Obama disapproval on the rise, WH focuses on 2012> The latest round of poll numbers have the administration looking toward 2012

WASHINGTON, DC—The latest Rasmussen Reports shows Obama’s disapproval has risen to 55 percent of likely voters, with 45 percent approving of his job performance. Recent defections include white liberals and some Hispanics, unhappy with the White House challenge to Arizona’s new immigration law.

A recent Politico piece reports the White House has dispatched aides to Florida to clean up Obama’s lack luster oil spill response because that can’t be blamed on Bush—not that some pundits haven’t tried. The administration’s strategy is to keep the Sunshine State in the blue column:

“That battleground state will be a heavy lift. In interviews conducted along the coast, Florida Democrats accused the administration of largely ignoring their calls and letters and complained of a White House that’s out of touch.”

Knowing what lies ahead for the November midterms, the White House is looking to save Obama’s reelection chances and to stave off a democrat challenger as speculation grows that Hillary Clinton is making subtle moves toward a possible 2012 run. That in part, is why the president has embarked on a publicity tour (which makes one wonder if putting himself in front of a recovery message will backfire when there is no recovery).

Obama promised change you can believe in and if the election were held today, it would be change the Chicago community organizer would not welcome.

-- Owen E. Richason IV

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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Dems confront midterm realities, brace for losses Insiders and pundits say a new focus on 2012 means 2010 is being conceded

WASHINGTON, DC—Looking at recent primary races and devastating losses of two key governorships and a liberal stalwart senate seat, democrat leaders are struggling to stave off election loses…..in 2012.

Until now, the democrats thought they would have enough time to turn their collective fortunes around, but Beltway insiders are on the outs with an increasingly angry electorate who are tossing establishment candidates out like yesterday’s trash.

Robert Gibbs July 11^th statement on Meet the Press expresses the conventional wisdom coming from the democrat party—republicans are poised to take the House, and the Senate isn’t far out of reach. Barbara Boxer faces a tough reelection challenge as does Russ Feingold. In congressional races across the country, conservative outsiders are in strong positions to win their race. Republicans need 39 House seats to take the majority, and 10 Senate seats. As of mid-July, there are more than 40 House seats trending toward the GOP and four to five Senate seats look winnable.

Democrats are repeating the painful results of hope and change.

-- Owen E. Richason IV

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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The next shoe to drop? Al Franken and Obama 2008 campaign voter fraud Voter intimidation and fraud are nothing new in the democrat party

NOVEMBER 2008—New allegations are coming from both documentary directors and conservative watchdog groups about shenanigans in the 2008 elections. Clinton supporters charge they were routinely turned away from caucuses by Obama supporters and 341 felons have purportedly been identified as voting illegally in Minnesota—eventually ousting incumbent Norm Coleman by 312 votes.

We here at KP are skeptical of the Obama rumors that allege Hillary supporters were routinely turned away as part of a mass conspiracy and choose at this time to rely on our earlier theorization that an upstart junior senator could out maneuver a Clinton for the democrat nomination without the aid of Clinton fatigue in the media, beltway, and democrat party at large.

But the Franken charges are more troubling in that the senatorial election followed the Gore/Bush model, cherry picking voting districts and filing lawsuits. For those who don’t recall, Norm Coleman was initially declared the winner but the margins were small enough to trigger a recount. And Team Franken kept recounting until the former SNL comedian “won” the seat.

Both instances should be fully investigated and we here at KP are sure action will be taken by the FEC, just like the Philadelphia Black Panther voter intimidation case.

-- Owen E. Richason IV

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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Welcome to FDR’s fourth term Obama makes good on his campaign promises, sort of

WASHINGTON, DC—Remember what Obama told Joe the plumber? “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” I hate to be an I told you so but, HE told us so. Candidate Obama said what was necessary to appeal to enough of American voters to put him in the White House. And now with HCR passed, the Woodrow Wilson of the 21^st century is making clear his intentions…..

"Somehow people say, why are you doing that, I'm not sure that's good politics. I'm doing it because I said I was going to do it and I think it's the right thing to do. People should learn that lesson about me because next year when I start presenting some very difficult choices to the country, I hope some of these folks who are hollering about deficits and debt step-up because I'm calling their bluff. We'll see how much of that, how much of the political arguments that they're making right now are real and how much of it was just politics." 

You don’t remake America into a European socialist democracy by the number of troop levels in Iraq or Afghanistan. You don’t remake America into a European socialist democracy by siding with Israel or mediating Middle East peace accords. You don’t remake America into a European socialist democracy by closing GITMO—but you do remake America into a European socialist democracy by passing health care reform. You do remake America into a European socialist democracy by passing cap and trade. You do remake America into a European socialist democracy by passing financial regulatory reform.

