Written by tom kando   

And here is another shibboleth - heard even on the strongly pro-Obama MSNBC Chanel: that the President’s record of achievements is weak, and that he is forced to be negative and to focus on criticizing Romney, rather than running on his own record and promising four more years of the same.

What hogwash! He should proudly tout his amazing record! Cute jokes like “Romnesia” aren’t going to be enough to win.

Here is just a small sample:

1. Obamacare: This President succeeded where a dozen predecessors all the way back to Truman and Nixon failed. With Obamacare, the US finally joins the ranks of other civilized countries.

2. He inherited two wars, and has already ended one and a half of them.

3. He has promoted women’s equality through such legislature as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

4. His predecessors caused the greatest economic crash in 80 years, and it took Obama less than three years to pull us out of the ditch. Thanks to his stimulus package and other measures, the economy is already half fixed. 4.5 million new jobs, unemployment down from 12% to 7.9%.

5. The rebirth of the US automobile industry, the stock market nearly doubled, from 7,000 to a near record high.

6. Saved the world from a collapse of the international financial system, through domestic policies and through an internationally coordinated response.

7. Passed Wall Street reform to prevent similar future disaster.

8. Kicked banks out of the Federal Student Loan Program and expanded Pell Grant spending.

9. Boosted fuel efficiency standards. Vastly reduced our energy dependence on Middle Eastern and other foreign oil, without abandoning environmental protection.

10. Signed one of the largest expansions of wilderness protection in a generation.

11. Resolved the military’s gay policy issues.

12. Reversed Bush’s torture policies.

13. Vastly improved America’s relationship with the rest of the world.

14. Has kept the country safe from terrorism. Osama Bin Laden and many of his acolytes are gone.

15. Assisted in the removal of Gadhafi and did the right thing regarding the fall of Mubarak.

One could go on. And all of this has been accomplished in the face of virulent Republican obstructionism.

The President should brag about his achievements. He should proudly promise to stay the course and offer, yes, four more years of the same.