Obama's blue-collar speech
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Obama's blue-collar speech
Tomorrow's news today -- my fair and balanced coverage of the president's jobs speech:
President Obama delivered a blue-collar speech last night for a blue-collar crisis.
There was no soaring rhetoric when the embattled president went before a joint session of Congress and a national TV audience to pitch a larger-than-expected, $447 billion plan to tackle America’s unemployment problem.
What the nation got instead was a roll-up-your sleeves, lunch-bucket plea to reject Beltway politics as usual and actually enact some legislation, punctuated by a plaintive refrain: “Pass this jobs bill.”
But with Obama facing the daunting task of seeking re-election this year with joblessness projected to stay above 9 percent, opposition Republicans will not make his job easy. Already, some GOPers are saying that aspects of his plan that involve new spending — such as fixing sagging infrastructure and repairing 35,000 schools — are dead on arrival.
Here’s a guide to some highlights and lowlights:
The 411: Obama wants to continue and make larger reductions in payroll taxes for workers and extend those cuts to small-business employers, launch new job-creating infrastructure projects, create new tax breaks for companies that hire and overhaul unemployment compensation.
Obama takes on the Tea Party: The president never mentioned the Tea Party — the far-right tail that wags the dog of the Republican Party — by name, but he took on its extreme view of limited government in forceful terms.
“In fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore prosperity is just dismantle government, refund everyone’s money, let everyone write their own rules, and tell everyone they’re on their own – that’s not who we are,” Obama said. “That’s not the story of America.”
The Tea Party ignores Obama: About a half-dozen conservative members of the House and Senate said they were skipping the speech because they’ve heard it all before. Tea Party favorite Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia held a “Twitter town hall” instead. “Good campaign speech, but no new ideas,” Broun tweeted. “Just bigger government and more debt.”
Best Obama line of the night: “I know some of you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on anyone for as long as you live. Now is not the time to carve out an exception and raise middle-class taxes, which is why you should pass this bill right away.” That was an in-your-face reference to lobbyist Grover Norquist’s no-tax-hike-ever pledge that most GOPers in D.C. have signed onto.
Worst Obama line of the night: “We shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards.” Really? Then why did Obama scuttle tough new standards on smog — just last week?
Did you notice? That every political figure in Washington wears a solid-color neon tie. Was there a memo about that?
Most uncomfortable spectator shown on TV: Is it really hot in here, or is it just a very sweaty House Speaker John Boehner?
Most uncomfortable spectator not shown on TV: Probably General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, who was one of Obama’s guests and got to hear the president say ‘our tax code shouldn’t give an advantage to companies that can afford the best-connected lobbyists.” That would include GE, which, with the help of former Capitol Hill insiders, has admitted it paid little or no income taxes for 2010.
Biggest baby of the night: Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, who whined publicly about having to cancel his Saints’ season-opener watching party back home to attend the speech. Maybe that’s fitting, since it was Vitter, after all, who was named in a prostitute scandal with a fetish for wearing diapers.
Worst Twitter hashtag of the night: It’s a tie!
The White House sent out all its speech-related tweets with the hashtag #jobsnow. Didn’t anyone tell them that’s an anagram for #snowjob?
The GOP countered with the hashtag #4jobs. That would be 4 more jobs than they’ve created since taking back control of the House.
How the president ended speech: “Let’s get to work, and show the world once again why the United States of America remains the greatest nation on Earth. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.”
How the president should have ended speech: “Now America...are you ready for some football!!!”
What a joke. Nothing but an election year campaign speech (courtesy of the TOTUS) in a joint session of Congress. 870 Billion was wasted in 2009 and Obummer wants another 450 Billion to spend in an election year to pay off the unions. I can see the Republicans giving an extension of the payroll tax reduction and possibly some revised unemployment extension, but not on the scale Barry proposes. Look for a double dip recession to come soon because of this speech. Wall Street will see Deja-Vu.— blackhawk90- You call this a blue-collar speech? This president is nothing more than a wanna-be striver, and what he's striving for is not to win over the blue-collar workers (although he needs their votes). He wants to ensure his place among the Martha's vineyard crowd, and the sooner the working class see this, and back a true progressive, the better off we all will be.— farhorizons
- DavidAG is a clueless, leftist moron. It is not governments role to create jobs, but to create an environment for the private sector to create those jobs. And the current business strangling environment under Obama will not create any jobs.
Our econony will improve once Obama moves out of the WH and his leftist cronies are out of all levels of government. Especially Sheila Jackson of the EPA.— blackhawk90 - Sorry about your buyers remorse farhorizons. You are stuck with Barry. No Democrat will challenge the first black president in a primary fight.— blackhawk90
- This comment has been deleted.— Danny55
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Teleprompter Barry
Why are so many are surprised at the liar-in-chiefs actions?
These morons voted for this liar who hid his records completely.
These morons voted for this liar who lied about his history.
These morons voted for this liar who lied about his socialism.
These morons voted for this liar who lied about the Constitution
Now the morons see the liar-in-chief as he is.— WallyT - Congrats WallyT, you just won the Doughy Pantload; Billy Atkins award for the most inane comment of this thread.
I especially like the one about the liar who lied about the Constitution...huh?????— Les Ismore - Wow WallyT, you should see a doctor to get your dosage reduced. You need help, serious help fella. I'm wondering if you've ever checked yourself out in the mirror - you'll see a moron staring back.
Hey Philly.com, stop deleting legitimate comments. Once again, you remove comments for no reason yet you allow the same lecherous right-wingers to post their vitriol and poison every day.— taxmanndumbeth - The GOP will block the American Jobs Act because it will probably work, and the Republicans cannot allow that to happen.— Jeff West
- Absolutely correct Jeff. They hate our President so much, they would rather see 30 million Americans go hungry than have the black guy get credit for anything....just sick. — Les Ismore
- Comment removed.
- Well you can thank Republicans for the stimulus, it was them that thought it up. When Republicans were in charge, stimulus was a good word. When Dems took over, stimulus became a bad word. Funny how that happens with lying, scum sucking leech conservatives.
— taxmanndumbeth - Obama wants this bill passed. It needs to be passed now, did we pass it yet? Well, now's the time to pass it because if we don't pass it someone's gonna find out what's in it.— jmc
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