If one can take anything from the G-20 and G-8 summits, its Margaret Thatcher’s prescient quote, “the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people’s money” is now a fulfilled prophecy. Don’t believe it? Just look to Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Spain.

-- Owen E. Richason

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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Obama to senator: Read my lips, no new border enforcement Arizona Senator Jon Kyl claims the president is using border security as political leverage

WASHINGTON, DC—In a shocking admission, the junior senator from Arizona, Jon Kyl claims that in a meeting with President Obama, he was given a reason the borders aren’t being secured, “The problem is…if we secure the border, then you all [republicans] won't have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform."

Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer in a written statement prepared on behalf of the White House responded to the allegation, “"The president didn't say that and Senator Kyl knows it. There are more resources dedicated toward border security today than ever before, but, as the president has made clear, truly securing the border will require a comprehensive solution to our broken immigration system." 

Regardless if the president’s comments are true, he certainly isn’t breaking tradition—going back to Reagan, president’s and congresses at large see the border as either a steady stream of new voters or cheap labor. Though Obama has sent 1,200 National Guard troops to the south, it like most of what he has been doing of late is a photo-op of a ruse to make it appear that he’s interested or in control.

But in the very least, it once again reminds Americans their elected officials treat national security and sovereignty as a political football.

-- Owen E. Richason

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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57 days later, a spill of a speech Obama to nation: Let's all enjoy a piece of pie in the sky!

WASHINGTON, DC—My fellow conservatives and voter’s remorse liberals won’t like my initial reaction to President Obama’s speech last night: It was a good speech. The language was unambiguous but I do have one criticism of it, when I woke up this morning and tuned into the news, the spill was still gushing!

In spite of the Professor-in-Chief’s wonderful someday, everybody will surf to work in space-age vehicles that use no fuel speech, the damn hole hasn’t been plugged. Disappointing to say the least—this is quintessential Obama—talk about the situation, ruminate over all of the advances and strides we’ll make in the future and let’s call it a day.

I also found the speech to reflect another glaring characteristic of Mr. Obama—a disconnect from reality. He said the government has been there in the Gulf of Mexico from day one and he takes full responsibility for the actions of the federal government, but then asserts the government will bring all of its resources to bear to combat the crisis. He stated that the Minerals and Mining Service, a government agency, was plagued with corruption and problems. His solution? Have another bureaucracy oversee that bureaucracy while a government official cleans up the bureaucracy that let BP get away with murder.

Of course, the problem with the MMS bureaucracy was there before he even took the oath of office (psst, I didn’t want to say anything, but the last president let the MMS get “too cozy” with the companies they’re supposed to regulate). My solution is to regulate the most heavily regulated industry in the country and the federal government is just the entity to do it, never mind the fact I just bashed it.

What was conspicuous by its absence was any solution to the current problem—the gush of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Speaking about what new technologies will be available in the future and how the administration is going to push for alternative energy sources, along with cleaning up oil that hasn’t yet come up and punishing BP monetarily doesn’t show leadership.

I suspect the president will get a bump in the polls for his speech, and it was a good speech. But the words will disappear into thin air while the oil bubbles up for weeks to come. Good speech, now let’s do something about it.

-- Owen E. Richason

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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Amid job approval slide, Obama gives public address Polls both show a majority of people disapprove of the president’s handling of the country

WASHINGTON, DC—Tonight, President Obama will speak directly to the nation he has been ignoring since orchestrating a massive and disproportionately unpopular health care reform bill. After fifty-plus days of dithering, giving lip service, and a few token appearances to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Obama will tell the American people he’s not letting this crisis go to waste—and comprehensive energy reform or cap-and-trade will be levied on the United States whether its citizenry wants it or not.

After all, he’s done all he can, he will no doubt explain. He stood outside, in the rain talking to folks as Mark Steyn pointed out so now he’ll do what all visionary, take-charge leaders do and propose legislation that raises taxes, stifles competition, and weakens the US’s growth so China and India can march right by.

Plug the damn hole you say? Why you simple-minded miscreant—how will that help the Commander-in-Legislator to move this country further toward a European style socialist democracy? Mr. Obama simply doesn’t have time for action like capping the well and stopping the flow of oil into the gulf; no, he’s forging past his sliding approval ratings and has already dispatched Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate and legally scapegoat BP, Deepwater Horizon, and probably members of the Bush administration. Sure, the spill is BP’s fault, but Obama isn’t interested in taking charge so much as he is in blaming them for making him look incompetent.

