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Most in N.C. delegation give Obama speech a thumbs up
Getting his stimulus plan passed won't be easy, some believe
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PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
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Published: January 21, 2009
WASHINGTON - President Obama's inaugural speech got high marks from most members of North Carolina's congressional delegation, though some members said that his plan to fix the nation's economy faces hurdles in Congress.
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said he believes that Obama "understands the responsibility that has been placed on his shoulders."
"At the end of the day, the history now -- with the exception of (him becoming) the first African-American president -- is in Barack's hands to write," Burr said in an interview shortly after Obama became the 44th president.
In his speech, Obama called for an end to "petty grievances" that have "strangled our politics."
Burr said that Obama "has the ability to accomplish that goal."
Obama had indicated that one of his first actions would be to push a stimulus package through Congress by mid-February.
But it's clear that some elements of the proposal could meet resistance from some on Capitol Hill, including Burr.
"I'll judge everything that's in it based on whether it stimulates broad based economic growth and recovery, and where it doesn't I'll fight to cut it out," he said.
Rep. Larry Kissell, a Democrat who represents the state's 8th District, said he found the end of Obama's speech particularly relevant in light of the economic downturn.
Obama repeated words that George Washington wrote during a particularly dire period of the Revolutionary War that called for the new nation to meet "one common danger."
"We know we have challenges and issues that are as significant as any we have ever faced," Kissell said. "But we know we will succeed and, at some point in the future, look back and know we were able to overcome."
Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., agreed with Obama's assessment that the country faces economic challenges that call for "action, bold and swift."
"Our work begins in earnest today," Hagan, who came to Washington earlier this month, said in a written statement.
"With a new president and a new Congress, we have no time to waste. Our country is facing some of its greatest challenges in a generation. They will require bipartisan consensus and leaders working together, across the aisle, to achieve the real solutions we desperately need," she said.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5th, said she thought that Obama was "too negative" in his assessment of the economy in his inaugural address.
Foxx said she is sympathetic with those who have lost their jobs in the current downturn, but said she thinks that the current problem is "not the worst situation we've faced in this country economically since the Great Depression," citing the stagflation of the 1970s.
"I think it's possible to talk down about the economy to the point that it hampers the economy," Foxx said in an interview. "Yes, we have problems, and I'm quite familiar with them, but we don't solve our problems by being negative."
Foxx said that she is also concerned that the estimated $800 billion stimulus package that Obama and congressional leaders are preparing to pass could expand the deficit, which is expected to grow to $1.2 trillion this year.
■ Sean Mussenden can be reached at 202 662-7668 or at smussenden@mediageneral.com.
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