Commander-In-Chief Dude

Well, it's down to cases now. The mid-term elections across these United States culminate within a week of this writing and the situation appears almost catastrophic for the Democrats. Especially so, in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is now almost a forgone conclusion that the GOP will regain control of the House. Regaining control of the Senate is not a forgone conclusion for the Republicans, although it appears likely that they could gain 8-10 seats. That would still leave the Democrats with a tenuous grip to power in the Senate. It has, especially in the House again, the signs of being a bigger rout than what occurred in 1994. That, of course, was the election that propelled Newt Gingrich of Georgia into the Speaker's chair during Bill Clinton's first term. So, how have we gotten to this point? After all, it was only two years ago that the Democrats were sky high after Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President in history and the Democrats padded their leads in the House and Senate. Now, the Democrats are only a shell of that party of only two years ago. Why? In short, as James Carville famously put it, "it's the economy,stupid"! Also, many Americans became disillusioned with Obama's vision of "hope and change". According to the Gallup Poll, Barack Obama's personal popularity has decreased every quarter since he assumed office in 2009.

While Obama's and the Democrat Congress' popularity ebbed in 2009, it plummeted in 2010. An unpopular $787 billion Stimulus bill that was advertised to jumpstart a moribund national economy (it hasn't worked) and a highly unpopular Healthcare bill that passed Congress in the wee hours of a Saturday morning while America was asleep stand out. Most Americans opposed these pieces of legislation as written from the start. These notorious pieces of legalese were over 2,000 pages apiece that very few Congressmen or Senators even read. More to the point, the lawmakers are exempt from the provisions of many of the laws that they dream up for others. Added to this was the bureaucratic bumbling of the federal government during the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the flap over the Islamic mosque at Ground Zero, Michelle Obama's costly and ill-advised vacation to the Costa del Sol in Spain while most Americans were pinching pennies and the administration's overall inept handling of the economy. It was into this atmosphere that the Tea Parties, ordinary Americans who are politically conservative, sprouted and grew into a formidable political force across the country. These people were and are frustrated with the direction of the country and the quality of leadership from both political parties. The various Tea Parties grew strong enough politically that many of their endorsed candidates for public office deposed sitting Senators and Congressmen during the various Republican primaries.  

The GOP, with the help of the Tea Parties, seem poised to unseat some powerful members of the House and Senate. The Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, is very much on the ropes at this time. Senators Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Patti Murray of Washington and Barbara Boxer of California are fighting for their political lives, too. In the House, long time Congressmen Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, Peter DeFazio of Oregon, John Spratt of South Carolina and Chet Edwards of Texas may be retiring soon. Even Barney Frank of Massachusetts is feeling the heat. Meanwhile, President Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden have been frantically campaigning to the Democratic base to awaken them from their stupor. Tempers are fraying. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate from Rhode Island, Frank Caprio, told reporters that President Obama could "take his endorsement and shove it" after Obama refused to endorse his candidacy. Bill Clinton came along a day or so afterward and endorsed Caprio. Ouch! No love lost between the Clintons and the Obamas. Not only did the Obamas not receive an invitation to Chelsea's wedding, Hillary is out of the country for the duration of the election. President Obama even appeared as a guest on "The Daily Show" with comedian Jon Stewart, only to be addressed by Stewart on one occasion as "Dude". Can any of us old enough to remember Harry Truman or Dwight Eisenhower imagine either one of them being called "Dude" to their face by a comedian? Dana Milbank of The Washington Post  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/27/AR2010102709035.html wrote an interesting article about the Obama/Stewart interview. Also, George Neumayr of The American Spectator http://spectator.org/archives/2010/10/28/jon-stewarts-comic-relief-2010 wrote a superb article on the subject. After the campaign is mercifully behind us, the Obamas will go on a state visit to Mumbai, India where the entire 570 rooms and suites of the five-star Taj Mahal Hotel, plus other amenities, have been reserved courtesy of the American taxpayer. You will have to read it here http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Barack-and-Michelles-Mumbai-darshan-plans/articleshow/6797379.cms because, unfortunately, the American press sometimes is purposefully slow on some stories.