In his address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama sought to reassure an anxious nation:
But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.
Obama addressed Americans’ concern about the state of the economy:
It’s an agenda that begins with jobs.
But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this:
We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.
I cheered when Obama talked about ending no-bid contracts and “tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.” It always struck me as stupid and short-sighted to outsource jobs. Hell, we can’t all work at Wal-Mart or McDonald’s.
While Obama outlined an ambitious agenda, his presidency will be judged by the effectiveness of his economic recovery plan in creating jobs:
To ensure the help goes where the need is, it can’t be business as usual I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work. I understand that skepticism. Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful spending. And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right.
Let's hope Obama's plan works for all Americans. After all, it’s still the economy, stupid.
Obama tapped Vice President Joe Biden to keep track of the money. Biden told ABC's “Good Morning America”:
We gotta make sure this is done by the numbers. We gotta make sure we know where the money is going... This cannot be squandered. We have an opportunity to get the nation back to work, back on its feet... We have to do it right.
If states don't do it right, Biden said:
We'll just use the television, the radio and the media to embarrass them for their not doing what they're supposed to do.
And Biden will have lots of help.
