Obama Better Give One Hell of a Speech - John Nichols/TheNation

[WillyT]

Obama Better Give One Hell of a Speech
John Nichols - TheNation
September 2, 2011

2. To inspire that confidence, he must be willing to say that his plan is essential and cannot be compromised or dialed down. Obama’s failure to do this with the original stimulus plan of 2009 robbed that initiative of the resources needed to provide a sufficient jump-start to the economy.

3. Obama’s plan must provide incentives for the private sector to create jobs in the United States—not overseas. If he includes a major free-trade component his initiative will—according to studies by government and non-government analysts—lead to increased unemployment.

4. Obama’s plan must recognize that the most severe layoffs right now are taking place at the state and local government and school district levels—550,000 jobs lost since the fall of 2008. State and local government layoffs are triply damaging to the economy, as they create greater unemployment, reduce buying power for teachers and others who tend to spend a lot on Main Street for supplies, and cut services that are more needed in a time of recession. The president needs to include federal funding to keep local government functioning and even, where possible, to expand services. CAF’s Hickey is right when he says: “The policy of our government is systematically undermining the recovery. Public sector layoffs are undermining consumer buying power, crippling the ability of the private sector to sell products and services. Clearly, President Obama must reverse this downward spiral by creating jobs directly, putting money in consumer’s pockets, and helping small and large companies to find buyers and invest in growth.”

5. Obama has to talk about how to fund his program, so that he does not get bogged down in the usual DC debate about spending. If the debate about renewing the economy becomes a spending fight, Republicans in the House will prevent anything meaningful from happening. There has to be a revenue component and Obama should be talking about taxing Wall Street and financial speculation. Even if he does not get everything he asks for, it will shift the focus of the debate away from the spending fight to a real dialogue about whether billionaires ought to aid a recovery—or continue to stream money out of the real economy and into the paper economy of the speculators. The president should take a cue from Progressive Democrats of America national director Tim Carpenter, who says, “America’s working families have lost their homes, jobs, and healthcare. Young people can’t afford the price of college, can’t find jobs, and older folks can’t retire because of an economy destroyed by greedy Wall Street corporations. It is only fair that Wall Street pay for the destruction they have wrought.”

Whole Piece: http://www.thenation.com/blog/163118/obama-better-give-one-hell-speech

:kick:

[killbotfactory]

1. If he does it will be mere seconds before it is derided as "just words" nt

[Little Star]

23. Maybe because that is what past experience has showed us?

Words with out actions are just that words. He brought this kind of reaction upon himself, imho.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

31. Or a "pretty speech"

:eyes:

[tomp]

54. he's very good at pretty speeches, i'll give him that...

...until you read between the lines, and examine the results.

[kentuck]

2. The very moment he uses the word "bi-partisan"...

his speech goes into File 13...

[cleanhippie]

7. I couldn't agree more.

[XanaDUer]

9. I'm not up to watching it unless my doc reups my meds

but I pray, pray the phrase, "shared sacrifice" is avoided at all costs.

:evilgrin:

[notGaryOldman]

13. YES!!!!!

I wish I could rec replies, kentuck!

[Mr Deltoid]

42. Or 'compromise'...

Either of those words uttered and I grab the remote and flip the channel to Sponge Bob.

[dionysus]

44. right. we'll be able to pass bills with just democratic votes.

:eyes:

[kentuck]

45. No, we are not going to be able to pass any bills.

Haven't you come to that conclusion yet?

[dionysus]

46. now you're getting somewhere. we should spend more time fighting the GOP than

undermining ourselves on top of an already fucked up situation.

[tkmorris]

53. Can't get a Republican vote unless it's a Republican bill

[Raine]

50. The second he does that I'm hitting the remote and putting on QVC.

I'd rather have QVC trying to sell me crap I don't want than a President with a "D" after his name trying to sell me recycled repub shit.

