A plan that offers Obama a fighting chance

The Washington Post ^ | July 5, 2012 | Jonathan Rauch

[Cincinatus' Wife]

At this point in 1980, Jimmy Carter was on the path to oblivion but didn’t know it. Barack Obama may share Carter’s fate if he doesn’t change course soon.

The 1980 presidential race was neck and neck until the end. It finally broke for Ronald Reagan when voters concluded that Carter could not cope with the economy and that Reagan, despite his conspicuous flaws as a candidate, was a viable alternative.............

This election will be decided largely by independent voters, most of whom can probably tell you that Mitt Romney’s economic plan is to repeal Obamacare and shrink the government. It may not make much sense, but it’s clear. Ask what Obama’s plan is, and they won’t be certain. They will know, however, that what he has done hasn’t worked. And by the fall, many independents will have made up their minds.

The president’s failure, so far, to show that he understands the scope of the economy’s problems and knows how to fix them does not stem from having nothing to say: investment in education, energy, innovation and infrastructure are reasonable things. But they are also slow-acting, small-bore stuff. Such talk does not include additional economic stimulus, an element that many economists, especially Democratic-leaning ones, consider crucial to prevent a double-dip recession. Nor does it deal realistically with long-term growth in spending.

So Obama should draw a map and send it to Capitol Hill in the form of a bill — a president’s strongest statement that he intends action. A big legislative proposal can frame the issue and paint Obama’s intentions in bold colors. It should include three elements:..........

[Soul of the South]

“It was also one question Reagan kept asking:
‘Are you better off today or 4 years ago.’ “

Very true. Just as James Carville kept Clinton on message with, “The economy, stupid” in 1992. Even Obama’s “Hope and Change” was effective with a US public tired of eight years of declining personal income and perpetual war under George W. Bush.

A singular message, targeted directly at the opponent’s key weakness, and repeated ad nauseam can be highly effective in a political campaign. Does anyone know what Romney’s theme (core message) is?

[Biggirl]

Which in turn could be a cause of a second American revolution.

[bill1952]

>But I’ve seen far too much cuddling up with evil over his many years to think that of Carter any longer...

You know, I’ve been thinking that for about a decade now - he is simply too quick to fly to the worst despots and countries & lavish praise on them while heaping scorn on that which most Americans hold dear.
My private thoughts about him are unmentionable...

[SampleMan]

The WP is rewriting history. People didn’t all of a sudden go against Carter in 1980, but the polls did. The mediots hated Reagan and they did everything they could for Carter, including skewing polls in order to show the common man how his friends were voting.

[Texas Fossil]

This election will be decided largely by independent voters

Nope, by Americans.

[DeaconRed]

"Does anyone know what Romney’s theme (core message) is?"

I don't have a clue.
I am not on fire for Romney, as my tag line states I am on fire to get rid of the Kenyan. I have had this tag line since way before Mittens backed into the nomination.
I didn't care for any of our choices with the possible exception of Herman Cain. I didn't really know much about him, I liked his seemingly straight forward of telling it like it is.
He wimped out in my humble opinion. Yes the allegations were severe, however you must have thick skin to run a successful campaign.

[ETL]

Anyone that still supports Obama at this point, after all we now know about him and what he has done and is trying to do as president, should openly be called a traitor to the United States. They can no longer be excused as ignorant. That’s assuming they’re competent enough to understand the most basic of facts.

[bill1952]

>Carter always blamed Ted Kennedy for challenging him for the Dem nomination, despite the fact that Ted flopped.

I really started to wake up then to the fact that the news was feeding us unadulterated garbage.
A sitting President defeated a KENNEDY back when that name still had a magic, larger than life aura about it and still went down in flames to a candidate described by the media as a silly cowboy actor.

I also noted that Ted did NOT take that defeat gracefully at all.

>the embassy seizure happened more than a year before the 1980 election.

