President Obama just delivered a powerful argument in a powerful speech about the power of real alternatives. Choice, between him and Romney. Choice. He drove it in, he hammered it home and he hit the damn thing right out of the park. Choice, choice, choice--not a referendum.
Spin? Well, this is politics. But in Obama's case his spin possesses the invincible merit of truthfulness. Romney offers a third George W. term, simple as that. Obama offers growth, more fairness, more pragmatism and boatloads of much greater vision and deeper intelligence.
Difficulties? They can be identified in one word: "stalemate." And here I was so happy that I have paused in committing what Ezra Klein rightly deprecated this morning:
The president has had a bad week or two and now every Democratic campaign consultant who isn’t a paid member of the president’s reelection team is emerging to say that they gave the Obama campaign the exact piece of advice that could have vaulted them far ahead of Romney but -- can you believe it? -- they were ignored.
What advice did I pause in giving? That President Obama should expand his campaign pleas to include the eradication of the Republican congressional menace. He just did precisely that, early in his speech, and I quote: This election is your chance to break that stalemate.
His own campaign is of course a national campaign. He's now nationalizing congressional races. This was the only missing element I could identify in this early stage of the Obama-Romney contest, yet Obama was, wouldn't you know it, planning his next move all along. And now it's out there: a national, inclusive campaign that's selling a national, inclusive solution, all of which is enveloped in Choice.
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As a teacher and the husband of a teacher and the son of a teacher and the son-in-law of a teacher--in Texas, no less!--things are pretty depressing these days. When the President exclaimed, "I want to hire more teachers!"--a direct rebuke of Romney's callousness--it felt damn good. Don't know if it'll make any difference, but it felt damn good.
Posted by: Jason | June 14, 2012 at 02:39 PM
Obama knows that the best that can be expected if he wins this fall, but Republicans maintain control of the House, no matter what happens in the Senate, the stalmate will last at least 2 more years. He is right to put it out there that it is not just about him, but about getting as many Dems at all levels, elected to office.
And I think that this is a theme that will become even more apparent as we head into the fall.
Posted by: japa21 | June 15, 2012 at 11:00 AM