Listening to President Obama's speech this morning at the United Auto Workers Annual Conference, Benjy Sarlin noted Obama was delivering a "barnburner," adding, "This is old school Obama."
After having seen it, that assessment seems more than fair. The president is eager, especially today (see Michigan, Republican primary in) to remind the country that at a time of crisis, when the American automotive industry was on the brink of collapse, the right was wrong and the left was right.
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After walking through the circumstances that led to the rescue policy -- and noting for the record that there was no private capital lying around, ready to bolster the Big Three -- Obama reminded folks that there were some who wanted to "do nothing," and "allow these companies to fail." He added, "Some even said we should 'let Detroit go bankrupt.'"
The president didn't mention any names, but he didn't have to.
At that point, Obama lowered the boom.
"I've got to admit, it's been funny to watch some of these folks completely rewrite history now that you're back on your feet. The same folks who said if we went forward with our plan to rescue Detroit, 'you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.' Now they're saying, 'We were right all along.'
"Or you've got folks saying, 'The real problem was with the workers. They all made out like bandits. Saving the American auto industry was just about paying back unions.' Really? Even by the standards of this town, that's a load of you-know-what. About 700,000 retirees saw a reduction in the health care benefits they had earned. Many of you saw hours reduced, or pay and wages scaled back. You gave up some of your rights as workers. Promises were made to you over the years that you gave up for the sake and survival of this industry, its workers, their families.... I keep hearing these folks talk about 'values' all the time. You want to talk about values? Hard work -- that's a value. Looking out for one another -- that's a value. The idea that we're all in it together -- that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper -- that's a value.
"But they're still talking about you as if you're some greedy special interest that needs to be beaten down. Since when are hardworking men and women special interests? Since when is the idea that we look out for one another a bad thing? I remember my old friend Ted Kennedy; he used to say, 'What is it about working men and women they find so offensive?'"
It was as stark a reminder as any that the success of the president's policy will be at the heart of his re-election effort. Indeed, as Greg Sargent noted earlier, "Obama used the auto-bailout argument as a jumping off point for his larger case: That Democrats and Republicans have fundamental ideological differences over government's role in stepping in and protecting working people and ordinary Americans against the depredations and excesses of unfettered free market capitalism, and that this all flows from a difference over moral values and priorities."
If that's not a good debate to serve at the heart of a national clash between the parties, I don't know what is.
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The troglodytes also known as Republican leaders have failed to realize divide and conquer is a poliltical strategy of yeateryear. Cultural wars are more diluted these days, and effective government is an attainable thing as evidenced by the Detroit comeback. The Republicans seem too slow to pick up on the fact we don't want their small government rhetoric since we already know they like big government when they feel a need to control the others among us, and only want a small government when it comes to creating tax fairness!
How do we spell Republican in the modern world? Why, b a l d e r d a s h is the correct way, I think! -Kevo
Answer: They do not know, or, being my most chairitable, they have a propensity to forget, their place.
"The real problem was with the workers. They all made out like bandits. Saving the American auto industry was just about paying back unions."
How much you wanna bet that shows up in an ad this fall. Nothing before, nothing after. Just the president saying these words...
they have to have a better sound bite than that....
...Followed by the Obama campaign showing the expanded quote, thereby showing the true context and exposing the Republicans as the liars they are.
Moral values and priorities - not just empty right wing promises and smoke screen slogans anymore. Thank you so much for that, Mr. President.
The Republicans have managed to anger AFSCME which is the largest union and is present in many states. The SEIU which is quite large is already in Obama's corner. Now, the UAW is going to work harder for Obama because of the bailout. This is the kick in the teeth that labor needed to get behind the Dems. When are we going to hear from the Teamsters? Scott Walker is going to be the first politician to come up against the power of the unions. It is going to be money vs. manpower. My bet is on the latter.
"at a time of crisis, when the American automotive industry was on the brink of collapse, the right was wrong and the left was right."
The last part needs no qualification. The left is ALWAYS correct. An extensive review of history proves it. Slavery. Blacks in the military. Interracial marriage. Right to privacy. Contraception. The list is endless and the one consistent theme is conservatives are always on the wrong side of history. ALWAYS. Heck, they opposed organ donations. Seriously.
Yes, that is so true. I do not see how people can wish for no progress, which is the right wing ideolgy. They wish for the days of yore, where women were property and people of color are either beneath them or scary, so keep them away from us and do not let them mingle with us as equals. Gays, forget it…just go back in the closet, or we will put you there.
I can understand being for balanced budgets and all that, but Democrats are better at balancing budgets lately than Republicans. Fact. They just don't like the rich folks to pay taxes.
