Touchdown: Obama paints strong but stark picture

A new year, and a first Touchdown for Barack Obama. The U.S. President-Elect gave a high profile speech – his first post-campaign oratory – yesterday, in which he detailed his proposed stimulus package for the American economy, and used his strong communications skill to underline his call for urgent action by Congress. Obama painted some very clear – and very stark – pictures of how dire the economic situation remains, and how high the stakes are on doing the right thing and doing it quickly. “Now, I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible. If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years. The unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. We could lose a generation of potential and promise as more young Americans are forced to forgo dreams of college or the chance to train for the jobs of the future. And our nation could lose the competitive edge that has served as a foundation for our strength and our standing in the world. In short, a bad situation could become dramatically worse,” he said. It’s a classic case of the doomsday scenario, designed to hammer home a message and inspire action. Obama also nicely coupled the scary stuff with some additional comments consistent with his top campaign message, about the need to change the way things are done in Washington.