Obama to Rule by Executive Action, Bully Pulpit

In what President Obama referred to as a “year of action,” he promises to make 2014 a time to rally the nation around his economic agenda. Lately, the White House has been emphasizing that Obama will combine executive action and the bully pulpit in a “pen and phone strategy” to attain his economic goals.

On Thursday, the President said, in a conference at the White House, that he is determined to  circumvent any congressional gridlock, “Where Congress isn’t acting, I’ll act on my own to put opportunity within reach for anyone who’s willing to work for it.” Obama referred to a recent event in North Carolina where he announced a new federal program that will allocate $70 million of taxpayer money for a public-private manufacturing institute as evidence of how he could act alone to spur economic activity.

“It’s a partnership between companies, colleges, and the federal government focused on making sure American businesses and American workers win the race for high-tech manufacturing and the jobs that come with it – jobs that can help people and communities willing to work hard punch their ticket into the middle class,” Obama said.

On Tuesday, Obama told his cabinet that he would be using “all the tools available to us, not just legislation, in order to advance” his economic priorities. The President did mention that there may be some areas in which congress may be included in his plans, “I want to work with Congress this year on proven ways to create jobs, like building infrastructure and fixing our broken immigration system,” he remarked.