Obama says GOP must back US first, create jobs
DETROIT - September 5, 2011
"Show us what you've got," he said.
In a partial preview of the jobs speech he's delivering to
Congress Thursday night, Obama said roads and bridges nationwide
need rebuilding and more than 1 million unemployed construction
workers are itching to "get dirty" making the repairs. He
portrayed Congress as an obstacle to getting that work done.
I'm going to propose ways to put America back to work that both
parties can agree to, because I still believe both parties can work
together to solve our problems," Obama said at an annual Labor Day
rally sponsored by the Detroit-area AFL-CIO. "Given the urgency of
this moment, given the hardship that many people are facing, folks
have got to get together. But we're not going to wait for them."
"We're going to see if we've got some straight shooters in
Congress. We're going to see if congressional Republicans will put
country before party," he said.
Congress returns from its summer recess this week and the
faltering economy and jobs shortage are expected to be a dominant
theme.
Besides spending on public works, Obama said he wants pending
trade deals passed to open new markets for U.S. goods. He also said
he wants Republicans to prove they'll fight as hard to cut taxes
for the middle class as they do for profitable oil companies and
the wealthiest Americans.
The president is expected to call for continuing a payroll tax
cut for workers and jobless benefits for the unemployed. Some
Republicans oppose extending the payroll tax cut, calling it an
unproven job creator that will only add to the nation's massive
debt. The tax cut extension is set to expire Jan. 1.
Republicans also cite huge federal budget deficits in expressing
opposition to vast new spending on jobs programs.
But Obama said lawmakers need to act - and act quickly. "The
time for Washington games is over. The time for action is now," he
told a supportive union crowd that Detroit police said was in the
thousands. The event at a General Motors Corp. parking lot in the
shadow of the automaker's headquarters building had the sound and
feel of a campaign event, with the union audience breaking into
chants of "Four More Years" throughout the president's 25-minute
speech.
Obama could be including himself in that call for action. His
remarks came as he's facing biting criticism from the GOP for
presiding over a persistently weak economy and high unemployment.
Republicans dubbed him "President Zero" after a dismal jobs
report last Friday showed that employers added no jobs in August -
which hasn't happened since 1945. The unemployment rate, meanwhile,
remained unchanged at 9.1 percent.
The report sparked new fears of a second recession and injected
fresh urgency into Obama's efforts to help get the unemployed back
into the labor market - and improve his re-election chances. No
incumbent in recent times has been re-elected with a jobless rate
that high, and polls show the public is losing confidence in
Obama's handling of the economy. His approval rating on that issue
dropped to a new low of 26 percent in a recent Gallup survey.
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said the report was
disappointing, unacceptable and "further proof that President
Obama has failed." Romney is scheduled to get ahead of Obama by
outlining his job-creation plan in a speech Tuesday in Nevada, two
days before the president addresses Congress.
Tax credits for businesses that hire and spending on school
construction and renovation also are expected to be part of Obama's
proposal.
Underscoring the political dueling under way over the economy,
Obama plans to visit Richmond, Va., on Friday, the day after his
speech, on the first of many trips he'll make to rally the public
behind his plan. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., one of
Obama's fiercest critics, represents part of Richmond.
Obama's broader goal with the speech is to make a sweeping
appeal for bipartisan action on the economy by speaking not just to
the lawmakers in front of him but also to the public at large. In
that sense, the speech will mark a pivot from dealing with
long-term deficit reduction to spurring an economic recovery.
Aides say Obama will mount a fall campaign centered on the
economy, unveiling different elements of his agenda heading into
2012. If Republicans reject his ideas, the White House wants to use
the megaphone of his presidency to enlist the public as an ally,
pressure Congress and make the case for his re-election.
"People will see a president who will be laying very
significant proposals throughout the fall leading up this next
State of the Union" address, Gene Sperling, director of Obama's
National Economic Council, told The Associated Press in an
interview.
While Obama has said any short-term spending proposals will be
paid for over the long term, aides say the speech will not offer
details on what deficit reduction measures would be used to offset
such spending. The speech also is not expected to include a
detailed plan to resolve the housing crisis, a central cause behind
the weak economy that has vexed the White House since the beginning
of Obama's administration.
Sperling suggested that Obama would address the housing issue
separately during the fall.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce unveiled its own jobs plan on
Monday. In an open letter to the White House and Congress, the
business lobby called for measures to immediately boost employment,
including stepped-up road and bridge construction, more domestic
oil drilling and temporary tax breaks for corporations.
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Associated Press writers Jim Kuhnhenn and Julie Pace in
Washington contributed to this report.
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Darlene Superville can be reached at
http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
