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More evidence of the much-ballyhooed "change in tone" in Washington. Obama and Biden met with mayors at the White House today, and you know, actually acknowledged our nation's population centers. Biden was the good cop, delivering some urban-triumphalist rhetoric:
But we know how important cities are -- 65 percent of our nation's population, as you all know, live in our cities. Our cities are the home of seven out of 10 American jobs. And when you're talking about the "knowledge economy jobs," the number rises to eight and 10 -- eight out of 10. Cities are vital to our economy, essential to our recovery, and haven't been paid much attention to. Our economy can never reach, in our view, its full potential if we have people who are living blocks away, but worlds away from the bustling downtowns full of opportunity. Our poor transportation systems don't provide mobility people need to get to the job.And Obama played bad cop, demanding that mayors spend stimulus money wisely:
...what I will need from all of you, is unprecedented responsibility and accountability on all of our parts. The American people are watching. They need this plan to work. They expect to see the money that they've earned, that they've worked so hard to earn, spent in its intended purposes without waste, without inefficiency, without fraud.--Dana Goldstein
