Fact Checker: Did Obama call Americans ‘lazy’ and ‘soft’?

When a president makes a similar offhand comment at least two times, our experience tells us that something is on his mind. Maybe he read a book, perhaps there was a briefing, perhaps he even saw a television documentary. A clear sign that this notion has begun to sink in is that he begins to muse about it in public.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fac ... _blog.html

He has flat out called us lazy- and soft. His socialist policies are going to hit everyone hard- those who are at the bottom will feel it worst of all- but his policies are damaging the economic future of all Americans in the same way that Carter's policies hurt the country.

While some Americans ARE lazy and soft- a vast majority of us are hard working honest people. Obama's welfare state adds to the lazy numbers- why work and support yourself and be independant when the government will pick up the tab.

Obama is pure hypocricy- his big government welfare state contributes to the soft and lazy numbers- creating new converts every day. Never the less - it's never a good idea for an American leader to call Americans lazy- I equate this to the malaise speech by Jimmy Carter- and it absoutly killed Carter's chances for re-election in 1980. It destroyed any chance for Carter- and here Obama is in effect doing the same thing.

I don't know if he is the stupidest president ever- of if he thinks he's done enough damage.

I'd like to see that TV commercial where Obama calls us lazy run every 10 minutes on every TV station for the last 60 days of the election.

The recovery starts the day we vote this idiot out of office.

Boy, it would be a terrible thing if that's what he had actually said...It's a good thing he didn't.

LadyJazzer wrote: Boy, it would be a terrible thing if that's what he had actually said...It's a good thing he didn't.

See, Obama lies again. Americans are soft and lazy compared to only 20 years ago. No wonder obesity is now a national epidemic. lol

Like I said, it would be a terrible thing if that's what he had actually said...It's a good thing he didn't.

He did say it- twice now.

Here's a video for the next republican candidate running against Obama- just substitute the words "President Cater" for Obama- and it's a winner. Just memorize and restate.

[youtube:3225ylg7][/youtube:3225ylg7]

Reagan was a great communicator. I don't see anyone in the Republican pack that even comes close to him.

Here’s the transcript of the president’s comment, in context:

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We’ve brought more enforcement actions against China over the last couple of years than had taken place in many of the preceding years, not because we’re looking for conflict, but simply because we want to make sure that the interests of American workers and American businesses are protected.

MR. McNERNEY: I think one related question, looking at the world from the Chinese side, is what they would characterize as impediments to investment in the United States. And so that discussion I’m sure will be part of whatever dialogue you have. And so how are you thinking about that?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, this is an issue, generally. I think it’s important to remember that the United States is still the largest recipient of foreign investment in the world. And there are a lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity — our stability, our openness, our innovative free market culture.

But we’ve been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We’ve kind of taken for granted — well, people will want to come here and we aren’t out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America. And so one of things that my administration has done is set up something called SelectUSA that organizes all the government agencies to work with state and local governments where they’re seeking assistance from us, to go out there and make it easier for foreign investors to build a plant in the United States and put outstanding U.S. workers back to work in the United States of America.

And we think that we can do much better than we’re doing right now. Because of our federalist system, sometimes a foreign investor comes in and they’ve got to navigate not only federal rules, but they’ve also got to navigate state and local governments that may have their own sets of interests. Being able to create if not a one-stop shop, then at least no more than a couple of stops for people to be able to come into the United States and make investments, that’s something that we want to encourage.


President Obama was chiding the United States for lack of effort in the competition for business.

"But we’ve been a little bit lazy ... selling America and trying to attract new business into America."

He never said Americans are lazy. If he did, please post the quote or video.

[youtube:1tmj0ddz][/youtube:1tmj0ddz]

Go to 26:49 to hear the unedited question and the president's unedited response and take your blinders off.

Full quote:

There are a lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity -- our stability, our openness, our innovative free market culture. But we've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We've kind of taken for granted -- well, people will want to come here and we aren't out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America.

That is NOT calling Americans lazy; American workers lazy, or any of the rest of the Rightie bullsh*t spin...

Nice try, :Koolaid:

http://youtu.be/ItHUKM3q7iI

Wow, talk about deflectors on maximum..... changing the subject (which I was chastised for by Righties in another thread) AND going back to the 2007 campaign trail.

Doing that shows you have nothing to argue about the actual OP.

[youtube:1bl5jbq5][/youtube:1bl5jbq5]