President Obama and Gov. Perry Meet
[guest post by Dana]
President Obama and Gov. Perry met in Texas today to discuss the “humanitarian crisis” on the southern border. And from the reports, it was about what you would expect.
I won’t spend much time on the president’s comments, because we already knew ahead of time what they would be, so just a quick summary: Congress (specifically, obstructionist Republicans) needs to get this done, the president doesn’t need to visit the border because the officials he has sent are reporting back to him. Extensively. So stop criticizing him. And mostly, he wants you to know this isn’t theater, he’s not interested in photo-ops, he’s interested in solving a problem. (For a look at just how not interested in photo-ops he is, check out Ace’s gallery…of photo-ops). Oh, and he wants Perry’s help to push Texas Republicans in Congress to swiftly approve the $3.7 billion needed to implement their shared goals.
While both Perry and the president were philosophically in agreement, Perry had a number of concerns, including a seeming lack of urgency on the president’s part in sending the National Guard to the border. Some highlights below and an interview with Perry at the link:
“You know, I was like, Mr. President, you can deal with this. You can unilaterally direct the Department of Defense to put those troops on the border…” he said, later adding, “The president needs to understand that the single most important thing that he can do is put the National Guard on the border to coordinate with local law enforcement, with state law enforcement, with the border patrol…”
Obama said Wednesday that he is open to the National Guard suggestion, but that he believed it would only be a temporary fix.
Perry also criticized the fact that Obama is not visiting the border on his trip to Texas so he can witness the crisis first-hand. Obama said in a press conference Wednesday that doing so would be engaging in political “theater” and not productive.
“I said Mr. President, I really want you to come and see this,” Perry said. “I said this is important for you to absorb as a father, but more importantly as the president of the United States to see the humanitarian crisis.”
Perry said Obama’s refusal to do so is no different than the criticism President George W. Bush received when he chose to fly over New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina instead of visiting the city on the ground. He said Obama sending Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is not enough.
“I’m pretty sure that if George Bush had said ‘well I sent my FEMA director multiple times’ he still would have been criticized greatly,” Perry said. “Because you need to go. That’s what governors do, that’s what presidents do. When there are natural disasters, when there are crises like these, a president needs to be there to show the American people number one that he understands.”
–Dana
UPDATE BY PATTERICO: Rick Perry captures my feelings about Obama with this expression:
Obama is in a trap of his own making. His policies have given birth to this crisis. His rhetoric has revved up his pro-immigration/open borders base. If he goes, the base will expect more than him telling people to go home. Plus, if he enters the compounds, media will want pictures which won’t suit the preferred Obama Narrative.
So he votes “present,” his old fallback position.
Estragon (ada867) — 7/9/2014 @ 11:09 pmYou are so right, Estragon. But also, if he goes tomorrow while still in Texas, he looks like he caved to Republicans, which will make it much harder for his base to support and defend. Also, if he doesn’t go, it just again reinforces his aloofness and general lack of will and inability to actually accomplish something.
Dana (4dbf62) — 7/9/2014 @ 11:18 pmEstragon #1 – why do you think that some of us have been calling him Pres’ent Obama all along ? The most recent US President was Dubya !
Alastor (2e7f9f) — 7/9/2014 @ 11:28 pmPresident Selfie, President Styrofoam Greek Columns, isn’t interested in political theater or photo-ops? I don’t think even the crowd at MSLSD are going to buy that one.
Steve57 (cd4182) — 7/9/2014 @ 11:33 pmTo plagiarize a tweet I saw earlier, Obama is not interested in THAT photo-op.
Tom (9ee7cf) — 7/9/2014 @ 11:46 pmPerry and Congress to Obama – You built this. You find a way to pay for it. We will not be held hostage by your dereliction of your duties.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 7/10/2014 @ 12:04 amThere has been a long running string of decisions that cynically appear designed to harm Texas’s interests. Flooding the state like this is one of the worst examples.
It’s such a shame Obama was reelected.
Dustin (ec2a53) — 7/10/2014 @ 1:03 amI see President Dipstick is laughing his little ass off about a suggestion that he actually DO something to mitigate this crisis. Work and doing your job is for “the little people” and whatever else his, Obama doesn’t think he’s “little”.
Skeptical Voter (12e67d) — 7/10/2014 @ 8:27 amSkeptical Voter – Just another standard Obama Blame Shifting speech. Did you know he got bin Laden? He was responsible for that.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 7/10/2014 @ 8:42 amFor Teh Won to realize his culpability for this crisis would require him to be able to engage in linear thinking.
That is something not possible for a ‘big thinker’ such as himself – or he’d do better on his NCAA brackets.
