Posts Tagged ‘Democrats’
September 7th, 2010 by John Feehery
“April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” – T.S. Eliot–The Wasteland
Had T.S. Elliot just witnessed the August endured by the Obama Administration, he might have changed his opinion of the cruelest month. Because, politically, for Democrats, this August has been nothing, but a wasteland.
From the moment Michelle Obama set foot in Spain, to the moment her husband decided to wade into the New York City mosque mess, it has been nothing, but bad news for Congressional Democrats.
As the President’s popularity ratings have sunk, so have the fortunes of his close allies in Capitol Hill. According to Gallup, Republicans now enjoy the biggest advantage to the following question in the history of the poll: “Will you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate this coming November?”
And in race after race, the polling is not getting any better for the Democrats. It was widely reported that Democratic operatives have already thrown in the towel on the House, and are now turning their attention to saving the Senate majority, a concern that was deemed unthinkable only four months ago. Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Congress, Conservatives, Democrats, Economy, election, George W Bush, Government, health care, Iraq, McCain, November elections, Presidential election, Republicans, White House
Posted in Economy, Government, Politics, Theory, election, health care, war | No Comments »
September 3rd, 2010 by John Feehery
Only in America could gang-bangers have a press conference and complain about police harassment.
That is exactly what several members of some of Chicago’s most violent gangs did yesterday.
On the same day that President Obama’s Justice Department sued an Arizona Sheriff for harassing illegal immigrants, gang kingpins met with the press to say that the cops don’t give them enough respect.
Here is what CBS news reported on the subject:
Self-identified gang leaders hold a news conference in Chicago, Sept. 2. 2010. (CBS)
“At a news conference organized by self-identified gang members Thursday morning, several speakers complained that police and city officials do not respect them, and that the only way to curb violence is to provide jobs and improve their community. The self-described current and former gang members held a news conference at the Columbus Park Refectory, at 5701 W. Jackson Blvd. on the city’s West Side. “You say it’s gangs, drugs and guns. We say we need jobs, opportunities and contracts,” said Reginald Akeem Berry Sr., who identified himself as a former gang member. “That’s the resolution.”
But is that really the resolution? How can jobs be created in parts of Chicago that are more violent that Baghdad or Kabul? Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Chicago, Democrats, Drugs, Obama, Politics
Posted in Drugs in America, Government, Media, Politics, Theory | No Comments »
September 1st, 2010 by John Feehery
Glenn Beck is crazy. His fans, on the other hand, are not.
I have talked to several reporters about the Beck event on the mall over the weekend, and every one of them had nothing but complete disdain for Beck.
And yet, each one of them commented about how nice the crowd was.
The Beck fans were orderly. They didn’t carry wacky signs. They were very respectful of each other. As one reporter told me, “you would feel very comfortable with your kids running through this crowd.”
The Beck fans were immaculate. They cleaned up after themselves. In fact, the place looked cleaner after they were there then it did before they got there.
The problem the left has in attacking the Tea Party and in attacking Glenn Beck’s supporters is that they are attacking people who are actually very nice.
These folks are very concerned about what is happening to America. Yes, they are concerned about President Obama, but it isn’t his race that bothers them. It is his philosophy and his insouciance about America’s essential character. Read more...
Tags: America, Barack Obama, Conservatives, Democrats, Glenn Beck, rally, Republicans, Tea Party
Posted in Politics | 4 Comments »
August 23rd, 2010 by John Feehery
I was on the treadmill this morning, enjoying my vacation, when I saw the DNC ad on the television. The Democratic National Committee, incredibly, has decided that the last two years of presidential leadership from Barack Hussien Obama has no bearing on the upcoming midterm election. They have decided to run against George W. Bush.
They are spending a lot of money to cast this election as a contest between George Bush and Barack Obama. So, I have to ask the question: If George Bush were to run against Obama right now, who would win?
The DNC seems convinced that Obama would win in a landslide. That is why they are so confident in their strategy. But is that true?
A recent poll showed that in the 40 most competitive seats held by Democrats, Bush is more popular than Obama. This poll was conducted by a Democrat, by the way.
