The Asheville Citizen-Times headlined the visit, “Obama Pushes Jobs During Talk in Asheville Today;” the Hendersonville Times-News, “Obama Pushes for Jobs Bill in Asheville.” Putting both phrases in Babelfish, translating to Pidgin, then Cornish, Navajo, then back to English, the result read, “Obama sings Johnny Paycheck classic.”
The president came to the Asheville Regional Airport today. People I know who attended didn’t think it was awfully crowded. In fact, the big part of the show was getting to see Air Force One.
Recurring themes in critiques have been: (1) he was campaigning against Republicans with taxpayer dollars, and (2) he doesn’t respect the concept of separation of powers. With respect to the latter, the president stated he could propose legislation, and if Congress didn’t agree, the people could vote their reps out.
With respect to the former, he said his jobs plan had the backing of economists, a concept that, for as long as I’ve known anything about economics, has meant nothing. His plan would create about 2 million jobs – just like the last two great plans. What part of “is” do Republicans not understand? He then posed a false dilemma, conflating deregulation with pollution. He also argued that socialized medicine in a diverse economy is actually going to increase healthcare coverage. One need only soak the super-rich so they can insure fewer employees. But since reality bites, let’s go on dreaming.
The president says the Asheville Airport’s tarmack needs some expansion. He’s got the dough to make it happen. It will create jobs. If a candidate promises to bring bacon home, those within earshot are supposed to vote for him, no?
