President Obama just gave a very tough speech in Cleveland today, hitting this year's Democratic campaign themes, going after Republicans on economic policy, and defending his administration in very clear terms (full text is posted after the jump).Watching the speech -- perhaps the first time in six months I've seen the president really hit his rhetorical stride -- it occurs to me that there may be a campaign strategy there. Almost everyone seems to assume that Congress is likely to do nothing when it returns to session Monday -- no stimulus, no jobs, and perhaps even no deal on tax cuts. Instead of fighting with a frustrated legislature every day, Obama should amp up his campaign schedule (and I'm sure in the coming months we'll see much more travel from the White House) and deliver this speech across the country. His addresses have been getting decent coverage lately, and perhaps the administration is getting the hang of the bully pulpit -- if you drag the White House press corps halfway across the country, they'll write something about it.
There's no guarantee this would be any more effective than other efforts to present the election as a choice between competing visions -- rather than a referendum on the results of the last two years of governing -- but this kind of rhetoric -- including defenses of Social Security, health-care reform, and financial regulation, as well as his punches at the GOP -- could help increase Democratic turnout at a time when it's desperately needed. It's clear, however, that the solution to the Democrats' electoral problems will not come from Congress. Maybe the president should step in.
-- Tim Fernholz
