The LuLac Edition #1747, September 9th, 2011

PHOTO INDEX: PRESIDENT OBAMA DURING HIS SPEECH THURSDAY NIGHT.

NOW FOR THE HARD PART

President Obama gave a spirited speech last night before a joint session of Congress. Everything he said made sense. He was not combative and stood before the Congress with a set of ideas that will jump start the economy. It is a truly bi partisan presentation that crafted items from Republican and Democratic sponsored legislation. He asks for tax credits for small businesses that hire people who were unemployed for more than 6 months. He also gives unemployment extensions to people collecting. Obama proposed what he called the American Jobs Act, which he said would cut payroll taxes in half for working Americans and most small businesses, and boost spending on public works, like roads, by $105 billion. The plan would make last year's cut in the individual Social Security tax rate, from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent, permanent. "We need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake and everybody pays their fair share," he said. "And I believe the vast majority of wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to do just that if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order."
Earlier this summer, Republicans forced a partial government shutdown over their refusal to raise any taxes at all, but Obama told them they should "pass this jobs plan right away," because "the millions of Americans who are watching right now, they don't care about politics. They have real-life concerns."
Obama kept on saying the Congress “:should pass the bill now”. He said he was going to take the plan to every part of America. President Obama needs to keep reiterating what he proposed. He has challenged Congress. He must keep challenging them and not back down. Some of the faces on the GOP in the audience told the tale, they weren’t going to support it. Fine but the President has to keep pressing these guys to do the right thing. In a perfect world, this thing would pass and a much needed shot in the arm to the economy will be realized. But he will be fought on elements of it. Consider former Senator Rick Santorum’s comments, he said “that Obama had "kicked off his campaign for reelection ... by using the Congress as his political toy,".
Fair enough. Obama should take this speech and run with it literally. Right now he has the polls on his side. 54% of Americans told an NBC poll that they wanted every member of Congress out of t office. Only 18% of the American people approve of the job Congress is doing. With that ammunition, the President should recite this speech everywhere he goes. He should not waver, not compromise because this Jobs Act is like Prego, “it has stuff in there everybody likes”. Politics is a game, let it begin.