Right Change: Are You “Fine?”

Since Friday, the media has been abuzz with President Obama’s remarks on the economy, in which he asserted that “the private sector is doing fine.” This statement has been met with much outcry from the public, who clearly does not share his sentiments. On top of being a rhetorical and political blunder, this comment is reminiscent of one made my John McCain in 2008 that the Obama campaign was quick to jump on, saying: “Senator, what economy are you talking about?”

To the President we now ask: what private sector are you talking about? Private sector job growth is currently flitting back and forth between .2 and 0%  monthly. Even if we round up and call it .2%, this is in no way close to a comeback from 2009 where these numbers plummeted to -1.8%.

So what would “fine” really look like for the private sector? We envision an unemployment rate lower than 8.2%, job growth with a descriptor other than ‘anemic’ preceding it, and a workforce without a constant fear of layoffs or pay cuts due to economic instability.

The President was quick to try and renege his comments, stating later that it is "absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine…that’s why I spent yesterday, the day before yesterday, this past week, this past month and this past year talking about how we can make the economy stronger.” Yes, Mr. President. You have been talking about it, and we know that is one thing you have a talent for. Obama does not make the careless comments that became one of the most parodied aspects of the Bush presidency, so we know that this statement was not simply a fumbling answer to an unexpected question. What, then, does it mean? To us, it signifies two truths: firstly, that the President has and will continue (if re-elected) to downgrade the private sector in words and in practice, shrinking its importance to the economy and inflating government. Secondly, it reaffirms the fact that Obama will say anything it takes to win the vote of his main base. In this case, that is the public sector. In turning his laser-focus onto those particular Americans, however, the President brushed aside the rest. Although not a rhetorical mistake, this was an enormous political error, in that it belittled the problems of the approximately 120 million voters who are struggling in the private sector.

Is this to say that there is no need for concern over public sector jobs as well? Not necessarily. But this moment is altogether indicative of the Obama administrations work to downplay the private sector and call for, you guessed it, more government. Maybe instead of pulling for votes 24/7, our President could frankly address America with a realistic picture of our problems and a decent plan to fix them. That would be “fine” to see, don’t you think?

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