Presidential campaigns are defined by phrases, none so more than "Hope and Change." In 1992, James Carville came up with the slogan "It's the Economy Stupid" for Bill Clinton's campaign. It worked, and Clinton went on to defeat the incumbent George H.W. Bush. This little history lesson is important because a similar slogan is going to define this next presidential election: "Fix the Economy Stupid!" See, it's more of a command than an actual reminder that the economy is horrible, and only getting worse.
In his weekly radio address, the president said: "I wish I could tell you there was a quick fix to our economic problems. But the truth is, we didn’t get into this mess overnight, and we won’t get out of it overnight. It’s going to take time."
Presidents Ford and Carter used similar language:
- "This is not a policy of the quick fix; it does not hold out the hollow promise that we can wipe out inflation and unemployment overnight." -- Gerald Ford, budget message, January 21, 1976.
- "The days of the quick fix and the painless cure, if they ever did exist, are gone. The inflation which has been building in our Nation for more than 10 years will not recede overnight." -- Jimmy Carter, speech to United Food and Commercial Workers, June 7, 1979.
