Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:02 pm
In a trip to Elkhart, Indiana on Wednesday, President Obama took a victory lap for the country’s economic turnaround during his two terms as president.
The first time Obama visited Elkhart was three weeks into his presidency when the unemployment rate in the Indiana city stood at a staggering 19.6 percent. Today, the city’s jobless rate is around 4 percent – below the national rate of 5 percent and lower than the town’s pre-recession average.
Despite Republican attempts to paint his presidency as a failure, the economic indicators are clear – millions of jobs added, real weekly earnings up, stock market soaring and the number of uninsured Americans at record lows. Places like Elkhart are shining examples of just how far the country has come back under the 44th president’s leadership.
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“The primary story that Republicans have been telling about the economy is not supported by the facts. It’s just not,†Obama said during his visit.
Of course, the outgoing president couldn’t resist commenting on the current campaign for the White House and took a not-so-subtle jab at presumptive GOP Republican nominee and skilled con man Donald Trump.
“When I hear working families thinking about voting for those plans, then I want to have an intervention,” Obama told the Indiana crowd. “The notion that you would vote for anybody who would now allow them to go back to doing the same stuff that almost broke our economy’s back makes no sense.”
“I don’t care whether you are a Republican, or a Democrat or an independent, why would you do that?”
Obama told the crowd that if the election comes down to which party is better for the economy, the choice shouldn’t be so difficult.
“If what you really care about in this election is your pocketbook; if what you’re concerned about is who will look out for the interests of working people and grow the middle class, then the debate isn’t even close,” the president said.
Obama’s remarks come as his approval ratings continue to rise and the Democratic primary race is winding down. While the president has yet to officially endorse either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, it’s clear he is ready to hit the campaign trail to unite Democrats and take on Donald Trump.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
