OBAMA BEGINS by saying straight to camera, we were “losing nearly 800,000 a month” and were “mired in Iraq.” Romney’s ad to the camera is below, which debuted yesterday. Obama’s in a suit; Romney’s casual.
The direct pitch from Romney straight to camera is an effort to change the trajectory of his losing campaign by revealing more empathy from Romney for Americans who are struggling. One obvious move is to couple himself with Obama on both caring for middle-class Americans.
Obama outlines his plan: 1) Create 1 million new manufacturing jobs, double exports, tax breaks to invest in America; 2) Cut out imports in half and produce more American energy; 3) Keep best work force in America by preparing 100,000 new math and science teachers, train 2 million workers with job skills, expand student aid; Reduce deficit by $4 trillion in next decade, wealthy would pay a little more, end Afghanistan war and rebuild America using “half the savings” to pay down debt and “do some nation building right here at home.”
From the Wall Street Journal on what Obama’s $4 trillion in cuts in the next decade included back when Obama proposed it in 2011:
Obama’s Original ‘Grand Bargain’
The president would reduce deficits by $4 trillion over 10 years by slowing spending growth and ending some tax breaks and Bush-era tax cuts to boost tax revenue by $1 trillion. Would make major changes to Medicare, Medicaid and potentially Social Security. PROSPECTS: Overtaken by the Gang of Six plan.
It’s understandable that Democrats are voting for Obama over Mitt Romney, who’d likely do worse. But how are progressive activists going to push back on cost of living cuts in Social Security, which was part of the so-called Gang of Six, or make sure the entitlement changes are at least even with Pentagon, corporate welfare and tax breaks and other competing expenditures? A tax increase for the wealthiest must be non-negotiable, for starters.
There’s no evidence in America that anyone will take to the streets.
Obama calls what he’s asking for “a new economic patriotism.” “Clean coal” is another one of the things President Obama mentions. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as “clean coal,” at least not yet and that’s widely feasible and cost effective.
“Too many Americans are struggling to find work in today’s economy. Too many of those who are working are living paycheck to paycheck, trying to make falling incomes meet rising prices for food and gas. More Americans are living in poverty than when President Obama took office and 15 million more are on food stamps. President Obama and I both care about poor and middle-class families. The difference is my policies will make things better for them. We shouldn’t measure compassion by how many people are on welfare. We should measure compassion by how many people are able to get off welfare and get a good paying job. My plan will create 12 million new jobs over the next four years—helping lift families out of poverty and strengthening the middle class. I’m Mitt Romney and I approve this message because we can’t afford another four years like the last four years.”
Taylor, thank you for asking the question; now that the race is all but over, how will the left pull Obama back towards the center? He will not go there on his own. If we can’t, then, he is as progressive as Ronald Reagan. Reagan once was a Democrat, too.
Mornin’ TPAZ.
As progressive activists get wound up in Obama’s reelection, which I understand, the cost of letting Obama pass during the Republican primary season on any challenges to his policies is already very expensive. When he’s reelected he’ll be swinging for the legacy fence.
I’m not certain the activist community can do much if they aren’t willing to get out and protest. But the least that can be done is make sure that cuts are shared across the spectrum.
Deficit reduction is coming and some progressive activists have been actively involved, but they have no clout, because people won’t protest in person, which puts on a lot more heat than an email campaign.
Shutting down the Capitol switchboards, getting media coverage? First thing I’d do is target Obama’s pal Dick Durbin in every way possible, bringing the heat down hard.
But I’m not an activist organizer, so it will be interesting to watch, because both sides, Obama pro and progressives against the grand bargain, are busily working right now.
First off, the race is far from over. As far as the rest goes, it will all depend on how democrats do with senate and house races. We’ve all known that Obama is a Clinton type democrat, who will go for what he can get, with the type of congress he has to work with. Obama is not a progressive politician, but if he gets the right type of congress he will go that way.
We know what will get with a Romney/Ryan white house, and its not pretty. If we get more progressives in congress to make a difference Obama will come along, being like any President in his second term, he’ll want to leave with a legacy.
Obama is not a progressive politician, but if he gets the right type of congress he will go that way.
Obama’s back room secret deals on health care proved the statement above wrong years ago.
TPAZ September 27, 2012 at 9:14 am
Let me also state that Obama’s already tied up with the 1% solutions, with Romney worse, on big issues, so progressives really can only do so much.
