When you are in a tight race with your political opponent, you should not recycle a Jobs Act speech that failed to even persuade Democrats in Congress to pass your signature re-election initiative.

But that’s what Barack Obama did. A day after Bill Clinton brought the house down, Barack Obama took to the stage and reduced, reused, and recycled old states of the union speeches that have failed him for four years.

It was boring. It was unoriginal. And it was filled with promises when he hasn’t kept his past promises. Clint Eastwood’s empty chair could have given a better speech than what Barack Obama offered up. And to think he wanted to give that in a stadium.

This was a safe speech you give when you have a lead. This was not a speech you give in a tight race. Don’t believe me? Here are excerpts from his past States of the Union and Jobs Act speech. Lots of platitude, lots of rhetoric, little in detail, and a lot of worn out lines that have failed him before.

I’m honestly stunned he did this, particularly after Bill Clinton.

Listen to these lines. This speech was unoriginal. He stacked it with straw men and ignored his own two major initiatives from the first term: Obamacare and the Stimulus.

This was a failure and you know it was because he failed to even bring up his own major initiatives. On Obamacare, he mentioned parts of it, but never defended it or referenced the “Affordable Care Act.”

@ewerickson It was the oratory equivalent of a form letter signed by auto-pen.

— Matt Stevens (@MStevensG8r) September 7, 2012