Election Officer

He did it. Barack Obama has met with the people, the folks back home in Elkhart, Indiana! President Obama held his first prime-time news conference since taking office. The economy and the stimulus package working its way through Congress were the top subjects. And he wanted to make sure that people understood how serious things were. Hello! We're not aware of the seriousness!  

"My bottom line is to make sure that we are saving or creating 4 million jobs, we are making sure that the financial system is working again, that homeowners are getting some relief," he said in his first prime time news conference. Only the federal government can break the "vicious cycle" gripping the U.S. economy, he said. I can imagine what  El Rushbo will have to say about that one! Sean Hannity might disagree as well.

Obama went on to say, "It is absolutely true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or economic growth. That is and must be the role of the private sector. But at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life." Talk about a JOLT! The numbers, the dollars that we're printing are staggering.

The president said 90 percent of those jobs would be generated by the private sector, a rebuttal of some conservative critics who say the plan amounts to little more than a government jobs bill. The president pointed to Japan to back up his claim that without action, the recession could become permanent.

"We saw this happen in Japan in the 1990s, where they did not act boldly and swiftly enough and, as a consequence, they suffered what was called the lost decade, where essentially, for the entire '90s, they did not see any significant economic growth." But WHAT and HOW one acts swiftly might also have something to do with the eventual outcome.

The Senate gave Obama a big victory just hours before his news conference, voting to end debate on the bill and move to a full vote Tuesday. The House passed its version of the stimulus bill nearly two weeks ago- without a single Republican vote. If the measure passes the Senate, the two chambers will have to reconcile the differences in their versions of the bill.

The president wants the final bill on his desk by Presidents Day, which is next Monday. The odds say that just might happen.

About the Author:

As a spiritual-futurist, I interpret current events in light of possible macro-universal forces at play leading up to 2012, but not limited to it.