Trying to recharge unions key to his 2008 victory, President Obama on Wednesday implored members of the AFL-CIO to be patient with the pace of the recovery and warned them they and the economy would suffer far worse under Republican rule.
“I know if you’re talking to a lot of your locals. I’m sure they’re feeling like, Boy, change is not happening fast enough; we are still hurting out here. They’re frustrated,” Mr. Obama told the friendly crowd.
“And I am happy, as president of the United States, to take responsibility for making decisions now that are going to put us in a strong position down the road. And they need to know that.”
Indeed, though economists say a recovery is under way, the picture is still bleak with national unemployment still hovering around 9.5 percent. But Mr. Obama touted his legislative record, including the $862 billion stimulus bill, the health care overhaul and the rewrite of financial regulatory rules, as evidence of the progress his administration has made on the economic front.
Full Story: Obama tells unions: Be patient on recovery – Washington Times