Obama Pivots To Economy. Sort Of. More Like Campaigning

There are lots of important things, well, really, Important Things, going on in the country and world right now. The VA scandal. Illegals streaming across the border like we’ve never seen. Iraq in meltdown. Benghazi. The IRS scandal. Heck, Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi being held in a Mexican jail (an issue which Obama failed to discuss with Mexican President Peña Nieto during their phone call). The overall generally crummy condition of the economy. Here’s what PBO goes for (video here)

Weekly Address: Bringing our Workplace Policies into the 21st Century

Hi, everybody. As President, my top priority is rebuilding an economy where everybody who works hard has the chance to get ahead.

That’s what I’ll spend some time talking about on Monday, at the White House Summit on Working Families. We’re bringing together business leaders and workers to talk about the challenges that working parents face every day, and how we can address them together.

What he means is he’ll be lecturing the very people who might have some ideas about the economy, you know, people who have actually run a business, worked a real job, rather than been a “community organizer” and a president who has failed to meet with his jobs council (which has shut down). This is a campaign appearance for him.

Take paid family leave. Many jobs don’t offer adequate leave to care for a new baby or an ailing parent, so workers can’t afford to be there when their family needs them the most. That’s wrong. And it puts us way behind the times….

Oh, OK, it’s “behind the time”, so it must be wrong. A very deep, rational, economic excuse.

Childcare is another challenge. Most working families I know can’t afford thousands a year for childcare…

Well, fortunately, in Obama’s economy one or both of the parents are unemployed, so they have time to take care of the kid(s).

Then there’s the issue of flexibility — the ability to take a few hours off for a parent-teacher conference or to work from home when your kid is sick. Most workers want it, but not enough of them have it…

So, what’s he going to do about this? Will he attempt to force companies to provide flexibility, child care, paid family leave, things that most offer in one form or fashion? Or, is this simply a way to gin up some partisan issues?

Family leave. Childcare. Flexibility. These aren’t frills — they’re basic needs. They shouldn’t be bonuses — they should be the bottom line.

The good news is, some businesses are embracing family-friendly policies, because they know it’s key to attracting and retaining talented employees.

Yeah, they were embracing these policies decades ago. Of course, in the Obama economy companies can offer what they want, because so many are out of work, and none of what Obama will lecture about will help one person obtain a job.

We know from our history that our economy grows best from the middle-out; that our country does better when everybody participates; when everyone’s talents are put to use; when we all have a fair shot. That’s the America I believe in. That’s the America I’ll keep fighting for every day. Thanks, and have a great weekend. Fore!

If “we all know that”, then why has the economy been in stagnation since the official end of the recession in July 2009? A recent NBC/WSJ poll found that 57% still think we’re in a recession. Wages are stagnant. And Obama is sorta pivoting to issues which won’t help in the jobs market one iota.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.

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