Stop us if youâ??ve heard this one: An unpopular Democratic president facing tough economic times overcomes those difficulties to win reelection by pinning the nationâ??s problems on an obstinate Republican-led Congress.
Itâ??s what President Obama is trying to do these days, and in that way, many see a pretty strong parallel between his 2012 reelection campaign and Harry Trumanâ??s 1948 reelection bid.
The Truman campaign against the â??Do-Nothing Congressâ? is cited as the one semi-recent example of the exception to the rule that people will always blame the president â?? not Congress â?? for the countryâ??s economic woes. To that end, Obama has been taking a more Truman-esque tone in his speeches and blaming Republicans more and more. (For more on the parallels, see Ed Hornickâ??s piece over at CNN.)
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