Speaking to a crowd of mostly labor allies, President Obama unveiled a new federal infrastructure plan and a new line of attack against Republicans at a Labor Day rally Monday in Wisconsin, signaling the beginning of the campaign season.

Speaking to a crowd of mostly labor allies, President Obama unveiled a new federal infrastructure plan and a new line of attack against Republicans at a Labor Day rally Monday in Wisconsin, signaling the beginning of the campaign season.

Obama unveiled the first portion of a six-year federal infrastructure building program that would improve the nation’s roads, railways and runways. The first portion of the plan, according to the White House, would cost $50 billion. Under the plan, 150,000 miles of road, 40,000 miles or rail line and 150 miles of airport runways will be rebuilt or repaired.

“So many Americans have been idled for months, even years, at a time when there is so much of America that needs rebuilding,” Obama said. “We used to have the best infrastructure in the world. We can have it again.”

Politically, the infrastructure plan will not likely be enough to stop the bleeding for Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections. The spending would not be rolled out until next year, if lawmakers pass the measure. However, Democrats are hoping that the public takes notice of the serious effort on the part of Democrats to create jobs.

Republicans, for their part, are already painting the measure as yet another example of the Obama administration’s tax-and-spend, big government agenda.

“We don’t need more government ‘stimulus’ spending. We need to end Washington Democrats’ out-of-control spending spree, stop their tax hikes, and create jobs by eliminating the job-killing uncertainty that is hampering our small businesses,” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said in a statement.

Given the opening Republicans see this November, which many believe could lead to their takeover of one or both houses of Congress, it is unlikely that the plan will gain much traction with GOP lawmakers, especially given the short time frame lawmakers will have to work under.

After returning form their recess in mid-September, Congress will only be in session for a few weeks before lawmakers recess again, and return home to their districts to campaign.
During his speech Obama took a preemptive strike against Republicans for their unwillingness to work across the aisle for solutions to the nation’s problems.

“Their slogan,” he said of Republicans, “is ‘No, we can’t. No, no, no. No.’ ”

Then, to further drive home the point, Obama used an analogy that he has frequently used outside the Beltway to describe the Republican agenda.

“These are the folks whose policies helped devastate our middle class and drive our economy into a ditch. And now they’re asking you for the keys back,” Obama added. “Do you want to give them the keys back? Me neither. And do you know why? Because they don’t know how to drive! At a time when we’re just getting out of the ditch, they’d pop it in reverse, let the special interests ride shotgun, and hit the gas, careening right back into that ditch.”

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