Obama Off Again – Heads To Europe – Will Europe View Him As Carter Light?

Obama Heads To Europe - image Huffington Post

As Obama is set to visit Europe this coming weekReuters is asking if Obama will maintain his appeal in the “Old World”, or will European’s give him the same treatment of disdain that he received in Asia. The analysis opens with sarcasm:
“If President Barack Obama is not yet convinced that his international star power has faded, his next round of transatlantic summitry should clear up any lingering doubts.”


According to Reuters, Europeans will be leery of the U.S. President over economic policy difference and the fact that U.S. allies feel “neglected”. Cited as one of the major issues he must overcome is the perception of weakness over the 2010 mid-term elections. Of course, that is followed by his problematic trip to Asia, where his economic policies, specifically as to world trade, were called into question by the Chinese.

How a U.S. President is perceived around the globe matters – to the President. If a President is seen as being weak, both at home and abroad, political opportunities as to reelection are greatly diminished. Unfortunately, no matter what political ideology and or temperament a sitting U.S. President may have, the Europeans (i.e. global community) appears to find fault. The more a U.S. President is perceived in the States as being more interested in his/her popularity globally, the chances for a second term are greatly diminished.

The Europeans had little love for Ronald Regan, less for George W. Bush and even Bill Clinton had some issues – but it was the perception of how the aforementioned were received in the U.S. and how they viewed the U.S. as being in a position of power, which brought respect. (Note: Clinton was and remains the most popular abroad.)

Obama’s approach is more akin to that of former President Jimmy Carter, who, barely 15 months into his Presidency, was already seen as weak in the eyes of the Europeans . (See Google News and excerpt image below.)


Jimmy Carter Perceived as Weak by Europeans 15 months into Presidency - Google News Archives

Simply put, when a U.S. President appears to care more for how they are perceived outside the U.S., then their stock both in the U.S. and globally appears to decline. It may not be seem fair, to some, to make comparisons between Obama and Carter, however, their approach to world views, economics, and domestic policies are so similar it is as if one is blindly following the path of the other. From bailouts, and increased entitlement programs, to the world’s perception of a weakened U.S. Commander in Chief, the historical significance of the two Progressive Leaders cannot be dismissed. It is the President that views the United States as having a position of strength, and makes no apologies, regardless of the “world view”, who is most successful. No U.S. President will ever be viewed as anything other than an upstart from a country which was once merely a colony of hooligans who rebuked their European “betters”. It is an historical fact that seems to elude the Progressive mindset – those who would prefer the U.S. was, for better or worse, the paradise they see as Europe through their rose colored elitist glasses, fare far less well, when it comes to the ballot box and the court of U.S. public opinion. Therefore, the die may already be cast, and Obama-Carter may come away from Europe, with little gain in popularity abroad, and less at home.

Obama plans Two Vacations – First Family to Visit Gulf and Martha’s Vineyard – Media – He Attempts to Move to the Right?

Obama on the Cover of Time - media depiction as FDR, a call to moderates - who prefer Clinton

According to the the AFP President Barak Obama and his familyare planning two more vacations before summers end – one to the Gulf and one to Martha’s Vineyard. The Gulf vacation is family only, according the this Euro news service, and while in Louisiana the President also plans on mixing in a bit of “business” – visiting small businesses who may have been affected by the oil spill. The last summer vacation will be in Martha’s Vineyard.

This, despite, the fact that the nations unemployment rate remains steady at 9.5% with no change anticipated for August”, and appearances, as “they” say, are everything. Apparently, advisers must have suggested a get-away or two – not realizing that this move may not be the best way to endear the suffering populace. On the other hand, with Congress on recess, and embattled Democrats fighting to maintain their seats, it may have been a directive from the DNC to “get out of Dodge” and find something to do away from Washington and any Democrat that is up for reelection – as he is less effective, say than President Bill Clinton, who is the preferred “party star” to aid endangered Democrats (NPR). That said, at every opportunity, the President and Democrats in general, are still blaming President George Bush for every problem that occurs (including the Gulf Oil Spill), a man who was eviscerated by the media for taking vacations at a working ranch (owned by Bush), while a natural disaster was occurring (Katrina).

