It's hard to find anyone who
thinks President Barack Obama's series of heavily promoted economic speeches
will be the flash point that unclogs the system in Washington — including the
president.
A day
after he kicked off the tour in Illinois and Missouri, Obama was traveling
Thursday to a seaport in Jacksonville, Fla., to yet again deride the wide gulf
between his vision for a new American prosperity driven by a burgeoning middle
class and the intense gridlock snarling up Congress.
"With
an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals,
Washington has taken its eye off the ball," Obama said Wednesday in
Galesburg, Ill. "And I am here to say this needs to stop."
But
even Obama knows little will change unless pressure from Americans refocuses
the conversation. He acknowledged as much on Monday, as he offered supporters
of Organizing for Action, the nonprofit backing Obama's agenda, a preview of
his efforts to come.
"Here's
the thing: It will be a pretty good speech," Obama said to scattered
laughter. "But as we've learned, I've given some pretty good speeches
before and then things still get stuck here in Washington."
"Which
is why I'm going to need your help," he added.
So
Obama set off on a two-day swing to towns far away from Washington, hoping to
stockpile momentum ahead of looming fall fights over the nation's borrowing
limit and federal spending levels. On Thursday, he planned to emphasize how
House Republicans were threatening to undermine progress in key areas like
jobs, housing, education and health care by pushing a budget that preserves
deep cuts to federal agency operating budgets, the White House said.
In
northeast Florida, Obama and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx were to tour
the Jacksonville Port Authority, giving the president a chance to focus on what
he says is a critical need to reinvest in American infrastructure to enable
future economic growth. The president will promote the need to speed up
projects by expediting permitting and cutting red tape in line with an
executive order he signed. The port's terminal plans to expand its rail yard
and container facility under a project enabled by that program, the White House
said.
The
visit also marks Obama's first to the state since the acquittal of the man
charged in the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. The case has generated
a painful, nationwide debate about racial prejudice. Meanwhile, the Republican
Party of Florida planned to greet Obama with a full-page ad in the local
newspaper claiming it is Obama, not Republicans, who has taken his eye off the
economy.
Although
Obama is offering little in the way of new policies or fresh solutions, his
advisers couched the speeches as a concerted effort to put a spotlight on the
economy after a six-month stretch that's been dominated by issues like gun
control and immigration, as well as foreign policy crises and domestic
controversies.
While
official Washington's attention was elsewhere, the economy was slowly but
steadily improving. The housing market is recovering, the stock market is
booming, and unemployment is falling despite remaining uncomfortably high at
7.6 percent.
Obama's
pleas for a more solutions-oriented Washington were tempered by his own sharply
partisan tone as he accused Republicans of putting short-term politics ahead of
the people's business.
"There
are Republicans in Congress right now who privately agree with me on a lot of
the ideas I'll be proposing. I know because they've said so," Obama said.
"But they worry they'll face swift political retaliation for cooperating
with me."
Likewise,
the quick reactions to Obama's remarks made evident the deeply engrained
obstacles to such cooperation as both parties blamed each other for blocking
progress. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California called Obama's
speech "a clarion call to action" on jobs, growth and middle-class
prosperity.
"Americans
deserve better than the Republicans' repeal-only agenda," Pelosi said.
"It's time for Republicans to join Democrats in establishing a better
bargain for the middle class."
Not
so, said Republicans, who panned the president's remarks as a series of
repackaged ideas and empty promises.
Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called it "a colossal waste of
time" that "generates little more than a collective, bipartisan eye
roll." GOP House Speaker John Boehner's spokesman, Brendan Buck, chimed
in: "Summary of the president's speech: 'I'm going to give more speeches.'"
The
broad economic themes Obama planned to illustrate Thursday will be followed up
in the coming weeks by another series of speeches drilling down on key sectors
such as manufacturing, education, housing, retirement security and health care.
Advisers say some of those speeches will contain more specific policy
proposals, both for legislation and executive action Obama can take without
congressional approval.
The
first of those addresses was to come Tuesday, when Obama will travel to
Chattanooga, Tenn., to promote American competitiveness at an Amazon
fulfillment center, which packs and ships products to online purchasers. The
White House said some new policy ideas will be unveiled during that visit.