Have the Republicans peaked too early?

President Obama—An editorial

I remember an episode of the TV show Frasier when he had met the most popular girl in his high school who was interested in him. After a night together he was talking with his brother, Niles, and said, “I went to bed with the high school prom queen and woke up with Carrie.” I think America is feeling similarly with President Obama. WE ELECTED SOMEONE WHO SEEMED LIKE LINCOLN AND WOKE UP WITH AN INCOMPETENT VERSION OF NIXON.

Nixon was a divisive figure in American politics. The left hated him, but at least he was a competent President. Obama on the other hand is turning out to be just as divisive a figure but is showing all the signs of being in well over his head. From the stimulus package which hasn’t lived up to its promises to the healthcare bill that seems to have something in it that everyone can hate, Obama seems to be forced to explain his accomplishments in hypothetical terms since the actual results are disappointing.

The Democrats are desperately trying to frame the 2010 midterms as a choice rather than a referendum on the Obama Presidency. Is there any wonder why?

Americans' Image of "Federal Government" Mostly Negative

More than 7 in 10 describe government in negative terms

PRINCETON, NJ -- More than 7 in 10 Americans use a word or phrase that
is clearly negative when providing a top-of-mind reaction to the federal
government.

A Sept. 20-21 USA Today/Gallup poll asked respondents what they
would say "if someone asked you to describe the federal government in one word
or phrase." The accompanying chart shows the results in graphic form, with the
words or phrases displayed according to how frequently they are mentioned.

Overall, 72% of responses about the federal government are
negative, touching on its inefficiency, size, corruption, and general
incompetence, with the most common specific descriptions being "too big,"
"confused," and "corrupt."

I don’t think you want to be thought of as the party of big government.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/143492/Americans-Image-Federal-Government-Mostly-Negative.aspx

Perhaps Democrats regret using strong-arm tactics

Perhaps the Democrats are starting to realize that pushing health care
through on a procedural loophole against the vigorously expressed will of the
people wasn't such a great idea after all. Long before health care was
passed, or began to unravel, it became apparent that this bill would be a
disaster for the party that passed it, a bomb that blew up in the hands of its
maker, destroying not only the party in question, but the political climate, the
trust of the voters, and the political discourse for cycles to come

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Perhaps-Democrats-regret-using-strong-arm-tactics-1193735-104809954.html#ixzz12CWnShFJ

Obama, the Chamber and Foreign Money

President Obama on Monday dropped any mention of the charge he hurled
days earlier at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that the business industry group
was using foreign money to finance election year TV ads.

However, Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic National
Committee kept up the attacks, in what appeared to be an attempt to distance the
president himself from the mudslinging while keeping the issue in the news,
despite its crumbling credibility as an accusation.

It appears that the attack on the Chamber of Commerce has backfired on the Democrats and they are moving on to another set of attacks. Expect more in the next three weeks.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/10/11/obama-drops-foreign-money-charge-from-fundraiser-remarks-but-biden-and-dnc-continue-attack/#ixzz129EcCztm

Obama's Miracle: He's Making Bush Look Good

A new poll shows that people are becoming more nostalgic for the Bush years.

Back in April, Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg was fairly confident
that Republicans had peaked too early. While Democratic losses would be severe,
he predicted, "it will not be another 1994." Now the former pollster for Bill
Clinton is less sure Democrats can avoid a blowout. The reason? His polls show
that President Obama's campaign refrain that the country must "go forward, not
go backward" to the past ACTUALLY LOSES VOTES FOR DEMOCRATS.

President Obama has been enamored of the theme that the country
can't afford to return to what he terms the discredited policies of the Bush
years. "That's the mantra that he wants to drill into voters' heads between now
and November," ABC News reported last summer.....

