February 17, 2012 in City

Obama visits Boeing plant in Everett

By Ken Thomas Associated Press

Elaine Thompson photo

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire goes to kiss President Barack Obama upon his arrival at Paine Field, in Everett, Wash. , Friday, Feb. 17, 2012.
(Full-size photo)

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday called for more steps to help U.S. companies compete overseas, standing in front of an enormous Boeing Dreamliner to summon a bright future for American manufacturing and exports.

Visiting a Boeing plant in Washington state where he watched some of the massive 787s under assembly, Obama pushed for Congress to continue financing a national export credit agency crucial to a goal of doubling exports by 2014. He pointed to the aviation giant as a homegrown company bolstering the U.S. economy by doing business overseas as he sought to make the case that the nation’s economy is on the rise.

“The tide is turning. The tide is beginning to turn our way,” Obama said in the cavernous Boeing plant before a few hundred cheering workers.

Obama’s visit was highly orchestrated to portray the strength of American manufacturing, set in a massive facility where the aviation giant builds the new 787 Dreamliner. After inspecting the aircraft, Obama emerged from the back of a behemoth white Dreamliner to deliver his remarks, walking down the red-carpeted stairs as “Hail to the Chief” blared on overhead speakers.

“You’re the most productive on earth. You can compete with anybody. You will outwork anybody,” Obama told the assembled workers. “As long as the playing field is level, you can compete with any worker, anywhere, anytime, in China, in Europe, it does not matter. If we have a level playing field, America will always win, because we have the best workers.”

The president announced steps to offer financing to U.S. companies to match help their foreign competitors get, with the goal of helping American industries compete.

Shortly before Obama’s arrival, the Senate approved legislation to renew a payroll tax cut for 160 million American workers and jobless benefits for millions more, sending key parts of Obama’s jobs bill to his desk. The president said he would sign it “right away when I get home.”

“It is amazing what happens when Congress focuses on doing the right thing instead of just playing politics,” said Obama. “This was a good example, and Congress should take pride in it.”

Obama’s remarks came at the end of a three-day trip that included heavy fundraising along the West Coast and a stop at a Milwaukee padlock manufacturer. He was heading back to Washington late Friday.

Obama called on Congress to extend the Export-Import Bank’s authorization. White House officials said the bank will reach its lending limit at the end of March and Obama pointed to it as a key player in helping promote U.S. exports.

At the same time, the White House announced that Boeing will participate in an Export-Import Bank program that helps companies advance money to suppliers on export-related contracts. Administration officials said Boeing would be committing to more than $700 million in short-term credit this year. Officials said the arrangement would help Boeing compete for foreign clients against European jet maker Airbus.

Facing re-election, Obama has pointed to a decline in unemployment and touted a recent boost in manufacturing jobs as an indicator of an economy on the mend. Republicans seeking the White House have accused Obama of failing to steer the economy out of a deep recession, setting up the health of the nation’s economy as a pivotal issue in the 2012 election.

The White House unveiled a number of other steps aimed at boosting foreign trade, including a pilot program called Global Credit Express to help small business exporters apply for up to a 1-year loan of up to $500,000.

In addition to the trade announcement, Obama was holding two fundraisers in the Seattle area Friday, including a fundraising luncheon with 65 people at the Medina home of Jeff Brotman, the co-founder of retailer Costco. Tickets for the event cost $17,900.

Obama also was appearing at a reception with 450 supporters in Bellevue, with a musical performance by the band The Head and the Heart. Tickets started at $1,000. Both events were supporting the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee of Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Obama reported Friday that he had raised $29.1 million for his campaign and the Democratic Party in January, putting him ahead of the pace he set in the last quarter of 2011. Obama had raised about $250 million through the end of January.

Obama’s visit to the Boeing plant comes a few months after the National Labor Relations Board dropped a high-profile lawsuit against the company over allegations it built a nonunion plant in South Carolina to retaliate against past union strikes in Washington state. The president did not mention the case, and spokesman Jay Carney said his visit had nothing to do with it. A Boeing spokesman also said there was no connection.

