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President Obama Holds Post-Election Press Conference

Aired November 05, 2014 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Even in countries where we have some differences like Russia, have agreed with us and have worked with us cooperatively in trying to find ways to make sure that we can verify and have confidence going forward that Iran doesn't have the capacity to develop a nuclear weapon that could not only threaten friends of ours like Israel, trigger a nuclear arms race in the region, but could over the long term potentially threaten us.

Whether we can actually get a deal done, we're going to have to find out over the next three to four weeks. We have presented to them a framework that would allow them to meet their peaceful energy needs. And if in fact what their leadership says, that they don't want to develop a nuclear weapon, if that is in fact true, then they've got an avenue here to provide that assurance to the world community and in a progressive, step by step, verifiable way, allow them to get out from under sanctions so that they can reenter as full-fledged members of the international community. But they have their own politics and there's a long tradition of mistrust between the two countries. And there's a sizable portion of the political elite that you know, cut its teeth on anti-Americanism and still finds it convenient to blame America for every ill that there is.

And whether they can manage to say yes to what clearly would be better for Iran, better for the region, and better for the world, is an open question. We'll find out over the next several weeks.

All right?

QUESTION: Sir, on whether or not you have the power unilaterally to relax sanctions, to implement an agreement?

OBAMA: Yeah, there are a series of different sanctions. There are multilateral sanctions, there are U.N. sanctions. There are sanctions that have been imposed by us, this administration, unilaterally. And I think it's different for each of those areas.

But I don't want to put the cart before the horse. What I want to do is see if in fact, we have a deal. If we do have a deal that I have confidence will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and that we can convince the world and the public will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, then, you know, it'll be time to engage in Congress. And I think that we'll be able to make a strong argument to Congress that this is the best way for us to avoid a nuclear Iran, that it will be more effective than any other alternatives we might take, including military action. But that requires it being a good deal. And I've said consistently that I'd rather have no deal than a bad deal. Because what we won't want to do is lift sanctions and provide Iran legitimacy, but not have the verifiable mechanisms to make sure that they don't break out and product a nuclear weapon.

Ed Nenry?

I missed you guys. I haven't done this in a while.

QUESTION: I know. I've missed you.

Thank you, Mr. President. I haven't heard you -- I haven't heard you say a specific thing during this news conference that you would do differently. You've been asked it a few different ways.

I understand you're going to reach out, but you've talked about doing that before. It's almost like you're doubling down on the same policies and approach you've had for six years.

And so, my question is, why not pull a page from the Clinton playbook and admit you have to make a much more dramatic shift in course for these last two years?

And on ISIS, there was a pretty dramatic setback in the last few days, with it appearing that the Syrian rebels were routed, there are some Gitmo detainees who have rejoined the battlefield, helping ISIS and other terror groups.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: So my question is, are we winning?

OBAMA: Well, I think it's too early to say whether we are winning, because, as I said at the outset of the ISIL campaign, this is gonna be a long-term plan to solidify the Iraqi government, to solidify their security forces, to make sure that in addition to our air cover, that they have the capacity to run a ground game that pushes ISIL back from some of the territories that they had taken. That we have a strong international coalition that we've now built, but that they are on the ground, providing the training, providing the equipment, providing the supplies that are necessary for Iraqis to fight on behalf of their territory.

And what I also said was that in Syria, that's been complicated and that's not gonna be solved any time soon. Our focus in Syria is not to solve the entire Syria situation, but, rather, to isolate the areas in which ISIL can operate. And there is no doubt that because of the extraordinary bravery of our men and women in uniform and the precision of our pilots and the strikes that have taken place, that ISIL is in a more vulnerable position and it is more difficult for them to maneuver than it was previously.

Now, there is a specific issue about trying to get a moderate opposition in Syria that can serve as a partner with us on the ground. That's always been the hardest piece of -- piece of business to get done. There are a lot of opposition groups in Syria along a spectrum from radical jihadists who are our enemies to folks who believe in inclusive democracy, and everything in between.

They fight among each other. They are fighting the regime. And what we're trying to do is to find a core group that we can work with, that we have confidence in, that we've vetted, that can help in regaining territory from ISIL and then ultimately serve as a responsible party to sit at the table in eventual political negotiations that are probably some ways off in the future.

That's always been difficult. As -- as you know, one of the debates has consistently been, you know, should the Obama administration provide more support to the opposition; could that have averted some of the problems that are taking place in Syria? And as I've said before, part of the challenge is it's a messy situation. This is not a situation where we have one single, unified, broad- based, effective, reliable...

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: Let me answer the question.

The -- and so what we are going to continue to test is can we get a more stable, effective, cohesive, moderate opposition.

