Yes, We Try

Abandoning the minefield of health care, Barack Obama put job creation at the forefront of his State of the Union speech. A much easier war to overcome, and one that has unanimous backing.

“One in 10 Americans still cannot find work,” said the president. The audience directly concerned is at least two or three times greater if one takes into account the families that are suffering in the aftermath of this desperate situation. That’s not counting the 470,000 other workers who had to go and register at the unemployment office last week. The statistics published the morning after the speech were lower than analysts expected and marked an improvement over the previous week. At least 28,000 were expected to be newly unemployed, but the number was only 8,000.

These are the Americans whom Obama tried to rally to his cause on Wednesday night, the ones who wonder “why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of [their] problems.” Obama did not try to minimize their anger or frustration or try to placate them with impossible promises. This rejection of anything resembling hypocrisy contributes nicely to Obama’s reputation for fine public speaking, and his first State of the Union speech was no exception. The president still believes in “Yes, We Can,” though this would be hard to prove after his disappointing first year in office. For the moment, he can only look back on what he tried to do, and explain how he will try again.

The measures of job preservation in his first stimulus package included tax cuts so unnoticeable that Obama seemed almost to beg for congratulations by recalling them in his speech.

He is better at selling his future projects, building up small businesses, infrastructure and green energy. This is good because he is going to need to continue to promote them. If he wants his bills to pass in the Senate, he must convince the average American of their importance. Public opinion is his best ally against the systematic opposition of the Republicans.

Canadian companies have a vested interest in what our clients and neighbors have the ability to spend. They also have an interest in keeping their eyes open because to support two million of these jobs, Obama has set a very ambitious goal of doubling American exports within five years. Canadian companies can expect increased competition in both their overseas markets as well as within our borders.