23 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

RedCedar on February 17 at 12:57 p.m.
Let’s have a close-up of that lip-lock. It could be one of the best political kisses of all time, right up there with Nixon and Brezhnev.
HuskyFan on February 17 at 1:08 p.m.
Certainly a nicer welcome than Gov. Jan Brewer’s finger shaking in Arizona. I’m sure he’s glad to be in a “BLUE” state. I just love Washington!
IHike4Fun on February 17 at 1:36 p.m.
what a kiss up.
Dazzeetrader11 on February 17 at 3:36 p.m.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/latest-congressional-budget-outlook-2012-2022-released
Benaround on February 17 at 3:48 p.m.
I imagine he was amazed to be in a building the same size
as his ego.
dataxman on February 17 at 4:26 p.m.
Probably passed him a note begging for a job in his next administration. Imagine her excitement - ‘Really? No budget constraints? I can spend and spend and spend and Little Timmy will just print more money? Oh HIRE ME! HIRE ME! HIRE ME!’
Local on February 17 at 4:37 p.m.
OBAMA: Our Biggest American Mistake Awaits
RedCedar on February 17 at 4:43 p.m.
dataxman, there’s a long tradition of retired Washington governors getting nice appointments in D.C., provided they’re of the right party. I’m sure she knows it and I’m sure she’ll do everything she can to deliver her state for Obama as a result.
dataxman on February 17 at 4:50 p.m.
Red - so true. If there is one thing the Democrat party in in this State is good at doing it is delivering the votes needed to win - regardless of how the populace voted…
Dazzeetrader11 on February 17 at 5:10 p.m.
Boy this sounds corrupt….everything he does sounds corrupt. MOney raising, hostility to the Chruch, Solyndra and their ilk…big GM and manipulated success….etc…not to mention ending the wars. (where’s the money???)..etc…Obamacare…
On so many levels this guy is just WRONG!!
drywitt99 on February 17 at 5:22 p.m.
Holy sh*t……the trolls are out in force today????
Must be the sight of yet another US corporation being able to SUCCEED AND PROSPER without the business acumen of a Republican in the White House??
And this….right on the heels of GM’s return to #1 in the world!!
So Mitt…..whats the OTHER JUSTIFICATION for your campaign???
misjustice on February 17 at 5:47 p.m.
Yeah, President Barack Hussein Obama!
4 MORE Years!
; )
Benaround on February 17 at 6:10 p.m.
That’s cold to take victims of Obama (Americans who work
for a living) and shout “Four more years” to them.
misjustice on February 17 at 6:15 p.m.
^ proving that coming up with a snappy come back is more difficult than it seems.
Dazzeetrader11 on February 17 at 7:58 p.m.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/152753/Unemployment-Increases-Mid-February.aspx?ref=more
Lies to get elected. Only the most gullable would trust Obama.
Noticing too the new data shows another 10 million have quit looking for work so they aren’t counted…
Hunterman on February 17 at 9:04 p.m.
At least she kissed the right end of the president. At least the public kiss, anyway :)
peacemonger on February 17 at 10:04 p.m.
And the Obama haters were out again today. The tea party/repubs must pay them well to sit around all day and do nothing but post negative comments on every Obama article in the Spokesman. It must be nice, while the rest of us actually have to work for a living.
One would think, with all that time, that they might come up with some positive alternative solutions? But no, just more HATE! If they are so miserable with the leadership in Washington State and Washington, DC they are free to leave.
slednek509 on February 18 at 6:32 a.m.
Hey Republi-cons…the best part bout all your bs comments…Obama is STILL our President. I got a $100 says he is for four more years. With that said…enjoy :)
liberal_in_right_wing_land on February 18 at 6:53 a.m.
Love these comments.
All I have to say in reply to these idiots who hate Obama…George W. Bush.
Every time I think of that retarded village idiot as president I want to cry remembering all the damage he did to this country in 8 short years…then I get happy when I realize how much Obama has done to fix his mistakes in just three years. So glad we actually have a smart person in office now who can actually think for himself and not a walking punchline like W was whose best quality was doing what Karl Rove and Darth Cheney told him.
JBlim on February 18 at 8:01 a.m.
Dazee says “http://www.zerohedge.com/news/latest-congressional-budget-outlook-2012-2022-released”
from your link:
“… And the fact that the CBO predicted negative $2.5 trillion in net debt by 2011 back in 2011 is largely ignored.”
It should be read “back in 2001”, not 2011. No it’s not a typo, they are slime balls. Back then, who could have imagined George W Bush would have so thoroughly screwed up the economy and blown Clinton’s progress on the debt. Bush wasted trillions attacking Iraq and launching a ground assault. What an idiot.
RedCedar on February 18 at 11:18 a.m.
<blockqutote>All I have to say in reply to these idiots who hate Obama…George W. Bush.
You sound like a Republican back when Bush was president, only with them it was “All I have to say in reply to those idiots who hate Bush… Clinton got a BJ in the oval office.”
Bush isn’t president any more. Get over it.
slednek509 on February 19 at 6:41 a.m.
Wow, is that the best you got? I will certainly take a Bj over $5 gallon gasoline and Trillions worth of National Debt. Let’s not re-write history Republitards.
JBlim on February 19 at 6:53 a.m.
Of course they get mad when you talk about Bush. They need to be reminded about the logical conclusion of their policies.
Gallup found some more interesting facts about conservatives they won’t want to talk about:
• Conservative political affiliation is highly negatively correlated with proportion of workforce engaged in knowledge-based professional and creative work.
• States with more conservatives are considerably less affluent than those with more liberals.
• Conservative political affiliation is highly negatively correlated with state income levels and even more so with average hourly earnings.
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/02/is-america-becoming-more-conservative-why/