The Same Tactic, But Who Has the Edge?

     According to a poll conducted by the CNN political unit, more than eight out of ten people believe that our economy is in poor shape. As a result, many people are quick to blame President Obama for our struggling economy. That same poll states that his disapproval rating of 55% is the highest it has ever been, only 39% approve of the way that he is handling unemployment, and 36% believe that he is handling our economy well. Now as the next election is approaching, candidates for the Republican nomination are wasting no time in criticizing the ways in which Obama has chosen to improve our nations economy. The link below that contains an except of Republican nominee Mitt Romney's speech at a Tea Party rally in New Hampshire on September 4th displays how he and his fellow nominees are using Obama as a scapegoat for our economy as ammunition for their own campaigns.


http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/301363-1




     Romney begins his speech by stating statistics that exemplify the poor state of our economy such as the fact that twenty-five million people are out of work and that in the past month there has been absolutely no job creation. He also takes a shot at Obamacare by saying that it is something that has to be terminated. But what made his speech very strong is the way in which he presented his qualifications for president through highlighting his business experience. He spoke of his triumphs and failures in the private sector, and how those experiences have given him the knowledge to turn our economy around. In an article published by the Huffington Post, Romney claimed that the only other candidate running for the Republican nomination who has the private sector experience that is needed in order to fix our economy is Herman Cain, who is struggling in the GOP poles. Also in this article, Romney inferred that his biggest threat in the race, Rick Perry, does not have the tools to be president because he has never held a job in the private sector. However, Perry's recent successes with handling affairs as Governor of Texas have proven to be the reason as to why he is ahead in the polls as seen in the video below:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/301249-2

     In this speech in Iowa on August 27th, Perry blamed Obama for the condition of our economy like Romney did, but he took it a step further. He claimed that not only has the Obama administration had no positive impact on our economy, it has made it worse as well. His speech contains statistics such as the fact the one out of every eight Iowans are currently unemployed as evidence. But the most effective portion of his speech is when he  refers to his triumphs in working on Texas' economy as "fighting against the current." This analogy is so powerful because it demonstrates the poor shape that our economy is in as well as exposing the high points of his career as Texas' Governor. 


     Minnesota Governor Michele Bachmann is trailing these two candidates in the polls. Ironically, a plausible explanation for this can be the very same thing that haunted President Obama throughout his road to victory in 2008: her lack of political experience. In Nicole Russell's article in The Atlantic Titled Michele Bachmann's Experience Problem, she will have to face the same problem as President Obama did because she has only been in national office since 2006. It seems ironic because she is also quoted as referring to President Obama as "the worst President in history", and if that is indeed the case, his lack of experience played apart in it. It is also evident that she does not have as many accomplishments as her opponents Romney and Perry. As seen in the video below, Bachmann has no problem with conveying her disgust for Obama, but fails to go in depth about how she can correct these errors. 

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/301019-8

    

     As of August 16, 2011, Rick Perry is in the lead with 29%, Mitt Romney has 18%, and Michele Bachmann has 13%. It seems like as of now Perry has the edge but the race is far from over. A plausible explanation for this is that Rick Perry has more to show from the present of what he can do for our country. Although Romney may have 25 years in the private sector, he relies to much on the past to support his credentials. As far as Bachmann is concerned, it seems like she is fishing in the same pool that back in 2008 claimed that Barrack Obama did not have the experience to be president.