Obama: Congress Must Implement 'Common Sense Ideas' To Accelerate Job Growth

ARLINGTON, Va., May 4 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday he would urge Congress next week to implement "common sense ideas" to accelerate job growth, as he sought to deflect blame toward Republican lawmakers for not doing enough to bring down unemployment.

Obama, in remarks after government data showed the pace of hiring by U.S. businesses slowed in April, acknowledged that too many Americans remained without work.

"That is why next week I am going to urge Congress, as they start getting back to work, to take some actions on some common sense ideas right now that can accelerate even more job growth," he said at a school in northern Virginia, a state viewed as a key battleground in the Nov. 6 presidential election.

The economy will be a dominant factor as voters weigh whether to grant Obama a second White House term, and he took the opportunity to remind Americans that congressional gridlock on legislation that might lift growth was hampering progress.

Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives return to Washington from recess to begin negotiating a compromise next week on a long-term highway transportation bill, which Obama's Democrats have framed as a job-creating measure.

The legislation would help fund major construction works, such as road, bridge and mass transit projects.

The Senate will also debate a bill to prevent interest rates doubling on student loans on July 1, which Obama said was an imperative in his remarks on Friday to high school students, teachers and parents.

"We'd welcome a focus on jobs from the president, but after 39 months of unemployment above 8 percent its clear he doesn't have many good solutions," said Brendan Buck, spokesman for House speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress.

Government data showed U.S. businesses slowed their pace of hiring in April to 115,000 new jobs, compared with forecasts for 170,000. Unemployment edged down a tenth of a percentage point to 8.1 percent, but this was partly because of the number of discouraged workers who left the labor force last month.

"There is still a lot of folks out of work, which means we've got to do more," Obama said.

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Comments

[disabailed2ru2]

08:53 AM on 05/05/2012

Congress doesn't have any common sence, that's why we are in this mess to many stupid republicans......

[MarcDel]

08:44 AM on 05/05/2012

Let's adopt the "common sense" ideas Mitt used in Mass to create jobs and lead the state from 37th to 47th in job creation. He never talks about his term as Governor where he cut education and job training to the point of upsetting the business community. Then he raised fees on everything while reducing taxes for the wealthy. If that's the common sense with no results we can expect we need uncommon sense

[comhunt]

08:39 AM on 05/05/2012

According to this CREEP........It was George Bush who created the economy that we are all suffering in today............and the American people elected Obama to see that the Congress fix it.............My or my........how STUPID the public has become.

[Bob Pante]

05:36 PM on 05/05/2012

Obama as had over 3 years fo fix it, instead he took the Pelosi & Reid recession and made it a depression. Grow up and stop blaming bush, it is the Obama economy now.

[rogiec123]

06:26 PM on 05/05/2012

You and I are on the wrong sight. I agree with you hole heartedly.

[richie37]

07:43 AM on 05/05/2012

all this man does is blame others for the fact that he has no idea what he's doing , he has not made things any better he has only made them worse with 5 trillion added to the debt and not to show for it

[comhunt]

08:40 AM on 05/05/2012

Correct.

[OurSaySo]

02:04 AM on 05/05/2012

From the article: ""We'd welcome a focus on jobs from the president, but after 39 months of unemployment above 8 percent its clear he doesn't have many good solutions," said Brendan Buck, spokesman for House speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress."

It beats the above 10% area that it made it to before President Obama's emergency measures stemmed the straight line increase from 4.9% in Apr 08 to 7.9% in Jan 09,
finally tapering mar/apr to top off at 10.1 in oct 2009.

[comhunt]

08:41 AM on 05/05/2012

The TRUE unemployment rate is 15%.

[OurSaySo]

04:08 AM on 05/06/2012

What was the TRUE unemployment rate of the previous administration?

[OurSaySo]

08:39 AM on 05/06/2012

What was the TRUE unemployment rate end of 2008, beginning of 2009?

