All the planning is just about over. He's got his kids enrolled in their new schools. He is settling into his posh but temporary digs at the Hay Adams Hotel getting ready for the inauguration in two weeks.
President-elect Obama now has to take all the history-making momentum created by his candidacy and turn it into a solid plan to get this country out of its funk. In his weekly YouTube Address, Obama unveiled the bare outlines of his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to create jobs and spur economic growth. ...
The plan is understandably vague on details at this point. But I was struck by a figure Obama has thrown out for the number of new jobs he hopes to create.
"That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan-which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector," Obama said.
Three million new jobs? That sounds like a huge number especially in the face of an economy that seems to be shrinking more day by day.
I wonder if Obama is setting himself up for a failure by setting expectations too high so early on. I have no doubts that Obama will enjoy the shortest honeymoon with lawmakers and the public of any president in history. A big part of that is the messianic status people are attaching to him. Now his own predictions of creating 3 million new jobs seems to be feeding into that expectation.
Perhaps Obama is a step or two ahead of everyone, as he was during his campaign. Maybe he knows something we don't and the new three million jobs pledge will help rally Americans in this time of need.
For the sake of this country, I hope Obama is right.
Previous YouTube Addresses
+ Inspirational Words a Prelude to Action
+ The White House Science & Tech Nerds
+ Obama's Right to Blast Housing Mess
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Paul Shepard blogs the Democrat side of politics for BlackVoices. He has been a journalist for 16 years; on the national urban/minority affairs beat for The Cleveland Plain Dealer and for The AP in Washington, D.C.
Comments: (4)
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By: larger on 1/05/2009 6:06PM
The new President should make the large Health Insurance Companies,to have a policy that cover people with pre-exting condition. /another thing, what happened to made in America!
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By: mrs mac on 1/05/2009 10:41PM
I THINK PRESIDENT WILL DO MARVELOUS COMPARED TO BUSH DOING NOTHING AND U PEOPLE KEPT HIM IN 2 TERMS SO BUCKLE UP FOR THE RIDE AND GIVE THANKS TO GOD ALMIGHTY FOR THE CHANGE
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By: odette2060 on 1/07/2009 7:40PM
i wonder if the new president will put a stop in outsourcing us businesses in asia, because right now BPO is one of the most job generating industry in the phils and we are kinda concerned about it.
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By: hsr0601 on 1/08/2009 1:32PM
I' d sugggest two factors for the stimulus project delay; FIRST, the current RECESSION fuel price hinders the progressive investments for Energy Independency / Job Creation. SECONDLY, these progressive investments impede long-lasting earmarks, I guess. But without the job creations and world-wide coordinated efforts, the whole economy can not be activated, I suppose. Now might be the time to recue mainstreet, after the wall street sandbagging,I guess. After the third wave of IT REVOLUTION followed by the immense infrastructure and investments, the fourth wave of ET REVOLUTION awaits a BOLD ACTION for CHANGE, I think. The new govt is on the basis of THE POLICY OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCY adopted by a Democratic Procedure. Americans have chosen CHANGE, and NOTHING ADVENTURED, NOTHING GAINED ! Energy Independency is the unavoidable task ULTIMATELY, and it can also bring down the fuel costs in the long run as a by-product, which might be enormous enough to cover the upgrade investments. And all the brilliant brains get together in the U.S. for the better life and future. Lastly, without jobs, the economic activity can't be activated, and the working class is broke due to the imported fuel costs, therefore the stimulus project by the govt may be in dire need. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION !
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