Take a look at this video.
The president says, in his weekly address, that he wants to help create jobs by giving community college manufacturing students an extra little advantage of having a special seal of approval credential. This way, businesses who are hiring will know that the graduates with the credential are approved for their new jobs.
Problem is, Mr. President, nobody is hiring…there are no jobs. And the reason for that is your policies have made a bad recession worse. Your policies have created so much uncertainty, so much ambivalence, and so much fear in small businesses and companies that no one wants to commit to hiring more employees. I believe you are referring to this phenomenon as “bumps in the road.”
Does the president really want to help Americans find jobs? To be sure, the president would say, “Of course.” What he might not say, but think, is, “I want to help people find the right kind of jobs, like green jobs that help me to achieve my green energy agenda, because that is what is really important to me.” And that is what the president actually does.
Ah, the difference between what the president says, and what he does!
He pushes and demands his agenda, and then attempts to retrofit the needs of Americans into it. He is so eloquent, and so cool-looking, that he can convince some Americans that they want green jobs, too. But, one size doesn’t fit all, Mr. President. Most people don’t care about the color of their jobs. They just want jobs.
This weekly address is only one of many more talks and speeches just like it. Most Americans who follow what is going on in Washington have likely already decided whether the president’s agenda is working for them, or not. But, there are many Americans who shrug their shoulders cynically at Washington DC, shlep themselves to the voting booth once every four years, and pull the lever or fill in the oval for the last person they saw on the news the night before. If you are one of those Americans, and the last speech you heard was given by President Obama, just like this weekly address, why wouldn’t you vote for him?
These Americans could give us President Obama for four more years, and the White House is counting on it.
That is why one of the essential tasks for Republicans- both national strategists and community grassroots conservative groups- is to confront Americans with the fact that what this president says, in front of the teleprompter, is not what he does. This president is interested in his own agenda, which is not the agenda of mainstream America.
Interestingly, if you try suggesting to the president that he doesn’t get what Americans are about, his “likability” disappears. Republicans need to expose this fragile, thin veil of a presidential image, held in place by a teleprompter. Beneath it, is a prickly and petulant personality who wants what he wants, in spite of the American people.
A recent CNN poll found that, after the Osama Bin Laden “bounce,” President Obama’s approval rating dropped to below 50%, in the shadow of increasing worries about the economy. Despite this drop, CNN states that “Obama’s strength remains his personal appeal: Three-quarters of all Americans say they approve of him personally, including a plurality of Republicans.”
And, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, 83% of likely voters believe one person’s vote really matters. Although President Obama may, indeed, be easily beatable on policy issues, Republicans need to ensure that every vote is accounted for, especially the ones of Americans lured by popularity, as was so well described in a post at RedState.
Grassroots conservatives need to put aside any charm school etiquette which warns against bringing up politics at summer barbecues, church picnics, and family reunions. Even in these every-day settings, effective listening about how people are coping, and discussions about how the free market and conservative principles can move the country on a better path could ensure that the fate of the nation is not in the hands of an administration which says one thing and does another.
Big Government
