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The bruising Republican primary battle has allowed President Obama and his campaign to craft and refine their re-election message, tailoring it to win over a bloc with which the president faces his most glaring vulnerability: independents.
The national conversation in recent months has been directed more toward conservatives than independents, thanks to nationally televised debates and four bruising primary battles. Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney has suffered one piece of fallout as a result, seeing his negative rating with independents spike by an unusually large 20 points in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
“We’re just sitting back and watching the show,” an Obama campaign official said of the GOP race. “Audiences have gone up in the past month. We’ve seen our supporters get engaged. Attacks on the president have driven people into our camp … They’ve been busy courting their Tea Party base.”
The official added that Romney’s negatives among independents have shot up, because, “There has been a debate over his background as a corporate buyout specialist, the discussion of his tax returns, that he’s comfortable paying a lower rate than most Americans, that he made a decision to park his investments off shore. That combined raised them.”
As a result, Obama has begun to do five different things: 1. Go populist, stressing economic fairness; 2. Return to a Midwestern plain-spokenness and relatability; 3. Run against Congress while showing he is a fighter; 4. Subtly respond to the Republican presidential field without naming names; and 5. More frequently tout what he sees as his biggest accomplishments.
Economic fairness – and unity (to a point)
The president started tweaking his re-election message in Osawatomie, Kan., with a speech focused on economic fairness amid the waning strength of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
“Their philosophy is simple,” the president said of Republicans, “we are better off when everyone is left to fend for themselves and play by their own rules. Well, I’m here to say they are wrong. I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules.”
Obama sought to strike chords intended to remind voters of the rhetorical unity that launched him into the national spotlight during his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
“Those aren’t Democratic or Republican values, 1 percent values or 99 percent values,” he said. “They’re American values, and we have to reclaim them.”
Those themes were echoed in last week’s State of the Union.
“We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by," Obama said, "or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake aren’t Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. And we have to reclaim them.”
Midwestern common sense: Simple, relatable
A hallmark of Obama’s since his emergence onto the national stage is his ability to reflect a certain common-sense sensibility.
The former Illinois senator focuses on the way voters feel Washington should work, where a president supports one thing, Congress supports another, and the two come together to reach an optimal point of compromise.
It’s the kind of almost Midwestern values and tone that many political observers cite as a reason why this child of Hawaii -- who grew up in Indonesia with a foreign middle name, “Hussein” -- was able to win so convincingly in 2008, with particular strength in the Midwest.
Obama reached for that again in his housing speech yesterday.
“This is the most important purchase a family makes,” the president said of homeownership. “But how many of you have had to deal with overly complicated mortgage forms and hidden clauses and complex terms? I remember when Michelle and I bought our first condo – and we're both lawyers.”
That got some laughs.
“And we’re looking through the forms and kind of holding it up--.”
More laughs.
“Reading it again -- ‘What does this phrase mean?’ And that’s for two trained lawyers,” he deadpanned again before getting serious.
“The forms, the confusion, the potential for abuse is too great just because the forms were too complicated. So this is what a mortgage form should look like,” Obama said, holding up a one-page mortgage application. “This is it.”
People understand the difference between a pile of paperwork with tough-to-read fine print and a single sheet of paper with clear rules. Accompanying story after story after story today about the speech was the picture of the president holding up that single page.
This kind of simple and relatable Midwestern sentiment embodies the art of political messaging, and it’s proven to be a lot easier for Obama to employ while campaigning than governing.
A line in the sand: Running against Congress
Almost everywhere the president travels, he decries congressional instransigence. That's good politics when Congress is at historic lows in approval.
“Thanks to some of the same folks who are now running Congress,” Obama said in Osawatomie, “we had weak regulation; we had little oversight, and what did it get us? Insurance companies that jacked up people's premiums with impunity and denied care to patients who were sick, mortgage lenders that tricked families into buying homes they couldn't afford, a financial sector where irresponsibility and lack of basic oversight nearly destroyed our entire economy. We simply cannot return to this brand of ‘you're on your own’ economics if we're serious about rebuilding the middle class in this country.”
In the State of the Union, Obama went after Congress again, trying to show he’s open to compromise, while also showing he wouldn’t be bullied by the GOP leadership.
“As long as I’m president, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum,” Obama said. “But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits.”
And he did it again during the housing speech. "We're going to need Congress to act," Obama said, which was greeted by chuckles in the crowd.
