WASHINGTON - President Obama will unveil a "broader package" of small business tax breaks next week in hopes of resurrecting the ever-sluggish economy.
In brief Rose Garden remarks Friday, Obama acknowledged the 67,000 new jobs created in August is "positive news ... [but] not nearly good enough."
"We're moving in the right direction. We just have to speed it up," Obama said.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that a temporary freeze on payroll tax payments by small businesses is among several ideas being mulled by Obama strategists to jump-start an unexpectedly wheezy recovery.
Billions of dollars in tax breaks reportedly being considered by Obama also include a permanent extension of research-and-development tax credits.
White House officials insist any such measures don't constitute a second budget-busting stimulus package.
There's no secret nervous Democratic political strategists believe Obama's vaunted "recovery summer" was a bust, and are clamoring for more stimulus programs to help beleaguered Democrats in the midterm elections only nine weeks away.
"There are better days ahead," Obama said, once again demanding Senate Republicans drop their opposition to a stalled bill offering various tax incentives for small businesses to start hiring.
Despite the positive job-creation numbers, the unemployment rate inched up to 9.6% as more Americans entered the labor force.
"As I've said from the start, there's no quick fix to the worst recession we've experienced since the Great Depression," Obama cautioned.
As the First Family left Washington to celebrate the Labor Day weekend at Camp David, meanwhile, a new poll showed Obama received a modest uptick in his approval rating after Tuesday's prime-time address on the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq.
The CNN/Opinion Research survey found 50% of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing, with 49% disapproving. That's a three-point rise since early August, and the first time Obama has been at 50% since mid-June.
At the same time, respondents think he's doing a poor job of handling the economy by a 59%-40% margin, two points worse than last month
In brief Rose Garden remarks Friday, Obama acknowledged the 67,000 new jobs created in August is "positive news ... [but] not nearly good enough."
"We're moving in the right direction. We just have to speed it up," Obama said.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that a temporary freeze on payroll tax payments by small businesses is among several ideas being mulled by Obama strategists to jump-start an unexpectedly wheezy recovery.
Billions of dollars in tax breaks reportedly being considered by Obama also include a permanent extension of research-and-development tax credits.
White House officials insist any such measures don't constitute a second budget-busting stimulus package.
There's no secret nervous Democratic political strategists believe Obama's vaunted "recovery summer" was a bust, and are clamoring for more stimulus programs to help beleaguered Democrats in the midterm elections only nine weeks away.
"There are better days ahead," Obama said, once again demanding Senate Republicans drop their opposition to a stalled bill offering various tax incentives for small businesses to start hiring.
Despite the positive job-creation numbers, the unemployment rate inched up to 9.6% as more Americans entered the labor force.
"As I've said from the start, there's no quick fix to the worst recession we've experienced since the Great Depression," Obama cautioned.
As the First Family left Washington to celebrate the Labor Day weekend at Camp David, meanwhile, a new poll showed Obama received a modest uptick in his approval rating after Tuesday's prime-time address on the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq.
The CNN/Opinion Research survey found 50% of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing, with 49% disapproving. That's a three-point rise since early August, and the first time Obama has been at 50% since mid-June.
At the same time, respondents think he's doing a poor job of handling the economy by a 59%-40% margin, two points worse than last month
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