When he won the election last November with 53% of the vote and an Electoral count of 365, Barack Obama seemed to have a mandate for his
campaign mantra of, "hope and change." He
entered the White House in January with an approval rating of 69%, the highest of any
President since John F. Kennedy. Then he started working and in a short nine months Obama has
plummeted to the lowest approval ratings of any President at this point in his term.
Every nightmare that those who opposed him and warned about before he was elected has become a reality. He portrayed himself as a moderate, middle of the road Democrat but all the while that portrayal had stains of the extremely liberal and socialist ideology as well as dangerously radical beliefs and associations that his
charismatic personality overcame during the campaign but as President have shocked and angered the American people who now realize the mistake that was made in electing him to office.
At first his radical agenda caught so many by surprise that even with its
implementation Obama's personality and ability to eloquently express what he was doing countered the questions that arose as he forced through the single largest government spending bill in history which claimed to be a stimulus package for a recessive economy but has proved to be nothing more than a liberal wish list of
unnecessary and
economic damaging spending that has
succeeded in nothing more than increasing unemployment beyond projections earlier in the year.
His vetting process for Cabinet and staff members proved to be the most irresponsible and flawed of any American President as he appointed many who had evaded paying taxes and/or were under investigation for one sort of illegal activity or another. While this process was highly questionable when he first entered office, most were willing to over look it because of it being a new Presidency and the so called, "honeymoon," where any new President is given the benefit of the doubt.
Then came the appointment of Czar after Czar after Czar, whose responsibility is not to the American people as outlined in the Presidential appointment process in the Constitution but only to Barack Obama, with virtually no oversight of the authority that Obama has placed in these Czars who yield Executive power without ANY accountability to the people. The culmination of this dangerous precedence came with the appointment of Van Jones, an admitted Communist and 9/11
Truther who resigned because of the attention drawn by Glenn Beck and others and has yet to illicit a response of dismay or disagreement with his beliefs by Obama or any senior staffer which raises condemning questions about the ideology and beliefs of Obama and his administration.
The anger of the American people against this President began rising as deficits exploded, government at
Obama's instruction took over GM and Chrysler, bailouts which were
already unpopular continued and surpassed those began by the Bush administration.
Obama's constant apology to foreign leaders of , as he put it American, "arrogance," stirred the dander of citizens and insulted veterans who fought to liberate some of the very countries that Obama was apologizing to. But the anger was still an under current as
Obama's poll numbers, though sliding were still strong. Then came health care.
Senator Jim
DeMint of South Carolina was
highly criticized earlier this year when the health care debate began in earnest when he stated that this particular issue would be
Obama's, "Waterloo." A statement that is proving to be much more accurate that
DeMint's detractors claimed. Obama has become a one issue President which any
political analyst will agree is suicide when it comes to prospects of re-election but most importantly in a successful Presidency.
Obama has spent what political capital he had left by the end of the Summer Congressional recess on this one issue and he continues spending capital creating political deficits like the real economic
deficits that he has created. Since becoming President Obama has been interviewed 124 times on either radio or television. Compare that to 40 times by George Bush and 46 times by Bill Clinton at this same point in their Presidency. Obama acts more like a celebrity than a President and the American people are already tired of seeing and listening to him.
Most of this massive over exposure has been part of the health care push and the dissatisfaction of the American people in listening to or seeing this President is becoming increasingly obvious in looking at the polling numbers of this issue. Every time the numbers for Obama and health care rebound slightly Obama makes another appearance somewhere either in a one on one interview or a speech before some group to try and sell this debacle and every time he opens his mouth both his numbers and health care numbers slide right back to the gutter of public opinion of an angered people.
Obama has this belief that because he is President that when he speaks the people are supposed to bow to his appeal and follow him in whatever direction he chooses to lead. Well, I have news for him not only has his appeal which was so strong in the days after his election and at the beginning of his Presidency, not only has that appeal disappeared but the American people are not buying his tonic water and no longer trust or believe anything he says.
His rhetoric concerning health care has been proven false by so many reliable and non-partisan sources including the Congressional Budget Office that what he says sounds more like a snake oil salesman everyday. Adding to this is his totally false assertion that his health care plan will not add to the deficit, an assertion that any intelligent individual understands to be false, and Obama, who arrogantly believes that his words are magical, crashes whenever he speaks. The people see through the lies and realize that EVERYTHING Obama backs adds to the deficit and the result is a failed agenda and an angered citizenry.
No matter how charismatic or eloquent a President is he cannot survive on charm alone. Obama does not understand this because that charm which was so popular as a candidate has become as detriment as President because of the proven falsehoods in his rhetoric and repackaging an already failed and flawed agenda will not change the facts. Also the American people tire rather quickly of political campaigns and Obama has yet to end his. He has been in total campaign mode since Inauguration Day and tries to use his success as a campaigner to counter balance his failings and inexperience as a President.
The people expect leadership and common sense from their President and Obama has shown neither. The people expect their President to be a symbol of our ideals and dreams to the entire world and not an apologist for American
exceptionalism and power. The people expect their President to stand in the gap protecting American values and security. Obama has shown more concern for our enemies and little concern for American values and the people will not stand by a President who abandons the citizenry. He lashes out at those who oppose him and in a fight between the people and a President the people always win.
The charges of racism when opposing Obama are not only contributing to his popularity slide but creating a dangerous problem in our society which has by and large over come much of the racism of our past as proven by
Obama's election. While Obama has not personally participated in the accusations of racism he has contributed to the problem by his silence against those making the accusations, especially when one of them is a former President.
All of this adds up to a President who in a short nine months has already become a failed Chief Executive. He has not learned from his mistakes but rather continues to make the same mistakes over and over. His arrogance has caused him to deny his own failings and continue to follow the same path to failure that he has so expertly followed since day one. His firm belief that he is right and everyone else is wrong is his pathway to his failure. Any President who cannot learn from his mistakes and who believes his favorable press is destined to a failed Presidency and low polling numbers. Any President who angers the American people and refuses to acknowledge that anger and that the anger is in opposition to him is destined to one very unpopular and unsuccessful term of office and a place among other failed Presidents like Jimmy Carter and James Buchanan.
Ken Taylor