President Barack Obama lambasted the GOP presidential candidates for their "radical" vision, citing that America is at their "make or break moment" and that the choice for the right direction has never been so "unambiguously clear." He berated their "laughable" economic policies, which he claimed "nearly destroyed" America's financial system, while re-emphasizing his arguments in the State of the Union address that said all Americans should get a "fair shot" at success and that everyone must play "by the same rules" (Madison).
"We have been having the same argument with folks who keep pedaling some version of trickle-down economics," said Obama. "They keep telling us that if we convert more of our investment in education and research and health care into tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, our economy will grow stronger .We're told that when the wealthy become ever wealthier, and corporations are allowed to maximize their profits by whatever means necessary, it's good for America" (Madison).
"The problem for advocates of this theory is that we've tried their approach on a massive scale. The results of their experiment are there for all to see," he continued (Madison). .
Obama's speech comes at a time with the two parties are butting heads over several different issues, including Obama's controversial healthcare overhaul plan and the GOP's budget plan. Obama specifically targeted GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney for supporting Paul Ryan's conservative budget plan. He added that if Ronald Reagan were in the presidential race today, he "could not get through a Republican primary" (Madison).
"Ronald Reagan, who as I recall was not accused of being a tax-and-spend socialist, understood repeatedly that when the deficit started to get out of control that for him to make a deal he would have to propose both spending cuts and tax increases. He did it multiple times," Obama said (Madison).
