The Candidate: Barack Obama

The Play: Proposing a “Buffett rule” to increase taxes on the wealthy

The Strategy: President Obama never mentioned Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney by name in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but his message was meant to set up a sharp contrast with him.

Mr. Obama’s central theme was that he would fight for the middle class. To drive home the point, he sat Debbie Bosanek, the personal assistant to billionaire investor Warren Buffett, in the House gallery with first lady Michelle Obama. Ms. Bosanek was a human prop for Mr. Obama’s “Buffett …

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