Obama talks jobs, says politics misplace focus

May 18, 2013 @ 3:03 am


President Barack Obama attends a roundtable at the Center for Urban Families (CFUF) in Baltimore, Friday, May 17, 2013, during his second "Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour". CFUF is a Baltimore non-profit whose mission is to strengthen urban communities by helping fathers and families achieve stability and economic success. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) | Zoom

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is calling attention to his economic proposals and efforts to expand the middle class.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says the U.S. should focus on attracting good jobs, educating workers and ensuring workers get paid a decent living.

Obama has been pushing those priorities in recent visits to Baltimore and Austin, Texas. Obama says he'll make the case in more U.S. cities soon.

Obama says politics in Washington often aren't focused on what Americans care about. He's alluding to a series of political troubles that dogged him last week and overshadowed his agenda.

In the Republican address, Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland says red tape in Obama's health care law will drive up costs. He says the embattled IRS needs less power, not more.

___

Obama address: http://www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: http://www.youtube.com/HouseConference


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (306)


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  • ottmilkr wrote...
    Typical Liberal Socialist
    April 30, 2011 6:32 am
    Just "TAKE" their profits, is what this really means. Anyone ever stop and think that as gas and oil becomes more scare, money is needed to find new sources?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • InaneSeattle wrote...
    Not just a Socialist
    July 22, 2011 8:40 am
    ... but a dictator. "[The President] also dismissed a strategy promoted by some liberals as a possible solution, the notion that the constitution might give the president the ability to proceed unilaterally in raising the debt limit without congressional approval." At least he is saying 'no' to his cool-aid drinking minions for now. Though he has considered it. This guy really wishes he could be King. If it weren't for this darn out-dated Constitution.... He'll have to have his lawyers look into that too.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • yokel114 wrote...
    oh yeah that constitution
    August 8, 2011 10:44 am
    The same one that requires wars to be approved by congress? Yeah that one. Thanks Iraq and Afghanistan!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mihalyim wrote...
    wars
    February 28, 2012 9:46 am
    You mean the two that congress authorized, as they voted to allow troops to go and continue to authorize by funding it. When was the vote authorizing us to bomb Libya and arm the rebels there?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mihalyim wrote...
    Congress approved
    April 26, 2012 10:27 pm
    Last time I checked Congress voted and approved of sending troops to both those locations unlike sending forces to fight in Lebanon.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • fartforce1 wrote...
    OTT -**fizzle**
    July 22, 2012 10:41 am
    Why bother, I can say aythign that will change your kind of stupid, so I will just note it when I see it and move on. Perhaps mark it with something clever that means brain dead. "?80"
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    Ottermilk
    April 30, 2011 9:31 am
    While they continue to make record profits, I really have a hard time feeling sorry for them. There doesn't appear to be a shortage. They will use any excuse they can to justify the rising costs even though that excuse doesn't make any sense. Obama has talked about taking the money they receive in tax breaks to find to new sources of energy.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • InaneSeattle wrote...
    Record Profits?
    July 22, 2011 8:31 am
    Are you kidding? Where is your evidence on that? Are you citing the usual Democratic myth and 'conventional wisdom' or do you understand business economics. If you are pointing at big bad oil companies (who I doubt are making 'record profits'), look at their percentage margin of profit - not dollar amounts. To say you are making a billion dollars in profits when you are a trillion dollar company is not 'record profits'. When it costs a trillion dollars in R & D (exploration and development) and you are only making a billion dollar profit, that is not raking in the money.
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  • yokel114 wrote...
    God this is so easy
    August 8, 2011 10:46 am
    Do any of you right jobs know how to google?

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/01/companies-near-record-profits-amid-high-unemployment/

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Sean wrote...
    Inane, you're living down to your name...
    April 24, 2012 10:42 am
    Look up the word "profit." It's what's left over AFTER your expenses, like R&D and etc. Holy cow.... And yes, record profits HAVE been reported in a more than one recent year by at least a few oil companies.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • C"mon Man wrote...
    Tax increase to big oil
    April 30, 2011 1:12 pm
    Will only lead to them passing it along to us, as opposed to flooding the market with oil,and watching hedge-fund speculators drop the price per barrel tomorrow.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Exhausted wrote...
    North Carolina found out what happens when
    May 1, 2011 6:48 pm
    you don't offer tax breaks! Amazon could have had over 1200 jobs for the people of North Caolina, but because they didn't offer a 5 year tax break, NO JOBS!! Obama & Democrats tell only the downsides of these (Bush) tax breaks and it's very unfortunate that a majority of people believe them!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • fartforce1 wrote...
    Where are all the jobs that Romney created with his tax breaks?
    July 22, 2012 10:43 am
    Oh, that's right, he didn't create jobs with his tax breaks - he sent it to off shore bank accounts.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HLC wrote...
    wsualum?
    May 6, 2011 7:14 am
    There has been hundreds of billions of dollars spent in the last 30 years looking for new sources of energy. Not much bang for your buck huh? It's a scam for more grant money so more degreed losers can be on the taxpayers dole.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • yokel114 wrote...
    LOL!
    August 8, 2011 10:48 am
    Yeah, 'cause you know, we hate them learned folks. The ones that design our fancy stuff. Them's elites and I just want them dumbs leading me.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • C"mon Man wrote...
    Hopefully
    May 6, 2011 11:43 am
    We won't go back to a pre-911 mentality and will unify as a nation, but with 2012 election on the horizon, unfortunately it will get ugly,again.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    Leftist "reasoning"
    May 11, 2011 6:30 am
    More taxes on producers of goods and services won't hurt. Duh... prices won't rise? Democrats party of the little guy? More like an abusive spouse. Beat her bloody, she splits, beg her back and stomp her again. This pattern has been repeated since Carter. Obama makes Clinton look like a good president.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    Hnuh
    May 11, 2011 7:29 am
    No. Bush made Clinton look like a good president.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    All right wsualum,
    May 11, 2011 7:44 am
    I am going to agree with you in a paraphrase. If Bush does make Clinton look like a good president and in some ways he does, 0bama makes Bush look good and Clinton near great. And, 0bama makes Carter look much less bumbling and in over his head than he has looked thus far.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    Hnuh
    May 11, 2011 8:38 am
    Sorry. Disagree. I think Bush looks not good at all. I will give him some credit for improving security. I will blame him for putting the wars and medicine for seniors on the credit card. He wouldn't put them on the books. Obama now has them on his books and people are screaming about how much he is is spending. Bush was spending a lot, but hiding it. Bush came in claiming he was a "uniter." Furthest thing from the truth. I will also give him credit for the bailouts. I was against it in the beginning, but actually think it made sense. The same goes for Obama.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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