Monday, September 3, 2012

Charlotte, North Carolina Hospitality: The Case for Barack Obama’s Second Term?


Keywords or Terms: Labor Day; Democrat’s Convention; Charlotte, North Carolina; President Obama and Democratic Party campaign message; Financial and Health Care Reform; Women Rights; White working class men; Future of America’s Job Policy; Mitt Romney and the Republican Party’s message

For Democrats, the conversation with America regarding our future and our economy continues at Charlotte, North Carolina. The Democratic National Convention begins tonight and for the next three days, we will be treated to Southern hospitality and what it means to be a Democrat. What must Democrats do in the following days to convince the public that the bad job market is not the total story about America’s economy? Their head Whip, honcho or Apostle, President Obama, just like in 2004 or 2008, must be able to tell the public that the future is better than yesterday; not because of the current economic malaise, but for all the reforms currently put in place under the Obama’s Administration, including the equal payment for equal work for men and women, the American recovery bill, the financial and health care reform bills, the long term jobs bill, the reinvestments in the middle income group, the hold back on environmental pollution and resource exploitation, the enhanced national security, the ending of the Iraq war, the three signed bilateral trade agreements and probably the cleaner energy bill, among others, bills passed under President Obama to correct for the terrible choices and very difficult condition that the nation found itself under the Republican Party Administration.

One, President Obama must be able to tell America, that though the night has been long; but tomorrow brings in a better and brighter future because of his objective policy driven and purposively designed bills to correct for past excesses in our economy and nation’s life. He must be able to show to America that he has not been sleeping at the wheel as many Republicans want America to believe, but that a new revival in the economy is around the corner and with the ingenuity of America’s workers, the future is hardly gloomy, but as promising as our fore fathers conceived it in Philadelphia in 1776; that this nation must be governed with the consent of the plurality of the people, by the people and for the people. That this nation is not a nation of a few rich one per center; but rather, a plurality of all of us, the whole 100 percent! He must espouse the message: Osama bin laden is dead and General Motors is alive! He must tell a reality not lies as broadcasted by Republicans last week.

Two, President Obama must articulate for America that today’s economic gloom, a characteristic dynamics of our economic system, is only transitional and that the opposition party’s message of divide and conquer or dog whistle politics, is hardly futuristic but rather meant to confuse America regarding the economic cliff we went into during the last Republican Administration. He must emphasize the gender gap Republicans have insisted on widening, because of their agenda to disenfranchise women with regard to their health and body. He must highlight the voter’s suppression craftiness that is making wave in some Republican governed states and why this is disingenuous and un-futuristic. He must reiterate that the confusing messages delivered at the Republican convention last week were not only deliberate lies; but rather machinations to make America forget how terrible loosing all their life savings from the debacle of excessive financial deregulation and fighting two foreign wars without paying for them had been for America under Republican Administration.

Three, the President of the United States must talk about the waves of unprecedented Republican tax cuts for the rich and wealthy, and their devious agenda allowing corporations to continue to feed off the trough of the nation, and how these problems have compounded the challenge the nation faces and what he has been doing to actively correct and recalibrate, where needed, to make for a better America for the young and old. He must make a case against the characteristic discriminatory practices from Republicans against women, the poor and the elderly; and re-emphasize that these are hardly futurist or as contemplated by our fore-fathers at the inception of this Republic.  He must convey the message of equality of marriage and why discrimination on any grounds, are unrealistic for our future as a nation.

Four, President Obama must remind the nation that America was built by hard working Americans, men and women in labor unions, whom Republicans continue to bemoan as devilish for America’s future; but whom Democrats consider as the greatest force and energy to turn America’s economy around just the way they have proven at General Motors. He must further reiterate that trickle down economics as espoused by past Republican Administrations and wholesomely embraced by the Republican Party flag bearer for 2012 general elections, is a woeful failure that has consistently put excessive stress on our economy and pauperize more Americans than ever. He must undoubtedly insist that the message of excessive tax brakes for the rich and wealthy from the Republican Party’s candidate is hardly going to help us cut down on our deficit, but continue to put the nation’s purse in a stress and possibly our economy into another tail spin. He must further re-emphasize that supply side economics is hardly going to reduce the glut in the housing market or encourage banks to revise their interest rate down to the level where many Americans will continue to retain the roof over their head.

Five, pointedly, the leader of the free world must directly say that Governor Mitt Romney, who has failed to show his tax papers, is hardly going to put in place, effective economic reform policies that could actually make a difference in the perceived suffering the nation seems to be going through now. Further, he must remind Americans, excessive tax cut for the rich is hardly a rejuvenating or corrective tool that may bolster better future for America and her economy. In addition, he must doubly remind Americans that the last time Republicans had their chance at the White House, they introduced policies that failed to be effective tools for a lasting economic future for America; and so, we must not be fooled again by their over sold supply-side economics as the appropriate economic tool to deal with perceived sluggishness in our economy. The message must be: Don’t loose faith in me, because, I had a huge problem when I took up office and it has taken longer than I could have imagined before coming to power.

