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In comments that were widely characterized as solemn and full of contrition, after what he acknowledged was a "shellacking" for which he was largely responsible, President Obama reaffirmed his belief that further spending on education and research was necessary to assure an economic recovery. At the news conference after his party lost control of the House of Representatives and barely kept its grasp on the Senate, Obama conceded that he might have to compromise on health care and other key priorities, and that the need to control the deficit would require a contraction of federal spending. But "as we bring [the deficit] down, I want to make sure that we’re not cutting into education that is going to help define whether or not we can compete around the world. I don’t think we should be cutting back on research and development, because if we can develop new technologies in areas like clean energy, that could make all the difference in terms of job creation here at home." He added: “[I]n these budget discussions, the key is to be able to distinguish between stuff that isn’t adding to our growth, isn’t an investment in our future, and those things that are absolutely necessary for us to be able to increase job growth in the future as well."
