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Democratic Strategist Bob Beckel on the State of the Union and the 2012 Presidential race.
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For more now on the upcoming State of the Union Address return -- Bob Beckel former Mondale campaign manager democratic strategist cohost of the five on the Fox News Channel.
Bob great to have you here can -- we're hearing from the Republicans.
This is going to be class warfare and a campaign speech.
What are your expectations.
Well my cretaceous church can be campaign speech and and we kid everybody viewed most Afghanistan's strategic campaigns B -- but.
Particularly in an election year like this -- president's gonna use he's gonna have forty million people watching him and he's gonna try to frame the debate.
And the debate is pretty stark when you look at what Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are doing down in Florida.
Which is basically trying to out conservative each other and out.
Sort of defend the upper classes of America.
Whether you consider that a fair or unfair charge it gives Obama a perfect opening to put book ends around where the Democrats stand and where the Republican state.
And the president and as we learned yesterday Rahm Emanuel is former chief of staff no -- Chicago recommending that basically.
From a far that he just forget about the first term in turn to the future because as he put it.
Elections are always about the future.
Is -- absolutely correct them.
Well and I hope we suspect.
How -- pop up what it is that Obama's ahead and had a rough -- that -- reaction national series had a rough three years but.
The one thing about presidential politics is built on expectations.
And expectations for Obama have been decidedly low and any piece of good news is good news and who have seen expectations.
Couple that with a very messy if I -- say that word about the Republican nominee process.
And Obama's unbelievable.
Luck to get this Republican primary season going the way it is I think -- puts it doesn't doesn't very good positions and.
Oddly I heard a number of Republicans gloating about.
Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Obama having Donnybrook.
In 2008.
And almost and are they were and there were just wringing their hands and anticipation.
It dissipated very quickly on election night are you afraid that perhaps you might be putting yourself in the summer position.
No it's not that as much as -- in history tells us that the longer the -- one despite what people will tell you is that regular portion of them later.
Wrong the longer -- -- a primary season the tough for you get the more experience and you've got the campaign trail.
I'm I'm not one of the -- is a good idea to get these things over John McCain got it over early and sat around and if you remember he did not what -- Clinton and and Obama dominated the news every day right and McCain so disappeared.
So -- I'm not if you -- somebody besides Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney I would be.
Less concerned about it but.
This is not a Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
With the obligatory -- across the faces of both Gingrich and Romney.
Or is there if you do you think in either of these men.
The potential to be a candidate that will give.
President Obama -- I think I think Romney if he emerges from this could.
Give him some difficulty yeah but I think that and I I think -- Newt Gingrich -- much as I -- a lot about him.
Gingrich is a better challenger.
And an an underdog than he is somebody to be leading a battle and I don't think you can.
Very good -- your perspective on the state of the union tonight that the that them.
Very quickly that the power of two messages one.
Dependency the other independence.
One economic fairness person's economic growth.
Which is among those the most.
Well I think economic fairness that leads to economic growth what what Obama is trying to do -- to say.
I'm not against a capitalist system I'm not against people making it and becoming successful.
Question is are they playing on the same but -- same fair ground same rules and right now I would say well.
Bob Beckel that they have here -- can you Q thank you.
