The President’s Day

President Barack Obama shares a laugh with Ashton Carter, his nominee for defense secretary, during the announcement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House

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President Barack Obama greets former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft

President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Oval Office at the White House. President Obama and King Abdullah II discussed regional issues and the ongoing fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

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President Barack Obama delivers brief remarks to reporters before meeting with a group of newly elected governors in the Oval Office at the White House and said the group would talk about issues where the states and the White House have common ground.

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(L-R): Governor-elect Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Governor-elect Bruce Rauner of Illinois, Governor-elect Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Governor-elect Greg Abbott of Texas, Governor-elect Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, Governor-elect Larry Hogan of Maryland and Gov. Bill Walker

the brent spence bridge speech

Photos here

cincinnati

President Obama is greeted on the tarmac upon his arrival at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Kentucky, September 22

President Obama is introduced before speaking at the Brent Spence Bridge, Ohio

“The Republicans in Congress call this class warfare. Well you know what? If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as plumber or teacher makes me a warrior for the middle class, I’ll wear that charge as a badge of honor. Because the only class warfare I’ve seen is the battle that’s been waged against the middle class in this country for a decade.”

‘obama gets it. do his followers?’

Jonathan Cohn (TNR): …. The speech President Obama gave last Thursday was everything it needed to be. It was bold, with Obama using it to introduce a jobs program large enough, and sufficiently well designed, to reduce unemployment. And it was straightforward. Obama made it clear he wanted action, now…

….. the most important, and most unexpected, development was what Obama did after the speech. He went on the road, conveying the same message … speeches can’t alter the public debate. But sustained, focused campaigns can. That’s how one begins.

…. Next week Obama returns to Ohio for yet another speech – this time in front of a bridge. And it’s not just any old bridge. It’s the Brent Spence Bridge …  “functionally obsolete” ….  Oh, and did you notice the location? Steve Benen did:

…that the bridge starts in Ohio’s 8th congressional district (home to House Speaker John Boehner) and ends in Kentucky (home to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell) makes it a nearly perfect example. By making infrastructure investments – investments that used to enjoy bipartisan support before the GOP slipped into madness – the Obama administration can repair the Brent Spence Bridge, putting locals back to work, and improving local transportation and commercial needs.

…. but the only hope for getting something through Congress – or making an effective political statement, if the Republicans block action – is to apply pressure. And that pressure needs to come from at least two other places.

One is the grassroots …. Are they making phone calls and emails to Congress? Are they getting involved in campaigns?….

…. This much I know: Obama is doing his part to focus the debate on jobs, to pass legislation that can boost the economy, and to frame a clear political choice for the voters. In short, he’s leading. But even the best leaders need help from some followers.

Full article here