Washington, DC
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
At President Obama's first
post-election news conference, he focused on the economy, responding to a
reporter's question about the election outcome by saying "I've got one
mandate. I have a mandate to help middle class families."
President Obama opened the
wide-ranging news conference with a statement that his top priority has to be
jobs, as the economy is in the first stages of a tenuous recovery. He said,
"we face a very clear deadline" on jobs, taxes and the deficit, which
"both parties agreed to," alluding to the so-called "fiscal
cliff" of tax increases and budget cuts.
"There is only one way to
solve these challenges, and that is to do it together," he said, also
saying that he would meet with leaders from both parties in Congress before the
end of the week.
Questions from reporters focused
on the economy and the "fiscal cliff," comprehensive immigration
reform, and the scandal involving former CIA director David Petraeus. Reporters
also asked about the potential for Susan Rice to become the next Secretary of
State, and about the death of four Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi,
Libya on September 11, 2012, among other topics.
Ben Feller, of the Associated
Press, asked the President to confirm that no classified information was
compromised in the scandal involving Retired Gen. David Petraeus. The President
said that the investigation was ongoing, and that he had great respect for Gen.
Petraeus's service to the country prior to his resignation.
