By David Jackson
President Obama has troubles with voters in Texas, and, apparently, with interviewers from the Lone Star State as well.
"Let me finish my answers the next time we do an interview, all right?" Obama told reporter Brad Watson after an interview with WFAA-TV of Dallas, one of four interviews with local television stations at the White House on Monday.
The exchange is toward the end of the video.
At one point, Watson asked the president: "Why do you think you're so unpopular in Texas?"
After some jousting about the size of his loss in Texas in 2008 -- the president said it was "a few percentage points," but it was more like 11 -- Obama told his interviewer: "If what you're telling me is that Texas is a conservative state, you're absolutely right."
"Gov. Perry helped balance his budget with about $6 billion worth of federal help -- which he happily took -- and then started blaming the members of Congress who had offered that help," Obama said.
Obama also bristled at claims that his administration skipped Houston in the award of space shuttle orbiters and favored states that could help his re-election.
"That's wrong," the president stated. "That had nothing to do with it; the White House had nothing to do with it."
When Watson persisted, Obama said, "I just said that was wrong," and, later, "I just said that wasn't true."
Obama also spoke Monday with television interviewers from Denver, Indianapolis, and Raleigh, N.C.
On another issue of interest to Texas -- immigration -- Obama said he still has high hopes for congressional legislation reforming the system.
"The question is going to be, are we going to be able to find some Republicans who can partner with me and others to get this done once and for all instead of using it as a political football?," Obama said.
As for re-election, Obama said he isn't giving up on winning Texas.
"I never write off any states," Obama said. "I love Texas."
