Pirate's Cove

Question: what happens when a POTUS who is economically illiterate heads to a state that is doing much better than the United States as a whole? He asks how they’re doing it? Brother, you forget who’s (unfortunately) POTUS

(Politico) President Barack Obama doesn’t have that much to show for the first four months of his second term. His outside game failed to prod Congress on gun control or the sequester. His inside game is a work in progress.

So the president traveled to Texas Thursday to talk about the one area where things do seem to be working for him right now: jobs.

And what did he do? He brought the Neverending Campaign instead of listening to Those Who Do. And, yup, more complaints about Republicans, who, darn it all, are blocking his wonderful ideas written on cocktail napkins that would fix everything, just like when Democrats controlled the House and pissed away what will easily be over a trillion dollars (with the interest) with Stimulus. Plus all the other spending. Which got us nowhere.

But even the president’s jobs message comes with a qualifier. He describes an improving jobs outlook — but insists the recovery is being hamstrung by Republican intransigence on the sequester. That means he’s juggling competing approaches, as he publicly asks the American people to “lean on” on members of Congress — the same members of Congress he’s been privately schmoozing over dinner and golf.

Has anyone noticed that the slight progress America is making can be traced to Republicans blocking Democrat economic policies?

Anyhow, he spoke at a high school, because we all know that the economy runs due to high school kids, and a tech company, where he spoke and failed to listen or truly solicit ideas.

He also pushed for a $9 minimum wage. And Governor Rick Perry met him, and drafted a checklist for Obama on Facebook (via Washington Examiner)

Welcome to the Lone Star State, Mr. President.

Because your visit is focused on the economy, we’d like to share how we’re creating jobs and opportunity in Texas. Here is a handy checklist for you to take back to Washington:

Low taxes
Lawsuit abuse reform
Predictable and effective regulations
Balanced budgets
Accountable schools and a competitive workforce

The Texas Model works:

• While the U.S. lost 2.5 million net jobs over the last five years, Texas created 530,000 net new jobs.
• Over the last 10 years, Texas created 33 percent of the net new jobs nationwide.
• Texas has been the top exporting state in the nation for 11 straight years.
• Texas is ranked #1 on CNBC’s 2012 Top States for Business list.

And just this week, Chief Executive magazine ranked Texas the best state to do business for the ninth year in a row, and Site Selection Magazine ranked us the most competitive state in 2012. Mr. President, the Texas Success Story can be the American Success Story.

Surprisingly, Obama did not attend a fundraiser. However, the real point of his trip, and the trip a few weeks ago, is to attempt to swing Texas Democrat.