A Blurring of the Lines in the Populist vs. Capitalist Debate
By JOHN HARWOOD
NYT
MANCHESTER, N.H. — In the sour, fearful mood that economic setbacks have produced, American voters loathe both major symbols of the forces squeezing their pocketbooks and life savings.
President Obama will seek re-election vowing to rein in one of them: Wall Street. Mitt Romney will focus on the other: Washington.
Mr. Romney made that clear Tuesday night in a forceful speech claiming victory in the New Hampshire primary. Before racing to South Carolina to continue battling his Republican rivals, his remarks outlined competing visions of opportunity, fairness and blame that could polarize the 2012 election. “The president puts his faith in government,” he said. “We put our faith in the American people.”
In some ways, that’s familiar partisan boilerplate; “trust the people” was a signature phrase of Bob Dole’s unsuccessful challenge to President Bill Clinton in 1996. But the tumultuous events of the last four years have lent new resonance to the debate, even as the evolving Republican and Democratic coalitions have made it more complex.
(More here.)
NYT
MANCHESTER, N.H. — In the sour, fearful mood that economic setbacks have produced, American voters loathe both major symbols of the forces squeezing their pocketbooks and life savings.
President Obama will seek re-election vowing to rein in one of them: Wall Street. Mitt Romney will focus on the other: Washington.
Mr. Romney made that clear Tuesday night in a forceful speech claiming victory in the New Hampshire primary. Before racing to South Carolina to continue battling his Republican rivals, his remarks outlined competing visions of opportunity, fairness and blame that could polarize the 2012 election. “The president puts his faith in government,” he said. “We put our faith in the American people.”
In some ways, that’s familiar partisan boilerplate; “trust the people” was a signature phrase of Bob Dole’s unsuccessful challenge to President Bill Clinton in 1996. But the tumultuous events of the last four years have lent new resonance to the debate, even as the evolving Republican and Democratic coalitions have made it more complex.
(More here.)
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