White House Gaggle
Monday, August 9, 2010 at 12:33PMBy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton Aboard Air Force One, En Route Texas
MR. BURTON: All right, thank you for joining us on our trip to Texas. Any questions?
Q Bill, I do — a couple quick questions about today. How does the President view a day like this, in which he spends a lot of his time raising political cash? Does he actually enjoy fundraising, or is this more of just a necessary part of the job?
MR. BURTON: I would say the President — a couple things. For starters, the President is doing a couple different things today. He’s going to be raising some money. He’s going to be talking about the importance of education for our long-term economic outlook.
And as it pertains to campaigning, I would say that the President — what the President does like about it is having the opportunity to go out to the American people and explain the choice that they’re going to have this November between some of the policies that the President and Democrats have been putting forward to get our economy back on track, and what the Republicans stand for, which is the same policies that got us into the economic crisis to begin with.
So he does like talking plainly to the American people about the issues that we face and the choices that they have. But he’s President of the United States, so every day there’s something new and several different challenges he has to take on, and he takes them on as they come.
Q As for the education speech itself, from the White House perspective, will the education community, will college students hear anything today from the President that they haven’t heard before?
MR. BURTON: What they’ll hear is the President talking about the goal to, by 2020, to get America — to have America as the country with the largest share of college graduates of any country in the world. He’ll talk about some of the steps that we’ve taken to get there, for example, taking $60 billion that would have gone to big banks and lending institutions and putting it towards — directly towards helping students complete their college educations. And he’ll talk about Race to the Top. He’ll talk about what we need to do in order to improve community colleges, where a lot of students are getting their higher education.
So in that sense, yes, there will be some new things that maybe folks have not heard before.
Q Bill, two quick questions. Can we expect the President to make an announcement on Christy Romer’s replacement before he goes to Martha’s Vineyard? And two, who are the candidates? Who’s on your short list?
MR. BURTON: There’s no — the timeline that we’re on is that by September 3rd, when Dr. Romer leaves her post is to have that position filled. She’ll obviously have a big say in who gets that position.
Q She’ll have a big say in it?
MR. BURTON: Yes, she’ll have a big say. But right now the President is examining candidates and taking a look at who the right person is.
Q So we don’t expect an announcement before Martha’s Vineyard then?
MR. BURTON: I don’t know about that necessarily. There won’t be one this week, though.
Q On the Texas visit, what do you make of the fact that Bill White, the nominee for governor, is making himself scarce? What does that say about the President’s coattails and image and popularity?
MR. BURTON: I don’t think that it says anything broadly about the President’s coattails. I think it says that Bill White had something else going on today that he would rather do than campaign with the President.
Q Well, does the President take that as an insult?
MR. BURTON: No, he thinks that candidates should make their own decisions about how best to spend their time. He definitely does not take that as an insult.
Q How do you respond to the Republican argument coming out of Texas that Texas is in such better shape than most of the country because it has lower taxes, lower spending, run by Republicans? I mean you’re not going into friendly political turf today exactly.
MR. BURTON: Well, Texas is obviously a great state, one of the greatest states in the country. But like every other state, they’ve gone through this economic crisis, and they’ve lost a lot of jobs, which the President is doing everything he can to help create an environment where more jobs are being created.
They’re a state that also has had a very tough time with the issue of health insurance. I know it has one of the lowest rates of health insurance in the country. So health insurance reform that the President signed into law this year I know will have a big impact on helping Texans get insured.
So I would say that you can have different competing economic philosophies, but the President is doing everything he can to help the Texas economy, just like the United States economy, get back on track.
Q Bill, the President has told Democratic candidates that he’ll do what he can for them, and if you want me by your side, I’ll be there with you, but if you want me to stay away, I’ll also stay away. Is he sort of reconciled to the fact that some Democrats like Bill White just really don’t want to be seen with him?
MR. BURTON: I think that there has never been a President in the history of this great country who has been wanted by every single candidate across the country to come and campaign for them. President Obama has said plainly that he is going to go out and be helpful where he can be most helpful and spend his time doing things that are helping Democratic candidates across the country. And in the sense that he’s come to grips with that, it’s a historic fact of life.
Q But how does he balance those needs? Because he’s being helpful by raising money for Democrats in Texas, but he may also, in fact, be hurting the White campaign by showing up there at this time. So how do you sort of balance those competing needs?
MR. BURTON: I don’t think anybody’s campaign is being hurt by the funds that the President is raising for the effort today. The President balances his time by taking a look at a map and seeing where he can be most helpful and when.
Q The President this morning at his event talked about the success of the cement plug. Who is briefing him? Did he receive his briefings over the weekend or this morning on the cement plug?
MR. BURTON: He — I missed the last part of your question, but if I don’t answer it just let me know. He’s been briefed regularly by Carol Browner and other staff, and he continues to receive updates every single day even on the weekends.
