If this idea sounds like a joke to you, it's the type of joke that Jon Stewart might crack: funny but with an edge of truth to it.
This presidential race is all about the economy. Without food on the table, we will all be too hungry to care about anything else. Knowing this, Mitt Romney has focused on attacking President Obama's judgment on fiscal issues -- most recently citing Solyndra, a manufacturer of advanced solar panels that collapsed in 2011 after receiving a $535 million Energy Department loan guarantee in 2009. Obama, for his part, has made Romney's mercenary business model at Bain Capital the centerpiece of his campaign against the Republican.
Then this week, both men gave speeches laying out their very different approaches to fixing the economy. That's great, except I don't know which end is up anymore.
On one hand, Romney is right: the president has a poor track record making "public equity" investments; but on the other hand, the Republican plan for America is asinine, based on nothing but making the rich richer so that maybe they might throw a few crumbs to the middle class and poor. Clearly we are faced with a Devil's Alternative.
So the million dollar (literally) question is whether there is a way to eliminate all this bickering and create an arrangement that can actually benefit the economy?
The answer is yes. Romney should send Obama his resume ASAP, and the president should hire him without delay. I'm sure his references from Bain will check out.
It is a fact that Romney was successful at making profitable investments for Bain, while Obama has been unsuccessful at doing the same with taxpayers' money. But the presidency is about a lot more than the profit motive, and returns on investment cannot be measured solely in economic terms. While the White House's economic policies may not have generated a financial windfall, they have had other valuable effects, such as the prevention of an economic collapse after the financial crisis, the creation of jobs (not a lot, but this is despite Republican sabotage), at least some semblance of Wall Street reform and other societal gains. In addition, the president has tackled important issues from healthcare and the War in Afghanistan to gay rights with reasonable success.
Romney may have been a successful CEO, but Obama has been a successful commander-in-chief, and there is a big difference between those jobs. Just because Romney generated healthy profits for one constituency -- shareholders -- does not mean that he is necessarily qualified to run a country with multiple constituencies, often with conflicting interests.
So the right roles for these two men are the following: Barack Obama should remain president, and Mitt Romney should become America's Economic Czar (with clearly proscribed powers). This way, Romney could sharp-shoot our economic problems, but without the ability to do silly things like cut taxes for the wealthy or eliminate regulations that are needed to protect consumers.
True public service is one where people apply their best skills in the right sphere, without ego, and without overreaching. In this case, Romney could actually do some good as long as his nuttier ideas are kept in check by Obama, and the president can benefit from Romney's talent at making smart financial decisions.
Now if only the politicians could think so clearly.
Follow Sanjay Sanghoee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sanghoee
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 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
We need to invest in our economy which means spenidng money on things we need to create jobs. Obviously the private sector is not going to help so we need the public sector to take the lead. It is foolish to expect companies to hire workers before they see potential profits. If you want to create jobs, you have to create demand, the one follows the other.
Both Republicans and Democrats have no clue how to fix our economy as evidenced by their lack of proposals. The Justice Party knows how to create jobs because our nation has done it before. We start with a new WPA for infrastructure, we support high-speed rail, we build new renewable power plants, we begin mining the moon, and we build new ultra-modern high-density urban centers. This is how one creates jobs, seriously who pays these people to keep proposing stupidity?
The Democrats are so clueless they are still trying to be second rate Republicans.
Texas Justice Party? Sure, I'll hear you out. Makes sense so far.
He was not successful at anything at Bain except depriving Americans of their jobs.
I strongly suggest you seek psychiatric help.
I can not called the same thing in this 31/2 years: 5 trillions in additional national debt, 16 trillions and counting. 81/2% underemployment. $4.50 gallons of gas. Last budget, the Democrat senate rejected 99-0 , Keystone pipeline creating 20,000 jobs not approved. Fast and Furios with Mr Holder close to contempt to Congress. Solyndra 500 millions wasted.
Do you need more examples of incompetent president.'
WAKE UP AMERICA SAY NO TO SOCIALISM
1. that surplus budget was trashed when Bush gave tax cuts to the 1% without paying for it. Obama's budget is LESS than
2. Bain Capital trashed companies and laid of millions, piled up debt to ensure the co.s go under and their profit was high.
3. The rising debt is a result of a crashed economy not being able to pay down the debt. Bushes debt increase was HIGHER than Obamas. Obama’s 45 percent rise is nearly equal in dollar terms to his predecessor’s 85 percent increase — because Obama started from a much higher base. Bush's increase was 86%, Obamas was 45%. Lets not forget Bush never include 2 major wars and Obama did. BIG DIFFERENCE!
http://www.factcheck.org/2012/02/dueling-debt-deceptions/
4. When Bush left we lost 4.2 MILLION jobs, under Obama we GAINED 4.3 jobs. WALL st crashed the economy, not obama and as soon as the Republicans decide to passa jobs bills unemplyment will drop further.
5. Gas prices are controlled by speculators, and by India's & China's increasing demand. BTW -gas prices where I live are hovering around $3.50
6. keystone pipeline will EXPORT oil OUTSIDE the USA and make gas prices HIGHER in the USA. They admitted their jobs projection was bogus. Perhaps a few hundred for a few years while they trashed the environment and added the dirtiest co2 ever to this world. a DEFINITE disaster!
Fact Check: Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Isn't A Job Creator | ThinkProgress
Keystone XL: State Department cleared of conflict, not ineptness - latimes.com
In Internal Canadian Documents, a Warning on Oil Sands - NYTimes.com
8. Solyndra was a REPUBLICAN approved project handed over to Obama. China subsidized their solar products to create an artificial price drop to push out the USA.
9. Lets talk about the REAL "Corporate" Socialism: BigOil, BigPharma, BigAg and defenseContractors are sucking up OVER 70 BILLION of our tax dollars while making record profits!
These CEOs are millionaires courtesy of OUR tax dollars that could be used to help unemployment and re-build a new infrastructure.
Obama has taken this country from the abyss of a big black hole left byBush, WallSt. and the republican administration due to their greed and mis-management and is steadily bringing us (this means the middle class which the repbs. destroyed) back to life. The Republicans created a fake debt crisis last year which resulted in a downgrade fo our credit rating in another attempt to trash this country.
The Republicans andRomneys idea of a jobs bill is to give evenMORE tax cuts to the 1% (which have made record profits these past 3 years) even though the 1%REFUSES to create more jobs. They squirrel it away in secret back accounts outside theUSA like Romney has right now.
WAKE UP AMERICA - NO MORE CORPORATE SOCIALISM! THE 1% IS STEALING OUR WEALTH!
Stearns accidentally exposes GOP energy agenda | Grist
BDL
Green Party response to State of Union speech
Didn't Romney star in the movie "Pretty Woman"?
That had a happy ending (so to speak).
Perhaps he will bring us happiness, too. But I doubt it,