[Blue_In_AK]

52. Indeed.

[CTyankee]

57. I just don't want to hear "promise of green technology jobs" again.

I've heard and read the word "promise" in that context too manytimes over the last 30 years, from many others, not just Obama. But if I hear it again, without more concrete proposals, I will scream...

[midnight]

3. Putting money into the pockets of consumers has been blocked for almost a decade...

[Lionessa]

4. Actually, another great speech won't cut it for any of us that have been

paying attention for the past 3.5 years. I'd so rather skip the speech and see first thing Tuesday, some initiatives in place, period. If what is being touted as his plan is to avoid Congress altogether and getting other avenues open, then f'ing do it, I don't need him to speechify again and then do nothing (or worse) as he's done to date.

[Little Star]

15. I hear ya!

[emilyg]

19. Yep.

[gateley]

5. Agree with Nichols. People need to feel encouraged and hopeful.

More importantly, the plan has to WORK. If we had a Congress that wasn't The Enemy we could achieve much more.

[YvonneCa]

39. Hope is fading fast. President Obama needs to give us a VISION...

...loudly and clearly. I know what his vision is...I think...and I support a lot of it. BUT...I pay attention all the time. Most people don't...they have busy lives.

I think Al Gore gets it right in these two interviews. He says people aren't shopping because they don't have jobs...they don't have money to shop with. He also...in part 2...spells out the vision:

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/08/al-gore-u-s-needs-an-american-spring/

[deacon]

6. Decent job growth until the voters gave back the house to the GOP. Boner never talks jobs, he talks

economy. The GOP knows that shooting down jobs paves a way to the white house.

[Karmadillo]

8. A whole essay on a Democratic Party job creation program without a mention of FDR.

tn

[Little Star]

18. Sad & frustrating, huh?

[subterranean]

10. If history is any indication,

he will start with what he thinks the Republicans might agree to, and then negotiate down from there. I would like him to prove me wrong on this. I'm not interested in hearing a mishmash of recycled Republican ideas like more "free trade" agreements and corporate tax breaks. If people want Republican economic policies, they can vote for Republicans. Obama needs to give us HIS OWN vision for economic recovery. The Congress will block whatever he proposes anyway, but people need to see that he stands for something other than compromise and appeasement.

[XanaDUer]

11. What subterranean said

That's perfect- if people wanted Republican policies, they'd vote for them.

[tomp]

55. that IS his vision!!!!! nt

[TwilightGardener]

12. I have said, the pressure is ON. He's going to have to bring it. I think he can.

[XanaDUer]

22. I'm starting to feel more hopeful

:thumbsup:

[cherokeeprogressive]

14. "One hell of a speech" WILL NOT CUT IT. Actions and results will.

Fuck speeches. I'm tired of this bullshit, reading after every time President Obama speaks about how this was his best speech ever etc.

Speeches are only words. The American people want, and DESERVE, decisive action with tangible results.

Fuck a buncha speeches.

[TwilightGardener]

16. He cannot force Congress to pass legislation. Speech is a President's main weapon.

That, the veto pen, and appointments.

[Little Star]

20. He could have been a leader. Especially when he had both houses.

[TwilightGardener]

21. He got a lot done when he had both houses.

[Little Star]

25. He also didn't get a lot done & some of what he did was not good.

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. If, speeches, vetoes, and bad appointments are the best he can offer us, I'm for changing horses.

If what you say is true, it really doesn't matter which Democrat occupies the Oval Office.

[pnorman]

32. If Obama is primaried out in 2012,

how are you so sure that the next occupant of the Oval Office will be a Democrat?

[cherokeeprogressive]

34. If that's your way of saying "You Have to Vote for Barack Obama" I'll answer with

I will. Should he be the party nominee, I will.

Right up until the moment he's nominated and accepts though, I'll be hoping for someone else.

[pnorman]

36. The point is this: Will a bare-knuckles fight for the nomination,

help or hurt the Democratic Party in the general election next year?

[TwilightGardener]

37. Any horse you've got left in your stable has to have shitloads of money, a huge following, and

shitloads of money.