Obama won a convincing victory against John McCain two short years ago. But there were a couple of things turning in Obama’s favor. First, the financial crisis reared its ugly head just two months before the election. Second, the Iraq War was just starting to turn around, not enough to help McCain. Third, McCain ran one of the worst Presidential campaigns in history, and was one of the most disappointing candidates in history. Fourth, after 8 years of President Bush, the American people were ready for a change. Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Democrats, George W Bush, Republicans, White House
Posted in election | 5 Comments »
August 19th, 2010 by John Feehery
US Soldiers in Iraq
I was talking to my good friend Alex Mistri, a man who spent a year working for the military and the State Department in Iraq, and I asked him what he thought about departure of combat troops from that beleaguered country.
He told me he was deeply ambivalent. He wished that the president had a just a little more patience to give the Iraqis a chance to get their coalition government together. On the one hand, he was happy to see that our policies over there have worked and that many of our troops are coming home knowing that they did a good job. On the other hand, he is deeply apprehensive that the cake isn’t ready yet, and by leaving, we give extremists a chance to destabilize the country.
I share Alex’s deep ambivalence. I share Alex’s pride in the job our combat troops did in battling terrorists and stabilizing large sections of a country that has been in constant turmoil for almost a decade. But this thing is not over, and I hope that the president didn’t rush this for political reasons. Read more...
Tags: Alex mistri, Barack Obama, Democrats, Economy, George W Bush, Iraq, Republicans, war
Posted in Politics, Theory, war | No Comments »
August 16th, 2010 by John Feehery
Former President George W. Bush signing a tax cut law.
So, George Bush has been out of office for close to two years and Barack Obama has been President for close to two year. So, why are Republicans getting sucked into a debate about the Bush tax cuts? The debate should be on the Obama tax increases, not the Bush tax cuts.
Sure, it was Bush who signed tax legislation a decade ago that is set to expire at the end of the year. But Bush is no longer President. Obama is the President, and he is the one who seems more than willing to allow tax increases to spring immediately into place.
Republicans need to center this discussion on the broader tax debate. And here is the debate. Do you think the tax code should be recreated to allow for more long-term job creation, greater productivity, greater economic growth and improved American competitiveness or do you think the tax code should remain status quo, with tax cuts only going up on rich people? Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Congress, Democrats, George W Bush, Republicans, Tax cuts, taxes
Posted in taxes | No Comments »
August 12th, 2010 by John Feehery
Tags: Democrats, election
Posted in election | No Comments »
August 10th, 2010 by John Feehery
Bandon Dunes Golf Course in Oregon
About twelve years ago, Mike Kaiser started construction on a golf course in southern Oregon called Bandon Dunes. Kaiser, a former greeting card company owner turned mogul, had a vision of exporting a piece of Scotland into the Oregon coastline.
The course turned out to be smashing success, and it has turned into a complex of five magnificent golf courses, a spa, a hotel and a bunch of restaurants. It is not a cheap place to play, but it has become a tourist Mecca, with duffers from around the world coming in to try their hand at links-style golf.
Oregon is a beautiful place to visit. It has a thriving wine industry, a robust agriculture sector, and world-renown companies like Nike and Columbia outerwear.
But it also has a problem with crystal meth, especially in the more rural areas that surround Bandon Dunes. Unemployment in some parts of rural Oregon goes well beyond the national average, and there is a sense of desperation and foreboding in some of the smaller towns, all because of crystal meth. Read more...
Tags: Bandon Dunes, Barack Obama, crystal meth, Democrats, golf, Oregon, Republicans, rich, taxes, Unemployment
Posted in Bad Decisions, Politics, taxes | No Comments »
August 5th, 2010 by John Feehery
Tags: Barack Obama, business, Congress, Debt, Democrats, Republicans, socialist, spending
Posted in Government, Politics, Theory | No Comments »
August 3rd, 2010 by John Feehery
President Obama loves to mock Congressional Republicans as the gang that drove the economy into the ditch. Congressional Republicans love to attack President Obama as the guy who is seeking to make America a “socialist” country.
Many wonder how these two sides would work together should Republicans regain power in Congress this November. Will it be partisan warfare 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Will such a result lead to Washington D.C. style gridlock, where neither side can move an inch in either direction? Will the Republicans be able to return to Bush-economics, as the President hints? Will they be able to repeal the President’s health care bill as they promise on the campaign trail?
In fact, it is my theory, that President Obama and Congressional Republicans could have a productive, if unlikely, partnership that could move the country forward on several different fronts in the next Congress.
Here are the five issues that I think could be fertile ground for compromise next year should the Republicans retake the Congress: Read more...
Tags: bar, Barack Obama, Congress, Conservatives, Democrats, GOP, Government, Politics, Republicans
Posted in Politics | No Comments »
Loading ...