Obama Gets more Pitful by the Minute...

POTUS’ Post-It Plan: An Evolution in Gimmickry
Posted by Brendan Buck on May 08, 2012

The American people are stuck. Their incomes are flat, home prices continue to fall, and job prospects are weak. At the same time, they’re paying more for everything from gas to groceries. Right now, they expect the president to lead, put forth serious solutions, and work with both parties to tackle the big issues that affect their lives. Instead, the president’s advisors have taken the power of the White House and turned it into a gimmick factory of late.

First, it was the Buffett tax – a solution in search of a problem that would neither create jobs nor make a meaningful dent in our debt. Next, the president traveled to Oklahoma to announce his support for the southern leg of the Keystone pipeline – the part that doesn’t require his approval – while still blocking the part of this critical energy project that does. That was followed by a pledge to crack down on manipulation in the oil markets, despite no evidence that manipulation is playing any role in high gas prices. And recently, the president sought to create a fake fight over student loan rates, despite both parties supporting their extension. The president, it seems, is out of new ideas to jump start hiring and has been in search of anything to serve as a distraction from his record on the economy – 39 straight months of unemployment north of eight percent.

This morning, we have fresh evidence that the president has reached the bottom of the barrel. In Albany, New York, the president will unveil a new Post-it sized jobs plan that is anything but new. As the Associated Press reported on the five-point plan, “Obama’s wish list includes a number of proposals he has outlined previously but which have failed to gain traction in Congress.” The small, sticky “to-do list” is the perfect symbol for a shrunken presidency, more focused on campaigning than governing.

In contrast to the gimmickry from the White House, House Republicans have been focused on putting Americans back to work, advancing the Plan for America’s Job Creators. Tailored to address the real obstacles to sustained job growth, the Republican plan offers a far lengthier “to-do list” for the president to tackle. More than two dozen House-passed jobs bills are currently awaiting action – and some presidential leadership – in the Democratic-controlled Senate. For starters, the president could work in a bipartisan manner to:

Address sky-high gas prices by increasing American energy production;
Empower small businesses by stopping red tape and reforming the regulatory process;
Put Americans to work by approving the Keystone pipeline;
Give small businesses a boost by providing a 20 percent tax cut;
Deal with our crippling debt by passing a serious budget;
Repeal Obamacare which is making it harder for businesses to hire workers; and
Prevent devastating cuts to our military by offering replacement spending reductions.