With only about two months before the midterm election, President Obama finally seemed to get some of his old fire back giving a strong speech to the Milwaukee Labor Council, which included a promise of more money to rebuild America's infrastructure and create a few jobs, as well as some reminders of how badly the Republican Party, which is seeking to retake control of congress in November, made a mess of things the last time they were in power.
The speech was good and hit most of the right points, but still seemed a little bit tone deaf on the part of the president. Obama's comments were not so much wrong, or overstated -- far from it. But somehow it seemed a few months late and a few billion dollars short. It is, at least at first glance, inexplicable that Obama would wait until the election was so close before giving a speech that could, at least briefly, mobilize his party's base and generate some excitement. This is the type of speech Obama should have been giving every week since becoming president.
Perhaps the people around the president felt it was unpresidential or would have wasted valuable political capital if Obama had begun doing this type of thing sooner. Those arguments might have been taken seriously as late as mid-2009, but for much of the last twelve months, the president's poll numbers have declined, his party's political future has gotten dimmer and the activist base has been increasingly disappointed. All of those factors pointed to an urgent need for presidential action. The absence of this kind of strong statement by the president as the months went by fed into the narrative that Obama was aloof, unconcerned with the problems facing ordinary Americans or out of touch.
The president's pledge to put $50 billion into new infrastructure is also a little peculiar. It sounds like more like election-year pork from a powerful senator or a governor seeking reelection, albeit on a significantly larger scale, than a serious effort to either rebuild the country's infrastructure or help the economy. It highlights the president's inability, or perhaps unwillingness, to think in sufficiently big terms, a problem that has contributed to an economic stimulus bill that was not big enough, health care reform that was very mild in nature and likely to be modest in impact, and a presidency that is increasingly disappointing.
The other major problem with Obama's remarks is that they were just words. Obama's attacks on the Republicans were refreshing, but the context was strange. It almost sounded as if Obama were just becoming aware that the Republicans were threatening to win back Congress and derail any gains made during the last two years or so. Obama, of course, has long been in a position where he could have done much more than talk -- his eloquent criticisms of the Republican Party only served to underscore this.
Obama's critics and supporters are both aware of his oratorical skills. The speech in Wisconsin was witty, hard-hitting, largely empirically accurate and demonstrated a command of the English language that his predecessor simply did not have. None of this, however, is relevant. The president's words, particularly on issues of domestic policy, are just not that important anymore. After being president for nearly two years, he will, and should, be judged by his actions.
It remains true that expecting Obama to have righted the economy by now is not realistic. Similarly, right wingers who assert that it is now Obama's economy and that the Republicans have nothing to do with the current state of the economy are continuing a pattern of avoiding responsibility that has become a core principle of that party. The Bush administration, of course, played a major role in creating the current economic problems. But pointing that out, while still probably necessary, is no longer sufficient. Obama's message would be significantly more powerful if he could point to major accomplishments, or at least a willingness to confront the Republicans, regarding the economy during his time in office.
While it is good that Obama would choose Labor Day to stress the importance of job creation, the speech was too much of a reminder of just how long it took Obama to understand the extreme import of this issue to most Americans. Like most of the last two years, the ongoing state of America's economy calls for a president not just to say something, no matter how witty or eloquent, but to do something big and bold and to fight tooth and nail for its success. This has been missing from an Obama administration both in style and in substance. Obama's Labor Day speech cannot change that.
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His best speech writer had returned from summer vacation.
I agree with John Locke (not the guy on Lost).
Human history is a record of irrepressible conflict between Power and Liberty, with Power (government) always standing ready to increase its scope by invading people's rights and encroaching upon their liberties.
The battle is almost always with government. Government grows on its own and we must actively fight the growth of government.
The power of large corporations must also be regulated, but that is a secondary threat when compared to government.
We must rediscover the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace.
Pray tale, what any other president in the history of our democratic republic has
1. Had a wall of solid NO from the opposition on just about everything he has tried to do?
2. What any other president was handed a 1.3 trillion dollar deficit, 2 wars, collapse of the economy, etc?
3. What any other POTUS faced 1300 talk hate, Fox declaring itself, 2X in 19 months as the opposition to the president and MSM chasing after every hate monger to gin up more discourse amongst the populace?
I could go on but truth be told, not even Lincoln, nor FDR.
But we are told by the same media and GOPers that people are mad, that our economic woes are not solved in 19 months. Seriously? Really?
To paraphrase Rep BFrank, Folks on what planet do you come from?
This nation prides itself of having independent thoughts. I am suspect of that assertion these days.
Logically, for any objective citizen who expects the problems of this nation that took decades to make, to some how under 19 months, to magically be resolved are fatuously twisted.
Please continue to say "NO" to BHO and we will try to elect smarter people in November
general are like you & that's a shame, veritas.
You want to elect SMART people?
Angle, Paul, O'Donnell, Vitter, Perry, etc?
May Lord save us from those this Nov, Amen.
"
And what other President greeted that loud "NO" with a "I love you, too!" ?
whatever that means, we will stick with the Republicans & go backward. Why we do this too
ourselves is a mystery? But we will & suffer the consequences. Hip-Hip-Hooray!!
fanned was my mistake. Take care.
Fanned & faved:
it will pop up? Take care;
Mike
Obama's speech is not late, the Nov campaign is just starting.
There are still primaries to be held. How can you campaign against an unknown opponent?
Not to mention, maintain any momentum for two months. Obama's timing is right.
Obama has been playing rope-a-dope. Now he's coming out fighting. The fun begins.
FANNED
Other than that is was a success
Obama was not talking to you, to disaffected Progressives, his so-called "base".
He doesn't care about a bunch of whining kids, and neither do I.
Dems needs radical Progressives like Repubs need the Tea Party, meaning not.
They are a turn-off to the electorate, which is independent and centrist.
ps - stage acting directions .. pull a muscle with the left arm (or is it right) grab muscle then grab a dollar from podium .. then push arms back & forth .. smile and when you ask God to bless America don't forget the magic word "please"