1/20/2013
By Ivan Pereira
President Barack Obama may be spending Monday basking in applause during his various inauguration ceremonies, but New Yorkers say once the parties are over, he needs to work hard to boost the economy.
Although Obama easily carried the city with 81% of the vote in his election victory, many of his supporters say they were a little disappointed that he didn’t follow through with some of the promises he made during his first four years in office.
In particular, Gothamites hope that the commander-in-chief promotes job growth that would aid young Americans who are desperately searching for a steady career.
“I think he needs to focus on small business,” said Trisha Benton, 28, of the Upper East Side who works for a nonprofit organization.
Chris Colorado, 32, an attorney from Chelsea, said he expects the president to show more of an assertive side during his second term.
Colorado said he thought the president was so overwhelmed by Republicans opposition and couldn’t put through the economic policies he promised.
“I think the first negotiation of the debt ceiling was poor and there are lessons he can learn from that,” he said.
The city’s elected officials also said they’d push Obama to listen to the needs of the neediest Americans.
“With the latest national unemployment rate down to 7.8%, New Yorkers are looking to the president to build a solid plan that creates jobs and avoids the path of austerity that countries like Greece are experiencing,” City Comptroller John Liu, who is expected to run for mayor, said in a statement.
His potential Democratic challenger, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, said she has been impressed with Obama’s work in making the military end its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and passing health care reform that kicks in fully in 2014.
She predicted that momentum wouldn’t die in his next term.
“He will guide our country toward the passage of comprehensive gun and immigration reform and continue to advocate for policies that will make our nation more equal for all,” Quinn said in a statement.
