President-elect Barack Obama donned safety glasses for his tour of Cardinal Fasteners & Specialty Company in Bedford Heights, Ohio, today. They wouldn't have been much help if the plant's gift to the president-elect, a huge bolt with two nuts on each end which gave it the appearance of a barbell, had been dropped on his foot as it was presented to him. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
by John McCormick
BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio - Campaigning for the top priority of his upcoming presidency, Barack Obama on Friday pitched his plan for more than $800 billion in new spending and tax cuts as he stood under the roof of a clean energy manufacturer.
Obama's stop at Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. came on the day before he starts a weekend of activities in advance of his inauguration as the 44th president on Tuesday.
"The way I see it, the first job of my administration is to put people back to work and get our economy moving again," the president-elect said. "That's why I've moved quickly to work with my economic team and leaders of both parties on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will immediately jump-start job creation and long-term growth."
Joined by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Obama seemed relaxed, perhaps even enjoying the opportunity to be on the road again. After his speech, he jokingly used a large bolt he had been given as a gift as a weight-lifting dumbbell.
Still, he sought to show just how seriously he is taking the economy's problems as he worked to build support for his proposal among Democrats and Republicans.
"Things will get worse before they get better," he warned about 150 workers and invited guests gathered in a part of the plant where large buckets of parts are normally stored. "I want everybody to be realistic about this."
The non-union shop has about 65 employees and makes screws, bolts and other parts used in wind turbines. Obama noted that the company's bolts are in the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Obama has argued his plan would create nearly 500,000 jobs tied to boosting the nation's alternative energy supply. Those are part of the goal of between 3 million and 4 million jobs that could be saved or created by 2010 as part of his recovery plan.
The campaign-style stop in suburban Cleveland was the first of several planned for the early days of Obama's administration, as he pushes Congress to pass his economic stimulus proposal by the President's Day break in mid-February.
Obama pitched the current economic crisis as an opportunity to invest in the future.
"Here in Ohio and across America, we've seen old factories become new clean energy producers," he said. "Our scientists and engineers are hard at work developing cars that use less gas, homes and appliances that require less energy, schools and offices that are greener and more efficient than ever before."
The president-elect cautioned against delays in approving additional the stimulus plan.
"If we don't act now, because of the economic downturn, half of the wind projects planned for 2009 could wind up being abandoned," he said. "Think about all the businesses that wouldn't come to be, all the jobs that wouldn't be created, all the clean energy that we wouldn't produce."
The visit to the family owned company came the day after Obama scored a significant legislative victory with the Senate's passage of legislation that will give him access to the second half of a previously approved $700 million financial bailout fund.
Cardinal is the kind of company Obama wants to see boosted by his stimulus plan. It has added about 15 jobs since it started making parts for the wind industry two years ago, not including the two the president-elect said were added this past week.
Obama seemed to be also road testing some themes he is expected to use in his inaugural address, calling the nation to rise to the challenges of a troubled time.
"That's what we've always done in moments like this," he said. " We've looked ahead to the next big idea, that next new breakthrough. We've experimented and innovated, and when we've failed, we've picked ourselves up and tried again."
The effort to sell the recovery plan comes the day before Obama is to embark on an Abraham Lincoln-inspired train trip from Philadelphia to Washington on Saturday, a trip that marks the official start of his inauguration activities.
Comments
"Wind Power" is the perfect definition of an Obama speech.
Posted by: Pay for Play | January 16, 2009 2:34 PM
All of this big bail out money floating down, afraid not much , if any will settle no the tax payers shoulders, but some body ot their has a big net and will catch lot of it-wait and see
Posted by: Inky | January 16, 2009 3:00 PM
Rove is already taking credit for the push for alternative power sources. He said it is only happening because of sweeping legislation enacted by Bush 3 years ago...or was I dreaming all that? Obama will take credit for all of Bush's hard work and that people is just not fair!
Posted by: lochnessmonster | January 16, 2009 3:03 PM
Wind Power" is the perfect definition of an Obama speech.
Posted by: Pay for Play | January 16, 2009 2:34 PM
.You may have a point their as his speech only lasted around fifteen minutes.
Posted by: Inky | January 16, 2009 3:28 PM
This is not one of those convenient "One At A Time" situations?
He couldn't wait a few more days?
Posted by: Springfield | January 16, 2009 3:53 PM
""Wind Power" is the perfect definition of an Obama speech.
Posted by: Pay for Play | January 16, 2009 2:34 PM"
You Obama-haters and electoral landslide deniers are the only gas bags full of wind/hot air on this blog. Give it a rest already, your man LOST. By the way, only Eisenhower's approval rating at the start of his second term was as high as Obama's is now.
Posted by: Marty | January 16, 2009 4:51 PM
Why bother pitching a plan after you're elected? You're going to do it anyway. You don't know what to do and they don't know what to do.
Ask Rev. Wright. Or Blago.
Posted by: Tim | January 16, 2009 5:03 PM
What a bunch of BS.. another President who loves to hear his own voice as he spreads propaganda.. Firstly he already knows that according to the WTO we have to buy x amount of our products we will be using from other nations.. he was told that by the big 3 as they got their bailout monies and couldn't commit to using made in the USA only.. if average citizens got a stimulus we too would be more green however with the price of doing so beyond our price range, and unemployment increasing people are eager to just work so they don't lose their homes.. what a bunch of bull..more money going down the tubes with NO help for the average citizen..
Posted by: Independent Voter Joliet | January 16, 2009 7:03 PM
So Obama is making the same noises about entitlements heard before from the lips of Clinton and Bush.Wait until political reality hits the Messiah.What stopped the other two from implimenting reforms?In a Nut-shell; Congress and the voting public.In America you can only give,not take away and hope to stay in office.Fantasy land comes to a halt on the 20th.
Posted by: MIke P | January 16, 2009 7:59 PM
How can you talk about stimulus packages, and you are going to attempt to cut social security. A good thing, that a large number of voting people are baby booomers? Obama needs to work on medicare fraud. You might try Miami, the biggest medicare fraud area in any state. Millions and millions of dollars in medicare fraud every year. People that worked for social security deserve social security. Stop giving to the people that never worked for it, and taking monies from the social security fund. Bush has taken monies from the fund to cover Iraq. Obama, complete your purposes, and get us out of Iraq at a billion a month. Did you forget Iraq, and now you want us to go to Afganistan. Obama has gotten into the Rich people, now, since you don't hear him saying anything about the 5 per rich, that they are not paying inheritance tax. Where did you get the word 'entitlement" programs. People worked hard for the Social Security benefits. Remember your grandmother that raised you!!!!.
Posted by: Richard | January 16, 2009 8:01 PM
FIX THE ECONOMY BY ENDING CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090116/ap_on_go_co/tax_havens
In Ike's time, they funded the budget over 85%. Now Joe and Mary do that.
And we're gonna get a Bush-sized $500?
Posted by: 5G per person, 10 g per person if you buy a solar or wind install | January 16, 2009 10:11 PM
Does anybody else suspect that the next 4 yrs. will be nothing more than a 48 month long version of the last 24 months long campaign for another term...when will the rhetoric stop? when the teleprompter breaks!
Posted by: Watchdog | January 16, 2009 11:27 PM
You don't know what to do and they don't know what to do.
Ask Rev. Wright. Or Blago.
Posted by: Tim | January 16, 2009 5:03 PM
Does anyone get tired of the tired old cries of the partisan vermin? Wright, Blago......do you learn those names off of flash cards? Is that as deep as your intellect go?
Posted by: bill r. | January 17, 2009 8:24 AM