The people who voted for him beg to differ.

Via WaPo:

President Obama said at a White House event Tuesday that the long-term unemployed “just want a shot” and that nobody would rather have unemployment benefits than a job.

“I can’t name a time where I met an American who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job,” Obama said.

Obama’s remarks came after the Senate cleared a key procedural hurdle Tuesday by getting 60 votes to move forward with a temporary extension of the benefits, which expired for 1.3 million Americans on Jan. 1.

Surrounded by unemployed Americans and those who have benefited from the aid, Obama emphasized that they weren’t free-loaders but rather hard-working Americans who need some help after regular unemployment insurance runs out.