Obama makes sales pitch for jobs bill in key House Republican's district
UPDATED 12:42 p.m. ET
President Barack Obama on Friday made his first sales pitch for passing the $447 billion jobs bill unveiled Thursday night in the district of one of his chief political opponents.
"I want you to tell your congressperson the time for gridlock and games is over," Mr. Obama said in remarks at the University of Richmond, "pass this bill."
"You have every right to be frustrated here in Virginia. Here in Richmond, people don't have time for political concerns. People have real life concerns," Mr. Obama said.
House Republican Leader Eric Cantor represents Richmond, Virginia.
On Thursday night, Mr. Obama unveiled his vision for creating jobs and lowering the 9.1 percent unemployment rate, including a continuation and expansion of a payroll tax cut, investment in infrastructure spending and measures aimed at helping the long-term unemployed. Mr. Obama said the costs would be paid for through cuts elsewhere, though he did not outline precisely how.The speech to Congress was a more aggressive tone than he has taken in the past, daring Republicans to oppose him on the bill and urging Congress to "pass this bill" about 16 times in just over half an hour.
Mr. Obama called on Congress to extend a payroll tax cut that is expected to expire at the end of the year. He noted that many Republicans have signed a pledge not to raise taxes on any Americans.
"You can't make an exception when the tax break is going to middle class people," Mr. Obama said, referring to Republican opposition to extending the payroll tax cut.
Cantor earlier this week signaled that he may be willing to agree to an extension of the payroll tax cut.
"As Majority Leader, I'd like to see us peel off the things that we can agree on together and put those in motion across the board as soon as possible so that we can deliver results for the people that put us here so we can see an economy start to grow again and people get back to work," Cantor told CBS News Thursday after Mr. Obama's speech.