Live Blog: The Jobs Speech
Posted: September 8, 2011 Filed under: Live | Tags: Jobs Speech before congress, live blog, Obama 94 Comments
Well, what kind of bedtime story will be read from TOTUS tonight?
The US labor market is in shambles and we need a big, bold plan like the sort FDR delivered during the Great Depression. How likely are we to get even a smidgin of that?
Here’s some thoughts from some Congressional Democrats:
Millions of people are waking up every morning without a job and with dwindling hopes of finding one. Their faith in the American Dream is flagging. Their aspirations for a middle class life are being dashed.
This is a national emergency. Unemployment is unacceptably high, more than 9 percent, with more and more Americans slipping into poverty. The number of children in poverty has climbed to nearly 15 million, a moral outrage that must be remedied. Economic despair is afflicting Americans of all stripes — urban and rural, blue and white collar, those with advanced degrees, high school diplomas and GED.’s alike. They haven’t failed; their leaders have failed them.
For communities of color, the pain is even more acute – a 15.9 percent unemployment rate for African-Americans and 11.3 percent for Latinos. Youth joblessness is also persistent (a staggering 25 percent unemployment rate for those age 16 to 19), as qualified young people move into a job market that has nothing to offer them but rejection letters and crushed hopes.
The size of the federal budget deficit is not keeping the American people up at night ; they’re worried about how to pay for groceries. That’s what members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus found when we traveled across the country on a jobs tour this summer, listening to struggling Americans and seeking to elevate their voices over the misleading noise from Washington. Members regularly heard from families struggling to stay afloat, losing their homes, and emptying their savings just to pay the bills.
It’s time for their challenges to become the nation’s challenges. Republicans have proven uninterested in real job-creation efforts. An early glimpse at their so-called jobs agenda reveals little more than additional tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, a rollback of environmental regulations and continued attacks on labor rights.
It’s up to the president to offer an ambitious proposal designed to have an immediate and lasting impact. All members of Congress should support a plan that can create good jobs — putting money in people’s pockets that they can pump back into the economy.
This was written by REP. BARBARA LEE & REP. KEITH ELLISON & REP. LYNN WOOLSEY & REP. RAUL GRIJALVA at Posted at Politico.
Other Democrats are equally outspoken. But will they act to see the President doesn’t propose yet another luke warm Republican plan that they’ve jettisoned in the past? Maxine Waters wants to know if Obama is more concerned about high unemployment in the black community or Iowa primary voters?
We’ve heard Democratic criticism on the President’s plans in the past. But when the time comes to fight for Democratic policies, they all fold and vote like sheep. Let’s sit back and listen to what will undoubtedly be another speech with a few bad ideas that get passed and a few good ideas that will never have a chance of getting beyond rhetoric.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Teleprompter of the United States …
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Thanks for the live blog, Dak. C-span is streaming the speech here
http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/
Thanks for the link. The last link goes to the CNN stream.
Agent Orange and Joltin Joe are opening the joint session.
Yes, thanks Dak!
Have you heard the thrilling news? The Senate has passed the Patent Reform bill and sent it to the President to sign. Our troubles are over! Happy days are here again!
/snark
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/mostly-pointless-patent-reform-bill-goes-to-obama-for-signature.ars
I didn’t realize Tim Geithner was so short.
Hillary looks great!
Mark Knoller:
Michelle looked like she just smoked one lol
she does not look relaxed and connected
TOTUS and POTUS in place
I don’t know if I can stomach this.
I admire all of you. I couldn’t stand to watch it. Just couldn’t. I think his voice and face make me sicker than Dubya did, if that’s possible. Gah. So I’m up super late reading the comments here to get a feel for it all, because I trust you all.
Will we stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy …
first applause line
Biden nodding like a good political wife.
Biden probably would have done better.
Ok — Jobs plan: $253b worth of payroll tax cuts; $194 of spending; centerpiece is halving of payroll tax for small businesses
“There should be nothing controversial about this legislation.”
“I am sending Congress a plan that you should pass right away.”
and Santa Claus is just waiting to bring you your presents!!!
He is going to pay for it with Social Security? OOPs clapping stopped!
The American Jobs Act. There’s nothing controversial in it according to POTUS. And “everything in it will be paid for.”
Sounds like a loser already.
So far, no specifics whatsoever.
“Jobs plan: $253b worth of payroll tax cuts; $194 of spending…”
See, he’s being specific. Those are not rounded numbers. /snark
Earth to Obama: Your payroll tax cut hasn’t created any jobs so far. Why will it suddenly work?
Well, he’s articulating what used to be the American Dream and that’s about it.
American Jobs Act will revitalize schools homes and businesses!
and Eric Cantor already said no …
“No more earmarks. No more boondoggles. No more bridges to nowhere.
Applause for US cant sit back and watch “China build newer airports and faster railroads.”
except Republicans … not one clapping for the tax giveaways even
okay, the vets shouldn’t have to fight for a job when they got home got Boehner even
Obama is dead meat.
It’s a political speech.
Not a single republican standing up for anything.
Minx is right … he’s used the Georgia Slave Plan as a blueprint.
Damn, that is really upsetting…he is turning all those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, into “tough and rugged” slaves.
Sheesh, after ALL this deficit crap all we get is a tax cut speech?
And the supercommittee will add $400 million to the cuts.
“And a week from Monday, I’ll be releasing a more ambitious deficit plan”
Nah, he’s doing it himself …
Sheesh, the drink game line is “pass this bill”
Obama tax cuts in my plan will be covered by deeper spending cuts … that’s a recipe for recession.
