Obama Says Today's Gop Would Reject Reagan

[Statick]

Obama says today's GOP would reject Ronald Reagan

NY POST - Last Updated: 2:14 PM, April 3, 2012

WASHINGTON —President Obama said Tuesday Republicans want to enforce a "radical vision" on the nation, accusing the opposition party of moving so far to the right that even one of its beloved figures, Ronald Reagan, could not win a Republican presidential primary today.

In a blistering election-year critique, Obama sought to present himself to voters as the protector of the middle class and the leader of a Democratic Party that is willing to compromise in Washington. He singled out the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, for criticism and more broadly said Republicans had shifted from any reasonable debate on health care, debt reduction and the environment.

Republicans "will brook no compromise," Obama told news executives at the annual meeting of The Associated Press.

He cited a Republican presidential debate late last year when the entire field rejected the prospect of $10 in spending cuts for every $1 in tax increases as a means to lower the debt.

"Think about that. Ronald Reagan, who as I recall was not accused of being a tax-and-spend socialist, understood repeatedly that when the deficit started to get out of control that for him to make a deal he would have to propose both spending cuts and tax increases," Obama said. "He did it multiple times. He could not get through a Republican primary today."

Making his case for re-election, Obama said nation must restore a sense of security for hard-working Americans and stand for a government willing to help those in hard times. The Democratic president blasted Republicans by name and said the choice between the parties is "unambiguously clear."

Stirring anew the themes of his State of the Union speech, Obama said the central issue for the country is deciding whether it wants to give everyone a fair chance —with government as a tool to help do that —or whether it is content to let only the wealthy succeed.

Obama used his speech to paint his Republican rivals as protectors of a trickle-down economic philosophy that does not work. He spoke on the day that GOP presidential front-runner Romney was expected to move closer to seizing his party's nomination as voters went to the polls in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Obama directly challenged Romney for embracing a $3.5 trillion budget proposal led by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin that was approved by the House last week. Ryan's proposal aims to slash the federal deficit and reduce the size of government. It stands little chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate, yet Obama targeted it as a symbol of the Republican vision.

The president said that instead of moderating their views even slightly, the Republicans running Congress have "doubled down" and proposed a budget so far to the right it makes the "Contract With America" look like the "New Deal."

The Contract with America was the policy document that helped Republicans win the House in 1994 and propelled Newt Gingrich into the speakership. The New Deal was President Franklin Roosevelt's plan for pulling the nation out of the Great Depression.

Yet Obama also sought to buffer himself from criticism that he is a supporter of big government.

Speaking to publishers and editors, Obama said: "I believe deeply that the free market is the greatest force for economic progress in human history."

Obama went into a lengthy, point-by-point critique of the Ryan budget, showing what he said would be a perilous future for senior citizens, college students, people with disabilities and many other Americans. He condemned the GOP plan as a "prescription for decline."

"It's antithetical to our entire history as a land of opportunity and upward mobility for everybody who's willing to work for it, a place where prosperity doesn't trickle down from the top but grows outward from the heart of the middle class," he said.

Obama, in a speech at 12:30 p.m. ET before reporters and editors at a luncheon hosted by the Associated Press, will call the Republican plan a "Trojan Horse" that is "disguised as a deficit plan."

"It's antithetical to our entire history as a land of opportunity and upward mobility for everyone who's willing to work for it," the president will say, according to excerpts of his remarks released by the White House.

The president's own budget plan and economic vision have been under fire recently, particularly on the campaign trail, where Republican presidential hopefuls frequently accuse him of saddling the country with unnecessary debt that slows growth.

Administration officials pitched the speech as a follow to remarks the president gave in December in Osawatomie, Kan. There, he adopted a partisan and populist tone, saying it was "inexcusable" that some people can't get into the middle class and blaming Republicans for enabling irresponsibility with loose regulations.

Obama will continue that partisan tone, saying Republicans are attempting to "impose a radical vision on our country."

Their vision, he will say, includes gutting the things the US needs to grow -- education and training and research and development -- and is "a prescription for decline."

The Republican Party's budget proposal, unveiled by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), would turn Medicaid into a block-grant program controlled by the states.

It would reduce the top individual- and corporate-tax rates to 25 percent from 35 percent and would create just two individual tax brackets, 25 percent and 10 percent. It would also cut spending significantly.

Obama last year also dismissed the Republican budget and irked Ryan, who was sitting in the audience.

While he won't be in the audience when the president speaks Tuesday, he said in a Tweet Tuesday morning: "We all thought @BarackObama would be better than this. He had potential, making his leadership failures so disappointing."

A spokesman for Ryan, Conor Sweeney, said Ryan and Obama "have helped clarify the choice for the American people: the president's path to debt and decline versus the restoration of the promise and prosperity of our exceptional nation."

