President Obama photo San Fransico Sentinel
So much for Hope and Change – the American Public appears to have been handed Gloom and Doom instead, given the reaction to the mortgage crisis vis a vis Freddie and Fannie, and the subsequent house of cards that started with the triumvirate of Bush, Pelosi and Reid, and began to collapse when President Obama took office. The tone of “Fear” – as in “should we not act fast, we’ll be in grave danger”, rammed a massive spending bill down the throats of tax-payers, loaded with other “goodies” that regulate various aspects of our lives, otherwise known as: typical big spending government oversight, liberal political think. An article from Real Clear Politics speaks to the tone of Fear used by the Administration in order to affect the passage of this bill. The questions every American should be asking is whether the fear was real or contrived – if the fear of President Obama is real, then we are in serious trouble – those who are fearful tend to react – not act in the face of crisis. The point is, however, no-one truly knows what drives the President.
Polls released this past week by both CNN and FOX show a decline in approval rating between 60-67% (dependent upon the poll). The President’s approval rating the first week of office was 83% by some accounts - meaning in less than one month – his approval rating has fallen 16 points, should this monthly trend continue, by April, he will enjoy an approval rating of 35% or, a rating comparable to his predecessor. One can assume this decline in approval is not, part and parcel, his reaction to the Financial Crisis, rather a culmination of incidents including questionable appointees.
Glen Beck- photo CNN via Americasnewstoday.com
Enter the right: Glen Beck, talk radio host and Fox News Commentator, is upset with the stimulus and sheer amount of waste and debt involved. (Who isn’t?) That said, in a broadcast last evening, Beck broke the “fear barrier” by “predicting” that a “Revolution” was at hand. Speaking with a string of experts, Beck outlined the “doom” that is may or may not happen: Bank Holidays (where all assets are frozen) by order of the President, Militia’s (ok he may have a point here), that are drilling in the event of “civil unrest”, the need for families to store food and plan to defend themselves. The premise, martial law will be imposed to deal with riots and unrest and possibly insurrection against a government run amok, due to food shortages, money shortages and massive unemployment, not to mention passage of the Fairness Doctrine.
What is telling is that Amazon has been doing a brisk business in Survival Guides and assorted accessories in recent weeks. There is a featured “Survivors Forum” with the two most popular threads: The New World Order Survivor, and Mass Corruption Runaway Government & collapse of our Nation. This is fear driven by politics of fear (real or imagined) and those that profit from fear (Mr. Beck may be sincere in his conservative values, but fear appears to sell.)
This is the most likely scenario: Those moderates and Republican’s that voted for President Obama due to total disillusionment with the Republican Party and the Bush Administration and a very weak candidate in John McCain (reality), will shift sharply within the next two years: in 2010 it is more likely now that Congress will receive a “conservative makeover”, meanwhile, those Democrats who have been in lockstep with Pelosi, Reid and company, will be forced to choose between their jobs and their ideology – with an end result of a halt and reversal of legislation that is at the very least, objectionable to a majority. In 2012, that message will be sent to the White House, it is difficult, at this point, to envision President Obama in a second term. Is it entirely his fault? Resoundingly no – to be fair, expectations for a one-term Senator from Illinois who had zero experience, were exceedingly high, no-one, and that bears repeating, no one could live up to the parameters set for this one man by his own constituents and the moderates who voted for what they felt were the lesser of two evils. It also needs to be realized that our current economic “crisis” is similar in scope to the economy of the 1970’s (which no-one seems to be talking about.) Unemployment, run-away inflations, bank bailouts, gas lines, and high interest rates, were all part and parcel of the Carter administration. It is true that the scope of this stimulus package dwarfs all previous versions, however, it is also true, that the economy has recovered, on more than one occasion, with the election of a fiscal conservative to the White House (and members of the Congress who would, regardless of party, work to reduce the pain of the people.).
The lesson one must take from this current “crisis” is in an historical context - it is merely a pattern of politics and economics, one which, certain individuals will use “crisis” for political gain (in this case, in error), while others will use “crisis” for financial gain. In any event, one can be assured that change is constant and guaranteed under the constitution through the process of elections, therefore, the only “revolution” that will take place, logically, would be in the voting booth in 2010 and 2012. Let us just hope that, as history repeats itself, we do not make the same mistakes and place yet another political party in control of both the Executive Branch and the Legislature. The Republican control of all branches, followed by Democrat control of all branches, and the ensuing rhetoric from the imbalance in ideology, created an atmosphere of do-nothing to panicked finger-pointing. Additionally, committed ideologues cannot now, nor ever will be able to function as bi-partisan; it is those willing to meet in the middle that will do the most good. Although these names have been bandied about, for good or ill, they exemplified a government that worked for the people: Ronald Regan and Tip O’Neil. One can also add, Newt Gingrich and William Jefferson Clinton to that list. One can rest assured that in the near future, there will be others to add to that list, and the cycle will continue.
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