But that's not the sole measure of whether we are quote-unquote "winning" or not. Remember, our first focus here is to drive ISIL out of Iraq. And what we're doing in Syria is, first and foremost, in service of reducing ISIL's capacity to resupply and send troops and then run back in over the Syrian border, to eventually reestablish a border between Iraq and Syria so that slowly Iraq regains control of its security and its territory.

That is our number one mission. That is our number one focus. There are aspects of what's going on in Syria that, you know, we've got to deal with in order to reduce the scope of ISIL's operations. So for example, our support for Kurds in Kobani, where they've been able to hold off ISIL and where we've been able to effectively strike ISIL positions consistently -- that's not just because we're trying to solve a Syria problem. That's also because it gives us an opportunity to further weaken ISIL so that we can meet our number one mission which is -- which is Iraq.

In terms of things to do differently, you know, I guess, Ed, your -- the question you're asking is one actually I think I have answered. If you're asking about personnel or if you're asking about a position on issues or what have you, then it's probably premature because I want to hear what -- what -- what...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: (inaudible) your leadership -- there's something about your leadership (inaudible).

OBAMA: Ed -- what I -- what I'd like to do is to hear from the Republicans to find out what it is that they would like to see happen. And what I'm committing to is making sure that I am open to working with them on the issues that -- where they think that there's going to be cooperation.

Now, that isn't a change because I've suggested to them before that where they think there's areas of cooperation, I'd like to see us get some things done. But the fact that they now control both chambers of -- of Congress I think means that perhaps they have more confidence that they can pass their agenda and get a bill on my desk. It means that negotiations end up perhaps being a little more real because, you know, they have larger majorities, for example, in the House, and they may be able to get some things through their caucuses that they couldn't before.

But the bottom line that the American people want to know and that I'm going to repeat here today is that my number one goal, because I'm not running again -- I'm not on the ballot. I don't have any further political aspirations. My number one goal is just to deliver as much as I can for the American people in these last two years. And wherever I see an opportunity, no matter how large or how small, to make it a little bit easier for a kid to go to college, make it a little more likely that somebody's finding a good paying job, make it a little more likely that somebody has high quality health care, even if I'm not getting a whole loaf, I'm interested in getting whatever legislation we can get passed that adds up to improved prospects of improved future for the American people.

Sam Stein? (ph)

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

Following the elections, congressional Republicans are pushing once again for major reforms to your health care act.

OBAMA: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: In the past, you've said you hope some good ideas, that you don't want to undermine the bill. Can you tell us what specific ideas you're ruling out? Have the election results changed your calculus on reforming the law? And how confident are you, heading into the second enrollment period?

And on a totally unrelated matter, have you settled on a nominee to replace Attorney General Eric Holder, and if so, who is it?

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: He -- you want to spread out your news a little bit, don't you? You don't want it all in just one big bang.

On the attorney general, we have a number of outstanding candidates who we're taking a look at now. And in due course, I will have an announcement. And you'll be there, Sam, when that's announced.

But I'm confident that we'll find somebody who is well-qualified, will elicit the confidence of the American people, will uphold their constitutional obligations of rule of law, and will get confirmed by the Senate.

On health care, there are certainly some lines I'm going to draw. Repeal of the law, I won't sign. Efforts that would take away health care from the 10 million people who now have it and the millions more who are eligible to get it, we're not going to support. In some cases, there may be recommendations that Republicans have for changes that would undermine the structure of the law, and you know, I'll be very honest with them about that and say "look, the law doesn't work if you pull out that piece or that piece."

On the other hand, what I have said, is there's no law that's ever been passed that is perfect. And given the contentious nature in which it was passed in the first place, there are places where if I were just drafting a bill on our own, we would've made those changes back then. And certainly, as we've been implementing, there are some other areas where we think we can do even better.

So, you know, if in fact one of the items on Mitch McConnell's agenda and John Boehner's agenda is to make responsible changes to the Affordable Care Act to make it work better, I'm going to be very open and receptive to hearing those ideas.

OBAMA: But what I will remind them is that despite all the contention, we now know that the law works. You've got millions of people who have health insurance who didn't have it before. You've got states who have expanded Medicaid to folks who did not have it before, including Republican governors who've concluded this is a good deal for their state.

And despite some of the previous predictions, even as we've been enrolled more people into the Affordable Care Act and given more people the security of health insurance, health care inflation has gone down every single year since the law passed, so that we now have the lowest increase in health care costs in 50 years. Which is saving us about $180 billion in reduced overall costs to the federal government and its -- in the Medicare program.

So, we are, I think, really proud of the work that's been done. But there's no doubt that there are areas where we can improve it. So, I'll look forward to seeing what -- what lists they've got of improvements.

QUESTION: (inaudible) the individual mandate one of those lines that came across?

