President Obama patted Democrats on the back Wednesday for supporting his stimulus bill and other policies he said are leading to a recovery, saying the nation’s current economic woes date back to the days when Republicans were in control.
In a speech at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Mr. Obama framed November’s midterm elections as a choice between his agenda of change and a “return to the failed economic policies” of the Bush administration.
“For much of the last 10 years, we’ve tried it their way. They gave tax cuts that weren’t paid for to millionaires who didn’t need them. They gutted regulations and put industry insiders in charge of industry oversight. They shortchanged investments in clean energy and education; in research and technology,” Mr. Obama said.
During his 16 months in office, Republicans have “sat on the sidelines and shouted from the bleachers” while Democrats have passed bills to help turn the economy around, protect patients from insurance companies and consumers from big banks, he said.
“We know where those ideas lead us,” Mr. Obama said of the Republican Party. “We can go backward or we can keep moving forward.”
Ahead of November’s elections, Mr. Obama and his Democratic allies must thread a tricky needle in arguing the economy is improving while nearly 10 percent of Americans are still out of work. They also face the challenge of reconciling their message of fiscal responsibility with record-breaking deficits and debt.
“The president gives a good speech, but good speeches can’t improve failing policies,” House Republican Whip Eric Cantor said ahead of Mr. Obama’s remarks.
“Out-of-control Washington spending has created a massive debt, private-sector business people — small and large — are preparing for additional tax increases, and the government keeps on growing. All of these factors are suffocating long-term economic growth and instead of fixing these problems, the Obama administration keeps fueling them in tandem with Congress,” Mr. Cantor said.
In his speech, Mr. Obama said he would have liked to take aggressive steps in bringing down the nation’s deficit, but said these are not “normal times.”
However, he touted his proposed budget cuts, including a three-year freeze on much domestic spending, along with a fiscal commission he created to examine the problem and come up with recommendations.
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