"I hear some murmuring in the audience here,” he added with a smile. “We need them to act.”
Gone is the lofty hope for transcendence and compromise. Instead, Obama now reflects the realism of a president who has been burned.
For example, when he called in his State of the Union address for comprehensive immigration reform, he had this caveat: “But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country.”
Offering what seem like “common-sense” items for Congress to work on, Obama can have it both ways. If Congress doesn’t act on the poll-tested items he suggested, he can continue to run against Congress. If it does, he can claim a measure of credit.
Subtly respond to GOP, especially Romney
The president has also taken to subtly responding to the GOP primary battle without directly engaging any of his would-be challengers in November.
He seized, for instance, on the notion that it was unfair for a millionaire to pay lower taxes on earnings from their investments just as Romney was having to defend his wealth and low effective tax rate as part of the GOP nominating battle.
“[Y]ou can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense,” Obama said in his State of the Union address.
“We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get a tax break I don’t need and the country can’t afford ... That’s not right. Americans know that’s not right,” the president added in a bit of messaging that could just as easily double as a campaign speech.
On the auto industry, Obama said: “Some even said we should let it die,” a clear allusion to Romney, who authored a 2009 op-ed advocating bankruptcy for General Motors and Chrysler. Obama made that reminder again during a visit this week to the Washington Auto Show. “[I]t's good to remember that the fact that there were some folks who were willing to let this industry die…,” he said.
He defended his record on Iran and Israel, even ad-libbing during the State of the Union when talking about Israel’s security, adding “and I mean iron clad,” referring to the U.S.’s commitment to its ally.
Even his nationalistic tone about America -- he said “America” or “American” 88 times in the address -- seemed to be a response to Republican candidates who have accused him of going on apology tours or not believing in “American exceptionalism.”
During his Osawatomie speech, Obama also employed the some-would-say tactic: “Now, in the midst of this debate, there are some who seem to be suffering from a kind of collective amnesia. After all that's happened, after the worst economic crisis, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, they want to return to the same practices that got us into this mess.”
During his housing speech, Obama said this: "It is wrong for anybody to suggest that the only option for struggling, responsible homeowners is to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom.”
Anybody -- or, once again, his most likely opponent this fall?
Mitt Romney on Oct. 17 told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in Nevada, the state that leads the country in unemployment and rate of foreclosures: “As to what to do for the housing industry specifically, and there are things that you can do to encourage housing, one is, don’t try and stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom, allow investors to buy homes, put renters in them, fix the homes up, and let it turn around and come back up."
Tout accomplishments
The president added another vital wrinkle to running for reelection -- listing accomplishments. Presidents up for reelection have to be able to run on their record, at least how they spin their record.
But up until the State of the Union, the president hadn’t given a full listing in one place of what he saw as his best achievements. He ticked them off that night -- killing bin Laden, helping the auto industry become solvent again, private-sector job growth (especially in manufacturing), cutting the deficit by more than $2 trillion, and adding new rules for Wall Street.
Obama has his challenges. He is facing a difficult national environment. Unemployment is still high, and those who have stopped looking for work just about doubles that number. A huge number of people say the country is off on the wrong track. There’s a big budget deficit, gaping long-term debt (much of it owed to China) -- which many say is the top issue facing the country in the long run.
But the president’s team hopes to be able to talk about trajectory, that things are “getting better,” and, of course, to make the election a “choice” and not a referendum.
With the GOP field locked in a battle for the nomination, the messaging has not been geared to the middle.
Some Republicans argue that a long primary battle helped Obama and could help Romney as well. There was some evidence of that, as Romney sharpened his debate performance in the run up to the Florida primary -- something that likely wouldn’t have happened if he had won South Carolina and appeared on his way to the nomination.
The difference, the Obama campaign official said, “President Obama and Sen. Clinton did not spend 2007 and 2008 getting dragged out to ideological pasture. They had a debate about how to draw down troops in Iraq and health care. They [the GOP] have been courting the Tea Party base with a scorched-earth campaign.”
The president -- not facing a primary challenge -- is quietly trying to take advantage. That’s the power of the incumbency.
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They are all the same! There is no-one in the picture, neither Democrat, Republican or Independent that has the guts to do what is good for America and it's people! They all SUCK! All the Sheep in this nation that vote along party lines need to say enough is enough and vote for Mickey Mouse. This way, the parties will get the message and someone will come out into the light that does not have there own agenda and fight for the American people. The status quo is what has gotten this country where it is today, "In the Toilet". What happened to our great country? John Kennedy was the last real president that wanted to blow the lid on what was happening in this country and they KILLED him!
