Obama gave a great, inspiring speech that rivaled former President Bill Clinton's from the previous day. In contrast with Romney's infomercial and the RNC lie-a-palozza, the DNC was filled with great speeches and actual plans, rather than the "wait until after the election for specifics," that the GOP is offering. Let's see how his speech rated for truthfulness.
Obama, Sept 6: "I want to reform the tax code so that it's simple, fair, and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000 - the same rate we had when Bill Clinton was president; the same rate we had when our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs."
This is mostly true but would also include raising taxes on Medicare and investment income that Clinton did not. Considering the numbers are very small on how much they are raised, the outcome would not be severe on those that can afford to pay a little more.
Obama, Sept 6: "I'll use the money we're no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work -- rebuilding roads and bridges, schools and runways. After two wars that have cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, it's time to do some nation-building right here at home."
Some have called this a "gimmick" as the wars were paid for by increasing the debt. The question remains should we be paying down the debt or use the savings to stimulate the economy? I think that is idiotic, as putting people back to work is priority one and paying down the debt second. As more than half the debt is an illusion anyway (interest owed to the Fed that we shouldn't pay back), the national debt isn't as severe as the GOP makes it out to sound. Work programs are the most necessary objectives right now, over just about everything else.
Obama, Sept 6: "We will reform and strengthen Medicare for the long haul, but we'll do it by reducing the cost of health care, not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more."
Some will pay more under the Obama plan but it will those that can afford to and not on middle income families. Obama has signified in his budget proposals that means testing is a good option and one I have supported for years. If you can pay a little more, you should. He has also suggested raising the age to 67, which again, is not that bad an idea as we are living longer as a people.
Obama, Sept 6: "We can help big factories and small businesses double their exports, and if we choose this path, we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next our years."
This is as likely as Romney's claim of 12 million new jobs in four years as manufacturing is disappearing in this country thanks to programs like NAFTA and other free trade agreements that the President has supported from the beginning. Unless things change radically, even a million new manufacturing jobs over the next four years is a stretch.
Obama, Sept 6: "In 2014, our longest war will be over."
This is true but how many troops stay behind, like in Iraq is debatable. However, combat forces will be leaving under Obama, unlike Romney who says he plans on staying in Afghanistan forever.
Obama, Sept 6: "I don’t believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy, or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of China."
Cutting eduction, as the GOP is want to do, is very bad for the country and growth potential as it increases classroom size and depresses future wages. The Brooking Institute estimates a cost of $100 billion in future earnings lost with this kind of attitude toward teachers and students
Obama, Sept 6 "After a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years. After thirty years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas."
Both statements are true.
Overall, Obama gave a great speech that hammered home what he plans to do and what is different between him and his opponent. Obama will not kill Medicare, Medicade and other social programs like Romney and Ryan. His foreign policy has been some of the best by any President since Kennedy and the fact that, as John Kerry put it, "Ask Osama Bin Laden is he's doing better than four years ago?," really shows how good his policies have been.
Obama weakens terribly when it comes to domestic issues, especially in cases of security, like the TSA which is now totally out of control, testing people's drinks AFTER they clear security. One woman was arrested after swallowing her drink at an airport rather than let the TSA's grubby hands touch it for "testing." Hope she sues for false arrest and the two bitches who pulled such a power play get their personal info plastered all over the Internet for this Nazi bullshit. It is exactly this kind of crap that makes people not vote for Obama, while at the same time not realising that Romney will be no better in this area.
Obama is the best we've got people and we could do far worse. I expect a four point bump for the democrats and, if current polls are any indication, Romney has zero chance of winning. Romney pulled all ads from Michigan and Pennsylvania today, admitting defeat there and is instead concentrating on Florida and Ohio, states he currently trails in by an average of four points in each. Those numbers will probably rise with the DNC bump expected and the huge Latino populations not swinging toward the GOP anytime soon. Romney is a lost cause but the Congress is not with a possibility still of GOP dominance in both houses. Come November everyone needs to vote and not for the GOP lest bankruptcy and poverty is in your cards.
Obama and Warren 2012.
How freakin' hard is it to impose tariffs, anyway?
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