I’m sure this is nothing more than a coincidence.
President Barack Obama will make his long-awaited speech about jobs Wednesday night to a joint session of Congress at the same time that the Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to debate at the Reagan Presidential Library in California.
While the debate isn’t the first Republican debate of the cycle, it is the first since Gov. Rick Perry entered the presidential contest, and polls have shown him taking a commanding lead in the race for the GOP nomination. Political observers have said that the debate could provide crucial insights into how Mitt Romney’s and Michelle Bachmann’s campaigns plan to deal with Perry’s surging candidacy.
In his letter to House Speaker John Boehner requesting the joint meeting of both houses of Congress, Obama wrote that he will unveil a series “bipartisan proposals” that Congress can take up immediately to “rebuild the American economy.”
However, with a presidential address to a joint session of Congress scheduled on the same night, at the same time, it’s likely that any press generated from the debate would be drowned out by the developments in Washington.
Obama’s people probably think they’re being clever here. The images that will result from his speech and the debate will visually elevate him above all of the GOP’s candidates. But he also looks petty for bigfooting the debate in the first place. Rick Perry managed to dominate the Ames straw poll with his campaign announcement in South Carolina, but that was a one-off and a political masterstroke in which he earned media coverage opposite an event in which he didn’t campaign. Obama has “pivoted to jobs” 7 or 8 times already, and a year ago yesterday he even promised a big new initiative on jobs. If Obama presents zero new ideas in his joint session speech, and so far all the evidence says that that’s what he is going to do, he’s likely to accomplish two things: Irritate an even greater slice of the country while also stirring up more grumbling from Congress for having to attend his nothingburger of a speech.
And what happens if the GOP debate gets better ratings than his speech? That could happen, and would be a serious embarrassment to the president.
This was a bad move, borne of fear on Obama’s part. Having promised a jobs plan after his return from vacation, he fears delivering it before the GOP debate. That would allow them to use the debate time to shred it in unison. Going soon after the debate runs the risk of his plan looking flimsy and unserious after Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who now leads in the polls and has a real jobs record to stand on, makes his first debate appearance on Sept. 7.
Gosh, a prime time speech by Obama. Stimulus for earplug manufacturers.
stimulus for the air sick bag industry
Considering the Obama fatigue that is permeating the public, putting his face in front of a Republican debate is not the best idea in the world. Most of us will tune out.
There’s never been anything like this guy.
Classless indeed, but not surprising coming from the Man of Lawlessness. Should only add to the growing opinion both nationally and internationally that Obama is a busted flush. [This is enough metaphors to mix in one post.]
We need to pack the gallery and provide a laugh track. Would that fluster him or what? You can’t holler stuff out, but there is no crime in laughing after every sentence.
“And what happens if the GOP debate gets better ratings than his speech? That could happen, and would be a serious embarrassment to the president.”
Let’s do that one little thing. If every PJM reader tunes into the debates instead of the speech …
I hope he gets killed in the ratings-EVERYBODY TUNE IN TO THE GOP DEBATE!!!
If he were smart, Obama would have scheduled his speech for the next evening and he could have stolen some of the thunder from the Republicans. He’d rather be petty, it suits him. He regularly insults the intelligence of friend and foe, the date he selected is no “coincidence” and no one believes it is. Just more lack of class from President Downgrade and his Chicago thugs.
Perhaps Fox could pick up the debate and the networks could cover Bigfoot. I suspect the debate would dominate the ratings and the narrative. Obama as usual looks vain and small.
This.
I do not view it as a lack of class, though. If he were popular, he’d be demonstrating his power, his superior position. He’d step on the opposition. It would be a power-play. As it is, it reeks of cynicism, desperation, arrogance, and ego, because he is weak.
His problem again is his lack of appreciation for the majesty of the office. He is using it again as a cheap political toy. If he were personally strong, it would not be a cheap ploy. It would be he who is preempting the debate. As he is weak, he cheapens the office in using it to substitute for his own weakness. He is using the office to preempt, not his own personal strength. It is a casual disdain for the office. That’s what makes it seem such poor taste. He is low-class, as are all his cohorts. This move just highlights it.
Like the flag, the Oval Office is a symbol. It is a pure thing. You cannot dishonor that symbol. You can only dishonor yourself. Misusing such a symbol reflects poorly on you. Using the symbol appropriately reflects well upon you. One must do this carefully. Those with no appreciation of these symbols cannot act carefully. They cannot see them. They thus reveal themselves.
The barbarians are squatting in the palace.
Oh, I don’t question the timing.
Maybe he should wear a big middle finger t-shirt, so even if we turn off the sound, we’ll still get his complete message.
Not obvious enough. He’s going to be wearing the world’s first goatse t-shirt.
Obama is the gift that keeps on giving. Everything he does blows up in his face and this will too.
It’s brilliant – by scheduling it outside of market hours, he can avoid responsibility for the drops that accompany every one of his speeches, and he can even blame it on reactions to the GOP debates of that same evening!
Neil Cavuto just reported that John Boehner has asked the President to move his address to the next night.
It was Cavuto that prompted me to check the Fox Insider page.
Boehner, with balls…
http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/08/31/full-letter-boehner-asks-obama-to-deliver-jobs-speech-on-september-8th-instead/
Bachmann is right about Obama’s political vulnerability. He can read the polls: he hit a new all time low of -25 on the Rasmussen poll today.
How much you want to bet the only substantive thing he has to say about jobs has the word “Steve” in front of it?
“Steve Jobs has left Apple…” The rest will be flatulence as filtered by the teleprompter.