During an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday, President Obama was asked if he could understand why the American people are frustrated with the lack of economic recovery. Obama responded by saying he "doesn't control the weather."
"No matter how well we're steering the ship, if the boat's rocking back and forth and people are getting sick and, you know, they're being buffeted by the winds and the rain ... if you're asking, 'Are you enjoying the ride right now?' folks are going to say, 'No.' " Obama said. "People are going to say, 'You know what? A good captain would have had us in some smooth waters and sunny skies at this point.' And I don't control the weather."
Obama may not control the weather, but he does control what projects and legislation to sign in order to foster an environment that allows the economy to recover. To continue off of the boat analogy, the American economy was a sinking ship in 2009 when Obama was sworn into office and he decided to "fix" it not by bailing water out of the boat, but by pouring more water in. The $800 billion stimulus package is one example. The worst part is that Obama really believes he has been steering well.
And of course, Obama just couldn't help but throwing in some class warfare:
"The problem is, is that our politics has gotten to the point where we can't have an honest conversation about the greatest income inequality since the 1920s, and we can't have an honest conversation about the irresponsibility that resulted in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, without somebody saying that somehow we're being divisive," Obama said. "No, we're being honest about what happened, and we've got to be honest about how we move forward."
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Obama also said Americans shouldn't be satisfied with the current economic climate.
"We've gone through an incredibly difficult time in this country. And I would be surprised if the American people felt satisfied right now," Obama told CBS' Steve Kroft in an interview to air on "60 Minutes" on Sunday. "They shouldn't feel satisfied. We've got a lot more work to do in order to get this country and the economy moving in a way that benefits everybody, as opposed to just a few."
So there you have it voters, are you satisfied? Obama says you shouldn't be and with his latest approval at just 41 percent, it doesn't look like the American people have much confidence in the "captain" getting us out of this mess. Why? Obama still believes the government creates jobs, rather than the private sector and small businesses.
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