After all the speeches and pageantry, the maudlin videos, rote testimonials, and scripted attacks, the Republican and Democratic conventions boiled down to a single question: Will things improve if President Obama is granted a second term? The answer — explicit at the Republican convention, implicit during the Democratic convention — mostly seemed to be “no.”
At the Democratic convention in Charlotte, speaker after speaker castigated Mitt Romney. They invoked Bain layoffs, looming GOP cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and the inevitable denial of a woman’s right to a legal abortion that would occur if Republicans take control of the government. There were constant reminders about the intransigence of congressional Republicans, Obama’s earnest good faith in trying to overcome it, and the stark disparity this presents with earlier times.
Comments
The only limit to partisanship is that discovered by Eteocles and Polynices. Short of that, intransigence goes a long, long way.
Let us hope the Republicans and Democrats are not operating under an Oedipal curse.
Some credit for seeming to acknowledge that the present partisanship is on both side. Nice try in the last paragraph for making a point that Obama's second term will be more productive, but it failed; no reason at all to assume that he will do what he hasn't done in the first term. Time to try a new president.
The economy is absolutely improving, albeit slowly. The winner of this presidential campaign will reap the benefits of that gradual imrpvement, even if he does next to nothing. If it's Obama, in four years he can say, "See, you were right to re-elect me. Things are much better, as I told you they would be." If Romney's elected, in four years he can say, "See, you were right to elect me. Things are much better, as I told you they would be." At this point, it's all an accident of timing.
Bill Clinton's DNC speech triggers revisit of insanity; Romney believes.
Comments Thursday night by Pres. Bill Clinton in Charlotte, N.C. have triggered a search for a new definition of insanity. Political insanity at least. Indeed, multiple definitions are emerging. Comments made by Pres. Clinton have crystallized the basis for a new definition.
To paraphrase Pres. Clinton, he basically said, Pres. George W. Bush and the Republicans gave Obama a financial and economic Armageddon just days before handing Obama the reigns. Yet now, Gov. Mitt Romney and the Republicans want Americans to fire Obama and hire them back! The logic? Obama is not cleaning up their mess fast enough!
Republicans have long been publicly declaring their visceral dislike of the President and their prime focus and number one goal of removing Obama from office. This goal's battle plan includes thwarting all Obama's economic moves to deliver America to a full recovery and renewed prosperity. It has been noted to Republicans that the shackling of Obama's efforts, are at the cost of the American people. No embarrassment or twangs of guilt have been expressed however. Perhaps they feel that this cost has been worthwhile for Americans as the price of admission to the show they have put on. Indeed Americans have witnessed challenging, almost magical ideological and verbal contortions. There has been Olympian flip-flopping, double speaking and some mild fibbing.
Obviously, the right thing for the Republicans to do is work with their President in these nearly unprecedented times. Had they done so, I believe many millions of Mitt's promised jobs could already be counted on the recovery score board. And one of them might already have been yours! Yet, instead of helping Pres. Obama, when he repeatedly asked, they said “You do that! That's not our job!”
Mitt today was lamenting the August jobs report, which is an increase in jobs, however, as all admit, not as much as one would like to see. However, as Bill Clinton so eloquently and forcefully explained, in any discussion of the unemployment rate, and job losses, you have to acknowledge America was losing 750,000 (yes, 750 thousand - you read that right) jobs per month during the first 18 months of Obama's term. By the 19th month, Obama managed to put a floor under the free fall. However, it ultimately carpet bombed 4.5 million jobs out of the economy. In the 29 months since then, Obama's efforts show a consistent, albeit not rapid, recovery. Nearly all those lost jobs are recovered. This is not a bad thing, even if it is less than desired. And, those jobs were not originally lost by Obama.
So, what is the new definition of insanity?
1. Believing Republicans are helping Pres. Obama with getting America's recovery going?
2. Believing Republican shape shifting ideology trumps progress through working together?
3. Believing Obama should own Bush et al's Armageddon; all 4.5 million bombed out jobs?
4. Believing Republican propaganda that Obama failed and is the problem; whereas Mitt, and the Republicans, are a solution?
5. Believing Obama is incompetent because he can't handle the Armaggedon in a timely manner? Republicans are more quickly able to handle their own Armaggedon?
6. Believing Obama is too slow with job creation; because if Republicans can lose jobs at 750 thousand per month, Obama is a lesser being because he is only able to recover them much slower?
7. Believing you can stock pile thwarted jobs for after an election?
8. Believing that Mitt Believes in America?
9. Believing in the Republican's alternate reality and history. And that that single set of foot prints can only be your own; all as illustrated by the remaining set of footprints at the RNC?
Or is it all of the above? You decide!
If you are grounded in facts and reality, then no matter where in the world you are, when you look up - you will see Obama's vision, strength and leadership...
Obama believes in America, does Romney? Or is Mitt really just becoming the new definition of "pirate"?
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12903382-michele-obama-and-bill-clinton-lay-out-at-the-rnc-just-how-much-obama-believes-in-america-does-mitt-romney-believe-in-america-or-something-else?clear_cache=true
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12889195-footprints-at-the-republican-national-convention-in-tampa-florida