Obama laid out his case to the people and his challenge to Congress in his jobs speech this evening. Many in politics might want to argue out their differences at the ballot box, but that’s fourteen months away. The President said what the users of my Rushcard tell us every day – the American people don’t have fourteen months to wait for action. Action to create jobs and action against increasing poverty is the transcendent issue of right now – and any politician who ignores this moment will be remembered only as a footnote listing as those who let their constituencies and country down at this critical time
My challenge to Obama and the Democrats: stay on script. Take the case to the people. The fighting Obama tonight was in great form. Go to the people. Go to the heart of the local governments who WANT the projects and the jobs. Go directly to the PEOPLE – give them hope that intensive government action, with bi-partisan ideas, will unleash the exceptional American genius. Train our children, upgrade our infrastructure, re-make manufacturing like he re-made Detroit. Spend now and cut CREDIBLY AND HONESTLY as well – that’s what every single economist, from every side of the spectrum, says we need to do.
My challenge to Republicans: get into the game now – don’t wait for the election. You can make your case to the American people without holding them and their aspirations hostage. The Tea Party is just one vocal wing. You are better than that: as Obama said: Lincoln built the railroads. He left out that another great Republican President, Eisenhower, built the highways. Give up the pretense that we are not all trying to accomplish the same things for just a minute and do the peoples’ work.
This is the fighting Obama. He makes all of us, whatever our beliefs, better. Let’s fight together while we fight with each other. That is what makes America great: competition and collaboration. As one of the leaders of a cultural movement, at a point in time, I know that we only make great progress when the two go hand-in-hand.
I praise the President for his passion to re-build our nation and I urge him to continue the dialogue with the American people, not just the politicians in Washington. Obama should cancel all foreign trips that don’t immediately affect our immediate national and economic security and brief the American people on a consistent basis. He should have an economic spokesperson like Ed Rendell or Jennifer Granholm – great governors – instead of technocrats, speaking on economic issues DAILY. If you want to go to every corner of the United States, I will happily join you and get other small business leaders to join you in any city, county or state as I believe in your plan and more importantly, our nation needs it to work.
Take the fight to the people, add the right firepower to your team, and cut honestly in the future. That’s the way to a revival in America. People are hurting now, the time to act is now!
~Russell Simmons
