During a campaign rally in Iowa Barack Obama said, “It was something to behold. Despite all the challenges that we face. . . What they offered over those three days was more often than not an agenda that was better suited for the last century. It was a rerun. We’ve seen it before. You might as well have watched it on a black-and-white TV.” I watched a majority of both Conventions. As a Republican I felt that the Romney and the GOP did a great job of laying out their plans for the future. So let’s take a look at Candidate Obama (2008) vs. Incumbent Obama (2012).
Tax Code
2008 Obama: “Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists that wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.”
2012 Obama: “I want to reform the tax code so that it’s simple, fair and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000.
Energy Dependence
2008 Obama: “I will set a clear goal as president. In ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from theMiddle East. And I’ll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable renewable sources of energy. . . An investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs.”
2012 Obama: “If you choose [my] path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.”
Education
2008 Obama: “I’ll create more teacher-residency programs . . . and train 30,000 high-quality teachers a year, especially in math and science. To support our teachers, we’ll expand mentoring programs that pair experienced, successful teachers with new recruits.
2012 Obama: “I promise you- we can out-educate and out-compete any country on Earth. Help me recruit 100,000 math and science teachers in the next ten years.”
Iran
2008 Obama: “Iran,Cuba,Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to theSoviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat.”
2012 Obama: Our commitment toIsrael’s security must not waver, and neither must our pursuit of peace. The Iranian government must face a world that stays united against its nuclear ambitions.”
Infrastructure
2008 Obama: First, we will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy efficient. Second, we will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system.”
2012 Obama: “It’s time to do some nation –building right here at home – rebuilding roads and bridges; schools and runways.”
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. There for a while I thought that I was watching Barack Obama’s Acceptance speech live streaming via Wii. The differences between Obama’s 2008 talking points and his 2012 talking points are basically the same – except when it comes to Iran, in which he had no idea what he was talking about. If you and your family are better off now than you were four years ago – which is very unlikely – you should vote for Barack Obama this November. Otherwise voting for Barack Obama will only get you more of the exact same.
Michael Butler.
