- MENU
- HOME
- SEARCH
- WORLD
- MAIN
- AFRICA
- ASIA
- BALKANS
- EUROPE
- LATIN AMERICA
- MIDDLE EAST
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- USA
- BUSINESS
- WEALTH
- STOCKS
- TECH
- HEALTH
- LIFESTYLE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- SPORTS
- RSS
- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Jules Witcover
In advance of President Obama's speech to
After much procrastinating, Obama finally stepped up to the plate with some hard medicine for
But as McConnell recognized, it also is "a re-election plan." It's designed, if the Republicans slam the door on it, to give Obama more tangible evidence that the opposition party is responsible for what he called the "circus" of partisanship and inaction in Washington.
With his insistent tone and words calling on
All this confirms that Obama has at last decided he can no longer pin his hopes, both for economic recovery and his reelection, on Republican cooperation from a party whose congressional leaders, and many of their followers, are determined to bring him down. Yet he must know that his chances of passing any significant new stimulus package require a heavy dose of wishful thinking.
In getting the Republicans in
After all the furor over Obama's rebuffed initial request to address
As the faithful on the Democratic side of the House chamber dutifully rose, cheered and applauded repeatedly, nearly all Republicans on their side at stonefaced, silent and inanimate as Obama he pleaded with
House Speaker John Boehner, who looked down from his seat behind and above the president with doleful mien as Dr. Obama administered the bad-tasting medicine, later expressed "hope we can work together" on easing the economic trouble. But he didn't sound very convincing.
The major Obama proposals -- more federal spending for hiring on public works projects, payroll tax breaks for the middle class, small and corporate business -- are not new and have already received a cool shoulder from the Republicans. Even if enacted, the kind of swift remedy to joblessness Obama urgently called for would seem unlikely.
Politically, however, the leader of the
Obama demonstrated in address to
AMERICAN POLITICS
WORLD | AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | MIDDLE EAST | UNITED STATES | ECONOMICS | EDUCATION | ENVIRONMENT | FOREIGN POLICY | POLITICS
Seeking Jobs and Re-election | Politics
© Tribune Media Services, Inc.