Yes, but that is the point - a major unresolved crisis vs a 3rd world country that could not be handled in over a years time smacks of impotence.
I remember reading that Carter wrote that his election went down with those helicopters in the Iranian desert.
Pointed a lot of fingers, he did.

[mazda77]

It was both. Consider that the hostage standoff lasted 444 days, so it was an issue long before the election. Here again the author relies on conventional wisdom. The press tried to carry Carter across the finish line by their slanted polls using anyone except likely or even registered voters to make people think they were not with the prevailing wisdom.

It was only in the last month that they began to use more credible techniques to attain any kind of credibility at all.

Today we are seeing the same thing, especially with Gallup. The poll released yesterday about the unpopularity of ObamaTax had to use just adults, not registered or likely voters, to get a result that showed the Democrats favored it when Republicans and Independents did not. Even then, the raw percentages were heavily in the favor of those who did not. They also did this same stunt when publishing the latest polls for President in the swing states with the same results.

[Doogle]

444 days of Odungo like thumb sitting while worrying about Amy’s nuclear proliferation concerns

[mazda77]

I’ll never forget a bumper sticker I saw at the time;

Teddy Promises a Blonde in Every Pond.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

3 blue states Obama should be worried about losing

[Soul of the South]

I agree with you Obama needs to be retired and while Romney is not a conservative he is almost certainly better than four more years of the current policies. My concern is getting a Republican candidate who seems to have no core beliefs, and no theme elected.

We’ve been down this road with McCain and Dole. Neither could define why they were a better candidate than the opponent. If Romney doesn’t define himself clearly, and develop a winning theme, Obama will define Romney for the voters and the picture won’t be pretty.

People are much more motivated when they are voting “for” something than against something. The best situation is when they are presented with a situation where they want to vote against one candidate and have very positive reasons to vote for his opponent. The Republican practice of presenting candidates to the public and saying, “Vote for us because our guy isn’t as bad as the Democrat”, is not inspirational.

It is Romney’s job to clearly define himself as the better choice and give people a reason to vote “for” him. If he can’t define himself clearly he will lose.

[Gay State Conservative]

This election will be decided largely by independent voters, most of whom can probably tell you that Mitt Romney’s economic plan is to repeal Obamacare and shrink the government. It may not make much sense, but it’s clear. Ask what Obama’s plan is, and they won’t be certain.

What an utterly deceptive (or delusional?) statement from the Compost.Osama's made his future plans quite clear and voters know it.More of the same.Much more of the same.

[GlockThe Vote]

Obamabots are immune to facts and logic.

[LibLieSlayer]

obama will probably win (if we do not get a miracle) and mitt romney will be the only reason. His big money donors are all complaining that he is a man that has no ideas... no specific plans to deal with anything. He is all glitz and show and no processing power. He can't just reach down within himself and come up with Conservative solutions to the problems and dangers we are living with... there is nothing there but a ted kennedy playbook... when he does reach deep within himself. His handlers are second rate blabbermouths that keep screwing up and making statements as if mitt were still governor of the most liberal state in the Union.

LLS

[iopscusa]

I’m hearing that Mitt’s big Donors are not happy with Mitt sticking with a restrictive immigration policy, IOWs these Chamber of Commerce schmucks just can’t get enough 3rd world cheap labor!

[iopscusa]

I’m hearing that Mitt’s big Donors are not happy with Mitt sticking with a restrictive immigration policy, IOWs these Chamber of Commerce schmucks just can’t get enough 3rd world cheap labor!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

By the time Jimmah Cahtah got his walking papers, 90 percent of America’s small coal mining companies were out of business.

[Jim Noble]

Can Obama win the election? What election. Postponed due to an act of aggression by Iran comes to mind

Ridiculous.

There are fifty separate and distinct proceedings in November, whereby electors are chosen through methods determined - solely - by State Legislatures (I don't know by whose authority the 3 DC electors are chosen - probably the DNC). There is no "election" to cancel.