President Obama's Third State of the Union

This past week the country witnessed President Barack Obama give the third State of the Union address of his presidency (his first speech was technically only a speech to a joint session of Congress.) In doing so he, for all intensive purposes, kicked off his re-election campaign. So it came as no wonder that Obama hit on different chords from his previous SOTU as he moved from post-partisan rhetoric to that befitting someone who is seeking, above all, votes.

With the economy in shambles it becomes increasingly difficult for an incumbent president to win a second term in the White House. Therefore, in order to do so he has to shift the debate away from the economy and jobs and instead place it in a more favorable arena: inequality. Now, as we have already witnessed in the State of the Union, Obama and Democrats will talk more and more about the disparity between the rich and poor and the rich doing their “fair share.”

The Republicans, however, should try their best to keep away from this debate for it is heavily slanted in the Democrats’ favor. Rather they should harp up the fact that the American economy is still mired in the pit of slow-recovery and Obama and the Democrats have failed to get it out.

My prediction is this: whoever chooses the main debate of this election season will win the White House. I do not know if Obama will persuade the American people with his demagogic appeals to their sense of “equality.” But, if the Republicans make this election a referendum on Obama and his lackluster economic performance (from the present viewpoint at least,) the Presidency is theirs for the taking.