For awhile now I have been reevaluating Obama and his accomplishments (or lack thereof) while in office. My gut is I am about as middle of the road on Obama as anybody gets. I don't think he has been a "great" nor a "terrible" President. I think most of his best accomplishments don't look like much, cause he just stopped shit from blowing up. You know the economy. The financial system. American car industry. You just don't get much credit for accomplishments like this. No matter how true it might be, it just isn't easy to campaign on, "well it could have been a lot worse."
But look at areas where he has had a lot of success and they almost all share one thing. They are in foreign affairs, where the President can pretty much do as he sees fit.
This brings me to a quote Steve Benen flagged today at Washington Monthly:
“Enough with the soft approach,” said Corey O’Brien, a Democratic Lackawanna County commissioner and early backer of Mr. Obama. “He’s got to say, ‘I’m in charge, and I’m going to get it done with or without Congress.’”
In the post Steve mentions he hears this a lot. I hear it a lot. I bet you do as well. But Obama, in domestic affairs, can't just do whatever he wants.
Below the fold how Obama and his campaign team can use this disadvantage to their advantage.
Before my idea, just a quick note. As a 20+ year marketing guy I can get very mad at our party. (1) We often can't create a simple message, then hammer it home. (2) Often our message when we do come up with one is too darn complex. The below idea is meant to be stupid simple. Not complex.
I know we've all heard and seen that Obama appears he is going to run against a "do nothing Congress." Clearly I got no problem with this. Cause well they are a do nothing Congress. They appear to only be able to name Post Offices and attempt to take away the rights of say a women to get the reproductive health care she desires.
Factor that into Congress has an approval rating that is within the margin of error of the popularity of Herpes, it seems like a no-brainer.
But IMHO he needs to take it another step or two. Explain that when he has been able to implement the plans and policies he supports, LIKE WITH FOREIGN AFFAIRS, he has gotten shit done. So he needs to be reelected but we also have to give him back control of the House and a 60+ majority in the Senate.
Otherwise nothing, I mean nothing will get done.
This isn't a complex message. It is easy to understand. Obama can only get stuff done if he has a Congress that will let people vote on his policies. Right now that isn't happening.
This works on so many levels. Again, a simple message. It is true, which never hurts. And he works to get both him and other folks in our party elected. Just a win, win, win across the board.