Reform Medicare got every body on their feet.
Now talking Tax Reform.
He wants to lower the corporate tax rate?
yup … he’s basically been out Republicaning the Republican platform … he says he’s going to close loopholes … yeah right
“Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we put teachers back to work…”
We might as well just have Mitt Romney as President then.
Sigh. I’m afraid that’s what we are going to get. I wonder if he still wears his holy underwear? Gah.
“We have to decide what our priorities are.”
My first priority is getting rid of this President.
He is not personalizing it. When a Republican backed something in the past that he is proposing, that Republican needs to be named.
MSNBC commentaters identified that Republicans need to fear the president. He needs to say, if this is not passed, he will see them on the campaign trail. Then he needs to take it public like FDR. Truman , Kennedy, Johnson and Clinton did. Remember how Clinton closed down the government and the Republicans folded.
So far, Obama is positioning himself for folding. He is setting to manny objectives versus prioritizing and focusing.
ah, the Trade Agreements !! He had to go there …
All these guys popping up and down look like a game of whack a mole
Sheesh, he just gave an applause line to the Tea Party. He’s talking get rid of regulations now.
He’s talking out both sides of his mouth … saying one thing and then saying the other side in one breath … wow
Mark Thoma tweet:
“We’re talking about wasteful spending, etc., etc., regulations, etc. instead of job creation.”
“I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy.”
Lots of applause for Obama’s call to defend “collective bargaining rights.”
He’s talking about Lincoln. Why doesn’t he talk about FDR and LBJ?
He mentions the GI Bill, but not Roosevelt.
He still wants the Republicans to love him … he’s riding that bipartisan pony hard.
He is all over the place with Rhetoric. He needs to focus and enforce
I thought he sounded frantic and desperate. He has to know this “Jobs Bill” isn’t really a jobs bill.
but it’s called the “AMERICAN” jobs ACT … so patriotic!!
we’re going to send fords and chevies to South Korea!!!
He says we need to listen to every good idea that works no matter which party proposes it. But all he’s offering is Republican ideas that have already failed.
now he’s talking US exceptionalism and repeating god bless a few times … he’s looking for Republican love!
He’s pathetic.
sheesh, we’re supposed to call our congressmen again
We’re tough and rugged, etc. I guess he thinks that will help us as we starve to death in the streets.
I was thinking the same……….
That was much worse than even I expected.
This is your basic stump speech imho.
Yes, that’s when he started to get some “fire in the belly.” When he said he would take it to every corner of the country.
well, we have breaking news from national security on a credible threat to US …. there’s always a code red to distract us …
significant active chatter
emphasis on DC and NYC … around 9/11 10th anniversary … supposed to remain vigilant
originates from tribal areas in pakistan
Tweety called him Give Him Helly Barry …
oy!
“Give Tweety Tinglies, Barry”…
there. Fixt it for him.
ayup
‘Only Man’ – President MAN Obama
(((shaking head)))
OK, I didn’t hear a big plan, it was more speech than plan, with no specifics.
He will take it to the country – will it be in Red or Blue districts – will he stand up and define the issues?
Threat, Threat……………Emergency Treat in our Homeland……….Obama didn’t say nothing…
Chatter, Chatter on these threats in recent days……….what the hell.
I’ve lost about 6 Twitter followers since I started tweeting my real opinions about Obama’s speech.
Sheesh, BB, this was his ‘Come Back’ speech and you are making holes in the boat when they are busy bailing already.
I’m not going to pretend to buy his bullsh*t.
That was w/ Snark font 😉
Now we learn of the supposed “credible” terrorist threats… Surprise, surprise.
If the terrorists have any brains, they’ll just wait for us to destroy ourselves with tax cuts and trade deals.
And there you have it–The American Jobs Act. A $300+ program. Most of which is in [drum roll, please] . . . tax cuts! Because they’ve worked so well before. And another 1.5 trillion in cuts to pay for the plan, including ‘modest’ reforms to Medicare and Medicaid. It’s going to be a very scrawny chicken in every pot [that is, if you have a pot]
And we should pass this NOW.
The GOP should be high-fiving themselves. Obama is pleading for Republican acceptance because I think he realizes he’s in the wrong party. Cantor and Boehner are already saying they can pass ‘some’ of the Bill [they recognize the 100% obstructionism hasn’t worked to their advantage].
But to top it off? Jeffrey Immelt loves it. What could go wrong? Btw, Immelt claims the economy is much, much better than people think. It’s merely a confidence problem.
Feel confident yet?
I’ll feel confident when I can make it through the year without withdrawing some of my hard earned savings. As it is, I’ll be eating catsup soup and crackers, sometime right before my birthday (end of October) unless I get a miracle or take out more of my ‘retirement’.
Have I mentioned how much I hate all of these politicians lately? I absolutely detest them.
WTF? 1.4 Million people without power. Blackout in CA…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/california-power-out-till-friday.html
That’s gotta be San Diego, Az. & Mexico? Sounds line transmission line —– Hoover Dam?
Rolling Black Outs in San Diego………..was 113 in Yuma, and 111 in Palm Springs……..news reporting line transmission out in Az……….expect to have it back up by tomorrow.
That’s awful! It’s probably our aged broken electric grid. Every richie needs their bonuses and dividends so the companies never fix their infrastructure. They let it rot until some major weather event happens and then they ask FEMA for the money.
Wow, I have to say there is absolutely no surprise here.
I did not watch this campaign speech…but thank you all for blogging it. Being able to come here are read the comments as that “thing” was read is better that reading the transcript.
yep..me too 🙂