Reich writes: "President Obama's speech to the Democratic National Convention was long on uplifting rhetoric but short on specifics for what he'll do if reelected to reignite the American economy."

Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)

The Jobs Report and the Election

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog

08 September 12

resident Obama's speech to the Democratic National Convention was long on uplifting rhetoric but short on specifics for what he'll do if reelected to reignite the American economy.

Yet today's jobs report provides a troubling reminder that the economy is still in bad shape. Employers added only 96,000 nonfarm jobs in August. True, the unemployment rate fell to 8.1% from July's 8.3%, But the size of the workforce continued to drop, according to a Labor Department report Friday.

Unfortunately for the President - and the rest of us - jobs gains have averaged only 94,000 over the last three months. That's down from an average of 95,000 in the second quarter. And well below the average gain of 225,000 in the first quarter of the year And compared to last year, the trend is still in the wrong direction: a monthly average gain of 139,000 this year compared to last year's average monthly gain of 153,000.

Look, I desperately want Obama to win. But the one thing his speech last night lacked was the one thing that was the most important for him to offer - a plan for how to get the economy out of the doldrums.

Last week Mitt Romney offered only the standard Republican bromides: cut taxes on the rich, cut spending on programs everyone else depends on, and deregulate. They didn't work for George W. Bush and there's no reason to expect they'll work again.

But the President could have offered more than the rejoinder he did - suggesting, even in broad strokes, what he'll do in his second term to get the economy moving again. At least he might have identified the scourge of inequality as a culprit, for example, pointing out, as he did last December, that the economy can't advance when so much income and wealth are concentrated at the top that the vast middle class doesn't have the purchasing power to get it back on track.

Undeniably, we have more jobs today than we did at the trough of the Great Recession in 2009. But the recovery has been anemic - and it appears to be slowing. We're better off than we were then, but we're not as well off as we need to be by a long shot.

Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations." His latest is an e-book, "Beyond Outrage." He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.

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+48 # Barbara K 2012-09-08 07:35

So many people are out of work because the "Job Creators", sent their jobs out of the country to create jobs there. Now those jobs are gone. New jobs need to be created. Tell the Rs to stop blocking the Jobs Bill and pass it. It is a good start to new jobs. We are the job creators by spending money to buy products. Anyone with a job is slowly creating new jobs.

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012

+48 # polgal333 2012-09-08 07:54

Quoting Barbara K:

So many people are out of work because the "Job Creators", sent their jobs out of the country to create jobs there. Now those jobs are gone. New jobs need to be created. Tell the Rs to stop blocking the Jobs Bill and pass it. It is a good start to new jobs. We are the job creators by spending money to buy products. Anyone with a job is slowly creating new jobs.

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012

I agree. With all the obstructionism used by the Republicans to make Obama look bad and not be re-elected, I refuse to blame Obama. They have the gall to say he hasn't reached across the aisle! He's reached across many times, only to have his hand slapped by those whose primary interest is NOT the U.S. and its citizens, but to oust Obama from office. This Congress's likabiity rating is 10 percent, the worst ever! And they've EARNED the bad reputation they have.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!!!

+21 # brux 2012-09-08 08:35

I understand the moral support of Obama, but it is not just the Republicans that have make him look back.

Hiring the same people to manage the economy and then not adapting or trying anything new is his mistake. Failing to discuss and then dropping the public option to get - something, from health care was a mistake of political necessity. Failing to rally the left who voted him in was another. Talking like he was going to do something to help homeowners and then the mostly show programs he did do that helped just a small few was another.

You simply cannot cheerlead Obama into being something he is not. Yes, the Republicans are far worse, and I do not intend to vote for them, and I realize fair criticism of Obama might seem to give ammunition to the Republicans, but that is just the way the world works. No point in trying to sugarcoat the truth.

The truth is that this country has no one to represent the people, only large interest groups with money get representation - and the laws are passed on the basis of can the people take this or that and not be too burdened. We are at the end of doing that but still ... the elites weight their leisure games higher than the lives of the poor and middle class workers, especially in a world where work needed is shrinking.

+1 # engelbach 2012-09-08 10:10

A well-reasoned post -- with the truth that Obama worshippers don't want to face.

The GOP is bad. Very bad. But the Democrats have done nothing for the working class, and their current platform promises nothing better.

Labor Party 2016.

