| 00:00:0116 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Good morning, everybody. It’s now been five days since the heartbreaking tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut; three days since we gathered as a nation... |
| 00:00:1727 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
We may never know all the reasons why this tragedy happened. We do know that every day since, more Americans have died of gun violence. We know such... |
| 00:00:4428 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Over these past five days, a discussion has reemerged as to what we might do not only to deter mass shootings in the future, but to reduce the epidemic... |
| 00:01:126 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
That conversation has to continue. But this time, the words need to lead to action. |
| 00:01:1836 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
We know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides. And as I said on Sunday night, there’s no law or set of laws... |
| 00:01:5420 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing. The fact that we can’t prevent every act of violence doesn’t... |
| 00:02:1460 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
That’s why I’ve asked the Vice President to lead an effort that includes members of my Cabinet and outside organizations to come up with a set of... |
| 00:03:1433 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
The good news is there’s already a growing consensus for us to build from. A majority of Americans support banning the sale of military-style assault... |
| 00:03:4725 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
I urge the new Congress to hold votes on these measures next year in a timely manner. And considering Congress hasn’t confirmed a director of the... |
| 00:04:1236 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Look, like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. This country has a strong tradition... |
| 00:04:4860 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
But you know what, I am also betting that the majority -- the vast majority -- of responsible, law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to... |
| 00:05:4843 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Since Friday morning, a police officer was gunned down in Memphis, leaving four children without their mother. Two officers were killed outside a grocery... |
| 00:06:3124 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So I will use all the powers of this office to help advance efforts aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. We won’t prevent them all -- but... |
| 00:06:5528 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And I'm not going to be able to do it by myself. Ultimately if this effort is to succeed it’s going to require the help of the American people --... |
| 00:07:2330 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
It will take commitment and compromise, and most of all, it will take courage. But if those of us who were sent here to serve the public trust can... |
| 00:07:539 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Thank you. And now I'm going to let the Vice President go and I'm going to take a few questions. And I will start with Ben Feller. |
| 00:08:026 sec. |
Q
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to ask you about the other serious issue consuming this town right now, the fiscal cliff. |
| 00:08:082 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Right. |
| 00:08:1025 sec. |
Q
Haven’t you betrayed some of the voters who supported you in the election by changing your positions on who should get a tax increase and by including... |
| 00:08:356 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Well, first of all, there's no reason why we should. Remember what I said during the campaign. I thought that it was important for us to reduce our... |
| 00:15:011 sec. |
Q
Will you give more ground if you need to, or are you done? |
| 00:15:022 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
If you look at the package that I put forward, it is a balanced package by any definition. We have put forward real cuts in spending that are hard... |
| 00:17:348 sec. |
Q
Thank you, Mr. President. Just to follow on Ben's question, what is your next move? Are we in a position now where you're just waiting for the Speaker... |
| 00:17:423 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Well, I'm going to reach out to all the leaders involved over the next couple of days and find out what is it that's holding this thing up. What is... |
| 00:21:376 sec. |
Q
You mentioned the $700,000 and $800,000. Are you willing to move on income level and are there specific things that you would do -- |
| 00:21:432 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
I’m not going to get into specific negotiations here. My point is simple, Carol, that if you look at Speaker Boehner’s proposal and you look at... |
| 00:23:492 sec. |
Q
Thank you, Mr. President. |
| 00:23:511 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Yes. |
| 00:23:5216 sec. |
Q
What is your level of confidence that if you are able to reach a comprehensive deal with the Speaker, that he will be able to bring his members onboard... |
| 00:24:083 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
There is no doubt that the Speaker has challenges in his caucus, and I recognize that. I’m often reminded when I speak to the Republican leadership... |
| 00:27:257 sec. |
Q
If you don’t get it done, Republicans have said they’ll try to use the debt limit as a next pressure point. Would you negotiate with them in that... |
| 00:27:322 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
No. And I’ve been very clear about this. This is the United States of America, the greatest country on Earth, the world’s economic superpower.... |
| 00:30:122 sec. |
Q
Sir, may I ask a question about Newtown, please? |
| 00:30:141 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Yes, I've got David Jackson. |
| 00:30:1515 sec. |
Q
Thank you, Mr. President. Getting back to the gun issue, you alluded to the fact that Washington commissions don't have the greatest reputation in... |
| 00:30:302 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Well, this is not going to be a commission. Joe is going to gather up some key Cabinet members who have an interest in this issue. We're going to reach... |
| 00:32:391 sec. |
Q
What about the NRA? |
| 00:32:401 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Well, the NRA is an organization that has members who are mothers and fathers. And I would expect that they’ve been impacted by this as well. And... |
| 00:34:3429 sec. |
Q
It seems to a lot of observers that you made the political calculation in 2008 in your first term and in 2012 not to talk about gun violence. You had... |
| 00:35:032 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Well, here’s where I’ve been, Jake. I’ve been President of the United States dealing with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,... |