If you were advising Obama, you’d say what?
Be bold. Voters want leadership and strength. Shoot for the moon. When Congress balks, run against a do-nothing Congress, as Truman did in 1948. Use the 2012 campaign to build an agenda to solve the nation’s fundamental challenges in a second term.
Which GOP candidate most worries Dems?
Romney. As a moderate conservative, he has the best chance to appeal to the independent suburban voters who’ll pick the next president. As a successful businessman, he has credentials to speak about the economy, which concerns most voters.
Are you expecting him to be the nominee?
The problem is that the moderation that makes him electable in a general election will make it tough for him to win the nod. Perry is Romney in reverse. Perry’s conservative views on SS and social issues make him the Tea Party’s darling and the favorite to be the nominee.
Will Obama’s jobs proposal yield anything?
It may reduce unemployment by 1 percent or more, say some economists. But I doubt Obama will get much of what he wants from the House’s GOP majority. I wish he’d doubled down on the size of it; he’ll be lucky to get half of what he wants.
What will the Super Committee accomplish?
Like many American cars, the committee was built to fail. The Tea Party caucus has no incentive to accept the committee’s proposals. Conservatives favor the fallback option, which is a 4 percent across-the-board cut in government spending.