On Wednesday, President Obama laid out his first budget of his second term, sending Congress a proposal aimed at ending the standoff over the national debt. "What this budget shows is your budget has to reflect your economic strategy and that has to be a strategy that hits the sweet spot for jobs and growth," Gene Sperling, President Obama's assistant for economic policy, said on Wednesday's show.
The proposal includes new spending for infrastructure and education. "Building new roads and bridges, educating our children from the youngest ages, helping more families afford college, making sure hard work pays: these are things that should not be partisan, should not be controversial," President Obama said. "My budget makes these investments to grow our economy and create jobs and it does so without adding a dime to our deficit."
Now the president must see how Speaker John Boehner reacts. The president "has come really more than halfway and is willing to keep that offer [of spending cuts] on the table even though it is not his ideal proposal," Sperling said. The most important thing at this point, Sperling said, is to "help create jobs and get this recovery moving."
As he has done on gun control, the president will be trying to rally public opinion to keep the process from stalling. Obama "is going to be looking everyday in every way for that caucus of common sense that wants to help move our country forward," Sperling said.