Obama’s Swing State Strategy: Take Credit for GOP Accomplishments
In November 2010, U.S. voters gave the Republican Party majority status in the U.S. House of Representatives and narrowed the Democratic Party’s majority in the Senate. Perhaps as important, in retrospect, to the country’s economic well-being, newly elected GOP governors wrested control of ten statehouses while the party gained roughly 20 state legislative chambers.
Perversely, all the good work the nation’s Republican governors have done since then to keep their states afloat may end up benefiting the presidential reelection prospects of Barack Obama — if the GOP’s candidates and strategists let it happen. Early signs are that they might.
Generously assuming that the second quarter’s gross domestic product growth reading will come in at an annualized 2% (given the weak employment news of the past three months, is there really any chance that it will come in stronger than the first quarter’s 1.9%?), the nation’s economy has grown at a paltry, unacceptable 1.7% annual rate during the past six quarters. What has happened in Republican-dominated states since the 2010 elections may be all that has kept the country from avoiding another recession — so far.
A recent Examiner.com item by Robert Elliott noted that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has decreased since January 2011 in all 17 states which elected Republican governors in November 2010, especially in the ten where Republicans succeeded Democrats, and in the vast majority of cases by more than the overall national decline of 0.9 points from 9.1% to 8.2%. Just a few of the noteworthy declines since then through May 2012, the latest month available, include the following:
- Ohio (from 9.0% to 7.3%) — Buckeye State Governor John Kasich and the Republican-controlled legislature eliminated a projected $8 billion deficit without raising taxes. Kasich also turned down “free” federal funding for what would have been a disastrous “high-speed rail” debacle. Since then, the state has been able to add over $400 million to a previously fully depleted rainy day fund.
- Michigan (from 10.9% to 8.5%) — Rick Snyder’s first year showed resolve similar to that exhibited by Kasich. The unemployment rate in the state outside of the basket case known as Metro Detroit is down to 7.7%.
- Oklahoma (from 6.2% to 4.8%) — Immigration reforms passed several years ago helped the Sooner State keep its unemployment rate relatively low through the recession. Strong governance by Mary Fallin and a booming energy sector have brought its unemployment rate to within striking distance of full employment.
- Wisconsin (from 7.7% to 6.8%) — The 0.9-point drop doesn’t seem impressive until you consider how many businesses have probably avoided locating or expanding in the Badger State until learning whether Governor Scott Walker would defeat the left’s recall effort. Until Walker prevailed, so-called “progressives” actively worked to thwart not only his public-sector reforms, but his efforts at bringing in new private-sector jobs.
If I understand it right, he believes that every business owner who’s built a business didn’t actually do it themselves, but took advantage of what everyone else contributed. Perhaps this same standard should be applied to him. If he’s going to take credit for this, someone should point out that he didn’t do it, someone else did.
He created Himself.
All who believe in Him voted for Him, and did it all by Themselves.
They are Good.
We are Bad.
That is All. All of All.
Heathen!!!!! You forgot to say Amen!
His freelordship of Bloomer is not too proud to learn from the Class enemy.
The Kenyan Kommie just claimed that Babbitt did not literally make Himself, mostly it was othervolks who did that.
The De Maistre of Mason OH (near Cincinnati) picks up the cue unfailin’ly and scribbles that what’s good enough for Freelord Babbitt is good enough for POTUS Barry.
The only slight failin’ is that the same sauce really ought to suit Governor Kasich as well. AEIdeological orthodoxy holds, ¿does it not?, that the blessèd Secret Sector always heals iteself, entirely unassisted by any bureaucrats or hack pols associated with the Wicked State.
His freelordship could safely count on the pajamaclads not thinkin’ of that. Whether he thought of it himself, ¿who knows?
Happy days.
You really should refrain from writing commentary when you have been drinking.
There is certainly no evidence yet, at least not on television here in Northern Virginia, that either Romney or the Republicans are fighting back in any meaningful way. The 0 is a liar, pure and simple. Romney is being painted as a robber baron. It is way past time for his campaign to be fighting back.
Seriously! We are being inundated with anti-Romney obummer ads non-stop. They were also clever enough to put the bulk of the ads on the family cable channels. I’ve only seen one Romney ad and it’s WEAK!
By the time November comes around whether people know it or not they will subconsciously be thinking Romney is a crook.
How come?
