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So, about 10 days later, exactly what effect has President Obama’s statements on the small business sector had on stabilizing confidence among entrepreneurs?

The answer seems to be mixed. If you’ve been following developments over on the You’re The Boss blog run by the New York Times, you’ll know that success in passing the new small business laws are not guaranteed. Initially, it seemed that the President might have to struggle to get his plan through the House and Senate after disquiet from members of both parties.

Now much of the debate has turned to the perspective of Rep. Sam Graves, who is the ranking member on the House Small Business Committee. He had initially announced his disdain for President Obama’s plan. But in an interview with the NY Times, Karen Mills, the head of the SBA, described Graves as “extremely supportive”. Now Rep. Graves’s office has taken exception to this statement, but it is unclear exactly where he stands on the President’s plans. Rep. Graves has declared himself to be an ardent supporter of small business, so it will be interesting to see where he comes down on this legislation.

All of that said, no matter what roadblocks the Republicans throw up, the Democrats will have the votes to pass the bill and it seems that now that support is there for the plan. This is important because there are a number of lingering political issues that are eating into the confidence of small business owners.

The Wall Street Journal recently issued another report on the difficulties facing small business owners. It framed the story around three big political concerns of small business owners: the impending health care legislation, the looming expiration of Bush-era tax cuts and the possibility of green taxes.

With all of these issues looming, it is really time for consensus. The President’s small business plans have to come into effect, and they should only the beginning. For those who doubt the President’s commitment to franchising and small business, here he is again, talking up the importance of entrepreneurship to the American economy: