Quinnipiac polls in key states out this morning show: In Florida, Mitt Romney leading Obama, 45%-42%; In Ohio, Obama leading Romney, 45%-42%; and in Pennsylvania, Obama and Romney in a statistical dead heat with Obama edging Romney, 44%-43%.
“White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley was pitched to Capitol Hill as the guy who could cut deals with a resurgent GOP, but it hasn’t turned out that way amid this year’s series of debt crises and gridlock,” Roll Call writes, adding, “[S]everal senior Democratic aides told Roll Call that they feel Daley had already become marginalized in recent months — with Rouse and other White House aides increasing their contacts on Capitol Hill.”


I like Bill Daley. He has substance. If he couldn't cut deals with the Republicans on the Hill, it's because the Republicans on the Hill are corrupt, partisan, over-paid thugs, whose one agenda is to make Barack Obama a one term President. How do you cut deals with people like that?
You can't. Their goal is to end Obama, their tactic is total obstruction. Unless they can destroy Obama via compromise (ie - find a new tactic) they won't cease.
Amy, you can't be serious...Bill Daley? What world do you live in?
Barack Obama is the best thing that has happened to America in the last 100 years. Truly, he is the savior of America’s future. He is the best thing ever.
Despite the fact that he has some of the lowest approval ratings among recent presidents, history will see Barack Obama as the source of America’s resurrection. Barack Obama has plunged the country into levels of debt that we could not have previously imagined; his efforts to nationalize health care have been met with fierce resistance nationwide; TARP bailouts and stimulus spending have shown little positive effect on the national economy; unemployment is unacceptably high and looks to remain that way for most of a decade; legacy entitlement programs have ballooned to unsustainable levels, and there is a seething anger in the populace.
That’s why Barack Obama is such a good thing for America.
Obama is the symbol of a creeping liberalism that has infected our society like a cancer for the last 100 years. Just as Hitler is the face of fascism, Obama will go down in history as the face of unchecked liberalism. The cancer metastasized to the point where it could no longer be ignored.
Average Americans who have quietly gone about their lives, earning a paycheck, contributing to their favorite charities, going to high school football games on Friday night, spending their weekends at the beach or on hunting trips — they’ve gotten off the fence. They’ve woken up. There is a level of political activism in this country that we haven’t seen since the American Revolution, and Barack Obama has been the catalyst that has sparked a restructuring of the American political and social consciousness.
Think of the crap we’ve slowly learned to tolerate over the past 50 years as liberalism sought to re-structure the America that was the symbol of freedom and liberty to all the people of the world. Immigration laws were ignored on the basis of compassion. Welfare policies encouraged irresponsibility, the fracturing of families, and a cycle of generations of dependency. Debt was regarded as a tonic to lubricate the economy. Our children left school having been taught that they are exceptional and special, while great numbers of them cannot perform basic functions of mathematics and literacy. Legislators decided that people could not be trusted to defend their own homes, and stripped citizens of their rights to own firearms. Productive members of society have been penalized with a heavy burden of taxes in order to support legions of do-nothings who loll around, reveling in their addictions, obesity, indolence, ignorance and “disabilities.” Criminals have been arrested and re-arrested, coddled and set free to pillage the citizenry yet again. Lawyers routinely extort fortunes from doctors, contractors and business people with dubious torts.
We slowly learned to tolerate these outrages, shaking our heads in disbelief, and we went on with our lives.
But Barack Obama has ripped the lid off a seething cauldron of dissatisfaction and unrest.
In the time of Barack Obama, Black Panther members stand outside polling places in black commando uniforms, slapping truncheons into their palms. ACORN — a taxpayer-supported organization — is given a role in taking the census, even after its members were caught on tape offering advice to set up child prostitution rings. A former Communist is given a paid government position in the White House as an advisor to the president. Auto companies are taken over by the government, and the auto workers’ union — whose contracts are completely insupportable in any economic sense — is rewarded with a stake in the company. Government bails out Wall Street investment bankers and insurance companies, who pay their executives outrageous bonuses as thanks for the public support. Terrorists are read their Miranda rights and given free lawyers. And, despite overwhelming public disapproval, Barack Obama has pushed forward with a health care plan that would re-structure one-sixth of the American economy.