Was there any other part to your question?
Q Well, a food-related Gulf question. Number one, he — there’s two events where they’ve served seafood from the Gulf — the shrimp last night and then I guess po’ boys at an event today. Can you tell us like where exactly those two things came from?
MR. BURTON: I had that same question and I’m tracking it down. I will let you know as soon as I hear.
Q Do you have any update on who will head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? And what’s the White House’s reaction to Senator Dodd last week saying that Elizabeth Warren will cause a fight if she’s the nominee?
MR. BURTON: Well, for starters, I would say that there is no update on the timing. It’s not going to happen this week.
But in terms of Senator Dodd, I think that we’ve litigated what he has had to say, and a lot of folks have opinions about Elizabeth Warren and other candidates. It’s the White House’s view that Elizabeth Warren would be confirmable. And I think that — I think we’ve addressed that.
Q Can we expect an announcement before — again, before he goes to Martha’s Vineyard?
MR. BURTON: Check back at the beginning of next week.
Q And of the actions of North Korea firing 110 rounds of ammo in disputed waters, any White House reaction?
MR. BURTON: Well, obviously the President wants to make sure that everybody is doing what they can to make sure that region is stable and there’s security for folks all over the region. But on that particular incident, no, not particularly.
Q The President is going to have a brief conversation with Governor Perry about border security. What is he going to tell the governor, and does he feel like — that enough is being done to secure the border?
MR. BURTON: For starters, the President has done — the President has put more assets on the border to secure the border than has ever previously been there. That includes National Guard troops, technology, things he has done on enforcement. That’s something that he is working very hard on.
I think that — you know these tarmac greets with elected officials, Governor Perry will be there. It will probably be a very brief conversation.
Q Why not a substantive conversation of an issue of tremendous importance to border states?
MR. BURTON: This is something the President has been working hard on. And we’ve been in contact with Governor Perry. I know that our staff has contacted him for meetings and briefings to discuss the matter, and it’s something that we will continue to work on with them. Today, the schedule just didn’t allow it.
Q Any other announcements for Texas, anything specific? We’re still waiting for U.S. Attorneys.
MR. BURTON: No, nothing in particular on that, not at this point.
Q What’s the holdup?
MR. BURTON: I think we’re working with the delegation on the appropriate nominees.
Q And one last question. In some of his fundraising speeches, the President has been quite critical of George W. Bush. Can we expect him to criticize the former President today again on his home turf?
MR. BURTON: I think you’ll hear from the President on a lot of the messages that you’ve heard in the past about the kind of policies that he and Democrats have been promoting, and about what Republicans have been promoting, which are some of the same policies that got us into the situation that we’re in right now. So I don’t think that there will be a marked difference from what you’ve heard in some of the other events.
Q Why no meeting with President Bush? He’ll only be a couple of miles away.
MR. BURTON: You know — I think that the President will obviously see him at some point in the future. I don’t know if there was a request for a meeting.
Q The Justice Department says negotiations with BP had been completed to establish the $20 billion fund. Do you have any details on those arrangements?
MR. BURTON: There’s going to be some more details this morning, maybe even happening on the ground right now, but I would check in with the Department of Justice on that.
Q Anything you could tell us?
MR. BURTON: Not at this point.
Q Bill White had suggested that if the President wants to talk to him he can call him. Does the President have any plans to call Bill White, or has he called him?
MR. BURTON: There are no plans to call him, no.
Q Okay. And can you talk a little bit about why the choice of education as the topic today?
MR. BURTON: Sure. Education is a critically important issue as it relates to the competitiveness of our country with other countries. And as the President has said before, people who out-educate us today are going to out-compete us tomorrow, and we simply are not going to be in a position where the United States is falling behind other countries as it relates to higher education. So the President thinks this is an important economic issue, and thought it was important to talk about it today.
Q I’m just wondering, is there a feeling that it’s gotten kind of lost in the shuffle with all the talk we’ve had this year about health care reform and financial regulatory reform, that people haven’t been paying attention?
MR. BURTON: Well, there’s a lot of things that the President focuses on every single day that the average American probably doesn’t have the time to pick up the newspaper and read about every single thing that’s happening. And reporters don’t even have time to cover all the things that we’re doing every single day. And we’re respectful of the fact that people are busy and average Americans are trying to get their bills paid on time, get their kids ready for school in the fall, and this is just an opportunity for the President to talk about something that’s very important to him.
Q Thanks.
MR. BURTON: All right, thank you.
White House Gaggle
By Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Seattle, Washington
9:17 A.M. PDT
MR. BURTON: Okay. Welcome onboard Air Force One. You all saw Secretary Locke is joining us today. At his remarks at a small business in Seattle, the President will discuss the fact that the Senate is going to take on the small business bill when they come back into session and the importance of Republicans stopping their obstruction so that small business owners can get the assistance that they need as soon as humanly possible to create an environment where small businesses can be creating jobs and the economy can continue to grow.
