What will Obama say about jobs? The pre-speech maneuvering begins.

In the run-up to his much-anticipated jobs speech Thursday, Obama challenged the GOP to put 'country before party.' The Republican response: 'Your economic proposals don't work.'

WASHINGTON

President Obama and congressional Republicans have begun maneuvering for political position prior to Obama?s much-anticipated speech Thursday on jobs and the economy.

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Obama has dropped only a few hints as to what the speech will say. In a Labor Day address in Detroit he indicated that it would include a push for more federal funding for road and bridge construction, and an extension of the current payroll tax reduction.

But his main message in Detroit was this: if it doesn?t pass, it will be the Republicans? fault.

?We?re going to see if we?ve got some straight shooters in congress. We?re going to see if congressional Republicans will put country before party,? Obama told a largely Democratic crowd. ?We?ll give them a plan, and then we?ll say, do you want to create jobs? Then put our construction workers back to work rebuilding America.?

This did not sit well with the Senate?s top Republican, minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. In remarks prepared for delivery on the chamber floor Tuesday he bristled at the implication that it would be unpatriotic to not support Obama?s proposals.

?With all due respect, Mr. President, there?s a much simpler reason for opposing your economic proposals that has nothing to do with politics: they don?t work,? said Senator McConnell.

McConnell noted that Washington does not feel the rest of the country?s economic pain. Its economy is booming, as the federal government gets bigger and bigger, he said.

McConnell then called into question the very idea behind Obama?s speech ? that the nation?s government needs to do something big, and fast.

?At this point, I think most people have safely concluded that the problem with our economy isn?t that Washington is doing too little, but that Washington is doing too much already,? he said.

House Republicans weren?t as combative. Perhaps that reflects the reality that voters rate them even lower than they rate the president at the moment.

In a new Washington Post/ABC poll, only 28 percent of respondents approved of the job performance of Republicans in Congress. Obama?s job approval rating was 43 percent, a new personal low.

On Tuesday Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Republican Leader Eric Cantor sent Obama a letter asking for a meeting to discuss Obama?s proposals prior to his speech.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/BTJgzmCdoh0/What-will-Obama-say-about-jobs-The-pre-speech-maneuvering-begins

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