I haven’t found myself agreeing with what President Obama says for quite some time now. However, last week he made a gaffe (Washington cynics would say the definition of a gaffe is when a politician blurts out the truth) that I have to say I agree with.
A little context. Democratic Party Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (one of the Democrats’ true partisan warriors) has been trumpeting the party line all year that this year’s elections (two weeks from now) are “absolutely not a referendum on President Obama’s policies.”
Well, President Obama drove a stake through the heart of that talking point when he said in a speech at Northwestern University last week that “I am not on the ballot this fall. Michelle’s pretty happy about that. But make no mistake. These policies are on the ballot. Every single one of them.”
And of course the policies he was referring to are all HIS policies, from the Stimulus, to Obamacare, to Dodd-Frank, to Cap and Trade, to failing to enforce our immigration laws, to weakening the welfare work requirements, to adding more to our national debt during his presidency than all the presidents between George Washington and George W. Bush combined, to Fast and Furious, to Benghazi, to the IRS targeting conservative political groups, to the VA scandal, to losing Iraq and the resulting rise of ISIS, to unenforced red lines in Syria, to the feckless handling of Putin, to lifting sanctions on Iran and the resulting soon-to-be nuclear Iran, to Ebola and the refusal to impose a travel ban to protect the American people, and the appointment of an Ebola czar who has no medical or healthcare experience. (And that’s just the things I can think of off the top of my head.)
Yes, all those things are on the ballot this year. And for that reason, Barack Obama and his allies are likely to take a thumping in two weeks. Not because Republicans are so good. But because Barack Obama and the Democrats are so bad.
I had hoped that my party would come together with a detailed, comprehensive plan to move this country forward, share it with the American people, and run on that agenda this election cycle. A Contract with America II if you will. (In full disclosure, I push for this virtually every election cycle, but the “political experts” that the top party poo-bahs listen to always think this is a bad idea, because it would allegedly give the Democrats something to run against, rather than have to defend their own failed policies.)
So what most campaigns nowadays deteriorate into, is a collection of 30 second T.V. attack ads saying how bad the other guy is, rather than what you are for. It’s a disservice to the American people, and I think the main reason why there’s “a pox on both your houses” attitude by many voters by the time Election Day rolls around.
By the way, I’ll be up on T.V. in a few days with our campaign ads. They’ll be completely positive. For example, you may remember that Citizens Against Government Waste announced recently that I have the best voting record in Congress for voting against government waste. We mention that. And that rather than waste your money, we ought to be spending it on important programs like Social Security, caring for our veterans, and keeping the American people safe through a strong national defense. Hope you like it.
Anyway, the election’s only two weeks away now (although many people have actually already voted absentee, or by early voting at the Board of Elections) and I’d encourage you to vote intelligently, and urge your family and loved ones to do the same.
And, oh yeah, I’d certainly appreciate your vote. Thank you.