I am under no illusion that the Republican party is perfect, but at least they’re starting to awaken to the fact that we cannot sustain massive levels of debt; we cannot afford to hand out billions of dollars in corporate subsidies; we have to somehow trim our massive entitlement programs; we can no longer be the world’s policeman and dole out billions in aid to countries whose citizens seek to harm us.
Literally millions of Americans have had enough. They’re organizing, they’re studying the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, they’re reading history and case law, they’re showing up at rallies and meetings, and a slew of conservative candidates are throwing their hats into the ring. Is there a revolution brewing? Yes, in the sense that there is a keen awareness that our priorities and sensibilities must be radically re-structured. Will it be a violent revolution? No. It will be done through the interpretation of the original document that has guided us for 220 years — the Constitution. Just as the pendulum swung to embrace political correctness and liberalism, there will be a backlash, a complete repudiation of a hundred years of nonsense. A hundred years from now, history will perceive the year 2010 as the time when America got back on the right track. And for that, we can thank Barack Hussein Obama!
Gees... paragraph after paragraph from Fox/Journal.... and shame is that people actually believe this!!! The American Middle Class (just like the rhino on today's front page) has become extinct since 1980 by the GOP.... and this country cannot survive without a middle class....
Dear Colarado, How old are you? You act as if these are the "worst of times" in Presidential history.
My first Presidential memory was John F. Kennedy's funeral and seeing Lee Harvey Oswald stabbed to death by Jack Ruby. I was four.
The Vietnam War escalated after that and American boys were dying by the thousands. I remember looking at a picture of Lyndon Johnson and thinking "I hate this man." I was in the second grade. (Too young to understand the Civil Rights Act.)
When I was 10, the Protestant minister, who advocated for non-violence, Rev. Martin Luther King, was murdered. Robert Kennedy, running for President, was also murdered that year.
I remember the Watergate hearings, and being absolutely shocked to learn President Richard Nixon OK'ed the break-in of the Democratic headquarters, in order to gather information on their campaign plans.
I remember the assassination attempts on Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. People were angry with Ford for pardoning Nixon, (I voted for him anyway.) Jimmy Carter was excoriated by his critics, because of the gasoline shortage and the lengthy Iranian hostage crisis, although I supported him for saying we needed to develop alternative energy sources.
I remember the huge jump in homelessness during Reagan's terms, while the TV show Dallas, about a crude, obscenely wealthy and powerful Texan family was popular. At one point in his presidency, Reagan's approval rating was 35%.
I actually didn't mind George H. W. Bush, as a person, although I didn't understand why we had to wage the Gulf War. I remember a recession at the end of his one term. I didn't support Bill Clinton in the primaries, but he turned out to be my favorite President, although his administration's inaction before the Rwanda genocide was a blot on his record.
We'll skip over the "lost decade" of George W. Bush's presidency.
And now we get to Obama's administration. The election of the first African American President fulfilled the civil rights dreams of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Nixon wanted to achieve universal healthcare, and President Obama and the Democratic Congress put us on that path. Bush said getting those who attacked us on 9/11 was his number one goal, President Obama accomplished this with the execution of Osama bin Laden. The American automotive industry has been declining for decades: the Obama bailouts made the big three profitable again. If you ask me, President Obama has had the most successful presidency in my lifetime (sorry, Bill.)
Amy,
It would be great if you got history correct, Lee Harvey Oswald was killed on TV, when Jack Ruby shot him, not stabbed him.
