Anyone watching Obama’s economic speech in Wisconsin could be forgiven if it felt like déjà vu. Voters might want to ask themselves this: 'If Obama can't produce his own ideas on the campaign trail, how will he solve new problems as President?'Good grief.Senator Obama’s only "new" ideas were ones that Senator Clinton proposed months ago: His "new" proposal for a national infrastructure bank is one that Hillary proposed August 8, 2007. ["I’m proud to co-sponsor Senator Dodd and Senator Hagel's National Infrastructure Bank Act that we just introduced to establish a federally-backed independent bank that will evaluate and finance large infrastructure projects by subsidies, loan guarantees, and bonds backed by the full faith and credit of the United States." Rebuilding America speech, 8/8/07; S. 1926, 8/1/07]
His "new" proposal to create 5 million green collar jobs was proposed by Hillary on November 5, 2007. ["And three, to move us from a carbon-based economy to an efficient, green economy by unleashing a wave of private-sector innovation in clean energy and energy efficiency. I believe that will create at least five million good new jobs from clean energy over the next decade." Energy and Climate speech, 11/5/07]
Google CEO Eric Schmidt praises Hillary’s plan to create 5 million Green Collar jobs, 11/5/07: "By emphasizing the connection between promoting a green efficient economy and job creation, Senator Clinton’s plan seeks to harness the power of technology and innovation to address one of our most pressing global challenges...The goal of producing 5 million new jobs can be achieved by private sector investment and bipartisan support for increased research and development in efficiency and clean energy."
In addition, while Senator Obama was busy resuscitating Hillary’s policies, he failed to offer real solutions for the most pressing economic challenges that Americans families face. As Hillary explained this morning, "a plan that fails to provide universal health care, fails to address the housing crisis, and fails to immediately start creating good paying jobs in America again will not turn the economy around and provide the real relief that our people need. We need real results not more rhetoric."
11 comments:
This is so typical of Obama...the guy gives nothing but empty rhetoric and then he steals Hillary's platform. Is this the same guy that says he wants Clinton out because she's just "more of the same"? Yeah...sounds like he's the one that's more of the same...Bush tactics, Rove tactics, lies, cheating, race baiting...it doesn't sound much like change to me.
Of course...what's the chance of seeing anything about this on the Keith Obamamannn show?
Didn't Biden get completely flushed away, years ago, for doing pretty much the same kind of thing?
Infidel - yes.
BAC
I don't know who started it first, but Obama has had some of these plans on his site since at least July of 07.
As for the "infrastructure bank", you yourself said it is Hagel's (actually, according to the bill you linked - Dodd's). Clinton just signed on to it (a wise choice IMO), but that isn't enough to call it her idea.
If you want to talk about foresight Obama called for mortgage lending reform two years ago (this version reintroduced last April at the start of the new session).
john j:
According to Obama...
Obama would ‘create 5 million so called ‘green collar’ jobs to develop more environmentally friendly energy sources. [AP, 2/13/08] Notice the date.
The fact is:
Hillary ‘outlined a detailed proposal on Monday that she said would transform America's carbon-based economy and create as many as 5 million ‘green-collar’ jobs.’ [University Wire, 11/6/07] Again...notice the dates.
Obama continues to use Hillary's platform...
USA Today: Obama to call for $60B 'Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank' [USA Today, 2/13/08]--Notice the date.
Now, let's see what Hillary was up to...long before Obama even thought of it....
Hillary: And I'm proud to co-sponsor Senator Dodd and Senator Hagel's National Infrastructure Bank Act that we just introduced to establish a federally-backed independent bank that will evaluate and finance large infrastructure projects by subsidies, loan guarantees, and bonds backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. [Rebuilding America speech, 8/8/07; S. 1926, 8/1/07]
Really, Obama needs to be more careful when copying off someone else's homework, time to get his own ideas.
Like I've said many times, the guy is as phony as a $3 bill. No vision, just a lot of rhetoric.
Listening to him in some of the last debates it was apparent he was using her talking points. Face it, John ... Obama is simply not ready for prime time!!