-1 # MidwestTom 2012-09-08 12:36

Please take the time to watch this video, it explains a lot about why we all feel frustrated with this election. http://www.youtube.com/embed/GbF5loRF61U

0 # Carbonman1950 2012-09-08 17:52

I'd be happy to watch it if I knew what it is about, but I haven't the time to invest 2 hours in it on a strangers say so.

+8 # engelbach 2012-09-08 10:15

The stimulus and the jobs bill were the right ideas, but both poorly conceived, too small, and too late.

A massive federal jobs program would have garnered support early in Obama's term, and the GOP would not have been able to oppose it then without severe repercussions from the public.

The 2009 stimulus was watered down almost beyond recognition, with 40% of it in useless tax cuts.

Te jobs bill was half-hearted at best, and, coming after the GOP had already been given the farm by the capitulating Democrats, had not a prayer of passing.

And where is the jobs bill in the Democrats' platform?

Desaparecido.

+13 # natalierosen 2012-09-08 08:49

Barbara K you are EXACTLY correct. It makes me see red when Republicans and even other progressive Democrats place the blame on the president. The president has said over and over and over and over again that REPUBLICANS are the ones holding up the recovery as a Jobs Act bill has been sitting on his desk for months!

The Republicans will not sign it not because they think it will not work and certainly NOT because of their so called "philosophical" differences. They would not know a well formulated philosophy if it hit them in the head.

There is ONE reason ONLY just ONE that they will not sign the bill. They know it WILL work and their goal as so many at the DNC convention yelled was to defeat this president even IF treasonously the nation failed. Part of it is about power, a huge part of it is about money and MUCH of it is about race. White racism is a fact in the Republican Party and they will take full advantage of it as long as they can and as long as they have it until the white majority SOON -- not soon enough for me and I'm white! -- will be gone! Praise the Lord I cannot wait!

+3 # HowardMH 2012-09-08 10:05

I'm not for Mittens, but Obama the Wimp is no real catch either.

As Forest said, "Stupid Is as Stupid Does" and we got a whole lot of stupid out there just letting this crap happen. We (most of the people in the US) must be pretty stupid. We let the 50 richest people in the US completely dictate what the government does so they (those richest 50) can continue to make BILLIONS while the rest of us Stupid People let them get away with it. As Forest said, "Stupid Is as Stupid Does"

Until there are two hundred thousand really, really pissed off people on Capital Hill (all at the same time) raising some serious hell absolutely nothing is ever, ever going to happen to these totally bought and paid for by the richest 50 people in the world that are becoming more and more powerful with each passing rigged election thanks to the stupid people.

+1 # MidwestTom 2012-09-08 12:51

Rigged elections? Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/GbF5loRF61U

+35 # Abigail 2012-09-08 07:47

What we need is the equivalent of the WPA, the Works Projects Administration, that Franklin Roosevelt initiated during the depression of the 1930s. This organization created jobs to build bridges, resurface highways, and improve our infrastructure. Many of these bridges still function, but many of our current roads and bridges are in need of repair. President Obama has an opportunity now to recreate these organizations, and put people to work in a very important way.

+14 # tswhiskers 2012-09-08 09:10

Unfortunately we need a Congress willing to pass the equivalent of the WPA. So in order to get those infrastructure jobs we need to break the Rep. stranglehold on the House and keep the Dem majority in the Senate. I suspect it will be a lot harder to elect a Dem Congress that a Dem president this year.

-1 # engelbach 2012-09-08 10:15

Exactly. But Obama balked at this before, and there is no reason to think he would propose it once reelected.

Labor Party 2016.

+19 # brux 2012-09-08 07:51

I imagine that there are reasons President Obama is not specific. He gets my vote hands down, but that is based pretty much on what he has been saying, things will get worse with a Republican, especially these radical conservatives in office.

One reason is the fact that it is the kiss of death for politicians to be specific because of the lack of understanding of the public and the exposure to criticism and ridicule it gets them from the Republicans.

It seems like the President has been mostly hands-off on the economy except for a few small showcase programs, like mortgage assistance program - nothing really to fix the problem. It is a big change for him to be acknowledging the bottom up approach instead of the top down approach, and that is talk. Talk I agree with, but I am uncertain about whether or what he would really do when re-elected.

The biggest best message Obama has to rely on is that things are getting slowly better and the Republicans would make them worse. Not a very energizing message.

Obama is still the guy who appointed so many Republicans, and so many economic advisors from the previous administration without really expounding on a reason or vision that resonated with me at least about why and what we was doing.

This is going to come down to the debates, and also I think that the Biden/Ryan VP debate will turn out to be significant.