Time for the country to take a shower and send all that BO back to Chicago.
Please, we dont want him here either. We have enough problems already, thank you.
If Obama was such a great leader, then why have his White House staff and close advisers departed...the list is quite impressive.
Because P.Obama has to get more radical people to take their place.
Obama listed his occplishments that night -- killing bin Laden, helping the auto industry become solvent again, private-sector job growth (especially in manufacturing), cutting the deficit by more than $2 trillion, and adding new rules for Wall Street.
Yea, his record definately shows he deserves another term, LMFAO!
Now, I will have to give Obama credit for creating a few jobs.
The security teams, cooks, maids, pilots and maintenance workers who deal with Air Force One have total job security.
Also, who ever does the dusting in the Oval office has a full time job.
Black Water, Haliburton, Fema, TSA... his private Army for when the troops refuse to obey an un-constitutional order.
Troops have never failed to follow orders. Some didn't want to, but since 1973 they have both their heart and wallet invested.
Some prior to that (like Clinton) evaded.
But after 1973 either you volunteered or you left.
As far as the contractors go, there is no other reason for those (and FEMA and the TSA are not involved)
other than to get the job done without all the "details".
You cannot fight a covert war with the Geneva Convention having your hands tied behind your back.
SO you do what Russia or China or any other country does.
You circumvent the rules.
OR you LOSE.
"Civilised man" has forgotten the rules of war.
You fight to win, and to win, there are NO rules.
actually Fema plays a large role....google "Rex 84"
Hey, stop that, why did you wake me up....Oh Obama is lying again, oh Obama is Talking again, and he is talking to me......Yawn, stretch,,, Don't ever do that again especially with Obama talking he's hiding something like the greatest tax hikes ever in 2013 and H.R.1125 which he and his American wrecking crew are going to PUNISH US WITH for their spending spree and gross financial incompetence....Wake me up ONLY if he is talking about resigning then I might be interested until then leave me alone......
I agree!
I have to send out 1099 to anyone that I paid more than $600 for services!
$600! Uncle Sam won't even allow you to earn a weeks wages without wanting his cut!
Stop all that picking on Obama stuff.....he did the best he knew how.....may not have been much of anything..but it was his best....
And here I thought he was just on cruise control.
If this was his best, then I feel sorry for him :(.
@!$%# that lying son of a bitch...has he ever told the truth, once? You stupid sons of bitches would vote for that liar again? Why because you go to School to deny the Constitution? Are you Socialist? Do you realize that you can never own anything under that System?
Obama 2012.
$86 million and counting.
What a waste of $86 million.......shameful .....
Obama throws around $85 Million on spreading propaganda, as welfare recipients, the cost of live rise, and wages fall.
Kind of the definition of elitism, flagrantly blowing money in the faces of the needy........
What is he going to shoot the Independence for not voting for his dumb a$$. There is a new meaning for OMG it's Obuttwad Must Go.
Spewing hateful ignorance again eh?
I see that Seaman72 is spewing the liberal crap again huh.
All right now--all of you damn loonies get off the grass and back on the path!
(Jesus H. Christ--conservatives--what a sorry bunch of nattering nitwits.....)
You American's are so amusing. I love to read the back and forth between you guys. The title of the article says it all. None of your Republican/Democrat votes mean anything, you just cancel each other out. It's the independent's that hold the real power in this election. Wouldn't want to have to make that choice right now. Obama has been so-so and the Mitt-Newt Comedy routine may be hilarious but are either really a good choice for the office?
A 1,000 times better than Obama......
YOU Americans?
What rock did you crawl out from under?
Read down a little further Viewer, I'm Canadian Eh!!
Obama, or Ron Paul, those are the only two real choices. Take your pick.
Ron Paul any day of the week.
If that's the case, where's Dr Kervorkian when you really need him !!!
You know how to starve an Obuttwad supporter - Hide his food stamps under his work boots.
