Running to Forget (the Bush Administation)

I really enjoy the visual image presented in the “Running to Forget” ad that the misnamed “Americans for Job Security” has been has been running. 

 What’s not to like about an image of a young, attractive, “mom” in a $200 jogging suit, jogging down a tree-lined suburban street, while pushing “her child” in a $500 jogging stroller?

The voice-over message, however, is quite unsettling. The voice states:

“I run to forget. Forget about my problems. Forget that my husband’s been laid off twice in the last four years. Forget the bad economy. I voted for Obama, but Hope and Change was just a slogan. Obama promised to turn the economy around in three years. But, spending and debt have exploded. Now we’re facing another recession. The future is getting worse under Obama.”

“Americans for Job Security is responsible for the contents of this Message.”

I have no idea how many “takes” were required to “film” the commercial, but the baby hired to play the role of the woman’s “child” appears to be very uncomfortable in the "establishing shot." It appears that she was attempting to slide out of the stroller to get away. 

Who can blame the baby? She's been placed in a jogging stroller, sent hurtling down a street she’s never seen before, being pushed by some unknown abductor, with her real mommy nowhere in site. She has every right to be terrified.

Now, I don’t blame the woman who was hired to play the “jogging mom.” She had her own acting to do. Her view of the baby was obstructed, and she had no idea the baby was terrified. The production crew, however, should have stepped in to comfort and protect the child. But, I suppose they thought a “terrified child” made for a better ad.

If the baby had heard the voice-over message, and was able to understand it, I suspect she would have been even more terrified.

After all, in just four years of “running to forget,” her “mommy” had already forgotten about the Bush administration which helped push our nation’s slide into the Great Recession. She’d forgotten how President Bush started two expensive wars, while, for the first time in our nation’s history, giving huge tax cuts to the very wealthy.

Had the child heard the message, she might have been very concerned about what would happen to her when she turns four. Will her “mommy” forget about her, too?

Yet, the ad hits a number of Republican "talking points." It implies that the child is a product of a “traditional” one-man, one-woman, family unit. It dismisses “Hope and Change” as just a slogan. It reminds us that President Obama promised “to turn the economy around in three years.” And, it reminds us that “Spending and Debt have exploded.”

Personally, I liked President Obama’s “Hope and Change” campaign slogan. It showed that he was looking forward with optimism for our nation’s future, after a truly depressing Bush administration. I think President Obama has done a remarkable job, despite being obstructed at every turn by a Republican Congress more intent on pushing Grover Norquist’s agenda, than an agenda for recovery, such as the one which President Obama laid out.

President Obama set a challenging goal of turning the economy around in his first term. And, he has done a remarkable job of stabilizing a nation which had been hurtling uncontrollably toward total financial collapse. He managed – with absolutely no help from a Republican Congress – to pull our nation out of its tailspin. He deserves our thanks for what has been accomplished, rather than the Republican scorn for failing to reach the challenging goal he set.

If it had been up to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, our nation (and GM), would have been allowed to go bankrupt, eliminating all those pesky middle class jobs and the future economic security of those workers. Going bankrupt would have allowed good private companies, such as Bain Capital, to swoop in and buy up our nation’s assets for pennies on the dollar. Imagine the profits to be made by “flipping” our country and selling it – in pieces – to the highest bidders. If selling their PC business to the Chinese was good for IBM, imagine how good it would be for Bain to sell off our nuclear technology to the Chinese also.   

But, seriously, one can only wonder how far our nation might have come in the last four years, if only Republicans had supported our nation’s President during a time of war, rather than following Grover Norquist’s plan to destroy the United States. It’s no wonder Michele Bachmann suspected some in Congress were unpatriotic.

Yes. Spending and debt have exploded. And, despite the denial of Republicans – amplified by Fox News, their 24x7 propaganda channel - this started under President Bush. It turns out that President Bush’s two expensive wars, while also giving massive tax cuts to the wealthy, was not a good way to reduce spending and hold down debt.

Democrats have long been accused of being the “tax and spend” party, as if that was a bad idea. Now that we’ve seen the Republican trickle-down approach, combined with their more traditional “cut taxes, spend and borrow” approach (which leaves the debt for future generations), which seems to be the more honest approach to you?

I can understand the statement that “the future is getting worse under Obama.” From the standpoint of the wealthy businessmen who produced this ad, it's very true. The future does look worse, much worse – for them, not for our nation - under President Obama. After all, in the wake of the Wall Street scandal which pushed our nation to the brink of financial collapse, President Obama was able to secure much needed regulatory reforms to limit the possibility that Wall Street could do it once again. The future has been getting worse - for those who choose fraud over fair competition.

American’s love to compete and are quite capable of competing with anyone, given a level playing field. Unfortunately, large Corporations and the very wealthy have convinced the Republican Party to tilt the “playing field” in their favor, at the expense of our nation as a whole. President Obama, and the Democratic Party, have started the process of reversing this trend. They want to level the playing field to allow all Americans – not just large corporations and the very wealthy – to compete and succeed. And, if history is an indication, our nation will be much stronger as a result.

Living in a strong, free, nation – one which treats all its citizens fairly and equally – is enough to put a smile on every child’s face.

DISCLAIMER: Jogging is a form of exercise enjoyed by many. The idea, like the other lies told by the misnamed “Americans for Job Security” organization, that jogging somehow causes selective memory loss is FALSE. It’s false, even if Fox News devoted three days of breathless coverage to promote the false claim - including airing interviews with numerous highly paid corporate doctors, who swore that it’s true (Besides, Obamacare would make anyone suffering from selective memory loss stand in endless lines just to get treatment for it. Private health insurance companies will not make patients stand in long lines. They will deny coverage over the phone.). Before starting any exercise program, consult your physician to determine the suitability of the program. As long as your physician is not owned by corporate America, they should be able to honestly evaluate your health and recommend an appropriate exercise routine.