0 # engelbach 2012-09-08 10:18

Obama was specific enough in 2008; then he abandoned most of what he promised to fight for, and his base responded by sitting out the 2010 elections.

This time he's being non-specific so no one can say that he broke any promises.

Political gas emanates from both parties.

Labor Party 2016.

+17 # brux 2012-09-08 08:04

Is this a catch-22?

The revolutionary approach bets the whole economy on a radical change of stimulating the economy by investing in the middle class. There is not the consensus to do that since no one including Obama (aside from Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz and some others) has explained this to the country. There is not the buy in, there is not even the discussion about the economy. It would be over the public's head in any case.

In an odd way we do have more demcracy these days, it is just driven by the masses of uninformed people which is why lying seems to work so well.

The level of discussion on this is at the level Obama is at, and he cannot unilaterally change the whole economy - "we are doing better and the Republicans would reverse that". That is about the best he can do.

As to the economy, what more is there is say if you cannot get into the details and specifics as Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, and Joseph Stiglitz do in recent books?

We just seem to be headed into a different form of government and dynamic than we have ever had before. Eschewing words like fascism, totalitarianism , oligarchy, etc people are afraid of both sides of government now, and dependent on corporations to keep the system running.

There just is no real answer politically that can be tried or implemented.

+9 # mjc 2012-09-08 09:33

What you discussed above is quite true. Think that is why Obama went for a smaller stimulus in th face of criticism by Krugman and Stiglitz. But it is also true that no administration. ..DEMOCRATIC administration. ..has ever had to deal with the opposition party from the beginning making getting rid of the president as their one and only campaign plank. Think if Romney/Ryan ARE elected people will have more to worry about than the words fascism, totalitarianism , oligarchy. This country will be well on its way to those forms of political control.

+8 # Shipton 2012-09-08 10:46

Yes, and if Obama IS re-elected, then their excuse for not doing anything goes out the window. If we can give the Prez a Dem congress and Senate, think what he could/would be willing to do w/o worrying abt being re-elected. If he passes single payer, or any other program the builds the economy and jobs,would the people be more or less willing to elect in another 4 yrs someone who wants to undo it?

+6 # Kiwikid 2012-09-08 10:10

I believe you're correct and that Reich et al's economic prescriptions, though well understood by the President, are not understood by the populous. 'Vote and hope' for Obama/Biden is about the best one can do, knowing that at the very least it has to be better than the alternative. Hopefully, having secured a second term with little to lose, Obama/Biden will start to show a bit of mongrel.

+4 # engelbach 2012-09-08 10:19

Obama has never tried to explain the economy to the public.

0 # pbbrodie 2012-09-08 16:35

Why would he?
about 50% of the electorate is too busy watching reality TV to try to listen to anything substantial the President might have to say. In all likelihood, it would only make things worse. They would simply call him a wonk or worse.

+1 # rjmcca22 2012-09-08 08:06

The Democrats have to show a lot more discipline and togetherness if they ever hope to stand up to the Republicans. Obama can be a lot more forceful with his own troops in that regard. Since he hasn't, I have to wonder if he was just triangulating too much for his own good in his first term. He let Leiberman's one vote kill the Medicare expansion. Obama owes the nation an acknowledgment that his economic measures were too watered down to be effective and he owes the nation an explanation of what he is going to do to get the economy going again. We've heard all of the rally the troops speeches already. Reich is always incisive. Why aren't people like him aurrounding Obama. Why does Obama recruit people like Geitner from Goldman Sachs. I'd rather not lose another generation to unemployment to give Obama an accountability pass. I'm not an apologist for anyone. If he doesn't come up with a plan or if things don't change by election day, he'll lose me and a lot of other voters. As it stands, I will vote for a Progressive Third Party.

+5 # brux 2012-09-08 08:28

Good thinking and reasoning, until you said you would vote third party. If you think are you sending a message, and you may be ... it's just so small and silent it just makes more sense to vote for Obama. A larger win for Obama would enable him to do some of the things you mentioned.

To change the political climate in the country we need a decisive victory between Democrats and Republicans, not fragmentation of the electorate into parties that ultimately will not matter anyway.

I hope you'll think about that.

-9 # engelbach 2012-09-08 10:21

Obama had a chance to do all those things already and gave away the farm.

+4 # Shipton 2012-09-08 10:54

Quoting engelbach:

Obama had a chance to do all those things already and gave away the farm.

