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President Barack Obama speaks during a rally at Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 | 2 a.m.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — President Barack Obama will ask the country tonight to give him four more years as president. It will also be his opportunity to tell the country just exactly what he wants to do with them.
Obama’s 2012 campaign slogan is “Forward,” but neither he nor his Republican adversary, Mitt Romney, have laid out detailed plans for what is to come.
Rather, the campaigns have spent the bulk of their energy and time arguing over whether Obama’s first-term policies — such as health care, the stimulus and the auto bailout — were a success or a failure.
Each has accused the other of being ideologically wrong on the economy, but neither has ticked off the particulars behind their promises to come up with new policies to fix the country between now and 2016.
Romney and Obama accuse each other of being vague on the future. Last week, Romney was roundly criticized by Democrats for sharing almost no details of his plan to create 12 million new jobs through exploiting energy resources, championing small businesses, and balancing the budget.
“The biggest thing coming out of the Republican convention was they really failed to tell people or leave anyone with a strong impression about what they would do for four years,” senior Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs said. “You couldn’t have watched that convention and thought, ‘Here are the ideas to move the country forward.’ We will not let that happen here in Charlotte.”
But beyond broad-stroke policy statements, the Obama campaign so far hasn’t given many details about how Obama would do it either.
“We don’t know what ‘Forward’ means. Does ‘Forward’ mean four more years of the same?” said Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College. “The problem is, convention speeches aren’t about policies. (Obama) is going to lay out a general plan just like Romney did, and at the end of the day, many people are going to be unsatisfied.”
Indeed, neither Obama nor his surrogates have been very detailed about plans for a second Obama term, even when specifically asked why the president wants another four years to lead the country.
“President Obama on Thursday night will have an honest conversation with the American people — an honest conversation about where we’ve been,” Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said. “There’s going to be specifics, but equally important, he’s going to lay out the choice of the two very different visions for the direction that America could go.”
Even in interviews previewing Obama’s speech, his advisers seem preoccupied most with reminding Americans of the state of the country when Obama became president.
“Our challenge is to have a candid conversation about what this president inherited, what we’ve done despite serious Republican obstruction and the vision that the president has for building this economy out through the values of the middle class,” said Patrick Gaspard, executive director of the Democratic National Committee.
Gibbs echoed the same message.
“We inherited a huge mess, so the first part of this has been getting out of the hole we’re in,” he said. “What we have to do is rebuild the economy and give people a sense of moving forward, and that’s what I really think the next part of this will be about.”
Gibbs listed a few general areas around which the president would focus his message, stressing the importance of research and innovation, education and energy independence, but he would go no further.
“There will be some stuff in there that’s new,” Gibbs said. “But you might not be surprised that I’m not going to get ahead of the leader of the free world.”
Many outside of the president’s campaign aren’t convinced that details are actually going to be forthcoming.
“The reality is there isn’t a big appetite for big, tall pieces of legislation right now. Talking about small-ball stuff is designed to get specific demographic groups on board with your campaign,” said David Damore, a political scientist at UNLV. “That’s the reality of this being a nuts and bolts game of counting people in particular geographic areas as opposed to laying out broad themes of where the country should go.”
Obama is in the politically tricky position of being a president seeking a second term during a downturn in the economy.
Historically, that’s not a great place for a sitting president to be. Except for Ronald Reagan, no president seeking re-election during a time when the unemployment rate was 7 percent or higher has successfully won a second term.
And Reagan had rampant job growth to recommend him: In 1984, the U.S. economy was growing at a rate of about 3 or 4 percent; today, it’s 0.7 percent.
“They know if this is just a straight referendum on Obama and the recession he’ll probably lose it,” Madonna said.
Thus, Obama’s campaign benefits from making the debate more about Romney and the Republican economic plans he’s embraced, including his running mate Paul Ryan’s controversial budget. Likewise, Romney has calculated he benefits most from making the campaign about Obama.
“What they’re doing is rerunning the Bush 2004 campaign: Get your groups behind you with your niche policies, don’t promise anything will land, and create enough uncertainty about the opponent so that when voters go into the polls, they just think they can’t trust the other person,” Damore said. “Or in Romney’s case, why would we go back to these policies?”
That Romney has promised to roll back many of Obama’s economic policies has only pushed Obama to defend his record instead of laying out a new vision. Thus, his supporters argue, his unfinished ideas are his second-term agenda.
“He’s talked about investing in education and clean energy, innovation, manufacturing,” Obama campaign policy director James Kvaal said. “I think what you’ll hear (tonight) is a roadmap for how he’s going to achieve the objectives he’s laid out.”
