segregation and putting black people where they belong.–maybe in the whitehouse but serving the food!!! Harvard education (did not need Daddy to get him in) = real smarts.
4 OUT OF 5!!!!!
The hardest working President EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA – THE HARDEST WORKING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Health Care Bill – PASSED
Wall Street Financial Regulaton Reform – PASSED
Funding the government – PASSED
Passing unemployment-insurance extensions – PASSED
DADT "don't ask, don't tell" repeal – PASSED
START – PASSING
Food & Safety Regulation – PASSED
ETC, ETC, ETC..................
GW Bush accomplishement: started 2 wars, passed unending tax cuts to his rich buddies & wall street fat cats and gave America a RECESSION that has never been seen since the great recession!!!!