Yes, Englebach the All Knowing, Obama didn't give you a glitter-farting unicorn so you are pissed and will trash talk him any chance you get. I on the other hand thank the man for giving me the opportunity to have my bad heart, aka Pre-Exixsting Condition, covered under ACA. I thank the man for increasing funding for the VA so I have a place to go to for Medical care, I thank him every day for what he was able to do with what he had to work with. You can go back to your treasonous side of the House and get your marching orders.

-2 # engelbach 2012-09-08 10:21

I'm with you on that. I see you got a -1 from the diehard Democrats here. I erased that.

People who think voting for the lesser evil is a victory will always lose in the end.

Labor Party 2016.

+6 # Kiwikid 2012-09-08 10:53

engelbach, I'm not a diehard Democrat - I can't be, I don't live in your country (I would be if I did :-). From all I've read it would seem that your Government was set up to functions, and can only funtion, as a two party system. Unless it displaces one of the big two (overnight), a third party can get very little traction. Realistically, you'd be better to choose the lesser of the two evils and work to turn it into a good. To do otherwise is to pee into the wind.

+32 # polgal333 2012-09-08 08:09

Mitt Romney's father, was on welfare early in his life, according to a 1962 video of an interview with Mitt Romney's mother as George Romney was running for Governor.

It seems that much was left out of Mitt Romney's biopic...first, he forgot to mention that his father's family moved to Mexico so that George Romney's grandfather could marry his fifth simultaneous wife, a move that was illegal in Utah when Utah became a state.

He also failed to mention that during a Mexican revolution, Mitt Romney's grandfather lost his property and land, and as an immigrant to this nation, qualified for assistance that was passed by the federal government to help refugees escaping political strife.

So, as a young immigrant, George Romney's family took federal funds to get back on their feet.

I guess, perhaps, the taxpayers helped out Mr. Romney's family. And, perhaps, he owes everyone an apology for implying that the federal government didn't make him the man he is today. Without those assistance programs, that he ridicules in his ads, I wonder where his family would be today.

No word as to whether his grandmother was forced to work to continue getting benefits paid for by hard working Americans.

(Taken from an internet website. Search "Romney's father on welfare" to see for yourself. There's a video available in which Romney's mother admits that the family were welfare recipients.)

+7 # shawnsargent2000 2012-09-08 08:56

If Mr. Romney was that honest, then he never would have made it to the position he is in now, but that helps the Dems.
Thankyou for supplying this information, I only hope that it gets out to the independent voters that Romney is a Liar.

+6 # Doctoretty 2012-09-08 08:41

I'm pretty sure I heard him talk about his jobs bill that was introduced over a year ago and has been blocked by the GOP.

-10 # Activista 2012-09-08 08:47

"long on uplifting rhetoric but short on specifics for what he'll do if reelected to reignite the American economy" - i.e. populism - masses feel good - let's have one more drink and send drones on somebody - watch murder - killing feels so GOOD.
The unemployment rate fell to 8.1% from July's 8.3% because more people are falling off unemployment statistics (guess who is producing this numbers - Obama government).
It was sickening to listen again and again about ONLY Obama accomplishment - killing one sick old unarmed isolated man in bed.

+4 # Underledge 2012-09-08 09:08

The hard reality of our situation is that there is no way, other than time travel, which will bring the economy back. Common sense tells you that if products or services can and are being produced elsewhere, that are of equal value with what at one time was produced here and at far less cost, why pay more for the same thing.

0 # reiverpacific 2012-09-08 09:20

I gotta hand it to Dr. Reich -he called it right on the bulls-eye in his 5th September RSN blog post on this very subject.
So now we know!
"Soaring rhetoric" a.k.a jingoism. is no substitute for facts, even from the shaky statistic-numbe r-punchers who always under-report the true figures and never include those who have given up looking for work nor the small business failures/start-ups.
This is only grist to the mill of the clueless reactionary wanna-be's who have no suggestions of their own, except for tax-cuts (for they and their wealthy echelon of course), tax cuts and more tax cuts, de-regulation and of course vouchers, from their own Dead Sea Scrolls of worn and wrinkled parchment-writt en theology good for nothing but the dust to which they are headed. -But sadly, many uninformed or downright racist (I've heard it personally where I live) dumbkopf's WANT to believe them and use this phony logic as if it were their own, incapable as they are of their own thought process or reasoning.
I have my own plan for re-employment, carefully though out and detailed which I'm constantly refining and sending to Obama and my local rep's, which I've already set forth en precis on RSN twice and will spare you repetition.
So, good call and reality check Mr. Reich!

