Chicago Tribune, “Obama touts deal as boost to Caterpillar workers:”

WASHINGTON — Even before the deal was completed in Congress, President Barack Obama on Wednesday said evidence already had turned up that his economic rescue plan would improve the lives of American workers.

Three times during the day, the White House asserted that Caterpillar Inc., the giant maker of construction and other equipment that has recently laid off workers, would be able to rehire employees if Congress approved the stimulus bill.

But as the president prepared for a Thursday trip to visit a Caterpillar plant in East Peoria, Ill., it was not clear how strong an example the company would provide of the job-creating powers of the bill.

USA Today, “Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early“:

Peoria Journal-Star, “Welcome, Mr. President“:

President Barack Obama will hold a meeting with workers at the Caterpillar Inc.’s Building HH in East Peoria on Thursday to discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

The president’s arrival, departure and meeting with workers will be closed to the public.

3 p.m.: Arrival at the Air National Guard 182nd Airlift Wing at the Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport

3:25 p.m.: Meeting with Cat workers at Building HH, 901 W. Washington Ave., East Peoria

5:45 p.m.: Departure from the Air National Guard

Peoria Journal-Star, “Our View: From Abe to Obama, the circle closes in Peoria”

Washington Examiner, “Obama uses Caterpillar to push stimulus plan“:

President Obama chose a Northern Virginia construction site on Wednesday to personalize the stakes of the stimulus plan, saying its passage would give back jobs to laid-off Caterpillar workers.

The company “has announced some 20,000 layoffs in the last few weeks,” Obama said, adding that Chairman and CEO Jim Owens “said that if the [stimulus] passes, his company would be able to rehire some of those employees.”

Jim Geraghty, National Review Online, “If You Want to Quote Caterpillar, Mr. President . . .”: “Say, President Obama, perhaps you ought to also pay attention to what the company is saying about the “Buy American” provisions in the legislation.”

NBC Nightly News this evening carried a report on Peoria, Illinois, where manufacturers are adding jobs. The thesis of the story is that businesses are learning from past mistakes and doing things differently. Doug Parsons, CEO of Excel Foundry and Machine, comments to the point, “Never get too dependent on one customer, one industry, one product line – you constantly need to be reinventing yourself.” NBC reporter Janet Shamlian notes the company now ships a third of its products overseas.

The workforce issue is also touched upon as Jeff Bahnsen of Foremost Industrial Technologies, a machine shop, says they’re looking to hire people.

Yet the story is so sketchy as to be fundamentally misleading. Shamlian refers to Peoria as “what used to be a one-company town” and calls the area “an unlikely pocket of prosperity.” Peoria has added more jobs this year than any other region in the state, she says.

Caterpillar. Peoria is home to Caterpillar. With all due credit to all the fine companies and manufacturers featured in the story, how can you do a report about Peoria’s economy without naming Caterpillar, a company whose exports rose 20 percent in 2007?

NBC also referred to Excel’s export success. We suggest there might be a connection — strong manufacturing exports have encouraged economic growth making Peoria a very likely pocket of prosperity, indeed.