Obama battling against inequality
Over a century ago, in Osawatomie, Kansas, President Theodore Roosevelt's "New Nationalism" speech took on Wall Street.
On December 6, 2011, at Osawatomie High School, Barack Obama channeled Teddy Roosevelt with a populist and powerful speech, laying out his vision and the themes of the 2012 election.
It was a sweeping indictment of economic inequality in the U.S. and a pledge to fight for fairness for the middle class.
President Obama declared, "It's not a view that we should somehow turn back technology or put up walls around America. It's not a view that says we should punish profit or success or pretend that government knows how to fix all society's problems. It's a view that says in America, we are greater together - when everyone engages in fair play, everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share."
In the speech, President Obama said, the number one, defining challenge for the country is income inequality - the giant gap between the middle class and the richest, and between the bottom of the income scale and the richest in America. Things are out of balance, people aren't getting fair shakes. You can't get ahead even if you work hard and you play by the rules.
We have had inequality rising over a decade in which most people have gotten essentially no raise. And, over the last three years, they've gotten whacked by the great recession.
The President made the case that in closing this gap, the government has to be a force. This is a direct contrast to the let markets rule and the get-government-out-of-the-way approach of the Tea Party and many conservatives.
President Obama planted a flag. He has set up, both in the Washington policy fights and in the political 2012 campaign, a very clear difference. The American people have a distinct choice when it comes to economics, Wall Street reform, consumer protection, taxes, and spending in 2012.
What has the conversation been in Washington since the 2010 election? The deficit and debt. Not much has been accomplished and the Super Committee failed.
This summer President Obama really tried to do a bipartisan major deficit and debt reduction with a grand bargain where there would be substantial revenue increases and significant cut backs on spending. It didn't work. The White House has rightly concluded that Republicans have no interest in cooperating.
And, since this summer, as in the case of the Osawatomie, Kansas speech, President Obama has said, no, we're not going to talk about bipartisan deficit reduction - we're going to talk about jobs and about moving the economy forward.
President Obama no longer talks about cooperating with Republicans. He is in their faces.
In the Dec. 6, 2011 speech, President Obama said not only is the middle class not getting a fair deal, but Republicans are part of the reason why.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school, and middle school head, Cincinnati Country Day School. He is currently neighborhood team leader, Glendale Organizing For America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com)
