Many in the media seem fascinated by President Obama's off-hand comment about the private sector doing "fine" relative to the public sector, but the more significant comment on Friday came a few hours later.
Campaigning in Iowa, Mitt Romney adopted a pro-layoffs agenda when it comes to school teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Overnight, the Obama campaign released a new video on the subject.
As a rule, gaffes tend to capture the political world's attention, but in this case, we have something more significant than a soundbite -- we have a policy position. Indeed, the Republican nominee for president seriously believes we can "help the American people" by laying off, not just public-sector workers in general, but specifically cops, firefighters, and teachers -- and his background as a one-term governor makes clear he means it.
This is so far from the mainstream that even Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) wouldn't endorse Romney's line. Appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation" yesterday, the Republican governor said, "I know in my state our reforms allowed us to protect firefighters, police officers and teachers. That's not what I think of when I think of big government."
I realize the out-of-context "private sector is doing fine" line is the official new plaything, but Romney's position is substantive and important, and apparently even controversial among conservative Republicans. The differences between Obama and Romney on this have the potential to drive the presidential campaign: does it help or hurt America when hundreds of thousands of school teachers and first responders lose their jobs?
For the first time in generations, the two major-party presidential candidates answer that question differently.
Coincidentally, President Obama's weekly address, which was also recorded Friday, touched on this.
"[I]t should concern everyone that right now -- all across America -- tens of thousands of teachers are getting laid off. In Pennsylvania alone, there are 9,000 fewer educators in our schools today than just a year ago. In Ohio, the number is close to 7,000. And nationwide, over the past three years, school districts have lost over 250,000 educators. Think about what that means for our country. When there are fewer teachers in our schools, class sizes start climbing up. Our students start falling behind. And our economy takes a hit.
"The point is: teachers matter. One study found that a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can change the course of a child's life. So the last thing our country needs is to have fewer teachers in our schools."
Romney clearly disagrees, and neither he nor his aides have walked back Friday's comments. So let's have the debate and see what voters think.
Keep in mind, Obama's Jobs Act intended to protect or create 400,000 jobs for school teachers, police officers, and firefighters. A CNN poll taken at the time found that 75% of the public -- and 63% of self-identified Republicans -- endorsed this jobs proposal. It would suggest Romney has a tough case to make to the nation.
But he planted a pro-layoff flag anyway, which clearly deserves some follow-up. The question for the GOP candidate seems pretty obvious: Dear Mr. Romney, please explain why America will be better off when more teachers, cops, and firefighters are unemployed.
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The "doing fine" comment does not have the staying power of "he's a Muslim". Or, "He's not an American." You can sink your teeth into those, you can ride them all the way to November. (If you are a closet racist, and a Mormon. or Moron.)
Check out the incomparably mediocre Chris Cillizza on the matter:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-political-gaffe-will-be-fodder-in-general-election/2012/06/10/gJQAwZaSSV_story.html
Read the "All comments" section after the article and focus on the wingnuts. Raw stuff right out of Jerry Springer.
The teachers, firefighters, and policemen deserve to receive the same income as Romney or members of our Legislature. Their job is harder and consists of more risks. What puts him in any kind of a position to dictate what our Private Sector workers deserve or need. Romney needs a good swift kick in the .... and I know just the man who can do that, President Barrack Obama. Also, the private sector is doing fine they have survived the antics of the GOP. Fine can also be translated into alive. When our President wins this re-election the private sector will start doing Great!
According to the teapubs, if we aren't laying off thousands, giving tax breaks to the rich, driving the debt of our country into the sewer, and starting at least a couple wars, our government is a failure.
And they mean it literally.
First off you know Mittens will flip on this!
Second while Mittens actually did mean laying off teachers, firemen, & policemen - he just didn't mean to say it out loud! The goal has always been to dumb down the American people, thinking people don't make good sheeple.
Third more importantly - the corporate owned media is NOT going to run with this, their corporate owners are supporting Mittens to further their own agenda & bank accounts!
Forth - the sheeple are already against "learning, science, the truth" - they'll blindly follow Mittens because that's not how the lame-stream media is going to spin this!
They are afraid they are equating money with security when it's the exact opposite. What happens when the moneys' all gone. Into the sewer again. Who would you rather be with on an abandoned island, Romney or President Obama? Romney would set you on fire and then eat you for breakfast or he would make you his slave one or the other you're dead meat. President Obama would start looking for ways to communicate, which is exactly what he is doing now.
Police: Romney has never had to live in crime ridden areas,so he does'nt even know they exist.He must think all people live in neighborhoods like his gated communities.Firefighter's: Everyone ca'nt afford whole house fire extinguisher's like he has in in all his homes.Firemen are'nt alway's needed but when there are big fires does'nt he think there should be enough of them to fight the fire with a measure of safety for themselves and others? Teachers:He nor anyone in his family has been educated in public schools.So he thinks that our children should have a ratio of 50:1of teachers to students. And as far as the Presidents comment that the private sector is doing fine, the private sector is sitting on almost 2 trillion in cash,the stock market is at pre 2008 levels. That's not fine?
I get the sense that Rethugs aren't against teachers per se. It's just that public schools simply don't offer them the financial gouging opportunities that private schools do. Plus, while the Rethug money handlers line their pockets with taxpayer financed private school cash, their church base will stack the teaching positions with hand picked pseudo-science propaganda automatons. What could possibly go wrong?
