A good sign: White House jobs council is no more

Obama has more than enough input from corporate America, and they have been enjoying record-shattering profits. Good for them. Now it's time to hear from workers. Not that that is necessarily what this means, but I am choosing to look at it that way for the moment.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-jobs-council-ends--20130131,0,6045443.story

WASHINGTON -- A day after learning that the economy had contracted in the last quarter of 2012, the White House confirmed Thursday that its jobs council was closing up shop, prompting a fresh round of criticism from Republicans over President Obama’s stewardship of the still-struggling economy.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness would not be getting a renewal on its two-year charter, which expired Thursday.

The group made up largely of executives was established in January 2011 to solicit ideas and engage the business community in the effort to reverse the downward spiral of job growth. But the council never took a very prominent role in policy making and has not met in person for a year.

PHOTOS: President Obama’s past

Carney said the White House was replacing the council with a “new, expanded effort” to work with business leaders directly on specific policy priorities, such as immigration or deficit reduction. He cited a conference call held this week with executives to discuss the president’s immigration blueprint as an example.

News of the council’s unceremonious end provided an opening for Republicans to renew their critiques of the president’s economic policies.

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