As for the first Bush, he went along with the United Nations and removed the Iraq army from Kuwait, which was the objective, because they had invade Kuwait. He wanted to remove Saddam from power, but the UN wouldn't allow it. He did the objective of the UN and did not go further.
Although Bill Clinton did not cause me harm financially, a womanizing, adulter is your favorite president. And only Rwanda is his blot. Please, could send me a pair of those Rose colored glasses, because it is amazing how some people view the same events differently.
And by the way, Ford, one of the big three in the auto industry, did not take the government bailout money.
Amy, could have sworn Lee Harvey Oswald was shot, but hey maybe thats the way they portrayed it while you were watching it on MSNBC.
Good good post there seldom seen sam. History books will show it. Also believe same books will tell of republican "conservatism" being muddied by thier very leadership and constituents to the point of dishonor. The GOP is truly making thier party look phony. Shameful time in history for the GOP.
Seldom Seen...very eloquent post of opinion the way the Republican and Tea Party view Obama and his administration.
How bout some facts
Tarp...that was the Republican GWB's baby.
Entitlement programs....Just a name you call something I PAID FOR.
I can't even go on your post is soo full of it.
However I will say you are correct in that people have woken up.....They have woken up to the Realization the the Republican Party has no answers to fix the problems on hand and they are responsible for the mess we are in as well as unfit to Govern.
Good Luck in the next election - cause you'll need it.
PS If you truly believe any that President Obama is the cause of all our ills in America - you need to read some independent news.
It would be great if you got history correct, Lee Harvey Oswald was killed on TV, when Jack Ruby shot him, not stabbed him.
I was four years old. Pardon me if I remember it as Oswald being stabbed.
s'Okay, lady, you live and you learn.
My dad worked in Washington during the "Watergate" days (I myself was 2) and would car-pool to work with three guys. These are grown, 30+ year-old men with careers in Washington, and my dad tells me that the guy who drove had to pull over and throw the two in the back seat out on the side of 95 because (one conservative, one liberal) they got into a fist fight on the way to work!
Also, 'alliteration sam' and his ilk are the reason we are never going to see any compromise until the republicans in our legislature start losing elections. The Right have whipped thier base into a frenzy, convincing people like sam that democrats are not another political party with opposing philosophies but a pretty good track record on getting this country out of way worse situations than the ones we're in now, but rather as an evil pack of socialist monsters, foriegn-born and steeped in radical Islamic doctrine (Yadayadayada, you get the point). With this established, it follows that every bill proposed by the Left must be another step toward the total destruction of America and all life in the known universe.
With this established, Republicans in Congress have set them self up in a sweet-spot: they are getting sent to Washington, time-and-again, to collect a paycheck and do nothing. In doing nothing, they are "protecting" us from the evil... whatever.
It's a simple matter of carrot and stick, reward and punishment: until the people quit voting for do-nothings who won't compromise and won't offer solutions, the do-nothings won't compromise and won't offer solutions.
One can only hope that Alliteration Sam is going to wake-up someday (please let it be soon!) and realize that government is not the problem; he is.
Seldom seen, great essay! For me, it is the new liberalism in America that has pushed me away. Couldn't the democrats come up with a better candidate in 2008? Hillary, I'm sure is kicking herself for letting BO's handlers bribe her with the State job. We wouldn't be discussing the possibility of a 1 term president if she were president.....!
President Obama 2012! I look forward to 4 more years of our great president! Get rid of Tea-Baggers/Republicans and the world would be great again!!
pubs are not listening, but they are wallowing in dough! it's time to kick that party out and kick them out for good!
next remove all private monies from politics!
pull the D lever for drive!
Pennsylvania is an interesting battleground state. The fact it is at risk, is not a great sign for Obama, in my biased opinion.
Pa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Va , NC, FLA, all at risk for Obama. It is all well and good to talk about Hispanics in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona, but it wont matter if Obama loses in the East, South and Rust Belt.
