RELATED: Obama 'Welcomes' Paul Ryan To Race, Deeming Him 'Ideological Leader Of The Republicans In Congress'
'The question in this election is, which way do we go,' Obama asked of his supporters. 'Do we go forward towards a new vision of an America in which prosperity is shared, or do we go backward to the same policies that got us here in the first place.'
On its face, there is nothing particularly offensive to the undefined center of American politics in this speech. In fact, the President's warm and gracious welcoming of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to the presidential election could even burnish his image among moderates and independents (it is left to Obama's surrogates to more actively define Paul Ryan as aggressively anti-woman, anti-elderly and anti-poor).
But what is striking and could be damaging to the President is how this statement fits into a narrative that Republicans have been cultivating about Obama over the last six months. That is, that Obama's policy proscriptions default to redistribution of incomes.
This is narrative that was furthered considerably by Obama's fateful address to a rally in Roanoke, Virginia in July where he suggested that small business owners 'didn't build that.' And, no, the descriptive pronoun in that sentence did not magically defy all laws of English syntax and refer to a subject stated several sentences prior, as some of Obama's allies have since asserted.
It is the President's idea of 'shared prosperity' that has made so many Americans uneasy. After four years of governance, voters now know that his vision of 'shared prosperity' is one in which the fruits of others' labor is distributed to those who did not share in that labor. Most Americans, charitable at heart, would not oppose this mission if Obama had not so amply defined who he sees as the most deserving recipients of this sharing; including political donors, preferred constituencies and federally subsidized projects like wind and solar energy manufacturers which cannot survive on market-based demand alone.
Democrats will attempt to say that Obama's statements are being mischaracterized and that Republicans do not give the American people enough credit for their inherent generosity. But it is Democrats who do not extend the American voter enough credit ' they are able to perform a simple cost/benefit analysis. And the costs of the last three years of 'shared prosperity' have far exceeded the benefits.
So, as Republican messaging shops prepare to insert this statement into the latest web ad, it is important to remember that this is fair game as it relates to the President's world view. This is the beginning of the 'big ideas' election that is promised by Ryan's selection as Mitt Romney's running mate. President Obama is advocating for a 'new vision' of an America that never existed. Republicans will advocate for, as Ryan aptly said on the stump on the day of his selection to become the GOP's vice presidential nominee, a reapplication of America's founding principles.
So, let's bid a hearty goodbye to debates over tax returns, birth certificates and access to contraceptives. Good riddance. Today is the start of a new phase in the election ' one in which we debate two visions of America. And may the best vision win.
> >Follow Noah Rothman (@Noah_C_Rothman) on Twitter
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Anyone still questioning whether Obama is a Marxist?
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A Rothman post, which why I don't necessarily agree with all of it (Romney's taxes or lack thereof aren't going away, for instance), doesn't entirely bring disgust either for its nauseating partisanship. So in that respect this is welcomed.
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Yep. Share or let the Uber Wealthy have it all.
That's the choice.
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Anyone questioning whether Mittens is a plutocrat?
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Do we take the Progressive path where instead of 100 million Americans receiving Federal assistance its 300 million, or do we take the conservative path where jobs and opportunity are made available and allow people to pursue their own success instead of zoning out waiting for the next assistance check?
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You mean where jobs are made available at Walmart wages, so that the Super Upper Class can be serviced by the 'you people' class?
Given the choice between sharing and having jack sh!t with Romney, I'll be happy to share.
I don't see us going down the path of King Mittens and Queen Ann.
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Nahhh Noah.. We want those returns.. two-thirds of us 'real Americans' want those returns .
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Hey Barry! Share my work ethic, not the results that ethic.
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Some of GOPers are honestly amazing. A Marxist? You really still believe that? Do you know what Marxism is or are you basing that solely on what Hannity tells you?
On the one hand, you guys criticize Obama for being cozy with Goldman Sachs, and then on the other you call him a Marxist. How does that work? His administration has been very light-handed with banks and oil companies, like BP. His administration has been filled with people like Peter Orzag, Larry Summers, Tim Geithner, etc'some of the most pro-capitalism people in the country. Obama has been right of Nixon on some things. For example, Nixon had higher tax rates and he started the EPA.
Is there some secret Marxist takeover Obama is planning that we should know about? Or is it that you have no idea what you're talking about?
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Barack Obama is a Kenyan Marxist Muslim. Everybody knows that.
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How dare he suggest prosperity is shared? Doesn't he know we are supposed to be on each other's throats?
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So who are you 'taking' that wealth from. You see' THIS is why someone on the right 'might' suggest some socialist tendencies on the left.
Take from the _________, and give to the _____________. *fill in the blanks
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