As the economy teeters on the brink, President Obama has released a new, two-minute television ad, urging voters to basically ignore the news and focus on his words:
This spot has a "closing argument" feel to it, even though it's not even October yet. In it, he makes four "new" promises, all of which we've heard before:
(1) His "plan" is to magically create a million manufacturing jobs. Never mind the fact that the manufacturing sector has shed well over half a million jobs during his tenure, including 15,000 last month alone. Focus on the words.
(2) He pledges increased energy independence. Never mind that he made similar unfulfilled promises during his last campaign, that he's manipulated science and unilaterally blocked domestic energy projects that his green allies don't like. Focus on the words.
(3) He calls for new "investments" to help build our economy. Never mind that his investment record (using our money and borrowed funds) has been piss poor over the last four years, and that we're trillions in the hole because of it. Focus on the words.
(4) He says he'll reduce the deficit through a "balanced" approach. Never mind that he's shattered his first-term promise to halve the deficit by now, and that his claimed war "savings" have been pummeled by fact-checkers as a thoroughly unserious gimmick. Focus on the words.
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He closes by talking up "a new economic patriotism." What he means is that successful American families and small businesses should pony up more cash in taxes so he can fund ever-higher levels of federal spending. This "patriotism" will hurt the economy and kill jobs. It's funny how his definition of economic patriotism seems to have evolved over four years. In 2008, he also spoke about economic patriotism -- or the lack thereof -- from his predecessor:
Since then, he's added more than $5 trillion to that sum over less than half of the time it took Bush to hit $4 trillion. Every single American's share of the national debt has spiked from roughly $35,000 to more than $51,000. And he's still trying to blame others for his own failures, making excuses that even the Washington Post's fact-checker has felt obligated to award "Four Pinocchios:"
We are not trying to make excuses for the fiscal excesses of the Bush administration — and Congress — in the last decade. But at some point, a president has to take ownership of his own actions. Obama certainly inherited an economic mess, and that accounts for a large part of the deficit. But Obama pushed for spending increases and tax cuts that also have contributed in important ways to the nation’s fiscal deterioration. He certainly could argue that these were necessary and important steps to take, but he can’t blithely suggest that 90 percent of the current deficit “is as a consequence” of his predecessor’s policies — and not his own. As for the citing of the discredited MarketWatch column, we have repeatedly urged the administration to rely on estimates from official government agencies, such as the White House budget office. It is astonishing to see the president repeat this faulty claim once again, as if it were an established fact. Four Pinocchios.
We've heard endless talk and promises from this guy. In 2008, he got away with it because he had no significant record to speak of. Now there are real results against which to measure his surplus of words (Obama's only surplus). Fool us once, shame on him. Fool us twice, shame on us.
UPDATE - For what it's worth, here's Mitt Romney's latest ad, punching back hard against Obama's coal-related attacks. Attention, Ohio and Virginia voters:
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