President Obama’s speech last week at Northwestern University, ostensibly to make the case as to why his economic policies were working, contained a comment that is giving fits to many Democrats up for reelection.
Here is part of what he said:
So it is indisputable that our economy is stronger today than when I took office. By every economic measure, we are better off now than when we took office. At the same time, it’s also indisputable that millions of Americans don’t yet feel enough of the benefits of a growing economy where it matters most – and that’s in their own lives….When the typical family isn’t bringing home any more than it did in 1997, then that means it’s harder for middle-class Americans to climb the ladder of success. It means it’s harder for poor Americans to grab hold of the ladder into the middleclass….
Then, after touting several of his major economic policies, including the unpopular Affordable Care Act, Mr. Obama said this:
I’m not on the ballot this fall. Michelle’s pretty happy about that. But make no mistake, these [economic] policies are on the ballot – every single one of them. This isn’t some official campaign speech, or political speech, and I’m not going to tell you who to vote for – although I suppose it is kind of implied…. Every item I ticked off, those are the facts. It’s not conjecture. It’s not opinion. It’s not partisan rhetoric. I laid out facts.
Is the president oblivious to polls saddling him with some of the lowest presidential popularity rankings in recent history? Does he simply not appreciate the incongruity of his positive spin on his policies even as he acknowledges that those policies have made little difference in the lives of millions of Americans? Is he unaware of the significant number of Democrats seeking reelection or election who have tried to distance themselves from him and to convince voters the upcoming election is about themselves and their opponents rather than the president?
Even longtime Obama confidante and former White House senior adviser David Axelrod said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the president’s comment about his policies being on the ballot in November “was a mistake.”
Predictably, the comment is already being used in Republican campaign ads. And Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, also appearing on “Meet the Press,” remarked that if President Obama’s policies are on the ballot, “it’s going to be a pretty bad year for Democrats.”
Barack Obama has confounded his critics before and he may do so again come November. But with his latest statements the president has once again confirmed that he really thinks only he knows what is right for America. A newly elected Republican majority in the Senate working alongside the already Republican-controlled House of Representatives would seem to be the best cure for a presidential ego run amok.