On Inauguration Day: How Obama Tackled the Tough Issue of the Economy along the Campain Trail

In celebration of Barack Obama's Inauguration, we are featuring an excerpt from Earl Ofari Hutchinson's book, How Obama Won--which we reviewed here.


It Was Still the Economy Stupid

In a two minute nationally paid campaign broadcast billed as a "presidential style" talk to the nation in mid September, 2008, Obama talked about one issue, and one issue only, the economy. There wasn't much new in his talk. But it really didnʼt have to be anything new. Polls by then showed the economy; or rather the train wreck of the economy was really the only thing on voterʼs minds.

Obama again vowed to cut taxes for the middle-class, clean up Wall Street's mess, and create lots of jobs for everybody. He aimed to firmly seize back the high ground on the defining issue of economic misery of the middle and working class, the Bush-GOP caused economic misery that is. This was widely regarded as his sure fire ticket to the White House. It was a play on the old political truism that it's the economy stupid that wins or loses presidential elections.

From day one of campaign 2008 the enshrined article of political faith was that voters were so furious at Bush for causing massive plant closings, farm failures, corporate bungling, fraud and corruption, the housing collapse, soaring gas prices, and the wholesale flight of jobs to the far corners of the planet, that all a Democratic presidential contender had to do to win was pass the breath test on Election Day.

Excerpt taken from How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

You can read more about Earl's opinions on our new President and the economy at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/its-not-always-the-econom_b_127229.html

Order How Obama Won at Amazon.com