TAMPA, Fla., (Reuters) – President Barack Obama vowed yesterday he would not rest until U.S. businesses were hiring again, as he took his retooled agenda on the road and sought to dig out of his deepest political rut since taking office.
The day after a State of the Union address in which he tried to reconnect with the public with a hard focus on the economy, Obama held a townhall-style meeting in Florida where he unveiled $8 billion in grants for high-speed rail projects the White House says will create employment and transform U.S. train travel.
With his poll numbers down and his presidency faltering after his first year, Obama tried to show a primetime television audience on Wednesday night that he understood their economic pain and would now make job creation his top priority.
Revisiting that theme in front of a friendly audience at the University of Tampa, Obama pledged: “We’re not going to rest until we’ve rebuilt an economy in which …businesses are hiring again.”
While a tepid economic recovery has begun, U.S. unemployment has remained at 10 percent. Failure to make progress on jobs could damage prospects for Obama’s Democratic party in November mid-term congressional election.
Obama also pledged on Wednesday night he would not abandon his struggling healthcare overhaul and other key priorities, despite his Democratic party’s stunning loss of a pivotal Senate seat last week that imperiled his legislative agenda.
