A bloody political year behind him, President Barack Obama kicked off 2011 today with a call for Republicans and Democrats in a newly divided Congress to work together to bolster an economy still on shaky ground.
At the start of 2011, we're still just emerging from a once-in-a-lifetime recession that's taken a terrible toll on millions of families. We all have friends and neighbors trying to get their lives back on track, Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.
In a few days, a new Congress will form, with one house controlled by Democrats, and one house controlled by Republicans -- who now have a shared responsibility to move this country forward, Obama said. I'm willing to work with anyone of either party who's got a good idea and the commitment to see it through. And we should all expect you to hold us accountable for our progress or our failure to deliver.
With fights looming over federal budgets, changes to the health care law passed last year, evolution of the tax code and how to tackle a massive deficit as the country deals with epidemic joblessness, Obama suggested he will frame such fights around one issue: the economy.
The U.S. is riding a few months of economic news that suggests our recovery is gaining traction, he said. And our most important task now is to keep that recovery going.
Story link: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/01/president-obama-problems-of-2011-will-require-bipartisanship/
At the start of 2011, we're still just emerging from a once-in-a-lifetime recession that's taken a terrible toll on millions of families. We all have friends and neighbors trying to get their lives back on track, Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.
In a few days, a new Congress will form, with one house controlled by Democrats, and one house controlled by Republicans -- who now have a shared responsibility to move this country forward, Obama said. I'm willing to work with anyone of either party who's got a good idea and the commitment to see it through. And we should all expect you to hold us accountable for our progress or our failure to deliver.
With fights looming over federal budgets, changes to the health care law passed last year, evolution of the tax code and how to tackle a massive deficit as the country deals with epidemic joblessness, Obama suggested he will frame such fights around one issue: the economy.
The U.S. is riding a few months of economic news that suggests our recovery is gaining traction, he said. And our most important task now is to keep that recovery going.
Story link: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/01/president-obama-problems-of-2011-will-require-bipartisanship/
