As of now, I am in control here, in the White House

Obama Already Using Speech as a Campaign Tool

Posted on by • 42 Comments

Gosh, he could have waited a day.

President Obama is already using next week’s address to Congress on the economy to further his political campaign, sending supporters an email message designed to pump up campaign participation and build the Obama 2012 email list.

The message was sent just hours after the White House announced the address. Bearing the subject line “This is important,” it is directly from President Obama and was sent to people on the campaign email list.

The move demonstrates unambiguously that the White House and the Obama campaign intend to use the speech and the drive for new “jobs” legislation as a political tool to hammer Republicans.

From the email:

Today I asked for a joint session of Congress where I will lay out a clear plan to get Americans back to work. Next week, I will deliver the details of the plan and call on lawmakers to pass it.

Whether they will do the job they were elected to do is ultimately up to them.

But both you and I can pressure them to do the right thing. We can send the message that the American people are playing by the rules and meeting their responsibilities — and it’s time for our leaders in Congress to meet theirs.

And we must hold them accountable if they don’t . . .

No matter how things go in the weeks and months ahead, this will be an important challenge for our organization.

Why, you may wonder, is improving the economy a “challenge” for a campaign organization?

Well, it’s not.

If you click a link provided in the email, you’re kindly invited to send over your email address. Those who have been forwarded the message by others will be signed onto the campaign. Those already signed up will be given an exciting new cause to believe in, as Obama operatives try to stir their increasingly disenchanted base of foot soldiers.

Without apparent irony, Obama says in what is a CAMPAIGN EMAIL that he wants Republicans “to look past short-term politics and take action.”

The direct call in the message for political pressure on members of Congress to “do the right thing” and to “hold them accountable if they don’t” points to a nakedly political motive for the speech itself.

If Obama were serious about advancing major legislation to improve the economy, he’d be downplaying politics, not directly injecting it into the debate.

Related post:

  1. Trump Campaign Sues the New York Times

42 Responses to Obama Already Using Speech as a Campaign Tool

  2. This is important. I really doubt it if it were you wouldn’t wait till after
    vacation to put it in motion. Second joint session of Congress….drama queen.

    • William – there was no plan before his vacation. He said he was going to propose a Plan when he got back from vacation and they (his staff, etc.) had to come up with something during the 2 weeks that will be different, etc. Heard Herman Cain last night talk about his 9 – 9 – 9 plan for creating jobs. May sound corny, but it really is a plan – 9% income tax for everyong, 9% sales tax and 9% corporate tax – that way everyone is in the mix. May not be the final solution, but it’s a start.

  5. He can’t stand the fact that he doesn’t control both houses of Congress any more.

    This is his effort to help all Democratic candidates — stage a knife fight on the national level and hope that Demmy dog catcher gets enough coat tail to ride in.

    A shameful and embarrassing man. A person who plays the game is shameful, but one who constantly creates chaos because disorder is a useful crisis is even more shameful.

  6. He isn’t serious about improving the economy Keith. He gives lip service while his minions are busily writing and enforcing regulations that kill private industry and rip away the few personal freedoms we still have left in this country. Everything is about politics to this man. He doesn’t want to be president of all Americans, he wants to keep what he thinks belongs to him…the office, the toys, the power. His campaign staff is making such an obvious play to collect as many email addresses as possible. Don’t know if they believe they just haven’t got their message out to enough people or they are just chasing the next dollar. Doesn’t matter. We’re not listening to him any longer and we’re just hanging on until November 2012 when this huge mistake America made can be rectified.

  9. If there is one consistent theme from the Obama administration, it’s that our system of governence is “broken” and doesn’t work any more. PrezO described our balance and check republic as “messy” and has been quoted as wanting to do things on his own, instead of asking Congress to pass legislation.
    While some might call this more whining or finger-pointing of blame to excuse his failures, it’s really a call for more executive power in the hands of the President.

    MrO’s executive orders that contradict or ignore existing law are prime examples of this Prez’s grab for powers not given in our constitution to his office.

    The request for the opportunity to address a joint session of Congress was another test to see how far this President can push his assumed powers. He was reminded, and rightfully so, by the Speaker of the House that the President doesn’t call Congress into session and that the separation of powers gives each branch equal footing.

    If he stands before Congress and gives his traditonal tax, borrow and spend more speech while blaming the men and women in the audience for all of his political failures, it will be another watershed moment in his race to defeat in 2012..

    • You are so right srdem. He is seizing as much power as he can get away with. We all see it, and members of Congress must see it. Good for Speaker Boehner standing up to his latest power grab. I won’t be watching his speech. No matter what great things he promises, it will be nothing but lies.

      • Not lies—snares…he think if the Republicans push back, he can use this to smear them…It’s so evident it’s not even funny. Instead of my way or the highway–it’s fix the highway my way or else you hate America.

  11. One thing often discussed is the POTUS’s leadership, or lack thereof. I have been around several people with true leadership skills and one consistent characteristic in all of them was an intangible trait that made you trust and want to follow them. It’s not always their ideas or what they say. BHO is sorely lacking this trait and therefore no matter what he says, or proposes, it’s always going to fall flat. Not to mention his ideas suck!!!!!!!!!

  13. I saw that whole email on another site-he signs it Barack

    Not Barack O

    Pretty tacky but it makes him look like one of the “folks” in the “federal family”

  15. Keith,
    I think I love you!
    Thank you for your insight (literally) on the Administration and the rest of the goings-on in DC.
    Stay Safe my friend.

  17. During the August break, many of the Republican representatives town hall meetings were disturbed by Obama drones shouting them down. I’m sure the call to his followers to put ‘political pressure’ on them is just a way to tell them to keep up the chaos. He has no interest in jobs or improving the economy. His only interest is to put the final nail in the coffin of America.

  18. But politics is all Obama knows how to do. Surely you wouldn’t deny him that? Hope, change, a new way of doing business in DC, transparency–it’s all been a big lie and now it’s time for some even bigger lies to attempt to win a second term.