State of the Union: Obama Pledges New Strategies for a Failing Economy

Wed, 01/25/2012 - 00:16 — wamara

WASHINGTON (PIC) President Obama was at the podium Tuesday night for the State of the Union address, bearing the weight of an immensely challenging first term. His full inheritance of the Great Recession, the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, led to a period of economic recovery, while the country continued to lose jobs at unforgiving, breakneck speed.
The total deficit in jobs would be 6 million, factoring in positions that existed before the Great Recession. When I interviewed economist James Galbraith in January 2010, he estimated that it would take 300,000 jobs every month for five consecutive years to get back to full employment. Some projections are as high as seven to nine years. According to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, “Nearly a fourth of the nation’s metropolitan areas – including my home of Los Angeles – will continue to struggle for five more years to regain the jobs lost in the Great Recession.”
The Obama economic team fought the magnitude of the problem with an unsuccessful stimulus. Now their "We Can’t Wait" jobs slogan used repeatedly in White House Press Office emails, will have to bring the same kind of impact as thunder, in stark contrast to the comparatively more successful Martin Luther King, Jr. visionary civil rights plan of a similar name, "Why We Can't Wait."
Despite their claim of having generated 200,000 jobs in December 2011, the Obama administration faces an election year with the challenge of appeasing a mostly unsatisfied, unemployed American population, echoing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s response to Obama’s address Tuesday night: “Our top priority must be jobs, jobs, jobs.” In fact, many young people facing the hard times of late are not doing as well as their parents did at the same age, according to a CNN Money report.
Obama addressed this increasingly stark disparity during his State of the Union address. “No debate is more important,” Obama said. “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”
The president’s new plan, as outlined in part in last night’s address, looks to solve some of the economic and unemployment woes, by keeping jobs in America, in domestic manufacturing: “…if you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut.  If you’re a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making your products here.  And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.”
President Obama warned that he would battle congressional gridlock, which has prevented alot of bills from passing on Capitol Hill. “There may be tremendous opportunity out there in the market, but it falls on deaf ears because of the uncertainty investors see lawmakers projecting on to the investment landscape, again and again,” according to Ameriprise Financial Chief Market Strategist David Joy.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels gave the Republican response painting a grave national picture. “As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat,” Daniels said. “If we drift, quarreling and paralyzed, over a Niagara of debt, we will all suffer, regardless of income, race, gender or other category.” Daniels, the former budget director of President George W. Bush, went on to say “a government as big and bossy as this one is maintained on the backs of the middle class, and those who hope to join it.”
Challengers: Republicans Struggle for Identity and Leadership
Former president Ronald Reagan was mentioned several times during the Florida debate on Monday, by all of the four major GOP candidates. The trouble is, most young Republicans have very little memory of the late luminary. Ron Paul, who is popular with younger conservatives, has significant political differences with candidates such as Newt Gingrich on foreign policy. In the debate, Paul took a less hawkish approach to dealing with Iran or Cuba vs. Romney and Gingrich. The Texas congressman’s openness to dialogue with foreign powers is reminiscent of Obama. With the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and Osama bin Laden and Moammar Gadhafi dead, Obama will draw on these national-security accomplishments during his re-election campaign, regardless of who his Republican opponent is.
The Republicans have other problems. Obama has been scandal-free for 28 months, according to the Atlantic Wire. Meanwhile, Gingrich is dealing with fallout from an ABC News interview with his ex-wife that called the former House speaker’s character into question. Despite his South Carolina primary victory, the media will continue to focus on Gingrich’s shortcomings. Then there is runner-up Rick Santorum, who appears to be a religious fanatic, with an unusual focus on procreation. If the critics are wrong, the question becomes why did Santorum try to mass-produce himself, to the extreme of risking and losing his own offspring along the way. The Santorums have seven living children, but that clearly wasn’t enough in the former Pennsylvania senator’s eyes. This creates a real question about his capacity to make sound decisions, given all the facts in a life and death situation.
Romney, the White House favorite for the election, might have created more credibility if he had been the candidate in 2008 instead of the aging Senator John McCain. That loss created a void for Romney, compounded by an inability to articulate his points to potential voters. Even New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie noted this weakness last Sunday on NBC’s "Meet the Press." Christie, a Romney supporter, said the former Massachusetts governor “has a real depth of knowledge and experience and understanding about government and business, but he doesn't really communicate it all that well.” So in a sense, Obama can stand by and watch while Romney defeats himself. It will be up to Mitt to prove his mettle in the months to come.
From the slew of GOP debates, no questions have been asked of Obama’s would-be challengers as to what their presidential cabinets would look like. But some ominous figures are participating in the background. Gingrich has two. First, Kevin Kellems, "a former White House aide to Vice President Dick Cheney and a veteran Republican political figure from Indiana, has become the closest thing to a campaign manager for Gingrich," according to the Huffington Post. Could Cheney be coming back? Someone should ask Newt.
From one extreme to another, Republicans are keeping with Southern racists from the mix of business-as-usual in party politics. Another of Gingrich’s hit men is Katon Dawson. The former South Carolina party chairman was quick to embrace Gingrich after Texas Gov. Rick Perry pulled out. This guy can’t make up his mind. Such is the case with Dawson’s membership to the all-white member country club Forest Lake in South Carolina. When Dawson was running for RNC chairman, he denounced the club. However, according to Fitsnews.com report, he never left the club, even paying his membership dues in advance to avoid any interruption.
Again, will a Republican White House include people such as Dawson, Karl Rove, Cheney or former United Nations embarrassment John Bolton? The makeup of each hypothetical West Wing would tell a lot about each candidate’s motives and plans, yet personnel strategies remain an untold mystery to the American electorate.
The Republican candidates will need to avoid further public statements imploring race to stimulate political divide in voters. These attacks are less political and more personal, demonstrating a GOP inability to debate the issues and instead focus on creating fear and anger among a certain segment of the voting population. While the African-American vote will certainly go to Obama, Hispanics’ ballots are up for grabs. A survey by the Pew Hispanic Center suggests, “Obama defeats Romney by 45 points (68-23), a margin 9 points greater than in 2008” (Obama’s margin is a little larger against other Republicans). For Romney, the image of a lily white campaign can both galvanize the Republican base while alienating and losing potential undecided voters, especially in the growing minority community.”
Wamara Mwine covers the White House for PoliticsInColor.com. At United Press International, NBC and CNN, Mwine covered national politics. Mwine's passion for social issues is reflected in his letters published in USA Today. Wamara Mwine advises attorneys, politicians and church leaders in crisis-media and public relations. He can be reached at politicsincolor@gmail.com.