Dick Morris's Review of the Obama Administration

Obama sows seeds of demise
By Dick Morris
Posted on TheHill.com: 04/28/09 05:45 PM [ET]

When the Obama administration crashes and burns, with approval ratings that fall through the floor, political scientists can trace its demise to its first hundred days. While Americans are careful not to consign a presidency they desperately need to succeed to the dustbin of history, the fact is that this president has moved — on issue after issue — in precisely the opposite direction of what the people want him to do.

Right now, Obama’s ratings must be pleasing to his eye. Voters like him and his wife immensely and approve of his activism in the face of the economic crisis. While polls show big doubts about what he is doing, the overwhelming sense is to let him have his way and pray that it works.

But beneath this superficial support, Obama’s specific policies run afoul of the very deeply felt convictions of American voters. For example, the most recent Rasmussen Poll asked voters if they wanted an economic system of complete free enterprise or preferred more government involvement in managing the economy. By 77-19, they voted against a government role, up seven points from last month.

And in the Fox News poll — the very same survey that gave Obama a 62 percent approval rating and reported that 68 percent of voters are “satisfied” with his first hundred days — voters, by 50-38, supported a smaller government that offered fewer services over a larger government that provided more.

By 42-8, the Fox News poll (conducted on April 22-23) found that voters felt Obama had expanded government rather than contracted it (42 percent said it was the same size) and, by 46-30, reported believing that big government was more of a danger to the nation than big business. (By 50-23, they said Obama felt big business was more dangerous.)

By 62-20, they said government spending, under Obama, was “out of control.”

So if voters differ so fundamentally with the president on the very essence of his program, why do they accord him high ratings? They are like the recently married bride who took her vows 100 days ago. It would be a disaster for her life if she decides that she really doesn’t like her husband. But she keeps noticing things about him that she can’t stand. It will be a while before she walks out the door or even comes to terms with her own doubts, but it is probably inevitable that she will.

For Americans to conclude that they disapprove of their president in the midst of an earth-shaking crisis is very difficult. But as Obama’s daily line moves from “I inherited this mess” to “There are faint signs of light,” the clock starts ticking. If there is no recovery for the next six months — and I don’t think there will be — Obama will inevitably become part of the problem, not part of the solution.

And then will come his heavy lifting. He has yet to raise taxes, regiment healthcare or provide amnesty for illegal immigrants. He hasn’t closed down the car companies he now runs and he has not yet forced a 50 percent hike in utility bills with his cap-and-trade legislation. These are all the goodies he has in store for us all.

Obama’s very activism these days arrogates to himself the blame for the success or failure of his policies. Their outcome will determine his outcome, and there is no way it will be positive.

Why?

• You can’t borrow as much as he will need to without raising interest rates that hurt the economy;

• The massive amount of spending will trigger runaway inflation once the economy starts to recover;

• His overhaul of the tax code (still in the planning phases) and his intervention in corporate management will create such business uncertainty that nobody will invest in anything until they see the lay of the land;

• His bank program is designed to help banks, but not to catalyze consumer lending. And his proposal for securitization of consumer loans won’t work and is just what got us into this situation.

So Mr. Obama should enjoy his poll numbers while he may.

Morris, a former adviser to Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and President Bill Clinton, is the author of Outrage.

President Obama's First 100 Days

Rush Limbaugh published his list of the Obama administration's accomplishments (in no particular order) to date (April 22, 1009):

Admiral Blair admitting the CIA received high value, lifesaving information from terrorists, while President Obama is condemning the same interrogations as immoral and counterproductive.

President Obama is throwing and has thrown grand White House parties with Kobe beef, a hundred bucks a pound, while telling the nation to cut back in order to survive the greatest economic downturn supposedly since the Great Depression.

Bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia.

Listening patiently and respectfully while Daniel Ortega, a two-bit dictator, lectures Obama with false charges for 50 minutes about the criminal country he leads, and Obama doesn't say one word to object, one word in disagreement, does not stand up for his country at one point during the Summit of the Americas.

He has run around the world and apologized for the greatest, the most compassionate, the most innovative and freedom-loving country in world history.

Fidel Castro setting Obama straight about how Cuba handles political prisoners and its economy.

The nomination of tax cheats to his cabinet, including the man who oversees the IRS, five tax cheats in the Obama administration.

Obama's joke of a press spokesman, who makes a complete idiot of himself on a daily basis.

He sends back a symbol of freedom, that bust of Sir Winston Churchill to Great Britain just after moving into the White House. He wants nothing to do with it. He did of his own volition. They said you can keep it. He said no, we don't want it here. They said put it in a different room in the White House. We don't want it here, and sent it back to the British embassy. It was given to us, President Bush, after 9/11, by the Brits.

He insulted the prime minister of England, the queen of England, with embarrassing, thoughtless gifts.

French president Sarkozy ridiculing Obama's messianic complex, inviting him to walk on water at Normandy beach.

Iran taking a hostage, an American journalist, as Obama promises better relations. And now Hillary Clinton's out there saying US is laying groundwork for tough, crippling sanctions on Iran if Iran rejects engagement. Iran says, "We'll talk, but we're not doing anything about our nuclear program."

North Korea humiliating Obama with their missile launch.

Obama putting the country in debt for generations to come while promising fiscal responsibility, offering up laughable budget cuts, banning lobbyists from his administration, while appointing them left and right.

Openly lying that Caterpillar would hire up with the passage of his stimulus bill, then watching while that company lays off thousands after the stimulus bill passes.

He pledges to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. But then he keeps it open with no plan for its future.

Proclaiming total transparency, while keeping secret who got the TARP funds, when, where, why.

Being incapable of communicating without a teleprompter.

He attacks a private citizen broadcaster from the White House as part of an orchestrated plan to distract the country from legislation and policies we don't want, which thus touched off a political firestorm, all of this while claiming to be a unifier.

He makes a ham-handed attempt to nationalize the banks, preventing financial institutions from paying back TARP money they don't need or want.

General Motors is a debacle and mess, and soon Wall Street is going to be the same thing. He has made bad situations worse with car manufacturers, and the worst is yet to come.

He has sparked hundreds of protests involving hundreds of thousands of Americans at tea parties regarding irresponsible government spending while his Homeland Security chief labels peacefully demonstrating Americans and veterans as security risks.

Moving the census over to the Commerce department to politicize that.

Ginning up protests by his ACORN buddies at the homes of AIG executives, fomenting class hatred and rivalry.

Tea Party

I attended my local "Tea Party" yesterday carrying this nice sign:



I almost wrote on the back, "Remember the 10th Amendment."

In a speech yesterday, Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) said:
“I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union,” the governor said. “I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state.”

Rick Perry and I are clearly on the same page. He also endorsed a Texas State House resolution affirming the state’s sovereignty that urges that “all compulsory federal legislation that directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties or sanctions or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding be prohibited or repealed.”

Did you hear about the report on right-wing extremism just released by Janet Napolitano at DHS? According to her report, Rick Perry and I clearly qualify as “right-wing extremists” for supporting the 10th Amendment and “rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority.”

Aarghh!

Stock Market Bounces Back Today

Another great day on the stock market. Stock averages have not been this high since, um, February 9, 2009. Two months ago. Oh.

Obama Stimulus Plan in Action

Look carefully at your next paycheck. Is it a few dollars more than last time? It should be, because the great, much-heralded Obama-Pelosi-Reid Stimulus Plan hit my paycheck today. My withholding was reduced by, ... wait for it, .... $30!!!!

That is my share of the $787 billion stimulus package, which is costing the average American family about $7,870 ($787 billion divided by 100 million households).

USND

What do you know about the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople?