Obama Plays Republicans And Gets Exactly What He Wanted Out Of GOP Debate

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:52 pm

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President Obama laid out the bait when he outlined his positive vision for America, and the Republican presidential candidates couldn’t resist. Instead of talking about the Democratic candidates, the Republican field spent the night lost in an alternate universe of despair.

Politico summed up how Republicans screwed up:

When Hillary Clinton popped up at the sixth Republican forum, it was only as an extension of Obama. But most of the time, the GOP’s 2016 presidential candidates didn’t even bother with their “Obama’s third term” talking point, instead landing right on Obama himself.

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Where top Democratic operatives worry about Clinton’s chances in November (few believe there’s any chance Bernie Sanders gets the nomination despite his surge in the polls), it’s that she’ll represent a look backward more than a lookahead. Like Obama, they feel good about their chances if 2016 becomes a referendum on his presidency, with pretty much everyone who works in the West Wing ready to quote the talking point that even at his 47 percent approval rating, he remains the most popular politician in the country.

They like their chances if the elections about comparing records between Obama and Bill Clinton and the Republicans. They’re a lot more anxious about Clinton fighting with any of the fresher faced Republicans about who better represents the future.

President Obama wants to be at the center of the 2016 action. Politically, keeping Obama at the center of things is a winning strategy for Democrats. Republicans contempt for this president is higher than ever, but he remains the most popular politician in the country. Obama has been making big speeches and using executive actions, not just to keep the country moving forward, but to stay at the center of the political discussion.

Obama has dominated Republicans for years but making their reactive instead of proactive. The Republican presidential field has not laid out an agenda to do anything. The Republican presidential candidates spent two and half hours on national cable news reacting to President Obama’s agenda.

Republican tried to win presidential elections in 2008 and 2012 on a platform that was anti-Obama. When the Republicans did take a position at the Fox Business debate, it was unpopular with the rest of the country. The Republican candidates supported banning Muslims, tax cuts for the rich, defunding Planned Parenthood, and more war in the Middle East. Republicans opposed expanding background checks, comprehensive immigration reform, and diplomacy.

Obama’s strategy is great news for the Democratic nominee because it is clear that no matter who wins on the Democratic side, there is a cohesion of both agendas and goals that does not exist on the Republican side.

President Obama is masterfully playing Republicans who have fallen into his trap by being stuck in the past while having no plan for the future.

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