With a political party in hot water, it is, in all likelihood, a good idea for Obama to maintain a low profile, after all, 2012 campaigning also begins on November 3, 2010 – time for Obama to begin to “move to the middle” in order to maintain his current residence. This strategy is in place, according to Keith Koffer, in an op-ed found in Politico. Mr. Koffer cites the fact that White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, is “picking fights “with the left – on purpose. This purpose would be to apparently distant the President from those who are left of center – or the majority of the Democrat Congressional members. Seriously, the author goes so far as to compare Obama’s “strategy” to that of President Clinton’s in 1994. It is, without a doubt, disingenuous to think that a comparison can be made between the two men in the first place, and in the second, conditions in the country (unemployment, etc.) are simply not comparable.

If one were to compare President Obama to a past Democrat office holder, it would have to be Carter – not Clinton. This is not the first article (or salvo) fired off by the press, op-ed or no, that is claiming a “move to the center” by Obama, and quoting one comment found under the Politico article one can sense the hostility towards the press and the President and that fact that it is a “no-sale” theory:

“Oh please, he already pulled this crap once to get elected and as soon as he was elected he took a HARD left and hasn't been back!
I don't think Oblunder will be fooling anyone this time and he still is and always will be as radical as ever!”

Shades of the Who ”Won’t Get Fooled Again” .

It is not the vacations, necessarily; it is more the constant bailouts, the appearance that the President and his Congress in concert are oblivious to needs and wants of the general electorate, which will make it extremely difficult to imagine a second term. Of course, according to every article remotely critiquing the administration, there lurks a line or two about the “GOP” calling out the same for acting irresponsibly. In other words, still stumping for Obama, even though it is apparent this president’s chances of re-election are growing slimmer by the day.

What of Bill Clinton on the campaign trail? It serves two purposes, neither of which are tied to the current President. One, it puts a popular President out front with Democrats (Senate and Congress) who are most likely to face a loss, but will remember and support the Clintons, and does get the old base enthused. (Referring of course, to the old democrat, as opposed to the “progressives”). In addition, with Hillary Clinton perhaps the party’s only hope of maintaining Pennsylvania Avenue for the Democrats, its political capital in the bank- this despite the appearance of “helping” Obama.

All’s fair in love, war and politics, given that old adage, one cannot see a new majority (in both the Congress and the Senate) working against the opportunity to see a Republican in the White House – or a true moderate Democrat (i.e. Hillary Clinton). In addition, it is difficult to see this particular man, go against his personal progressive convictions, those that have been in place in the earliest moments of his political career(see below) – and may make any move, even remotely to the center, either transparently false, or impossible. ( From the New Party (Socialist Party):

Secondly, the NP's '96 Political Program has been enormously successful with 3 of 4 endorsed candidates winning electoral primaries. All four candidates attended the NP membership meeting on April 11th to express their gratitude. Danny Davis, winner in the 7th Congressional District, invited NPers to join his Campaign Steering Committee. Patricia Martin, who won the race for
Judge in 7th Subcircuit Court, explained that due to the NP she was able to network and get experienced advice from progressives like Davis. Barack Obama, victor in the 13th State Senate District, encouraged NPers to join in his task forces on Voter Education and Voter Registration.

)

Therefore, being the “brilliant” man he is, he must be aware of the mood of the populace, and the great lengths he must go through in order to attempt a political “makeover” in time and in concert with a sympathetic media, in a rally for a second term, which, pinning ones political hopes on the short memory of the average “American Idol” voter, may not be the best strategy this time around. The times have changed since Carter’s first and only term.

Obama Attends Rally for Embattled NJ Governor Corzine Draws Crowd of 3,500 - Next Stop Massachusetts – Rally for Deval Patrick.

Obama with Corzine, image Trentonian

President Obama has hit the campaign trail to try and bolster Democrat incumbent governor John Corzine, who is just weeks away from from possible early retirement. An article in Politico, entitled “Corzine milks Obama appearance”, speaks to the fact that the polls have tightened in recent days between Corzine and Republican rival, Chris Christie, but fails to mention the fact that there is a third party candidate who has gained ground, with both Corzine and Christie losing ground with New Jersey Voters. The Rasmussen poll suggests that it is impossible to predict an outcome at this point, therefore, one would think that an Obama appearance would bolster Corzine’s chances, attracting a large crowd in order to “get out the vote”.