Six, the President of United States of America, must remind the public of what the labor unions had done for America, the 40-hour work week, paid leaves, weekends, equal-pay-for-equal-work, retirement plans, the collective bargaining rights and privileges, the minimum wage, workplace safety, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security legislations. He must convince Americans to stay with him because his values are more in line with the majority of Americans. He must make the case for the preservation of Medicare and not ‘vouchercare’. He must remind Americans that Republicans did not spend about three quarters of a billion on their convention to encourage sub-urban women for nothing; but rather, to ensure that they forget all the discriminatory and antagonistic pronouncements against women on their 2012 platform. 

President Obama must be able to say, the re-organization of automobile industry, depended on a conviction in America’s work ethics, America’s ingenuity and forbearance that has often helped the nation sailed through the troubled waters of a downward spiral in our economy. He must say, when the Republican flag bearer took out an opinion page in the New York Times calling for the American Auto industry to go bankrupt, President Obama believed in the American workers and put the nation’s resources behind the American ingenuity that has paid off; simply saying, if a man does not believe in your hard work, he must never, never, be given the opportunity to rule over you! He must re-emphasize that his belief in the dexterity of America’s workers to do wonder, is unyielding, unwavering, completely solid and vouch; and, unlike the Republican Party’s candidate’s plan to undermine the labor union and their sacrifices, his administration would continue to support the future successes of the American workers; the sacrifice and successes that has made the nation workers, the most productive in the history of mankind.

Seven, the President must remind America that the nation cannot afford the country going backwards after the decapitation under a former Republican Administrations. He must insist that he has laid a great foundation for a better tomorrow by introducing and passing some earth-shaking legislation that will ultimately make a difference in the lives of every person, not just a few rich folks. He must insist that the future of America is not in war voyeurism or denial of voting rights of minorities among us. The leader of the Democratic Party must tell America, why Republicans are not only philosophically different from Democrats but conceptually and administratively far off from the aspiration and dreams of a better future for America. He must declare that Republicans want to take away the hard fought rights of women, children and the elderly; they want to make women feel different and humiliated under situations which they hardly have much control over, especially on the issue of reproductive rights. The leader of the free world must simply say: Americans are better-off under his Administration; and the world much safer under his stewardship than under Mitt Romney’s. The culmination of these assertions and arguments will allow him position the Democratic Party for a win come November.

Making an oral argument for a second term, is likely to be the easiest of the task ahead before the November vote. Winning over some working class white Americans, who believe their concerns have not been addressed in the past three and half years, is probably the challenge ahead for the Obama’s campaign team. The out of the unemployment problems is probably the severest of the problem between the Obama’s campaign team and a landslide or mandate in the November contest. Just as Republicans are having problem of support from women and middle income Americans, so also, is the gap between the white working class American men and the Obama’s campaign team, somewhat huge. The only unique difference between the Republican Party’s or Democratic Party’s support from the working class white male is that, their current disagreement are softer with respect to some issues that impact their lives as family men; and a few of them may be able to overlook some shortcomings of the current unemployment problems, if the campaign message is right and there is genuine hope of improvement in the labor market.

Voters’ dissatisfaction with the unemployment problem may have positioned Republicans better with white working class men; however, it has not completely reduced the impact of the Democratic Party’s message with other aspects of their lives. Mitt Romney’s resume as a business man may be appealing with this group; however, managing a country and its politics are different from running a company. In politics, you will have to work with both chambers of congress to pass any bill. The difficulty that President Obama had with passing his jobs bill has to do with a lopsided party representation against his party in the House of Representatives. In other words, if Romney does not have both chambers of congress on his side, just like Mr. Obama, there is not much he can do. If the nation likes President Obama more than Mitt Romney, it is important that they give the President more Congressional Democrats for him to make a difference in their job opportunities. However, if their choice is for Mitt Romney; the logic is similar; they must give Mitt Romney more Republicans in both Chambers of congress to make any difference.

My personal preference is for the American voters to stick with the true and tested leader of the nation, Mr. Barack Obama, because, he is a level headed, much trust worthy and transparent leader. For me as a voter, Mitt Romney is too opaque, very untruthful and hardly dependable in the way he has conducted his campaign, especially on the issue of his taxes. A leader who does not level with the voters, who cannot be upfront with those he is promising to lead, will more likely be dishonest when in position of authority. We have just been treated to the highest order of dishonesty with the pronouncement of the two candidates on the Republican ticket at their convention last week. Most of what were in their acceptance speeches, Mitt Romney’s and Paul Ryan’s were fraught with lies and propaganda. And as the adage goes: morning shows the day! If a leader is willing to do anything, including lie and refuse to level with those he is eking to lead, he will more likely be disingenuous and untruthful in office.

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