Washington Post

Will “It’s The Economy, Stupid!” Outweigh The Death Of Osama Bin Laden And Help Mitt Romney Against Barack Obama?

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A month ago, President Barack Obama’s public opinion polls skyrocketed, following the successful elimination of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.

Now, a month later, due to the unstable economy and lack of major job growth, and general economic pessimism, Obama has lost the majority support he had last month, and has slipped below 50 percent in the polls.

In the Washington Post-ABC News poll, Obama has slipped to 47 percent, and in a matchup with Mitt Romney, he is behind by three points, 46-43, emboldening the former Massachusetts Governor to believe he has an advantage for 2012, and that such an advantage will give him the edge for the Republican Presidential nomination.

The problem is that Romney might, for now, be ahead, and he might, realistically, along with Jon Huntsman, be the BEST candidate for the GOP, but that is no guarantee that he will win the nomination of his party or the election in November 2012!

The fact that he has stated his belief that global warming and climate change are a real factor, if not the sole one, in what is happening regarding weather and environmental conditions, will not win friends from the social conservatives.

Nor will his Mormon faith, the same problem of Jon Huntsman, help Romney, since evangelical Christians do not regard Mormons as Christians, but rather as a cult.

Nor will his Massachusetts health care plan, often compared to Obama Health Care, although he has carefully defended it, while saying he would not foist it on the nation as a whole.

Nor will his chameleon nature, constantly changing his views with the shifting political winds, with many seeing him as a moderate to liberal Republican in his past, but now claiming to be a conservative.

Nor will his slick manner, his seemingly perfect family and clean image, help him because it seems, somehow, contrived to many!

But will an economy with a high unemployment rate, poor housing prices, high gasoline prices, and a stagnating stock market, be enough to help Romney or some other Republican, and outweigh the national security issue, including the death of Bin Laden, and the fact that America is involved in fighting terrorism in FIVE nations by bombing and drones–Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, and Yemen–making Obama look tough on defense and security issues?

Just about 16 and a half months away from the election, and eight months from the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, the Republican Party has some hope, but many daunting challenges ahead, but then again, so does Barack Obama, to convince the nation to re-elect a President with high unemployment numbers and percentages, greater than since Franklin D. Roosevelt!

Support For Gay Marriage Grows To Majority

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An ABC-Washington Post Poll indicates that 53 percent of those polled now support gay marriage, five years after only 36 percent supported the concept.

People in their 30s and 40s, Catholics, political moderates and men have increased greatly in their support of gay marriage rights.

At the same time, evangelical white Protestants oppose gay marriage by a 3-1 margin, and Republicans and conservatives are against it by a 2-1 margin, but even those groups have seen some improvement in the numbers that support gay marriage.

It is obvious that the country is acclimating itself to gays marrying, but ironically, it is the unpredictable Supreme Court which will ultimately decide whether the Defense of Marriage Act, stating a marriage is between a man and woman, is to be upheld, or if gay marriage must be accepted by all of the states.

This is an issue which over time will grow in support, however, as young people in broad terms have no problems with gay rights and gay marriage, but the Supreme Court could hold back progress on this major social change.

The Death Of Political Journalist David Broder Of The Washington Post A Major Loss!

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News has just come that David Broder, one of the giants of political journalism for the past four decades, from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama, has passed away at age 81.

This is a major loss to the Washington Post, the general journalism community, and to political junkies who relied on him for sound, sensible reporting and analysis of American politics and Presidents.

Broder won the Pulitzer Prize, a richly deserved honor for his coverage and analysis of Watergate, and was highly respected by all who believe in a balanced approach to covering politics and public affairs.

This is the kind of reporter and analyst who cannot be replaced, and who always promoted rationality and reason, and was critical of the highly partisan rhetoric so often displayed in recent years on talk radio, cable television, and even by print journalism.

Ultimately, David Broder was always a scholar and a gentleman, the best tribute that can be paid to anyone out to promote public knowledge and insight!

“Prima Donna” Senate Republicans: A Massive Headache For Mitch McConnell!

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It has often been said that the Democratic Party is not an organized party with any discipline, but it seems obvious that in the 112th Congress, that Mitch McConnell and John Boehner will have trouble controlling their membership!

This is particularly true in the US Senate, which can be said to have two distinct groups of “prima donnas”, people who are not good at working together and with others!

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post referred to a group of Senators, who complained bitterly about being “rushed” to do things, and feeling that the idea of having to work to just before Christmas was somehow an outrage!

Realize that it was because the Republicans asked for delays on many issues and procrastinated on them, that required the Senate to stay in session through yesterday, December 22. Also, these Senators seem to live in an unreal world, as if no one works to the day before Christmas. In other words, they are “petulant”, but also prima donnas, not an image designed to win support of the American people!

For the record, who fits into the “petulant” group of Republican Senators? They include Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Orrin Hatch of Utah, and Jon Kyl and John McCain of Arizona.

