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Obama, State Governors Discuss US Economy

   Kent Klein | White House  February 26, 2011
   Democratic  governors  after White House meeting with President Barack
   Obama, February 25, 2011

Photo: VOA - D. Robinson

   Democratic  governors  after White House meeting with President Barack
   Obama, February 25, 2011

   President  Barack  Obama  met with a group of state governors from his
   Democratic  Party on Friday, to discuss ways to boost the U.S. economy
   and  deal  with  state  budget crises. The governors said they did not
   talk  about  the  ongoing  budget  furor in the north central state of
   Wisconsin.
   President  Obama  and  Vice  President Joe Biden hosted the Democratic
   governors,  as their Republican counterparts prepared to join them for
   this weekendâs annual meeting of the National Governors Association.
   This  yearâs  gathering  of the leaders of the 50 states could be more
   contentious than usual. Â
   Obama  has  blasted  efforts by Wisconsinâs Republican governor to cut
   the  state  budget  by  limiting  state  workersâ rights to collective
   bargaining as an "assault" on labor unions.
   And  Republican  governors  and  state legislators have been trying to
   block  some  or  all  of  Obamaâs  health  care reform law from taking
   effect.
   After  Fridayâs  meeting,  Democratic  Governor  Jack  Markell, of the
   Eastern  state  of  Delaware,  said  the  president  and the governors
   concentrated on ways to reduce unemployment.
   "I  can  tell  you, in my conversations back at home, I have not had a
   single business person say to me that they want the federal government
   refighting  the  fights of the last two years about health care," said
   Markell. "What they want us focused on is, âWhat are we going to do to
   create jobs?"
   The  Democratic  governors  said  Obama  had  asked  them to meet with
   business leaders in their states before coming to the White House, and
   relay their suggestions to him.
   Fridayâs meeting took place as the Wisconsin state assembly considered
   legislation  to  reduce  the  collective  bargaining  rights of public
   employees.  The  legislation,  proposed  by  Republican Governor Scott
   Walker,  has  led  to  more than a week of demonstrations in the state
   capital, Madison.  Similar controversies are brewing in other central
   states.
   At the White House, Martin OâMalley, of the Eastern state of Maryland,
   said  he  and his fellow Democratic governors ignored the situation in
   Wisconsin  when  meeting  with  the president. "I think most of us see
   that  as  a  distraction, really, from the most important work that we
   can do, which is creating jobs."
   White  House spokesman Jay Carney addressed the state budget crises at
   Fridayâs  press  briefing,  saying only that bipartisan cooperation is
   vital.
   "Everybody  needs to tighten their belts. Everybody needs to sacrifice
   and  work  together  to  bring  state  budgets  into balance, to bring
   stability  to  the fiscal situations in the states, much as we need to
   work together at the federal level."
   Obama will host all the governors at a formal dinner Sunday night, and
   will meet with them on Monday.

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