“Just because the president proposed it and we haven’t gotten it done doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing,” Gibbs said. “It just means we’ve been dealing with an intransigent Congress for the last two years that didn’t let us move forward on some of the really good ideas we had on rebuilding the economy.”
Both campaigns find themselves in danger if they go any further. Polls are so split and issues are so divisive that if either side starts talking about too many specifics, they run the risk of opening themselves up to further attacks.
Wasserman Schultz criticized Republicans this week for “speak(ing) in such generalities that we know are the result of them thinking that if they get too specific, that actually might be harmful to their future politically.”
And that could be exactly the Democrats’ problem, as well.
Obama is running on increasing taxes and more social justice.
Your guess is as good as mine
We know what higher taxes means a prolonged recession and dismal job growth
More money dumped down the green energy hole. A permanent unemployed class. More government. About it.
What will Obama do with four more years....... He will continue to drive our country into the ground like a giant yard dart.
His slogan should be "mulligan anybody??"
NOvember=NObama
1) open up Cuba 2) legalize pot 3) move to single payer medical care 4) cut the military budget by 50% 5) phase out fosil fuels 5) bring back the fairness doctrine to radio/TV
Ironic, former president Bill Clinton makes the case for the Obama administration! Either way, many undecided voters should clearly know why we should retain President Obama as president in November. The substance of the argument delivered last night by Bill Clinton....The TRUTH!
Bill Clinton took each lie, the distortions, and misleading statements by the Republican candidates and educated viewers with facts and conclusions of what a republican administration would be...a disaster!
Bill Clinton attacked the Republican message with the Truth. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said it best, the Democrats need a backbone! Well, Bill Clinton was the backbone last night. What a speech....No, no, that was not a speech that was a "talk" with the American people.
The Clinton nomination went on and on and on as Clinton on an ego trip bragged about his working with conservatives while Obama has refused. Three days into his presidency Obama said "I Won"
Clinton added that as he waited for more then a year for the conservatives cuts in investment tax credit (28% to 20%) to ripple through the economy and was relived when they worked.
Clinton attempted to say that the GM bankruptcy was some how better because Obama forced the bankruptcy to put union benefit at the front of the line
Clinton's job was to lower job performance expectations for Obama. What Clinton attempted to do was to convince Americans that we should accept a growth rate of 1.7% is all we could be do. Clinton said no president could have recovered the the economy.
All Clinton could say was "he feels "with all my heart" it will eventually work!!!!
----
Obama wants to Channel Bill Clinton in campaign ads saying we need a middle class. Clinton balanced the budget by reducing most taxes on business investments and expanding the economy.
-- Clinton and Republican reduced the government share of GDP - Obama and Democrats increased Government spending to 24% of GDP
-- Clinton and Republicans balanced the budget - Obama and Democrats have annual trillion dollar deficits
-- Clinton and Republican created an economy where only 17 million people were on food stamps - today Obama and Democrats have 48 million on food stamps
-- Clinton and Republicans reduced the tax rate on investments to 20% - Obama and Democrats want to tax the money you risk on investment at 43%
-- Clinton and Republicans passed work for welfare - Obama and Democrats are eliminating the welfare work rules
-- Clinton eliminated Glass-Steagall - Obama and Democrats passed Dodd-Frank
-- Clinton supported a "Premium Support" Medicare plan - Obama is eliminating the Medicare Advantage Part C plan and robbing the Medicare Trust Fund of $716 billion
Why is Obama Channeling Bill Clinton
----
So sick of the whole thing, Him, her, their Hollywood bozos. Our idiot president had his chance and he rolled craps. Take a hike idiot president.
To use a Clinton phrase from his amazing speech last night, we can be sure of this: the president will not "double down on trickle-down," as Romney has said he would, giving the super-rich yet another tax cut.
Watch President Clinton's speech and then anyone with functioning brain, or even a republican brain, will find out what President Obama will do in his second term and why he, and not the other guy, is the right choice.
"We are not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers."
-- Former president Bill Clinton, quoting Romney campaign pollster Neil Newhouse
That right there says it all.
Bill Clinton just laid the groundwork for a Dem. sweep in the House, Senate, and down ticket for all Dem's. Repub Pundits are tweeting this A.M. (as of now)that Clinton just gave Obama The election.
future, it's evident you didn't listen to Bubba. Replay his speech and pay attention this time.
As for the rest of the right they just don't get it. I want more than what the right has to offer for my Grandkids. And the Dem's will provide the proper tools for this to happen!!!!
