Calling the country a nation of rugged individualists who could only build the nation’s backbone together, President Barack Obama told a gathering in Orlando on Tuesday evening that American needs his new Jobs Act proposal to invest in the common good.
Speaking to about 400 supporters at a fundraising dinner at the downtown Sheraton hotel, Obama cited past Republican presidents Lincoln and Eisenhower for investing in national infrastructure ranging from railroads to freeways.
He characterized the investments in his $447 billion jobs package as in the same spirit, and for the same need, to create a common investment that people and businesses can build an economy upon.
“We are rugged indivualists and we’re strong and we’re self reliant and we believe that everybody who is able should be working out there. … We believe in the free market and we believe in people going out there out to pursue their dreams,” he said.
“But there has always been this other thread in our history that says we’re in this together. There are some things we can only do together, as a nation,” he said. “Republican presidents like Lincoln and Eisenhower, even in very difficult times, invested in railroads and highways and science and technology.”
Obama pushed the jobs bill as a “fair shake” and said Republicans accuse him of practicing class warfare.
“I want everybody out there to be rich. Anybody in America should be able to make it if they try. But you know, none of us makes it on our own,” he said. “You know, somebody, an outstanding entrepreneur like Steve Jobs, somewhere along the line he had a teacher. All those great Internet businesses, wouldn’t have succeeded unless someone had invested in the government services that created the Internet.
Obama also took a sideswipe jab at Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who turned down $2 billion in federal stimulus money that would have been used to build a high-speed rail between Orlando and Tampa. He did so after jabbing Republicans for accusing him of espousing class warfare.
“This is about choices. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to pay any taxes? And we could still have great roads and great bridges and great schools, and high speed rail,” he said, and the ballroom erupted in hoots and cheers.
“But you know what? If we want to put people back to work, if we’re not willing to settle for the status quo, if we want to invest in the future, that money has got to come from somewhere. Would you rather keep tax loopholes for all companies or for construction workers and teachers?”
This Sheraton crowd paid between $44 and $250 apiece to attend the dinner and hear the speech, a relative bargain amount compared with the $1,500 and up prices for tickets to his second Orlando fundraising stop, at the Lake Mary home of celebrity lawyer John Morgan.
Between the two fundraisers, Obama also stopped for a beer with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and four area unemployed construction workers. Obama and Dyer drank Guinness stouts at the Harp and Celt Restaurant & Irish Pub, 25 Magnolia Ave., while the construction workers drank Budweisers.
Obama, Dyer and the workers, Michael Whidden, a pipefitter from Gotha, Patrica Mooney-Hildebrand, a pipefitter from Titusville, Mark Mckim, a plumber from Sanford, and Jesse Morgan, a pipefitter from Auburndale, talked briefly about working on jobs such as the Amway Center and how slow the construction business has been in Central Florida the past two years.
“Buddy and I are trying to help create jobs,” Obama said. “You guys are what this country’s all about.”
Pool Report – Scott Powers- Orlando Sentinel
