--Obama says jobs plan could help U.S. recovery take off--LinkedIn CEO praises Obama's jobs plan
(Updates with comments from President Obama beginning in the 7th paragraph.)
By Jared A. Favole
President Barack Obama on Monday said at a town hall hosted by LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD) that his jobs plan could have enough "ripple effects" to launch an economic recovery as he tried to soothe people struggling to find work.
Obama, citing statistics by independent economists, said his American Jobs Act could create about 1.9 million jobs and add about 2% to the nation's gross domestic product. "That is the kind of big, significant move in the economy that could have ripple effects and help the recovery take off," he said.
He also said his plan wouldn't solve all of the country's economic problems, particularly the housing market.
Obama was speaking at an event in Mountain View, Calif., hosted by LinkedIn, a social-networking website for professionals. He fielded questions on Social Security, health care, taxes and jobs.
While most of the people expressed worry about the country's economic future, the president did receive some praise. LinkedIn Chief Executive Jeff Weiner said President Obama was leading the way with his jobs plan, called the American Jobs Act.
One light-hearted moment during the one hour town hall came when a former Google Inc. (GOOG) executive asked "would you please raise my taxes?" The man, Doug Edwards, played into Obama's hand. The president has been seeking to raise taxes on the wealthy to help pay for his jobs plan. Republicans, and some Democrats, have balked at the idea, saying raising taxes during a recovery will hurt the economy.
"I appreciate the fact that you recognize we're in this thing together," the president said. "We're not on our own. And those of us who have been successful, we've always got to remember that."
Edwards, who used to handle marketing at the search engine, said he has a lot of friends who would also like the president to raise their taxes.
One questioner said he was recently laid off after 22 years in information technology management, and wanted to know what words of encouragement the president has for those out of work.
"You've got skills, you've got experience, you've got a track record of success. Right now your challenge is not you, it's the economy as a whole," Obama said. The president detailed how political unrest in the Middle East and the European debt crisis are affecting the job market. He also said America wasn't the only country where citizens are having trouble finding work.
"The point is, is that economies all around the world are not growing as fast as they need to. And since the world's really interconnected, that affects us as well," he said.
The White House pitched the president's town hall as a chance for him to connect with professionals and other people who have jobs on their minds. LinkedIn has 120 million members worldwide, Weiner said.
The president began the town hall by saying he wanted to learn ways the government can help spark innovation and get people ready to enter the workforce. "How can we prepare our workforce to be able to plug into this new economy?" the president asked.
The event comes during the president's tour of the West Coast, where in addition to holding "town halls" on the economy he is raising money for his re-election campaign. He has taken a more partisan tone in recent days, calling out Republicans by name and saying their vision for the government will "fundamentally cripple America."
The president is trying to garner support for his $447 billion jobs plan and has urged Americans to back the measure and pressure Congress to pass it. But Republicans, and some Democrats, are against raising taxes while the economy is still recovering from a recession.
Obama said Sunday he is willing to work with Republicans "but these games have to stop."
He also said, "And given how high unemployment is right now, we've got to act. We can't just be engaged in the usual partisan bickering here in Washington."
Congress was scheduled to be on a recess this week, but lawmakers haven't solved a dispute over spending that could cause the government to partially shut down at the end of the week.
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