Following the release of the dreadful jobs numbers, President Obama appeared in the Rose Garden this morning. However, it was entirely unclear why he was there or what his plan is for digging the economy out of the deep hole in which we find ourselves.
The speech, if you can call it that, seemed to be a disconnected collage of one-liners and excuses. He started off by explaining that “the debate here in Washington has been dominated by issues of debt limit, but what matters most to Americans, and what matters most to me as President, in the wake of the worst downturn in our lifetimes, is getting our economy on a sounder footing more broadly so the American people can have the security they deserve.” Is he saying he’s working on something the public doesn’t care about? Not clear. Later he tied the two together, adopting the GOP position that the failure to address the debt in impairing growth. (“The problems in Greece and in Europe, along with uncertainty over whether the debt limit here in the United States will be raised, have also made businesses hesitant to invest more aggressively.”)
And throughout his tone alternated between dismissiveness (“We’ve always known that we’d have ups and downs on our way back from this recession”) to hectoring (“There are bills and trade agreements before Congress right now that could get all these ideas moving. All of them have bipartisan support. All of them could pass immediately. And I urge Congress not to wait”). Despite a boatload of evidence that government spending is not the way forward, he still insists that more “investment” is needed: “We’ve got to rein in our deficits and get the government to live within its means, while still making the investments that help put people to work right now and make us more competitive in the future.”
As one GOP operative remarked to me regarding the ragged performance, “They don’t know what to do.” And it shows.
I don’t like the idea of more Americans out of work and all that entails. Nor the fact that we are in serious financial trouble that could turn even worse at any time, making millions of Americans even more miserable. But I guess that’s what it’s going to take for some people to see Obi up on the stage rambling like a complete idiot while the looming catastrophe stares at him and all of us in the face. Did that speech inspire confidence or what?
I believe that he is trying to downplay the debt ceiling in favor of continuation of programs “designed” to help American citizens. In other words, “Yes, the debt ceiling is important, but more important than that is to make sure you all have your bennies that we’ve promised”.
No, it isn’t the concern about the debt limit that make businesses hesitant. It’s the uncertainty of whether or not that debt limit increase will come with higher taxes, either corporate or individual. Obama, and the Democrats, have already signaled that they want higher taxes, before they concede to spending cuts so that the debt ceiling can be raised. Obama is attempting, with that sentence, to link the economic uncertainty felt by Americans to the GOP’s reluctance to increase the debt ceiling. Couple that with the first quote I highlighted, and he is attempting to paint a picture that shows the GOP as being responsible for the economic malaise being felt in many corners of the economy.
I am currently reading a book titled The Army of the Republic by Stuart Cohen. One of the themes throughout it, so far, is the “War of pictures” between the government “regime” and the activists. This speech by Obama reminds me of that “war of pictures”, as he continues to take the current state of the economy, and write the narrative to it that he wishes people to see, and it isn’t necessarily, or even close, to the truth. But, he is helped by “Big Media”(another theme in the book), in telling his own narrative and drowning out the opposing voices. In essence, Obama is applying filters to reality, so as to distort it and make the picture appear to people the way he either sees it himself, or wants others to see it.
P.S. As far as the book, I do not recommend it for conservatives if you get angry easily and throw things. You will end up throwing the book across the room, and possibly damaging something in your home of real worth. It is written from the viewpoint of a liberal, applied to a plausible current event(privatization of water supply), and includes references to the “war on terror”, and the government as the “regime”. The writing is below average, at best, but the underlying theme of a “war of pictures” redeems that somewhat.
The current administration states a 9.2% unemployment..the truth is 24-30% unemployment in this country and rising. Put an ad for a secretary in my office..got over 300 hits…some had MBA’s and were willing to work for this position..position was for more than a secretary but…. you can fill in the blanks..Smile America..the whip house and press screwed you again….
CURT, hi,
he reaffirmed what I was thinking that he has already money spent on his projects and now,
he find himself not able to cover those money spent by word of mouth, and some of it abroad to his friends,
a billion there EGYPT was it? a milliard to SOUTH AMERICA for their olympic? and some to the brothers h was it?
It seems so easy to spend money belonging to the people not his personal money,
but now it must be awkward to feel insecure to get that spent money he already promissed,
like some people had to lower their future expanses because their means did not meet that future vacation or other expanses projected, like a car or a new fridge, the people are on standby so THE PRESIDENT will most have the same feeling, and it’s good, it’s not the fault of the BUSH OR THE REPUBLICANS , BUT HIS OWN
SPENDING SPREE, that today is coming to haunt the whole DEMOCRATS WHO ALLOWED IT TO REACH THE LIMITS