Subject: pool 3– Gaggle–Buses and Hugs
Gaggle highlights. Please check quotes against transcript.
Jay Carney and Jen Psaki gaggled enroute Tampa.
Jay: “Welcome back aboard Press Force One.”
Jen: “No real announcements but since we’re in Florida,” wanted to mention that there were 900 House parties during Potus convention speech across the state of Florida.
On Medicare, she said that “238,000 Floridians with Medicare have already seen cuts in prescription drug benefits.”
She was asked about the Melbourne stop tomorrow, said “the president has a plan for the space program that” Mitt Romney doesn’t have.
Said there will be a number of stops on the I4 corridor where Latino population has grown. But will also visit places that traditionally haven’t won before.
Unemployment numbers. Said “we know most people not sitting at home clicking refresh on the BLS website,” they’re instead concerned with their own practical problems at home, including employment but not limited to it.
Jay added that this is the 30th straight month that country has created jobs. Said the “recession was not that long ago, so not asking people to look back to the 70s and 80s but to compare Republican proposals to four years ago, that’s what GOP wants to go back to.
“We never react too happily to the jobs reports that exceed expectations, or the ones that come below, because we are focused on trends.”
On Why we are on another bus tour?
Jen: “President loves nothing more than bus tours. He’s not just getting on and off the plane, you’re spending time in the state.”
On atmosphere yesterday with Bidens and Michelle along:
Jay, “obviously it creates a lot of energy.” Said there were some nice moments, in New Hampshire in particular, when, before the first event, Biden and Potus sat together in the tent chatting privately and catching up, their heads together, “talking intimately.”
“You could tell both of them were feeling good about the night before.”
ON all this hugging of Charlie Crist:
Jen: “The only thing the president likes more than a bus tour is a hug.”
Said campaign very happy to have Charlie Crist along, that he’s expressed a willingness to be out there.
Jay: Bus Tour “mode of campaigning is very appealing to the president. It allows you to go to towns that are hard to reach when flying in a 747.”
Then went into a riff about how “on this Saturday in September, there’s a moment of sublime convergence of college football, baseball and thh Nfl.”
Said “The bus is like a plane, when the tv’s on, it’s on espn.”
Then a lot of talk about the bears, the White Sox, and someone called Cutler.
On whether this visit meant to increase vote among Puerto Ricans. Psaki got back to pool with this in an email:
“Across Florida we have done bilingual phone banks and we have done extensive outreach to the Puerto Rican community in the state
Both the statehooders and commonwealthers have decided to put aside their differences and come campaign for the POTUS.
The President is also the first candidate since JFK to visit the island.”
