President Obama will deliver a series of speeches this week designed to push the economy, and his proposals to ensure its long-term growth, toward the center of the national political debate after months of focus on other issues.
White House officials described the effort Sunday as a way for the president to revisit some of the economic themes he has spoken about since his early days in the U.S. Senate and to outline how he intends to appeal to Congress and the public to secure his goals in the months ahead.
Obama will seek to remind the country, beginning with this week’s three scheduled speeches over two days, that the middle class remains imperiled by the lack of progress in Congress on his proposed job-creating measures and by Republican fiscal priorities. The push is meant to frame the debate around his economic agenda in the remaining summer months before Congress takes up some of his budget proposals this fall.
“The president thinks Washington has largely taken its eye off the ball on the most important issue facing the country,” senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer wrote in a mass e-mail Sunday that described the White House’s focus on the economy in the weeks ahead.
“Instead of talking about how to help the middle class, too many in Congress are trying to score political points, refight old battles, and trump up phony scandals,” he continued. “And in a couple of months, we will face some more critical budget deadlines that require Congressional action, not showdowns that only serve to harm families and businesses - and the President wants to talk about the issues that should be at the core of that debate.”
Since the start of his second term, Obama has spent much of his political energy working to avert a new fiscal crisis with Republicans and attempting, but failing, to win tighter gun-control measures in Congress.
White House officials described the effort Sunday as a way for the president to revisit some of the economic themes he has spoken about since his early days in the U.S. Senate and to outline how he intends to appeal to Congress and the public to secure his goals in the months ahead.
Obama will seek to remind the country, beginning with this week’s three scheduled speeches over two days, that the middle class remains imperiled by the lack of progress in Congress on his proposed job-creating measures and by Republican fiscal priorities. The push is meant to frame the debate around his economic agenda in the remaining summer months before Congress takes up some of his budget proposals this fall.
“The president thinks Washington has largely taken its eye off the ball on the most important issue facing the country,” senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer wrote in a mass e-mail Sunday that described the White House’s focus on the economy in the weeks ahead.
“Instead of talking about how to help the middle class, too many in Congress are trying to score political points, refight old battles, and trump up phony scandals,” he continued. “And in a couple of months, we will face some more critical budget deadlines that require Congressional action, not showdowns that only serve to harm families and businesses - and the President wants to talk about the issues that should be at the core of that debate.”
Since the start of his second term, Obama has spent much of his political energy working to avert a new fiscal crisis with Republicans and attempting, but failing, to win tighter gun-control measures in Congress.