You would have to be insane, a mental moron, a left wing looney or all three to vote Obama in for another four years. At this point over Obama's past 3 years, we all are starting to think Jimmy carter wasn't so bad. Four more years of Obama will bring us to our knees and many will be begging for the democrats socialist give-a-ways just to eat. I am starting to believe that is Obama and the left wing loonies plan, bankrupt the Country, promote class warfare, unionize all workers (that can get a job or have a job, if there any to get) to chase out the rest of the manufacturing jobs from the country, then a complete transfer of power to the government to control jobs, money, unions, and it's people under a socialist form of government will be easier to attain (what the left wing loonies want). Then your government officials become the super rich and wield all the power, not the people. Then in 10 to 15 years, this country goes completely bankrupt, just like all the other socialist societies have in the past. At this time we are not far from economic ruin now, from all the ridiculous government spending and the trillions in debt we owe now that China holds.
Now you are catching on.
You are right Ron. Back in the seventies we thought there couldn't be anyone worse than Carter. Obama proved us wrong.
One more thing, We are where we are now, because of all those great give-a-way programs over the last 50 years that our politicians kept adding with every new election to appease their constituents and donors to their campaign. Us taxpayers have been pillaged from for years and new regulations to favor one business over another, or one political party over another hsve practically destroyed this country. And do not forget the democrats and the left wing loonies easy loans and credit for minorities (a real vote getter in an election year) and easy mortgages for all (even some of the Congressman got some of those easy loans). As a matter of fact this president (Obama) was the lawyer (community organizer) for ACORN that was picketing Banks for the easier lending and eventually Bill Clinton signed that bill. That alone created most of this economic crisis we are experiencing now.
all of ya need to get a life
bigben, I am Canadian so I really have no vested interest in who wins, but the fact that I can see Downtown Detroit from my window right now, I actually know more about the daily going on's of your government than my own. I love your country. I vacation in the Smoky Mountains every year, and I hope for the best for you guys, because our economy here is closely tied to yours, and if you fail we are all in trouble.
That's why Obama must go David...
And I wish the best to you.....
I love Canada.......beautiful place...and pretty girls.....
Then you better hope they impeach this moron before he destroys ours and yours and the whole worlds economies for his and Soros' New World order.
David, four more years of Obama and this administration and we are guaranteed to fail miserably and we'll probably need a loan from from you guys in Canada.
Well our economy is in a little better shape than yours, then again we pay a lot more in taxes than you guys do. Gotta pay for our Universal Health Care and our Government funded Public AND Catholic school boards
Well, unfortunately Canada will also be hurting in a few years as the burden of the government programs which are never run efficiently and always cost much, much more then they ever dreamed, will put you in in financial trouble also (I hope not, but history shows it's inevitable). Or if you pay most of what you make in taxes to the government, maybe you can stave it off for a while. But how free is anyone, if most of what you earn is taken away by your government under the guise of caring for your every need the way they want to do it.
Trust me I know. I made around $35K last year and had about $7k in deductions. Then add a 13% Sales tax on pretty much EVERYTHING, from gas in the car to the Hydro and Gas bills for the house, it is a lot of money to the Government. My Buddy is a Doctor and his income tax bracket is 57%. More then half his pay is taxes.
An impressive list of accomplishments. Why wouldn't Independents want a 2nd Obama term?
Who said he hasn't done anything?
An impressive list of accomplishments!
First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.
First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.
First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States .
First President to violate the War Powers Act.
First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico .
First President to defy a Federal Judge’s court order to cease implementing the Health Care Reform Law.
First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.
First President to spend a trillion dollars on ‘shovel-ready’ jobs when there was no such thing as ‘shovel-ready’ jobs.
First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.
First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.
First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S. , including those with criminal convictions.
First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.
First President to terminate America ’s ability to put a man in space-defunded NASA.
First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.
First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.
First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke-out on the reasons for their rate increases.
First President to tell a major manufacturing company (Boeing) in which State they are allowed to locate a factory.
First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN).
First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.
First President to fire an inspector general of Ameri-corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.
First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.
First President to golf 73 separate times in his first two and a half years in office, 90 to date & counting.
First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.
First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.
First President to not know how to properly pronounce Navy 'corpsman'.
First President to go on multiple global ‘apology tours’-including bowing to foreign rulers.
First President to go on 17 lavish vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends; paid for by the taxpayer.
First President to say that America was not a Christian nation.
First President to have 22 personal servants (taxpayer funded) just for his wife.
First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.
So how is this hope and change working out for ya? Don't you feel better now?
This happy horse@!$%# has been posted over and over and over.
Try something original.
Thanks very nice post.
Repetition is how we teach the learning disabled like comfortablynumbnuts.
