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State of the Campaign
By Seymour Klierly Welcome to a presidential election year. After calling out his marching orders in the State of the Union address and completing his first 2012 campaign tour, President Obama has shown his playbook. During the State of the Union speech, Obama mentioned the word "jobs" 32 times (not including Steve Jobs or the Veterans Jobs Corps), "energy" 24 times, "manufacturing" eight times, and "milk" three times. Yes, President Obama talked about dairy farmers and how milk was classified as an oil and any if it spilled someone in "rural America" (only mentioned once) was going to have to pay. But not to worry, jokingly, the president said he was confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. Hopefully, he comes around to understanding teenagers can work on farms, gravel roads kick up dust, and chemicals are needed to curtain pests and diseases. Regarding energy development, Obama called for "an all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy" and specifically mentioned expanding oil and gas exploration by opening more than 75 percent of America's offshore resources; expanding wind, solar, and battery technology by utilizing tax credits; and helping manufactures becoming more energy efficient by upgrading buildings and factories. One rather interesting pledge the president made is to establish solar energy zones and wind energy areas on public lands across the nation. This initiative will power nearly 3 million homes. The week following the State of the Union, the president traveled to five campaign battleground states in order to amplify his 2012 themes. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Obama toured an agriculture manufacturing facility and highlighted his plan to reform taxes by creating incentives to bring foreign jobs into America. In Phoenix, Ariz., the president reemphasized his call for high-tech manufacturing job creation by improving the skilled work force education system. Additionally, while in the Valley of the Sun, Obama and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer had a tense exchange. Details have yet to emerge but it was likely over differences in immigration policy. The next stop on the tour was Sin City. In Las Vegas, Nev., the president toured a UPS facility and copied and pasted the "all-of-the-above" energy section from his address to Congress just days prior. He did announce new incentives to help encourage large trucks users to burn natural gas as a fuel source in addition to helping cities convert bus fleets to run on natural gas. At the next stop, just outside of Denver, Colo., he gave a speech at Buckley Air Force Base where he reiterated his push for renewable energy on public lands and highlighted the Department of Defense increasing the use of renewable power across all branches of service. The final stop in the cross-country tour was at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. While on campus he unveiled a plan to tie federal college aid to tuition policies, essentially rewriting the three programs students currently use--Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans and Work Study. Stay tuned. The president may come to a city near you soon--but if you live in a town, village or rural America you will have to watch on television or read it in the newspaper. Editor's note: Seymour Klierly writes Washington Whispers for the Journal from inside the Beltway.
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