In 1910, “new nationalism” was the call of President Theodore Roosevelt as he struggled to unite the Republican Party in a push for curbs on the power of the private sector. According to CNN, it was in this spirit that President Barack Obama addressed his audience in a Kansas high school as he called for measures intended to counteract economic inequality.
“I’m here to reaffirm my deep conviction that we are greater together than we are on our own,” Obama said, channeling the former president.
Denouncing Republicans for their “fend for yourself” attitude, the president attempted to paint himself as a champion of the middle class who would continue to work to provide equal opportunity for all Americans.
“It’s not a view that we should somehow turn back technology or put up walls around American,” Obama said. “It’s not a view that says we should punish profit or success or pretend that government knows how to fix all society’s problems. It’s a view that says in America, we are greater together—when everyone engages in fair play, everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share.”
In that vein, Obama again urged congressional Republicans to extend the payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the year. Doing so would save the middle class a significant amount of money in hard economic times, he said. The president also promised new legislation that would seek to hold corporations responsible after receiving tax-funded bailouts.
If the payroll tax cut is extended, a family on an income of $50,000 would continue to pay about $1,000 less in payroll taxes in the following year, CNN said. Although Republican leaders have expressed support for the idea, the two parties have failed to come to an agreement over how to fund it. Democrats favor a surtax on income over $1 million, while Republicans are opposed to a tax increase on any economic demographic.