Since this law that requires The Children’s Crusade to be turned over to HHS for processing and housing was written(?) and pushed by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), these detainees should be held and processed at The Presidio in San Francisco – they could ask The Gorbachev Foundation for assistance in exchange for the free/subsidized rent they get at The Presidio.
askeptic (efcf22) — 7/10/2014 @ 8:53 amSure, Acorn and La Raza are running a little low.
Patricia (5fc097) — 7/10/2014 @ 8:59 amYou’ve a problem with sociopaths? Eat your peas.
gary gulrud (4ead1d) — 7/10/2014 @ 9:00 amdimbulb perry and food stamp putting their heads together
yeah this crisis is pretty much licked
happyfeet (8ce051) — 7/10/2014 @ 9:30 am“Because you need to go. That’s what governors do, that’s what presidents do. When there are natural disasters, when there are crises like these, a president needs to be there to show the American people number one that he understands.”
Actually the President shouldn’t go jetting around the country feeling our pain, but that’s the way its been for so long that even conservatives think that’s the way it should be.
Mark Johnson (751494) — 7/10/2014 @ 9:32 amI put a similar post on “Spinning…” that is in moderation. (?)
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 7/10/2014 @ 9:37 amI have no problem with President Obama not visiting…if he also apologizes publicly to George W. for making a political cheap shot about Katrina.
Same here! ∅ has criticized Bush for a lot of things that he’s done himself. It’s easy to criticize a president. And even easier if you have a supine media on your side.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 9:44 am“Freedom! Rule of law! GUFFAW!”
CrustyB (69f730) — 7/10/2014 @ 10:18 amIs Obama so stupid that he doesn’t understand that unless he deports those kids back to Central America, the United States will become foster parents to the kids of every armpit on this planet. If you don’t deport the Central American kids, what are you going to do when the African or Middle Eastern kids show up?
Mike Giles (930031) — 7/10/2014 @ 11:19 amHe has top men working on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdjf4lMmiiI
Kevin M (b357ee) — 7/10/2014 @ 11:27 amIt’s such a shame Obama was reelected.
I said at the time it was a mistake of catastrophic proportions. I very much doubt I will live to see us recover from it.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 7/10/2014 @ 11:29 amIs Obama so stupid that he doesn’t understand that unless he deports those kids back to Central America, the United States will become foster parents to the kids of every armpit on this planet. If you don’t deport the Central American kids, what are you going to do when the African or Middle Eastern kids show up?
I think it is hoping for it.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 7/10/2014 @ 11:37 amarrgh. I think HE is hoping for it.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 7/10/2014 @ 11:38 amThank God Mitt Romney didn’t win.
Because you all know he would be flooding Texas with all of these illegals !
Good Allah.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 11:55 amOn nbc last night they showed children dying of heat and thirst in what the local residents call the killing fields. They showed dead little children being carried out of the fields to be buried in unmarked graves with over 4000 dead in just this one cemetery! Think about what your doing when you attack the children.
vota (44ee28) — 7/10/2014 @ 12:49 pmVotaPerry,
Why is Obama allowing children to die, and then be buried in unmarked graves !!1!!
It can only be because Obama hates latinos. And children. But especially latino children.
And VotaPerry, why are you up there in Delaware, while children are dying in Texas ?
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 12:52 pmDo something !
Or something.
so, you are against abortion?
redc1c4 (abd49e) — 7/10/2014 @ 12:57 pmYou see that every night on cable. What’s your point? There are children starving and dying of heat on a daily basis. Isn’t this a feature for progs like yourself? According to you proggies, the world is overpopulated, and global warmening. Oh, that’s right, you want to choose the people that should die based on their political affiliation. You’re such a humanitarian.
I’ll bet you’re furious that they wasted the land by creating a cemetery, right? Those little god botherer’s can’t be your type of people, otherwise they would have been aborted—not punishing their mothers. Don’t you know what you’re doing when you attack the children, vota?
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 1:18 pmabortion is a very controversial subject
happyfeet (c96810) — 7/10/2014 @ 1:29 pmHere’s a simple idea that the press have excelled at in the past. Let’s have a body count on every news broadcast.
How many of Obama’s kids have died on the Childrens Crusade to the U.S.? Second, how many have died in U.S. custody. Third, how many have died after release on the mean streets of America?
Bonus question: Why is the treatment of these kids different from Elian Gonzalez? You all remember the picture. (And was that over-dressed swat guy promoted? Back story on that, please.)
Bill Lever (f63e39) — 7/10/2014 @ 1:41 pmWe could talk about churros crossing the border. That’s pretty innocuous.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 1:41 pm“UPDATE BY PATTERICO: Rick Perry captures my feelings about Obama with this expression:”
Looks like Obama just asked him which 3 federal departments he remembers he wants to close.
dan (b4bbe4) — 7/10/2014 @ 2:37 pmWhy is The Obama Person laughing when discussing the plight of all of these poor little orphaned children ?
