Book of the Month

Michael Maiello's picture

President Do-Over

by Michael Maiello 10/4/2012 - 10:49 am   |

This is hardly a deep observation and it's certainly not very complicated, but a good chunk of Mitt Romney's argument for his candidacy is that he will undo and then redo the major legislation of the Obama administration.

Romney would repeal health care reform, a national version of the legislation that he championed in Massachusetts and would then be left back at square one on the issue, with more than 70 million uninsured and people with pre-existing conditions left to the mercies of emergency care.  To fix the problem, he would then try to recreate his success in Massachusetts, state by state.  Of course, all of the states will never go along and it will take forever, but what's another thirty years of this problem?

Romney would repeal Dodd-Frank. Then, he'll regulate Wall Street for the post Financial Crisis era.  Dodd-Frank is far from perfect, but its imperfections arise from all of the lobbying and horse-trading among its provisions.  It's better top scrap it and start over, why?  Does anyone think that the banks would have less input into this new discussion, led by Romney?

Can't wait for the national security and foreign policy debate.  I suppose Romney wants to use bin Laden's DNA to clone him so that the Navy Seals can kill him again, this time under Romney's watch?

Romney and his team finally realized that in spite of the delusions of the Republican base, Obama has overseen some actual improvements for our country, and that if Romney was going to stand a chance of winning, he had to somehow acknowledge that.  How to embrace no pre-existing illness barrier to insurance and good regulation of the financial system, but stay on the attack.  This was their answer. 

Over the course of the next week, I think we'll see the return to the bumbling Romney as he sits down with the media to respond to this strategy.

by Another Trope 10/4/2012 - 11:50 am

Given the kind of dynamics we had last night, the foreign policy debate seems more problematic for Obama than the domestic one.

by Oxy Mora 10/4/2012 - 12:17 pm

I don't see how.  Libya is a problem but not really.  What does Romney want to do, turn back the clock and make it a dictatorship again?

by Michael Maiello 10/4/2012 - 12:26 pm (re: Oxy Mora)

The attack on the consulate is a problem. Lots of questions on security.

The fact that Romney has no relevant experience is an advantage for him---what's Obama going to attack?  There are Romney gaffes but how many times can you use them?

 

by Oxy Mora 10/4/2012 - 1:36 pm (re: destor23)

You know, I think the President looked tired last night after trying to keep Turkey from going to war yesterday.  Turkey looked for approval from NATO.  Russia rattled her swords and China made it's usual "I am going to veto UN."  Sorry Oxy, but Romney would have let the middle east explode so he could preform well at the debates. 

by trkingmomoe 10/4/2012 - 1:39 pm (re: destor23)

There is legislation and there is implementation of that legislation.

One year into w bush's administration, Robert Kennedy Jr. wrote a book pointing out that every single Cabinet position was filled with someone who detested the department he was supposed to run.

Racists in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Dept.

Bankers in charge of the SEC

Corporate farm CEO's in charge of the Dept of Agriculture....

On and on and on.

Is Obama a little guilty with some of his appointments?

Yes, but if Mitt is voted in, the corporate fascist racist war mongering pricks win and will steer this Ship of State aground; forever!

by Richard Day 10/4/2012 - 3:22 pm

Or in the case of FEMA, he put a complete incompetent dufus in charge. Then folks like Rush could say "see, government doesn't work, it can't solve the problem, let private industry do everything."  Romney was making that exact point on stage last night. 

So its put a racist in charge of the Civil Rights Division, but the end goal is to do away with the it and everything getting in their way.

by Another Trope 10/4/2012 - 3:37 pm (re: Richard Day)

Winner!

by tmccarthy0 10/4/2012 - 4:10 pm

Latest Comments

more