Obama Gives Rousing Speech on Economy

Yes, Obama “gives a powerful speech but doesn’t accomplish anything” seems to be the standard criticism, from the Left and Right.  Nevertheless, he gave ‘em Hell in his speech today at Knox College in Galesburg, IL.

“With an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals, Washington has taken its eye off the ball. And I am here to say this needs to stop.  Job security, with good wages and durable industries, a good education, a home to call your own, affordable health care when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. Reducing poverty, reducing inequality. Growing opportunity. That’s what we need.  Today, five years after the start of that Great Recession, America has fought its way back. We’ve fought our way back.  Over the past 40 months, our businesses have created 7.2 million new jobs. This year, we are off to our strongest private-sector job growth since 1999.”

And:

“I will welcome ideas from anybody, across the political spectrum, but I will not allow gridlock, or inaction, or willful indifference to get in our way.  That means whatever executive authority I have to help the middle class, I’ll use it.  Where I can’t act on my own, and Congress isn’t cooperating, I’ll pick up the phone and call CEOs, I’ll call philanthropists, I’ll call college presidents, I’ll call labor leaders — I’ll call anybody who can help — and enlist them in our efforts.”

And he dared Republicans to “stop taking meaningless repeal votes and share your concrete ideas with the country.”

“Republicans” and “concrete ideas” in the same sentence — that’s gotta be the Mother of all Oxymorons.

The official GOP response was:

“Waaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!  I’m gonna stand here with my arms crossed, my lower lip thrust out, holding my breath ‘til I turn blue, and I’ll keep stamping my feet ‘til they break.  I’m gonna shut down the federal government if I don’t get what I want.”