Obama: GOP trying to ‘bamboozle’ voters

President Obama used his speech to the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting to scold the GOP, accusing them of trying to “bamboozle” voters by saying they’re the party of the middle class after doing everything they could to stop the policies he argued have helped lift the economy.

“Their rhetoric has not matched the reality. If you want to help working moms and dads, you can’t just dismiss things like childcare and paid leave,” he said to cheers and claps from the audience. 

{mosads}”I think the shift in rhetoric that they’re engaging in is good if it actually leads them to take different actions,” he said. “If it doesn’t, if you’re just trying to repackage the same top-down economics and use the words ‘middle class’ attached to it … then it’s just spin. You’re trying to bamboozle folks.”

Obama blasted Republicans for their years of doom-and-gloom rhetoric to cheers and laughter from the partisan audience, ridiculing them for newfound rhetoric focused on income inequality that has emanated from many corners of the GOP.

“Now that their grand predictions of doom and gloom and death panels and Armageddon haven’t come true, sky hasn’t fallen, Chicken Little’s quiet, the new plan of congressional Republicans — and this is progress — the new plan is to rebrand themselves as the party of the middle class,” he said to laughs.

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Obama was fired up throughout the speech, feeding off a friendly crowd as he took shot after shot at the GOP and mocked its new messaging.

He was interrupted multiple times by standing ovations, his speech drowned out at times by roars from the Democratic officials as he issued a call to arms for the party. But his strongest words were reserved for Republicans.

“I’m encouraged that they’re speaking about middle class and speaking about wages but there is this old saying that you can’t just talk the talk,” he said.