If wishes were horses
Beggars would ride….
That nursery rhyme teaches
the folly of wishing without a workable action plan . . Mitt Romney has based his campaign on wishes. Who does not want more jobs, a growing economy, and a solution to the
deficit problem:? Some items not on his list were apple pie.(Motherhood crops up in his severe
right turn to social conservatism as he proposes ending Planned Parenthood
and overturning Roe v Wade) and the
details of how he would turn those wishes into reality. He has a chance
to fill in the blanks in the debate in
Denver, Oct. 3 (tonight).
So who will win the debate?
Many experienced observers
believe it is the degree of likeability , competence, and who comes up
with the best zingers. However, Pres. Clinton received praise for this year’s Democratic
convention speech for being the “explainer in chief”.. There is
a hunger for explanations and this may be the year of “it’s the message details,
stupid”.
Polls are showing that confidence in the President’s ability to
manage the economy has increased so much, he is ahead of Romney now. Obama so far has succeeded in making the case
that the GOP’s trickle down theories of
cutting taxes on the wealthy and inflicting pain on the poor and middle class are
not the only paths to recovery . What
the President has done or plans to do is more palatable and will eventually
work..
While weak on the “how to” details,
Romney has answered one question. Whose
interests would he favor when hard choices have to be made after the election?
He will have a difficult time with that
one, especially when he.was caught
dissing 47% of Americans as
government dependence lovers and for not paying income taxes ...
The dilemma Romney faces is that our problems are difficult to solve without goring someone’s ox and turning off voters.
The best strategy for him is to remain vague and. Obama’s task is not to
let him get away with it.
Romney has some new
headwinds. Former President Bill Clinton
raised an important point at the Democratic Convention that gained some
traction. It is the “addition” issue,
the “ fuzzy math” charge revisited.. . The
GOP is vulnerable on the question of whether Romney’s plans will
decrease the deficit. . Romney himself has presented few details, but his running mate, Paul Ryan, has. The Congressional Budget Office scored both
the impact of repealing Obamacare and Ryan’s budget reduction plan. Their conclusion was that neither would reduce the deficit, and would actually add to
it. So obnoxious are some of Ryan’s proposals, especially concerning
voucherizing Medicare, that Romney has distanced himself by claiming he has his
own plans…though he has never let us
know with what part of Ryan he differs..
The GOP often counters with
“the President has not given us details either”. Their argument is “two wrongs
make a right ” . Unfortunately for that line of discourse, Obama
has been more detailed than Romney has. Obama did present a detailed deficit reduction plan
that included 10 cuts for every one revenue dollar raised. Obamacare is law,
reduces the debt, and extends the life
of Medicare. His jobs plan to hire
teachers and build infrastructure was presented as legislation. . It is just
that since 2010, the Teaparty controlled
House of Representatives blocked any new initiatives .
The GOP sheds crocodile tears that Obama did not embrace in
entirety the Simpson Bowles recommendations, yet every single GOP member of the Senate and House voted against it when they had a chance.
. If Obama wins, a Simpson Bowles- like
approach will too. If the GOP gets the
government reins, the Ryan plan rises. That is the fundamental choice facing us
in November.
(A version of this appeared in the Sky Hi Daily News today)
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