So tonight we’ll be transported back to the Carter Administration vis-à-vis Obama’s way-back blame game machine; where words are enough to free hostages or bring OPEC to its knees—after all, didn’t it work then?

-- Owen E. Richason

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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Katrina v. BP oil spill: a political strategy? The Obama administration has said a crisis is a terrible thing to waste

GULF OF MEXICO—It took a few days, but BP’s oil spill and the Obama administration’s response has been compared by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh to Bush’s Katrina. The two are hardly analogous: Katrina was natural disaster with forewarning days in advance and there was a tremendous loss of life and property damage.

But one point Mr. Limbaugh has made is something that underlines an ever-present mentality within the administration of which, Rahm Emanuel put it best when he stated, “You never want a serious crisis go to waste.” So it would seem quite plausible the Obama administration’s delayed response and laissez faire approach may be another calculated strategy to allow the federal government a path into the oil industry—allow just enough time for BP to hang itself by its own sham damage control and inability to clean up the spill then ride in as a white knight.

This isn’t so far afield when one considers how the administration approached other crises: GM, AIG, Fannie and Freddie, and currently, Goldman Sachs. Though not extraordinarily popular, the country went along as these entities were “too large too fail” and poor economic conditions made them a crisis (as opposed to health care reform, where no crisis existed).

We wait with baited breath to see how these events play out in the coming days and wouldn’t be surprised to see the administration again champion the federal government as the answer to all ills.

-- Owen E. Richason IV

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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No abacus required: HCR will cost more says HHS American’s did the math long before the government did

WASHINGTON, DC—A new report out by the Department of Health and Human Services concludes HCR will actually cost more than projected. What’s more, about 4 million people will have to pay the $1000 fine for not buying coverage beginning in 2016 and the CBO finds it will fall squarely on the middle class.

This of course, isn’t news to the American people who still oppose the health care legislation by over 50 percent. The HHS findings state that while covering an additional 34 million will drive costs up $311 billion over ten years. Moreover, the Medicare cuts are estimated to paint red ink all over 15 percent of the nation’s hospitals and other institutional providers.

During that same decade, health care reform will cost $35 trillion and, shock! will actually increase health coverage premiums. The slight-of-hand, shell-game numbers given to the CBO just before passing HCR are quickly unraveling, and just as other government programs, will certainly cost more than originally projected.

Couple those rising costs and a nearly certain VAT tax, the American middle class’ wallets will be hit hard, the only redress voters have is at the ballot box this November and again in 2012.

-- Owen E. Richason IV

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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New lows for the president and health care American’s discontent can be explained thusly: it’s the economy stupid

Rasmussen Reports has found that 58 percent of Americans are in favor of repealing Obamacare. That number is up from 54 percent just two weeks ago. This shows empirical evidence of what the anecdotal evidence purports by way of the town hall meetings and tea parties; moreover, it coincides with the latest Rasmussen numbers that show President Obama’s approval rating to have slid to 48 percent.

So what has caused such discontent?

Simple, it’s the economy stupid. Unemployment hasn’t shown any significant improvement, in fact the latest numbers and numbers soon to come won’t be an accurate representation because of thousands of temporary, non-benefit census jobs. Out of work American’s aren’t seeing anything on the horizon and those employed are apprehensive about rising health care premiums; not to mention the pain at the pump—gas prices are on the rise and could be over 3 dollars a gallon soon.

In the midst of several corporations disclosing the financial hit they’ll take now Obamacare is law, which means hiring freezes or workforce reduction, the president is holding a summit on nuclear proliferation and the next item on the Administration’s agenda is likely to be cap and trade—two agenda items that don’t have anything to improve the employment rate.

“Laser like focus on jobs”

-- Owen E. Richason IV

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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The Dem’s Toyota Legislation

Washington DC—Health care reform is again on the congressional docket. The president is on the HCR campaign trail. But this is not how it was supposed to happen.

Recently, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh postulated that after HCR is passed in the House and signed by Obama, the issue will be left alone as a stop-loss for the coming November election. Interesting point, but I believe Mr. Limbaugh has not taken the theory far enough.

Think back to Mr. Obama’s first act as president; he signed an order to close GITMO. That was it. Nothing more was really said about it. After which, the stimulus bill was passed, making key parts of the private sector dependent on the government. Next was the Iraq drawdown and new Afghanistan strategy. The latter played in the media as a front-page above-the-fold issue for months; meanwhile, HCR was being fashioned along with cap and trade. And now, there is news the administration is considering immigration reform and the take-over of Sallie Mae. Neither issue is getting much attention, but they are quietly being moved.

