If there is one person I’d want as my advocate, it wouldn’t be Karl Rove, David Axelrod, or any of the others out there. No, it would be James Carville.
Today he offered clear advice on Obama’s error in attempting to schedule a presidential address to Congress next Wednesday. (Besides the fact that such a joint session is at the invitation of Congress not at the demand of the president.). On “Good Morning America” he explained:
“I do think this is a really big debate, and I think the White House was out of bounds…in trying to schedule a speech during a debate.”
Given a “choice between watching a debate and the speech, I would have watched the debate and I’m not even a Republican or even close to being a Republican.”
Obama backed down in defeat today, accepting Congress’ invitation to instead speak next Thursday, September 7th (during the run up to the opening NFL season game). Carville dismissed Obama’s speech as dead on arrival, saying it would simply outline Obama’s 2012 reelection pitch for jobs. As Carville observed, “This Congress is not going to pass anything that the president proposes, that is pretty clear.”
I concur. What can Obama propose to reverse the nearly 20% un– and under-employment that has occured on his watch? The rate of unemployment is still going up. Throwing more stimulus money at big corporations and financial institutions didn’t work before, why would it be different now?
Personally, Obama could have serious impact by asking American companies to adopt E-Verify for all current and future workers. Eliminate 12–50 million illegal aliens from the work force, let them self-deport, and open those jobs up to Americans. Further, end H1B and L1 visa programs except in the most extreme circumstances. Require companies to hire an American to work alongside each visa worker to be trained to take over that job in 12 months. Now that’d win Obama the hearts and minds of lots of Americans while seriously and quickly turn around unemployment.