On jobs trip, Obama tries to leave problems behind

May 17, 2013 @ 1:01 pm


President Barack Obama talks about jobs at Ellicott Dredges in Baltimore, Friday, May 17, 2013, during his second Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez) | Zoom

BALTIMORE (AP) - President Barack Obama tried on Friday to leave behind the political battles that have overshadowed his second-term agenda, saying lawmakers should work on creating more middle-class jobs in the slowly growing economy. "Our work is not done, and our focus cannot drift," Obama said.

Obama's jobs tour took him to Baltimore after riding through one eruption after the other during the past few weeks, from new questions over his administration's handling of last year's deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, to revelations of political targeting at the Internal Revenue Service and a secret probe of The Associated Press and its confidential sources.

"Others may get distracted by chasing every fleeting issue that passes by, but the middle class will always be my No. 1 focus," Obama said at Ellicott Dredges, maker of equipment for digging and pumping projects including mining.

The company, which helped build equipment that dug the Panama Canal, has been adding jobs through international sales in spite of a sluggish economy. Obama took a tour of the plant and got a close-up look at the assembly process, including excavation equipment being made for a customer in Bangladesh.

In his speech to several hundred workers and guests, Obama cited growth in the economy, a drop in unemployment nationwide and improvements in the housing and auto industries. But he said Washington still needs to do more to build a "rising, thriving middle class."

"We're now poised for progress, but our work is not done and our focus cannot drift," he said. "We've got to stay focused on our economy and putting people back to work and raising wages and bringing manufacturing back to the United States of America."

Obama added, "That has to be what we're thinking about every single day."

His comments seemed almost like a plea to his political opponents, and even some supporters, to shift from all the questions that have been dogging the president. The partisan fighting followed Obama even as he traveled north of the beltway, with Republicans criticizing the trip as stagecraft.

Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland's only Republican congressman, said Obama should have stayed in Washington to focus on job-creation efforts like the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from western Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast and create jobs.

"That would boost jobs at Ellicott Dredges, but other than that, it's just going to be another photo op on a campaign-style tour when the president should be in Washington tending to the nation's business and to address the huge scandals that are popping up on a daily basis in Washington," Harris said in a conference call with other Maryland Republicans.

The administration has not yet taken a position on the Keystone project, which is opposed by environmentalists but supported by the president of Ellicott Dredges, Peter Bowe, in testimony before Congress just a day earlier. Bowe said in an interview that he didn't discuss it with the president.

"I'm not afraid of talking about it, but it didn't come up," Bowe said. Instead, he said, he told Obama about how the federal government is helping its export business.

Obama touted his effort to more quickly create construction jobs and repair roads, bridges and railways. He cited as an example the recently approved replacement of the aging Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River in the suburbs just north of New York City. The White House said such large projects can take as many as four years to complete the permitting process, but multiple federal and state agencies coordinated simultaneous reviews to cut the time to a year and a half. Obama signed a memorandum Friday directing his agency heads to follow the practice and speed approval for other projects.

Obama also highlighted his proposal to provide preschool for all low-income families by visiting an early childhood program at Baltimore's Moravia Park Elementary School. He sat at a table in the library with 4- and 5-year-olds learning to draw and write about their favorite zoo animals. "I've got to say, my tiger was not very good," Obama joked later. "The kids were unimpressed."

And he visited the Center for Urban Families, a nonprofit that promotes responsible fatherhood and provides job training to parents. One dad, Marcus Dixon, talked about how the center helped him after he got out of jail so he can help provide for his sons, ages 2 and 10. "It's restored my dignity," Dixon said of the program.

Obama told Dixon he is setting a powerful example for his sons and noted that he himself grew up without his father.

"I always tell people that, as great and heroic a job as moms do, particularly for boys, that's a hard situation," Obama said.

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Associated Press writer Brian Witte contributed to this report.