Now in the new Congress, McConnell must work with the five new “Tea Party” Senators–Marco Rubio of Florida, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Mike Lee of Utah.

This sounds like a massive undertaking, to gain their cooperation and willingness to do what needs to be done, not always what they want to be done.

Let’s just say that no one should envy the challenge facing Mitch McConnell, as well as John Boehner, now that their party has more seats in the Senate and controls the House of Representatives.

It is not just how the GOP relates to President Obama, but also how they relate to each other, that will be the biggest political news story of 2011!

Seven Seats The Democrats Might Gain In House Races!

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Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post today outlined the reality of at least seven House races that might switch from the Republicans to the Democrats in November, which would make it necessary for the GOP to win 46 seats, instead of the 39 minimum, to gain control of the chamber!

He outlines seats in California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania that are seen as likely to switch to the Democrats!

The point is that the disgust with incumbents, along with the effects of the Tea Party Movement, could lead to these seven, and other Republican seats in the House to switch in favor of
the Democrats!

So again, with the public opinion rating for Republicans running lower than the Democrats, it is not time yet to toast Speaker of the House John Boehner! 🙂

Ted Koppel On How September 11 Has Divided, Rather Than United Us! :(

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Former ABC News Night Line host Ted Koppel is now an analyst for BBC World News America, but his 25 years on Night Line set his sterling reputation for clear, incisive evaluation of events!

In an Op Ed article for the Washington Post to be published tomorrow to commemorate the 9th anniversary of September 11, he makes it clear that we have given Osama Bin Laden a tremendous victory beyond even his expectations, as this nation has become bitterly divided over how to react to the Islamic faith, and how to deal with the issue of national security! 🙁

Instead of uniting and cooperating, the two political parties have badly broken the sense of one nation after the tragic events nine years ago, and the whole issue of dealing with a religion of one billion people in many nations around the world has been manipulated in such a way that, instead of weakening Islamic radicalism, it is actually helping to spread hate and fear among young Muslims in America and around the world to our detriment! 🙁

The result is political chaos and opportunism in America, which leads to rejoicing for Bin Laden and his ilk! The reality is that Bin Laden continues to triumph over this nation and the Western world nearly a decade after his dastardly deed! 🙁

When, oh when, will our political and religious leaders see what is occurring, and unite to promote tolerance and diversity? Instead of fighting each other, when will we unify around a common purpose to overcome the terrorism that has poisoned us? 🙁

Are The American People “Spoiled Brats?” Unfortunately, YES!

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Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post wrote a column yesterday that is bound to cause controversy!

He stated that the American electorate are acting as “spoiled brats”!

Wow, what a charge! Is there any justification to this accusation? Obviously, Robinson says YES, and the author would tend to agree with him, which requires explanation!

Robinson says that we want quick easy solutions to complex problems that have been built up over many years, and cannot be resolved in any one presidential term or one two year congressional term! He is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in that assertion!

We have so many problems, as Robinson points out, including:

1. Restructuring of the economy which has been outsourced over the past thirty years (since Ronald Reagan), and with manufacturing having disappeared because we all want cheap Walmart CHINA goods, and don’t want to support American made labor goods!

2. We have an infrastructure which needs a major investment, including the rebuilding of roads, bridges, canals, and other public works, but don’t want to make the investment because it might cause taxes to go up, which we hate as a concept, expecting everything to be done without paying for it!

3. We need to recognize the importance of reforming entitlements, but even to suggest it is to cause hysteria and panic and anger, as again the thought is that we don’t want to sacrifice, but make sure you don’t cut anyone’s future expectations of gaining benefits without paying appropriate level of taxes!

4. We need to plan a 21st century economy based on weaning ourselves off foreign oil, and must face the fact that fossil fuels are not the long term answer, but corporations and politicians continue to promote an outdated idea of how our future energy needs can be met!

5. After years of paying very low or no taxes, the wealthy keep on complaining about paying more taxes, even though there is no way to maintain enough revenue without their participation in the tax structure, but the attitude is “NOT ME!”, and selfishness and greed rule! When one percent of the population earns 23 percent of the income, to say they should not pay more taxes means no solution in the future to solving our economic problems is possible, and instead it forces bigger and bigger budget deficits which can lead us to losing our status as a world leader, which is already under attack as it is!

6.We need to develop an education system to sustain the future, but have failed to keep pace, and again it requires willingness to sacrifice, which no one wants to do!

7. We need to realize that immigration is part of a plan for an economic future, but instead we just make immigrants and people who have different cultural backgrounds seem to be the enemy and a threat to the future of the country!

8. The country has an unsustainable burden overseas, trying to be the world’s policeman, and therefore, we need to redefine our role in world affairs in such a way to make it manageable, as now our defense requirements are overwhelming our ability to sustain it financially!

As Robinson says, we want quick and easy solutions without pain and suffering, and so we are ready to “throw out the rascals” and try the other party in power, but not understanding that the GOP has no solutions either, and that likely, after they have a try at power, they will be thrown out in 2012!

