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
 

Senate Democrats Blame Stagnant Economy On Stalled Congress

Robert Hune-Kalter - Talk Radio News Service

A duo of Senate Democrats pointed their fingers the Republican party Thursday and accused Senate Republicans of stalling an agenda aimed at boosting the economy.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) posed a simple question to voters heading into the summer recess.

“Whose side are you on?” he asked.

Menendez asserted that more could have been accomplished this year had Republicans not repeatedly stalled legislation and denied the economy of countless beneficial provisions.

“As [Democrats] try to give those small businesses the tax breaks and incentives to be able to grow this economy and hire more Americans, Republicans, every step of the way, are impeding our ability to create those jobs,” he said.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said that it is frustrating to move legislation in the Senate because negotiations get delayed and are not made in good faith.

Menendez agreed, and said Senate Democrats will try to pass energy legislation, repeal tax breaks and help small businesses when the Senate reconvenes in September.

“What we want at the end of the day is to help middle-class families in this country get over this difficult time and realize their hopes and dreams and aspirations,” he said.

However, the lawmakers’ ambitious remarks were met immediately with skepticism.

“Senators Menendez and Whitehouse have imposed an immeasurable burden on small businesses with mountains of new spending and debt and countless new tax hikes under the failed Pelosi-Reid economic agenda,” said Parish Braden, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee (RNC).

In fact, 83,000 total jobs have dissapeared in Rhode Island and New Jersey since one of the Democrats’ biggest legislative achievements - the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - was passed in early 2009. Both states have also seen their unemployment rates rise considerably in that time.

“Democrat leaders pledge to support small businesses while at the same time are planning yet another job killing tax hike on the same businesses,” Braden added.

Gulf Coast Struggling, But Open For Business

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News Service

Like so many Gulf Coast businesses, the Heritage Motor Coach Resort and Marina was doing great until April 20th. Now, in the wake of the disastrous oil spill, its owner is struggling to make ends meet.

"Our phones are not ringing and we're not getting reservations because of the oil spill in general and ... how the media has portrayed it," Duke Gibbs told Talk Radio News Friday. "Nine out of ten days on our resort there's not hint of oil, there's no smell of oil, but the spill in general has just killed our activity."

Gibbs' message was clear; the entire Gulf Coast is struggling from a misleading reputation stemming from the spill's impact. In fact, he said, the beaches where he is are clean, and the area is open for business.

"Over the last week I've seen a big difference in the amount of organization and cleanup effort ... our beaches look great ... they're responding quickly, and I also believe they're doing a much better job of containment out in the Gulf," said Gibbs.

The Country Music Channel will be hosting a free concert featuring Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney in Orange Beach, Alabama on July 1st to raise awareness and demonstrate support for the Gulf Coast region. To commemorate the event, Gibbs' resort will be holding a "4 for 2" night special, to encourage tourists to visit the area.

Gibbs told Talk Radio News Service that the Alabama Gulf Coast has the same white sand beaches, shopping, and dining of bigger Gulf Coast resorts like Destin and Panama City, Florida, but without the crowds. Because of this, Gibbs considers it "the perfect destination."

"Our only hope is to try to remain positive and promote our businesses ... and at the same time hope that BP will do their part," said Gibbs.

Still, Gibbs is aware that the economic future of the Gulf Coast is still uncertain. When asked about his stance on the six-month moratorium imposed by the Obama administration in response to the spill, Gibbs explained that up to 50 percent of his clients' businesses are somehow tied to the oil industry, and "they believe [the moratorium] will do nothing but absolutely kill the entire Gulf Coast economy over in the Louisiana and Texas area."

Gibbs said he has filed a claim with BP, but because he opened his resort just in the past year, he cannot provide the oil giant with the three to four years' of documents it requested. Gibbs filed his request two and a half weeks ago, and has not yet received any sort of compensation.

Good News For Small Businesses Under New Healthcare Law

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News Service

Under the recently approved Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, many small businesses will be eligible to receive tax credits to pay for their employees' health insurance.

Specifically, businesses with ten or fewer full time equivalent employees, earning $25,000 a year or less, and those with 25 or fewer full time equivalent employees earning $50,000 a year or less will be eligible for a tax credit up to 35%, starting retroactively in January 2010.

In addition, small business owners will be pleased to note that receiving state tax credits will not affect eligibility for federal tax credits under the law.

"Federal credit will never be reduced because an employer is also getting a state health care credit or subsidy," said Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy Michael Mundaca during a conference call with reporters on Monday morning.

Mundaca gave more good news when he elaborated on the enhanced coverage of the law, which provides for the inclusion of coverage for add-on benefits, like vision and dental care, in addition to traditional medical coverage.

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who also participated in Monday's call, trumpeted the law's subsidy provisions for small businesses.

"The tax credit proposal provides tens of billions of dollars in new tax credits to small businesses to make it easier for them to provide coverage to their employees."

Levin Blames Michigan's Unemployment Woes On Lack Of Small Business Loans

By Sofia Sanchez- University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

According to Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the drop in small business lending is responsible for his state's dismal unemployment rate.

“The reduction in the number of loans going to small businesses is dramatic. In my state of Michigan, it is down 74 percent in the last two years,” said Levin during an appearance before the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy. “We’ve got a 15 percent unemployment rate and there is a connection between those two.”

Bank loans and leases have declined for the sixth straight quarter, with total loans to commercial and industrial borrowers declining 4.3 percent and real estate construction and development loans declining by 8.4 percent, according to the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy

“It is no secret that roughly two-thirds of the jobs in this country are created by small businesses, and it is clear that we must once again rely on the engine if small business growth is to move us down the path to a full recovery,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who chairs the subcommittee.

$30 billion in TARP funds have been set aside to spur lending. However, a debate has recently opened up between lawmakers over whether the funds should be distributed through banks or through the Small Business Administration.