OBAMA: Yeah, the individual mandate is a line I came across because the concept, borrowed from Massachusetts, from a law instituted by a former opponent of mine, Mitt Romney, understood that if you're providing health insurance to people through the private marketplace, then you've got to make sure that people can't game the system and just wait until they get sick before they go try to buy health insurance. You can't ensure that people with preexisting conditions can get health insurance unless you also say, while you're healthy, before you need it, you've got to -- you've got to get health insurance. And, obviously, there are hardship exemptions. We understand that there's some folks who, even with the generous subsidies that have been provided still can't afford it. But -- but that's a central component of the law.

In terms of enrollment, we'll do some additional announcements about that in -- in the days to come. Starting in the middle of this month, people can sign up again. I think there are a number of people who, the first time around, sat on the sidelines, in part because of our screw-ups on healthcare.gov. That's one area, Ed, by the way, is very particular. We're really making sure that that Web site works super well before the next open enrollment period. We're double- and triple- checking it.

And so. I think a lot of people who maybe initially thought, we're not sure how this works, let's wait and see, they're gonna have an opportunity now to sign up.

And what's been terrific is to see how more private insurers have come into the marketplace, so that there's greater competition in more markets all around the country. The premiums that have come in, that are available to people and the choices that are available, are better than a lot of people, I think, had predicted.

So the law's working. That doesn't mean it can't be improved.

Major Garrett?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. If you do miss us, allow me to humbly suggest we do this every week.

OBAMA: We might. You know, who knows. I'm having a great time.

QUESTION: Let me go back to immigration. Moments before you walked out here, sir, Mitch McConnell said, and I quote, that "if you, in fact, use your executive authority to legalize a certain number of millions of undocumented workers, it would poison the well," direct quote, and it would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

Do you not believe that is the considered opinion of the new Republican majority in the House and the Senate? And do you also not believe what they have said in the aftermath of last night's results, that the verdict rendered by voters should stop you or should prevent you from taking this action because it was a subtext in many of the campaigns?

Let me ask you a couple of specifics. Republicans haven't made a mystery about some of the things they intend to say.,,

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: Do I have to write all these down, Major?

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: No, you're very well familiar with these. These will not be mysteries to you.

OBAMA: I know, but I -- you know...

QUESTION: Keystone XL pipeline, they will send you legislation on that. They will ask you to repeal the medical device tax as a part of a funding mechanism of the Affordable Care Act.

And they have said they would like to repatriate some maybe $2 trillion of offshore revenue at the corporate level by reforming the corporate tax code without touching the individual tax code.

To use your words, Mr. President, are any of those three lines you cannot cross? And also deal with what you perceive to be Republican attitudes about immigration?

OBAMA: All right. I think, Major, that I answered the question on immigration. I have no doubt that there will be some Republicans who are angered or frustrated by any executive action that I may take. Those are folks, I just have to say, who are also deeply opposed to immigration reform in any form and blocked the House from being able to pass a bipartisan bill.

I have said before that I actually believe that John Boehner is sincere about wanting to get immigration reform passed, which is why for a year I held off taking any action beyond what we'd already done for the so-called DREAM kids, and did everything I could to give him space and room to get something done.

And what I also said at the time was, if, in fact Congress -- if this Congress could not get something done, then I would take further executive actions in order to make the system work better, understanding that any bill that they pass will supplant the executive actions that I take.

So, I just want to re-emphasize this, Major: If, in fact, there is a great eagerness on the part of Republicans to tackle a broken immigration system, then they have every opportunity to do it.

My executive actions not only do not prevent them from passing a law that supercedes those actions, but should be a spur for them to actually try to get something done.

And I am prepared to engage them every step of the way with their ideas. I think we should have further, broad-based debate among the American people. As I've said before, I do think that the episode with the unaccompanied children changed a lot of attitudes. I think what may also change a lot attitudes is when the public now realizes that that was a very temporary and isolated event, and that in fact, we have fewer illegal immigrants coming in today than we did five years ago, 10 years ago, or 20 years ago.

But then what we also have is a system that is not serving our economy well. So...

QUESTION: Republicans who say the election was a referendum, at least in part, on your intentions to use executive authority for immigration?

OBAMA: As I said before, I don't want to try to read the tea leaves on election results. What I am going to try to do as president is to make sure that I am advancing what I think is best for the country. And here is an opportunity where I can use my administrative authorities, executive authorities, and lawfully try to make improvements on the existing system, understanding that's not going to fix the entire problem. And we're much better off if we go ahead and pass a comprehensive bill.

And I hope that the Republicans really want to get it passed. If they do, they're going to have a lot of cooperation from me. So, let me just pick up on Keystone. There's an independent process. It's moving forward. And the -- I'm going to let that process play out. I've given some parameters in terms of how I think about it. Ultimately, is this going to be good for the American people? Is it going to be good for their pocketbook? Is it going to actually create jobs? Is it actually going to reduce gas prices that have been coming down?

