Obama Asks Small Businesses How U.S. Can Help

President Obama brought key members of his cabinet to Cleveland, Ohio, to get input from the small business community Tuesday, promising it would be a working meeting rather than a photo op. 

“We want your stories, your successes, your failures. What barriers you are seeing out there to expand, what you’ve learned along the way,” Obama said.

Obama was criticized by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) a few weeks back for urging business to ask itself how it could help the American people when speaking in front of the Chamber of Commerce. Cantor said it is backwards for Washington to dicate to the business community. Obama has seemed to taylor that message, instead asking business how America can help business.

“How can America Help you succeed, so that you can Help America succeed?” Obama asked. 

Touting his week-old budget proposal that would freeze spending for five years, Obama emphasized that the U.S. does well when small business does well. 

Obama brought with him, Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Chairman of Obama’s economic council  Austan Goolsbee, and Director of the National Economic council Gene Sperling.