Schiff: Obama Talked Jobs, Maintaining American Dream

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) told Patch Friday that President Barack Obama focused on jobs and maintaining the American dream during his Thursday night speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"I thought the presidential speech was very strong. I think he set out how during the last several years he’s worked on the foundation for economic recovery. I think he made an important point that it’s not just about getting back to the prosperity we saw in the Clinton years," said Schiff, who represents Montrose, La Crescenta, Glendale, Griffith Park, Burbank, Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Temple City and Monterey Park. 

Creating jobs now is important to Americans, he added. 

"I think many Americans are concerned that their children may not be able to enjoy as good of a life as they’ve had," Schiff said. "I think he set out a vision that America can continue that ideal and that proud tradition."

Preparing the next generation's workforce in a global environment is key to prosperity, he said. 

"It’s particularly pertinent in our area where we have some of the most incredible institutions of higher learning. An area like ours, where we need some of the most highly skilled and educated workforces in the world, that message really resonates, particularly in a community that's so proud of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the incredible genius that it took to land Curiosity on Mars," Schiff said.  

President Obama emphasized repairing the economy, he said. 

"I think he offered a way forward for making sure that we can restore the economic vitality and prosperity to the country, not only for our generation but for the next. I think it contrasted with the vision that came out of the [GOP] convention which only seemed to advocate for expanding tax cuts on America’s wealthiest families and rolling back Wall Street regulations. This doesn’t sound like a solution for providing jobs on Main Street," Schiff said.