[dionysus]

47. better get out there and do your patriotic duty then.

[Hawkowl]

30. Enforcing the laws

That can be the Executive's chief weapon. Or choosing not to enforce the laws. Obama has chosen to prosecute the whistleblowers and let the war criminals and banksters go free. This has had the perverse effect of undermining the rule of law and corrupting society from the top down.

If Obama went after some Rethuglicans with the law in regards to bribery, campaign contribution violations, etc. He would have a better chance of getting some cooperation. All carrot and no stick makes the President a punching bag and at best a laughingstock.

[XanaDUer]

17. Hell, I'd take a mediocre speech with some

back-up action. Amen, Brother, (or Sister).

As my dear departed mother used to say, "Money talks, bullshit walks."

[bluestateguy]

26. I'm not worrying about him giving a quality speech.

That is never my concern. He gave an excellent speech to Congress on health care in September 2009 that probably saved the bill from total defeat, but the quality of the bill that finally passed was greatly diminished.

The likliehood of this Congress passing anything he proposes, big or small, is very remote, so this is really more about establishing what he stands for and taking his case to the people over the next 14 months.

And that is why he should go big. They won't pass anything anyway, so you might as well stand for something meaningful.

[we can do it]

27. We've Had Pretty Speeches, We Need Serious Action Now

[rhett o rick]

28. My prediction.......r h e t o r i c. nm

[DFW]

29. Nichols is right

This speech will be one of the most important ones of his re-election campaign he will give
before the convention speech at the DNConvention next summer.

I still think he will be re-elected, but it's with what mandate that matters. He has tried tea
and crumpets with the opposition. They stomped on his crumpets and tossed their tea in his face.

It is time to acknowledge that, and give a speech that indicates that he knows full well what he's
up against. He needs a sleepless night on Wednesday, modifying it, using the total crap that will
be coming out of the Republican "debate" the night before, and then using his position before the
country to make mincemeat out of the Republicans and explain in no uncertain terms to the country
why he has a better plan, and what he intends to do about it. Halfway will not cut it this time.
Been there, done that. It didn't work.

[YvonneCa]

41. "Halfway will not cut it this time. Been there, done that. It didn't work"...

...your words are exactly right. People will turn off the speech the minute he starts the 'bi-partisan, shared sacrifice' stuff (and I say that as a person who generally supports working together toward shared goals). :7 It's like when we here tuned out Bush the minute he started blaming everything on 9/11.

He needs to go big and spell out his vision. :patriot:

[Proud Liberal Dem]

33. or else?

:shrug:

[ProgressIn2008]

35. Fuck speeches. nt

[coalition_unwilling]

38. I hope Obama announces he will not be running in 2012 - n/t

[dionysus]

49. LOL

:spray:

[ibegurpard]

40. Even if he gives a speech that I agree with 100%

I don't believe he will follow through with it.
He lost me for good with the healthcare debacle and it's been downhill from there.

[kentuck]

43. Of course, the majority of people he will be speaking in front of will be Repubs...

It's not like he is going to have a friendly audience. Quite the contrary, we may hear "You lie!" one more time?

[XanaDUer]

48. On another thread I said I wouldn't be surprised at him being shouted at

Tho, even Republicans are not that stupid? Maybe they are. The country is not in the mood for more grandstanding.

[durablend]

51. Sure they're that stupid

Anyone wanna bet we hear a "Shut the f*ck up" from the R peanut gallery?

[Buns_of_Fire]

58. That's why I said in another thread that it might have been better for him if he just told Boner

to F.O. and give the speech from the Oval Office. It's not like he has a chance in hell to change any hearts or minds with soaring rhetoric and flawless logic.

Unless maybe he's counting on the rebubbas to publicly demonstrate (yet again) what a bunch of no-class asshats they are so he can pretty much show the country "see what we're having to deal with here?"

[Fearless]

56. My prediction... spinning outsourcing as a good thing...

And saying we need infrastructure investment but not actually planning any... patting the unions on the head and then slapping them across the face... etc.