NOBAMA2012, the END of an ERROR
comfortablynumb.....bitching about reptivness, but not arguing a single fact!
What uselessness!
ssmithlg > That's nothing, he still has a year to go, so I am sure he'll add a few more things to that list. None of which will be good as this year is an election year and he's pretty much taking this year off even after he spent the first 2 years promoting the Obamination Care, while most Americans were out of work. Also, Unions drove most manufacturing jobs out of the country, so the first thing he does as president was to push through the bill to allow Unions to know how all people voted ( yes or no and who voted no)at a company a union is trying to unionize. That will assure a sound beating or a work related accident to all that voted no. The democrats and the left wingers tout education, but they sure haven't learned much and they are proof that our education system need an overhaul.
When we say THAT the president promised IS a debt we say that MAKING end OF the TWO wars (both Iraq and Afghanistan) is the implementation of PRESIDENT electoral promised- Not surprisingly- Republicans have used that news to criticize the Obama administration.
WTF?
Talk about gibberish! Did you write Obama's accomplishments also?
Next time try CAPITALIZING every other word, it may help..........
yeah, yeah. yeah.... Obama is a one and done president. There is no way he gets elected for 4 more years and for the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would even want four more years of this mess.
After getting nailed by a Daisy Cutter, Obama made his way to the pearly gates. There, he is greeted by George Washington.
"How dare you attack the nation I helped conceive!" yells Mr Washington, slapping Obama in the face.
Patrick Henry comes up from behind. "You wanted to end the Americans' liberty, so they gave you death!" Henry punches Obama on the nose.
James Madison comes up next, and says "This is why I allowed the Federal government to provide for the common defense!" He drops a large weight on Obama's knee.
Obama is subject to similar beatings from John Randolph of Roanoke, James Monroe, and sixty-five other people who have the same love for liberty and America.
As he writhes on the ground, Thomas Jefferson picks him up to hurl him back toward the gate where he is to be judged.
As Obama awaits his journey to his final very hot destination, he screams "This is not what I was promised!"
An angel replies "What did you think I said? I told you there would be 72 Virginians waiting for you."
I know, Comfortablynumb, not original.....SO!!! lmao.
Nicely posted........."a must read".....and a vote for you......not original..??.....still good....
Now that's funny and I don't care if you are a loony lefty demowit.
RonH-4252070
so whats wrong with every one making the same money. and making a living wage ?
all of you rp bull need to just put your heads up your ass higher people say union wages drive up the cost . you all think that ceos pay and bonuses are alot more then the workers that do the grunt work that make that ceo look good
If EVERYONE is paid the same, then why would a doctor dedicate years to college, only to make that of the ditchdigger?
Why would anyone dig ditches, when they could make the same wage as a gas station attendant?
Just a few of MANY flaws in the "everyone should make the same wage" idiocy......
Before you "unionize all workers" I would suggest you learn to write a proper paragraph.
Start with getting your GED
Not sure I`m understanding you, but I think you are saying to disregard everything Obama has done to destroy this country, as long as I still make $30/hour and paid bennies. Am I correct?
?
goof hammer
If everyone made the same money, those that now excel in life would not have the incentive to do so.
Productivity and quality would plummet. The country would either collapse or the government would make grunt slaves of us all ! Which choice do you think the government would make?
GOP HAMMER > the name Hammer seems to be appropriate for you. It's Socialism not Freedom. Why do you want to go backwards. We are free and I know for a fact that you can get what you need on your own. I could walk away from all I own today and next year be living just fine, anywhere I want in this country. It's called learning how to take care of yourself on your own in a free society, something I had learned by the time I was 16. You would have to be a moron to give control of your life to the government, and have less freedom for a government hand out. Are people that incapable that they have to pay a union to control their pay and their jobs ? All of which you can do on your own and keep more in your pocket and probably have more work. If you want Socialism ( A boring society with no hope of success or many fulfilled dreams), move to Europe, our forefathers fought against exactly what the democrats and the left wingers are trying to do now.
P.Obama is an imposter pretending to be P.O.T.U.S.
Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House.
One is from Chicago, another is from Tennessee, and the third is from
Montana. All three go with a White House official to examine the fence.
The Montana contractor takes out a tape measure and does some
measuring, then works some figures with a pencil.
"Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $900. That's $400 for
materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me."
The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then
says, "I can do this job for $700. That's $300 for materials, $300 for
my crew and $100 profit for me."
