Obama’s weather forecast: sunny political optimism
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Facing environmental problems in the Gulf of Mexico, a still fragile economic recovery and an attempted terrorist attack on New York City, President Obama on Tuesday closed a speech to the Business Council with a burst of political optimism.
In his speech, Obama said his government would keep its eye on the economic consequences of the massive oil slick working its way across the gulf. He also praised officials for their work in arresting a person in connection with Saturday’s failed terror attack in Times Square and repeated his call for Congress to enact new financial regulations.
But in his closing remarks, the president reverted to his previous role as a community organizer, amplifying on the political agenda he laid out in his commencement speech over the weekend at the University of Michigan.
‘We face some very big challenges right now,’ Obama told the business leaders.
‘The only way we’re going to get through them -- the only way we ever have -- is if we align the interests of workers and businesses and government around a common purpose. At a time of such economic anxiety, it’s tempting and, frankly, sometimes easier, to turn against one another. So politicians can rail against Wall Street or against each other. Businesses can fault Capitol Hill,’ he said.
‘I don’t believe we can afford that kind of politics anymore. Not now. I believe that we are in this together. I believe that we will succeed or we’ll falter as one people. But I am confident that if we can rise above these failures of the past, then we’re not only going to recover but we’re going to emerge stronger than before.
‘So, yes, these have been a very difficult two years. But the storm is receding and the skies are brightening,’ Obama said.
-- Michael Muskal
