President Obama: America 'Not Better Off' Today than Four Years Ago

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: ABC News

Calling himself an "underdog," President Obama today said the faltering economy is a drag on his presidency and seriously impairing his chances of winning again in 2012.

"Absolutely," he said in response to a question from ABC News' George Stephanopoulos about whether the odds were against him come November 2012, given the economy. "I'm used to being the underdog. But at the end of the day people are going to ask -- who's got a vision?"

The American people, he conceded, are "not better off" than they were four years ago.

"The unemployment rate is way too high," he said of the 9 percent jobless rate, the highest in more than half a century.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-calls-underdog-2012-race-white-house/story?id=14656286

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[MannyGoldstein]

1. "Make no mistake: it's everyone else's fault"

Wow.

[ixion]

4. Yep. wow.

:wow:

[xchrom]

5. indeed. nt

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Sorry. I thought people would understand that it was parody. nt

[joshcryer]

24. I see nothing funny about the statement, and it doesn't come off as a parody when it's false.

[MannyGoldstein]

28. You seriously can imagine Obama making that statement?

Really?

[JuniperLea]

15. Yeah, that's pretty damn disgusting...

I'm so sick of this shit. If the anger is so just, why the need to lie?

[joshcryer]

23. Make no mistake it's the Republican's fault. Do you disagree with that?

[MannyGoldstein]

27. Should Lincoln have fired his failing generals?

After all, it was the Confederacy's fault that they lost.

[Evasporque]

39. ding ding ding!! nt

[tawadi]

40. Did President Obama say "Make no mistake: it's everyone else's fault"?

Really?

I missed that in the article.

[Brickbat]

2. "Who's got a vision" is not necessarily the question people are going to be asking themselves.

I'm guessing.

[jannyk]

9. We've all got fucking visions - does he think he's special?

[Tesha]

13. "Who's got a job?" (in both senses) will be the only salient question. (NT)

[Safetykitten]

3. And no vision for the future, except tax credits. Carter will be sighing with relief in 2012.

[davidwparker]

18. +1

Already planing my OP.

Title: "Jimmy Carter, you are so vindicated."

[ChandlerJr]

8. Well, that's one way to get out in front of a campaign issue

but when people are struggling to just keep their heads above water that whole "vision" thing is the least of their worries.

[AllyCat]

10. Perhaps capitulating to minority Republicans was a bad idea

Job creation, universal health care, and keeping social security intact might have been better plans. But hey, I'm just a wingnut leftie.

[creon]

12. He did no such thing

[Tesha]

14. Time will tell what people think about the truth or falseness of that allegation. (NT)

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FrenchieCat]

22. I think by the time any truth or falseness will be found about this allegation,

you and others will be too busy hollering about the new administration,
to have any time to continue dogging out this one man.

In other words, Republican feet will be so far up your ass,
you won't have time to chit-chat about Carter or any other such thing.
Y'all will be busy trying to save the Internet,
the minimum wages and basic shit like that.
I'll be surprised if y'all will even be able to get up and walk to a protest,
let alone report on one on the computer.

That's what time will do for you....if you just plan on, like some others,
simply continue to spread negativity about this one person all of the time.

[JuniperLea]

17. Nonsense and bullshit...

I'm so sick of this shit.

[tblue]

21. That's even worse.

If he's not capitulating, he's doing what he chooses to do. No one has forced him, so what's the excuse now? :thumbsdown:

[coalition_unwilling]

11. These journalists are so pathetic. First of all the 9 percent jobless

rate is NOT the highest in more than half a century. During the Reagan Recession from 1981-83, the national unemployment rate was even higher than it ever got during this crisis. I know, b/c I lived through it.

[JuniperLea]

16. He never claimed we would be...

He said it's going to take years to undo what has been done to us. He said to roll up our sleeves and help. Well, some of us have... some of us would rather shit on a good man trying to help us.

This disingenuous bullshit is fucking ignorant.

I am so fucking sick of this shit.

[AverageJoe90]

29. I kinda feel the same way, despite my disappointment. nt

[florida08]

20. Someone needs to help him

We know we're not better off. We're approaching a double dip. Saying it doesn't get any points. Ask Walter Mondale. Should have listened to the progressives. They've been here before and know what it takes. They're still screaming that austerity will make it worse and it will. Change the course Mr. Potus

[Festivito]

25. Now, can anybody condense this into a bumper sticker?

A bad driver from a bad driving school careens your car down a ravine, the situation is so bad the guy from the good-guy driving school takes the bad driver's seat while the gas pedal is still floored and the car is still picking up speed down down down faster and faster while he's doing 60 mph over the creek, the new guy slows the descent, turns the car around, and even starts some slow progress back up the ravine as the badboy driver says, hey, we're further down than we were when the so-called good driver took over up by the creek, so, you guys want the guys from MY driving school back, right?

Now, can anybody condense that onto a bumper sticker?

That's our problem.

The unemployment under Bush was worse and worse month by month, Obama slowed it, turned it around, started more jobs -- yet we are worse off.... but, not because of Obama, yes, others are to blame.

[reformist2]

36. The problem is that Obama hasn't articulated this himself.

He made it sound a few years ago that his stimulus bill would actually work. He oversold it, and is now paying the price.

[Festivito]

38. It did work, we're climbing out of the ravine -- albeit, slowly.

The Republicans threw out a few anchors making it harder to slog up that ravine, but, slog we do, and one cannot be genuine in blaming the planner for someone else's sabotage to the plan.

[Imajika]

26. It's pretty simple really...

If the economy is at least improving noticeably by November 2012, President Obama will win re-election. If the economy still sucks this bad, he will lose. No matter what nut the Republicans put up, the majority of Americans will find a way to justify voting for that person if the economy is still as bad as it is today. The unemployment rate doesn't have to be 7%, it just has to be on a downward trajectory and the people need to feel things are getting better. Nothing else will matter. All the talk, all the protests, all the organization, all the polls, etc - none of it will really matter besides how the economy is doing.

[YellowCosmicSun]

30. He'll be reelected. You'll see.

[geek tragedy]

31. Thank god we kept the filibuster. We'll need it to torpedo

President Romney.

Obama had so much potential. Alas, his political career fell victim to his own naïveté.

[No Elephants]

32. Not sure if he should say that.

Reagan used that to defeat Carter: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?

If you focus on that, you're likely to vote for, well, change, even if the other candidate is a loser.

Besides, I'm not sure it's true. Sure, we're not doing the happy dance, but I think we are somewhat better off.

Unless President Obama makes people believe that and ticks off a few things that support his statement, his campaign will not fare well, I fear.



Not sure why President Obama is using the Reagan tactic on himself.

Maybe he needs new blood in his campaign?

Axelrod was great at selling change, both in Massachusetts and on the national level, but maybe selling an incumbent is not his strong suit?

[gkhouston]

33. Did he also comment on the wetness of water? n/t

[r0nr0ntaiwan]

34. Underdog?

How is it that Obama can say that he's "used to being an underdog?" Has he ever lost an election? Nope. With relatively little political experience (and zero executive experience), he won the Presidency (being the top dog of the executive branch) the very first time he ran. While running, pretty much everyone assumed he'd win once he took the primaries.

Underdog? Far from it, actually.

[reformist2]

35. Now he gets it... He's so pathetic! I'll vote for him, but I cannot defend him.

[Bandit]

37. Vision.......... to sign off on Republican Policies..

Yep that's the vision I want all right...

[Doctor_J]

41. Seems like the Repukes are blaming him, and he's blaming...

everyone. Bad strategy, IMO