The event, held at a Hackensack University, drew an enthusiastic crowd of 3,500, most of who were there to see the President. One has to understand that events where a sitting or former president visits a specific state, especially a blue state, are well documented in the press, weeks beforehand, giving plenty of time to draw significant overflow crowds. Former President Bill Clinton’s visit to support John Kerry’s presidential bid in Massachusetts drew crowds of the City of Worcester with people “lining the streets for miles”.

Perhaps Democrats in Massachusetts are more enthusiastic than those in New Jersey – Obama will be attending a fundraiser for Deval Patrick on the 23rd of October in Boston – Massachusetts, known as “the Bluest State”, (see presidential voting patterns by State; Massachusetts has only voted twice for a Republican (Ronald Reagan), in the past 30 years.) should see crowds “lining the street” to honor Obama’s visit to the Bay State. Although the fundraiser will undoubtedly be closed to the public, it has received significant media attention in the state since the announcement in early October, giving those who would even stand a chance of a glimpse of the President time to get into line. It will be interesting to see how this Bay State visit compares to Obama’s draw in New Jersey, as both sitting Governors have dismal approval ratings.

Alternately, Rasmussen’s latest Presidential Tracking Poll shows that the President is enjoying an unhealthy 27 percent “strongly approve”, giving him an overall approval rating of 47% Rasmussen polling has seen the president’s approval “negative” for the past week. This poll, coupled with the poll numbers of the democrat incumbents in both New Jersey and Massachusetts, may act as a harbinger of political rallies for Democrat incumbents elsewhere in the nation. If that is a case, it is a question of a brand gone band, and this will become evident as 2010 election rally’s begin in earnest. The question then will be, is Obama to the Democrats in 2010 as George Bush was to the Republican’s in 2008?

Annual White House Correspondents Dinner – Press “Drools” Over Obama – Partisan Kid Gloves are On!

The Annual White House Correspondents Dinner, sponsored by the White House Correspondence Association took place last evening; available to the General Public on C-SPAN and cable news outlets such as FOX. In the past, the purpose of the dinner has been to poke fun at the sitting president, allow the sitting president to mock himself and his close associates, and overall, an opportunity for those covering the White House to “let loose a bit” and announce the incoming Association President. A comedian or comedienne generally delivers a diatribe of jokes, about the President, a roast so to speak. Politicians from both sides of the aisle are in attendance as well as a few celebrities, and certain members of the Presidents cabinet and close advisors.

The past dinners have been amusing and the Presidents gracious in their delivery, however, last evenings dinner took a sharp turn from the tradition, when Obama hosted his first of four such events.
Obama can be a funny guy, it appears that he is likable, yet, the majority of his “routine” was spent demeaning the opposing political party, which, was a departure from prior events. Additionally, comedienne Wanda Sykes, had very few references to the President, rather spent time attacking the following individuals: President George Bush (of course), Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh – the jokes were crude to say the least. For example: on Limbaugh’s statement that he would see Obama’s policies fail (specifically referring to Socialism), Sykes compared Limbaugh to the 21st hijacker, brought up his battle with drug addiction, and ended with (paraphrasing) “I hope his kidneys fail”. On the President: Sykes noted that going to bet a burger with Biden might be a mistake, and was most likely proposed by Nancy Pelosi (funny – until), a Hillary Clinton supporter (in reality Pelosi campaigned the hardest for Obama and took every opportunity to undermine the Clinton campaign.) The only “roast” delivered by Sykes to the President was should he (paraphrasing) “mess up: they would blame the half-white guy” – also, not particularly funny.

That said, the adoration of the press, (Hollywood, is a given), has reached new heights, an after dinner review by Politico correspondents, Amie Parnes and Carol E. Lee entitled “Obama's star shines brightest at WHCD” – is nauseating in its blatant worship of an elected official. The problem with a press that is so blinded by political ideology and a charismatic (to the press) leader is obvious – the occupation, which is to be a watchdog for the people, is no longer able or capable of functioning in that role. This does not, of course, apply to all journalists, and to those who are true to their profession (or calling), are still asking hard questions, although those non-partisans are few and far between. Unfortunately, the once-respected occupation, is now viewed by half of the American public, as merely partisan - and this perception has played a significant role in the loss of subscriptions and viewership for the organizations for which they work. The reason that he Internet is often credited for the demise of said organizations, is that those lost subscribers prefer to read unbiased (or possibly biased) blogs and new sites that do not openly pander to a given political ideology.

