Growing Anger Could Jeopardize Obama's Standing
The concerns over healthcare reform are only the start of Obama's problems
Rising opposition to President Obama's healthcare proposals may be morphing into something broader and deeper: an anti-Obama movement that could jeopardize the president's political standing, damage the Democratic Party, and give the Republicans new life.
The concerns about "Obamacare" have triggered angry protests and emotional shout-downs at Democratic legislators' town hall meetings this August. And whether or not these eruptions have been orchestrated by right-wing groups, as Obama strategists contend, opposition to his healthcare overhaul has struck a nerve.
In fact, the healthcare furor has inflamed political passions and raised doubts that seem to be spreading to other areas, such as Obama's expansion of government power, corporate bailouts, and vast increases in the federal debt. The president's burgeoning and costly agenda got another jolt last week from a government projection that deficits will increase from $7.1 trillion to $9 trillion over the next decade.
The most important political development of the summer may be a shift in the passion factor that has led to the generation of more emotion on the anti-Obama right than on the pro-Obama left. "The opposition is very energized right now—much more motivated than Obama's supporters," says Ken Duberstein, the former White House chief of staff for Ronald Reagan who endorsed Obama last year. This is a big change from the campaign, when it was Obama who ignited the fires and drew millions of new voters to the polls with his charisma and promises of change.
Now, GOP strategists say that relentless attacks on Obama, even without positive alternatives, have been enough to give conservatives some traction and pull down the president's job-approval ratings.
Signs of the right's resurgence abound. The blogosphere and the Internet are alive with anti-Obama screeds. Fundraising is going well at the Republican National Committee. Morale among GOP legislators is brightening. In the battle of ideas, the latest New York Times list of nonfiction best sellers contains three anti-Obama books among its top five: Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin at No. 1, Catastrophe by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann at No. 4, and Liberty and Tyran ny by Mark R. Levin at No. 5.
What the public wants are results, and they have been hard to come by, especially in ending the recession, reducing unemployment, and muting partisan warfare in Washington. This is particularly disconcerting for independent voters, who tend to decide elections. While Obama's job approval is still above 50 percent in most polls, that's because of overwhelming backing from Democrats. Republicans are united against him, and independents are increasingly displeased with his policies. The latest Washington Post/ABC News Poll found that only 49 percent of Americans are confident that Obama will make the right decisions for the country, down from 60 percent in April.
Fifty-five percent say the country is on the wrong track, up from 48 percent in April. The same poll found that only 46 percent of Americans now support Obama's handling of healthcare, the president's signature initiative, down from 49 percent in mid-July, while disapproval has increased to 50 percent from 44 percent.
Obama could turn the dynamic around if he wins some victories on Capitol Hill this fall or if the economy rebounds significantly. And White House officials say that the stories that seem so important during the slow news month of August, such as raucous healthcare protests, often fizzle out and amount to nothing in September.
But the Democrats are worried, and Obama's allies last week started trying to create a competing narrative to the GOP's negative story line. The Democratic National Committee and other liberal groups are organizing 2,000 pro-healthcare-reform events between now and September 8, when Congress returns from its August recess—amounting to what a Democratic spokesman said will be a "national grass-roots push" for healthcare overhaul. The events will focus on rallies, phone banks, and a bus tour in which prominent Democrats will try to marshal support in 11 cities, including Phoenix, Denver, and Indianapolis.
Yet even Democratic strategists concede that the message from many Americans to Obama is: Slow down. So far, he shows no sign of hitting the brakes.
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Reader Comments
As the man said, continued...
cont'd from below:
... sacks to keep his per-pound retail price level. Or maybe 'Nanke is code-talking that we should buy commodities instead of CDs to keep even with inflation. Not futures, actually cans of coffee and SPAM at the supermarket. Think about that -- right now if you have $1,000 to invest, and you're a coffee drinker, you can do WAY better for yourself just by buying $1,000 worth of retail coffee from the supermarket than buying a $1,000 CD. I wonder what the price of gold is in these 'non-inflationary' 'Nanke days.