Because Obama sez so, that’s how come.
GOP does not intend to win this election…
It was this way in 08….AND now there is no meat to the “talking back” on Mitt side…I find it discouraging to think that my country is no longer the country of my youth.
We will be a memory in 50 years. Obama didn’t start this…No..I believe it is a concerted effort on both sides…too many things happening that no one stands up for…especially anyone on the republican side..BOEHNER…the whole bunch are disgusting.
GOP is allowing liberals/democrats to lead the parade…get away from all this and back to the economy..
Republicans are now calling for Mitt’s tax returns??? How about obama’s backgroud laid open?…
Powerline had a post yesterday quoting Byron York, explaining that the reason Romney hasn’t spent as much as Obama in the ads is campaign finance laws. Until Romney is officially the nominee, he can not use his general election dollars to campaign. Right now, he is only using whatever is left of his primary funds.
Here’s the link: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/07/why-is-obama-outspending-romney.php
It has to be up to the Republican governors of each state to inform the public that things are getting better in spite of what Obama is doing, not because of it. Here in New Jersey where I live, everybody knows that things are changing in this state because of Chris Christie, NOT because of ANYTHING Obama is doing. In fact, when you compare Christie’s success to what came just before him, that pathetic Democrat Jon Corzine, the contrasts are even greater. Which is why more and more people appreciate a guy like Christie, a Republican.
The governors have to remind the voters that success didn’t just happen. It was because of a lot of hard work adopted by a Republican administration. The governors in the swing states need to remind people of that again and again, making the people realize that had they followed a Democratic agenda they would have ended up like California, Illinois, Connecticut, or New York, states that have Democratic governors.
because Obama’s lies are so obviously lies, they speak for themselves, and so no one will believe them.
I feel so much better now.
really?…what world are you from?.
people are stupid?
or like you, humorless?
It is an unfortunate truth that many voters get their information strictly from the LSM, and think Jon Stewart and MTV are serious news outlets. Critical thinking is no longer taught in school at most levels, so many young people blindly accept the Pied Piper call of a socialist Nirvanah. That is why it is possible for propaganda machines like Axelrod’s to deceive so many.
I grew up in the South hearing about “yellow-dog Democrats”. Today’s Democrat faithful would vote not only for a yellow dog if it had a “D” after its name, but a big steaming pile of crap gets their vote as well. Come to think of it, that’s what they voted for in 2007.
Yes.
Depressing, isn’t it? We’re probably in the last fight to save the United States of America from utter and total destruction and they have already given up the ship.
Should we just give it up and get used to our new overlords?
No, we most certainly do NOT “give up.” Ultimately, all of our prognostications mean little. It’s still too early to “know” where the voters will head come November; the sheer bulk of them do not make up their minds until the literal last month or so before the election.
when you have a candidate spouting milquetoast rhetoric,eg..mitt…you best start getting out the banners to welcome obama back in to complete the destruction of our country…
Mitt may be a great business man..and would do well for ur country…the uneducated/uninformed only hear the “iwon” and the crap coming form the liberals, Liberals tell the lie, big, loud, and often…and they believe it when there is no other song in town..
Some stories are true that never happened.
-Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1928)
truth died long ago- the LIE lives and grows
“Will Republicans really let him get away with it?”
Obama gets away with everything under the sun, from the most ridiculous and egregious lies and claims to practically anything you can imagine.
He and his surrogates know that detailed arguments refuting the trash and lies they throw out won’t register with the base or that, alternatively, the base will blow it off, ignore it, or produce an instant rationalization.
With the Obama Media is in their pocket, they are emboldened and secure in saying damn hear anything.
They love distractions, controlling the dialogue, putting republicans on defense over and over & “debate” over picayune points (cf Bain Capital). For every single one of Obama’s massive failures and discrepancies, they have a convenient and automatic knee jerk “explanation”.
This election has to be a Dragon Slayer Event, not a polite numbers game.
Hardball is the only game Chicago thugs understand.
“damn hear anything”
damn near anything
Mockery and ridicule work, too, wham bam ads showing lies and hypocrisies emanating from The One’s own mouth.
It doesn’t help that republicans like Michael Steele and Bill Kristol are recommending Romney bend over and spread ‘em for the Obama assault.
All these slow, drippy ads “appealing” to women or…(fill in the blank) in calm, reasoned tones are a waste of money.
