What he really wanted to say was deeply ideological racists.
Via National Journal:
President Obama acknowledges that there is friction in his relationships with the leaders of Congress. But, in a just-released interview, he blames his problems on “deeply ideological” Republicans and, surprisingly, on his failure to get more involved in the Washington social scene.
“When it comes to Congress, the issue is not personal relationships,” Obama said. “My suspicion is that this whole critique has to do with the fact that I don’t go to a lot of Washington parties and, as a consequence, the Washington press corps maybe just doesn’t feel like I’m in the mix enough with them, and they figure, well, if I’m not spending time with them, I must be cold and aloof.”
Obama said he avoids the Washington social scene because of his family obligations. “The fact is, I’ve got a 13-year-old and 10-year-old daughter,” he said. “And so, no, Michelle and I don’t do the social scene, because as busy as we are, we have a limited amount of time, and we want to be good parents at a time that’s vitally important for our kids.”
But Obama rejected that as the reason why his relations are so rocky with the Republican majority in the House. “The reason we’re not getting enough done right now is because you’ve got a Congress that is deeply ideological and sees a political advantage in not getting stuff done,” he said.