If you liked President Obama’s “Win the Future”-themed State of the Union address, prepare to hear a whole lot more of the same.
According to one of his top advisers, Obama will take the growth and investment goals outlined in Tuesday’s address on the road.
“We have to go out — and I understand that there is some skepticism on the other side — but part of what the president did [Tuesday] night, and what he’s doing [Wednesday] in Wisconsin and what he’ll continue to do relentlessly is make the case for this growth agenda, for this strategy, to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the world,” David Axelrod told reporters and liberal writers at a Roosevelt Room roundtable Wednesday afternoon. “Hopefully there’ll be public pressure and support on Democrats and Republicans to support this strategy.”
Wednesday was day one of that strategy. Obama spoke to a crowd at Orion Energy Systems in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where he re-delivered his call for greater investment in growth.
“If we as a country continue to invest in you, the American people, then I’m absolutely confident America will win the future in this century, as we did in the last,” he said.
Republicans aren’t exactly divided over this issue anymore. They’ve largely abandoned their old calls for funding infrastructure projects to enhance their political attacks on Democrat-driven spending. But some of their chief allies in the business world claim to stand with Obama on this issue, and that could drive a wedge between party leaders and the rank and file.
“if you don’t support this strategy then the question is: what’s your strategy?” Axelrod posed hypothetically. “We have an answer.”
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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