Let's see, Obama was going to bring "transparency" to the federal government? He was going to close Gitmo, his stimulus was going to bring down unemployment. Billions spent on "green" jobs that have no use for 20 years. Wait, war tribunals weren't such a bad idea after all! Now when he should be running the country he is out doing what he does best.....running for an election. What a goof.
Kevin, you posted.
Gees... paragraph after paragraph from Fox/Journal.... and shame is that people actually believe this!!! The American Middle Class (just like the rhino on today's front page) has become extinct since 1980 by the GOP.... and this country cannot survive without a middle class....
------
Interesting, but the funny thing is that you are blaming the wrong villian, but then again few liberals realize who the villian is.
It's easy to claim that the GOP is against the middle class, but the reality is that having a middle class is a luxury a nation can only have when it has a very large and vibrant artisan and craftsman culture/industry. The middle class is founded on and survives only if people with the drive and energy to found businesses find it possible to do so and can be a success. Sadly, the corpratism practiced by both parties works to block new business formation and tends to crush the middle class.
Government handouts are in the long run absolute poison to the creation of a middle class. In order ot keep the handouts flowing taxes must rise and the large businesses will work on the government to generate monopoly power where no new businesses can grow to threaten them. They then pass on the increased taxes tehy have to pay on to consumers in the form of increased prices. The handouts keep the poor barely surviving while that very policy squeezes the middle class through inflation and stagnant wages
Most current "adults" in the US have no understanding of this. After WW2 ended there was a rather unique economic environment for the US. Major US industries had no competition anywhere in the world. The US companies could set whatever prices they wanted, so wages were not a concern and the middle class grew quickly along with the major US industries. However, by 1970 the world was no longer relying on just the US for goods, and in many other nations a combinatoin of less regulation, lower current standard of living, and lower base wages allowed their industries to start to nibble away at the US dominance in the world market.
We even saw more than a few attempts by US companies to get the governmen to protect them from competition. The auto industry was the most blatant in trying to keep the competition away, but they not only failed, but their machinations actually made it so taht their competitors had to be better to compete. Remember that it was in the 1980's that the US auto manufacturers started to get their horrible reputation for quality.
But that was only the beginning of hte squeeze. The internet and the rise of computers allowed companies to plan their production much more accurately and to see the worldwide demand more clearly. Even more important the lack of communication lag now meant that you didn't have to have the factory near the customers. Transportation improvements meant that a product made in Asia could be transported anywhere you had customers, and computers allowed you to see the demand far enough in advance that you could accept long shipment times without worry.
The same wages that had helped create the US middle class were now working against the same group. Business is in the business of business. Companies exist to make money, and it didn't take long before companies realized that either they moved production to where it was cheaper and less regulated, or they would lose customers and see other companies (companies that had moved production) take over the market.
You cannot wish these facts away, nor can you change economic realities. The jobs will move to where there are people who can perform the work and who are willing to accept the wages the company is willing to pay. $5.00 per hour is illegal in the US, but I could probably find hundreds of thousands of people in the world who would walk 10 miles barefoot for a job that paid that much. So more and more jobs are leaving the US and going to those people. The result is the death of the US middle class, as it cannot exist without the manufacturing sector providing jobs for the middle class.
And no matter what liberals believe the government cannot generate enough jobs to maintian the middle class. If you tax business enough to pay the wages of a large middle class, you have no business. The former Soviet Union proved that, but you'll find few journalists who will admit that.
In the end I believe that it does not matter who wins in 2012. If it is Obama there will still be enough GOP senators to prevent him from making any major changes to spending, and even if he wanted to, the coming collapse of the Euro will have a sizable backlash on government deficit spending worldwide. Whoever is White House Resident in 2012 will probably be proposing major spending cuts and changes to entitlements, simply because there won't be enough money to maintian the programs.
If the GOP wins, the DEmos will have enough senators to block any major changes as well. In the end, we can expect more gridlock and no real progress in fixing the real problems, even if we can get a politician to admit what the problem is.