Barack Obama needs to speak less like the University of Chicago constitutional law professor he was and more like the populous candidate for president that he needs to be. With the Dow free falling by 504 points yesterday, even those "hard-working" average Americans that the Democratic nominee for president has, for reasons of too much melanin, been unable to reach will eventually get the message: it's the stupid economy, genius!
The housing market is in the basement, unemployment is at a five-year high, Americans on Main Street have to choose between gasoline in the car or bread on the table and Wall Street is bleeding red.
So, rather than giving a mini-dissertation on how the Republicans got us in this mess and why John McCain was a part of the problem and will not be a part of the solution, Obama needs to speak more in soundbites. How about something like, "They screwed it up, I'll straighten it out."
Running the numbers over and over again won't hurt either.
The Electronic Village blog provides a cheat sheet for anyone wondering if, in the George Bush economy, we're better off now then we were seven years ago.
Here's the gist of it:
What does John McCain have to say on this remarkably horrible economic day? "Our economy, I think still—the fundamentals of our economy are strong." —John McCain, speaking on the morning of September 15
Villagers, I think that you should simply ask yourself a simple question. Are you better off today than you were 7 years ago when the Republicans took over Washington DC?
Then: Overall debt was $5.7 trillion.
Now: The National Debt is $9.5 Trillion!
Then: - A gallon of gas cost $1.56
Now: - A gallon of gas costs over $4.00
Then: - Federal budget surplus over $200 billion
Now: - FY-2008 federal deficit over $407 billion
Then: - Unemployment was 3.4%
Now: - Unemployment hits 5-year high, 6.1%
I have a couple of quick questions. What were the prices of lipstick and tanning beds back then? And what are they now?