Obama vs. Romney: Forward Ever Backward Never

The George W. Bush administration had set the boulder rolling fast downhill. The Obama Administration halted the downward motion and started the steady upward push

[Election 2012: Black Star News Editorial]
 
Tomorrow Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will make the case as to why each is best suited to be President. 

Four years ago when Obama was elected President he inherited a frightening scenario. In
the early part of his administration as many as 800,000 jobs per month
were disappearing. The stock market was in free fall. There was real
fear that panic could cause a run on the banks.

The collapse of
the Big Three car companies could’ve sparked a negative multiplier
effect. Hundreds of thousands of jobs would have disappeared forever,
including in the auto-parts suppliers industry and in other ancillary
services connected to auto manufacturing. Analysts envisioned Americans
buying vehicles from Japanese and European companies only.

At
the same time, the nation was facing two costly overseas wars with no
end in sight or any exit strategies. These were the gloomy days.

President
Obama set to work even though Republicans decided collectively not to
work with him. “I hope he fails,” the Republicans’ national quarterback
Rush Limbaugh declared before inauguration. Mitch McConnell, John
Boehner and Eric Cantor have done everything in their power to fulfill
Limbaugh’s dream.

They will have to wait.

Rather
than continuing to lose hundreds of thousands of jobs each month the economy has
added 4.6 million new private sector jobs over the past three years.
Instead of the collapse many people feared, the stock market is at an
all-time high.

Car manufacturing has been saved and hundreds
of thousands of Americans are back at work. Romney of course famously
wrote in an Op-Ed essay that Detroit should have been allowed to go
bankrupt since the market (which had already disappeared) would rescue
it. Romney offered similar prescription after Florida’s housing
collapse.

The U.S. has withdrawn troops from Iraq and is now
winding down its role in Afghanistan with a promise to hand over combat
activities to that country’s own national army by 2014.

Even
with reversal of misfortune under the Obama Administration the nation
has a long way to go. Millions of Americans remain without a job.
Unemployment still stands above 8% although the trend was reversed from
when it reached close to 10%.

Every job-creating proposal has
been stymied by the party of “no” whose myopic agenda is to deny
President Obama a second term. Republicans’ were so fixated on ousting
President Obama that Romney didn’t bother to draw up a program. He
thought all he had to do was say “I’m not President Obama.”

Asked
specifics about his signature proposal that doesn’t add up –revenue neutral 20% tax cuts
for all Americans– Romney says he will work it out with a newly elected
Congress. Romney has contempt for the American public; he demands its
vote without having a plan of governance. He also revealed his personal
views of 47% of the electorate –undeserving whiners who see themselves
as “victims.” Romney and Ryan plan tax cuts for the very wealthy.

Medicare, Medicaid and social security could not
be addressed because of the Republican-created paralysis. Candidate
Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan have made it clear they would: privatize
social security; make steep cuts in Medicaid; and, turn Medicare into a
voucher program, meaning seniors would have to come up with whatever
the “market” didn’t cover.

Republicans also opposed healthcare
reform and the historic bill that survived a Supreme Court challenge; a
remarkable achievement since the court has a conservative majority.

Republican
policies under the George W. Bush administration had set the boulder
rolling fast downhill. The Obama Administration halted the downward
motion and started the steady upward push. Republicans have stood on the sidelines with folded arms, praying Democrats slip and fall. The recovery must not be upset.

Re-electing
President Obama would send a clear signal — that the American public
expect Republicans to join in pushing the boulder uphill.

“Speaking Truth To Empower.”

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