On Thursday evening, as I waited with the press corps for President Obama’s address to the House Democratic Caucus Retreat in Philadelphia, I knew the themes he would cover. He would chastise Republicans for their intransigence, and challenge Democrats to unite. He would speak of an abiding hope for the middle class, and highlight an America that has rebounded under his leadership.
And why wouldn’t he? Just hours before Obama delivered his speech to House Democrats, the U.S. Dept. of Labor reported that new unemployment claims had dropped to their lowest level since 2000.
That news, like much of what we’ve heard about the economy under President Obama in recent years, is encouraging. Unemployment dropped to less than 6 percent under his stewardship, the budget deficit has been cut in half, and under Obama, America is the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas.
Still, Democrats spent months running from that reality—afraid to be associated with a President whose poll numbers lagged far behind the economic numbers.
But after that failed strategy cost them mightily at the polls, Democrats have changed their tune. Not only are they embracing the President.
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Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon
