Axelrod: Defending the President

Dr. Axelrod has been such an effective defender of President Obama's record as the chief executive of the States, that one wishes to get a hold of the behind-the-scenes meetings with advisers that go into the policy-making mix, before the President adopts policies and the tactics on how to sell those policies.

The administration does have an impressive record, when it comes to legislative triumphs on such long-standing issues as health insurance reform, but the economy is still having a difficult time recovering. Furthermore, unemployment continues to be high. Meanwhile, the public and politicians have been prematurely put into a situation of stimulus-fatigue, by all of the rhetoric about excessive government spending during a deep recession.

What can be done? I think the president and his advisers should take advantage of the interconnection between domestic and foreign policies, by making a dramatic move, to speed up the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. There are a host of reasons that could be given for that, including reducing the footprint of conventional forces, in order to fight "a smarter war" against a dwindling corp of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Each dollar of savings from such a move, should then be delegated to help Main Street, by buying up most of the homes that are now in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure, and reselling them to home-owners through Fannie Mae, with a reevaluated principal and fixed interest rates at current market levels.

That will change the topic on the economic front, from doldrums all around to optimism among medium and small business owners. That coupled with the legislative successes of the president and Congress so far, should re-energize the grassroots and reduce Democratic losses in the Mid-term elections.

I thank you.

Fubara David-West

Sun Jul 11, 12:17 pm ET
Axelrod tries to fend off WH critics from all sides
By Rachel Rose Hartman

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By Rachel Rose Hartman rachel Rose Hartman – Sun Jul 11, 12:17 pm ET
The Obama Administration put presidential advisor David Axelrod on the talk show circuit Sunday. In each appearance, he was peppered with questions about White House critics. With a stagnant job growth, stymied legislation and sinking poll numbers, Axelrod certainly had his share of complaints to address.
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Sinking approval from independent voters? Axelrod conceded on ABC's This Week that "difficult times" create a "difficult election" environment for the president, but said the administration' s focus remains on how to fix the labor market and the country. "Our job is to worry about how we get people back to work, how we move this country forward, and if—if we do our job, the rest will take care of itself," Axelrod said, adding that the presidential election "is an eternity away."