Right wingers long for something that they thought they had long ago, but that includes quite a bit of baggage. I like history, but we cannot go into a time machine and go back (that I know of).
The conservatives are always on the wrong side of history because they do not want to change and things have to change or they cease to exist. History is about change. Time is change. When time stands fixed, the universe collapses.
Thanks Mr President!
Nice to see the President in campaign mode, I have a feeling he is gonna need to keep that foot on the gas all the way through to the election, the billionaire old angry white boys club is letting out all the stops this time. You know they are going to stop at nothing when all of their front men air every piece of dirty hidden truth's. Bringing out the bishops to join with the racists, the war mongers, the doctor murderers, the stock fraudsters and the gay bashers to declare outright war on 1/2 the population is really desperate. Barry Goldwater would distance himself from this group of thugs, Reagan wouldn't be allowed anywhere near them. These are dangerous times, just like the radicals got control of the process in the 1850's and destroyed the existing political order, so too the radicals are repeating the process, let's hope the result isn't as violent.
In the end, we all die and then we are judged.
Yes, we will all die. However, being judged.....debatable
This liberal is proud to say I will vote for Obama again. I may not be able to donate money, but I have to say… He doesn't sound like a snob to me. He totally relates to working people, he has not been perfect and I join in the chant 4 more years!
Counter this speech to the Romney "I know some people that own a NASCAR", or some such nonsense. Santorum twists saying an opportunity to go to college means Obama is a snob.
They find working people offensive because they think workers are beneath them, while they try to cut more wages and benefits to give more to the wealthy.
Contrast Obama with Obama's commin after you, taking away your religion and I am here to show you the path to heaven and Contraception is not right.
What an inspiration, just keep it real, though. I encourage re-electing Obama, but he has lots of obstacles, so maybe I remind folks, the other seats are with Obama or against him and that could be you they are against.
I see the President does respect and honor working folks and women, but the others … not so much.
Santorum calling Obama a snob for desiring that everyone have a chance to go to college just makes me seethe. How is it possible that this man is given attention as a serious candidate?
They seem to feel it is OK to make themselves victims, when there is not an attack on their religion. This appears to be a major tactic these days to glorify their victimhood. They feel it is their right to tell us they do not have to follow the same laws because, why? But it is merely trying to get laws the same for those that have beliefs contrary to the laws.
It is really AWFUL to say promoting the opportunity to go to college is being a snob. It is sort of snobbish to tell us all that contraception "is NOT right".
They really aren't against working people.They just hate paying for the work.They hate providing the workers with a safe,clean workplace.They hate having to keep the community from becoming a toxic waste dump. They hate the idea that workers can unionize and pool their resources. They hate the Constitution and that damned phrase "We the People". We should mean the royal we encompassing only them that own corporations.
I wonder how many working stiffs will vote in November?How many will start voting in mid-term elections so they can take their state back?
Will this still be America much longer?
A major difficulty the current GOP has is that it became addicted to the perversion of capitalism (which may always have been latent in it, but not without more wrenching conflicts than these guys could have endured) that comes from eradicating the production side, and simply making money from money. Romney cannot even begin to fathom anything but the game he has played, the placing of money above all other values, bar none, save, perhaps, his religion.
There were plenty of conflicts and fights between workers and owners in the past, but they were both aware that they had to work together to produce goods.
In a service economy, conveyed by Romney's remarks about how he saved good jobs at Staples (which has a very low average salary for its clerks, et al) it's clear that he actually believes that he created 'harmony' between the interests of owners and those of workers, who, he seems to think, happily work on for the 'middle class' salary of $19,000 a year.
I LOVE the speech. I would LOVE to see "old-school" Obama again.
However, I was all for old-school Obama once before and it feels like after he was elected he kicked me in the chest.
He's been doing his impression of a Republican recently (imo) - and it's frighteningly good. I'm relieved to hear echoes of his old self, but having been burned before I am keenly aware that OF COURSE he has to do the old "come on baby, remember how you love me? it'll be different this time, I promise" routine - it's election season.
Can I forgive him for signing the NDAA on New Year's Eve, a sneaky secretive move? Nope. Will I vote for him again? My hands are tied by there being no other viable alternative, so reluctantly I will, and I'll hope he surprises me by walking the freaking walk this time! #frustration
I would say wise decision, because we are not going to get elected a perfect candidate.
If it WERE possible, much would depend upon other conditions like Senate, House, Judicial.
One more GREAT reason to vote for Obama is the Supreme Court nomination possibility and the others federal courts might be left to Romney, a corporatist or Santorum, a theocratic corporatist that hates gays.
