Obama Subtly Adopts the Language of Business, New York Times

[Stuart G]

The Caucus
Obama Subtly Adopts the Language of Business
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR 1:36pm
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/obama-adopts-language-of-business/
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President Obama talked about American competitiveness at Forsyth Technical Community College, in Winston-Salem, N.C.By focusing his State of the Union address on competitiveness abroad and the investment needed at home to secure it, President Obama is using storied Washington code words that have long histories and double meanings, and are — he hopes — less fraught with political baggage than the alternatives.

Aides say the broad theme of Mr. Obama’s speech will be a clarion call for a new focus on America’s ability to compete around the world. By using the language of corporate America, the president hopes to reassure those who doubt he is business friendly, but to do so without alienating his core supporters.

The phrase “American competitiveness” is hardly new, and it is definitely not an invention of Mr. Obama’s Democratic Party.

In fact, for decades the phrase was the intellectual property of Republican administrations, which used it as a way of signaling their desire to reduce regulatory burdens on business and pave the way to higher profits for corporations struggling to compete with companies in other countries.

In 1981, Vice President George Bush called for “strong necessary steps to restore our competitiveness with other nations,” as he proposed to do away with environmental and highway safety regulations that he said hampered the American auto industry......
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Labor unions worry that the president is trying to signal a rapprochement with business — a fear that grew when Mr. Obama last week announced a government-wide review of unneeded regulations. In an article in The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Obama wrote that such a review was needed “to remove outdated regulations that stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive.”

When Mr. Obama talks about competitiveness, it resonates with business groups that had become suspicious of the president’s commitment to private industry after his efforts to reform Wall Street. It is part of a realignment of Mr. Obama’s White House that has included the hiring of William M. Daley as chief of staff. And it is a shield against critics who accuse Mr. Obama of having an antibusiness policy agenda.

[tularetom]

1. "Subtly", huh?

Pretty overtly if you ask me.

He' been spending too much time with Clinton.

[Stuart G]

2. Perhaps, not .."So Subtle"...??nt