Credit: E.S.

“We’ve got a big hole that we’re digging ourselves out of,” President Obama said, starting off another one of his back yard chats on the economy, this one in north Seattle at the home of Erik Foss, a general contractor, and his wife Cynnie Foss, the volunteer services manager at the University of Washington Medical Center.

The visuals were decidedly recession-era: modest two-story home, coffee mug set on a stool for the president to sip from, the audience seated on chairs that were of such hodgepodge designs they might have been brought over by neighbors (wooden chairs, plastic chairs, metal chairs, folding chairs, blue canvas camp chairs).

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  • E.S.

He introduced Mike McGinn as “the outstanding mayor of Seattle” (somewhere Joni Balter is rolling her eyes) and praised Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Jim McDermott, both on hand as well, for helping push through health care reform and the recovery act. “The economy’s now growing again,” Obama said, contrasting the current situation at length with the mammoth job losses and shrinking economy that greeted him when he entered office.

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Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale, talked about how a small business loan from the federal government helped her open her new store on Capitol Hill and expand her business even during a recession. But first, she talked about the cupcakes she brought for Obama, and what a hard time she had getting them past his security. “I suspect the Secret Service confiscated them,” Obama said, smiling broadly, “and are eating them as we speak.”

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When it came time for questions from the neighbors in the chairs—as opposed to people like Hall, who’d been brought along to highlight a new administration report on how women are faring during the recession—there was a long silence at first. “Don’t be shy,” Obama said. “Even though every word you say will be recorded by those people back there.”

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There were no questions about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—though Hall did make a point of mentioning her child and her partner when she talked to the president about her business and her family.

Instead, people mostly gave Obama easy opportunities to talk about his accomplishments and challenges during his first two years in office.

“Health care is just really complicated,” Obama said, in response to a question about why the media hadn’t done a better job of pushing back against politically-motivated falsehoods regarding what his reform does—and doesn’t—do. “So we knew going into the debate that there would be distortions.”

On why more people don’t understand all that’s been done in the first two years of his administration: “We had to move so fast, we were in such emergency mode, that it was hard for us to do victory laps… We had to move on to the next thing.”

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Obama also addressed the national debt—a big issue in the fall campaigns, particularly here in the U.S. Senate race between Murray and Republican challenger Dino Rossi.

“People have a legitimate concern, I think, about the debt and the deficit,” Obama said. Expensive measures had to be taken in the last two years to stave off an economic depression and stabilize the economy, he said, and those measures added to the deficit (which, when he took office, was already at $1.3 trillion after eight years of the Bush administration). But, Obama added, the question now is: “How do we get back to a point where we’re living within our means?”

Republicans aren’t answering that question, Obama said, an implicit jab at candidates like Rossi, who talk about the deficit constantly but also, for example, want to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, which would add hugely to the deficit.

The president said voters need to ask Republicans what their plans are for reducing the deficit, and listen very closely. “If they can’t answer the question,” he said, “then they’re not serious about it.”

He talked about his general philosophy on the role of government (“I don’t want government to get bigger, I want government smarter”); his dismay at the state of American infrastructure, like our jammed up airports or the broken South Park Bridge (“We used to have the best infrastructure in the world, and frankly we can’t make that claim anymore. I want us to get back to number one”); and the general mood of the country (“We’ve gone through a very difficult time in the last couple years”).

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Toward the end, one of the people in the chairs stood up and told Obama: “You may not hear this very often, but we’re very proud that you’re our president.” Obama replied: “Thank you.”

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...

47 replies on “Obama Meets the Fosses (and their Neighbors, and Jody Hall of Cupcake Royale, and a Cold Seattle Morning)”

  4. I’m really conflicted… While I really want answers to some of the more WTF’d stances and strategies he’s employed, I think that we’ll all benefit if he makes the case that they’ve done a lot of good and that Democrats hopefully fair well in these elections.

    I just wonder if we’ll get the opportunity to ask come November.

  6. Where will the election PARTIES SHINDIGS GET CRAZY, PARTY LIKE A YUPPIE be held this year? That’s the ejaculation of all this pre-election posturing anyway.

  7. i agree with citizen r – wingtips are the shoes of a gentleman.

    i’m a little stuck on the use of the word “modest” to describe this house. it looks pretty nice to me. that’s a new roof, and those architectural shingles aren’t cheap. and those are new windows. also not cheap. also, that grid pattern insert costs extra. for sure it’s not a palace or anything, but modest doesn’t quite work for me. it’s nicer than ‘modest.’

  8. Seattle loves our President, our Senator, our KC Exec, AND our Mayor.

    People who tell you otherwise are just the 95 pct of grumps that post on SLOG.

  10. I agree, he should be wearing wingtips. Those look like Allen Edmonds Delrays too me, though it’s not an uncommon blucher style, and he’s probably wearing something really expensive. They are nice shoes. But the real tragedy here is the break in his trousers, which is way too long. I also detect the drape of pleated trousers, too, which is just appalling, especially on a thin man.

  12. I’m just glad Savage wasn’t there…he probably would have thrown red paint on Obama’s shoes and started a “hey, hey, DOJ, how many gays did you fire today?” chant.

  13. I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama’s SEIU thugs weren’t standing by to keep tea party patriots out.

    I have never seen a president who plays hardball with his critics like him. What he is doing is truly dangerous.

  25. @10, your eye is keen. That break is trouble, and if you’re right about the pleats it’s a national tragedy. A tall skinny man in pleated pants is like a short fat man in a double breasted.

  26. I know where the house it at (I live about 7 blocks from there) and the house is really quite nice. I’d say upper middle class to be sure. But then most of that area is really nice and makes for nice photo opportunities.

  28. That’s kind of lame that there was a “long silence” when Obama was asked for questions. Jesus Fucking Christ this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to tell something to the US President… come prepared!!!

  30. I’m proud he’s my president too, even if he is basically a moderate Republican, there not really being any actual liberal Democrats, just super right wing Republicans and right wing Democrats.

  34. Oooh oooh! Did anyone else notice in the second photo that Gregoire and McGinn had to sit next to eachother? Do you think they played nice?

  37. @ 30 Are you freakin kidding me?

    Obama is center-left sure there may be no lefties in American poltics but that doesn’t mean he is a Republican. The dems have three wing.

    Liberal (Sanders, Dennis)
    Moderate (Obama, Biden)
    Centrist(Bayh)

  38. @37 wrong. President Obama is, was, and always will be center-right.

    In Canada he’s to the right of the conservative PM, in the UK he’s to the right of the conservative PM, and in France he’s to the right of the conservative President Sarkozy.

    But even in the US system he’s to the right of our center. Pay attention to what he does, not what you think he says.

  42. Maybe people here are too polite to ask an uncomfortable question like why are you guys appealing the DADT ruling. And maybe that’s the problem.

  47. To hell with wingtips, the guy’s a genius if too-nice this first round. I want him to take the gloves off; a n d , he has my vote.
    THANKS for the great tun-down, and PS, I dug the neighbor-chairs; real life’s cooperation = great.

    JB

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