Republicans: Betting on Amnesia

[Chappy]

“They don’t have a single idea that’s different from George Bush’s ideas — not one.

“Instead, they’re betting on amnesia. (Laughter.) That’s what they’re counting on. They’re counting on that you all forgot. They think that they can run the okey-doke on you. (Laughter.) Bamboozle you. (Laughter.)”

— President Barack Obama at a recent DNC Finance Event¹

Betting on amnesia? Good bet? Bad bet? Frank Rich provides some analysis.

Excerpted from “How to Lose an Election Without Really Trying” By FRANK RICH, Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times, Published: August 7, 2010
[SIZE="+2"]B[/SIZE]etting on amnesia is almost always a winning, not a losing, wager in America. Angry demonstrators at health care town-hall meetings didn’t remember that Medicare is a government program, and fewer and fewer voters of both parties recall that the widely loathed TARP was a Bush administration creation supported by the G.O.P. Congressional leadership. So many Republicans don’t know Obama is a natural citizen — 41 percent in a poll last week — that we must (charitably) assume some of them have forgotten that Hawaii was granted statehood. The G.O.P. chairman is sufficiently afflicted with amnesia that he matter-of-factly regaled an audience with the counterfactual observation that the war in Afghanistan, Bush’s immediate response to 9/11, began under Obama.

It's disappointing but betting on American amnesia is smart and President Obama is on the wrong side of that bet.

“And I do want to point out, when you get in your car, when you go forward, what do you do? You put it in “D.” When you want to go back, what do you do? (Laughter.) You put it in “R.” We [don't] want to go into reverse back in the ditch. We want to go forwards. We got to put it in “D.” (Applause.)”

— President Barack Obama²

Frank Rich reminds us, “Elections, the cliché goes, are about the future, not the past.”

The challenge for President Obama and Democrats is not to remind Americans of the disastrous consequences of recent conservative leadership in this country but to lay out a progressive agenda focused on putting America back to work again. Everything else is optional, even distracting from the only meaningful message.

“It's the economy, stupid.” — James Carville³

On this topic, there should be no amnesia whatsoever.

 

[molten_dragon]

It's sad to say, but that's a pretty smart bet. We Americans are a notoriously shortsighted lot.

 

[Harshaw]

Betting on amnesia? Good bet? Bad bet? Frank Rich provides some analysis.



It's disappointing but betting on American amnesia is smart and President Obama is on the wrong side of that bet.



Frank Rich reminds us, “Elections, the cliché goes, are about the future, not the past.”

The challenge for President Obama and Democrats is not to remind Americans of the disastrous consequences of recent conservative leadership in this country but to lay out a progressive agenda focused on putting America back to work again. Everything else is optional, even distracting from the only meaningful message.



On this topic, there should be no amnesia whatsoever.

Apparently you suffer from "amnesia" of your own. They've been implementing a "progressive" agenda for the past 18 months, yet we're losing jobs again.

 

[Goshin]

I'm thinking Chappy's got this bass-ackwards... what a shock, I know.

 

[Renae]

I'm thinking Chappy's got this bass-ackwards... what a shock, I know.

Just posting what ever the hot topic and marching orders on Huffpo or DailyKos, it's not like anything he posts is an original thought. I challenged him in another thread and he just ran from it like a Vampire from sunlight.

 

[VanceMack]

Betting on amnesia? Good bet? Bad bet? Frank Rich provides some analysis.



It's disappointing but betting on American amnesia is smart and President Obama is on the wrong side of that bet.

Frank Rich reminds us, “Elections, the cliché goes, are about the future, not the past.”

The challenge for President Obama and Democrats is not to remind Americans of the disastrous consequences of recent conservative leadership in this country but to lay out a progressive agenda focused on putting America back to work again. Everything else is optional, even distracting from the only meaningful message.

On this topic, there should be no amnesia whatsoever.

Oh I LOVE a good bating topic...

The reality is voters arent going to worry one way or the other about amnesia and arent going to be derailed by stupid articles posted by an Obama shill. Voters are going to see 10% unemployment(20% actual unemployment)...continued pathetic economic growth...continued failed leadership...impotent whiny "its not my fault" comments...a democrat congress that passed massive legislation without bothering to even read what they voted for AGAINST the will of the people...and thats what they will focus on. Oh...rest assured...democrats will contue to trot bull**** like this out...or throw out the race card at every opportunity. Its not going to work.

 

[The Uncola]

Apparently you suffer from "amnesia" of your own. They've been implementing a "progressive" agenda for the past 18 months, yet we're losing jobs again.

Anyone that actually thinks there has been anything approaching "a Progressive agenda" in this Nation, clearly doesn't know anything about what a Progressive is or what they stand for. It doesn't matter how many times you repeat a falsehood, it doesn't make them any truer, except to Regressives, that is.

 

[Harshaw]

Oh I LOVE a good bating topic...

Apparently, baiting and dashing is all he does.

 

[jambalaya]

Like I said on another thread, listening to your opponents and letting them define you is a big loser. To most people who usually vote conservative Obama is just saying "blah, blah, blah, blah". Frank Rich is just another New York Times political hack. The Republicans have a lot of problems but they don't need to look to Obama for the answers to those problems.

 

[samsmart]

Oh I LOVE a good bating topic...

The reality is voters arent going to worry one way or the other about amnesia and arent going to be derailed by stupid articles posted by an Obama shill. Voters are going to see 10% unemployment(20% actual unemployment)...continued pathetic economic growth...continued failed leadership...impotent whiny "its not my fault" comments...a democrat congress that passed massive legislation without bothering to even read what they voted for AGAINST the will of the people...and thats what they will focus on. Oh...rest assured...democrats will contue to trot bull**** like this out...or throw out the race card at every opportunity. Its not going to work.

That may be the case, and that may even work.

However, the only way the Republicans will stay in power afterwards is if they start leaning away from their big business money supporters and start actually looking out for the majority of people.

While the Democrats may be going about it the wrong way, at least they are trying to look out for the people. If the GOP started to look out for the people and became less rigid in their ideology then they will stay in power.

 

[VanceMack]

That may be the case, and that may even work.

However, the only way the Republicans will stay in power afterwards is if they start leaning away from their big business money supporters and start actually looking out for the majority of people.

While the Democrats may be going about it the wrong way, at least they are trying to look out for the people. If the GOP started to look out for the people and became less rigid in their ideology then they will stay in power.

The democrats "look after people" to keep them dependent voters. And the republicans look to the wealthy and upper middle income to find their niche. Both parties arent interested in PEOPLE they are interested in maintaining political power. they represent party, not Americans. Im not thrilled with the job republicans have done either...both sides have spent us into a massive hole.

I wish ALL voters...conservative and liberal...would just wake up and look at where both sides have taken us and at the very least...if they wont elect third party representatives, at least send in a whole new crop of clowns.