[kane#7]

It's true.

[GEORGIAfan]

They probably would.

[JayOzOne]

He wouldn't have made it out of New Hampshire with a chance of winning the nomination.

[falconsd56]

I think that is a fair statement.

[Leon Troutsky]

Add Reagan's immigration policy and it's very true. Perry got blasted for providing tuition breaks. Imagine if one of the current Republican presidential candidates proposed actual citizenship for millions of undocumented workers.

[pencilpusher. just because]

but thankfully Ronnie wouldn't remember it 5 minutes later.

[falconsd56]

Add Reagan's immigration policy and it's very true. Perry got blasted for providing tuition breaks. Imagine if one of the current Republican presidential candidates proposed actual citizenship for millions of undocumented workers.

No question.

He would be accused of caring more about mexicans then americans.

[falconsd56]

but thankfully Ronnie wouldn't remember it 5 minutes later.

This post offend me............ I will see you in an arizona court sir!!

Offensive or not..................................

[lostone]

This post offend me............ I will see you in an arizona court sir!!

Offensive or not..................................

I am offended that you are offended.... Go straight to jail!

[falconsd56]

I am offended that you are offended.... Go straight to jail!

Oh yeah?? Well I am annoyed that you are offended that I am offended.

[Flip Flop]

The '76 GOP and large portions of the '80 GOP didn't like Reagan. He wasn't canonized until after his successes. He would wipe the floor now, though. He was more charismatic than Palin, and a better communicator than Newt. The GOP is scitzo right now because they are the party out of power and there is a civil war between the establishment party and the rank and file voters i.e. Tea Party.

[Knight of God]

That's actually who Obama reminds me of...LOL!!!

[Flip Flop]

That's actually who Obama reminds me of...LOL!!!

Obama's strengths are definitely charisma and speaking. He doesn't have the success resume that Reagan did, but then the GOP doesn't have very strong candidates.

[Psychic Gibbon]

No. He definitely would. People like to think the Republicans were less crazy back then, but it simply is not the case; The crazy started in 1980 and they laid out the blueprint of the modern GOP. Deflect blame of their own actions, starve the beast (slash revenues to force government to stop spending, but this always turns into vastly increasing military spending), corporatism, trickle down economics, desiring total deregulation of corporations while seeking to crack down on personal matters and freedoms, desiring a plutocracy by demonizing the poor, pretending to care about the middle class while simultaneously screwing them, and doing everything possible to give more advantages to the wealthy, etc. etc.. The only difference between then and now is that they're just more blatant about it. The Republicans haven't been sane since Ford.

Also, please note that I don't think the Democrats are much better... but if I'm going to have to pick between a nutless donkey and an insane, rabid elephant then I'll pick the nutless donkey.

[GritsPittz]

Also, please note that I don't think the Democrats are much better... but if I'm going to have to pick between a nutless donkey and an insane, rabid elephant then I'll pick the nutless donkey.

Picking one and saying things aren't as bad as they would be if the other one was in there is really just a copout to make yourself feel better, deep down everyone knows the real truth. They're both serving the exact same interests and the American public isn't one of them.

[Knight of God]

Obama's strengths are definitely charisma and speaking. He doesn't have the success resume that Reagan did, but then the GOP doesn't have very strong candidates.

Neither did Reagan the first four years.

[Forever Julian]

Wouldnt be too bad though.....I suspect he would have a short memory of it today

[Psychic Gibbon]

Picking one and saying things aren't as bad as they would be if the other one was in there is really just a copout to make yourself feel better, deep down everyone knows the real truth. They're both serving the exact same interests and the American public isn't one of them.

Just pointing out the big picture of if I was forced to pick between the two. I plan on voting for Gary Johnson in November, though. The only way I won't is by voting for Obama out of pure spite of the GOP, but that is a terrible reason to vote.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Psychic Gibbon

[Xnex]

I think Obama is likely correct. RonBo wouldn't pass muster and the GOP of today would be forced to send him a "Thank you for your interest in our organization, however, we feel that there are other candidates who better fit our needs at this time". Ronnie wasn't nearly close minded enough to run with this pack.

[capologist]

I doubt that they would reject him, he was bought and paid for just like the rest of 'em...

[Gritzblitz 2.0]

And conversely, todays Democratic party probably wouldn't have wanted much to do with Jack Kennedy. Especially on the fiscal side of things.

[Xnex]

And conversely, todays Democratic party probably wouldn't have wanted much to do with Jack Kennedy. Especially on the fiscal side of things.

I think JFK would be welcomed into the Democratic party of today. Chances are they would want him to run for President again and have more liberal members of the party running the show in the House and the Senate. Kind of like what I think has occured in politics today with Obama being center-left but Pelosi and some other members being much more liberal than the POTUS.