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Jerry Seib, Wall Street Journal executive Washington editor, on President Obama's town hall today on Twitter.
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This afternoon joining us now -- Wall Street Journal's.
Executive Washington editor Gerri side I don't know if you heard -- early in a program reading -- president Obama's first week.
Asking questions on how to reduce the deficit but let me update you on his second and third to -- Basically.
Miette -- well pencil sort saying that the White House -- calculated how long their recovery would take the economic recovery.
That the housing market did not bottom out as quickly as a White House and has had expected.
Not really new information yet -- so my question is YA is President Obama doing this is it's really the best use of time given all that's going on.
Well look I mean this has become kind of a staple -- politics circa 20112012.
EC -- presidential debates using social media they're drawing in questions from our of people around the country.
You -- -- white astute as you suggested in in several different forums and I think it's actually probably a healthy thing out.
I'm a journalist but I'm not -- not so practices to avoid saying that I think some people out there might have better questions and some of us so I don't think there's any problem with that.
I I do think the questions on -- table tell you something about.
What the campaign is going to be about what the election's going to be about next year to may not be the things that were -- fixated on in Washington may be the basics economy and jobs economy and jobs and I think that's where.
A lot of this Twitter debate is going to be focused.
You know Jerry it also -- that beer you know going dug through the Twitter around and FaceBook.
Sort of -- the president back to his base these younger voters.
Who seem very lethargic the last round of elections somehow the president got to figure out a way to get them re engaged in the election process right.
Absolutely true you know at one -- -- just to back that up you know in 2008 when President Obama was elected.
Voters under the age of thirty made up 18% of the electorate 18% of people who actually showed up to vote on that day.
Last year in the mid term elections that 18% -- down to 12%.
Voters and -- under the age of thirty so.
And meantime senior citizens not a strong group for President Obama rose by almost a similar amount so he's got to get -- connected with younger voters certainly social media.
Is a way to do that that's one of the goals here I'm sure.
It's also -- for Republican can't candidates as they use the same social media techniques to try to offset what President Obama figured out 2008.
Let's talk at the impending issue of debt and -- debt ceiling deadline you know couldn't congress.
Members of congress congressional leaders met with the president over the weekend -- I know came as a big surprise to many in nagging Capitol Hill.
He also set a deadline of reaching a deal within the next two weeks even as possible.
I do think it's.
Possible they're there -- There's interest things thus stuff going on -- -- one of things you learn from the president -- -- more interesting stuff going on the background than we realize the key conversation over the weekend was between him.
And as speaker John Boehner.
Or something none of us knew it happened in -- yesterday afternoon so clearly those two guys in -- the key players in this in this whole discussion.
Have found some things to talk about there's an.
There's an on going a communication between them which is probably a reason for some hope if you want this -- you could be resolved.
Today -- there's some interesting moving around as well you know you have.
Eric Cantor -- majority leader in the house saying he's open to closing some tax loopholes as a way to raise some revenues and get this deal done.
That -- that Republicans a little bit off there no revenues.
Position and I think the reality is everybody understands is gonna be some revenue increases -- lot of spending cuts.
In this package in the end Republicans -- they're pushing the spending cuts are gonna can't come out ahead.
I think it gives them some room to give a little ground on revenues in and make a package complete before -- next couple weeks is over.
Jerry looking ahead and gone back to his very first would have question.
How does the president today offering what's the amounts to a couple of me -- call where it's.
Convince the public today.
I've -- this stuff up to a certain degree but give me a second.
Sense well I think the key for the White House is that this the sense that people have that things are moving in the right direction -- the unemployment numbers gonna be bad next year it'll probably be.
In the 8% range that's that's really not good for -- been in in in panic in a reelection campaign.
On the other hand I think if people have the sense that their personal situation is improved their less scared than they were before but the psychology in the country economically as turnaround.
I think that the White House thinks that's the key here not so much statistics about economic growth and unemployment which are abstract.
But a real sense that people have that things have gotten better whether that can be established in the next year or not is the open question.
But you know there are some signs that the White House would point to.
There are some jobs being created in the stock market which may be a leading indicator here -- certainly looked healthier over the last couple of months so I think the psychology is the key here more than the numbers.
All right -- side of the Wall Street Journal thanks for joining us today that are currently and before we move on Charles -- I -- actually on Twitter and watching some of the hash tag questions that are getting thrown over.
To President Obama and just to -- you sense of the range of questions that are being answered a woman named -- take it asking why should the US citizens work -- well AdAware elderly.
To bail out Greece so they're citizens can retired by the age of 55 with its full benefits -- look -- and actually famous.
Fashion designer I know her well William visit New York city's garment center to help us protect American manufacturing jobs will see President Obama actually takes.
On some of these typical questions but citizens are certainly taking to -- clearly --
