With troops headed home, time to rebuild America, Obama says in weekly address

[ProSense]

With troops headed home, time to rebuild America, Obama says in weekly address

by Susan Gardner

By the end of next year, America’s war in Afghanistan will be over.

Hot on the heels of his meeting with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai yesterday, President Obama explicitly tied the draw-down of troops in Afghanistan to nation-building at home—with a specific call to address gun violence in America:

After more than a decade of war, the nation we need to rebuild is our own.

As we do, we have to care for our troops and veterans who fought in our name. We have to grow our economy and shrink our deficits. Create new jobs and boost family incomes. We have to fix our infrastructure and our immigration system. We have to protect our planet from the destructive effects of climate change—and protect our children from the horrors of gun violence.

While admitting it's not an easy list of items he meant to address, the president told listeners that if our soldiers can lay their lives on the line for years in the Middle East, surely the rest of us can do them proud by rebuilding the country and having services in place to help them with their transition home.

These, too, will be difficult missions for America. But they must be met. And if we can summon just a fraction of the determination of our men and women in uniform, I know we can meet them. And I intend to work as hard as I know how to make sure we do.

- more -

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/12/1178269/-With-troops-headed-home-time-to-rebuild-America-Obama-says-in-weekly-address

[leftstreet]

1. He's been saying this crap for 4 years

Jobs! Rebuild Infrastructure! Blah, blah, blah

So where is the Jobs Program?

[ProSense]

2. FYI:

The Jobs Program That Wasn’t

Macroeconomic Advisers on the American Jobs Act, proposed a year ago:

We estimate that the American Jobs Act (AJA), if enacted, would give a significant boost to GDP and employment over the near-term.

-The various tax cuts aimed at raising workers’ after-tax income and encouraging hiring and investing, combined with the spending increases aimed at maintaining state & local employment and funding infrastructure modernization, would:
-Boost the level of GDP by 1.3% by the end of 2012, and by 0.2% by the end of 2013.
-Raise nonfarm establishment employment by 1.3 million by the end of 2012 and 0.8 million by the end of 2013, relative to the baseline

Of course, it that had happened, Obama would be more or less a lock for reelection. Instead, having blocked the president’s economic plans, Republicans can point to weak job growth and claim that the president’s policies have failed.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/08/the-jobs-program-that-wasnt/

In September 2011, Republicans blocked the American Jobs Act and up to 2 million jobs
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021294027

Veterans’ Jobs Bill Blocked in the Senate
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/veterans-jobs-bill-blocked-in-the-senate/

[leftstreet]

4. Yeah, yeah, we all got the memo = Blame the GOP™

...A dead political party finally routed from influence or significance by voters in 2006 & 2008

whatever

[ProSense]

6. You don't have to. You can cheer the GOP.

If it makes you happy, have at it.

[leftstreet]

9. Nice try

You mean the way Obama 'cheered' the GOP by installing their fav Wall Street advisers?

Please

[ProSense]

11. No, I mean you can cheer the GOP.

Go ahead, you seem to want to. Republicans block jobs bill, you blame the President.

Bizarre that you want to give Republicans a pass.

[leftstreet]

15. You go ahead and cheer GOP policies

How you explain them coming from a Democratic prez is your business

[ProSense]

16. The OP is about ending the war and rebuilding the infrastructure.

"You go ahead and cheer GOP policies

How you explain them coming from a Democratic prez is your business"

You are here pissing in a thread trying to blame the President for Republican obstruction. That's weird.

[spanone]

7. i'll blame the gop, while you blame the President....whatever.

[ProSense]

8. ODS. n/t

[MineralMan]

13. Our system of government works the way it works.

The President cannot override Congress. Blame the GOP. Don't blame Obama.

[LisaLynne]

5. In other words, it got stuck ...

in the colon of the legislative branch: The Repugs.

[spanone]

3. k&r...

While admitting it's not an easy list of items he meant to address, the president told listeners that if our soldiers can lay their lives on the line for years in the Middle East, surely the rest of us can do them proud by rebuilding the country and having services in place to help them with their transition home.

republican will oppose this too....

[Cha]

17. It's a simple request.. and more than doable.. IF

we did NOT have enemies of the state in our House.

[JaneyVee]

10. I'm super excited about living in a Nation possibly no longer at war. I get butterflies just

thinking about it.

[TwilightGardener]

12. Iran is the next big issue...don't get too excited.

[Cha]

18. Glad we have the President doing

the leading on this.. and not some neocon package mittLies came up with.

[TwilightGardener]

19. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it will be entirely in his control.

I trust that he will seek diplomacy for as long as possible, though.

[Kingofalldems]

14. I like this one.