By Michael Collins
When you take the right side, style trumps substance every time in politics. President Obama was on fire Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, hammering home populist themes that will define his campaign. This was his campaign kick-off. He couldn’t have done a better job of stating his case as the candidate of the people, while painting Romney as the darling of The Money Party (Wall Street, big banks).
PRESIDENT OBAMA: The problem with our economy isn’t that the American people aren’t productive enough — you’ve been working harder than ever. The challenge we face right now — the challenge we faced for over a decade is that harder work hasn’t led to higher incomes. It’s that bigger profits haven’t led to better jobs. President Obama (Full text of Obama’s remarks, Columbus, Ohio, May 5, 2012)
It’s not your fault the president tells us, which happens to be absolutely correct. Then he nailed Romney:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Governor Romney doesn’t seem to get that. He doesn’t seem to understand that maximizing profits by whatever means necessary — whether through layoffs or outsourcing or tax avoidance or union-busting — might not always be good for the average American or for the American economy. Pres. Obama May 5
See the video from the Guardian. It will show you just how focused Obama is at this point.
This is classic populism and well done at that. Based on his record, I doubt this but that’s not the point here. Obama is showing that he’s an all-time big game player in the same league as Bob Gibson, Kenny Stabler, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. This is when it counts and Obama is in outstanding form. Read the rest of this entry »
