Narcissus
Oh yes he did:
Obama to deliver jobs address to joint session of Congress
President Obama has requested a joint session of Congress next week to deliver his jobs speech directly to lawmakers.
In a letter to congressional leaders requesting the Sept. 7 slot, the president said he will urge Congress to put aside politics and focus on creating jobs during the 8 p.m. speech.
“As I have traveled across our country this summer and spoken with our fellow Americans, I have heard a consistent message: Washington needs to put aside politics and start making decisions based on what is best for our country and not what is best for each of our parties in order to grow the economy and create jobs,” Obama wrote. “We must answer this call.”
The speech will fall on the same night Texas Gov. Rick Perry makes his debut on the GOP 2012 debate stage. The Republican presidential field is set to take part in a debate, also scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Asked whether the speech was purposefully scheduled the same night as the Republican debate, White House press secretary Jay Carney said “of course not.”
What a dick!
I assume that protocol is that a President gets to give a speech to a Joint Session of Congress whenever he wants, but this is abusive and purely political.
I hope they both go on at the same time and the debate gets higher ratings.
UPDATE:
Besides, this actually plays well for Republicans. Usually, the opposition party gets a few minutes for a rebuttal speech, shot in an anteroom with none of the drama and flair of a joint session speech. Instead, the GOP will have eight or nine responses to Obama on live television in a dramatic setting. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Republicans at the debate decide individually to focus their criticisms on Obama all night long and his plan, especially if — as I suspect — the plan will amount to a junior-grade Porkulus.
At the same time, it’s going to be obvious to everyone that the White House manipulated this for his re-election efforts, which will further reduce Obama’s credibility and the credibility of his proposal. And the first rule of political campaigning is not to get in the way of your opponent when he’s busy shooting himself in the foot.
The Crawdad Hole 
Oh , hell yea. Debate gets better ratings. In a heartbeat.
All that, while President Asshat calls for “putting aside politics.” What a Dick.
Pure, blatant politics at its most pathetic.
Kind of cuts the legs out from under taking the high ground and being above politics from now on.
Very pathetic — shows how scared he is.
I agree with you, I hope the debate gets higher ratings. From TPM:
Team Obama is taking a big risk. If the public is more interested in the debate, it would be a victory for Rick Perry IMO. Much like Palin’s speech took away Obama’s bounce from the convention.
One problem though. It’s going to be on MSNBC. Their viewers will most likely watch their leader Pavlov er….Obama.
Ouch.
Maybe, but it means I get to snub NBC/MSNBC and Obama at the same time. Woo-hoo!!
Maybe I’ll just watch SP’s movie on PPV. 🙂
The Republicans should not attend the speech. They should send a I’m sorry, but I had scheduled another gig on that day.
I thought they should boycott it, then I thought that’s exactly what Team WTF wants to force them to do so they can whine how evil and uncooperative they are. Chicago politics at it’s smarmy-est.
People are sick of his speechifying. A joint session, does that mean the networks have to pre-empt regular programming and LOSE money again ?
Good point. That makes the “which will people watch” question moot.
What a fucking dick.
Here’s a picture of my dick.
WTF?
Can the Republican House say no?
All the Republicans should go to the debate, and let Obama talk to an empty hall.
They should go to the speech and sit there watching the debate on their smart phones.
That’s a great idea. You should be a Republican adviser.
Don’t make me send the clown car for you.
I already have a jalopy, but maybe yours is more fun, with lots of horns and strings with cans, wonderful paint job. Yes, I want your jalopy.
If you send the jalopy for me, I’ll have to drive it.
Obama’s whole speech is going to be, “I’d deliver a million jobs, but the mean people in congress won’t let me.”
The whole point of this speech is to try and deflect responsibility off himself and put it all on congress, like he did with the debt ceiling.
The chance to try and pre-empt the Republican nominees is just icing on his cake.
I’ve come to conclude that Obama only has two motivations in his life, “how can I dump all the work, responsibility, and blame, on somebody else,” and “how can I stand in the spot light and get all the attention.” I really don’t believe he even has a plan or a plot or an ideology beyond those two things.
I’m hearing a lot about “infrastructure.”
Which , really, is just putting lipstick on his already-failed “shovel-ready” pig.
And we ALL know those infrastructure projects will go to states who support/supported him, or who he needs in 2012. And it’ll have to be union labor.
Cronyism, writ large, per the Chicago way.
Yawn.
I think his ‘blame someone else’ strategy did not work so well with the debt ceiling debate – his poll numbers have not recovered since then, the public has figured out his scam, and I don’t think they will be ‘bamboozled’ so quickly after the last screwing took place.
Usually I can take being bamboozled OR screwed – but not both in the same month (or at the same exact time) – but I did say ‘usually’.
SP should time her announcement to zing obama’s preachy-speechy moment. That would be poetic.
Ha ha. Love it.
Or people could watch a certain PPV/VOD movie that night instead.
It just occurred to me that we really are being unfair to Barry here. Obviously his feelings were hurt that he wasn’t invited to the GOP debate. After all, he has always said that he is the true heir to Reagan.
This is just his way of inviting himself to his real party.
True story
Obama’s timing is off again. He’s going to speechify at a time when his previous efforts for new jobs are coming to an end.
White House-Backed Solar Energy Company Collapses
There is already a post on that topic scheduled.
Is this stunt a cry for help or what? This is turning into “I scheduled my birthday party first so nobody will come to yours”. Boehner needs to tell the White House, uh, the carpets are being cleaned that night. Or they all have food poisoning (hence the carpet cleaning). Or just no we’re busy.
Congress should not be at the beck and call of Obama. The Republicans should tell the WH that scheduling speeches before congress should be on a mutually agreeable times.
I disagree. As someone else commented, that would play into Obama’s hand as “the Republicans are the party of NO”. I think they should go the opposite way. Reschedule the debate. But make a big deal about it saying something to the effect, “we have been waiting for the president to put forth a jobs plan for 3 years….”
Rescheduling is the is probably the most civil thing to do. Schedule about 30 minutes after the end of the big bore then let the Republicans go after him without Obama being able to respond immediately. And the Congress critters should politely applaud for 10 seconds and sit down and again when he finishes and leave with their back turned to him while he is still standing there like he just gave a horrible piano recital. I bet he would have a fit.
Ooh…..The One will be pissed. Carney officially gave NBC “permission” to reschedule at the press conference today. (gag)
NBC is either not following WH directions, or they’re complicit in this childish trap.
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If a member of Congress (like Ron Paul who will be at the debate and who isn’t running for reelection) objects to a pro-forma voice vote to approve the joint session, then Congress will have to wait until Sept. 7th to do a roll call vote.
They could do that then approve the resolution just hours before Obama planned to speak.
That would leave him hanging for a week without saying yes or no.
Just announced: Boehner has asked him to give his speech one day later.
We’ll see.
I think Sept 8 is the NFL season opening game……..LOL !
Oh no, all the jobs that could have been created will be lost if Obama delays his speech by one day!
Has Congress no sense of urgency?
Why, BO even cancelled his vacation to make this speech!
I love it. I hope Boehner sticks to his guns.
Daily Caller:
Ron Paul threatens to object to Obama’s job speech request