With 19 days to go until Election Day, Obama stays vague

President Barack Obama addresses members of the audience during the second presidential debate with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at Hofstra University, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, in Hempstead, N.Y. / AP

Mitt Romney has faced harsh criticism during his campaign for a lack of policy specifics: Democrats have pointed to a lack of details in his tax plan and what he would put in place to replace the health care law, among other issues. Yet President Obama has done little to outline his priorities and promises for the next four years, and with just 19 days left until Election Day, some are calling on the president to be more specific.

"Clearly, the big problem we've got with this president, I think across the board, is that he just hasn't shown any vision for this country," Reince Priebus, chair of the Republican National Committee, said Wednesday on a conference call for reporters. "It is totally a failure in leadership that this president is presiding over."

Priebus' criticism isn't a surprise considering his party affiliation. But members of the president's own party have lobbed similar criticism.

Democratic consultants Stanley Greenberg and James Carville of Democracy Corps released a memo earlier this week that said the president has offered only a "modest vision" of the future. They argued that voters want to hear a "bold case" for "bold policies." The memo was released after the first debate, where the president was widely seen as having done a lackluster job defending himself and challenging Romney.

Andrew Bellman, vice president of Democracy Corps, said the president did a better job presenting his vision for the future in the second debate on Tuesday. He pointed to his closing response, where the president summed up his governing philosophy by saying, "everybody should have a fair shot and everybody should do their fair share and everybody should play by the same rules."

But Bellman said the president has "a lot more work to do" to inform voters of his priorities for the next four years -- and added that he is running out of time.

Mr. Obama's decision to offer relatively few details concerning his agenda differs from his 2008 presidential run, when he promised to pass health care reform, immigration reform, climate change legislation, an increase in the minimum wage, an expansion of Pell grants and he vowed to close Guantanamo Bay.

"It's always easier for a challenger to be more specific, because in many ways incumbents are proposing an extension of the ideas they've laid out already," Mark McKinnon, a Republican strategist who worked as an adviser on both of George W. Bush's presidential campaign, told CBS News.

Democratic strategist Mark Mellman added that "we like to say the elections are about the future, but they tend to be about the past" and voters mostly judge candidates based on what they've already done.

Another Democratic strategist told CBS News that the Obama campaign "made a strategic choice" to avoid talking about the future and instead focus on tearing down his opponent Mitt Romney. The decision, the strategist said, was a response to the mood of the electorate, the status of the economy and likely a host of other factors. There's no reason to think the president will now change tactics and offer additional details about his agenda.

"That strategic model has gotten them a close race," the Democratic strategist, who has worked on presidential campaigns, said. The benefit of that model, he said, is that it creates challenges for Romney in getting his message across and appearing credible. But the problem is that it doesn't provide voters with a clear picture of the future.

The decision by an incumbent to make the race about an opponent is "atypical," he added, though it has been used by at least one presidential incumbent.

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[Necroscope84]

policies that is.

[Necroscope84]

Looks like Paul Ryan really does like Obama's polocies after all.

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/12/14394811-ryan-asked-for-federal-help-as-he-championed-cuts?lite=obinsite

He loves Obama's plans so much that he want's to destroy Mitt Romney with his own plans. Is Paul Ryan a secret ninja agent for Obama? More coming soon. Stay Tuned!

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11662976/1/paul-ryans-tax-plan-endangers-capitalism.html?cm_ven=outbrain

[mark648]

Obama's voice may be vague, but his record is very specific.

[Protect_US_Jobs]

I consider myself an independent voter, but going back to the Reagan days and with the only exception having been Perot, I've always voted Republican. A month ago, I wouldn't have even considered voting for Romney. But after the last two debates and especially after he finally talked about using tariffs to level the playing field and bring jobs back home, I'm considering him more seriously. But, I still don't really believe or trust him yet. I'm hoping that, since he put the use of tariffs out there, that he could be held accountable. But even the way that he worded it, was very clever and leaves him a way to back out.



It was good to see them both finally talk more seriously about bringing manufacturing back home to the USA and about protecting American jobs. Although, I didn't like Romney's comment that we should automatically staple a green card to every foreigner's new college diploma. That sounds too much like, "let's bring in cheaper educated foreigners to do take the place of higher paid US Citizens" (i.e.: the H1B immigrant issue)



Also, I don't agree with Obama's comment that we only need to bring back high wage/high skill jobs. Although if we had to choose, of course, we'd rather bring back the higher skill/wages jobs. But even lower wage/skill manufacturing requires plant managers, safety managers, office personnel, supervisors, maintenance, warehouse personnel, truck drivers, etc. Plus not every person in this country that needs a job is highly skilled or highly educated and we'd be better off if they were working and paying into the system, rather than just collecting from the system. Not to mention the jobs created by the smaller companies and shops that we spring up around such a plant.



President Obama did every well in this debate and appears to really care about doing right by America and our people. So, I'm still undecided.



If Both Parties don't actually start doing something about the real problems in our country like "out-sourcing", illegal immigration and the out of control costs of health care insurance, by the next election - American citizens may just have to run a nation-wide campaign to vote out every single incumbent elected official, so that maybe they'll finally get the message.



Seems in previous elections that both parties were always able to distract and polarize voters with insignificant peripheral issues, which ended up getting most of the voters so caught up in the BS that they lost sight of the bigger picture.



Now that that abortion and gay marriage are not legitimate distractions, they're going with gas prices and Social Security.



Wouldn't it be More Productive if Our Elected Leaders Started Working Together as AMERICANS for AMERICANS and AMERICA, instead of just bickering, stalling and posturing for the next election as democrats and republicans! The American People have had it with this unproductive BS! The sad thing is that both parties stink! Neither party is really looking out for the best interest of the US citizens who elect them and who they're supposed to represent.



ps: We also really need to start actually increasing the safe harvesting, production and distribution of our own natural energy here in the USA, rather than paying for fuel from countries where they hate us. - Let's keep that money and those jobs here in the US.

[Protect_US_Jobs]

I consider myself an independent voter, but going back to the Reagan days and with the only exception having been Perot, I've always voted Republican. A month ago, I wouldn't have even considered voting for Romney. But after the last two debates and especially after he finally talked about using tariffs to level the playing field and bring jobs back home, I'm considering him more seriously. But, I still don't really believe or trust him yet. I'm hoping that, since he put use of tariffs out there, that he could be held accountable. But even the way that he worded it, was very clever and leaves him a way to back out.



It was good to see them both finally talk more seriously about bringing manufacturing back home to the USA and about protecting American jobs. Although, I didn't like Romney's comment that we should automatically staple a green card to every foreigner's new college diploma. That sounds too much like, "let's bring in cheaper educated foreigners to do take the place of higher paid US Citizens" (i.e.: the H1B immigrant issue)



Also, I don't agree with Obama's comment that we only need to bring back high wage/high skill jobs. Although if we had to choose, of course, we'd rather bring back the higher skill/wages jobs. But even lower wage/skill manufacturing requires plant managers, safety managers, office personnel, supervisors, maintenance, warehouse personnel, truck drivers, etc. Plus not every person in this country that needs a job is highly skilled or highly educated and we'd be better off if they were working and paying into the system, rather than just collecting from the system. Not to mention the jobs created by the smaller companies and shops that we spring up around such a plant.



President Obama did every well in this debate and appears to really care about doing right by America and our people. So, I'm still undecided.



If Both Parties don't actually start doing something about the real problems in our country like "out-sourcing", illegal immigration and the out of control costs of health care insurance, by the next election - American citizens may just have to run a nation-wide campaign to vote out every single incumbent elected official, so that maybe they'll finally get the message.



Seems in previous elections that both parties were always able to distract and polarize voters with insignificant peripheral issues, which ended up getting most of the voters so caught up in the BS that they lost sight of the bigger picture.



Now that that abortion and gay marriage are not legitimate distractions, they're going with gas prices and Social Security.



Wouldn't it be More Productive if Our Elected Leaders Started Working Together as AMERICANS for AMERICANS and AMERICA, instead of just bickering, stalling and posturing for the next election as democrats and republicans! The American People have had it with this unproductive BS! The sad thing is that both parties stink! Neither party is really looking out for the best interest of the US citizens who elect them and who they're supposed to represent.



ps: We also really need to start actually increasing the safe harvesting, production and distribution of our own natural energy here in the USA, rather than paying for fuel from countries where they hate us. - Let's keep that money and those jobs here in the US.

[0bama2O12]

Bin Ladin is dead, the capstone event of President Obama's presidency.

[RollotheNorman]

""It's always easier for a challenger to be more specific, because in many ways incumbents are proposing an extension of the ideas they've laid out already," Mark McKinnon, a Republican strategist who worked as an adviser on both of George W. Bush's presidential campaign, told CBS News."

There you have it from Karl Rove's partner in crime. So the next question is "Why won't Willard give any details?" Why is he going to cut taxes 20% for his fat cat friends? Why, having embraced Ryan's budget, is he going to make his own taxes 0%? Why is it when he says wants to spend 8 trillion dollars more over the next 10 years, he can give no credible answer as to why that amount is not going to end up as part of the national debt? Think hard America!

"Clearly, the big problem we've got with this president, I think across the board, is that he just hasn't shown any vision for this country," Reince Priebus, chair of the Republican National Committee, said."

Bin Laden is dead, Detroit is alive, Consumer Confidence is the highest since '07, and housing starts are at the highest in 5 years. Priebus, why should we listen to him? He hasn't helped Willard much. LOL.

[Think3Times]

Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals replies:

I just said I am, Dan. Even though I am not.

____________________________________________

I couldn't resist quoting you out of context here LOL!

[Lindag20]

Dan9080 replies: linkicon reporticon emailicon BS, Slow, I quit that job and soon will be working for a great Fortune 500 firm making way more money.
---------------
Good lord, now you QUIT??? I can't keep up. You've been claiming REPEATEDLY that your "contract" was up. I doubt that ANY Fortune 500 company would even consider hiring you. LOL

[TimeToEvolve]

So can anyone tell me any of Robbed Me's plans? Or is just the same tired old Republicon 1 point plan of tax cuts for the freeloading rich people like him?

[Think3Times]

"Framework" 1: Cut taxes on the rich. (Supposedly 20% across the board)

"Framework" 2: Remove tax exemptions (could you be a little more vague please)

"Framework" 3: Cut spending on PBS, education, and "Imaginary" sources of future energy spending. (Energy Independence? Really?)

"Framework" 4: Cut taxes on small businesses. (I don't believe you)

"Framework" 5: Repeal Obamacare and... (and what?)

Congress is responsible for crunching the numbers to make this "Framework" work.. not Romney. (not my opinion, but his)