The President, the Pope, and a new challenge for the GOP

The President has just visited with the Pope.

Normally this would be pretty basic story. One leader paying homage to another. But not today. 

In this trip to the Vatican, President Obama has an eye to the November elections. 

Here's why it makes things difficult for the GOP.

First, with his emphasis on wealth inequality, Pope Francis has put the GOP in an uncomfortable identity position. By his words, Republicans have been forced to confront accusations that their social conservatism does not extend to the war on poverty (see Paul Ryan being challenged on Catholic TV). Conservatives are thus also being forced to balance their political faith in a more difficult relationship with American Catholicism - traditionally a strong voting bloc. At a thematic level, the Pope's inequality narrative will force the GOP to face up to new thinking in social politics (something I've previously written on here).

Second, Obama's visit has given him a major forum from which to assert his domestic inequality agenda. Post this visit, for example, you can be confident that the White House will employ a budding message - 'The Pope supports Obama, so shouldn't you?'. As an extension, Obama's visit will force the GOP to assert a countermanding, front page inequality narrative. While the GOP has such a narrative (again, Paul Ryan has done great work here), a campaign that focuses on poverty doesn't flow with the GOP's favored electoral strategy - focusing on ObamaCare as its core (perhaps even singular) issue. Regardless, recognizing the political power of Catholicism in America (especially among Hispanic American voters), the GOP knows that it cannot afford to repudiate the Pope with one liners.

For my own thoughts, the GOP should focus its response in two areas - rebutting the assumed social utility of a welfare state and providing serious health care alternatives. 

My thoughts on these concerns can be found here, here and here.

Election Thoughts

Congratulations to the President and his campaign team. They fought a hard contest and implemented another extraordinary get out the vote effort.

Counter to my predictions as to what would happen, this was a major victory for the President. The swing states fell in his favor with relative ease.  Why did he win? I think in large part, Obama's victory stemmed from a general voter conclusion in the last week or two that the economy had finally turned a corner. In addition, clowns like Akin and Mourdoch did immeasurable damage to the Republican brand over the course of the campaign. These 'morons' (as I described them on BBC News a couple of days ago), lost two Senate races in which sane GOP candidates would have been firm favorites. In Mourdoch's case, not only is the Senate seat lost, but a great Republican statesman, Dick Lugar, has been lost as well. 

What does the Republican Party need to do now? First, we need to focus on the debt negotiations. House Republicans must protect the military from what would be catastrophic spending cuts. Second, we need to ensure that the party brand is not polluted by Akinesque individuals. We need to stand for freedom. The American people need to understand we are the party of freedom. Third, we need a hard headed but realistic approach towards our interactions with the President. Where real compromise is in the interest of the country - we must pursue that compromise. However, this willingness to negotiate MUST be a reciprocal arrangement. We need to see an evolution in the President's willingness to engage in serious negotiations. Failure to reach a negotiating reality will mean continued deadlock.

Job Numbers - Election Economics

The news that 171,000 new jobs were added to the economy in October is positive. However, the economic recovery remains fragile and in the pursuit of a robust recovery - 171,000 is an insufficient number. As election day approaches, these numbers only form a final backdrop to the broader economic debate at stake. I have made clear on numerous occasions why I believe that Romney would provide the best economic leadership for our country. However, in terms of the record of this President, I believe the statistics also speak with irrefutable clarity. Overall employment remains lower than when the President entered office, over $6 trillion in new debt has been added to the backs of young Americans like myslef, the tax code remains a mess, economic growth remains sputtering and uncertainty about the future rules the marketplace. And yet, the President has no plan besides his intellectually vacuous call for higher taxes on the 'rich', fake debt reduction plans and even more spending. 

On Tuesday, I hope change comes to America.