(CNN) – President Obama, moving into campaign mode ahead of the midterm elections, has added new, sharper language to his stump speech – twice this week invoking the name of his predecessor.
Obama frequently criticizes Republican policies on the economy – that is certainly nothing new. But the latest wrinkle in Obama's rhetoric is that until now, he has avoided referring to former President Bush by name. That changed this week.
Thursday marked the second time in a week that Obama has mentioned Bush. During a fundraiser in Chicago for Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, Obama said Republicans are "betting on amnesia" as trying to make the economy an issue in fall races around the country.
"They haven't come out with a single solitary idea that is different from policies that held sway for eight years before Democrats took over, not a single policy difference that's discernible from George W. Bush. Not one," he told the crowd at the Palmer House Hilton on Chicago.
Before about 400 donors, Obama said, "they're betting that you just forgot about the eight years that they were in charge of Washington. They're betting that you didn't notice that the recession started under their watch and the deficit started under their watch".
The comments were similar to remarks the President delivered at a party fundraiser in Atlanta Monday. In that speech he also referred to GOP efforts to "extend Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires."
Obama attended 3 fundraising events in Chicago Thursday, including two for the Democratic National Committee. He goes back on the road Monday for fundraising events in Texas.
From CNN Politics
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It's about TIME the Democrats start reminding us Americans whose policies got us into this mess. THE GOP EXPERIMENT WITH TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS HAS BEEN PROVEN NOT TO WORK. The GOP plan remains the same: "Chant lower taxes, decrease spending. Then if we get power back spend like a drunken sailor but don't raise taxes--wait for the Democrats to do the dirty work and get all the blame".
Dems and Obama have nothing to tout about that they have done any good at all for the citizens of the United States. When all else has failed – blame the previous Administration. Difference is – we the people in the United States are already placing blame right where it belongs – to President Obama. Who needs any more time to pass by? Just Dems doing what they are doing best nowadays – pointing fingers.
Where Obama is concerned, I just consider the source and ignore him. His day in court will come.
Bush was blamed for 9-11 while only being in office for 8 months. Ok. Obama has been in office for 20. The mess is his now. Blaming the previous administration is not a sign of leadership, just passing the blame. Get out of campaign mode and get to work. This constant whining, complaining and blaming is getting old.
President Obama is right. He needs to hit hard at the man who got us here and the morons who want to go back in that direction!
when are we going to recognize we made a mistake you can not keep bleming others for your failures
Nothing else for him to do. He can't point to the unemployment and say see what I have done.
"they're betting that you just forgot about the eight years that they were in charge of Washington..."
Uh, "they" weren't "in charge of Washington" in at least two significant ways. First, it was only a clean-sweep for the Republicans–presidency and both houses of Congress–for only half of those eight years, and second, George Bush is gone and the self-righteous, bible-thumping, neo-cons he represented got the message in November 2008 that self-righteous bible-thumping doesn't play well in the US any more.
For the Dems to run against Bush two years after he left office isn't going to work, especially since, as of the last few days, a slight majority of American voters now think the economy is the fault of Obama and the Dems rather than that of Bush and the neo-cons.
There you go... keep passing the buck.
The day of reckoning is coming. Keep whistling pass the graveyard. After November you can just blame it on the people not understanding how truly enlightened you are
This is the biggest loser President. WHEN is the illegal alien President going to start taking responsibility for all his own failures. What happen to the 900 Billion Dollars that was suppose to help the country get a bunch of new jobs?????
Obama is right about this peculiar form of amnesia – these folks tend to forget that the Great Recession started a year before Obama took office. And while nobody likes the budget deficit – tea partiers and Republicans alike forget to point out that the largest contributors to the deficit was under GW Bush. I think it is time to force these and other issues to the forefront – point-by-point.
Well the president is right about that. No ideas at all from the repos just more retoric and name calling. Wasted lots of time and money on their birthday card for the president. Disgracefull bunch on unpatriotic boobs.They spend more time scaring people into believing taxes are going sky high and medical insurance will price them out of the market and the economy is getting worse. If they would put half that much energy into working on these things we might recover faster.
Obama is just another looser. He blames Bush for all of his failures and there are plenty. Health care, cap and trade, the bank refore without mentioning Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. I hope is is gone in 2012.
"They haven't come out with a single solitary idea that is different from policies that held sway for eight years before Democrats took over, not a single policy difference that's discernible from George W. Bush. Not one," he told the crowd at the Palmer House Hilton on Chicago.
What a lair in chief. Health care summit – did not want to hear them. he has refuse to hear the minority and wants only play partisan political. November is around the corner.
He's right the GOP has no new ideas, it's the same ole give tax breaks to the rich to create jobs, Bush gave them tax breaks and lost millions of jobs.
While we wait for the typical responders I want to call out Phoenix86. During one his usual typical unoriginal rants he mentioned many states should succeed from the union. Dude, learn the word before you go shoot off your mouth. It is secede not succeed.
Give me a break Obama. Enough with the Bush blame game. You are in the drivers seat, you wanted it, you got it. All was suppose to me instaneously and transparently fixed. You have failed miserable. No more blaming others for your inadequacies.
That proves Obama lacks of leadership skill.
Obama is extremely pathetic and extremely weak. He has absolutely no leadership skills and is in way over his head. Bush again? Really? After almost 2 years? Well I guess when you have to ram your agenda down the throats of the American people against their will and than to top it off the policies are proven failures Obozo needs someone to blame. Perhaps he should look in a mirror to find the true culprit. The anti American Democrap Party is going to lose congress by a huge margin come November. As far as our one and done so-called President, he will be lucky to finish his one term without either being impeached first or just physically removed by the brewing revolution. Count On It!
Obama is so lame, he has no idea of what to do correctly, so he blames Bush.
The GOP keeps whining that President Obama is "blaming Bush." Well, if the shoe fits - wear it! President Obama does need to remind Americans (many of whom seem to have short memories) who want a recession that was many years in the making fixed in only 1 1/2 years that he inherited this mess and is doing his best to fix it, but that it will take time. Why should our President have to take the blame for this economy when all of these conditions (and worse) were already in place the day he was sworn into office. Our economy has stabilized and made some small progress. That is good for the small amount of time that has passed. On top of that, President Obama's policies saved U.S. automakers (and the many, many jobs that go with them) who are now making a profit and paying the government back. Bush DID make this mess and the GOP is doing NOTHING to fix it (in fact they are trying to stop our President from being able to help our country) and those are the facts. Some people need reminding. Bush is being blamed because that is exactly where the blame falls as much as the GOP would like us to forget it.
You gutless coward Obama, you take credit for good things that you had NOTHING to do with (See Iraq and Ford etc, etc), but never take charge of anything and just give lip service , you are a fraud and a gutless, vile coward.
Case in point, YOU are against gay marriage (ON RECORD), and were OK with the California bill that some judge shot down but yet Axelfraud goes on TV and says you had issues with it and were against it, cue up the tape and BOOM your own words with Jake Tapper and YOU HAD NO PROBLEM WITH IT.
You get caught over and over and over LYING, but the LSM let's you get away with it, but if someone points out the truth they are racists.
White independents got you elected, but now they are against YOUR POLICIES and now they are all of a sudden racist???
You and your minions make me sick.
Blame Bush is all this gov't expanding hypocrite has
Yeah, it is about time. Bush and the Repugs screwed up everything and yet, they now want power again! Why put in govt thugs that hate govt? Reject them all...