WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, in a preview of his annual State of the Union address, said on Saturday he would use the speech to make a call for bipartisan action to lift U.S. growth and create more jobs.
'My number one focus is going to be making sure that we are competitive, that we are growing, and we are creating jobs not just now but well into the future,' he said in a video e-mailed
to members of his Organizing for America grassroots movement.
The State of the Union address, which Obama will deliver to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening, is a roadmap for the president's policy priorities for the coming year that will shape his re-election prospects for 2012.
With U.S. unemployment still stuck above 9 percent, Obama said deficits and debt must be dealt with in a 'responsible way,' acknowledging the need to cut spending without undermining the country's gradual economic recovery.
'We're up to it, as long as we come together as a people - Republicans, Democrats, Independents - as long as we focus on what binds us together as a people,' the president said.
(Reporting by Alister Bull, editing by Paul Simao; email: alister.bull@thomsonreuters.com)
Keywords: OBAMA SPEECH/VIDEO
COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
'My number one focus is going to be making sure that we are competitive, that we are growing, and we are creating jobs not just now but well into the future,' he said in a video e-mailed
to members of his Organizing for America grassroots movement.
The State of the Union address, which Obama will deliver to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening, is a roadmap for the president's policy priorities for the coming year that will shape his re-election prospects for 2012.
With U.S. unemployment still stuck above 9 percent, Obama said deficits and debt must be dealt with in a 'responsible way,' acknowledging the need to cut spending without undermining the country's gradual economic recovery.
'We're up to it, as long as we come together as a people - Republicans, Democrats, Independents - as long as we focus on what binds us together as a people,' the president said.
(Reporting by Alister Bull, editing by Paul Simao; email: alister.bull@thomsonreuters.com)
Keywords: OBAMA SPEECH/VIDEO
COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.