This is Jonathan Rauch’s argument and it might be persuasive if the objective of the Obama campaign were not to reelect its candidate—if, that is, he were not the incumbent.  If the Obama team has a “clear, viable plan,” then why, voters might be inclined to think, has it waited until now to take it on the road and sell it? Or, better yet, stick around Washington and put it to work.  

The first element of Rauch’s suggested “plan” is for the Obama team to endorse Simpson-Bowles. This may, or may not, be a wise thing to do. Either as politics or economics … or both. But it is not something the president could not have done many months (or years!) ago. Voters might not be impressed by an argument that comes down to, And today we are announcing that we’ve changed our minds about that Simpson-Bowles plan to reduce spending and cut the deficit. We’re now for it. The plan hasn’t changed but our mind has.