With that, I’m happy to take any questions you might have.
Q Hey, Bill, with all the campaigning the President is doing, how far is he willing to go in saying that he’s confident the House and Senate will stay Democratic? Is he willing to guarantee it? How confident is he?
MR. BURTON: How far is he willing to go? Interestingly put. The President thinks that this election is a choice between the policies that move our country forward or the policies that got us to the crisis that we’re in right now. But he’s confident that given that choice in the voting booths in November that Democrats will be successful and he does think that we will hold on to both the House and the Senate.
Q So you think — so the White House’s feeling is that things are trending well right now; with all of these campaign stops it’s making a difference?
MR. BURTON: Well, I’m not going to get into the punditry of it, but the President thinks that this is fundamentally a choice and it’s a choice where the Americans will choose to continue making progress.
Q Is the President having fun on the campaign trail right now, considering every day the polls are beating him down, every day he’s getting a lot of backseat-driving advice? Is this fun for him?
MR. BURTON: The President has gotten a lot of advice from all corners ever since he started out on the campaign trail February 10, 2007. But he appreciates the opportunity to go out there and make the case to the American people about what his policies have done to help make our economy stronger, what he’s done to make our country safer, and the choice that people have in this election between continuing on our economic policies, like the small business bill that he’ll be talking about today, that get more loans to small businesses; that cut — that end capital gains for their investments. So he does enjoy making that case to the American people.
Q Enjoying the campaign trail this week?
MR. BURTON: He enjoys making the case. He obviously would enjoy it more if he could spend more time with his family. But I think that as one of the hats that he wears as the leader of the Democratic Party, as President of the United States, he does like going out and talking to the American people, hearing what’s on their minds and explaining how he sees the choice in this election.
Q Can you talk about Senator Reid’s disagreeing with the President on the mosque issue? Has the President spoken to him? Did Reid’s people give you guys a heads-up about that? What was his reaction?
MR. BURTON: We did have a sense that that’s what they were going to do. But if you look at what the President said on Friday night, he respects the right of anybody — Democrat, Republican, independent — to disagree with his opinion on this. That’s one of the other fundamental rights written into the DNA of our Constitution.
Senator Reid is a fiercely independent individual; it’s one of his strengths as a leader of the Democratic Party. So the President feels completely fine that he might disagree.
Q — you view Senator Reid and the President disagree on this issue?
MR. BURTON: Well, the statements are different. What the President said was that he thinks that there’s a fundamental right for individuals and groups to be treated equally. But the President, like he said on Saturday, didn’t comment specifically on whether or not he was pushing for the site to actually to be put in that spot. Senator Reid’s comment was he thinks that it shouldn’t be.
Q So it is a different statement. It’s a different statement — do they agree? Do they disagree?
MR. BURTON: I’ll leave it to the smart guys like you, Chuck, to decide whether or not that means disagreement or different statement or what’s up and what’s down. But it’s a different take on this issue.
Q — decide not to speak to the insurance commissioners today?
MR. BURTON: Just postponed it for a month.
Q Sorry, didn’t hear you. What —
MR. BURTON: Just postponed it for a month.
Q Why?
MR. BURTON: I just think that the President thought it was important to talk about small businesses and the importance of getting moving on that right when the Senate gets back.
Q Can you comment on reports today that the President may announce loosening travel restrictions for groups to Cuba?
MR. BURTON: Sure. I’ve seen those reports and I don’t have anything new to announce. But the President is going to continue to do things that are in the best interest of the United States and that help to create a more democratic environment and expand freedoms for the Cuban people.
Q Some members of Congress are saying they did not get a heads-up about the mosque comments, even though the President spoke to Mayor Bloomberg. Why not discuss this with the senators, or even Representative Gillibrand?
MR. BURTON: I don’t know that the President spoke to Mayor Bloomberg — I don’t think that that’s accurate — about this beforehand. We have very close relationships with our partners on Capitol Hill, and sometimes — we talk to them every day at different levels of the West Wing, but we take each issue on a case-by-case basis. This wasn’t something that the President viewed through a political lens. This is something that he saw as his obligation to address. So there you go.
Q Was the President briefed on the Iraq bombing this morning?
MR. BURTON: Yes, made aware. And the President condemns those attacks. There are obviously still people who want to derail the advances that the Iraqi people have made towards democracy, but they are firmly on track and we’re confident that we’re moving towards the end of our combat mission there.
Q — the work of al Qaeda in Iraq?
MR. BURTON: I don’t know. I would point you to the DOD for that.
