Expect Obama Speech to Yield Lots of Talk, No Action: Ezra Klein

Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- I’ve stopped pretending that thepresident’s jobs speech scheduled for next week is going tomatter. I’m tired of speculating about what it will contain andwhether its proposals will be big or small, bold or timid.

Here is what will actually happen: President Barack Obamawill give a speech. It will include a mixture of ideas theadministration has pushed for some time (extending the payrolltax cut, investing in infrastructure, passing trade agreements)and some modest new additions (a tax cut for companies that hirenew workers, for example). Relatively few people will tune in tothe speech; of those who do, most will be either committed Obamasupporters or equally committed detractors.