Obama on "60 Minutes": Let's Have an Honest Conversation About Income Inequity

 The president appeared on "60 Minutes" last night for a lengthy interview and, of course, the economy was topic number one. At one point, interviewer Steve Krofft brought up income inequity and tried to pose the idea that talking about it was verging on socialist—absurd, but a common belief among misguided conservatives. Obama was not having it:

Kroft: I mean, you were really talking about income inequality, which suggests redistribution of wealth.

 

Obama: I'm gonna interrupt you there, Steve.

 

Kroft: There are gonna be people who say, 'This is the socialist Obama and he's come out of the closet.'

 

Obama: Look, the-- everybody's at-- concerned about inequality. Those folks in there, who were listenin' to the speech, those are teachers and small business people, and probably some small town bankers, who are in there thinking to themselves, 'How is it that I, we're workin' so hard,' and meanwhile, they know that corporate profits are at a record level, that a lot of folks are doin' very well. What's happened to the bargain? What's happened to the American deal that says, you know, we are focused on building a strong middle class?

 

Kroft: This is the class warfare you have been accused of by the Republicans?

 

Obama: Look, the problem is, is that our politics has gotten to the point, where we can't have an honest conversation about the greatest income inequality since the 1920s. And we can't have an honest conversation about the irresponsibility that resulted in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, without somebody sayin' that somehow we're bein' divisive. No, we're bein' honest about what happened and we've gotta be honest about how we move forward.

Kroft then changed the subject. Watch the whole interview and read the transcript here.