President Barack Obama, delivering his third State of the Union speech, offered an election-year blueprint for how he would improve the economy and create jobs in his second term.
He should have spent more time focused on jobs from the start of his administration.
Obama sounded populist themes, invoking the word "job" or "jobs" no fewer than 42 times in a speech that lasted more than an hour, urging more manufacturing, particularly in high tech and energy.
The president called for "an America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs," and "an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values."
He asked Congress for a tax code overhaul that would require more payments from the very rich, would penalize employers who ship jobs overseas and would provide incentives to businesses that bring jobs back to the United States.
By calling for higher taxes on the very wealthy, the president aimed a salvo at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Romney released his 2010 tax return on Tuesday, showing he paid taxes at a rate of only 13.9 percent on income of $21.7 million.
Obama and everyone listening in the House chamber understand that there is little chance he will be able to accomplish his goal of overhauling tax law in a year when Republicans see an opportunity to hold onto the House, take control of the U.S. Senate and win the White House.
Obama's hopeful rhetoric on jobs also runs counter to what has become a reality: Many factory jobs, particularly in the electronics industry, will not return.
In California, the 1.24 million manufacturing jobs represent 8 percent of the total nonfarm jobs. Twenty years ago, there were almost 1.8 million manufacturing jobs in this state, representing 14 percent of the total nonfarm jobs.
No doubt, changes in tax policy could help boost manufacturing somewhat. But the decline of manufacturing in this country has many causes, including inexpensive labor in developing nations, improved technology and subsidies offered by other governments.
To create a skilled workforce, the president said, states ought to require high school students to graduate, though what the feds could do to prevent dropouts is not at all clear.
He demanded that universities limit tuition increases, and urged more attention to community colleges as a center for educating a skilled workforce. Those goals are nice, but it's not clear what the feds can do to cap tuition or help community colleges.
The president piled many topics into the lengthy speech. He called for more offshore oil exploration, though the plan lacked specifics, such as whether he has the California coast in mind.
Oddly, more than three years after the financial collapse, Obama announced Attorney General Eric Holder is creating a special unit of federal and state prosecutors to expand investigations into the housing crisis. That might have been impressive if he had announced it in 2009.
Obama did take on big issues during his first term, notably health care reform. Importantly, he pushed through the auto industry bailout and adopted what in many ways has been a forward-looking energy policy.
But his third State of the Union speech made clear how much he didn't get done. He provided a vision for a second term. Much of it would be welcome, if he gets the opportunity.
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