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Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nedrapickler


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (181)


  • Add A Comment

  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    'What
    October 20, 2012 4:41 am
    recovery?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cbrew wrote...
    The Recovery that's occurring in the US economy?
    October 29, 2012 12:06 pm
    Got to love the right, they ignore everything positive and view only negative things... If Obama single-handedly cured cancer they would criticize him for not thinking of the impact it would have on pharmaceutical companies that make billions searching for the cure... If he achieved world piece they would attack him for all the wasteful spending on the military leading up to world peace... If he drove unemployment down to 4% they would say, yeh but look at the 4% who are struggling in this terrible economy... There is nothing the Republican party won't do to try and paint Obama as a terrible person and leader. Unemployment dropped below 8% last month... 5 million jobs have been created since early-mid 2010, The stock Market S&P and NASDAQ are all double what they were when he took office... housing market is starting to trend back upward... None of these things are positive signs to Republicans, instead it's a worsening economy... the trend is upward, but not in the eyes of a repub, it's all down... They bury their heads in the sand and ignore facts... Republicans are a joke, once this election is over and Obama is re-elected, i will be here to laugh at all of them, but i have a feeling, they will all dissapear until next election cycle when they can try to spin their lies again.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    @cbrew
    January 5, 2013 9:07 am
    How about the 16 trillion in negative debt mostly spent by the Obama administration...is that the negative things the right are saying that you are referring to? Your stupid.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @SickofSeattleite
    January 19, 2013 6:51 am
    Wanna bet something? That if it were a Republican President, we would have ended up in a nearly identical spending problem? That we'd be hearing constant praise for the recovery that we do actually have going (very slow recovery, but still moving in the right direction)? Yup. you can guarantee that would be what you and others would be doing if Obama were just a Republican...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    @formerMarineSgt
    February 6, 2013 5:24 am
    I don't support Republican's either, I support Americans!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    Obama is a LIAR and a FRAUD
    April 1, 2013 10:58 pm
    “Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen." Now add this, "Many of those who refuse or are unable to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who are forced to buy insurance because they are citizens.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    I have four words for this 'recovery' :
    October 20, 2012 5:38 am
    "DAY LATE"

    "DOLLAR SHORT"

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cbrew wrote...
    I have two words for the Republican Party that nearly destroyed this country with it's last President
    October 29, 2012 12:08 pm
    NEVER AGAIN!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Chrisfrommv wrote...
    After 5 years
    April 3, 2013 9:43 pm
    Still blaming Bush! A stout stock market is not, I repeat NOT, an indication of a good economy. The GDP remains low, we are printing money nearly at a trillion a year to flood the market while keeping interest rates artifically low. Enemployement is still around 7.7% and much higher if you look at all the people underemployed and not collecting unemployment or looking for work. what happens when we take away our crutch? (QE3).
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sohojo wrote...
    Wait until
    April 27, 2013 6:10 pm
    The affordable care act kicks in January of 2014. This will pinch American's (consumers) even more than they are today. I think you will see negative growth and higher unemployment in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2014.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    Obama project "Leadership?"
    October 29, 2012 12:29 pm
    Kinda late now. Don't you think?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cbrew wrote...
    Leadership? Romney would try to outsource it
    October 29, 2012 12:46 pm
    Obama has lead this nation through the worst recession in our history.. he's done so with a combative congress that has refused to help try to fix the great problems that have faced this Nation... Republicans have spit in the face of America while she tries to recover... I will never forget what this party did these last 4 years... Until the Republican party purges itself of the anti-American strategies... I will never vote for another Republican again.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    Obama has lead this nation through the worst recession in our history.. he's done so with a combative congress
    October 29, 2012 1:26 pm
    Wow! Such a mindless Left wing Parrot you are!

    "Combative Congress"? Combative toward whom? The Conservative controlled house sent 13 jobs bills to the Liberal controlled Senate and Harry Reid. They would be "Dead on arrival" promised Reed and they all were. And how about your Dear Leader, cbrew, who promised to kill any Conservative bill that made it to his desk?

    NO! You Parrots Dear Leader and the Liberals have produced this ObamaEconomy that has done so much damage in four years that it will take generations to pay back. In money and American pride and respect in this world. And we Americans will not forget about ObamaCare and ObamaGate between now and November 6th.

