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Okay NOW I understand why the sudden change in rhetoric! He was bothered by people not LIKING him as much. :rolleyes:
Barack Obama goes upbeat on economy after popularity declines
President Barack Obama has launched an upbeat strategy over the economy in the face of approval ratings that have dipped below those of George W Bush at the same stage of his presidency.
By Alex Spillius in Washington
Last Updated: 3:41PM GMT 15 Mar 2009
Mr Obama is changing his rhetorical course after criticism from fellow Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, that he has sounded too negative in the first weeks of his presidency.
This week he will speak forcefully to Congress and the public about the need to pass his $3.6 trillion budget, which will double the national deficit, while stressing his belief that there is hope ahead.
Mr Obama's sky-high approval ratings have fallen in the past couple of weeks amid widespread gloom over the economy. His approval rating is between 56 and 60 per cent, lower than George W Bush's at a similar stage of his presidency.
The new president has already told an audience of business leaders that the economic crisis "is not as bad we think". Over the weekend, Mr Obama assured investors of the soundness of investments in the US economy, after Chinese premier Wen Jiabao expressed his alarm about the safety of the "massive" number of US Treasury bonds Beijing was buying.
"There's a reason why even in the midst of this economic crisis you've seen actual increases in investment flows here into the United States," Mr Obama said. "I think it's a recognition that the stability not only of our economic system, but also our political system, is extraordinary.
"I think that not just the Chinese government, but every investor, can have absolute confidence in the soundness of investments in the United States," he added.
Lawrence Summers, chairman of the national economic council, exemplified the administration's new approach with a populist swipe at AIG for paying in excess of $100 million in bonuses to staff, despite receiving $170 billion of taxpayers money.
"There are a lot of terrible things that have happened in the last 18 months, but what's happened at AIG is the most outrageous," he said on ABC on Sunday.
Mr Summers has also said Americans are showing "too much fear" about the economy. Last week brought glimmers of hope, as Citigroup reported a profit, the Dow Jones rallied slightly and General Motors said it would not require an extra $2 billion in bail-out funds.
The administration will be hoping for further encouragement this week, as Congress begins work on the budget which is at the heart of Mr Obama's legislative agenda. The bill contains ambitious ten-year plans to start the introduction of health care for all and wider use of cleaner energy.
As well as sounding more optimistic, the president will push more aggressively against Republican critics – painting them as belonging to a "party of no" – and sharply remind the public that the problems he has to cope with were very largely inherited from Mr Bush. :rolleyes:
Barack Obama goes upbeat on economy after popularity declines
President Barack Obama has launched an upbeat strategy over the economy in the face of approval ratings that have dipped below those of George W Bush at the same stage of his presidency.
By Alex Spillius in Washington
Last Updated: 3:41PM GMT 15 Mar 2009
Mr Obama is changing his rhetorical course after criticism from fellow Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, that he has sounded too negative in the first weeks of his presidency.
This week he will speak forcefully to Congress and the public about the need to pass his $3.6 trillion budget, which will double the national deficit, while stressing his belief that there is hope ahead.
Mr Obama's sky-high approval ratings have fallen in the past couple of weeks amid widespread gloom over the economy. His approval rating is between 56 and 60 per cent, lower than George W Bush's at a similar stage of his presidency.
The new president has already told an audience of business leaders that the economic crisis "is not as bad we think". Over the weekend, Mr Obama assured investors of the soundness of investments in the US economy, after Chinese premier Wen Jiabao expressed his alarm about the safety of the "massive" number of US Treasury bonds Beijing was buying.
"There's a reason why even in the midst of this economic crisis you've seen actual increases in investment flows here into the United States," Mr Obama said. "I think it's a recognition that the stability not only of our economic system, but also our political system, is extraordinary.
"I think that not just the Chinese government, but every investor, can have absolute confidence in the soundness of investments in the United States," he added.
Lawrence Summers, chairman of the national economic council, exemplified the administration's new approach with a populist swipe at AIG for paying in excess of $100 million in bonuses to staff, despite receiving $170 billion of taxpayers money.
"There are a lot of terrible things that have happened in the last 18 months, but what's happened at AIG is the most outrageous," he said on ABC on Sunday.
Mr Summers has also said Americans are showing "too much fear" about the economy. Last week brought glimmers of hope, as Citigroup reported a profit, the Dow Jones rallied slightly and General Motors said it would not require an extra $2 billion in bail-out funds.
The administration will be hoping for further encouragement this week, as Congress begins work on the budget which is at the heart of Mr Obama's legislative agenda. The bill contains ambitious ten-year plans to start the introduction of health care for all and wider use of cleaner energy.
As well as sounding more optimistic, the president will push more aggressively against Republican critics – painting them as belonging to a "party of no" – and sharply remind the public that the problems he has to cope with were very largely inherited from Mr Bush. :rolleyes:
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