More insane spending for illegals and foreign interests. More indigent Americans.
Ten million more people (citizens and illegal squatters) on food stamps and ten trillion more dollars added to the national debt. This fool couldn't run a lemonade stand successfully and we've made him the most powerful person in the world. I wonder what "little surprises" he and Putin are gearing up for?
If BHO is re-elected, it will lay the ground work for that big Communist country over there, to start trickling down over here. It won't take long for the takeover to occur, and will probably be done without any shots being fired.
Gee, wouldn't it have been easier to send jobs to Mexico and Guatemala instead? (The products probably would be of higher quality too)
President Obama would have had a much better chance of reelection had it not been for Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke and juveniles in the media from 2007 to 2010. The damage done by these insider trading clowns nearly brought the US economy down.
The guy had his opportunity and screwed it up. If elected again he will allow millions of illegal aliens citizenship. He will abandon Israel in spite of his phony comments. The military budget will get cut big time since he will be providing huge foreign aid to our enemies. Unemployment will be terrible. Forget the nonsense that took place in the convention. If you honestly think that Bill Clinton is his friend you are badly mistaken. He has done nothing for Nevada. I voted for him last time and I made a big mistake. I will vote for Romney this time around. Change is good.
I just think there's going to a awful lot of republicans pissed off like no other on election day. If Obama does win, which is probably likely it will be a stomach punch to them. The only recourse they will have is to put up a guy in 2016 who supports woman's rights, is willing and able to deal with the health insurance crisis and isn't looking for a trickle down approach to solving the economic problems.
This will be a big election for republicans. If they lose 2 presidential elections to the most liberal president in 70 years...you know the tide has changed. Should be interesting.
He will save this country $4 trillion in debt by keeping the US out of an eight year war and wasted nation building expense with Iran. That alone is worth the vote.
$4 trillion for Iraq and Afghanistan and they want us out ASAP. Nothing more has to be said on that score.
It was fun to see Clinton last night. Forgot how good of a speaker he is...and exicting. Much of what he said rang true for most Americans. And who knows better than a former President on what it takes to sit in the Oval Office....like him or not. He is still America's most popular president.
Too bad the RNC didn't have George W speak at their convention. But George W isn't a dufus like most think. It was said he didn't want to be in the political pubic eye but I think it was more of him not being enthralled by who the GOP picked as their candidate, knowing full well there are others out there much more suited for the job and could actually win. Instead for their convention, the RNC chose a famous 82 year old actor to carry on a conversation with a chair. They would have been better off getting Terry Fator - this way the chair could have answered back.
<<The only recourse they will have is to put up a guy in 2016 who supports woman's rights, is willing and able to deal with the health insurance crisis and isn't looking for a trickle down approach to solving the economic problems>>
Tom:
Rubio, Christie and Ryan were already auditioning for the job in their speeches last week. Either the GOP is preparing for a Romney loss, or prepping for a one-term presidency if he wins. So they are putting their eggs in the basket already to "introduce" those who could possibly be in the running in 2016.
Soon the leeches will have to stop drinking that "Hopium laced Kool-Aid" since Obama will be out of a job soon. So put a fork in the Judeo/Christian haters, they're done!
FLASHBACK: At The Last Democrat National Convention, Obama Said He Measured Progress By Whether Americans Could Find A Job And Where Incomes Increased Instead Of Going Down. OBAMA: "We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage, whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president... when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000, like it has under George Bush." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At DNC Acceptance Speech, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)
YET FOUR YEARS OF OBAMANOMICS HAS FAILED THE MIDDLE CLASS BY EVERY MEASURE
@DetMunch
Ryan and Christie have no chance IMO. I don't know enough about Rubio. Christie is a blowhard with a weight problem and Ryan is just way too extreme in his abortion views to get voted in.
The republicans, if they lose this election are going to have to re-think who they nominate in the future.
Can you imagine if the tables were turned and men could get pregnant..and a man if he got pregnant thru rape or incest being forced to carry a baby to term? Can you imagine the outcry if he were forced to have his career threatened, his lifestyle threatened because he had to give birth. It would never fly in a million years. Yet these men are the same ones who would force a woman thru something they themselves would likely never embrace themselves. That is Paul Ryan.
Obama will keep us on an accelerating path of growth by improving the lot of the middle class. This will create the demand for products that is required to improve the economy. Folks, rich people just don't buy enough stuff to cover the lost revenue from the middle class. Economic growth DEPENDS on demand for products by the middle class.
