LOS ANGELES, July 9, 2012 – In 2006, the GOP lost its way. Frustration with the Iraq War was dragging down the GOP. The Democrats won back control of Congress by not being Republicans. At no time in the 2006 election cycle did the Democrats offer anything resembling a policy or a program. In fact, Nancy Pelosi was all but banned from television after several unforced errors.
Once she was sidelined, the Democrats managed to convert frustration into victory by winning an election while simultaneously standing for nothing.
In 2008, a devastating financial crisis saw President George W. Bush leave office with low approval ratings. The Democrats ran on “Bush Fatigue,” and Barack Obama was the main beneficiary. He offered platitudes such as “hope,” “change,” and “Yes, we can.” He was never fully grilled on what he would actually do if he was elected.
When asked what programs he would cut, he would respond, “the ones that don’t work,” and “the ones that don’t make sense.”
On January 20th, 2009, the Democrats had all of the levers of power. They controlled the White House, the Senate, and the House. All they had to do was actually govern. They couldn’t do it. They knew how to be “not Republicans,” but had nothing positive to implement successfully.
They tried a stimulus package. It failed.
They tried investing in green energy companies. This failed.
They did pass a healthcare law, but in terms of what it was supposed to actually do, it failed. The main goal was to contain costs. The Democrats failed.
They tried to reduce unemployment below 8%. They failed.
Now in 2012 President Obama is running for reelection. A fair question based on his record is…why?
Mr. Obama’s entire strategy is again to claim that the alternative would be worse. Mitt Romney is bad, and Mr. Obama’s not being Mitt Romney automatically makes him good.
This is the best Mr. Obama can do. He can not run on his record like Ronald Reagan in 1984 or even Bill Clinton in 1996. Yet what really separates Barack Obama from any other politician is that he may be the first person ever to be elected President twice without having to tell the American people what his plans for governing are.
What does President Obama want a second term for? What does he actually plan to do?
He cannot and must not be allowed to offer empty blather about “moving forward,” and “continuing the long road back.”
In the last four years he has blamed his failures on everything from his predecessor to the Japanese Earthquake to the tsunami to ATM machines to the Arab Spring to everything else other than his counter-productive policies.
Agreed, President Obama inherited a tough situation. His policies exacerbated them. He got away with enacting them because nobody knew what they were. He was never asked during the campaign what he stood for.
He keeps insisting that things are “moving in the right direction.” This is not true. Things are getting worse.
What evidence based on the last four years justifies him being given another term?
Ronald Reagan inherited a mess from Jimmy Carter. President Reagan turned things around and justified reelection.
Bill Clinton inherited a weak economy (unlike today, that weak economy actually was improving) from George Herbert Walker Bush. With considerable help from the internet revolution, things turned around. Bill Clinton was reelected.
George W. Bush inherited a collapsed stock market and slowing economy from Bill Clinton. Mr. Bush turned things around, and won reelection.
The issue is not that Barack Obama inherited a weak economy. It is that he failed to turn things around. This was not the worst crisis since the Great Depression. What Ronald Reagan inherited was far worse.
So again, what can President Obama offer? More of the same? More blaming everyone else? More cheery platitudes contradicted by facts on the ground?
What does Barack Obama stand for? Given four more years, what would he actually do? Why does he think it would work?
The American people have every right to ask these questions. They should know as soon as possible that President Obama has no answers.
Brooklyn born, Long Island raised, and now living in Los Angeles, Eric Golub is a politically conservative columnist, blogger, author, public speaker, satirist and comedian.
Eric is the author of the book trilogy “Ideological Bigotry, “Ideological Violence,” and “Ideological Idiocy.” Eric is 100% alcohol, tobacco, drug, and liberalism free. After years of dating liberals, he has finally seen the light and now only dates Republican Jewish women. His family is pleased over this. Republican, Jewish women, you may contact Eric above.
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Eric Golub is an independent writer for the Communities. Read more from Eric at his TYGRRRR EXPRESS blog.
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