JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – President Barack Obama spoke to about 200 people at a Westside battery manufacturing plant Friday afternoon, showcasing the continuing recovering of America's economy since he took office just over seven years ago.
"The reason I am here today is because Saft is telling a story about the amazing work that people all across this country have done to bring America back from one worst financial crisis in our history," Obama said. "This was an example of the fruits of the investments we’ve made, jobs being created right here in Florida.”
President Barack Obama says anyone who says the U.S. isn't better off than it was seven years ago isn't telling the truth.
"You don't hear a lot about this from the folks who are on the campaign trail," Obama said. "Anybody who says we are not absolutely better off today than we were just seven years ago, they're not leveling with you, they're not telling the truth."
Obama's victory lap on the economy included the Jacksonville stop, where he promoted the benefits of the $760 billion economic stimulus bill he signed shortly after taking office seven years ago. Obama says the United States has benefited because his administration put "smart policies" in place.
"By almost every economic measure, we are significantly better off," he said.
Saft America, which makes lithium-ion batteries, received a $95.5 million federal grant in 2009. The factory no employs about 300 people in the Jacksonville area, including veterans, according to the administration.
About 90 minutes earlier, the president landed at Cecil Airport about 12:20 p.m. Jacksonville. U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and Palm Beach U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, came off the plane with the president. NAS Jacksonville commander, Capt. Howard Wanamaker, greeted the president as he got off Air Force One. About 100 members of the military and community were on hand to watch, and Obama walked up to shake hands and take pictures with many of them.
"It was amazing," Tashi Marin said. "I shook the president of the United State’s hand. His hand is really soft and I didn’t think I was actually going to get a chance to get that close to him, but I did.”
Just over an hour later, after a behind-the-scenes tour of the Saft America battery plant, Obama spoke for just over 20 minutes to about 200 employees and some invited guests.
He opened with, "It's great to be in Florida on a Friday afternoon," Obama quickly turned serious to offer condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured a Kansas workplace shooting Thursday night.
"These acts may not dominate the news today, but these are two more communities in America torn apart by grief. I thought it was important for me to say something today because otherwise these sorts of shootings become routine," Obama said. "We cannot become numb to this."
Obama's receptive audience
In addition to Saft employees, business leaders were in the audience. There were mainly Democrats, but some Republicans were scattered throughout the crowd. Everyone News4Jax talked to said they were glad to be here.
Military veteran Jamie Vasquez, a Saft employee, was chosen to introduce the president.
"This was a once in a lifetime," Vasquez said. "You can’t pay for things like this."
Saft's general manager said he was honored by Obama's face-to-face visit and vote of confidence.
”Frankly this is a huge morale boost for being recognized for doing something interesting and important and a positive thing for us to get recognition for."
Twelve-year-old Shariah Brown was invited to attend because she had written to President Obama after hearing something at school.
"I just wanted to let him know how much I appreciated him, and what he's been doing for the country," Shariah said. "I hurt when I heard at school about people criticizing him, so I thought I would send him a letter to let him know there are people out there who appreciate what he does."
What she got in return was a phone call from the White House.
"I was estatic; I was really surprised," Shariah said. "I was just expect maybe a thank you. ... I wasn't expecting anything big like this."
Among the others on hand were dignitaries and party leaders who had a chance to shake hands with the president. Audrey Moran, the new head of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, was able to share a unique moment with him: It seems they both worked at a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop when they were young.
"He said, 'Wow, I bet you were a better employee than me.' He said, 'I didn't show up for my shift one day because I had a girl waiting for me outside.' And I proceeded to tell him we used to sneak into the store late at night and make hot fudge sundaes. He laughed and basically said we are the same person."
Political reaction to Saft visit
Reacting to Obama's remarks Friday about the turnaround of the economy, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., argued that Obama's policies have led to one of the slowest economic recoveries in U.S. history. Among those policies is the Recovery Act, the $760 billion economic stimulus bill Obama pushed through Congress with scant Republican support just weeks after he took office seven years ago in an attempt to halt the worst economic downturn in generations.
"The results speak for themselves," Ryan's office said in a statement. "Stagnant wages, weak job growth, millions of Americans still unemployed and millions more living in poverty." The statement said: "These are not signs of economic recovery; they are signs of a weak economy held back by the federal government."
Money from the Recovery Act was spent on transportation infrastructure, clean energy and other public investments. Obama also used the money to cut taxes for middle-class and working families, provide businesses with tax relief and provide assistance to financially strapped states.
Despite some high-profile failures on the clean energy front, the administration sees spending on the industry as a bright spot of the stimulus.
"We made the largest investment in clean energy in our history," Obama said. "We invested in solar power. We invested in wind power, geothermal power. We gave seed money to entrepreneurs and businesses."