"Are you better off now? You damn right you are!"

[Surya Gayatri]

"4 years ago we were losing 750k jobs a month. Now we're not. We had 2 wars. Now we don't. We didn't know where Bin Laden was. Now we do. Health insurance rates were growing at a blistering pace. Now they're not. The DOW was at 6000. Now it's at 13,000. Are you better off now? You damn right you are!"

Real comment under this Obama Campaign video featuring Harold and Kumar:

&feature=player_embedded

[chloes1]

1. Four years ago

Bush was in office, so umm... hell yeah I'm better off!

I have confidence that should my health improve to allow me to work again I'll be able to buy health insurance, something I could not have done before.

I have hope that my son will continue to have the opportunities to go to college, and not beggar me in the process.

I see around me in my small little community the signs of economic recovery, there are some jobs coming around, well at least there were tourist season. We are a tourist town, and in the winter there isn't much to be had. This summer, for the first time in two years there were job openings.

Life is better now than it was then!

What about for you?

[Surya Gayatri]

2. Well, I actually live in France, so my situation is

linked to the € zone crisis.

But, yes, I can say I'm at least as well off as four years ago. I've been able to retire on a pension that allows me to live decently.

I can still afford to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Not so takcy!

[Surya Gayatri]

3. Forgot to say welcome to DU, chloes1!

[Sherman A1]

4. Well Said!

[still_one]

5. Well, there are some people who are still unemployed, and people better be sensitive to that shit.

The administration is, but I am not sure about others

There was a post here a couple of days ago from a person who had been out of work for two years.

I suggest while things have improved, there are a lot of people still hurting

[Surya Gayatri]

6. As the immortal Springsteen says: "We take care of our own"...

Believe me, there will be genuine compassion on display in Charlotte--not the "faux" concern we saw in Tampa.

[Live and Learn]

7. Am I better off than I would have been with a McCain\Palin administration?

Hell yes.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. Too true, but unfortunately, this isn't a line of attack they can use at the convention...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. I am actually glad O'Malley caused all the hoopla about being better off. Finally,

finally, finally, the Obama surrogates are on TV ticking off all that had improved.

It's almost like everyone said "hey, let's all get on the same page and come
up with a list of accomplishments." Sorry, this is a "duh" moment, but SO
glad it happened.

[Surya Gayatri]

10. Agree totally, Laura...it's like O'Malley's stumble set off

the alarm bells at the station house, and the whole crew has come charging to the rescue.

Now, finally, they seem to be fighting fire with fire!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Ha. I saw O'Malley on Charlie Rose last night. He said he was a victim of

splicing. He definitely had his act together on an answer last night though. Man, he is
the calmest politician I have ever seen. He kind of reminds me of a hypnotist putting
someone to sleep..."You are getting sleepy." :&gt

The whole thing almost makes me think someone would hesitate when asked about healthcare law. Surely,
there can be some list of pros that we all can repeat over and over. How about just the human aspect
of helping those who need help? My Dad's best friend had the exact same thing Reagan had - colon
cancer. Reagan survived that because he had the very best doctors. My Dad's friend complained to
his about continued pain, was ignored, and died.

[Surya Gayatri]

16. Yeah, they have to get the pro-Obamacare argument down to

3 or 4 bumper sticker-size talking points.

[fasttense]

11. Am I better off than in 2008?

That's a tough question.

My husband and I got laid off in 2009 and we have found no jobs since then. We started a small business by working the farm and selling specialty farm products. My husband says it's a much better job. We are our own boss. We determine the goals. But it's a lot of work for a lot less money.

In 2008, we had 2 kids in college and we could buy just about anything we needed or wanted. Today, we are on a very tight budget and the kids are struggling to get through Grad School and college.

So financially we are much worse off. I think the RepubliCONS are trying to reach people like us with that better off meme. But we know who got us into this mess and it wasn't Obama. Obama and the Democratic Congress could have done a whole lot more to help the middle class and they could have done more to help unions and Democratic voters. But they didn't. They instead bailed out banks (as did the bushes), gave tax cuts to the uber rich (as did the bushes), and somewhat improved the health care situation (which the bushes couldn't care less about).

We are better off because we don't have to cringe every time our stupid president decides to open his mouth. We don't have to worry that another war for oil will be started so a politician can get reelected. We don't have to worry that another supreme court justice will be appointed who is taking bribes from corporations and wants to destroy the middle class. So, in some respects we are better off.

If a RepubliCON had been elected in 2008, we would have been even worse off. And if a RepubliCON gets elected into the White House or they takeover congress, we will be much worse off just like we were under bush.

