There have been many economy road shows over the past 4½ years, a mix of presidential pageantry and salesmanship to convince the United States and Congress to do more to create jobs and improve future economic prospects.
President Barack Obama began another one this week, taking him to the vast port of Jacksonville, Florida, on Thursday to highlight his desire for more spending on roads, airports, bridges and trading hubs to meet the economic demands of a global economy.
What is different this time, compared to "Recovery Summer" and "Main Street" job tours in the past, is the relatively modest request at the heart of Obama's wish list. Rather than adopting his activist vision of government, the president is simply asking Congress — specifically a recalcitrant group of House Republicans — to get out of the way.