+11 # Vardoz 2012-09-08 09:21

The GOP has blocked every attempt to improve the job market including refusing to sign Obama's Job Act. The American Jobs Act received a majority of votes in the Senate...51...b ut Republicans require 60 votes to break a filibuster when Democrats have control of the White House and/or the Senate...so they stopped Jobs Act from being created by a Democratic president who they despise in the hopes that unemployment numbers would not drop any lower before the election.

This congress was onstructing everything because they all wanted Obama to fail at any cost to the American people. As they obstructed everyting they have not created one job, only given huge tax cuts to the ultra rich and Ryan actually bet against our nation succeeding on the market as they obstructed everything.

And as they tell us how small govt is so terrible all of our reps have govt pensions for life and triple A health care as the GOP also take million in bribes from big money to work againstg our prospertiy!!!

+1 # anselmo99 2012-09-08 09:33

I think Obama should promise to cut middle class taxes. But the kicker should be a tax cut that phases out over time. We need to jump start the economy and a tax cut that lowers withholding would be spent by the middle class. We should pump money into the economy now and then as things get better, cut spending and raise taxes.

+7 # jskimmel 2012-09-08 09:54

Robert Reich is smarter than this! NOTHING Obama could have done would have fixed Wall Street repackaging toxic mortgage debt and unloading it on the WORLD! I am miffed at Obama for not going after them but he is, ostensibly, beginning to. Electing a tricle downster would only make things worse..WAY worse. You think Romney and Ryan care about poor people? I got a bridge to sell ya....

+6 # moonrigger 2012-09-08 10:00

I agree that Obama should have recounted all the programs he tried to implement, that surely would have provided many meaningful jobs and reduced the terrible unemployment figures we see today. He reached across the aisle over and over again, only to be rebuked by the obstructionists in congress. He should have point blank asked the public why they continue to put up with this? Even though he's the President, he cannot pass legislation without their cooperation. People don't get it--unlike a CEO or even a movie director, Obama can't just fire the do-nothings. Too bad! If we want change, we have to be the change. That means empowering ourselves and demanding from congress to make that change happen. We are a bunch of whiners and sheeple, always looking for some Moses to get us out of our problems--rathe r than doing the hard work of looking within, enjoining others so we can work cooperatively to get take on the big projects, and then sticking to it to get 'em done.

+11 # Martha Luehrmann 2012-09-08 11:04

The big drop in the jobs figures was in GOVERNMENT (fed and local) employment. This is precisely the area that the jobs bill was designed to bolster. It is no accident that the Republicans don't back the jobs bill, they don't WANT the jobs situation to improve before the election. The Republicans are so determined to oust Obama that they are willing to scuttle the economy to do so.

+8 # wrknight 2012-09-08 11:25

I hate it when I have to repeat myself over and over, but the simple truth is that neither candidate has a plan because neither candidate (and no president) has the resources and authority to create jobs or fix the economy. CONGRESS and only CONGRESS can grant the president the authority to create jobs and must first provide him with the resources to do it. That means increase taxes (which only CONGRESS can do), allow the president to borrow more money (which only CONGRESS can do) or allow the president to re-allocate funds from some other budget activity, say defense, (which only CONGRESS can do).

Wake up people and smell the roses. It's not your president who toropedoed our economy or who can raise the sunken ship. It's your stupid congressmen. Our Consitution dictates that the president must obey the will of the CONGRESS. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEADS AND DON'T EVER FORGET IT!

So if you want the president to create jobs, you need to get rid of those self-serving idiots in CONGRESS who continue to obstruct all efforts to create jobs and repair the economy.

To paraphrase Pogo, we have met the enemy and he is on Capitol Hill, not in the White House.

PS. Your congressmen love it when everyone focuses on the president because that allows them to get away with corruption, mayhem and robbery.

+8 # Philso 2012-09-08 11:40

Just suppose there were term limits on our members of Congress, lobbyists were banned, campaign finance reform was enacted, Super Pacs were overturned,
and any member of Congress accepting one cent from anyone would be replaced. Step back and look at our current system - it defies common sense.

We would have a loyal, dedicated group of men and women whose only goal was to move this country forward a.s.a.p. Until then, we're all wasting our time ripping each other apart.

