The White House has volunteered little information about the president’s speech, but he apparently is trying to turn national focus back toward the economy. Last week in New Orleans, he called on Congress to invest in the nation’s infrastructure.
David Cohen at the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron says he sees this in part as an attempt to divert attention from the troubled rollout of the Affordable Care Act.
But Cohen also says Obama wants to refocus on elements of a major two-year-old jobs bill that stalled in Congress.
"Clearly before he leaves office he wants to invest more in infrastructure," Cohen said. "Question is, is Congress in any mood to give him anything."
Obama visited Ohio numerous times during the months leading up to his November re-election. He was also in the state in May to speak at Ohio State University’s commencement ceremony.
