Turn strategy…what Mr. Obama should be doing

As I wrote in my last post, “President Obama’s approval ratings are slipping and support for his policies are likewise sliding; this has caused an early but seemingly plausible forecast for both 2010 and 2012.”

But why is he having such a difficult time?

There is one simple reason: the President is trying to enact far left-of-center policies in a center-right country (all except for one major issue: the war in Afghanistan). Moreover, he’s not making any sense in doing what he’s doing.

Back in September when candidate Obama was sliding in the tracking polls, I suggested a turn strategy – that is, a new direction and dynamic that would refocus his campaign. Fortunately for candidate Obama, Hillary’s helping hand and McCain’s pitiful campaign were just enough to put him in the White House.

What the President needs to do now, frankly, is stop pissing everyone off. He’s angering practically every constituency group in one way or another and doesn’t seem to have a clue or worse, care.

Allow me to expound:

Unemployment is nearly 10% -- President Obama jets off across the pond to pitch for the 2016 Olympics to be held in his “home town”.

The left wants out of Afghanistan, the president commits more troops in a surge and six months later, troop deaths are rising, the General in-charge is asking for more troops to secure the region and the President isn’t responding. Meanwhile, the right wants to give the General more troops and again, the President isn’t responding.

Foreclosures are at an all time high and Mr. Obama is traveling around the country talking about health care.

Iran is thumbing their nose at us with their nuclear ambitions and the President says we’ll continue to talk tough, effectively throwing Israel under the bus.

One day, illegal immigrants will be given the same coverage under Obamacare, the next, not-so-much, but wait a week and that too will change.

The economy continues to get worse after passing a stimulus package and the President is talking about passing another.

Good grief man, no wonder Mr. Obama’s poll numbers continue slopping downward. What needs to be done now is for the President to be in the here and now – stop bludgeoning everyone to death with health care reform and start paying attention and speaking about the economy. Forget about the Olympics and focus on the war in Afghanistan.

What this translates into is a President aloof, putting his agenda ahead of the country’s problems. This damages his standing and makes for confusion; since he ran on a platform of change, none one thought the change would be for the worse.

If Mr. Obama would just concentrate on what is affecting Americans most, not only would his poll numbers rise, but so would his credibility.

-- KillswitchPolitick

White guilt and 2012

President Obama’s approval ratings are slipping and support for his policies are likewise sliding; this has caused an early but seemingly plausible forecast for both 2010 and 2012.

Last night on The O’Reilly Factor, Dick Morris pointed out that Mr. Obama is in the same boat Bill Clinton was in his first term – tacking too far to the left after running as a center-left moderate and then staying there in hiding until the republican’s won the majority in the House in 1994. Morris also pointed out this made Bill Clinton reassess his presidency and we all know what came of it, Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay got their agenda through the White House. Bill Clinton was now a bi-partisan, centrist president.

Fast forward to 2009, wherein President Obama finds himself in the same dilemma; just as in 1993, Congress’ approval ratings were also tanking as they are now. The momentum has shifted since 2006, and the republicans look primed to pick-up many seats, if not outright win the majority in the House.

And herein lays the road to 2012: should the republicans win control of Congress, Obama can win a second term, should the republicans not win control of Congress, Obama may still win a second term.

How so? One answer: white guilt.

Should the republicans win control of the Congress and move against Mr. Obama, come 2012, white liberals will rally to their President because of the mean, dastardly republican majority. Any problems won’t be his fault, after all he tried to fix this or that, but the right-wingers in Congress just wouldn’t let him. And let’s not forget the black and Hispanic vote; they’re well likely to share the same sympathy – not letting the first black President succeed.

Should the republicans win a Congressional majority as they did in 1994, Mr. Obama would likely have no trouble throwing his party under the bus, move to the center and ride bi-partisan popularity to reelection.

In the event that the democrats keep control of Congress that too could work in Mr. Obama’s favor. The sympathy wouldn’t be all that different – just replace a republican majority with boogie man right-wing zealots and the huge mess George W. Bush left behind.

Though the tide is definitely against Mr. Obama and his party, the tide is largely comprised of distrust and anger. As Rush Limbaugh has pointed out, that might be enough for republicans to take back the majority, but it won’t be enough to sustain them through 2012. They’ll need to keep in a leadership mode and continue to offer better ideas. But that may be all Mr. Obama needs to get enough white guilt to eek out a second term in 2012.

-- KillswitchPolitick