And here is where Mr. Limbaugh’s theory can be taken a step further. I submit the democrat majority and the White House embarked on a strategy since the inauguration. I would venture to call it Toyota legislation, that is, incremental legislation that is passed without much hullabaloo under the democrat majority, designed to accelerate wildly out of control of future congresses.

All of the above mentioned initiatives are part of the groundwork to put in place the transformation of America into a western European socialist democracy. And that is why HCR was supposed to pass last summer. Once the legislation is passed, like a Toyota accelerating without warning, the congress and administration could go full speed ahead and no one could stop them.


-- Owen E. Richason IV
Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick


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An unpopular president, a polarized public

Washington, DC—As President Obama finds himself on the wrong side of Super Bowl 44 predictions, picking the Indianapolis Colts in a pre-game interview, the administration is getting much worse news.

In the most recent polling, President Obama finds his job approval rating at 47 percent, according to Real Clear Politics average. In four polls conducted by Marist, Rasmussen, Gallup, and FOX News, only one shows the president with a favorable rating. That poll, conducted by Gallup, surveyed 1547 adults, and also shows the widest gap between approving and disapproving respondents. Pollsters and political advisers widely disregard polls comprised of adults, and greatly favor “likely voters” over both adults and “registered voters” as LVs are the truest measure of public sentiment. 

Mr. Obama has the dubious distinction of being the most polarizing and least approved president in American history since polling has been conducted. With unemployment figures to likely be revised up from 9.7 percent, the president's job approval rating will dip yet again.

Both liberal and conservative political pundits have pointed to focusing on health care reform legislation rather than jobs and the economy-at-large as the main reason for the president's low approval rating. Voters validated that assumption in three recent races, electing Republican candidates who opposed health care reform to governorships in New Jersey and Virginia and a senate seat in Massachusetts.

Rasmussen Reports, the only polling firm that conducts daily polls and was closest to predicting Mr. Obama’s 2008 victory over Republican Arizona Senator John McCain, shows 54 percent of likely voters disapprove of the president's job performance while 46 percent approve.

Congressional job approval remains low for the Democrat majority with a RCP average of 70.2 percent of Americans disapproving. Majority Leader Harry Reid also finds himself trailing in his bid for reelection.

-- Owen E. Richason IV
Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

Trying KSM in a civilian court sets a dangerous precedent

Attorney General Eric announced in a Friday afternoon media dump that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be tried in civilian federal criminal court rather than by military tribunal, a decision that is wrought with enumerable severe consequences.

Even before KSM and his murderous cohorts are put on trial, both Mr. Holder and his boss, President Obama have declared in advance of any discovery, motions, evidence presentation and jury deliberation, the defendants will be found guilty and executed accordingly. Being a former law professor, the Commander and Chief should understand jury pool poisoning and convicting defendants without having stood trial by a jury of their peers – which raises another interesting question, where in this venue will such a jury be found?

There are an abundance of problems created from such a decision – security is chief among them. KSM and the other defendant’s are prime targets for vigilantism, not to mention the cost to the citizens of New York City and the logistical nightmare of transportation. And, should KSM go pro-se, his self-defense will surely include more threats to the people of New York and Americans at-large.

The decision is not only a nightmare of legal precedents to be set, as Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) so pointed out to Mr. Holder in a recent hearing, there has never been an illegal foreign combatant tried on US soil in a civilian court. Mr. Holder has experience in terrorist cases, though not particularly a bright one: during the Clinton administration, Holder repeatedly pressured Justice Department subordinates not to oppose a highly controversial clemency grant for 16 FALN (Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional) members.

Critics of the decision to try KSM in federal civilian court are pointing to legitimate concerns about the coming aftermath. Indeed, there is genuine concern for what this pronouncement will set-off in domino chaos – there is a precedent, a dangerous one, which is being set. Not to mention the world stage on which jihad extraordinaire will play to the Islamic world, putting the Bush Doctrine and his administration, along with the CIA on trial.

While all of these concerns are indisputable and likely to transpire in one form or another, what seems to be missing from the debate is the reason why this decision has been reached. It may be a bit over simplistic to assign a political meat throwing to the far left, as well as the new life being given to the fringe kook birthers and Muslim in the White House conspiratorialists – neither of which will garner the administration any political good will or capital.

So why has this decision been reached? It might be no more complicated then everything else the administration is pushing, from cap-and-trade to health care reform to the slow bleed strategy in Afghanistan, the administration is trying to remake the country and once done, it will be near impossible to undo.