How true this is... Obama is looking out for the bankers and the bankers are looking out for him...
I am always amused when Liberals say things like this.
"The left is ALWAYS correct." Really? OK, let’s play...
"An extensive review of history proves it. Slavery." Yes Slavey, ended by a Republican. Further it is public record, the Republicans drafted and pushed through the 14th amendment.
"Blacks in the military." Allowed by Ike, a Republican. He even raved about the Red Tails and refused to let them be disbanded.
"Interracial marriage." Did you mean segregation? Check your facts, you are confused, have been lied to or are lying, the Democrats OPPOSED ending segregation, Democrat party leaders such as George Wallace and David Duke ran the KKK and fought desegregation tooth and nail.
“Right to privacy.” Um the Republican platform calls for limited government, which would mean less invasive. (yes yes I know they don't live up to it, politicians suck, but the party faithful keep hoping)
“Contraception.” Um what about it? It’s available, publicly, and the party has never advocated in a serious fashion it’s removal. The closest you can get is that the Catholic church is against it, and um, Catholics voted overwhelmingly for Obama… So that’d mean, what, that Democrats are against contraception?
“The list is endless and the one consistent theme is conservatives are always on the wrong side of history. ALWAYS.” Hmmm.. So you are saying Lincoln, Churchhill, Thatcher, Reagan, were on the wrong side of history, really? Please go self educate.
maybe this will help:
http://www.ourwhitehouse.org/choosingsides.html
I liked Ike, but never liked Reagan as Gov., nor Pres
Much changed after 1965, because Democrats in the south were racist or pro slavery, then civil rights act signed by a Democrat caused a mass exodus.
Things change and we are making a mistake if we think things never changed or we should not change,
You are confusing the terms liberal with Democrat and conservative with Republican. That's an understandable mistake for a low or no information conservative. When is came to slavery, Lincoln was a liberal. At the time the Republican party was more progressive that the Democratic party.
Republicans still like to brink out the Lincoln was Republican argument even though he would have argues against everything they stand for. They do the same thing with Jesus Christ who was definitely a liberal.
Different side... Same coin... This was a Bush plan... Now an Obama plan...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N5kRVfmMoE
President Obama, you make us proud too! :)
Rion Berquist,
Sorry, you get an "F" in History as
you only got two right out of all the examples and people named.
Lincoln WAS a Republican.
Ike had NOTHING to do with integrating the military, President Truman (D) issued the Executive Order desegregating the military in 1948. Eisenhower did NOTHING to ensure actual desegregation took place and it was left to, among others, Ad. Zumwalt, CNO, to finish the job in the 1970s.
SOME Democrats opposed inter-racial marriages. SOME Southern Democrats, however, neither Wallace nor Dukes ran as Democrats when they were pushing their racist crap.
Re: Contraception. You HAVE listened to San(c)torum recently haven't you? Then there are the lies by various Republicans in the House and Senate that the requirement by the PPACA for contraception to be provided as a preventative health measure is an infringement on "religious liberty" and are trying to allow exemptions based on the "moral convictions" of the employer. "Convictions?" Possibly. "Morals?" No way.
So yes, "the party" has advocated exactly that.
Neither Lincoln nor Reagan would be accepted in today's Republican Party and I doubt Baroness Thatcher, an actual Conservative, would care to be associated with such a group. Churchill was a Conservative (1902-1905), a Liberal (1905-1925) and then a Conservative again (1925-1964). He supported Old-age Pensions and taxing the rich while a Liberal and his war-time Coalition government developed the Welfare State policies enacted after 1945; all of which he supported, except the nationalization of transportation (I'm not certain why that was excepted).
More black and white thinking from Maddow & co. .. As if the only two alternatives were bankruptcy and an Obama bailout.
How about a government restructuring that doesn't give the union a majority of the company, nor allow th 45 billion losses to move forward and cheat the taxpayers out of 18 billion dollars, nor one that keeps all the legacy costs. You libs are really ignorant and irritating.
Contessa you really do have stop regurgitating RNC/Fox talking points, it really is getting boring. At the very least use some more original sources for your irrational hatred of anything that is not social darwinism.
The clowns continue to drive around in circles in their clown car, yet we cannot take anything for granted. We must never forget what happened in Florida in the 2000 "selection". Get to work, kids, and get involved in any way that you can to support the reelection of a very fine man.
The clowns continue to drive around in circles in their clown car, yet we cannot take anything for granted. We must never forget what happened in Florida in the 2000 "selection". Get to work, kids, and get involved in any way that you can to support the reelection of a very fine man.