奥巴马暗示其经济团队或有人事变动(双语)
周一,美国总统奥巴马在CNBC主持的一个节目里就经济问题回答提问。白宫说没有人事变动计划。白宫发言人柏莎琪(Jen Psaki)说,总统只是对经济团队共同作出的艰难决定以及其为使美国经济走上恢复之路付出的努力表示支持,除此以外,没有别的意思。
数月以来,一直流传著有关美国财政部部长盖特纳(Timothy Geithner)和美国国家经济委员会(National Economic Council)主任萨默斯(Lawrence Summers)或许要为有可能很糟的中期选举结果背黑锅的猜测,因为前总统布什(George W. Bush)在2002年中期选举之后就赶走了他的财长和经济委员会主任。
奥巴马的预算负责人奥斯泽格(Peter Orszag)已经离职,经济顾问委员会(Council of Economic Advisers)主席罗默(Christina Romer)也已离开。
俄亥俄州共和党议员、美国众议院少数党领袖贝纳(John Boehner)要求开掉盖特纳和萨默斯时,可能反而于无意之中造成两人近期支持率上升。不过民主党也发出了类似的罢免呼声,他们说这二人与华尔街的关系过于紧密。
奥巴马周一在华盛顿举行的议政厅会议中说,我没有对人事问题做任何决定。这次会议由美国商业新闻有线频道CNBC电视台转播。
周一的议政厅会议重在商讨美国经济政策,同时聚焦苦苦挣扎的美国民众的各种忧虑。奥巴马表达了对普通美国人陷入经济困境的同情,同时质疑“茶党”(Tea-party)积极分子提出的缩减政府规模的具体办法,后者认为美国政府过于庞大和强势。奥巴马说,只嘴上说“控制花销”是不够的,我认为你们应具体说出,诸如我愿意老兵福利削减,或我愿意看到公共医疗保险(Medicare)或社保支出减少,或我愿意看到税收增加等。
President Barack Obama raised the prospect of changes to his economic team
Monday,saying the over-worked staffers were 'going to have a whole range of decisions about family that'll factor into' their career decisions.
The White House said no changes were planned. 'He was signaling nothing more than support for the tough decisions they have made together and the hard work that has gone into helping the economy get on a path to recovery,' White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
There has been speculation for months that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers could take the fall for potentially bad election results,just as President George W. Bush forced out his first Treasury secretary and National Economic Council director after the 2002 midterm elections.
Mr. Obama's budget director,Peter Orszag,has already left,as has his first head of the Council of Economic Advisers,Christina Romer.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R.,Ohio)may have inadvertently given Messrs. Geithner and Summers a lift recently when he called for them to be fired, but such calls have also come from Democrats who said they were too close to Wall Street.
'I have not made any determinations about personnel,' Mr. Obama said during a town-hall meeting Monday in Washington put on by business-news cable channel CNBC.
The event was heavy on economic-policy talk and the concerns of struggling Americans. The president expressed sympathy for the economic plight of ordinary Americans and challenged tea-party activists to come up with specific ways to cut back a government they believe has grown too large and intrusive. 'It's not enough just to say, 'Get control of spending.' I think it's important for you to say,you know,I'm willing to cut veterans' benefits,or I'm willing to cut Medicare or Social Security benefits,or I'm willing to see taxes go up.'