I really fear for Obama of he wins. What will he do with his time since he can't be in constant campaign mode? Will he actually have to, gasp, work? Considering he was a community malcontent prior to becoming an elected official, I truly fear he won't know what to do so he will wither away, becoming a shell of his former self.
Ok, back to reality........ He will just spend other peoples money while golfing.
Arf! Arf! The Big Dog was nothing short of amazing last night. As a political speaker Clinton is in a class all by himself and will probably see his popularity grow even beyond the current 68% approvals.
But enough about the last Democratic president. The GOP's last president, the highly unpopular GW Bush, has done a disappearing act and wasn't even invited to the RNC.
It's quite a contrast between the two men and their parties.
Clinton is an excellent speaker. Even Republicans acknowledge the guys ability to inspire thru words.
As I've stated many times, there is a LOT of anger and hostility on the Republican side and frankly it's a little disturbing. The name calling is beyond childish. Republicans are reaping from 8 years of George Bush. How else can you explain electing the most liberal president in 70 years? The country didn't just morph into liberalism. Until republicans grasp why people elected a very liberal president, they will not win another presidential election for a long time.
I will just cite one example. When people are losing their health insurance benefits thru no fault of their own at an alarming rate...someone better come up with a plan to address that. The American Dream has had a history of company provided health benefits. When that dries up, people will look for help.
I see a LOT of angry republicans on election day. They better start understanding why they are losing or they are bound to repeat.
@ TomD1228...
"As I've stated many times, there is a LOT of anger and hostility on the Republican side and frankly it's a little disturbing. The name calling is beyond childish."
We're all guilty of being petulant & overstating our own personal views at times; but answer this...
When was the last time ANY of the far-right followers here @ the Sun said something nice or positive...about ANYTHING???
NEVER.
Hate & anger is the M.O. of the TeaPublican.
Here's the Plan for the US Plantation= http://watchingamerica.com/News/166801/t...
Course the 50 million+ who have had their lives stolen by the exportation of their jobs offshore are still up a creek without a paddle. But who cares? throw them more EBT and open more Walmarts.
The big Dog Clinton is not on the Ballot. Bill Clinton worked with Republicans and let the private economy work
Obama Is no Bill Clinton
Obama will not work with republicans because as he calls them they are the enemy
A vote for Obama is not a vote for a conservative Clinton
@Future
The man has a lot of clout and he's pushing for Obama.
If you are an average American Obama has no plan for you beyond more EBT and Walmarts. Nothing more than reducing you to the level of a Chinese slave.
If you have a Degree, you will be OK for now. These Elite have no patience for those with nothing more than experience and street smarts. Unless you have been through one of their indoctrination Colleges you are on the outside looking in. If you don't have a Degree, straight teeth, boobs, or an out of date shirt, sorry nothing for your plate.
Obama is a Class A BS-er. He looks like he represents average "folks", but his policies say otherwise. It is all NWO, Banker, Military yadda yadda yadda. Romney? same story even worse.
Let's see tonight if Barry uses the average folk jive he does on the campaign trail or the more university teacher TV attitude. Whatever it is it will be filled with red-white-blue and the same bs we heard last week.
In 2016 look for the Globalists to run Hillary or some Hispanic. They are dying to get a good Hispanic. Dario from here really disappointed them. Now it is this bozo mayor from San Antonio they are grooming. Or maybe Marco Rubio from the right side of this one party.
What would be cool is if Barry credited Romney for forging the path to Obamacare. I wonder if he will say that about his fellow team member?
Tom, the man is a lout.
Just go see Obama's 2016 it really goes a long way to explain why Obama is doing what he is to America!
His indoctrination started from his early childhood, he was raised by a single mom who was a devoted communist and his mentor (Davis) was a full on communist who was on the FBI's list of people to be arrested should Russia ever invade the USA! In his own books he talks about how he only hung around with radicals and communists while in school!
He was brought up believing that America was the great enemy, his mother even divorced her 2nd husband because he began to believe in the free enterprise system and started to un-do the anti-colonialism and communist indoctrination she and Davis had worked so hard to instill in Berry, she sent him back to Hawaii to live with her communist parents to get him away from the free market mentality that was taking hold in Indonesia and her new husband was championing. His whole belief system centered around how the whole world had been rapped and taken advantage of by the colonialism of white people!
Now he is trying his best to undo all the growth and success our nation has had under the free market system because he feels it was all at the expense of all the underdeveloped countries we have rapped over the years, he wants America knocked down to the levels of these counties as pay back!
Everything he is doing now makes sense when viewed in this light, it's worth seeing this documentary movie (by the same guy that did Shindlers list) to get a good understanding of who he is, the old TV media will never show these facts!
Love him or hate him, you don't know who he is until you see this documentary! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://2016themovie.com/
Tom says "The man has a lot of clout and he's pushing for Obama."
Not true Bill is push Hillary for 2016 and nobody else. This was about party support for Hillary
Tom says "The man has a lot of clout and he's pushing for Obama."
Not true Bill is push Hillary for 2016 and nobody else. This was about party support for Hillary
---------------------
In the meantime he's telling you to vote for Obama, at least that what he says in the commercials.
The 2016 movie is the product of a rabid neo-conservative. That's like telling me to go see a movie about Mitt Romney directed by Michael Moore and then telling me "these are facts"..
Please.
Bill Clinton did all of us a favor and moved the agenda out of fringe issues and set the challenge for Obama - "Your re-election squarely rest on the economy". Listen to me now - it is arithmetic.
Since 1975 only three Presidents have had to face a decline in the twelve month average workforce and in all cases the low point occurred during their second year in office; Reagan in 1982, Bush in 2002 and Obama in 2010.
Ronald Reagan through his polices and leadership succeeded in growing the workforce over when he took office by in his first four years by 5.7%. At the completion of his second term the economy added another 10.1% growth for a combined 15.8%.
Bush Jr. through his policies and lack luster leadership even succeeded in growing the workforce over when he took office by in his first four years by 1.7%. At the completion of his second term the economy added another 4.5% growth for
a combined 6.2%.
Obama through his policies and by allowing the Congress to provide the leadership, has succeeded in posting a decline in the workforce of -2.7%.
Comparing Reagan and Clinton; Clinton who did not experience a decline at anytime in his presidency continued the expansion started by Reagan and sustained by Bush Sr.. Clinton's two year growth was 15.5%. Combining Reagan(15.8%) Bush Sr.(3.1%) Clinton(15.5%)the economy overall added 34.5% to the average workforce. Even someone as bad as Bush Jr added 6.1%.
Clinton's real message to Obama was to change your policies and leadership style now. If he doesn't the message is loud and clear - four more years of disaster.
"We Just Gotta Let Him Go"
What will he do with 4 more years?
Take our nuclear weapon count to less than 300 while the rest of the world stockpiles them.
Spend another 7 or 8 trillion dollars from our paychecks to re-pave roads that do not need re-paving, re-build bridges that do not need re-building...in short, spend wastefully like it's the 1940's again. All in the name of 'creating jobs'. Hmmm, last time I checked, private industry creates jobs, NOT government...at least that is the way it should be.
Increase taxes for the middle class while providing more handouts to those not willing to fend for themselves. It's much easier to watch TV and collect a check than it is to work, you know.
Mandate that every American must purchase flood insurance, boat insurance, hurricane insurance, tornado insurance, hail insurance, rain insurance and sunshine insurance, regardless of who you are, where you live, or how much money you make.
Hire 16,000-20,000 federal employees with guaranteed pensions and forever health insurance to regulate & enforce healthcare 'reform'.
Ok, I'm growing tired of listing all of his desired accomplishments if granted 4 more years...I think you get the picture.
It is simple. Tax the rich and greedy who caused this economic mess and pay off the national debt.
Then keep taxing the rich and greedy until the middle class is where they were in the 1960s and 70s. Rebuild the US infrasture and build high speed rail and build solar and wind.
This will catch up the US to the rest of the world that is passing up by.
This will generate consumer demand and grow the economy.
Oh Bob635, I wish you were better informed.
PRESIDENT OBAMA has on on the correct path.
Jobs and health care.
We're not going back to republican stupidity.
That already failed.
Because all of these Presidents work for the MOB.
Military industrial complex - Oil companies - Bankers = MOB.
Obama has done ZERO, as in NADA concerning the very thing which propelled him into the WH, namely the financial disaster. Band-aids have been applied is all. Few if any of these major crooks which caused the meltdown have even been charged.
THAT boys and girls is the reason Obama does not deserve another 4 yrs. He can flap his lips all he wants doesn't make a darn bit of difference.
There is absolutely no confidence in anything which matters because we have thousands of crooks running loose in and out of our financial system.
Frankly I am sick of it. Sick of hearing these stupid a$$ Politicians lay platitude after platitude on the American people. Enough of this stupid SHOW. We get it you care, well prosecute people then. restroe confidence or get out of the way moron.
Same thing as the last four years. Burn money and do nothing...