President Barack Obama appeared at a town hall in Nashua, New Hampshire to talk about his new jobs bill proposal.  The bill would take $30 billion from funds repaid to TARP, and use it in a small business loan program in conjunction with small local banks and credit unions. 

The Speech began with Mr. Obama explaining why they passed the Recovery Act in the depths of the recession, and the fact that he took office when the budget already had a $1.3 trillion deficit, trying to distance himself and the Democrats from recent attacks by Republicans.  These attacks on the deficit are gaining ground, and the address today sought to quell some of the fears, and clear up any misunderstanding on why there is a huge deficit, not only now, but for the foreseeable future. 

He also took advantage of his excellent performance last Friday when he took questions from the House Republicans at their conference and was able to refute each of their talking points, and brought part of that discussion to his remarks today.  The President reiterated the need for cooperation between Democrats and Republicans, but he did make some jokes at the expense of Republicans, making fun of their tendency to obstruct and play politics instead of helping to confront the challenges facing the country.

It's obvious when he speaks that he is appealing to independents and those who are sceptical of the government and its ability to respond to the challenge of jobs in the country, and it's too early to tell, but his engagement with the public on these issues might help his agenda.

Watch the address below: