Obama Muses on Election Night: "As President I Take Responsibility"

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 3, 2010 6:20PM

Barack Obama said, "as president I take responsibility" for the economic issues that led to last night's GOP takeover of the House of Representatives and expressed a willingness to work with GOP leaders to find common ground on such issues as tax cuts.

Obama told the press, "We were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done." The President's tone was conciliatory as he expressed a wish to sit down with outgoing Democratic and incoming Republican congressional leaders to "figure out how we can move forward together." But he also recognized it won't be easy, noting the two parties have some serious differences on the issues that led voters to the ballot yesterday.

Obama said the economy had begun a recovery, but with unemployment still at 9.6 percent and voters still angry at the bailouts of failing banks, GM and Ford Chrysler. Obama recognized that both he and the incoming leadership will have to find common ground in order to move the country forward.

Earlier, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said the GOP was willing to work with Democrats, as long as they "pivot in a different direction."

"I get the impression that their view is that we haven't cooperated enough. I think what the American people were saying yesterday is they appreciated us saying 'no' to things that the American people indicated that they were not in agreement with," McConnell said.

McConnell identified five issues where the two parties can find compromise: spending, debt, trade agreements, nuclear power and clean coal. Prospective John Boehner, meanwhile, called the health care reform bill a "monstrosity" that needs to be changed. “I think it is important for us to lay the groundwork before we begin to repeal this monstrosity and replace it with common-sense reforms that will bring down the cost of healthcare insurance in America.”