Labor economist rounds out Obama's new team

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   >>> we deal with this crisis of the moment, our great, ongoing challenge of the nation remains how to get this economy growing faster. our challenges to create a climate where more businesses can post job listings, where folks can find good work that relieves the financial burden they are feeling and where families can regain a sense of economic security in their lives. that's our your junt mission. that's what i am fighting for every single day. that's why today, i am very pleased to nominate alan krueger to chair the council of economic advisers . come on down here, al. alan brings a wealth of experience to the job. he is one of the nation's leading economist. for more than two decades he has studied and developed economic policy inside and outside of government. in the first two years of this administration, as we were dealing with the effects of a complex and fast-moving financial crisis , a crisis that threatened a second grade depression, alan 's council as chief economist at the treasury department proved invaluable. so i am very pleased to appoint alan and i look forward to working with him. as i told him, it is going to be tough to fill the shoes of aus st austan goolsbee , who has been a great friend and ad viewer that i have relied on for years. i rely on the council of economic advisors to provide unvarnished recommendations not based on politics or narrow interests but based on the best evidence , on what's going to do the most good for the most people in this country. that's more important than ever right now. we need folks in washington to make decisions based on what's best for the country. not what's best for any political party or special interest . that's how we will get through this period of economic uncertainly. that's the only way we will be able to do what's necessary to grow the economy. so it's that spirit that i'm going to be calling upon in the coming days. next week, i will be laying out a series of steps that congress can take immediately to put more money in the pockets of working families and middle class families to make it easier for small businesses to hire people, to put construction crews to work rebuilding our nation's roads and railways and airports and all the other measures that can help to grow this economy. these are bipartisan ideas that ought to be the kind of proposals that everybody can get behind no matter what your political affiliation might be. my hope and expectation is that we can put country before party and get something done for the american people . that's what i will be fighting for and we have got to have a good team to do it. so alan , i appreciate your willingness to take on this assignment. i am looking forward to working with you once again.

   >> thank you very much.

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