Obama Falls Prey to Ribbon-Cutting Syndrome
Obama greets construction workers at a DC photo op. Photo: AFP via Infrastructurist.At a press event in DC yesterday, President Obama touted the two thousandth transportation project to receive federal stimulus funds. I’m speculating a bit here, but the White House probably had some discretion when choosing which item to highlight for this milestone. So did they pick a refurbished transit station? A new bike route? Perhaps a bridge repair project to signal that we’re not going to repeat the mistakes that led to the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis?
None of the above. The same president who proclaimed the days of building sprawl to be over boasted about the widening of a highway interchange near Portage, Michigan from four lanes to six. Obama, apparently, isn’t immune to ribbon-cutting syndrome: Like many other elected officials, he can’t resist associating himself with a hefty road expansion project.
In this case, the president didn’t have the interchange itself as a backdrop, but he did surround himself with construction workers for the cameras. I’m still looking forward to the day when bus drivers get to serve as stage props too.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
