Politics
Election 2012: Obama calls Romney’s ideas ‘extreme’ – AP Interview
Obama’s view of a different second-term dynamic in Washington, even if both he and House Republicans retain power, seems a stretch given the stalemated politics of a divided government. He said two changes — the facts that “the American people will have voted,” and that Republicans will no longer need to be focused on beating him — could lead to better conditions for deal-making.
If Republicans are willing, Obama said, “I’m prepared to make a whole range of compromises” that could even rankle his own party. But he did not get specific.
The 25-minute interview, conducted in the library of the White House residence, was part of a multi-faceted campaign by Obama’s team to snag some of the spotlight during Romney’s big week. Obama denied the notion, widely if quietly held in political circles, that the fiercely competitive president is also driven to beat Romney because he does not hold him in high regard.
“I don’t really know him well,” Obama said. “The big arguments that I have with Gov. Romney have to do with where we take this country forward.”
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
