Obama blasts Republicans: Standoff damaged U.S. economy, left no winners

“You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to change it, but don’t’ break it (the government), which our predecessors spent more than 200 years to build.”

At his speech at the White House on Thursday, the day when the federal government reopened after shutdown, U.S. President Barack Obama made the remarks in strongly blasting hardline Republicans. He pointed out that Republican hardliners shut down the federal government for the first time in 17 years because they did not like him and his health insurance reform policy known as Obamacare, and brought the U.S. to the brink of default. The U.S. president’s open chastising of Republicans implies that the U.S. government is still reeling from the ramifications of shutdown.

Saying that the Republican Party surrendered to pressure by extremists, he pointed his figure at “tea party (conservative voters’ group)” as force behind it. Calling Republicans who joined in agreement with Democrats “Responsible Republicans,” he indirectly attacked hardliners as having dumped their responsibility as politicians.

On U.S. domestic media and foreign media organizations seeking to divide winners and losers, President Obama said “There were no winners. The standoff inflicted completely unnecessary damage (to) our economy over the past couple of weeks.” He listed examples of damage, saying that the crisis left billions of dollars in national damage, and was a battle that only left losers.

The Washington Post metaphorically said Obama effectively held his "third inauguration ceremony," noting that he has been unusually strongly empowered for a U.S. president who is serving a second term after overcoming the fiscal crisis.

Indeed, President Obama suggested in the speech three state agendas that should be addressed by year’s end without fail. They are: devising a way to ensure long-term fiscal stability by year’s end as the non-partisan agreement signed the previous day provides, and getting the immigration reform bill and the farm assistance bill passed.

Obama concluded his speech by giving words of gratitude and encouragement to federal government employees who return to work after 16-day furloughs.