Obama Visits Virginia; State Democrats Not So Chummy
As President Barack Obama’s bus tour promoting his jobs bill enters Virginia, Democratic elected officials up for re-election are distancing themselves from the president.
In a recent campaign ad, Democratic state Senator George Barker of northern Virginia has been touting his success working alongside Republicans in Richmond.
Last week, southern Virginia Democratic Delegate Ward Armstrong, who serves as House Minority Leader in the General Assembly, has stressed his conservative views in a television ad as well.
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In an interview with The Christian Post, communications director for the Virginia Republican Party, Garren Shipley, said he did not believe Democratic candidates who do this will win.
“For years, these guys have been pursuing the same policies as Obama – higher taxes, more spending. They think the solution to every problem is bigger government. Now that Governor McDonnell has a 70-percent approval rating, they're trying to cling to him and flee from Obama,” said Shipley.
“The issues haven't changed. People are very frustrated with the president, his liberal agenda and his lack of leadership on the economy.”
Since announcing before Congress the details of the American Jobs Act to revive the economy, Obama has been touring the country promoting the merits of the bill.
“Independent economists say that this jobs bill would give the economy a jumpstart and lead to nearly two million new jobs,” said Obama in his weekly address last Saturday.
“The majority of the American people support the proposals in this jobs bill. And they want action from their elected leaders to create jobs and restore some security for the middle class right now.”
According to a White House Fact Sheet, if enacted, the jobs bill would give tax cuts and credits for small businesses that hire and payroll tax cuts for millions of workers.
The bill would also provide for state hiring programs, add new science labs and wireless Internet to thousands of public schools, and would aid efforts to hire veterans.
Obama’s proposal comes off the heels of a September Gallup poll in which unemployment was seen as the most important problem in America, whose national unemployment rate remains around 9 percent.
Obama’s bus tour began in North Carolina on Monday, where he spoke at Millers Creek and Asheville Regional Airport. Obama will speak at three stops in Virginia, one today and two on Wednesday.
In the 2008 presidential election, both North Carolina and Virginia supported Barack Obama after decades of backing Republican candidates.
