In his weekly address on Labor Day weekend, President Obama praised unions for building the middle class in America and affording them a day to set aside to celebrate all those hard-won benefits, like a 40-hour work week, to American workers. He also lauded his own contributions over the last six-and-a-half years, highlighting his belief that America has finally reached the status of "a relative bright spot in the world."

"I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about the real meaning of Labor Day," Obama began. "A day we set aside every year to honor the hardworking men and women who fought for so many of the rights that we take for granted today." He explains:

The eight-hour workday, 40-hour work week, weekends. Overtime and the minimum wage. Safer workplaces. Health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and retirement plans. All of those gains were fought for and won by the labor movement – folks who were working not just for a bigger paycheck for themselves, but for more security and prosperity for the folks working next to them as well. That’s how we built the great American middle class.

That spirit, he said, is what his administration has been aiming for since his presidency began. Obama touted a few new economy numbers: 173,000 newly created jobs in August, 16 million gaining "security of health insurance," minimum wage increases, and the unemployment rate dropping to 5.1%. [But as Breitbart pointed out, maybe that number reflects the 93,626,000 people who have dropped out of the U.S. workforce - a convenient thing to leave out.]

And Obama usually doesn't waste one presidential address without finding Congress liable for messing with his track record, and this one was certainly no exception. He warned that if they are unable to reach a budget he approves by the end of September, the government will shut down:

At a time when the global economy faces headwinds and America’s economy is a relative bright spot in the world, a shutdown of our government would be wildly irresponsible. It would be an unforced error that saps the momentum we’ve worked so hard to build. Plain and simple, a shutdown would hurt working Americans.

However, he added, "If they make smart investments in our military readiness, our infrastructure, our schools, public health, and research, I’ll sign that budget – and they know that." Otherwise, Obama promises to veto.

And hoping to convince everyone that he's just a regular guy like me and you, the President concluded:

So let’s get it done. Our economy doesn’t need another round of threats and brinksmanship. Nobody gets to play games with our economy – or the middle class I grew up in, and that you grew up in. So tell Congress to pass a budget that reflects the values we honor on Labor Day. Rewarding hard work. Giving everybody a fair shot. And working together to give all of our kids a better life. Thanks everybody. And enjoy your weekend.