But so far the only thing that seems to be coming back is nostalgia for George W. Bush. A new CNN poll finds voters still believe Mr. Obama is a better president than Mr. Bush was, but by only 47% to 45%. That's down from a whopping 23-point margin last year. "DEMOCRATS WOULD BE WISE TO THINK TWICE BEFORE BRINGING UP THE NAME OF PRESIDENT BUSH ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL THIS FALL," says CNN Polling.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440004575548130895975438.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopOpinion


AZ 7 slips into Likely Democrat

Yesterday I linked a story of AZ7 where the Democrat incumbent had called for a boycott of his own state. I mentioned that it was not listed as at risk for the Democrats. Today, Real Politics took one away from the safely Democrat column and moved AZ7 to Likely Democrat.

In the meantime, the Republicans gained one in the Republican column. There are 39 tossups and the Republican should only have to win 7 of them to gain control of the House of Representatives. The Democrats would need to win 33 to maintain control.


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/house/2010_elections_house_map.html

Frank for crisis

Rivals pull no punches in debate

Barney Frank’s GOP challenger came out swinging in a pair of debates yesterday, faulting the 30-year Democratic congressman for the nation’s great economic collapse.

“He supported housing policies that caused the economy to crumble,” said Sean Bielat, who’s running for the 10th congressional district.

Frank fought back, saying he rescued the nation’s sinking finances by tossing out faulty home ownership policies put in place by the Bush administration

Talk about chutzpah! Frank was THE defender of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and those were the prime movers in the subprime crises which lead to the economic disaster. Trying to blame Bush for this is absolutely astonishing.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1288225

For Democrats, Even ‘Safe’ Seats Are Shaky

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — Republicans are expanding the battle for the
House into districts that Democrats had once considered relatively safe, while
Democrats began a STRATEGY OF TRIAGE on Monday to fortify candidates who they believe stand the best chance of survival.

As Republicans made new investments in at least 10 races across the
country, including two Democratic seats here in eastern Ohio, Democratic leaders
took steps to pull out of some races entirely or significantly cut their
financial commitment in several districts that the party won in the last two
election cycles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/us/politics/12repubs.html?_r=2

Goodbye: Democrats Withdrawal Support from Dahlkemper Race

Watching what is going on in this election is fascinating. It’s akin to watching a military battle and you see the Democrats yielding more and more territory trying to get a defensible perimeter. It appears PA3 is no longer in it.

Kathy Dahlkemper will have to go it alone in the final weeks of her campaign
as she struggles to hold on to her third district congressional seat against
Republican Mike Kelly in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Democratic Party is
pulling support of Dahlkemper in order to focus on more competitive races
elsewhere.

http://www.nationalreview.com/battle10/249434/goodbye-democrats-withdrawal-support-dahlkemper-race-thomas-shakely


A Model for Economic Recovery?

While states like Nevada wallow in recession, tiny North Dakota becomes the
first state rated as expanding by a leading service. Could it be the state's
burgeoning energy industry?

The recession — induced by Democrats and activists meddling in the housing market through the Community Reinvestment Act and then whistling past the bad-loan graveyard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — officially ended in June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research….

The key may be North Dakota's development of the energy
resources under its soil and in its rocks, something the Obama administration is
loath to do nationally. Instead we get drilling moratoriums and polar bear
habitat protection that serve to make AMERICA THE ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED NATION NOT DEVELOPING ITS DOMESTIC ENERGY RESOURCES.

Almost every move Obama and the Democrats have made seems to have been wrong. Green jobs, deficit spending, and plans to raise taxes in a weak economy shutting down offshore wells in the Gulf, all loom as job killers rather than job creators.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/550055/201010111833/Drill-North-Dakota-Drill.aspx

Reid misses on his greatest living American nominations.

Christian Broadcasting Network’s White House correspondent David Brody has a
weekly feature called Five 4 Friday where he asks five rapid-fire puff-ball
questions to public figures. This week’s guest was Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid. Question number three, Brody asked who were the greatest living Americans? REID’S ANSWER WAS ROBERT BYRD AND TEDDY KENNEDY neither one is qualified to be considered the greatest living
American.

Perhaps he was confusing living Americans with voting Americans in Chicago?

http://biggovernment.com/jdunetz/2010/10/12/harry-reid-picks-two-dead-senators-as-the-greatest-living-americans/