Second presidential terms are notoriously unsuccessful. Barack Obama’s will be one for the record books. After the election, most pundits stated that full lame duck status would not begin for another two years. They were wrong. Obama’s presidency moved into lame duck status first slowly after the election, but accelerated rapidly after the Newtown shootings. In a very short period of time he has become not only ineffective, but worse for him…irrelevant.
There are many reasons for what appears to be a descent into oblivion, but at the top of the list is the 2014 elections in which a third of the Senate is up for grabs. Included are five or more key swing states that are solidly red states but by political quirks have Democratic senators, and they are vulnerable. The House is safely Republican for the next ten years. It would take very little for the Senate to swing Republican. Some pundits are predicting an even split, but other conservative Dems will temper any further radical left movement.
He has also lost favor with the uber left. Code Pink is picketing his proxies, the flash point being his drone policies. Obama is a left wing ideologue who believes the ends always justify the means. In the case of terrorists, he doesn’t want to torture them in Guantanamo, so he has decided to kill them. His spokespeople say they are not opposed to capturing the bad guys, but in fact they have only captured one while killing mucho. Ironically the drone policy is popular in the polls, but his left wing base led by Oliver Stone is unimpressed, and they are not afraid to say so.
His foreign policy is a mess, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to hide. Bin Laden’s capture was a blow to Al Qaeda, but not mortal…not even close. Terrorism is spreading across the northern tier of Africa, Obama's neutered drones notwithstanding. Leading from behind works for awhile, but sooner or later while leading from behind, you get left behind. The world is becoming a more dangerous place by the day. Folks are finally starting to figure it out. At least some of the press is asking the right questions.
The truth about Obamacare is finally reaching the public. It has been and continues to be a slow process, but folks are beginning to realize the devastation it will have on the economy and individual lives. There is more than a good chance the entire scheme will collapse under its own weight before it is even implemented. But those running for Senate aren’t stupid and they can read the CBO projected figures that 8-9 million Americans will lose their health care. The economy is contracting….and it will get worse. With Obama on the way out, they will desert him like rats leaving a sinking ship. He said that you could keep the health care insurance you had. He lied. People are beginning to know it.
He has lost the gun debate. Never let a crisis go to waste, but half the population of the country still believes in the Constitution. It doesn’t help that none of Obama’s proposals would have done anything to stop the Newtown massacre. Bruce Willis articulated that point yesterday when he said he doesn’t know how to legislate insanity. Liberal claptrap just doesn't cut it this time. One local school district has implemented a multi-layered protection program which can become the model for the rest of the nation. It is a common sense proposal, starting with a police car parked in the parking lot, then a security guard, then a small number of administration and teachers having access to arms in case of an emergency. This will work.
Immigration reform has been usurped by an alliance of Democratic and Republican senators led by Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio is fresh, articulate and Hispanic. He is successfully building bridges in the Congress looking for common ground to get things done. In a word, he is leading. And it is refreshing!!! While a bias press continually touts the death of the Republican Party, Rubio belies the stories. He is making Obama look like yesterday’s news and the piker that he is.
The nation faces tough times ahead with Obama still in the White House, but maybe now there may be some reason to smile again. I know I am...at least a little bit.
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