President Obama is out on a three day bus tour of the midwest, right? Right. The message, whatever it is, is about the economy, right? Right.
Well, here's is today's message out of the Obama Campaign Press Secretary Ben LaBolt:
Governor Perry’s economic policies are a carbon copy of the economic policies of Washington Republicans. He pledged to support the cut cap and balance plan that would preserve subsidies for oil and gas companies and tax cuts for the wealthiest while ending Medicare as we know it, eroding Social Security, eliminating hundreds of thousands of jobs and erasing investments in education and research and development.
That’s the same approach he took in Texas, where middle class families know his economic record is no miracle—it’s a tall tale. Governor Perry allowed special interests to write their own rules, hired corporate lobbyists to oversee corporations, and cut funding for programs that would create opportunity for middle class families. In a Republican field that has already pledged allegiance to the Tea Party and failed to present any plan that will benefit the middle class or create the jobs America needs to win the future, Governor Perry offers more of the same.
And here is the message from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney:
The White House said Monday it would "consider" any Iraqi request for a US troop presence past 2011 as the war-torn country mourned the bloodiest violence in more than a year.
Spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that Washington's "overall" posture "in terms of drawing down" was unchanged after the countrywide attacks, but that if Iraqi leaders "make some kind of request, we’ll certainly consider it."
And this is the message from the Democratic National Committee:
“The president is in actually remarkably good shape, given that he is still struggling to help pull our economy out of the Republican recession that he inherited. His numbers are still strong,” Wasserman Schutlz said Sunday on CBS.
She also put the blame on the economy on former Pres. George W. Bush. “[Obama inherited] the worst recession that we’ve had since the Great Depression, created by the policies, the failed policies of the previous Republican administration, where we went from a record surplus to a record deficit. So we have begun to turn things around. We acknowledge that we have a long way to go and we are certainly no longer in free fall,” she said.
The campaign is talking about Rick Perry. The White House is making news on consideration of keeping troops in Iraq. The DNC is making the ridiculous case that the president's poll numbers are strong despite all evidence to the contrary.
This is a mess. A total mess.
Look, the campaign should be amplifying the president's words in Minnesota. The White House should be amplifying the president's words in Minnesota. The DNC should be amplifying the president's words in Minnesota. That's it. Nothing else. Whatever the President's message is for the day (???!!!), it should be amplified. Shut up. Wait for the president. After he is done, fan out to the media with the pre-approved talking points. Do not stray from the message...whatever it is. Then do the same thing tomorrow. With the same message. Whatever it is.
If you're gonna pound on Mitt Romney or Rick Perry, just do that. Just pound him for a week. If you're gonna do Iraq policy, just do that. Don't do it while you're on a bus tour. If you're gonna make up stuff about the president's strong poll numbers, don't do it when he's at 39% in the gallup daily. Do it when he's on an upswing, ya know? And then just talk about that for three or four days.
Foreign policy issue? Refer it to the State Department. Military issue? Refer it the Defense Department. Use the cabinet.
Maybe somebody ought to think about coming up with a message on the economy that makes some sense. So that you could use it in a swing through the midwest on a bus. Just a thought.