by On Tuesday, Obama offered the American voters the first clear glimpse of his upcoming campaign platform. Speaking in a high school gym in small-town Osawatomie, he proclaimed that the American middle class is in jeopardy and that everyone can prosper if given “a fair shot and a fair share.”
Guided by Roosevelt
Reiterating words spoken by President Theodore Roosevelt during a famous speech in 1910, Obama said that we need to fight for the middle class and that “This is the defining issue of our time.”
He continued by saying,
“This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class and all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. At stake is whether this will be a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home and secure their retirement.”
It was no coincident that Obama decided to deliver this speech in the same town where Roosevelt called for a “square deal” for regular Americans. Tying himself to this ideal and to this historical president, Obama embraced the idea of fighting for the middle class and for the regular American citizen.
Republican Response
Of course, not everyone was moved by Obama’s words or his lightly-veiled comparison to Roosevelt. Romney said, while campaigning in Paradise Valley, Arizona,
“Obama said that he is like Teddy Roosevelt. And I thought, `In what way is he like Teddy Roosevelt?’ Teddy Roosevelt of course founded the Bull Moose Party. One of those words applies.”
In another biting opinion, Kirsten Kukowski, the spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said, “Maybe instead of trying to be like other presidents, Obama should try being president.”
Obama left the audience thinking as he said, “In the end, rebuilding this economy based on fair play, a fair shot and a fair share will require all of us to see the stake we have in each other’s success.”