    How is that icy stabbing chill in the pit of your stomach Parrots?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cbrew wrote...
    It's me! Ha ha! all i can say is, you're dillusional
    October 29, 2012 3:07 pm
    When the Republican held Congress stated unequivocally that they would not work in a bi-partisan way to pass legislation then writes completely partisan bills and sends them to the senate what do you expect to happen? You're blaming Obama for the same thing your Republicans in congress are doing. Aside from that you're being a complete idiot and a revisionist on history, The Recession began under BUSH whether you like to admit it or not, his administration ran the economy off the cliff and Obama has been trying to climb back up it since. No matter what you want to say about that it's the truth. Your leaders in congress said immediately following the election that their sole purpose was to ensure Obama was a 1 term president, They didn't say, our goal is to fix the economy, our goal is to restore America to prosperity, NOPE it was your party that said we're going to fight tooth and nail on every single issue and refuse to help the American people. Your party is has been dang near treasonous in it's operations over the last 4 years. If this was a different era, your party would have it's members hanging from lamp posts all the way to DC. Because you've been ANTI-AMERICAN for 4 years, Forcing the economy to stall during a recession JUST so you can try to regain power during this Country's worst recession. Finally, i have no such chill, The Swing states are all still in Obama's favor, November 6th i will be here laughing at you, you and your incompetent party and all you morons that have hurt this country for 4 years.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    10-29-12 0bama aims to project leadership...
    October 29, 2012 2:26 pm
    If the Zedster is successful in this pretense it will be a first for his sorry self.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cbrew wrote...
    hnuh - yeh because he hasn't shown leadership right?
    October 29, 2012 3:21 pm
    He didn't lead us out of Iraq, didn't make the call to send our boys into Pakistan to take out Bin Laden with the Sec of Defense argued against it... He didn't pass the most sweeping reform to Health Care in a generation... nope no leadership... hey moron, maybe take a step back and look up the definition of leadership, because the party you support is the opposite of that term, they hide behind their desks in Congress refusing to take responsibility for their failings to try and work to restore the economy, they're on talk shows talkin trash about an economy they refuse to lift a finger to help, that's not leadership that's cowardice and that's what Republicans are, COWARDS. They have spent 4 years trying to get 1 President out of power, that's it, not trying to solve the Country's biggest problems, in fact, they tried to run this economy off a cliff again by refusing to pass any kind of jobs bills.. they are the worst of our country, republicans should be kicked out of this country for their treasonous actions over the last 4 years... they've done more harm to America than Al Quaida ever could.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    When the Republican held Congress stated unequivocally that they would not work in a bi-partisan way to pass legislation then writes completely partisan bills and sends them to the senate what do you expect to happen?
    October 29, 2012 3:25 pm
    Sees e! You are a Parrot cbrew. What I posted was the truth. We Americans removed Liberals from the house (and I wish we could have taken the Senate. We will next week!) Those were the quotes I heard Reid make that pledge with my own ears before the first bill got there. The Libs will use any excuse to justify themselves to you useful idiot Parrots simply for your votes!

    Cbrew how is that ObamaEconomy today? How is ObamaGate damaging to the Dear Leader with each passing day, hour? Where is that Obama "Bounce" in the polls? Face it, even with the over sample of likely useful idiot voters, Romney is beating your Dear Leader. Obama will lose!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    Oy!! Cbrew...
    October 30, 2012 12:48 pm
    No he did not lead us out of Iraq. He followed Bush's lead. No he did not "make the call" to smoke Bin Ladin. He just didn't refuse it. 0bama was supposed to be one thing and he has proven to be quite another. Vaclev(sp) Havel said of the Zed(null set)ster... I think he craps his pants too fast... referencing a negotiation 0bama bungled near the beginning of his misbegotten term. The guy is an unserious president for an unserious public. If re-elected it will be proof the public couldn't care less how incompetent, corrupt and destructive a president can be. You call me a moron, I retort with a much greater insult: You are a leftist, what is commonly called a liberal. Put that smelly old wino puke stained coat on and wear it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @hnuh,,,
    January 19, 2013 6:52 am
    And you call Cbew delusional.....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    Day two - Lets go for the guns now that Im re-elected
    November 8, 2012 3:39 pm
    Didnt take him long did it

    http://www.examiner.com/article/the-day-after-u-n-moves-quickly-on-global-gun-control-debate

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • longwayhome wrote...
    Old posts
    November 8, 2012 6:59 pm
    Go away its me, you are history for four years, 8 years if Hillary runs in 2016. I don't think you will live that long, given the stress of being the stupidest poster of all time.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    The wealthy should pay more in taxes?
    November 10, 2012 3:14 am
    Hey Dear Leader Obama, how about that Massive middle class tax increase to pay for ObamaCare?

    Mr. Romney was right about the 47 percenters who do not pay taxes.

    Right Parrots!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }