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President Obama visits Columbus

Published: Friday, June 18, 2010

Updated: Thursday, October 21, 2010 17:10

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President Barack Obama visited Columbus Friday for the first time in more than a year to kick off the 10,000th road project under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, touting the plan's benefits to the economies of Columbus and the nation. 

As more than 100 members of the media and the project's construction crew gathered in front of the Nationwide Children's Hospital, the president appeared from the corner of Parsons Avenue and Livingston Avenue.  

"When I was here last, America was losing over 700,000 jobs per month," Obama said, an enormous American flag hanging from the site's construction equipment as his back drop. "Our economy was shrinking, plants and businesses, right here in Ohio, were closing and we knew that if we failed to act then things were only going to get much worse."  

This project is a small part of the president's $862 million stimulus plan designed to reignite the country's economy. Congress passed the plan in February 2009 with the support of only three Republican Senators and no Republicans from the House of Representatives. 

Columbus is using its money from the Recovery Act to improve the roads in the hospital's surrounding areas. It is expected to create more than 2,300 new jobs from the construction of the roads to staffing the expansion of the hospital, according to the president. 

"Ultimately that's the purpose of the recovery act," Obama said. "Not just to jump start the economy and get us out of the hole that we are in right now, but to make the investment that will spur and spread prosperity to pay dividends to our communities for generations to come."  

While Obama acknowledged that the U.S. economy has begun to turn around, seeing an increase in jobs six out of the last seven months, he said it is still not anywhere near where it should be. 

"While recovery may start with a project like this, it can't end here," Obama said. "If we want to ensure that Americans compete with any nation in the world we're going to have to get serious about a long-term vision for this country and we are going to have to get serious about our infrastructure."  

The president said he was confident this project will help return Columbus to economic prosperity.  

"It is with that vision of a brighter future for this city and for the country that we begin this project," Obama said. "I am looking forward to seeing all that you achieve in the years and months to come."
Following his nearly 13-minute speech, the president, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and eight construction workers received a tour of the upcoming project.
The speech was not open to the public and was one of many stops that Obama will take this summer to promote the Recovery Act.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele reiterated the Republican's continuing dissatisfaction with the president's plan in a statement released on the GOP's website Friday saying the "PR tour" that the president is on does nothing for the economy but rather the people want to see progress. 

 

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10 comments

Anonymous
Sat Jun 19 2010 21:31
Anonymous, if you think this article is pro-Obama propaganda, you must be a clueless, paranoid, FOX News-watching Tea Party hack (and not to mention utterly incapable of deciphering what propaganda is).
WIlly Brown
Sat Jun 19 2010 15:42
How's that hopey and changey thing working for you Ohio? 10.7% Unemployment and the democrats have been in charge since 2007. In November change is coming.
Chad
Sat Jun 19 2010 11:26
Charlie,
NO Ohio Companies? Are you on drugs? I work for an engineering firm who has seen a large improvement because of these recovery program and I'm in Ohio (and an OSU grad).
Anonymous
Sat Jun 19 2010 09:39
and after this Obama went to see a baseball game? sounds like a complete waste of a day for the prez.
Anonymous
Sat Jun 19 2010 08:29
Below... sorry for the "peace" and Latern mistype as well as incorrect grammar, I am on my iPhone . I know better, but hit the wrong drop down for the typo spelling . Not a great excuse, but better than the ones Obama and The Lantern are dishing out.
Anonymous
Sat Jun 19 2010 08:18
What a bunch of PR BS. Your article is biased and propaganda for Obaman not reporting.. To make sure you build him up and then try to list the Democrats as the savors of our country , shameful! This bill has done very little to bolster anything but our children's debt. As for the increase in job, what a completely crazy claim. These are short term or actually temporary government jobs. Last month Obabma claimed great gains on unemployment. It was 440,000 job created. Well 420,000 were temporary jobs to work on the census. The month before most of the jobs created were for the same thing. They fire people monthly and rehire them to make the job creation look good. Your article is shameful ....why not do more to REALLy report the facts?

I am a graduate and large donor to the University and am embarrassed for us to have The latern as a mouth peace like this. Take note Gordon.... you just lost a ton of support not being fare to all. Freedom of the press is one thing, pure political propaganda is another!

Anonymous
Sat Jun 19 2010 06:55
Actually the first sentence does not appear to contain a factual error. The Dispatch notes that Obama was in Columbus at the Police Academy last year.
jingo go go
Sat Jun 19 2010 02:16
The Headlines Say it All:
Obama Ohio trip cost 'between $500K and $1 million', he only Spoke for 10 minutes...

Presidential Visit = Lost Payday for Construction Workers...

Obama's Spill Recovery Chief Will Only Work Part Time...

NOONAN: A Snakebit President...

ZUCKERMAN: World Sees Obama as Incompetent, Amateur...

DER SPIEGEL: Will Obama Be the 'Jimmy Carter of the 21st Century'?

Approval Falls to Another New Low: 41%...

Anonymous
Sat Jun 19 2010 01:57
First sentance has a factual error: The President was in Columbus this March at the Columbus Police Academy.
Charlie Smith
Sat Jun 19 2010 00:55
OSU grads are still without jobs. All out of state companies have gotten awards for the Recovery Project. No Ohio company benefited out of this Recovery Projects.






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