October 17, 2012

In Second Presidential Debate, President Obama Goes to the Mat for American Workers

Last night’s presidential debate at Hofstra University shed more light on Mitt Romney’s evasions, contradictions and outright lies about his position on policies that affect the poor and middle class. Once again, he tried to portray himself as a man who empathizes with working families, but, as President Obama pointed out, Romney’s extreme positions on education, immigration, taxes, pay equity and health care tell a very different story.

Romney and his running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, have made it clear that they intend to make significant cuts to K-12 education, as well Pell grants and job training. They are against comprehensive immigration reform. They do not support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and and want to repeal “Obamacare” and take us back to the days where people are denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. The only groups benefiting from the Romney/Ryan plan are the wealthy few—whose taxes would be cut even further — and corporations, which would receive tax breaks for shipping good middle class jobs overseas.

Romney couldn’t make up his mind about jobs during this debate, covering just about every position throughout the two hour and a half hour broadcast:

• “I’m going to make sure you get a job. Thanks Jeremy. Yeah, you bet.”
• “As president, I will create 12 million new jobs.”
• “The government doesn’t create jobs.”

Talk about flip-flopping. Meanwhile, President Obama spoke eloquently about his vision for bring not just any jobs, but good paying jobs back to America.

We can’t afford to go back to the same old trickle down policies that got us into this economic mess in the first place. This debate made it clear that President Obama is committed to making life better for working families and our most vulnerable citizens.