The Chicago contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the
White House official and whispers, "$2,700."
The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the
other guys. How did you come up with such a high figure?"
The Chicago contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and
we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence."
"Done!" replies the government official.
And that, my friends, is how the Government Stimulus plan worked.
The Chicago Way, thank you president Obama.
There are not many Obama supporters out here today.....
I guess they are dropping like flies ...or like his pole numbers.....
Well...I guess I would hide too......."LOL"...
Wait until you see his next moves this year. He is going to propose to cut Federal Government and save a few million dollars by combining a few departments (it would still be bigger than before Obama was elected after the proposed cuts) knowing that the GOP wont let it fly as it is just a meaningless ploy in an election year that will solve nothing. Then if the GOP knocks it down, he can run around saying that the party that said they want cuts didn't pass a cut only to use that as fodder in the upcoming election. And I am sure he'll propose other half hearted spending cuts this year that he knows can't cut the mustard to get passed, but it will be fine with him as he and his party doesn't really want to cut a dime in spending. But he can use that politically to say see, the GOP says they want cuts, but wont pass them. For three years he and his administration have wanted to do nothing but spend. spend and spend, They added czar after czar and government agencies and committees, now he wants to cut back ? That's allot of bull to me, he can't win this next election on his record and is now in pathetic political panic mode, trying to make like he's trying to cut spending and big government and no one will work with him (poor Obama). A very similar tactic that he uses trying to blame Bush for the last three years for his administrations political ineptness.
Good article on the BS that Obama is going to attempt to feed the American people in order to get re-elected.
"The former Illinois senator focuses on the way voters feel Washington should work, where a president supports one thing, Congress supports another, and the two come together to reach an optimal point of compromise." - GREAT sentence, and this is what Clinton did, fact is, Obama has supported one thing, the House has supported another... and Obama has been completely absent from negotiations.
"Almost everywhere the president travels, he decries congressional instransigence. That's good politics when Congress is at historic lows in approval." - Yup, and this is the only thing he has to run on right now.
“'As long as I’m president, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum,” Obama said. “But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.'" - I call COMPLETE BS on this quote from the SOTU. The policies that brought us here were NOT conservative policies at ALL!!
"He seized, for instance, on the notion that it was unfair for a millionaire to pay lower taxes on earnings from their investments." - They don't, because these earnings are double-taxed. Investments also helps to grow the economy. It is simply a BRILLIANT idea to discourage investment by taxing it at a higher rate!
"On the auto industry, Obama said: “Some even said we should let it die,” a clear allusion to Romney, who authored a 2009 op-ed advocating bankruptcy for General Motors and Chrysler." - WAIT A SECOND lol. Obama DID let GM and Chrysler go bankrupt LMAO!! Bush is the one that originally bailed them out! Go look this @!$%# up!!
I don't even want to address the BS "accomplishments" he cited, many of which he should not take credit for, and others that have accomplished nothing.
Andrew, here's the list of Obama's impressive accomplishments!
Who said he hasn't done anything?
An impressive list of accomplishments!
First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.
First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.
First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States .
First President to violate the War Powers Act.
First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico .
First President to defy a Federal Judge’s court order to cease implementing the Health Care Reform Law.
First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.
First President to spend a trillion dollars on ‘shovel-ready’ jobs when there was no such thing as ‘shovel-ready’ jobs.
First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.
First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.
First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S. , including those with criminal convictions.
First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.
First President to terminate America ’s ability to put a man in space-defunded NASA.
First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.
First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.
First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke-out on the reasons for their rate increases.
First President to tell a major manufacturing company (Boeing) in which State they are allowed to locate a factory.
First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN).
First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.
First President to fire an inspector general of Ameri-corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.
First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.
First President to golf 73 separate times in his first two and a half years in office, 90 to date & counting.
First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.
First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.
First President to not know how to properly pronounce Navy 'corpsman'.
First President to go on multiple global ‘apology tours’-including bowing to foreign rulers.
First President to go on 17 lavish vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends; paid for by the taxpayer.
First President to say that America was not a Christian nation.
First President to have 22 personal servants (taxpayer funded) just for his wife.
First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.
So how is this hope and change working out for ya? Don't you feel better now?
