Obama welcomes new governors, promises outreach and support

President Obama welcomed the nation’s newly elected governors to office Thursday, addressing what has become a decidedly partisan crowd.

The president, noting his role in Illinois’s state government, said he appreciates the role of governors who have to deal with “where the rubber hits the road” instead of some of the “abstract debates here in Washington.”

“I have nothing but respect and regard for the chief executives of all 50 of our states,” Obama told the 23 governors in attendance.

But aware that his party’s woes reached the gubernatorial level in November, Obama made note that there were 18 Republicans present at the Blair House on Thursday, compared to four Democrats and one independent.

“I’m a very proud Democrat, as many of you in the room are,” Obama said. “Though not as many as I expected.”

The president told the group that he prefers to defer to the states on many issues, but in the name of “national standards,” there will be times where he will work to “maintain some consistency across the states.”

“If there’s going to be experimentation, if states are going to continue to be laboratories for democracy, that’s something we welcome and embrace,” Obama said.

The president said his staff and Vice President Joe Biden will be reaching out to the governors in the coming months and years to hear what programs are working.

“Contrary to the mythology, believe it or not, I would love to eliminate programs that don’t work,” Obama said.

He also asked the governors to take their concerns to Biden or chief adviser Valerie Jarrett before complaining to reporters.

“Don’t wait until you’re really mad about something before you call us,” Obama said. “We prefer not to read it in the press.”

Obama said if he disagrees with governors, he will explain why.

“It’s not going to be based on ideology,” the president said. “It’s not going to be based on partisanship.”

Obama noted his meeting earlier this week with Republican congressional leaders, repeating the message to the governors that the election is over.

To that end, Obama said he remains optimistic that Congress will find agreement on issues facing the lame-duck Congress, including the battle over the Bush tax cuts.

“That doesn’t mean there may not be some posturing over the next several days,” Obama said.

The president also made a call for Congress to extend the unemployment insurance benefits, warning the governors that a failure to do so “could have a huge impact on your local economies.”