If the Obama administration applied the same energy toward policies to reduce poverty and create jobs that it has toward making a case for military intervention in Syria, we might see an uptick in the economy, Jamal Simmons argues at U.S. News & World Report.
Americans are still in distress and the president should marshal all of the assets of his office to fight for the people on the losing end of the economic stick with the same verve he showed fighting for the right to attack Syria.
We know the president cares. In 2011, he proposed the American Jobs Act, and this summer at Knox College he made a pivot toward "A Better Bargain" for the middle class, followed by a tour of the country pushing ideas like an increase in the minimum wage. He has also proposed universal pre-K and a push to wire 99 percent of schools and libraries with high-speed broadband through his ConnectED program.
But where is the shock and awe we have seen in the last days on Syria when it comes to fixing our domestic problems? We need Cabinet members testifying. Imagine the Secretary of Agriculture sounding like Secretary of State John Kerry: "Senator, have you not seen the images of hungry children and distressed parents at the end of the month when food assistance has run out? If not, maybe you should come to the private briefing so I can show you the evidence!"
We need a primetime address with the president laying out his vision to include more citizens in American growth. There should be dinners with Republican Senators and meetings with moderate Democrats. The president should go to the Hill and talk to the party caucuses. Fan the cabinet out across the country and give experts the platform of the White House to make the case.
Read Jamal Simmons' entire article at U.S. News & World Report.
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