Great list of achievements for President Obama. One suggestion don't confuse the liberals with facts. It gives them a splitting headache.
first president to kill usama bin laden , in just 36 months on the job , compared to bush , and his wmd adm. 8 years of failure.
first president to keep a country afloat , and kept from a depression , after bush , and his wmd adm. '' bankrupt the united states of america.
first president to take on the 1% to pay their fair share of taxes , '' without the loop-hole entitlements.
first black president of the united states of america .
first president to sincerely care for the american workers. '' rich or poor ''
first president to kill quadafa
first president to dance on live talk shows !!!!!!!!!!!!! fun loving
first president to love you , just the way you are. '' rich or poor ''
first black president to win THE NOBEL '' PEACE PRIZE '' , just for treating people with respect.
the first president to take sleep from the patriotic bigots of the united states of america. '' KLU KLUX KLAN '' ETC. ECT. ECT.
first president to make republicans or just plain greedy's head explode ? :;o
republicans or just plain greedy> All of those Obama accomplishments and 3 dollars will get you a hot dog and a fish cake ! He is now the worst president we have had since Carter and he may hold 1st place as the worst ever. I am not racist, I'm not a bigot, color, race, where you lived in the US, Social status, etc. make no difference to me as to the president, it is the job performance, the ability to make wise decisions, and the results of your decisions that I look at. Killing Osama was going to happen no matter who was president, but job creation and our economy is the most important and he has failed miserably in that area. I don't want to burst your bubble, but Obama is a one and done President.
You righties are so out of touch with reality it's kind of scary, LOL
Aw come on try, we thought that Obama was the best thing since the discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel, the transcontinental railroad , the microwave oven and cellphones and such. These things contributed to society and are useful. We just discovered that we were wrong about Obama and are very, very disappointed in him. He had his chance and blew it. It is time for real hope and change . That's the reality of it. :o(
first president to give the whole military a christmas present !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 years of this quagmire is enough. What can be accomplished there has been accomplished. Bin Laden is dead, Al-Quada is significantly weakened. We don't need to see any more AMERICANS coming home from there in body bags, and we sure cannot afford to keep wasting money on this. Bring our troops home now! TELL THE WORLD FOR ME, '' NEXT MONTH '' WE'RE OUTTA HERE . '' WE '' NEED THOSE SPY DRONES RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA. THEN WE CAN WATCH THOSE CROOKED REPUBLICAN CONSERVATIVE BIGOTS THROUGH BRICK WALLS. CANTOR AND BOEHNER WILL BE EXPOSED. '' WHAT A DREAM '' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Independents are keeping an eye on president Obama as well. As an Independent, I watch closely the in-actions of this current 112th Congress and the leadership failures of the House to converse or compromise and limit any contributions of any favor ability towards the president. After listening to the debates, watching the peeling away of contenders and traipsing all around the net, reading newspapers and magazines, I'm still wanting a Colin Powell to enter and win the nomination. Romney wants the conservative mantra, but his lack of concern for the poor who have a social safety net in place speaks very poorly of him as Conservatives want to do away with the Social Programs currently in place. Gingrich, has so much baggage and failed in the past to keep to a higher standard, leaves a bad taste. Santorum and Paul do not have the backing and or leadership qualities required to run the country and present presidential.
Romney's lack of concern for the poor.......
I guess you missed Obama's "gaff" when he told the woman expressing concern over her husbands extended bout with unemployment that he thought it was....."interesting".
Obama finds the FACT that Millions MORE are unemployed after he invested TRILLIONS into our economy, "interesting".....
I find it "interesting" that anyone is willing to give this imbecile another term! After the past three years we are stuck with an economy as fragile now as it was in 08', and an insurmountable wall of debt looming over us.
2012, the year the Obamanation leading this country finally leaves!
Rudy Gonzales - you said it exactly (Ron Paul does not have the backing) and this has been the problem all these years with our presidental elections - money - not their money eveyone else who can buy them, you answered it for yourself. Have you even given the time of day to a proposed candidate who just wants us to go back and live by the consititution of this great nation. Give Ron Paul a chance to be heard and it will change your mind if you are really sincere. As for looking presidential since when was that a requirement to be president. I sure have seen a lot in my time that don't fit what your bill is stating. A president is just that, a president, not a movie star, rock star, rich star, or whatever meets the eye that is shining, no, we don't need the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, that has been our problem all along, living in fairyland, stop the crap now and vote for Ron Paul because he is the only true american who doesn't care what he looks like, he cares what he will do as your president, enough said.