Obama to Chamber of Commerce: Learn to share

(By Ed Morrissey, Hot Air) - Barack Obama spoke to the Chamber of Commerce today, part of his push to repair ties with the business community after two years of rapid regulatory expansion and hostility from the White House. How did he do? It depends on whether the Chamber expected conciliation from Obama, or more haughty dictates on how they should spend and invest their money. If they came for the latter, well, they weren’t disappointed. The first clip from the Associated Press hits a couple of money quotes from Obama’s speech (full text here):

But as we work with you to make America a better place to do business, ask yourselves what you can do for America. Ask yourselves what you can do to hire American workers, to support the American economy, and to invest in this nation. That’s what I want to talk about today – the responsibilities we all have to secure the future we all share. …

The last barriers we’re trying to remove are outdated and unnecessary regulations. I’ve ordered a government-wide review, and if there are rules on the books that are needlessly stifling job creation and economic growth, we will fix them. Already we’re dramatically cutting down on the paperwork that saddles businesses with huge administrative costs. We’re improving the way FDA evaluates things like medical devices, to get innovative and life-saving treatments to market faster. And the EPA, based on the need for further scientific analysis, delayed the greenhouse gas permitting rules for biomass. I’ve also ordered agencies to find ways to make regulations more flexible for small businesses. And we’ve turned a tangle of fuel economy regulations and pending lawsuits into a single standard that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, save consumers money at the pump, and give car companies the certainty they need.