Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Barack Obama, told reporters that African Americans will "come out in full support" of the president in the 2012 election. She was in town Wednesday to address a women's forum. (Photo: Glenn Burkins for Qcitymetro.com)
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Despite polls showing diminished enthusiasm, African Americans “will come out in full support” of President Barack Obama in the 2012 election. That was the prediction of Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to the president, who stopped in Charlotte Wednesday to address a statewide women forum.

In a meeting with reporters later in the day, Jarrett said Obama was ready to “roll up his sleeves and work hard” to carry North Carolina next year, a state he won by a slim 14,000 votes in 2008.

“…The president isn’t ceding any ground here in the South,” she said. “We think that we can play very effectively in this part of the country, and we’re confident we can win North Carolina.”

When asked about polls showing a softening of support for Obama in some sectors of the African American community, Jarrett rattled off a list of legislative accomplishments that, she said, would benefit working families, including African Americans – things such as health care reform, an increase in Pell Grants, a childhood nutrition bill and the 2009 economic stimulus package.

“I think the track record that he has under his belt right now demonstrates how hard he has worked to make sure that the folks who are struggling around our country – many of whom struggled long before the most recent financial crisis – have the safety net they need to move up the ladder,” she said. “I believe the African American community will come out in full support of the president because they know that he’s really fighting for a more positive, optimistic future for all Americans.”

Jarrett, who helped plan the 1996 Democratic convention in Chicago, said benefits derived from hosting the 2012 convention would be long lasting for Charlotte. Of the contracts awarded thus far, she noted, two went to local companies, two went to women-owned business and two went to minority-owned businesses.

“We expect that to continue,” she said, “because it’s important to the president that the contracts and vendors selected reflect the diversity of this terrific, vibrant city.”

Other topics she discussed:

The excitement of hosting a convention
“It’s going to be amazing. The energy and pride that comes with hosting a convention is one that’s really difficult to describe…. It’s a very important election, and I can’t overemphasize how much the world looks to the United States for leadership, and so the world will be looking at Charlotte, and that something to celebrate, and it will hopefully be a catalyst for economic development here.”

Charlotte’s reputation as a banking town in light of the Occupy Wall Street protests
“We are thrilled to be coming to Charlotte. One of Charlotte’s strengths is that, although historically it was known as a banking town, it’s a very diverse economy now. You have health care, you have energy and you have banking. And let’s face it, banking is vitally important to the economy. We need to have strong banks. We want them to grow and hire and make sure that they employ people here in Charlotte, but we also want to make sure that they are providing lending that is the lifeline of every business, small, medium or large, across our country. And so we are delighted to be able to say that our banking industry is coming back and it’s going to be strong and vibrant. We need to make sure we have rules of the road in place so that we don’t end up back in financial crisis that we were in when the president took office.”

The president’s chances of re-election given the nation’s high unemployment rate
“I don’t believe that an arbitrary unemployment rate is going to be the reason why people vote for the next president. I think they are going to vote for a person who they know has a vision for America, an optimistic vision for America, and who’s committed to get out there and doing, each and every day, what the government should do. That’s what’s going to move our country forward.”

On criticism that the president is too quick to compromise
“Compromise is not a dirty word. We have to work together… In order to govern, we have to compromise…and I believe that’s what the American people really want. They want to see their government working together… We are looking forward to going out around the country and telling the story about how much we have accomplished, notwithstanding this polarization that you see all too often in Washington.”

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