BAC
That is the fear of many of us, even Obama supporters like myself.
I'm not going to try to spin this in Obama's favor. His campaign does propose specifics, but he has not until recently utilized them in his stump speeches. Instead, they are found on his website. Visit if you wish. It is most easy to find his policy stances on most issues.
And on most issues, his stances are either 100% identical or very similar to hers.
But he is also a politician, not a deity. I wouldn't vote for Jesus if he were running because that violates the separation between church and state we hold so dear. No one doubts that Hillary has done many of the same things to favor herself politically, such as incorporating slogans and platforms that sounded good to increase her popularity.
Obama, if he wins in November, needs to provide some more concrete proposals and surround himself with good people. And between then and now, he needs to flesh out his actual issue stances, because if he does not, McCain and the GOP will tear him apart.
Kevin - he delivers a good speech, but where is his substance? I think that McCain will easily tear him apart in a general election. Unless he beings to define himself soon, the Republican slime machine will do it for him.
Clinton, on the other hand, has made her case for what she intends to do if elected. And there is a stark difference between her plan to begin bringing the troops home within the first 60 days, and McCains plan for us to be in Iraq for the next 100 years.
BAC
Unless he beings to define himself soon, the Republican slime machine will do it for him.
This is a big part of why I think Clinton is more electable than Obama, regardless of what the polls currently say. The right has been frenzied with hate for her for years. She's "pre-swiftboated". Every bit of mud they could possibly come up with to throw at her is already out there, and already factored into those "high negatives" the media talk about. With Obama.....they've barely gotten started.
And she knows to fight back when she's attacked. She's not under the spell of any "can't we just get along" delusions. Obama's left himself a blank slate for his supporters to project their hopes onto. When the Republican attack machine starts in on him, he's not gonna know what hit him.
"Unless he beings to define himself soon, the Republican slime machine will do it for him."
The problem is that Clinton and the media (and especially you here lately) have misrepresented him in such a way that accurately defining himself in the way that you want is not possible during the primaries. The media has a story, and they will not change it no matter what. Clinton, on the other hand, as an equally bad (some would say worse) story going for her as a "divider" as "unlikeable" going up against the "genial rebel" of McCain. I believe that Obama, with help, will be better able to change the perception of him because he has less historic inertia supporting the media. You want to talk about unfair media coverage, look at the lack of coverage Obama's policies have gotten. His policy pages have more than twice as many action items than Clinton, and yet the media says she is the one with more policies and he has empty rhetoric.
Mary Ellen, do check the dates. The page I linked to is from JULY 2007, just because he didn't call them (a ridiculous phrase IMO) "green collar jobs" until recently doesn't mean he hasn't been talking about it for the past 8 months. And again I reiterate, Clinton cannot claim the national infrastructure bank as her idea - it is a bill proposed by Hagel and Dodd. Criticizing Obama for also supporting it is hypocritical. They are from the same party; of course they share a similar vision of how to help America.
The reason he doesn't talk about them on the stump is because he learned personally when running for state Senate the first time that it can put people to sleep. He learned it again watching John Kerry lose his presidential bid in 2004. He learned that the only way to win votes is to inspire people with goals and back them up with real plans.
He alone of the candidates still on the stage, Republican or Democrat, has passed REAL health care reform. He is the strongest candidate in either party on lobbying reform, having succeeded twice. He is the strongest candidate on civil rights, as evidenced by his recent votes on the FISA renewal - especially after McCain caved on the no torture bill last year.
And yet, all you hear said by any of the talking heads is that he is inspiring, but not much else...
John - the quick response to your comment is "baloney". You and the media are giving Obama a pass.
If he talks about policy, which isn't often, he's quoting from Senator Clinton.
And he is definitely NOT the only candidate who has passed real heath care reform. It's nice that he decided to show up for an important vote, but he's not the only candidate with a record on civil rights -- Sen. Clinton's is actually stronger on LGBT and women's civil rights than Obama's.
I will stand by my comment that if Obama doesn't start defining himself -- and it would help by having the courage to debate Clinton in WI -- the Republican slime machine will do it for him.
BAC
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