Why This Dem Loved Obama's Speech

Once again, Barack Obama has given a hell of speech when he had to.

While it can be argued that he could have offered more specifics, the President’s speech on deficit reduction Wednesday was an eloquent, well-constructed and timely explanation and defense of the American “social compact”, and of the federal government’s role in assuring its maintenance.

Importantly, President Obama has now staked out his position--or at least the essential framework of his position--for the coming debate on the FY 2012 budget and the vote on raising the nation’s debt ceiling. At the same time he signaled a willingness to negotiate on details.  Obama provided his supporters and congressional allies with a principled stance when he said, “We will all need to make sacrifices. But we do not have to sacrifice the America we believe in. And as long as I’m president, we won’t.”

And by putting both his political philosophy and his economic plan on the table, Mr. Obama’s also established a central theme for his reelection campaign. He’s declared that he and his party stand for shared values, shared responsibilities and shared sacrifices; he is going to force the opposition to either abandon, modify or defend to the end a philosophy aimed at benefitting the few at the expense of the many.

It’s a high risk/high reward strategy, but it is exactly what the country needs right now.

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