WASHINGTON — A former aide to President Bill Clinton and the top lawyer for Microsoft on Wednesday urged President Barack Obama to take long-term action to jump-start the economy.
“On many key indicators from educational obtainment to infrastructure to new inventions, other counties are rapidly advancing while our own progress has faltered,” said John Podesta, president and CEO of Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in Washington, in a panel discussion.
As the White House and Congress struggled with emergency economic issues such as reducing unemployment, U.S. policymakers have neglected long-term planning, said Podesta, who served as White House chief of staff for President Bill Clinton.
The government should restructure the executive branch to carry out policies more cohesively and effectively, Podesta said.
“If we can only pursue one goal, it’s about creating high-paying jobs that are going to be sustainable,” said Brad Smith, general counsel and senior vice president of Microsoft Corp.
Policymakers should focus on key issues including education, intellectual property rights and trade with that clear goal in mind, Smith said. Microsoft has focused on immigration issues, because there are not enough skilled U.S. workers who can fill the high-paying jobs the company has created.
Charlene Barshefsky, former U.S. Trade Representative, said that in this critical juncture, the U.S. needs “common purpose.”
Referring to former President John F. Kennedy’s inspiration to the generation of the Cold War era and his encouragement to get into basic sciences, Barshefsky said the U.S. needs that kind of leadership again to emerge at the top of worldwide innovation.
Smith agreed: “Economic sun is starting to shift westward across the Pacific. We need to figure out how we are going to be more successful and find the rallying cry to bring us together.”
Podesta also recommended, in a report released Wednesday, that the administration create an independent panel and “interagency task force” under the National Economic Council to oversee White House coordination of policy implementation.