+3 # CC1951 2012-09-08 12:20

Obama,along with many other important issues, mentioned the jobs bill .... the bill that the Repugs cried " Nay" to, along with many other bills. I wish he clarified his positions a bit more. But even with that, he's far ahead of the "ice-cold" Repugs.

+1 # lin96 2012-09-08 12:23

I'd like to know why economists allow themselves to be bought to say what people in power want them to say? Don't they care about what happens to this country? Why do they become economists if their interest is only in money, power and self serving purposes?

Character and integrity can't be bought.

0 # roberth 2012-09-08 13:08

Energy expert Hubbert had the solution to technological unemployment

Man-Hours and Distribution M. King Hubbert
Man-Hours and Distribution: M. King Hubbert Man-Hours and Distribution which was derived from an earlier article, Man-Hours A Declining Quanity in Technocracy, Se ries A, No. 8, August 1936.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=11DPu5TCIYN_aOCMDcv9GWDFoxF2Spb4UcavluPf_rSA

+1 # Mishkyn 2012-09-08 16:22

Not specific? Why bash Obama, when Congress and the 1% have been blocking him all along?
We do NOT need more bashing, how bout YOU coming up with some solutions to get around the BLOCK in Congress??
Obama needs to see how many R's are out of the House and sanity restored!
I expected MORE out of you than the same old Republican Rhetoric!!
As far as I am concerned this article is a BIG FAT 0 !! Go back to the drawing board and come up with something more intelligent!
Stop insulting OUR intelligence!!

-2 # JGross001 2012-09-08 16:45

This is the choir singing to each other about how wonderful Obama is and how horrible republicans are. What drivel. If I owned a business, I would be waiting to see how the election turns out before doing any new hiring. I would figure Obama in a second term would be an unmitigated disaster, so maybe I could sell the business, but if Romney wins, maybe then I will hire a few people. That is what is happening out there, folks.

+1 # Carbonman1950 2012-09-08 18:08

The only way we can truly find out if Obama can get the country headed in the right direction again is to ELECT A CONGRESS THAT WILL SUPPORT HIM.

Obama is not perfect (I'm pretty pissed about the executions by executive order bit), but we know that if Obama wins the Teapublican Party will become even more intransigently obstructionist than they have been.

If we do not vote in a PROGRESSIVE Democratic MAJORITY in the House and a SUPER-MAJORITY in the Senate we can flick in the chance that Obama can achieve even the little he spoke of in his speech.

So...
1) Donate to any and all genuine Democratic candidates (no Blue Dogs, conservative, or other weaselly Democrats) you can afford to support.
2) Work for all those you have the energy to support.
3) Then vote for any genuine Democrat that appears on your ballot.
4) Vote EARLY. By mail, in person, by absentee. Do not wait until election day to discover that the rightists have put a barrier between you and your right to cast your vote. Be absolutely sure that your vote makes its way around any obstacle erected to prevent it from electing the Congress and president our country needs.

+1 # Rick Levy 2012-09-08 22:13

Obama's first time of chasing after bipartisanship was a severe blow to economic recovery. The Republicans took his conciliatory approach as a sign of weakness. What we really needed an arm twister like Johnson or Roosevelt to get the job done.

-1 # crinvegas 2012-09-09 07:42

Johnson had plenty of arm twisting support from other Democrats.

-1 # crinvegas 2012-09-09 07:38

A year ago yesterday, Obama, in a speech to a joint session of Congress, offered a jobs bill that would have put millions to work. The Republicans shot it down. Obama has not failed in this respect. Congress, led by Republicans, has. It was an excellent bill which, if reelected, he will surely try to get passed again. His speech this week said enough. It was a campaign speech, not a State of the Union speech.
We know exactly what his specifics are. He has stated them over and over again.

0 # Smokey 2012-09-10 04:47

Republicans and Democrats don't want to acknowledge the depths of the jobs problem.... Most of the manufacturing jobs that were important 50 years ago are long gone.... Many were exported to Communist China and other nations, but many of the old jobs vanished because of automation and other changes in manufacturing. The "service economy" produces wealth for some people - mostly people with expensive university degrees in "protected" fields like medicine - but most service jobs pay very little and many service workers are being replaced by machines. (Note the "automated check-out line" at your supermarket.) Fifty years ago, a good education offered a path to employment. Nowadays, many college graduates recive a diploma, a pile of debts, and a part-time job waiting on tables.... Government jobs - including teaching jobs - are being reduced and unions are being destroyed.... This mess is a lot bigger than Washington, DC, and Wall Street acknowledge. Don't expect a quick and easy fix.

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