Obama was in his first term as president, and went for what he could get with the congress he had. Like Clinton, he steered right down the middle knowing that he would get no republicans, and had to many democrats who wouldn’t support anything else. I think he took a big chance going after health care in his first term to begin with, and with the makeup of congress at the time he could not get anything better even if he had wanted to. Who knows what he would have brought to the table if he had, had a true progressive congress. I would have liked to have seen that, it would answer a lot of questions I have about Obama.
You keep attaching Obama to Clinton like that’s a good thing. Obama is also missing many of the political arts and tools that allowed Clinton to get away with what he did and still does.
In today’s new-media environment there are also many tools to find out what’s going on than there were in the ’90s, as well as ways to organize against it. I covered Clinton back then on the web, one of the group who was first to do political writing on the web.
As for Obama “went for what he could get,” that just makes me laugh. Obama made the back room deal on health care while preening otherwise in public. Not shocking, but that people are still pushing another story that’s pure fiction is really silly.
Try reading Ron Suskind’s book. You do know who Jim Messina is, right? Max Baucus? HELLO?
I’ll let you or others have the last word. Ancient history, but it’s weird seeing it rewritten so long after the facts are known.
I didn’t say it is a good thing or a bad thing, I was just making a statement which I think is just a fact. My personal belief would be that, that is a bad thing.
There will neve be a “progressive” Congress as long as it is filled with Democrats and Republicans. There will only be a pro-Wall Street and pro-Military Industrical Complex Congress. Nothing will improve as long as the two legacy parties remain in power, feigning difference between them.
This grand bargain shit bothers me a lot. That said, I wish I knew really how committed Obama is to it and how much of it is election politics. I’m not sure what he would do with a congress that was more friendly to progressive way of thinking. It’s these kind of questions that reminds me of Clinton.
Clinton is Obama’s neoliberal godfather, so I have absolutely no doubt that BOTH men are ready for it.
The question is when Obama wins reelection, how bad will the Republican humiliation be and what will be the reaction to losing a presidential election they should have won?
If Republicans want a deal, Obama will give it to him, and who could blame him?
Certainly not me, because a politician, especially a president, is only as true to his party’s foundational priorities as his base holds him/her.
Progressives have no one to blame but themselves for whatever Obama chooses to do in his second term. They’ve been particularly feckless during the run-up to the 2012 election. But opposing Obama now for them would be suicide.
“Elect my rescue horse for President (he doesn’t do dressage and he is a vegetarian). He will create 30 million job (we are pulling the number out of his A$$ will do a much better job as President than either of these 2 clowns) and, he will not touch Social Security which has nothing to do with the deficit.” My Horse’s A$$ approves this message…and so do I.
So there you have it. Obama now has an ad that confirms he plans to put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block (don’t let the “possibly” thrown in front of SS give you any “hope”).
Obama can do this because we all know Romney will be even worse and probably cut the home mortgage interest deduction on top of that. Although we have no guarantees that Obama won’t do the same.
Take to the streets? Why? They will just do with they did with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Bring out the 2012 US version of the Brown Shirts and squash the movement.
Seniors….they are easy targets for both sides. This youth-oriented, me-me society doesn’t give a horse’s behind about the elderly. We are screwed….my friends…regardless of who gets elected.
Is this what they all mean by legitimate rape?
I want whatever you’re drinking this morning!
On. Fire.
Obama can do this because we all know Romney will be even worse and probably cut the home mortgage interest deduction on top of that. Although we have no guarantees that Obama won’t do the same.
Yeah, a very well placed and powerful activist friend was talking about that, too.
Imagine how different this conversation would be if we weren’t shackled with the horrifically un-Democratic electoral college. We’ve got a race that is virtually tied in the popular vote being declared “over” because one candidate is way ahead in Ohio. What a ridiculous mess of a system we have here.
Oh, seconded! The Electoral College is antiquated and should be abolished. Agreed.
Boy, you have right. Without the electoral college BS, Romney would be on his way home and Ryan would be on his way home to try and keep his seat in congress.
WORD!
If Obama goes after the Grand Bargan (which he will) in his second term, kiss the mortgage interest deduction goodby. Nixon went China, Clinton reformed welfare, and Obama will dismantle social security. This how legacys are made.
The stage was set in January, as Senator Barack Obama told The Reno Gazette-Journal that “Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that, you know, Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it.”
This is what Obama believes – the transaction of politics. For him, there is little room for ideology or morality, just output and outcomes.