First, an obligatory flashback:
Alright, now take it away, Reuters:
In an economic speech on Thursday that could set the tone for months of campaigning, Obama is not likely to unveil new ideas to boost the economy and create new jobs, according to Democrats familiar with the preparations for the address. Instead, he will make the case that he needs four more years to undo the damage left by George W. Bush, his Republican predecessor in the White House, and argue that a President Romney would bring back the weak financial regulation and budget-busting tax cuts of the Bush years. Obama already is making this argument to small groups of supporters.
"The last thing we want to do is return to the very policies that got us into this mess," he said at a fundraiser in Baltimore on Tuesday. The strategy carries risks for Obama. Too much finger-pointing could diminish his presidential status and lead voters to question whether he is ducking responsibility, analysts say. The strategy defies the widely held view among political analysts that most voters decide whether to fire or re-hire an incumbent president based on his own record. And an overly negative campaign could invite unflattering contrast with the "hope and change" motto that carried Obama to victory in 2008.
Ah yes, the pesky "widely held view" that voters judge presidents based on their own record, rather than their scapegoat predecessor's. How terrribly unfair, and possibly racist. The One has been backed into the pitiful corner of essentially arguing the following: "Ignore my 'one term proposition' standard and give me eight full years because...Bush." Such an uplifting and presidential message, isn't it? No wonder Democrats are getting panicky. Still, this shouldn't surprise us at all. This adminsitration incessantly claims credit when things go well, but shamelessly ducks all accountability when there's trouble afoot. Obama hopes he can bamboozle voters one last time -- then he'd be "flexible" to do whatever he'd like until his second term expires. The RNC is hitting Obama in advance of his grand "reframing" speech tomorrow, ridiculing the White House's endless supposed "pivots" to jobs:
A whole lot of pivoting and jaw-dropping spending, but not many jobs. The US has witnessed 40 straight months of eight-plus percent unemployment, and Obama officials are conceding that the picture isn't likely to become much less bleak before November. I'll leave you with the infographic of the day, via Political Math:
According to the Reuters poll I wrote up earlier, Obama is 20 points underwater (35/55) on job approval among independents. Blame Bush, Barack. It's your only hope.
UPDATE - Since the US is still at roughly negative 500,000 net jobs under Obama, I asked Political Math how he calculated the 0.1 million number. He explained that the figures he used come from the BLS "employment (A tables) rather than the payrolls (B tables)," which he views as more comprehensive. Look at Obama's stats next to Carter's. Woof.
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