[Surya Gayatri]

15. Thanks for this honest and well-thought-out assessment, fastsense.

Sure, we all have issues with the way some things were done and not done.

But, the bottom line is definitely in the assets column--things are better.

[gkhouston]

23. ^^ This.

Four years ago, we had a good steady household income and health insurance. Now, we have neither... but we blame Republicans. If they'd behaved as statesmen instead of the most venal type of politician, the jobs recovery would be much further along and we'd be better off. It's one thing to want your side to win--it's another to want it so badly that you don't care how much damage you do to the US and its people to "win".

[Lesleymo]

12. The Dems should have an easy time responding to this question.

Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago? Do you *remember* 4 years ago?? We all need to go back and remember just how bad things were under the GWB administration. The country was sliding off a cliff, and now the right-wingers are pretending it all began in 2009. Let's talk about 4 years ago - or 6 years ago - or 8 years ago.

The Obama team should take this meme and run with it.

[Surya Gayatri]

14. They're starting to, with brillo...getting their act together and

reading from the same page.

[wake.up.america]

17. America is more respected abroad now than during Dubya's reign of terror.

[Surya Gayatri]

20. Boy howdy, you can say that again! I live abroad and have

seen America's image improve before my very own eyes.

No comparison! President Obama is genuinely loved.

[cali]

18. I like the argument. I think it's truthful that we as a whole are better off though

I am not. However, I shudder to think where I'll be if R/R is elected:

Totally fucked.

[Surya Gayatri]

21. +1,000 !

[oldsarge54]

19. Well, I'm Not Better Off

On the other hand, I don't blame the President. Prostate cancer and a heart attack tends to put a cramp on things. So, as I am on the sidelines, I watch instead. Well, I do some volunteer work in the prosthetics part of the wounded warrior center here. However, the popularity rating for Congress is well deserved, as they have done their darndest to prevent the President to keep his promises and wish list. My only disappointments in what the President wanted to do and did are small and personal. He did say he wanted to wave the penalties for dipping into your 503b, 401K due to economic stress. Shucky darn, couldn't get that past Congress. Wi-fi for everyone would have been nice, I live out in the country and I'm stuck with so called "fair use" carriers for the net. Business lobbyist killed that idea. Otherwise, I think he did a fair job given the opposition faced.

[Surya Gayatri]

24. Sorry to hear about your health problems...

sending you some positive healing vibes.

Thanks, too, for the fair assessment. You, sir, are a liberal worthy of the name.

You understand the idea of the "greater good for the greater number", putting aside merely personal concerns.
"My only disappointments in what the President wanted to do and did are small and personal."

[FailureToCommunicate]

25. Hang in there Sarge...and welcome to DU! To quote an old soldier:

(Winston Churchill) They also serve who only stand and wait. Or "watch"

Sounds like you are doing a lot from "the sidelines"

[2pooped2pop]

22. I am not better off now

than I was 4 years ago. But my Country is. And I would be in a much worse position, muchmuchmuchworse, if McCain had won. Now if we had controlled the house and Senate as well, I would be much much much better off, and so would my Country.

[Surya Gayatri]

27. We need to create a landslide for Pres. Obama

on the crest of this positive energy from Charlotte.

That landslide will help all Dems down ticket and with luck, give PBO a Congress he can work with!

[liberal N proud]

26. The correct answer is: We are better off than we would have been with the failed policies

set forth by a republican administration.

[Surya Gayatri]

28. Unfortunately, the "would've/could've" meme doesn't work as

positive talking points out on the stump.

But, yes, you're right, of course. Now, to convince those "low-information" voters.

edit: typo

[marmar]

29. I don't think it's a good meme because I don't think most people perceive it to be true....

....... and though it might be true in some statistical measures, it's not a widespread perception -- and we know Americans don't handle nuance very well. A fairly recent poll showed that 54 percent of people think the economy is getting worse. And people probably aren't going to get to excited over an increase in the Dow Industrial Average - they'll see that as more feed for the 1% pigs at the trough.

[Surya Gayatri]

30. It's a question of altering perceptions...inviting people

to see things from a broader, less ego-centric point of view.

The quotation in the OP isn't my writing, it's a comment from the Obama Campaign YouTube site.

The Obama surrogates who've been answering the "4 years ago" question are not using the Dow Jones argument, but are using the Bin Laden, 750k jobs, etc. points with success.

See DUer oldsarge's post as an example of how the debate must be framed:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021264131#post19

[DesertRat]

31. Is Romney better off?

[renate]

32. the point being made in that cartoon should stop Republicans from EVER asking that question again

I hope one of Obama's surrogates answers the question with this.