His own drunken sex-crazed daddy ran out on him, and his sex-crazed mother ran out on him so she could co pursue ‘the academic life,’ and as a result, he was generally raised by his grandparents.
If anyone should be more sensitive to the plight of orphaned children, you’d think it might be The Obama Person.
Obviously, not.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 2:42 pmWhen was it decided that Obama’s mother was ‘sex crazed’?
dan (b4bbe4) — 7/10/2014 @ 2:50 pmDan,
When she dumped her son with Grandma and Grandpa so she could go chase
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 2:53 pmgraduate school, er,men, er, men at graduate school.Oh. Because she had a relationship. Sorry your life sucks.
dan (b4bbe4) — 7/10/2014 @ 2:57 pmHow about a running count of illegal aliens working in the US taking jobs from American citizens who need employment to support their families? We could call it the CEDI index (Citizen Employment Displacement Index).
ropelight (5b0e5f) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:01 pmDan,
No, because she dumped her son.
Her son took a backseat to her pursuits of men and graduate school.
Er, I mean, to her pusuit of men in graduate school.
But I guess maybe she was the one who was, uh, in the backseat.
Utopian liberal values !!!1!!
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:01 pmOr something.
Or whatever.
And your life is so rich and fulfilling that you spend your time arguing over Lame Duck’s mommy’s sex life!
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:04 pmmany posters here need a post natal abortion. These our children not fetuses. And by the way if you oppose welfare and want to punish the women on welfare you are pro abortion because you are in encouraging abortion! What you scum would like is to make abortion illegal and end welfare to punish mothers. You are luck Obama and not some white democrat who knows how to deal with you is president!
vota (44ee28) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:06 pmVotaPerry wrote, “many posters here need a post natal abortion.”
Are you really advocating the death penalty for persons (not fetuses !!!1!!) who disagree with you ?
Isn’t that like a totally bigger punishment than reducing welfare payments to people ?
Tell us, VotaPerry, just who else do you want to see die ?
Israelis ?
Rich people ?
Broadcasters on Fox News Channel ?
And VotaPerry, do you expect your ObamaCare health insurance to cover the cost of killing all these people you disagree with ?
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:14 pmI’ve already spoken to your doctor at the Delaware Home for the Aged, and he says that it will take a few weeks before your meds will begin having an affect on you.
Again with the extermination rhetoric. Go ahead and have an abortion. Just pay for it yourself. Hopefully, you won’t get the Gosnell treatment, but then again, you don’t want abortion clinics to have standards and doctors who have admittance privileges at actual hospitals. Oh that’s right, you approve of butchers and their slaughterhouses.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:15 pmHadoop,
VotaPerry has fantasies of killing his political adversaries.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:20 pmNo wonder he harbors sympathy for the totalitarian regimes around the world, and throughout history.
Ironically, he’s an old retired guy. He’s more likely to see the short end of the stick when it comes to the ObamaCare death panels.
I know. I’m just effin’ with him. I may never write another serious comment here again.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:25 pmHadoop,
Continue to mock VotaPerry.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:28 pmIt keeps his blood pressure up.
Otherwise, he’d just sit on the front porch of the Delaware Home for the Aged, and drink Countrytime Lemonade while playing checkers with the retired chairman of Local Oddfellows 209.
Doomberg strikes again! Those Coloradans in Colorado Springs are hicks!
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 3:32 pmObama has no interest in photo opps…
http://t.co/QeHlI9tD6e
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:06 pm“And your life is so rich and fulfilling that you spend your time arguing over Lame Duck’s mommy’s sex life!”
I was just curious where that idea came from. Had never heard of it.
dan (b4bbe4) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:28 pmDan,
You’re spending too much time asking questions about Barack’s Mommy’s sex life.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:32 pmShe’s dead.
Get over it.
Try match.com.
Or craigslist.
I seriously never thought much of it till you mentioned it, and that made me curious that maybe I just read the wrong blog comment sections and missed out on something everyone here knew. So I asked. You answered. Now I know it’s just misogynist BS.
dan (b4bbe4) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:42 pmHey, votaperry… a pox on you and that chancred, syphyllitic streetwalker you dropped out of. Have a wonderful evening, K!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:45 pmWhat number comment is it where you asked that question? I only saw this:
That doesn’t sound like you’re curious about anything. It sounds like a declarative pronouncement. I don’t know if she was a whore, and far be it for me to judge someone who abandoned their child. But, it does lead to speculation. I’m sure you were concerned when people were saying during the 2008 election cycle that Sarah Palin’s child wasn’t hers, right? I’m sure you were equally upset that Bristol Palin’s pregnancy was brought up even though she wasn’t running for office, right? I’m sure you’ll join me in hoping that none of these things has a place in polite conversation, and that people need to respect everyone’s privacy regardless of their political affiliation. Have a great life, dan! I wish you the best.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:47 pmDan,
If you have questions about sex, go ask your parents.
