(Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s use of a rare joint session of Congress to deliver a jobs speech on Thursday reflects a political strategy to try to blame Republicans for an economy at risk of sliding back into recession.
The choice of venue — the Republican-controlled House of Representatives — is aimed at sending a clear message to voters that if his plan to reduce high unemployment is blocked by Congress, it is Republicans and not the White House standing in the way of job growth.
With unemployment stubbornly high and most Americans unhappy with his handling of the economy, Obama’s speech is part of a 2012 election strategy to shift some of the blame for the struggling economy onto Congress and to portray it as obstructionist.
“It’s very important for the president to invoke Congress from the very beginning of this round in the jobs debate,” said Jared Bernstein, chief economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden until April 2011.
“Because if Congress in general, and the House Republicans in particular, block his agenda, he needs to be able to explain to the American people who’s standing between them, their jobs, their paychecks and economic opportunities.”
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