And is it going to be, on net, something that doesn't increase climate change that we're going to have to grapple with? There's a pending case before a Nebraska judge about some of the sighting. The process is moving forward. And I'm just going to gather up the facts.

I will note while this debate about Canadian oil has been raging, keeping in mind this is Canadian oil, this isn't U.S. oil. While that debate has been raging, we've seen the -- some of the biggest increases in American oil production and American natural gas production in our history.

We are closer to energy independence than we've ever been before, or at least as we've been in decades. We are importing less foreign oil than we produce for the first time in a very long time. We've got a 100 year supply of natural gas that if we responsibly tap, puts us in the strongest position when it comes to energy of any industrialized country around the world.

When I travel to Asia or I travel to Europe, their biggest envy is the incredible, homegrown, U.S. energy production that is producing jobs and attracting manufacturing, because locating here means you've got lower energy costs.

OBAMA: So, our energy sector is booming. And I'm happy to engage Republicans with additional ideas for how we can enhance that.

I should note that our clean energy production is booming as well. And so Keystone, I just consider as one small aspect of a broader trend that's really positive for the American people.

And let's see -- see -- OK -- medical device tax -- you know, I've already answered the question. We are going to take a look at whatever ideas -- let me take a look comprehensively at the ideas that they present. Let's give them time to -- to tell me. I'd rather hear it from them than from you.

(CROSSTALK) OBAMA: Major, you know...

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: Conceivably, I could just cancel my meeting on Friday because I've heard everything from you.

(LAUGHTER)

I think I'd rather let Mitch McConnell...

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: ... I'd rather hear from Mitch McConnell and John Boehner what ideas they'd like to pursue and we'll have a conversation with them on that.

On repatriation, I said in my opening remarks that there is an opportunity for us to do a tax reform package that is good for business, good for jobs, and can potentially finance infrastructure development here in the United States. Now, the devil's in the details. So, I think conceptually it's something where we may have some overlap.

And I'm very interested in pursuing ideas that can put folks to work right now on roads and bridges and waterways and ports and a better air traffic control system. If we had one, by the way, we could reduce delays by about 30 percent. We could reduce fuel costs for airlines by about 30 percent, and hopefully that would translate into cheaper airline tickets, which I know everybody would be interested in. So there's all kinds of work we can do on our infrastructure. This may be one mechanism that Republicans are comfortable in -- in financing those kinds of efforts. So, that will be part of the discussion that I think we're prepared for on Friday, and then in the weeks to come leading into the new Congress.

Whew. Major -- Major works me, man.

Jim Acosta (ph).

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

I know you don't want to read the tea leaves, but it is a fact that your party rejected you in these mid-terms. By and large, they did not want you out on the campaign trail in these key battleground states. How do you account for that? And your aides have said that this is the fourth quarter of your administration. But I don't know if you saw the morning talk shows, but there were several potential candidates for 2016 who were out there already.

Is the clock ticking? Are you running out of time? How much time do you have left? And what do you make of the notion that you're now a lame duck?

OBAMA: Well, traditionally after the last mid-term of the two- term presidency, since I can't run again, that's the label that you guys apply. Here's what I tell my -- my team. I told them this last week and I told them this this morning.

We have this incredible privilege of being in charge of the most important organization on earth -- the U.S. government and our military and everything that we do for good around the world. And there's a lot of work to be done to make government work better, to make Americans safer, to make opportunity available to more people, for us to be able to have a positive influence in every corner of the globe, the way we're doing right now in West Africa.

And I'm going to squeeze every last little bit of opportunity to help make this world a better place over these last two years. And -- and some of that is going to be what we can do administratively. And, you know, simple things, like how do we make customer service better in every agency? Or the things that we can do to -- to streamline, you know, how our veterans access care? Are there better ways that we can make businesses understand the programs that are available to them to promote their business or exports?

OBAMA: So, there's a whole bunch of stuff to do on that front. And, as I said before, there's going to be opportunities to work with Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to get laws done. And, you know, if you look at the history of almost every president, those last two years, all kinds of stuff happens. In some cases, stuff that we couldn't predict.

So -- the one thing I'm pretty confident about, Jim, is, I'm going to be busy for the next two years. And the one thing that I want the American people to be confident about is that every day, I'm going to be filling up my time trying to figure out how I can make their lives better. And if I'm doing that, at the end of my presidency, I'll say, "We played that fourth quarter well, and we played the game well." And the only difference between, I guess, basketball and -- and politics is that the only score that matters is how'd somebody else do? Not how you did. And that's the score I'm keeping.

Am I going to be able to look back and say, "Are more people working? Are the bank accounts better? Are more kids going to college? Is housing improved? Is the financial system more stable? Are younger kids getting a better education? Do we have greater energy independence? Is the environment cleaner? Have done something about climate change? Have we, you know, done something about climate change?