Thursday, September 01, 2011

Obama Will Use Joint Congress Address for Campaign Boost



This is the e-mail sent out to Obama supporters following his request for a joint session of Congress. The purpose of the request was for a forum to present his jobs plan speech:

Today I asked for a joint session of Congress where I will lay out a clear plan to get Americans back to work. Next week, I will deliver the details of the plan and call on lawmakers to pass it.

Whether they will do the job they were elected to do is ultimately up to them.

But both you and I can pressure them to do the right thing. We can send the message that the American people are playing by the rules and meeting their responsibilities—and it's time for our leaders in Congress to meet theirs.

And we must hold them accountable if they don't.

So I'm asking you to stand with me in calling on Congress to step up and take action on jobs.

No matter how things go in the weeks and months ahead, this will be an important challenge for our organization.

It's been a long time since Congress was focused on what the American people need them to be focused on.

I know that you're frustrated by that. I am, too.

That's why I'm putting forward a set of bipartisan proposals to help grow the economy and create jobs—that means strengthening our small businesses, giving needed breaks to middle-class families, while taking responsible steps to bring down our deficit.

I'm asking lawmakers to look past short-term politics and take action on that plan. But we've got to do this together.

I will deliver this message to Congress next week, but I'm asking you to stand alongside me today.

More to come,

Barack

Nice touch - he signs off as "Barack", because you know, he's just one of your pals. And, he's "frustrated"? What about the frustration of the unemployed who cannot find work? What about the frustration of average Americans longing for true leadership?

Why did he send this out to his supporters via the campaign website? He did it because of the immediate and forceful blowback he received for asking for the venue - to be televised nationally - on the same night as the next GOP presidential debate. He deliberately chose to pick a fight with Republicans and sent his press secretary out to feign innocence. The reasoning from the administration was, well gosh, there are lots of GOP debates scheduled so what's the big deal of conflicting with one?

The big deal, of course, is that this debate will be held at the Reagan Presidential Library. Does Barack Obama think he is any match for a scorned Nancy Reagan? Maybe in the mind of a narcissist (Obama) but not in the mind of regular voters. For a Democrat who fakes allegiance with some of Reagan's political philosophy in order to bring Republicans to his reasoning on policy, he sure exposes himself for the phoniness of his strategy.

The President of the United States, we would assume, has the calendar of Congress readily available. As Speaker of the House Boehner pointed out in his response to the joint address on Wednesday night, Congress would only be coming back into session and would not have the adequate time necessary to call such a vote. He asked that the joint session be scheduled for Thursday.

That President Obama would pick this fight now is perplexing, even to his own supporters. Not only is it a punk move, it is a battle he can't win. Obviously he wants to paint Republicans as uncooperative. But, in the bigger picture, he fails again to realize what voters are screaming for - grown up behavior in their elected officials. Voters are turned off by the blatant political games, especially at a time of dire economic conditions.

Joint addresses to Congress are rare. Usually saved for State of the Union addresses and for addresses by foreign leaders, this is nothing but campaign fodder. President Obama is delivering a policy speech. Period. This is touted as a jobs speech, something to show us the way forward to get the economy going again. There is no doubt it is for campaign re-election showmanship. There is little hope that the speech will live up to its hype.

So once again, the President who proclaims his desire for bi-partisan cooperation to get this country moving again pits one party against the other. Maybe it is because he is receiving such fire from his party's base who want him to "fight harder". Maybe in his mind this was a way of showing more "fight". And once again he will make a speech and toss it off to Congress to do the the work.

There will be nothing new in the speech. President Obama will miss another opportunity to lead.

The joint session of Congress will be held Thursday. Football fans will note that is the beginning game of the season. This was a silly, unneccesary kerfuffle brought on by an unserious and incompetent President Obama.

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