Obamas Juggle Dating, Family, And Fixing The Economy
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs today laid out a packed schedule for the new president and his family during a press briefing.
In order to drum up support for his stimulus package, President Obama will take his show on the road. Plans call for the president to visit two cities that have been particularly hard hit by the recession.
On Monday and Tuesday, Mr. Obama will host town hall meetings in Elkhart, Ind. and Fort Myers, Fla., to explain how his economic recovery plan will put Americans back to work.
Indiana's Elkhart-Goshen has an unemployment rate of 15.3 percent and Florida's Fort Myers is burdened with an unemployment rate of 10 percent.
Though these areas have felt the economic downturn intensely, new data released today indicated that the U.S. is in the midst of a prolonged and painful recession.
According to a report by the Labor Department, 598,000 jobs were cut in January, the most since the end of 1974, and the unemployment rate jumped to 7.6 percent.
Though the economic outlook continues to be bleak and the stimulus package remains a lighting rod for critics, the Obamas will carve out time for more light-hearted pursuits.
Friday night means date night for the first couple. The Obamas will take in a sold-out performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from the best seats in the Kennedy Center – the president's box.
Friday date nights are something of a tradition in the Obama household. But the weekend will be filled with activities for the entire family too.
The White House announced that Mr. Obama and his family will make their first visit to Camp David. Gibbs said the Obamas will leave Saturday for the country estate in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. The family is expected to return on Sunday.
The weather should be nice: As the Associated Press notes, temperatures in the Washington area this weekend are expected to hit the mid-50s.