In his first press conference in three months, it was clear that President Obama was frustrated going as far to use his children’s academic discipline to have their homework done the day before it is due to admonish Congress telling them they need to show some of the maturity that his young daughters have to reach a deal on debt and deficit reduction.

He said it was time for lawmakers in Washington to stop “playing games” and “do the right thing” to cut the federal deficit.

He called on Republicans to set aside their firm opposition to any changes in taxes and said that Democrats will have to accept some “painful” cuts in programs they favor.

It was clear that Obama was again preaching wealth redistribution.

The proud father of two daughters both he and Michelle try to protect by keeping them out of the political fray, were today thrust into the quagmire of debt and deficit reduction by making them an example by their academic discipline and getting their home work done a day ahead of time, “They don’t wait until the night before. They’re not pulling all-nighters.  They’re 13 and 10.”  (No, Mr. President your children are 12 and 10)

Then the President told the lawmakers “You need to be here.”  Congress will be heading out for a recess on Friday noting that he’s been here for “bin Laden . . . for Greece.”

Meanwhile, Obama is planning to leave tomorrow on another fund raising event and is planning an August vacation to Martha’s Vineyard.

When asked how he can reach an agreement on deficit reduction if Republicans hold firm to any increase in taxes, he says “a lot of people say a lot of things to satisfy their base or get on cable news . . . hopefully, leaders at a certain point rise to the occasion and do the right thing.”

Obama said that if Democrats are willing to give on their sacred cows, then it will be “hard for the Republicans to stand there and say the tax break for corporate jets is sufficiently important that ‘we are not willing to come to the table and get a deal done.”

It was a class act presentation.  Kids v corporate jets.  The rich v the poor.

Obama seemed to be drawing a line in the sand, but also seems to forget that his very own stimulus bill provided tax breaks for corporate jets in order to stimulate the sales of private jets.

Obama appeared to be frustrated during the press conference, didn’t seem to fair as well as he usually does, searching for a message that will resonate among the people who are jobless and there are signs that the nerves are showing among his re-election team.

The deadline is August 2.  There have been so called deadlines before when the federal debt ceiling need to be raised and they came and went with no problems after extensions.

Why is August 2 so critical, Obama was asked?

“This is a jobs issue, this is not an abstraction,” he says.  “If the United States government, for the first time, cannot pay its bills . . . then the consequences for the US economy will be significant and unpredictable.  And that is not a good thing.”

If this press conference, which covered many issues, were a boxing match Obama was back peddling on all the issues.  It was not a credible performance.

Meanwhile the President and his family are planning an August vacation while telling Congress it shouldn’t have one until it “does the right thing.”

Remember when Obama was a candidate and how he promised it wouldn’t be politics as usual when he becomes President?

It seems that he demonstrated today precisely how the game is played in the belt way.