Obama pledges to press ahead on goals
Obama
“I know we’ve gone through a tough year,” Obama told party advocates, “but we’ve gone through tougher years.”
The Democratic National Committee convened its annual winter meeting here as the capital was socked by a huge snowstorm, which had dumped about 2 feet of snow on the region by midmorning. The city was shuttered, but the gathering proceeded as scheduled, with Obama traveling two blocks from the White House to the Capital Hilton hotel.
“It is good to be among friends who are so committed to the future of this party that you braved a blizzard,” Obama said. “Snowmageddon!”
The president’s 20-minute speech Saturday was the latest in a series of party pep rallies and fundraising events as he tries to boost the spirits of Democrats who are bracing for the midterm elections. He acknowledged the difficult headwinds facing the party, but he warned against moving away from initiatives on energy, education and financial regulation.
“We can’t return to the dereliction of duty that helped deliver this recession,” Obama said. “America can’t afford to wait, and we can’t look backwards.”
The president renewed his call to find a way forward on his
health care agenda, which hit a setback when a Democratic loss in a special election in Massachusetts cost the party its supermajority in the Senate. He did not rule out scaling back the scope of the legislation in hopes of drawing more support.
“Just in case there’s any confusion out there, I am not going to walk away from health care reform,” Obama said, offering no specifics for how he intended to deliver on his pledge. “I’m not going to walk away on this challenge. I’m not going to walk away on any challenge. We’re moving forward.”
The applause and standing ovation for the president Saturday belied a nervous mood among Democratic officials who gathered here for a two-day meeting. Several party advocates acknowledged being worried about the year ahead for Democrats, but hoped the defeat in Massachusetts served as a warning siren.
“There has to be some positive news” on the economy and jobs, said Don Fowler of South Carolina, a former Democratic national chairman. “That’s what leads people to vote. Massachusetts was a viper. We collectively have to do something to tamp down the anger. We’ve got to produce.”
Obama Pledges
