RICHMOND (AP) — President Barack Obama took the
sales pitch for his newly unveiled jobs plan on the road Friday, venturing out
of Washington and into the home turf of one of his top Republican antagonists.
It was the first of many expected efforts by the president to rally public
support for his $447 billion initiative.
The president, set to speak at the University of
Richmond, is casting his jobs package as a bipartisan plan that will get
Americans back to work quickly.
Obama was opening his public relations campaign in
the congressional district of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. The White
House said the choice of destination had more to do with Richmond's proximity
to Washington than taking a jab at the Virginia Republican, who has been one of
the president's fiercest critics. Cantor did say Friday morning that he'd be
willing to work with the White House on a job-creation plan so long as Obama
doesn't pursue an "all-or-nothing" strategy.
The plan the president laid out Thursday night in a
nationally televised speech contains $253 billion in tax cuts and $194 billion
in new spending. It would increase and extend a Social Security payroll tax cut
for workers. It also provides a tax cut to employers. Most of Obama's proposals
stand little chance of being implemented without the backing of congressional
Republicans.
Still, eager to apply pressure on Republicans and
make a case for the plan, the White House distributed analyses by outside
economists that estimated the plan could create up to 1.9 million jobs. These
economists cautioned, however, that the effects would be temporary and that the
long-term impact of the plan would depend on the ability of the economy to
build momentum and sustain growth on its own.
Cantor planned to hold his own event in Richmond
later Friday, speaking about his party's plans for job growth at a local
business.
Obama carried Virginia, a traditionally Republican
state, in the 2008 election, and he'll likely need to win it again in order to
guarantee his re-election.
The White House communications team went into
overdrive in the hours after the speech, sending out dozens of emails from
lawmakers and organizations offering their support for the president's speech.
Nearly all were from lawmakers in the president's own party or organizations
that traditionally support Democrats.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
