Helping The Middle Class

More News

• Related Materials
• There are currently no related materials for this story.

President Obama Monday proposed a set of middle class tax breaks that he will detail in his State of the Union address Wednesday.  It's an effort to rebuild lost support among the Americans who put him in the White House.

Worried democrats up hope it works. They hope Barack Obama can win back the middle class that he said have been under assault for a long time.

Back in campaign mode, the President and Vice President Biden reiterated their basic promise.  "To fight for the middle class, to make sure working families have a voice in the white house," said Mr. Obama.

Since Obama went to the White House, millions of those Americans have lost jobs and income and confidence in the president.

"Creating good, sustainable jobs is the single most important thing we can do to rebuild the middle class and I won't rest until we're doing just that," the President said.

Monday's proposals are to double the child care tax credit for families earning under $85,000 and to cap some student loan payments.  To bail out families not banks.

"And as we move from recession to recovery, our focus is the middle class," said Vice President Biden.

But rebellious democrats demanded the White House drop support for reconfirmation of Fed. Chairman Ben Bernanke.

"This is about supporting the President's pivot from the year spent on Wall Street to now fighting for our families," said Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, of Oregon.

And a week after a Republican won Ted Kennedy's senate seat in Massachusetts, Democrat Beau Biden announced he won't run for his father's Delaware senate seat and that could go Republican.

Proof to some that the Obama Democrats need to rebuild support, by re-calibrating their message.  Wednesday night is a big opportunity.  A State of the Union speech that President Obama will deliver here to Congress but aim at the middle class.