Obama distances himself from 'ideological' Ryan

12 August 2012 Last updated at 21:28 ET

Obama distances himself from 'ideological' Ryan Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (L) and his running mate Representative Paul Ryan greet supporters during a campaign rally at the Waukesha County Expo Center on in Wisconsin on Sunday The nomination of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney's running mate seems to have given the Republican campaign a boost, say correspondents US President Barack Obama has depicted the new Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan as the "ideological leader" of the Republican Party. Mr Obama said Mr Ryan was a "decent" man - but with a vision "fundamentally" at odds with his own. More

Obama Urges Public to Help Push Payroll Tax Cuts

Obama Urges Public to Help Push Payroll Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama wants voters to get involved in the debate over extending the reduced payroll tax and he’s asking them to tell members of Congress to keep the cut in place. “Let your members of Congress know where you stand,” Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. “Tell them not to vote to raise taxes on working Americans during the holidays. Tell them to put country before party. Put money back in the pockets of working Americans. Pass these tax
(via Fox News)

President Obama's Statement on Tonight’s Payroll Tax Vote

By Greg on December 1, 2011

Senate Republicans have blocked President Obama’s plan to extend the payroll tax cut for working Americans. The President released this statement following the vote:

Tonight, Senate Republicans chose to raise taxes on nearly 160 million hardworking Americans because they refused to ask a few hundred thousand millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. They voted against a bill that would have not only extended the $1,000 tax cut for a typical family, but expanded that tax cut to put an extra $1,500 in their pockets next year, and given nearly six million small business owners new incentives to expand and hire. That is unacceptable. It makes absolutely no sense to raise taxes on the middle class at a time when so many are still trying to get back on their feet.
Now is not the time to put the economy and the security of the middle class at risk. Now is the time to rebuild an economy where hard work and responsibility pay off, and everybody has a chance to succeed. Now is the time to put country before party and work together on behalf of the American people. And I will continue to urge Congress to stop playing politics with the security of millions of American families and small business owners and get this done.