[Its Common Sense]

09:39 PM on 05/04/2012

That Obama, with his absolute lack of anything but self-interest, would urge anyone to implement "common sense ideas" is laughable. It is clearly a cofession on Obama's part that he doesn't have a clue. More of his platitudes and "do what I say, not what I do" from the arrogant one. He's had his shot and has absolutely failed on every important issue - the economy, foreign policy, legislative initiatives, uniting the country, etc. If America wants to survive to hopefully thrive again some day, Obama must go.

[Andrea Blackwell]

01:20 AM on 05/05/2012

Where do you get this stuff from?
Obviously, he's too smart for your understanding.

[gibster1070]

08:42 PM on 05/04/2012

Common sense ideas? It's a shame you don't have any.

[TiaJo]

08:37 PM on 05/04/2012

Congress will respond with a lame temporary fix while trying to sneak in some underhanded legislation.

[Its Common Sense]

09:43 PM on 05/04/2012

Do you realize that a President has the ability to veto legislation? However, underhanded legislation is promoted by the current occupant of the White House.

[TiaJo]

10:24 PM on 05/04/2012

I do realize he has veto power. If you read my comment, I said Congress will respond with something lame with underhanded legislation attached, therefore presenting President Obama with a damned if he does sign it, damned if he doesn't sign it scenario. These are princely Republicons he's dealing with, they are mean, coniving and will do whatever it takes to take Obama down, We the People be damned.

[vandegrasse]

07:35 PM on 05/04/2012

Both Obama and Romney seem so clueless as to the needs of the American People.

[Nancy Q]

09:30 PM on 05/04/2012

The American People need to take care of their own needs. The government is not responsible for everyone's wants and needs!!!

[rebeccadh]

09:57 PM on 05/04/2012

So very true Nancy!!

[vandegrasse]

12:10 AM on 05/05/2012

Then get your_expensive cars off the public roads!

[Lance Javelin2]

07:08 PM on 05/04/2012

Obama should start using common sense like he said Congress should do, if he has any to use.

[Wayne Stuart]

05:14 PM on 05/04/2012

We cannot have anything that would help job growth - Not until Romney wins anyway. Then everything Obama wants to do will be a great idea. You know just like it was Romney's ideas that saved the auto industry.

[johnnyrock555]

06:47 PM on 05/04/2012

The difference is that Romney will actually get them done instead of running around the country making excuses for not.

[vandegrasse]

07:37 PM on 05/04/2012

So you say. Talk' s cheap!

[rimrock]

11:02 PM on 05/04/2012

Stupid! Stupid ! Stupid! That you are!!!

[smith65791]

04:32 PM on 05/04/2012

More federal intervention will get the economy going. More regulators, bigger gov't, and higher taxes to support our entitlement society. Capitalism is wicked, because to make a profit, you have to throw some under the bus. I propose free everthing for everybody. Let the more affluent pay for the weak individuals who do not have the capacity or desire to support themselves.

[tacevad]

08:05 PM on 05/04/2012

geez smith your post is a great example of the lack of any sense common or not.

[gibster1070]

08:44 PM on 05/04/2012

Who should pay for you?

[Nancy Q]

09:27 PM on 05/04/2012

NO-ONE!!! Everyone is responsible for themselves and their own!!!

[Trishann]

04:01 PM on 05/04/2012

Common sense from this group...good luck with that!

[SoapboxKing]

04:00 PM on 05/04/2012

What do you know about communication skills? Nothing.

[gibster1070]

08:45 PM on 05/04/2012

You completely mirrored the same sentence that you were pimping.

[Jeffrey L Mooney]

04:26 PM on 05/04/2012

It's common for republicans to have no sense.

[gibster1070]

08:45 PM on 05/04/2012

It's even more common for Dems to want our cents.

[Chazz280V]

03:54 PM on 05/04/2012

Sorry, but Common Sense isn't very common. Especially in Baggerville.