Or go to a messageboard on the interwebs where they discuss such things.
The question is not ‘why does Dan hate women ?’ rather it is ‘why does Obama hate the little orphan children ?’
Though it does beg a separate question, ‘why is Dan the way he is ?’
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:48 pmNot one one of you posters who want to ban abortions said they wouldn’t get rid of welfare if they could. point made!
vota (44ee28) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:49 pmI apologize, dan! You did ask at comment #33. I hope we can agree on all the other stuff I wrote. I think it’s worthwhile.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:50 pmIt’s such a shame Obama was reelected.
I said at the time it was a mistake of catastrophic proportions. I very much doubt I will live to see us recover from it.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 7/10/2014 @ 11:29 am
Although I share the same sentiment, there are more than a few fellow commenters who insist it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference. I think it would have been like the difference between night and day. The re-election of Obama has resulted in a plague infecting the country and it will take decades to recover from what he’s wrought.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:51 pmVotaPerry,
Why are you always talking about banning everything ?
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:55 pmWho said anything about banning abortions? I searched this whole page for “ban”, and other than you and what I’m writing, no one’s comment has that word in it. And as far as the rest of your sentence goes, you’re drawing a conclusion about what we didn’t say? Please expand on this gift you possess. I’m genuinely interested in hearing more.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:57 pmVotaPerry,
You didn’t say that you aren’t a child molester.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/10/2014 @ 4:59 pmOutstanding, ES!
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/10/2014 @ 5:03 pm“When was it decided that Obama’s mother was ‘sex crazed’?”
dan – Did you like her porn shots?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 7/10/2014 @ 5:24 pmobama’s mama was hot to trot everybody knows that
she dumped baby food stamp off at racist grandma’s house and slept her way across the pacific and back, enjoying many orgasms along the way
she was a very liberated person
happyfeet (8ce051) — 7/10/2014 @ 5:40 pmhis grandparents who raised him, in large part,enabled his mother’s bohemian lifestyle, ala the beatniks, they also brought him in contact with Frank Davis, who’s misogynist Stalinism helped shape his worldview,
narciso (24b824) — 7/10/2014 @ 5:47 pmIt would have been a shame if obama was not reelected and we had the mormon vietnam war draft dodger and chicken hawk. We out number you evil white conservatives get used to it! Even glen beck got the message from his church!
vota (44ee28) — 7/10/2014 @ 5:51 pmchurros are crazy good but they have their own agenda
happyfeet (8ce051) — 7/10/2014 @ 5:53 pm“dan – Did you like her porn shots?”
All the things I’m learning today!
dan (b4bbe4) — 7/10/2014 @ 6:25 pmCan any person here explain what the hell that means?
Hoagie (4dfb34) — 7/10/2014 @ 6:28 pmI really am just completely upset at President Obama just for these pictures and then I realize how much the press photographer crew is shut out. I just think these pictures (I’ve only seen two from Reuters) just show a President at a stand up comedy routine or on a rollercoaster rather than any serious discussion. I think Governor Perry’s face is like that at the complete lack of respect the President has shown Texas and his administration so far.
G (bbda88) — 7/10/2014 @ 6:31 pmIt ran out of Cheetos, and it’s hooker mom hadn’t turned enough tricks to resupply his basement dwelling. I’d have to guess that she buys him orange underwear to hide the fingerprints it leaves behind from playing with itself. It sounds bitterly disappointed that it’s mother wasn’t more careful with regard to birth control.
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/11/2014 @ 2:05 amWTF is wrong with you? You don’t go to someone’s blog comment section and link a porn site. Sick b@s$t@rd. It’s bad enough we have to put up with vota elimination rhetoric!
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/11/2014 @ 2:39 amThe Christian Science Monitor reports:
ropelight (3d4ad7) — 7/11/2014 @ 6:06 amHmmm, didn’t mention anything about the Guatemalan governments failure to create an environment where the people may actually want to stay in their country. Interesting.
I worked for a company that had 52 employees at their peak. People started leaving and there was no urgency to replace those that left. I inherited two employees responsibilities and was eventually working 15 hour days.
When it got down to 29 employees, management called a meeting. The CEO said, “We’re not going anywhere!”, as if that was a comforting statement. I left a month later.
I wonder when Guatemala will have an epiphany that their citizenry leaving is not a good thing, especially their young?
Hadoop (f7d5ba) — 7/11/2014 @ 6:22 am