With so called leaders like McConnel and Boehner we can expect nothing.
*shrug* Why not?
Republicans all over the country have been giving credit for welfare reform to Bill Clinton
In fact, it was Newt who shoved it down his throat. Clinton fought it, then was pretty much forced to sign it due to overwhelming public support.
Despite the clear history, many “conservative” commentators are routinely giving credit to BC.
Obama is going to lose by such numbers, “to be Obama-ed” is going to become the new verb form for a complete and total electoral refudiation. Yes, he will finally hit a bottom so low his name will become a verb.
already Obama-ed us. He’s shinking us now. Look “shink” up. O used it in a poem. He’s a poet, y’know.
The GOP has been given the best line of counter-attack on this strategy from Obama himself:
YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT.
Thus far, the response to Obama’s fabulist framing from the Republican Party and presumptive nominee Mitt Romney has ranged from non-existent to pathetic.
Can’t say this was unexpected…
the big O is correct it was George Dubya who did it, mean while the democrats are projecting and taking credit for what they didn’t build. throw the BS card Mitt!!!!
THAT’S the Romney campaign ad I want to see. “You didn’t build it”, “Hope and Change”, “Felon”, “Bain Capital”, “Obamacare” “It’s Bush’s fault” etc. in the background, with a photo of Mitt snarling a single-word rebuttal:
“Bullsh1t!!!!”
The question I want answered is not, “why does Obama get the credit for purple states doing well” but, “why doesn’t Obama get blamed for deep blue states going down the tubes?” California, Illinois, New York…all vote reliably liberal and all are reliably going broke.
just because . . .
Will Mitt Romney let President of the United States Barack Hussein Obama get away with such a vicious accusation?
he will.
he already has.
I was wondering how long it would take Obambi to start taking the credit. I knew it would happen. In a way it is his to claim. Chances are if anyone else had been in the White House the Dems probably would have won in those purple states and it would have been business as usual going down the tubes.
Mr. Obama grabs the credit for all positive happenings and refuses to acknowledge he had anything to do with the devastating actions he has actually performed.
Earlier this week he took credit for all the works of entrepreneurs from Edison to Jobs, why not the advances made in Texas, South Carolina, Wisconsin, etc.
Is any action he takes in his pursuit of four more years to finish his job of reducing the US to Third World Status a surprise?
Well, you have the Masters of Deceipt who also have no shame and no ethics, plus the hollow-cheeked media breathing deeply.
So the message Mr Blumer maps out is a good one, but it has to be presented very very simply, and with traps to defeat the spin machines.
I’m not sure how to block all of the spin, but what I would like to see is something along the lines of 2 graphs: a) employment in states that replaced Democrat governors in 2010 with Republicans or retained Republican governors. and b) employment in states that retained Democrat governors in 2010.
The graphs should have “obama’s watch from 2008 to 2010 clearly marked”.
Something similar could probably be done with taxes, personal income, and state debt.
The charts would be bam bam, and message should be blatantly obvious. If they aren’t, it’s not worth pursueing.
According to Obama, I’m not writing this. Because I had a public school teacher (perhaps it was my parents) teach me the alphabet & how to read & write, someone else is responsible for the text that appears here. The business I built wasn’t done by me – it was built because of the roads that government built that allowed me to get to & from work, and let’s not forget without those roads, none of my customers would have been able to get to my business. I didn’t get myself to work every day – someone else saved General Motors (Thank you, Barack!) so got there because of an automobile that was made by others. Moreover, someone else drilled the oil to make the gas to put in the car, so I didn’t do that. Government allowed the electric companies to supply the power to my business. Government allowed the phone company to lay phone lines so I could connect to the internet (also created by government, btw) and talk to my customers, so I’m in no way responsible for my customers being able to communicate with me. The facts that I paid for the automobile, the gas, electricity & the phone so I can get to work & take care of my customers are completely irrelevant.
Without Republicans keeping states from going broke, there would be nothing for which Obama could take credit. But it was government that created the jobs which Republicans hold, so without government there would be no jobs for Republicans to fill and keep states from going broke. Without Obama and government, the rest of us are nothing!
So basically every bad thing that has happened is all the repubs fault, while Obama takes credit for any state improvements due to wise repub governors policies. Typical Obama, constantly passing the buck on failures, and hogging all the credit for any successes.