Posted on 05/22/2010 12:37:41 PM PDT by LouAvul
President Barack Obama is trying to ride the wave of anti-incumbency by taking on an unpopular politician steeped in the partisan ways of Washington.
It doesn’t matter that George W. Bush left office 16 months ago.
The White House’s mid-term election strategy is becoming clear – pit the Democrats of 2010 against the Republicans circa 2006, 2008 and 2009, including Bush.
It’s a lot to ask an angry, finicky electorate to sort out. And even if Obama can rightfully make the case that the economy took a turn for the worse under Bush's watch, he's already made it - in 2008 and repeatedly in 2009.
It’s not clear that voters still want to hear it.
“If you’re the leader of a large corporation and you’re in power for a year and a half and you start off a meeting with your shareholders by blaming your predecessor, that wouldn’t go over very well,” said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University. “This is a very weak approach. ... And I can’t imagine it having an impact on these very swing voters.”
Some Democrats would like Obama to shift his argument.
“The president needs to indict not simply Bush or even Republicans. He is a visionary thinker, and his rhetoric should reflect that,” said Democratic strategist Paul Begala. “I want President Obama to make a consistent, compelling indictment of conservative ideas.”
The first glimmers of Obama's 2010 message came in New York last week where he rallied the party faithful with a charge that Republicans drove the economy into a ditch, obstructed Democrats’ efforts to pull it out and now want back the keys. “Sounds like he wants to run against George Bush one more time, doesn't it?” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell quipped when shown the clip on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Obama cranked up his indictment of the GOP in Ohio this week, criticizing “the ‘just say no’ crowd” and the Republicans’ “selective memory” of the economy in January 2009.
The message is layered. A shot at Bush (without mentioning his name.) A jab at congressional Republicans (although rarely saying “Republicans.”) A defense of the actions he’s taken so far.
It’s a striking approach for a president who often talks of looking forward not backward. But Obama’s aides believe that explaining how the economic crisis occurred and what happened since is a fair argument to make and an important contrast to draw.
“I don’t necessarily think of it as blame,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
That is all they have. The race card and President Bush.
“But Obama’s aides believe that explaining how the economic crisis occurred and what happened since is a fair argument to make and an important contrast to draw.”\
***
Might be ok if the explanation was fair, balanced and accurate. For example, when will the Democrats admit their role in the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Nah, much easier to blame Bush and the Republicans.
Oh...and those greedy banks and the evil rich too.
I guess “George Bush” is snappier than “Emmanuel Goldstein.”
“Obama campaigns against Bush”
Obama’s campaign strategy is to throw gasoline on a fire.
In the face of a terrible cash starved economy, Obama is raising taxes, crowding out the private sector by creating overpaying government jobs, and continuing to subsidize the creation of subprime mortgage loans at below market rates, which is what caused the housing bust in the first place. Thirty five percent of his stimulus spending has gone to “Public Service” union workers salaries. Then in the midst of a panic over the European meltdown, he sends the stock market into a tail spin by taxing investments and and initiating a poltical attack on banks.
No, it's not selective! We know the economy has been in the hands of Pelosi, Obama, and Reid since January 4, 2007. They've had 3 years, 4 months, 18 days to take a roaring economy and create the worst economy since the Great Depression.
You don’t know something has become tiresome until you trot it out once more and it doesn’t work. Since the Dem base operates on simple emotions, they’ll trot this one out successfully until its feet fall off.
Roosevelt used to campaign against “the economic royalists”.
2001-2006 Bush with GOP congress 5.3% unemployment avg
2007-2008 Bush with Dem congress 6.3% unemployment avg
2009-2010 Obama with Dem congress 9.8% unemployment avg
Huh? What's Bush running for this time?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.