American Jobs Bill bigger than the Recovery Act

Our President certainly wasn't timid tonight.

I'll probably have more to say about the speech later, but I found one bit of information from Ezra Klein about the American Jobs Bill (how's that for a straightforward no-nonsense name?) to be fascinating. He lists the various components of the bill and then says this:

If all of that could be spent out in 2012 -- a big if, but given the reliance on tax cuts and state and local aid, much of it could certainly hit before the year’s end -- it would be bigger, in annual terms, than the Recovery Act.

Remember, the Recovery Act was $787 billion over 2-3 years. The American Jobs Bill would be almost $450 billion in one year. That's HUGE!

So don't let any poutragers convince you that this is weak tea or that President Obama wasn't bold enough.

Remember those news leaks about the internal administration battle on whether to go big or propose something that had even a possibility of passing? Looks to me like he found a way to do both. I have no doubt the Republicans will try to obstruct. But our job is to make sure they pay the price for doing so.

Now the President's got a job to do and so do we. As he said:

Regardless of the arguments we’ve had in the past, regardless of the arguments we will have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do right now. You should pass it. And I intend to take that message to every corner of this country. And I ask -- I ask every American who agrees to lift your voice: Tell the people who are gathered here tonight that you want action now. Tell Washington that doing nothing is not an option. Remind us that if we act as one nation and one people, we have it within our power to meet this challenge.

Let's get out there and get 'er done!!!!