-- Owen E. Richason IV
Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick


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Lessons from Virginia and New Jersey

McDonnell wins in Virginia. Christie wins in New Jersey. Foretellers of 2010? It all depends who you ask and from what vantage point they stand.

Governors elect Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie have their work cut out for them. Not unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger, both will have a tough go of the reforms they campaigned on: both states have big fiscal and unemployment problems.

Policy aside, what do these races say about the national political landscape? They point to change, and a monumental one at that. Pundits on the right clearly marked these races as referendums on President Obama; pundits on the left say it isn’t about Obama or his policies, that all politics are local. Of course that might be true but so is the fact that the President stumped several times for Creigh Deeds and even appeared in a campaign commercial; while in New Jersey, the President’s voice went out election-eve to voters on robo-calls, though Press Secretary Gibbs said of the President on election day, "He's not watching returns."

The question one must ask oneself about these election results is why? Why did the voters of New Jersey and Virginia elect republican governors and cast out-of-the-way establishment democrats? The answer is very simple; independent voters are taking their support away from one camp and putting it into another.

Independents flocked to the GOP and away from tax-and-spend liberals. It’s that simple. Voters don’t want to pay more in taxes when unemployment is at a 10% national average. They don’t want Washington or Trenton or Richmond to be talking about health care reform when there transportation systems are rusting.

Both republican candidates kept their issues to the state’s best interest and contrasted it against the national background. Will this strategy work for congressional and senatorial republicans come 2010? That largely depends on two factors: if the democrats keep on their present tone-deaf agenda of raising taxes and creating new government bureaucracies and if the GOP can actually govern and lead, instead of just criticizing.

Candidate Obama promised a lot of things, campaigning as a slightly left-of-center moderate, but President Obama hasn’t delivered on those promises, governing as a left-of-left politician; and those are the lessons from New Jersey and Virginia – if you talk the talk, once you’re elected you better walk the walk.

-- The Editors, Killswitch Politick

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The Obama referendums: Virginia to turn red, New Jersey, purple?

Ten months into the Obama Presidency and almost three years into the democrat congressional majority, the first national races with national implications are trending republican, even in the bluest of states.

Most astute political analysts see two of four races as referendums on the Obama administration. And with good cause as they are gubernatorial races in two states Mr. Obama easily carried in 2008; it now appears there is at least organized opposition and in the worst case scenario for the administration, voter’s remorse.

In the first circumstance, it means voters in northern Virginia are not motivated to go to the polls – it was they who delivered the state to Barack Obama last November; while in New Jersey it is an unadulterated protest to the incumbent governor. The second circumstance appears to the beginning of the end of Washington’s tone-deafness and the voters of these states are among the first to tell rank-and-file congressional democrats, “You’re next”.

Whichever circumstance you prefer, both have one underlying message – Americans have grown tired of do-nothing politicians who occupy themselves with cost-exploding health care reform and talk of saving the environment while the unemployment rate nears 10%, personal savings shrink, the economy continues to drift downward.

Aside from the national discontent, there are hard numbers that paint an even grimmer picture for next year’s mid-term elections – the leaders in these races are stumping on traditional American values with a hefty side of supply-side policies and traditional American values.

In Virginia, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell maintains a double digit lead over his establishment incumbent, Attorney General Creigh Deeds. Mr. McDonnell’s campaign has focused on Virginia’s economy, infrastructure and education with a careful calculation not to nationalize the race. That strategy paid-off big time, immunizing McDonnell against Obama stumping – something Mr. Deeds’ team now knows has done little to nothing for their candidate.

In New Jersey, incumbent tax-and-spend liberal John Corzine opted out of the state’s campaign finance system, spending a whopping $11 million more than Republican challenger Chris Christie, only to find himself trailing in the latest polls.

New York's ostensibly Republican District 23 saw a huge shake-up this past weekend when Dede Scozzafava, a liberal republican, left the race while trailing conservative Doug Hoffman, an accountant who entered the race as a challenge to the RHINO and establishment liberal Bill Owens. When Scozzafava left the race, she trailed the conservative Hoffman by 15 points and the latest polling shows Hoffman leading democrat Owens by 5 points.

Lastly, in Pennsylvania, Republican-endorsed candidate for the state Supreme Court, Judge Joan Orie Melvin, is running strong opposition to Democrat Jack Panella; this in a state Mr. Obama carried by 10 points.

What New Jersey, New York 23, Virginia, and PA demonstrate is that fiscal conservatism and libertarian get and keep the government out of our lives is taking hold around the country in early elections. Moreover, it sends a clear message to Washington’s tax-and-spend liberals, “You’re next.”

-- The Editors, Killswitch Politick

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