HUFFINGTON POST: …The speech, which was widely hyped in advance by the administration, was heavy on broad themes while touching on a few specifics. The president pitched a refinancing plan for mortgages, a long-term fix to student loans, worker training programs, and a renewed focus on manufacturing jobs and infrastructure repair. Speaking at Knox College, he called on Congress to offer constructive input on all these fronts.
“Over the last six months, this gridlock has gotten worse. I didn’t think that was possible,” the president said. “The good news is, a growing number of Republican senators are trying to get things done, like an immigration bill that economists say will boost our economy by more than a trillion dollars. But a faction of Republicans in the House won’t even give that bill a vote, and that same group gutted a farm bill that America’s farmers and most vulnerable children depend on.”
“With an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals, Washington has taken its eye off the ball,” he said. “And I am here to say this needs to stop. Short-term thinking and stale debates are not what this moment requires.” …(more)
