Republicans Say Obama's Visit Not Helpful
LANSING (WWJ/AP) - State and national Republican leaders say President Barack Obama's visit to a southwestern Michigan advanced battery-making plant shows he's more concerned about campaigning than solving economic problems.
Michigan GOP Chairman Bobby Schostak said Thursday in a conference call that the Obama administration has been "passing out government checks" with taxpayer's money, and that's "not the solution that people are looking for."
"Michigan has lost 50,000 jobs since Obama was sworn into office," said Schostak. "Out unemployment is at 10-and-a-half percent and getting worse not better," he said.
Johnson Controls Inc., the Holland-based energy company that owns the plant welcoming Obama on Thursday, has received a $3 million federal grant and expects to create 150 jobs in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Obama: There's Something Wrong With American Politics
Obama calls them "jobs of the future" and says the U.S. should lead the way in developing energy sources that pollute less.
While the White House says his visit will highlight the administration's effort to promote cutting edge industries, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus says Michigan hasn't been helped at all by Capitol Hill.
"President Obama and his extreme policies have been a complete and utter disaster for Michigan and this county," adding that it seems to him like the President is working harder to keep his own job in 2012.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