Then there's the Jekyll and Hyde side of Obama. Domestically, it's all stick for us peons outside the selectively-rewarded loop, no carrot, as with Obamacare's new pitcher of FINES, PENALTIES, 'CONTRIBUTIONS', and new TAXES, chased by a mega shot of trillion-plus in new federal debt. Yet abroad he suddenly becomes cost-conscious when it comes to Eastern European missile defense, and throws one whole tender sweet glazed unilateral carrot at Putin. Putin, just like a bear, gobbled that one up, and won't leave the camp site till he gets more carrots thrown at him -- or your hide.
Sorry President Obama, you blew it to begin with in selling Obamacare back in February when you idly stood back and admired your manicure while your democrat buds loaded the $787 billion stimulization plan on the public pack mule -- those of us peons outside the selectively-rewarded loop. You thought, hey buds, quid-pro-quo, you wet your power-building beaks now in February, then return the solid when it's time for me to snake oil my Obamacare. Now even your democrat buds are deserting you, and trying to mingle with the civilians like the Afghan Taliban.
As the man said...
... "in hard economic times, people cling to their guns and religion."
Now the non-union majority eyeballing the jobless recover are adding " -- and their TAX-FREE employer-provided med/dent benefits." It's the TAX-FREE aspect that really galls liberals, that people working for a living should have anything TAX-FREE.
Force everyone to buy something to bring down the cost of that something, under the multi-pronged threat of FINES, PENALTIES, 'CONTRIBUTIONS', and new TAXES. That's the can of worms venture chuckleheads in the middle voted for as president last year.
In good economic times or bad, a bird in the hand is worth two as promised by Obama.
Obama's falling health-care reform popularity can be traced back to his referencing a meal at a restaurant while campaigning. Instead of throwing a sawbuck at a waitress as an above-average tip and making her day a bright one -- cause he's a rich dude and what's ten bucks to him -- he'd rather calculate the minimal 10% tip down to the nearest penny then campaign relentlessly to rejigger a whole economic sector under the threat of FINES, PENALTIES, 'CONTRIBUTIONS', and new TAXES which he promises would theoretically benefit that waitress.
If Obamacare goes through, the next time Obama gets the $4.99 Grand Slam at Denny's he'll leave the same minimal, rich-guy-altruistic-tightwad 50-cent tip, then take a nickel back as a FINE, another nickel back as a PENALTY, Denny's will take the third nickel back as a 'CONTRIBUTION' on her behalf, and Obama will take a fourth nickel back as a new TAX to cover the cost of Obamacare. Plus he'll ask the waitress for her SSN so he can have the IRS verify that she claimed his full 50-cent tip as income, even though it was short four nickels.
It's not just anger, that's a surface appearance. It's about LYING, and how lies catch up with LIARS. President Obama has taken 'lying' to a ho, notha, leble that would drop Eugene Struthers' jaw. It's what he doesn't say that makes him a liar. He's not under-oath/court-of-law 'lying' when he says illegal aliens wouldn't be covered by Obamacare. He just leaves out the part that amnesty plans continuously working in the background, laying low publicly for now, could make illegal aliens legal with the next stroke of the federal pen, and thus eligible for Obamacare while on the 'fast-track' to citizenship. Or that it's likely that an activist judge would challenge Obamacare, and as a result denying illegal aliens coverage would be deemed 'unfair.' Or a bill without enforcement provisions will deny Obamacare coverage to illegal aliens.
His surrounding cast of characters don't help him either. 'Nanke recently stated that the economy is improving, WITHOUT inflation. Another case of someone not 'lying' -- as that steady 0.15-0.25% interest rate on your checking account and the 0, yes, 0% interest rate on I Bonds attest. But, I'd like to know where Ben food shops. Maybe 'Nanke switched to buying his rice wholesale in 50-lb
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Most of the skeptics out there are not used to having
a President with Intelligence, Vision and a good understanding of the Middle Class.
This country will never be like before without
reducing the "Greed" that got it in the state that it
is in.
ie: Send our Mfg jobs overseas to make our Stockholders
happy.....why, Greed.
ie: Refineries don't pass on crude oil price reductions
to the Public.....why, Greed.
ie: Insurance companies drop you like a hot potatoe
when you need them....why, Greed.
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