Obama asks governors group to help shape stimulus

PHILADELPHIA — When President-elect Obama strode into Congress Hall on Tuesday beneath a bust of Benjamin Franklin, 48 governors rose and applauded, illustrating the unusual degree to which Obama has assumed the trappings of national leadership amid the economic crisis.

Speaking at the start of the kind of session usually convened by sitting presidents, Obama told the governors he wanted them to help "draft and shape" a multibillion-dollar stimulus plan that also would aid states struggling with deficits as demands rise on social-safety-net programs.

"We are not going to be hampered by ideology in trying to get this country back on track," Obama said. "We want to figure out what works." He pledged a partnership with states, saying he would not allow his administration to "get infected with Washington-itis."

Obama, joined by Vice President-elect Joseph Biden, has said he hopes Congress will have economic-recovery legislation ready for him to sign soon after taking office Jan. 20. Aides said the cost could reach $700 billion over two years, on top of a similar amount already committed to prop up financial institutions.

As part of the package, governors have asked for more federal help paying for health care for the poor and disabled, extending unemployment insurance and expanding access to food stamps, along with up to $136 billion worth of infrastructure projects such as road and bridge repairs to create jobs.

From 1790 to 1800, Congress Hall served as the U.S. Capitol, with the Senate meeting upstairs and the House in the larger downstairs chamber where Tuesday's conference took place.

"I've got to shake everybody's hand, so please be patient," Obama announced as he entered the room, drawing laughter. He proceeded to do so.

Obama and Biden left after the nearly two-hour meeting, which several governors described as productive.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, host of the gathering as chairman of the National Governors Association, said Obama was supportive of the governors' requests but did not make any specific commitments. Participants discussed general principles rather than specific dollar amounts, he said.

Not all the governors were on board with massive amounts of new spending.

Republican Mark Sanford, of South Carolina, said, "We've been told over a number of months that this stimulus or that stimulus will turn the economy around, and they haven't worked."

The meeting drew 48 of the 59 invited governors and governors-elect, including those from territories. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, was among those present, along with rising GOP stars Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.