Obama should quit tying Hillary to his presidency.
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From Hillary's acceptance speech, read it and weep: "I’ve gone around our country talking to working families. And I’ve heard from so many of you who feel like the economy just isn’t working.Some of you are frustrated – even furious. And you know what? You’re right. It’s not yet working the way it should. Americans are willing to work – and work hard."
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Democrat
Colorado Springs, CO
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I'll add my perspective to the conversation. The United States economy relative to the rest of the major industrialized countries is doing quite well despite having Republicans sabotage Obama's efforts including blocking a jobs bill to rebuild infrastructure. However, while we can admire the steady job growth as a whole, we must acknowledge that the growth has not been even. Some cities and geographical areas have flourished and have become a magnet for migration from those cities/areas that have not done so well. This is nothing new. You can go back hundreds of years and find older communities that have seen better days, whether it be plantations in the south that were highly dependent on slavery and cotton, or mining towns in the west that thrived until the gold veins depleted, or logging towns or fishing communities or certain manufacturing cities or now coal country. There are multiple reasons for towns dying, but the number one reason is market forces driven by competition (domestic and foreign), technology (automation) and resources. Labor intensive companies are always vulnerable to workers being replaced by robots. It's happening all over the world all the time. Education is the key to keeping up with the changing times...that and an entrepreneurial spirit. Companies die and new companies rise up to take their place. It's a fact of life. No job is forever. Workers have adapted to the changing economic demographics by migrating to where the work is. However, there is a certain segment of the population that either won't leave or cannot leave. In some cases they have rebuilt their communities around a new industry. My state of Colorado is an example of that with fashionable ski towns like Breckenridge, Aspen, and Vail replacing the old gold mining camps. In many cases tourism is the driver for halting decline, but it does require a commitment from the locals and young energetic people to drive the transformation. If young people have left, the community will eventually die. Coal country in that respect is no different. However, they also have dug a big hole for themselves with mountain top removal and mining methods that have destroyed the environment in which they live. Hillary Clinton has recognized the unique problems with coal country and has sought the input of many experts and the community leaders themselves in developing a plan to revitalize coal communities. It's been on her website since last November. She has pushed it but somehow has trouble competing with Donald Trump who "promises" to bring back the coal mining jobs rather than transform the communities. Chet, I have brought this up in prior threads. I don't know if you have read it. But read it and give us your expert opinion on why it can or cannot work. Then you can share your views with Hillary because one thing I can assure you is that Hillary listens. Her plan is a product of listening, and she has no problems about revising it or tweaking it based on criticism. That's why she has posted not only this plan on the internet, but all of her plans to be viewed by everyone.
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Democrat
Colorado Springs, CO
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Certainly Obama pushed the accomplishments of his administration, and there are lots of things to feel upbeat about if you read the transcript of his convention speech. But also, like he has always done, he acknowledged that there is more work to do: "By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we started. And through every victory and every setback, I've insisted that change is never easy, and never quick; that we wouldn't meet all of our challenges in one term, or one presidency, or even in one lifetime. "So tonight, I'm here to tell you that yes, we've still got more work to do. More work to do for every American still in need of a good job or a raise, paid leave or a decent retirement; for every child who needs a sturdier ladder out of poverty or a world-class education; for everyone who has not yet felt the progress of these past seven-and-a-half years. We need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer; our homeland more secure, and our world more peaceful and sustainable for the next generation." "So if you agree that there's too much inequality in our economy, and too much money in our politics, we all need to be as vocal and as organized and as persistent as Bernie Sanders' supporters have been during this election. "We all need to get out and vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, and then hold them accountable until they get the job done. "That's right, feel the Bern! "If you want more justice in the justice system, then we've all got to vote, not just for a president, but for mayors and sheriffs and state's attorneys and state legislators. That's where the criminal law is made. And we've got to work with police and protesters until laws and practices are changed. That's how democracy works." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The bottom line is that I did not see any inconsistency between the two speeches. President Obama needed to champion the progress already made because so many Republicans and pundits are not giving him credit for accomplishing anything. He has said on many occasions that the work is never done, and now he is passing the baton onto Hillary to continue to fight inequality. Hillary says how she is going to do it. The word "how" is missing from Trump's speeches. Regarding the coal community, I can understand what you are saying. But I really would like you to take a critical line by line look at Hillary Clinton's plan for coal country and tell me what could work and what not. Don't be dismissive of the whole thing as just another set of promises. That's a cop out.
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