Obama Explains “Their” Plan

At a campaign event yesterday, October 17th in Asheville, North Carolina, President Barack Obama highlighted some of the differences between “his” and “their” plans on how to improve economic conditions in this country:

“My plan says we’re going to put teachers back in the classrooms, construction workers back to work rebuilding America, rebuilding our schools, tax cuts for small businesses, tax cuts for hiring veterans, tax cuts if you give your workers a raise –- that’s my plan. And then you got their plan which is let’s have dirtier air, dirtier water, less people with health insurance. So far, at least, I feel better about my plan.”

Before I get to the obvious inaccuracy of the statement made about “their” plan, a few more important facets of “his” statement stand out to me. 

1) How exactly does Obama plan to reconcile all these tax cuts with a progressive agenda that has demanded more and more government spending?

2) Hasn’t he already proposed a plan to create “shovel-ready” jobs for construction workers to rebuild America, before realizing he forgot the shovels? What makes this wave of his hand any different?

Now, as far as “their” plan goes, is Obama’s malicious oversimplification necessary? Does the President of the United States actually believe that the Republican party, actually wants “dirtier air, dirtier water, and less people with health insurance”? I certainly hope he is not drawing up bi-partisan policy with people who he believes actually want dirty air and water while those without health insurance suffer.

This type of divisive rhetoric and blatant self-exaltation is exactly what many Republicans have been chastised for in the past. The conditions of our country do not improve as leaders sit and place blame from their campaign stump. The country and our economic woes will improve only when our elected leaders can move past the name-calling, past the juvenile blame-game, into a political world of honest, forthright policy discussion. Until that time, political leaders, along with their 24 hour news paparazzi will continue to be the theater of the absurd.

–David Eads