Making an election-year case, President Obama trumpeted the United States economic gain under his leadership and insisted that the only way that higher wages and progress for workers can be achieved is by ensuring a Democrat-controlled Congress.
President Obama proudly declared: “American workers and the American economy are better off since I took office,” while in the middle of supporters at the Laborfest event in Milwaukee.
Obama added that the policies that he is trying to enforce aren’t difficult to enforce and that Republicans oppose such policies for no good reason.
In fact, Obama also told the crowd with enthusiasm that he would join a union immediately if he were looking for a job that ensures security for him and his family.
Despite not directly mentioning the upcoming mid-term elections in which Democrats will be battling Republicans for the control of the Senate, President Obama kept accusing Republicans of their conduct. The president blamed them for blocking Democrats’ efforts in the immigration reform, as well as their attempt at increasing the minimum federal wage. He also addressed the issue of ObamaCare and the efforts that he and Democrats have been putting into reducing the cost of health care.
President Obama made sure to remind those in attendance at the Laborfest that despite his coming into office during the Great Recession, there were nearly 10 million jobs that were created in US businesses during his presidency.
He also noted that unemployment rates have been significantly decreasing and have reached 6.2 percent (after dropping 1.1 points this year) as opposed to the 10 percent peak they had reached in October 2009.
Despite all the positive points that president Obama highlighted, hourly wages have decreased, for instance, since 2013. This decrease occurred in all income groups except the lowest wage-earners. They are those who would benefit from a minimum wage increase.
What the president didn’t address were the pressing issues in the Middle East where the militant Islamic State group has become a threat to US security, as well as the crisis in eastern Ukraine and the tense relations with Russia. He also did not address what the administration has planned for American military and to what extent the United States will involve itself in the ever-growing conflict.
Upon his arrival, Gov. Scott Walker greeted President Obama at the airport. The governor almost lost his job in 2011 when he attempted to cut budget shortfalls through the elimination of public sector unions’ bargaining agreements.
