Obama Speaks to Big Business Leaders

One of the best things about Twitter, especially for someone like me who doesn't have cable anymore, is that the White House press tweets from President Obama's speeches. A few sound bites from his roundtable today with Big Business leaders.

WestWingReport: President says partisan differences in the U.S. could cripple economic growth.

Mark Knoller: Obama defends government role as providing "a social safety net" for all Americans. Says too often - the social safety net is "greeted with cries of "government takeover" or even "socialism." Tells execs we need business leaders who understand that private enterprise comes with a public responsibility.

Obama calls for new comprehensive financial regulatory reform and consumer protection agency. Told CEOs we can no longer afford the kind of politics where we "turn against one another, and find scapegoats to blame."

Chuck Todd: Obama: "we have arrived at a juncture in our politics where reasonable efforts to update our regulations, or make basic investments in our future, are too often greeted with cries of "government takeover" or even "socialism. Getting this balance right has less to do with big government or small government than it does smart government."

Tweets not necessarily in order but for all the griping about how Obama is selling us out to Big Business, and acknowledging that this is just a speech, think it's still a bold move for him to make these statements in this context

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]