Want more firefighters and police? Privitize both services and watch the sudden surplus in lobbyists for both services clamering for more taxpayer funded government contracts to rival what has happened with the outsourced prison program. Understanding the GOP mind isn't rocket science. Follow the damn money. And if their base can figure out a way to inject their special brand of theology into the mix in the process, consider it a 2-fer. Theologically-correct taxpayer paid counseling contracts for the prisoners. Theologically-correct taxpyer paid teachers and textbooks for the kids. Theologically-correct taxpayer paid uniforms replete with bible verse patches ala-nascar anyone?
That way all their buddies from Red states can get an extra kick-back, it's like privitizing prisons and making the military a career choice. Just scratch and sniff and follow the money trail. They had a great scam going, too bad Eric Holder is on our side. It seems to be putting a little damper on their plans to take over the world. They can leave anytime, they just won't be able to take anything that doesn't belong to them like The Middle Class and the poor. We're not going anywhere. We're buying sleeping bags and we're going to camp out on their front lawns.
Yeah..it's all about the privatization of America..and control.
This one infuriates me to a point I don't think I've been in a while.
- Obama makes a true statement with respect to comparing the public and private sectors of the economy. He gets pilloried by a dumb mass press that takes the wingnut talking point, magnifies it with their megaphone, and manufactures a "gaffe" out of a true statement. Then Obama has to clarify his meaning or as the press and the press' favorite party, the Republicans, would have it, "walkback" his statement, making Obama look defensive.
- Meanwhile, Mitt Romney has been on a six year trail of lies unparallelled in political history, unless we were to include totalitarian regimes, and on the same day calls for actually getting rid of more employees in the sector that is hurting the most because of Republican obstruction. And what is the cost to him? Nothing.
This can happen because the press is simply a bunch of mediocrities. Ignorant about economics, ignorant about the man they're covering, ignorant of any technical expertise in subjects that require technical expertise (econ, science, ...). They, in their hearts, have accepted the idea that the private sector is all that matters. They're essentially Republicans.
And on Sunday, wingnuts everywhere sat down to relax, assail the Socialist Obama, and enjoy reruns of The Greatest Hits of NASCAR.
Things look pretty dark.
As I said elsewhere, and I meant it, the US is looking more and more like the Weimar Republic.
Think this country isn't f cked? Read the comments from wingnuts on E.J. Dionne's column today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/government-is-the-solution/2012/06/10/gJQAvy9ITV_allComments.html?ctab=all_&
That page is such perfect metaphor of today's America: a tsunami of ignorance and stupidity flashing by at breakneck speed, and there's nothing that you or anybody can do to stop it. Reading it is to realize the sad, sad, sad situation.
This ad is anemic.. They can win the youth vote by putting a circled slant through Rmoney as he's speaking with the words "Epic Fail" overlayed for effect. I had a dream the "Oral Taintz" won the Senate Seat for California the other night.. It isn't too far a stretch to envision. These morons need to be blasted by a less "cerebral" and more damning approach. Kill the Cellos and put on the Black Sabbath.
Anyone else hear the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World" music for that ad?
Firefighting is socialism, of course.
So let's have the debate and see what voters think.
Well, don't hold your breath waiting for that one, it's the last thing the owners of the media want, and the otherwise-unemployables in their newsrooms know which side their bread is buttered on, so don't be surprised while these semi-literate fools keep scrambling to find the next shiny object.
The other day a guy identified himself to me as a reporter and my response was he had five seconds to get out of my reach. He realized I meant it. I used to be a reporter. I used to think that reporters were the last line of defense of democracy of this country (that was of course 40 years ago, when they were). No more. They are part of the problem and an arm of the enemy.
You are correct about the media, and there is the added problem that it is not possible to have any sort of reasonable discussion with those on the right.
Nobody is talking about Mitts terms in using teachers, fireMEN and PoliceMEN. Has he got a mental block about using the terms fireperson or policeperson? I can't believe nobody has caught onto his messaging here. Any thoughts?
I think of jobs as being like a crop. You can have a health field of corn and have it wiped out in minutes by a hail storm, but it takes a long time to regrow the corn.
Here is an analogy:
Suppose you are a farmer who has 2 fields. The crops in each field are dependent on the crops in the other.
[Field #1 = private sector jobs / Field #2 = government sector jobs (especially teachers police firefighters)]
A hail storm hits and wipes out Field #1 and hurts Field #2.
You do as much as you can to help Field #1 recover - reseeding, fertilizer etc. [There is a whole section that needed special attention - but it is now doing quite nicely (auto companies)] When you look at the field you can see that the plants are starting to grow - things are headed in the right direction. You might say that these plants are doing fine - though not fully recovered since that takes time.
There is not much else you can do directly for Field #1 but when you assess the situation you realize that the problems over in Field #2 are hurting the recovery in Field #1.
Field #2 is looking pretty bad. The crops in this field - that protect Field #1 from pests and other dangers and help the little seedlings grow strong - are wilting or gone. As a responsible farmer you realize that to keep Field #1 recovering, you do whatever you can help Field #2.
What do you think? This analogy works for me.
Very visual, clearly stated, hope it gets picked up nationally. Well said.
What is being missed in all this nonsense is the true policy debate which should be discussed. It boils down to two different views on the role of government in a world of huge budget deficits and debt, and whether you approach the discussion from either a short term or long term vision. In my experience, if you're in panic, where I believe PBO is, you only pursue the short term. We've tried short term and it only hid the real issue - local government - who for years kicked the can down the road. Who's at fault - who cares. Just solve the problem. And that can only be done by thinking long term, something PBO has yet to do.
Privatizing the prisons for profit worked out so well that Romney appears to be in favor of bringing that business model to all public institutions. It shouldn't be a problem for the teachers, firefighters, and police officers, to hire on as temp workers or volunteers or even interns at for profit religious indoctrination centers, fee for service fire centers, and security firms.
Might be a problem for the citizens.