America to Obama, 'Stand Up for Yourself'

[Lunabelle]

America to Obama, 'Stand Up for Yourself'
Jamelle Bouie

In addition to showing Texas Governor Rick Perry’s commanding lead over former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in the Republican presidential primary, the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll also contains what must be disheartening news for the White House. Despite the debt ceiling fight—where President Obama demonstrated his political maturity in the face of complete Republican recklessness—only 39 percent of Americans trust the president to do a “better job” on the federal budget deficit, compared to the 42 percent who trust Republicans. Likewise, Americans are tied at 40-40 on who they trust to successfully create jobs, and only slightly prefer Obama when it comes to who they trust to handle the economy—Obama gets 42 percent support to 39 support for Republicans.


If anything, this is a sign that the White House’s preferred strategy—let’s make Obama the “adult in the room”—isn’t working. Instead, we have a more familiar dynamic: now that the choice is between a Republican message on deficit reduction from Republicans and a Republican-lite message on deficit reduction from Democrats, voters have opted for the genuine article.

That said, the situation isn’t hopeless; with tomorrow’s jobs speech, President Obama has the chance to move away from his usual rhetoric of compromise, and confront the Republican Party on its relentless attacks on Democratic attempts to improve the economy. As it stands, the public wants President Obama to stand up for himself and his party. According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, 37 percent of Americans say that Obama should challenge the GOP more often, a ten point increase from earlier in the year. As a whole, Democrats are desperate for the president to stand up to the GOP—57 percent want him to be more forceful.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/163191/america-obama-stand-yourself

[Cali_Democrat]

1. My thoughts exactly

:)

Great article.

[treestar]

2. This is getting so old

Just repeat something over and over, like a Republican. This is all manufactured.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. so is evolution.

Both just happen to be true.

[MisterP]

3. since when is tying Social Security and Medicare onto the sacrificial altar "poltical maturity"?

[SadPanda]

6. Trying to find the article that disproved this meme of Obama offering up SS and Medi

There is a committee process created by the bill that basically makes it impossible to cut social security, medicare, or any other thing without getting both the House and the Senate to vote on it. The committees are staffed equally by both parties (assumed to be senior members eager to keep their jobs.) It is still highly unlikely that either social security or medicare will be cut at all. If medicare receives cuts it will be cuts to doctors who consistently fuck up. Saving the program money and saving patients from going to that doctor.

I'll find the article I was mentioning. It had to do with Paul Krugman's opinion on the debt ceiling debate. It includes a detailed description of the committee process created by the bill.

EDIT: Here is what I was talking about

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x731910

The article itself:

http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2011/08/paul-krugman-is-political-rookie-or-how.html

[gordianot]

5. Somethings are hard to take back but take them back he must.

No reason to talk to people who will not come to the room. We will see Thursday.

[whistler162]

7. Whose this Aamerica person and why did their idiot

parents name them after a continent?

[vroomvroom]

8. Obama: Damn we didn't go RIGHT enough! Quick, More Tax Cuts!

Here is hoping he listens just to ONE progressive proposal that has facts that backup how to get jobs and the economy back on track which no one, especially the white house isnt listening to.