There is one observation about politics and political campaigns that I can't help but notice. The primary premise of politics is that a successful elected windbag should always claim credit for all that is perceived by the voting public as good, and blame the opposition for all that is perceived as bad. The actual procuring cause for the event is irrelevant. Once there was an expensive bridge project in my area. It incurred numerous delays and extreme cost overruns. There were legions of politicians who were outspokenly critical of the project -- until it was completed and the public began to enjoy the benefits of being able to cross the river easily, with no delay. The same windbags who were critics of the bridge suddenly began taking credit for its existence, as if they had each singlehandedly built it.
Today there is still a high level of unemployment, and of course that is perceived as a negative by most people. Instead of touting the fact that much of the unemployment has come as the result of downsizing government, the opposition to the current president blames him. I think that much could be done to move this economy forward and increase jobs as a result. That's not the point I'm trying to make. The spin is making me dizzy, and with a Romney presidency and a year or so, we could easily be in exactly the same situation as now. The difference is that we will be hearing about how it's alright to have fewer jobs, as long as they are government jobs.
Foremost on the minds of many Americans is the economy, and I am not thrilled with the current administration's failure to end their war against business. Yes, they were handed a rats nest by the last guy and his band of thugs. Yes, he did a fairly good job ignoring the mess he was creating. During W's second campaign, when asked why the economy was in such a mess, he somehow turned the discussion to his opposition to gay marriage. Not a bad tactic, and it worked.
Now things are different (sure they are). Obama is facing some tough questions about his war on business and the continued sluggishness of the economy. How will he handle those questions? My guess is that he'll turn attention to his support of gay marriage. Sound familiar?
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