To gain perspective C-SPAN has a video archive of past events, from 1993 forward. One can note the difference in both the delivery by the given Presidents, and the attitude of the Press (Note: these videos are full length):

2006 WHCD – George W. Bush

1998 WHCD – Bill Clinton

2009 WHCD – Barack Obama


The outgoing Association President is Jennifer Loven, of the Associated Press, she will be replaced by Edwin Chen of Bloomberg News.

A Day of Thanksgiving - Al Qaeda Attacks Carried out In India, Planned US attack Averted – The War on the West.

One might ask, what have we, in the United States, to be thankful for? The simple fact is that there have been no attacks on US soil for the past seven years. Al Qaeda is getting frisky, however, and with the Bush era closing, feeling more confident in their abilities. Those American’s of clear mind are also thankful for George W. Bush, who has kept our nation free of attack lo these many years. An excellent commentary here: by Democrats at Hillbuzz on the averted attack on Penn Station. Will this be the last attempt? – Hardly. It is time for the blinders to come off – the “War on Terror”, that is pooh-poohed by so many “elite” professors, politicians and members of the press, is real – it is not specific to the United States, nor is the United States and its policies to blame.

A group of men (this is gender related), took a religion which was grown out of the mind of a general (historical fact), and subverted it further in order to gain global control for a few elite members of that group (although they are currently hiding out in caves –not proven and not even probable.) by using religion and hatred in order to reach an old objective: world domination. They had tried this before; after dominating most of the known world in 700 – it took centuries to push them back – the last Muslims left Spain in 1492. They never forgave those Christian Leaders who were responsible for pushing them back to Arabia, nor the Jews who are in Israel – Jerusalem – where, one could reasonably pinpoint as the beginning of this ridiculous quest.

Why is India is under multiple attacks today from a radical Islamic group demanding release of "Muhajideens" held in Indian prisons? The growth of Islam in a Hindu nation and ensuing cultural clashes, the decision by the Indian government to ban Arabic Television Stations and the increasing threats from Islamic Pakistan are all part and parcel but the blame, of course, is focused on the “West” – or those of American or European Heritage (See 700 AD).

It is a false perception that the world would react favorably to the end of the Bush administration - Al Qaeda has already indicated, in most insulting terms, which the election of Barak Obama would make no difference in any plans on that organizations part. Why? Barack Obama has indicated a preference to raise the troop levels in Afghanistan and, if necessary, pursue Al Qaeda into the mountainous region that borders Pakistan. With the choice of Hillary Clinton,(She is referred to as “The Iron Lady of the Palace” by Al Jezzera) as Secretary of State, Barack Obama sent a message that the United States may not return to a state of “A Paper Tiger”,(Carter) that those of like mind with Osama Bin Laden were hoping.

What of imperialism? Is it not the capitalistic and imperil United States that forced itself upon Arabic Culture which is to blame? Anyone buying that argument needs to get themselves to a Library and dig into the history of the crusades, the Muslim Extremist expansion across Africa and into Spain, the continued strife and struggle to “spread the word of jihad” against Europe and the U.S. through World War II, the desire to eradicate Israel (since its inception), and of course, the reason behind their hatred of the West, specifically the United States (written by Muslims, not Professors sitting safely behind Ivy Covered Walls). Suggested reading: “Inside the Jihad” by Omar Nasari. The forward of the book is deceiving in that it was written by Michael Scheuer, author of "Imperial Hubris", giving one the notion that the tome will be yet another vehicle to blame Western Culture – get past it. The author takes one through the Islamic cells of Europe into the training camps of Afghanistan with sickening clarity – and the point of true enlightenment comes when he states that there are two types of Radical Islamists, those who are so jealous of the West because of their factories and ability to produce everything from weapons to Coca-Cola, and those that are focused on promoting a religious war to gain power over the “masses” and spread Islam throughout the world – taking over those weapons factories for their own uses, and possibly, shutting down Coca Cola.

It is because of the protected lives that we lead here within the safe confines of the United States that concepts such of the aforementioned seem incredulous to say the least – but it would serve us well to remember History. Recall the rise of the Third Reich for example: the rise of a “religion” of superiority that decimated the world, and took our nation to war, where we emerged battered yet victorious. History, finds a way of repeating itself, and for that reason alone; we must give Thanks today and say our prayers for those in India, our Armed Forces, our President and our President-Elect.