Obama to Congress: ‘Pass this jobs bill’

President Barack Obama is pitching to the public his $447 billion jobs program of tax cuts and new spending after bluntly telling Congress to “stop the political circus” and fix the economy.

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio responded that the proposals Obama outlined in his address to Congress and the nation Thursday night merited consideration. But Boehner said he hopes Obama will give serious consideration to Republican ideas as well. That was one of the more generous reactions from Republicans.

Obama’s plan leans heavily on payroll tax cuts to put money into the economy, and he urged lawmakers to pass it quickly.

The president pledged to campaign for its enactment across the nation, and he was beginning that effort Friday in Richmond, Va.