Q Given that attack and how bad it was and the fact that there’s still no government in Iraq, how can you — how can the United States go ahead, continue with its plans for the drawdown?
MR. BURTON: The fact that, as the Vice President said, politics has broken out in Iraq is a good thing. It means that democracy is thriving there already. There’s a transitional government in place that’s functioning in a stable fashion, and we’re confident that they will be able to put together a government. But that fact that there’s a lot of competition for who is going to be leading that country is a good thing. It’s a political process at work.
Q So it’s not going to affect the schedule? This kind of attack is not going to affect the U.S. schedule?
MR. BURTON: No. We’re obviously helping the Iraqi forces to keep that country secure. Our combat mission ends at the end of the month, but we will still have troops there who are helping to support them as necessary.
Q — preview tomorrow?
MR. BURTON: Tomorrow in Columbus, the President is going to be visiting with a middle-class family, where he’ll talk — I think it’s right at their kitchen table — about some of the concerns that they have about what — things are going on in the economy. And then afterwards, he’ll go outside and have a conversation with some neighbors and folks from the community about questions and concerns that they have.
Q — a town hall?
MR. BURTON: But smaller. More like a —
Q Will he take questions?
MR. BURTON: He will be taking questions, yes.
Q From — that will be folks in the community?
MR. BURTON: Yes.
Q How was the family chosen?
MR. BURTON: I think that our folks at the White House talked to local community leaders about finding an appropriate venue where such a conversation could take place.
Q Whose house is — who is hosting the fundraiser in Seattle today, the one at the private residence?
MR. BURTON: I don’t know. I would check in with the Murray campaign on that.
Q The questions that he’ll have, it’s like a town hall we’ll be seeing? Or he’ll just sit alone with them?
MR. BURTON: Yes, it will be town hall-style, but it will be pretty small — it will be like 40 people.
Q Okay, but we’ll be in there?
MR. BURTON: Yes.
Q Hey, Bill, I knock on wood as I ask this last one, but after this, the President goes off to Martha’s Vineyard. Is his expectation that that is a genuine vacation?
MR. BURTON: The President is definitely going to spend a little time recharging his batteries. I would, as the spokesman who’s going to go on that trip, encourage anybody else who’s going in the media to think that this is going to be the hardest that they will have ever have worked in their entire lives. You’ll probably be working every day, early till late, maybe really early in the morning till really late at night, and over the weekend as well. And you’ll probably never see outside of your bed and breakfast where you’ll be staying.
Q Don’t laugh. Those of us in print — that was the schedule, actually.
Q And it was your fault.
Q And it was all your fault.
Q — your reverse psychology.
MR. BURTON: I’m just trying to set expectations appropriately. I know what I said before the last time we went to Martha’s Vineyard and it turned out a little bit differently.
Just one last thing on this. So a couple folks have asked me who all is going on the trip. Valerie Jarrett will be out there, as well as Pete Rouse —
Q To Martha’s Vineyard?
MR. BURTON: Yes. John Brennan will be on the trip. I’ll be there doing spokesman duties. And I think Denis McDonough is going to show up at some point to help out as well.
Q Do you have any other details about where they’re staying, what they’re doing, or who’s going with them for vacation purposes?
MR. BURTON: Not other than that, really. I mean, as far as what they’re doing, I think it will be a lot like last year. There will be some hiking, some time at the beach, some time at the ice cream store — all the sort of things you do when you’re at Martha’s Vineyard. You enjoy the people and the good food.
Q Will he be playing golf?
MR. BURTON: Say that again?
Q Golf?
MR. BURTON: I don’t know. You’ll just have to wait to see how it all shakes out.
Q They’re staying at the same house?
MR. BURTON: I’ll keep you posted on where they’re staying.
Q Any plans for a Thursday morning press conference before he leaves and he’s down for 10 days?
MR. BURTON: None that I know of. (Laughter.)
Anything else?
Q What does the President think of the reaction to his comments on the mosque? Has he been sort of — does he have his — he’s very critical sometimes of the news media. Is he as critical on this one?
MR. BURTON: The President thinks that this is an issue that people are going to come to with strongly held opinions, and he respects the fact that they’re going to express them. He doesn’t — he’s not surprised necessarily that a lot of people are coming out and talking about this forcefully. So I would say that he’s happy that our thriving democracy is continuing to produce vigorous debate.
Q He’s not critical — this isn’t one of those moments where he thinks the media is doing something it shouldn’t do?
MR. BURTON: I don’t want to miss an opportunity to just criticize the media, but — (laughter.) This is debate that’s just happening in the country.
Q Does he have any regrets about coming out and saying anything, given that it’s stoked the flames in this way?
MR. BURTON: No. He felt it was his obligation to address this matter.
Q Thanks, Bill.
MR. BURTON: Thanks.
END 9:29 A.M. PDT