Last week, President Obama announced that he was running for reelection, but his speech yesterday at George Washington University was the real kickoff for the 2012 campaign, a spirited defense of activist government that should reassure liberals about Obama's adherence to basic progressive principles.
In the face of Republican plans to shrink the size of government, cut entitlement spending and enact more tax reductions for wealthy Americans, Obama offered a much-needed and surprisingly robust defense of progressive governance and warned of the price that would be paid by adoption of the GOP's approach to deficit reduction. In the process, he offered voters a clear choice between two competing visions on the role of government and one that should enjoy majority support among Americans.
Indeed, while many on the left have expressed fears that Obama would move to the right and embrace GOP policy proposals, he gave what was perhaps the most liberal speech of his presidency - and certainly the most partisan.
He strenuously defended the lodestars of modern liberalism - Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - and made clear that even as many in Washington are calling for steep cuts to these programs, he would not "abandon the fundamental commitment this country has kept for generations." The President even adopted an exceptionalist tone, arguing that it was precisely the modern welfare state that has made America a "great country," words that must have been music to liberal ears.
Next, even as cutting spending has become the dominant political mantra, Obama actually argued for more, not less, government engagement on his key domestic priorities like education, scientific research, infrastructure improvement and clean energy. Indeed, this speech was rhetorically much more about what Obama wants government to fund then what he thinks it should cut back on.
Finally, for a politician who has seemingly bent over backward to be conciliatory to his political opponents, Obama engaged in a surprising level of old-fashioned populism and partisanship. He attacked Republicans in terms harsher and more morally indignant than ever before in his time as a national political figure.
He accused Republicans of wanting to eviscerate Medicare and of threatening to "change the basic social compact in America." Considering the harshness of GOP budget plans, these were legitimate attacks.
In calling for higher taxes on the wealthy, he said Republicans want to give rich people like Obama "a $200,000 tax cut" and pay for it by "asking 44 seniors to each pay $6,000 more in health costs."
Perhaps more important than anything else - and in a preview of the themes that will likely define his reelection campaign - Obama portrayed himself as a positive and reassuring figure, and the Republicans as a party of negativity and limitations.
In describing the GOP's proposed budget, he said that it contains the "kind of cuts that tell us we cannot afford the America we believe in. And they paint a vision of our future that's deeply pessimistic." In comparison, Obama spoke of his vision for an America that is "generous and compassionate; a land of opportunity and optimism."
In short, Obama has seemingly cast aside his postpartisan approach from 2008 and taken a page from the playbook of his Democratic predecessors - populism, positivity and a strong defense of progressive principles.
It may not be the best course of action if Obama's goal is to cut a deal on trimming the national debt, but as a political start for 2012, it has the potential to pay huge dividends.
Cohen is author of "Live From the Campaign Trail: The Greatest Presidential Campaign Speeches of the Twentieth Century and How They Shaped Modern America."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/04/14/2011-04-14_the_postpostpartisan_barack_obama_in_debt_speech_the_president_is_unabashedly_pr.html#ixzz1JVUBEMV9
In the face of Republican plans to shrink the size of government, cut entitlement spending and enact more tax reductions for wealthy Americans, Obama offered a much-needed and surprisingly robust defense of progressive governance and warned of the price that would be paid by adoption of the GOP's approach to deficit reduction. In the process, he offered voters a clear choice between two competing visions on the role of government and one that should enjoy majority support among Americans.
Indeed, while many on the left have expressed fears that Obama would move to the right and embrace GOP policy proposals, he gave what was perhaps the most liberal speech of his presidency - and certainly the most partisan.
He strenuously defended the lodestars of modern liberalism - Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - and made clear that even as many in Washington are calling for steep cuts to these programs, he would not "abandon the fundamental commitment this country has kept for generations." The President even adopted an exceptionalist tone, arguing that it was precisely the modern welfare state that has made America a "great country," words that must have been music to liberal ears.
Next, even as cutting spending has become the dominant political mantra, Obama actually argued for more, not less, government engagement on his key domestic priorities like education, scientific research, infrastructure improvement and clean energy. Indeed, this speech was rhetorically much more about what Obama wants government to fund then what he thinks it should cut back on.
Finally, for a politician who has seemingly bent over backward to be conciliatory to his political opponents, Obama engaged in a surprising level of old-fashioned populism and partisanship. He attacked Republicans in terms harsher and more morally indignant than ever before in his time as a national political figure.
He accused Republicans of wanting to eviscerate Medicare and of threatening to "change the basic social compact in America." Considering the harshness of GOP budget plans, these were legitimate attacks.
In calling for higher taxes on the wealthy, he said Republicans want to give rich people like Obama "a $200,000 tax cut" and pay for it by "asking 44 seniors to each pay $6,000 more in health costs."
Perhaps more important than anything else - and in a preview of the themes that will likely define his reelection campaign - Obama portrayed himself as a positive and reassuring figure, and the Republicans as a party of negativity and limitations.
In describing the GOP's proposed budget, he said that it contains the "kind of cuts that tell us we cannot afford the America we believe in. And they paint a vision of our future that's deeply pessimistic." In comparison, Obama spoke of his vision for an America that is "generous and compassionate; a land of opportunity and optimism."
In short, Obama has seemingly cast aside his postpartisan approach from 2008 and taken a page from the playbook of his Democratic predecessors - populism, positivity and a strong defense of progressive principles.
It may not be the best course of action if Obama's goal is to cut a deal on trimming the national debt, but as a political start for 2012, it has the potential to pay huge dividends.
Cohen is author of "Live From the Campaign Trail: The Greatest Presidential Campaign Speeches of the Twentieth Century and How They Shaped Modern America."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/04/14/2011-04-14_the_postpostpartisan_barack_obama_in_debt_speech_the_president_is_unabashedly_pr.html#ixzz1JVUBEMV9
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