Nice, plain, straight forward message from Obama. Two minutes long. No particular digs at McCain. No ominous or snarky voice overs.
First, he describes some of the problems we’re having, says that Washington hasn’t met its responsibilities, then he proposes:
1) Tax reform with $1,000 “tax break to the middle class” instead of showering more on oil companies and corporations outsourcing jobs overseas.
2) Regulate Wall Street to protect pensions and investments.
3) Shift to American made energy.
4) Crack down on lobbyists.
5) End the war in Iraq and stop spending money to rebuild their country when ours needs attention.
For the wonks among us, there is a link to a more detailed description of Obama’s plans.
Sounds worth discussing to me, but I suppose the news media will go with LIPSTICK ON A PIG or MCCAIN INVENTED THE BLACKBERRY.
All five are excellent topics for discussion. The lobbyists will make sure that nothing is actually accomplished. Sorry to be so cynical.
That was a good spot. Hopefully, will be very effective.
Best part (for me)? Absolutely no mention of she, who is not named. A month long Democratic moratorium of even mentioning her should be enforced.
Brilliant commercial- note that it is 2 minutes long!!!
I’m with you VG. I found it strange that a Presidential candidate would elevate an opposing VICE Presidential candidate by attacking her. Normally, VPs are left to the side.
This is an issue ad, and very welcome- even if I don’t agree with his particular solutions, and find similar cynicism as Lemming. I mean, has Obama returned all his lobbyist and PAC money? Didn’t think so.
Yeah.. he never took PAC money. And from what I read, he has returned any money taken from lobbyists. Of course, no one needs to believe that. In the end, I think the 2.5 million contributors they have can pretty much fund the efforts without too much help.
By the way, didn’t people bitch about NO SPECIFICS? I hope they take the time to listen all the way through. It’s the kind of thing a President would do in trying times. Instead of hiding out behind the Treasury Sec like Bush has been doing.
The Indy Star is slated to release a poll with Obama on top in Indiana. Maybe that’s why Sec of State (running for any office he can) Todd Rokita claimed that McCain needed to get to Indiana immediately to salvage his campaign.
We’ll see I guess.
1a.) Tax reform with $1,000 “tax break to the middle classâ€
Good stuff. But a lot of the middle class don’t pay income taxes. (So, is this a refundable tax credit? If not, it’s more rhetoric than reality.) And how about payroll taxes that impose a much larger burden on most people– even on those at the poverty line. Why don’t Dems ever talk about the tax that pounds the working poor and middle class?
1b.) instead of showering more on oil companies…
He’ll shower your money on alternative energy companies in a largely futile govt attempt to pick winners.
2) Regulate Wall Street to protect pensions and investments.
Really? How?
3) Shift to American made energy.
See: subsidies above– and remember, little or no additional drilling for oil!
4) Crack down on lobbyists.
Oohh…I wonder if he’ll reduce govt waste too!
5) End the war in Iraq and stop spending money to rebuild their country when ours needs attention.
Excellent, but he’s been back-tracking here– and in general, he seems to imagine a Clinton-esque “ilberal interventionism” for the military. That might be cheaper than Iraq, but will not be without cost.
eric–
We can’t drill our way to energy independence. If we can, we can only do it for a few short years. Then we’ll be back to the trouble we’re in now.
Obama had to address Palin since her introduction to the country was her bitching about him and mocking him. The old Democratic campaign model behavior was to ignore offensive attacks so as not to elevate them in stature. The old response to bitch slaps from the opposition was to ask the refs to call a foul. The new improved approach is to throw a vicous retaliatory elbow and make sure everyone sees it. Palin’s such a remarkable clusterscrew of a candidate that the more people see and hear of her, the better for Democrats. Our biggest fear is that people will forget she exists.
Remember also the two week narrative about Obama around March or so, about how he couldn’t take a punch and return fire, how he wouldn’t fight Hillary and didn’t appear to have the stomach for it. Allowing a “Palin kicked Obama’s ass, and he just took it” narrative to take hold wouldn’t have been smart politics.
T-
I don’t remember talking about Palin here, so perhaps you meant that to be directed at someone else.
I support drilling, but never said anything about “drilling our way to energy independence”. The #1 reason for higher gas prices is the devalued dollar. (Thanks, largely, to Bush and his profligate Congresses.) But drilling would be helpful (why work so hard to restrict it?), regardless of what the future holds in terms of energy.
Yeah it was directed to the post encouraging a monthlong moratorium on mentioning Palin.
With her, the choice is either unilateral disarmament (ignoring her), or whack-a-mole (hitting back every time she attacks).
Democrats traditionally have opted for the former, which makes them look weak.
I’d actually recommend the former. People will eventually quit paying attention to her– unless, like Biden, she gaffes.
The latter plays into GOP hands. Everytime the Dems attack her– especially on her “inexperience”– they implicitly critique the top of their own ticket.