In a key swing state, Obama touts initiative to boost economy

RALEIGH, N.C. — Saying he sees possible “breakthrough” year for the U.S. economy, President Obama on Wednesday touted a new manufacturing technology institute in the Research Triangle, an election-year attempt to show he can advance his agenda without his Republican opponents in Congress.

“Today, I’m here to act,” Obama told students at North Carolina State University, the leading partner behind the new innovation initiative. The goal, he said, was “to help make Raleigh-Durham and America a magnet for the good high-tech manufacturing jobs that a growing middle class requires and that are going to continue to keep this country on the cutting edge.”

The consortium, a public-private partnership involving 18 companies, will focus on developing semiconductor technology used in energy-efficient products. The project was selected as part of a competition for federal support that Obama first announced in his State of the Union address a year ago. It will receive $70 million over five years from the Department of Energy, the White House said, a figure that will be matched by at least $70 million from businesses, universities and the state.

After months of playing defense on the bungled rollout of his healthcare law, the White House is hoping to move past the Obamacare trouble and publicize other elements of his domestic agenda, particularly those popular with voters likely to hold sway in the November elections.

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North Carolina, a swing state, will decide this year whether to re-elect Sen. Kay Hagan, which will help determine whether Democrats retain control of the Senate. Hagan did not attend the event, remaining in Washington, where the Senate was voting on a temporary measure to keep the government open.

In his State of the Union speech late this month and other events, Obama is expected to announce initiatives to address middle-class jobs, investment in technology and the rising costs of college. The president has dubbed the effort a “year of action.”

“Where I can act on my own, without Congress, I’m going to do so,” Obama said Wednesday.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have responded to Obama’s plans — which he says will lean heavily on the bully pulpit and the White House’s ability to “convene” stakeholders around issues — by pointing to their preferred solutions for job growth.

“He could call for true, bipartisan tax reform,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday. “He could announce construction of the Keystone Pipeline, which would help create thousands of American jobs right away. And he could actually deliver on one of the brightest spots of his economic agenda: trade.”

As Obama and the lawmakers traded criticism, the Senate remained locked in a debate over how to extend unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed. Obama made an appeal Wednesday for Congress to act on what he said was a “vital life line.”

“Folks aren’t looking for a handout. They’re not looking for special treatment,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are sending out resumes every single day, but the market — the job market — is still tough in pockets around the country, and people need support, a little help, so they can look after their families while they’re looking for a new job”

Obama’s remarks represented the White House’s attempt to point to some progress on the economy while still expressing concern for those not yet feeling the effects of the recovery.

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The caution is warranted by both the economic data and the politics. An unexpectedly bad December jobs report threw cold water on some economists’ more hopeful predictions. And the White House is mindful that many middle-class voters continue to feel bruised by the recession.

The president said he was cheered by companies bringing jobs to the U.S., evidence he said of a possible breakthrough year. “The pieces are all there to start bringing back more of the jobs that we’ve lost over the past decade,” he said.

A possible manufacturing renaissance, driven by high-tech companies and skilled workers, has been a frequent topic for the president, and his push for innovation centers has been a favorite example of his ability take action on his own. Still, the initiative also demonstrates the limit of executive power.

In announcing the idea last year, Obama called for 15 centers across the country, funded in part by $1 billion in federal support. Congress never approved the money and the administration is moving forward only on three sites, using previously approved funding.

The two other winning partnerships will be named in the coming weeks, the White House said.

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kathleen.hennessey@latimes.com

Twitter: @khennessey