The Obama Diary

Jonathan Cohn (TNR): …. The speech President Obama gave last Thursday was everything it needed to be. It was bold, with Obama using it to introduce a jobs program large enough, and sufficiently well designed, to reduce unemployment. And it was straightforward. Obama made it clear he wanted action, now…

….. the most important, and most unexpected, development was what Obama did after the speech. He went on the road, conveying the same message … speeches can’t alter the public debate. But sustained, focused campaigns can. That’s how one begins.

…. Next week Obama returns to Ohio for yet another speech - this time in front of a bridge. And it’s not just any old bridge. It’s the Brent Spence Bridge … “functionally obsolete” …. Oh, and did you notice the location? Steve Benen did:

…that the bridge starts in Ohio’s 8th congressional district (home to House Speaker John Boehner) and ends in Kentucky (home to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell) makes it a nearly perfect example. By making infrastructure investments - investments that used to enjoy bipartisan support before the GOP slipped into madness - the Obama administration can repair the Brent Spence Bridge, putting locals back to work, and improving local transportation and commercial needs.

…. but the only hope for getting something through Congress - or making an effective political statement, if the Republicans block action – is to apply pressure. And that pressure needs to come from at least two other places.

One is the grassroots …. Are they making phone calls and emails to Congress? Are they getting involved in campaigns?….

…. This much I know: Obama is doing his part to focus the debate on jobs, to pass legislation that can boost the economy, and to frame a clear political choice for the voters. In short, he’s leading. But even the best leaders need help from some followers.

Full article here