Obama: Will This Country be Better Off Four Years From Now?

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 11:59 pm

In Canton, OH today Barack Obama will lay out his closing argument to the voters about why they should support him. He will focus on the economy and change. Obama will ask Americans, “Will this country be better off four years from now?”

Obama will say, “In one week, you can choose policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy from the bottom-up so that everyone has a chance to succeed; from the CEO to the secretary and the janitor; from the factory owner to the men and women who work on its floor. In one week, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at a time when we need hope. In one week, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need.”

The Democrat also goes after his opponent John McCain, “And now, after twenty-one months and three debates, Senator McCain still has not been able to tell the American people a single major thing he’d do differently from George Bush when it comes to the economy. Senator McCain says that we can’t spend the next four years waiting for our luck to change, but you understand that the biggest gamble we can take is embracing the same old Bush-McCain policies that have failed us for the last eight years.”

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He sums up the question in this election as not, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” We know the answer to that. The real question is, “Will this country be better off four years from now?” He will also talk about tax cuts, “The choice in this election isn’t between tax cuts and no tax cuts. It’s about whether you believe we should only reward wealth, or whether we should also reward the work and workers who create it.”

Obama will also shoot down McCain’s claim that he will raise taxes, “No matter what
Senator McCain may claim, here are the facts – if you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increase by a single dime – not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes. Nothing. Because the last thing we should do in this economy is raise taxes on the middle-class.”

The Illinois senator will return to the themes of unity and common focus, “That is why what we have lost in these last eight years cannot be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits alone. What has also been lost is the idea that in this American story, each of us has a role to play. Each of us has a responsibility to work hard and look after ourselves and our families, and each of us has a responsibility to our fellow citizens. That’s what’s been lost these last eight years – our sense of common purpose; of higher purpose. And that’s what we need to restore right now.”

The difference between McCain and Obama is fairly simple. McCain has yet to offer a vision for the next four years that is different from the policies of the past eight. The point of Obama’s closing argument is to drive home the point on the economy. The change and unity messages have been in his campaign from day one, and they do represent a different kind of politics. We have not had a leader that inspired optimism in eight years. It seems that voters are ready for a fresh start, and that is why Obama is in such a strong position eight days before the election.

Closing Argument Excerpts

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association