So we are acting like “spoiled brats”, like children who have a “temper tantrum”, and take irrational steps that will do nothing to deal with the reality of the future!

That reality is that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have any magical solutions, and we are going to suffer through five to ten years of trouble to undo the damage done in the past 30 years, all of it except the BIll Clinton years, under Republican Presidents who made life better for the wealthy, and miserable for the middle class and the poor!

So it is time for the American people to “grow up” and stop expecting quick, easy solutions, as they are not going to come, whether or not one party or the other controls the White House and the Congress!

We are, unfortunately, in for the toughest decade we have suffered through since the 1930s! To believe anything else is to believe in the “tooth fairy” and “Santa Claus”! 🙁

Time For George W. Bush And Other Principled Republicans To Speak Out On Mosque Controversy!

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The Washington Post today has come out with an editorial calling upon former President George W. Bush to speak out against the demagoguery going on within his party, with many Republicans remaining silent as Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and others make the “Ground Zero Mosque” a political football, and in the process, are promoting anti Islamic hatred, a tremendous danger to the nation and its future!

One can criticize and find fault with Bush on a multitude of issues during his eight years as President, but one cannot fault him for always trying to make clear that our war was against Al Qaeda, not the Islamic world, a belief that President Barack Obama has continued to promote!

Bush should condemn those who use the mosque issue as a way to divide America, and promote fear and hate! If he was to do so, it would improve his image, and maybe get timid Republicans such as Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Richard Lugar, and others to come out in support of his stand!

So far, only New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and commentator Pat Buchanan, indeed a strange duo, have had the courage to speak out against the hysterical tide!

We have so many important issues to deal with, and we should not be fighting and splitting over the building of a house of worship! American ideals and principles require the end of this outrageous fear mongering being promoted by its original creator, the loony blogger Pamela Geller, in league with talk radio hosts and Fox News Channel, and endorsed by potential Presidential candidates Gingrich and Palin, who should be roundly condemned for their divisive tactics! 🙁

Public Perceptions Of Barack Obama And The Upcoming Congressional Elections

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A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Barack Obama, after 15 months in office, and a constant barrage of attack from right wing talk radio, FOX News, and the Republican party, is showing up as very strong in the public mind!

58 percent have a favorable impression of the President, with 37 percent strongly and 21 percent somewhat favorable. The other 42 percent is unfavorable, but 12 percent is somewhat unfavorable, and only 29 percent strongly unfavorable. If only 29 percent are strong in their dislike, it has to be said that is the base which everyone realizes despises the President, but that is nothing to worry about!

54 percent support Obama’s performance as President, and 44 percent do not, with 33 percent strongly against.

By 46-32, the people believe the Democrats are the better party to deal with the problems of the next few years in this nation. And by 59-25, the poll suggests that the American people blame George W. Bush over Obama for the economic crisis we are facing! Additionally, Bush is blamed 60-22 over Obama for the federal budget deficit crisis we have to confront!

And imagine this statistic! 53 percent think Obama’s views on most issues is just about right, while 39 percent think he is too liberal and 5 percent think he is too conservative! All that Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Bill O’Reilly, and all the other right wing propagandists have said has NOT impressed the majority of Americans, who are showing that they know the difference between truth and fiction!

The one third of the country which chooses to continue to believe the propaganda of the right wing, and to promote hate and division and racism, has the freedom to express such disgraceful rhetoric, but the majority of the nation is, fortunately, too decent, to take it seriously!

There are already hints that the Republican party will be very surprised on Election Day this fall that they will not gain as much in Congress and the states as they seem to think they will! The Democratic Party and President Obama will be able to show they are the party of results, on health care, financial reform (which as I write, the GOP is finally ending the filibuster on discussion of legislation, because the public WANTS financial reform), and likely on other essential legislation on energy and the environment, and hopefully, on immigration reform!

Enough of propaganda and lies, and more action, is the Democratic message, and it will look very good by the fall, and with the economy showing signs of improvement as well, it will be a much better Democratic result than had been expected just a couple of months ago!

Tragic News At Washington Times: Conservative Alternative Cutting Back Drastically!

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It is indeed sad news when the nation’s capital, Washington, DC, is losing its major conservative alternative to the Washington Post, the Washington Times, as a fully competing entity.

The news today that there would be more than 40 percent cuts in staff, and the earlier announcement of no Saturday or Sunday editions anymore, is a sign of the times in print journalism, but it seems likely that this attempt to resuscitate the competitor to the Post will ultimately fail in the long run.

While no one would compare the Times to the Post in quality, it was still a good thing to have the alternative approach to national and international news, and competition is good in any industry, particularly one dealing with information and knowledge.

The Post once before had lost its competitor, when the Evening Star went out of business in the 1970s, to be replaced in 1982 by the Times. It is hoped that somehow the cutback paper will survive as another editorial voice!