According to political reporter Salena Zito, today's economic speeches by Barack Obama represent the 19th "pivot" for the president:
My unofficial count has this Obama "pivot on jobs" speech his 19th "pivot" since taking office. Today he will blame Washington & Republicans
— SalenaZito (@SalenaZitoTrib) July 24, 2013
Chuck Todd tried to coin a phrase "this pivot to the economy," by calling it "Déjà Pivot":
“This speech, this pivot – pivot to the economy, again it’s like déjà pivot I have when it comes to the economy. But it seems like they really are signaling they are going to have a campaign approach to this fight with congress when it comes to the debt ceiling, when it comes to sequestration 2.0. All of the decisions coming to a head in the fall, they’re basically saying, hey, we’re going to travel the country.” THE WASHINGTON POST’S DAN BALZ: “Well, they learned that lesson in 2011 during the debt ceiling debacle, which was playing out at this point two years ago. When that collapsed and turned into such a mess, they pivoted away as we all know and went into campaign mode in the fall. And as you remember, he put the Jobs Act forward right after Labor Day in 2011 mostly as a campaign effort. And I think what we're going to see is very similar. But I think that the real question is what does he really have to say at this point? Is he simply trying to do it for politics? Perhaps. But that begs the question of what do you do about a sticky unemployment rate, middle class families that are struggling. There’s a lot that he has to deal with,” said Todd, previewing today's speeches.
The Republican National Committee emailed this list of Obama's previous "pivots" yesterday (which adds up to 14 times, but only goes back to January 2011, two years after Obama became president):
JANUARY 2011: “The White House Has Quickly Pivoted To Jobs After The President’s State Of The Union.” “Turning to domestic politics, the White House has quickly pivoted to jobs after the president’s State of the Union -- even if it’s being overshadowed by the situation in Egypt.” (Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg, “First Thoughts: Balancing Act,” NBC News’ First Read,1/31/11)
APRIL 2011: “Obama’s Day: Turning Back To Jobs … President Obama Returns Today To What He Calls His Top Priority: Jobs.”“Though his presidential hours have been crowded by Libya, Japan and other foreign policy challenges, President Obama returns today to what he calls his top priority: jobs.” (David Jackson, “Obama’s Day: Turning Back To Jobs,” USA Today, 4/1/11)
AUGUST 2011: “OBAMA AND SENATE DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS” “OBAMA AND SENATE DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS: Senate Democrats hope they now have ‘checked the box’ on debt reduction and can move to an agenda focused on job creation and economic growth, through a combination of spending and tax cuts.” (Mike Allen, “DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS: Transportation, Infrastructure, Tax Breaks On Fall Agenda,” Politico’s "Playbook", 8/2/11)
AUGUST 2011: The Huffington Post Headline: “Obama’s Jobs Pivot” (Joe Peyronnin, “Obama’s Jobs Pivot,” The Huffington Post, 8/2/11)
AUGUST 2011: National Public Radio Headline: “Obama, Democrats ‘Pivot’ To Jobs But May Be Hamstrung” (Frank James, “Obama, Democrats ‘Pivot’ To Jobs But May Be Hamstrung,” National Public Radio, 8/3/11)
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