The Debate on the American Economy - "Jobs"

The Obama team released an ad today urging Congress to pass the American Jobs Act of 2011. The ad is part of a broader strategy to articulate Presiden Obama's economic agenda, and is accompanied on the Obama campaign website by a more in depth explanation of the legislation.

The ad takes a positive tone and points to the creation of 4.3 million private sector jobs as a sign of recovery. It makes several other points:

The bill will put teachers and other public employees that were laid off back to work in the near-term. 

The bill's financing requires that wealthy Americans pay higher taxes

Congress has obstructed the passage of the bill, implying that our weak economy is a result of Congressional inaction.

The bill comes amidst heightened Republican attacks on what they deem to be wasteful government spending - spending that has failed to stimulate the economy. The Obama ad and its accompanying description challenge this philosophy by calling for government investments in our infrastructure and workforce to reduce near-term unemployment and modernize our economy for future success.