Jeffrey Anderson, writing in The Weekly Standard, makes an excellent point:
In President Obama’s first budget, entitled (with no apparent sense of irony) “A New Era of Responsibility,” he projected that the federal budget deficit in 2012 would be a rather hefty $581 billion. Fast-forwarding three years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) now projects that it will instead be $1.079 trillion, meaning that, if the CBO is right, Obama was wrong by $498,000,000,000. To put that into perspective, that roughly half-trillion dollar margin of error is more than Obama allocated in this year’s budget for Medicare. Medicare could magically have become free for 2012, and the deficit would still have exceeded Obama’s earlier estimate.
It strikes me that President Obama isn’t simply vulnerable when it comes to the objective conditions of the country (though he is); it’s that he’s vulnerable based on what he promised versus what he has delivered as president. That’s true on a range of issues, including the unemployment rate (which we were told wouldn’t go above 8 percent if his stimulus package was passed; December was the 35th straight month with unemployment above 8 percent); health care costs (he promised to bend the health care cost curve down; it’s gone up); poverty going down (it’s gone up); cutting the deficit in half (it’s exploded); fixing the housing crisis (it’s gotten worse); improving America’s image in the world (we’re less popular in the Muslim world now than we were under Obama’s predecessor); and improving the political culture in Washington (the divisions have gotten deeper and Obama has set a record for polarization in each of his first three years in office).
Time and time again, Barack Obama has not only not done what he promised; his policies have moved things in the opposite direction.
He is a man who rode to office on his words and promises. In November, Obama might well be given a one-way ticket back to Chicago for the same reason.
This should be the case (what this article says) — and maybe it will be if the message is hammered home loud enough and often enough … but I keep hearing all the time (and way more often than I ever hear any criticism of Obama) that everything is Bush's fault, that the only mistake Obama ever made was in not realizing how even more horrible everything was than (supposedly) "we all knew it was under Bush." It's bull, but Prez Bush still can't show himself.
BDZ, I don't think that article makes sense. How can Obama appeal to voters' hearts, when everyone is feeling depressed as a result of his policies. The numbers Republicans are quoting are so powerful precisely because they invoke the emotional letdown of his presidency. n
Aaron, what you say makes 100% sense to me. But there seems to be something different going on in the country. Call it a residue of Occupy Wall Street, call it delusional, or call it that this country elected Obama in the first place, but whatever it is, there are just lots and lots of people who don't think like you and me. The Daniel Henninger article cited the roaring applause Obama is getting with his silly "American Built to Last" speech. Seems idiotic to me, but I have long ago realized that I'm not typical in how I view politics. I also think there is a new Zeitgheist. In 2010 it was spending. In 2012 it seems to be "fairness". That plays right into Obama's hands. We have to realize that and act accordingly.
Thanks for that article. Here's the part I find most frustrating: n nThe Obama-Axelrod-Plouffe team knows that the Republicans instinctively will respond by quoting, endlessly, the poor economic data of the Obama years. They plan to turn this reality on its head as well. In a down economy, Barack Obama is going to position his GOP critics as economic determinists. The bloodless Numbers People … Mr. Obama's likely opponent has self-defined as a competent manager, a numbers guy. n nIf Obama can turn the race into a choice between him and a "country club" Republican, he won't be the issue. "Bloodless" above was really telling. I can't picture Romney saying, "I feel your pain." He did say he likes to fire people, though — including Gingrich (for expressing a "big" idea — good thing Bill Gates didn't give Romney a job back when he was planning to put a personal computer in every home in America). Still, Romney's people must see this too. Hope they have a plan!
I agree with everything Peter Wehner writes except for the part about America being unpopular in the Muslim world. America has been, and will always be unpopular in the Muslim world as long as they believe America supports Israel's national security, among other reasons. That is a fact. I for one, will always defend Israel's national security, and am not concerned with winning any popularity contests.
Researching any topic, one should always try to find a non-biased source. Looks like I'll keep moving along.