Thursday, September 15, 2011
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
Democrat Disconnect
President Obama is stumping in key states pushing his American Jobs Act. At every stop, he lashes out at Republicans for refusing to pass his latest tax-hiking, big spending stimulus bill.
In Ohio earlier this week, Obama asked, "What on Earth are we waiting for?" In North Carolina yesterday, Obama suggested the poor economy was equivalent to a "national emergency" and urged his audience, "If you love me, you got to help me pass this bill," and "The time for action is now."
Don't let the scenes on the evening news of Obama's supporters chanting "Pass This Bill!" fool you. Obama's attempts to pin blame on congressional Republicans are deeply disingenuous.
To begin with, no Democrat in the House of Representatives has so far stepped up to sponsor Obama's bill. And because no House Democrat is willing to carry Obama's water, Texas Republican Louie Gohmert introduced his own American Jobs Act to repeal the corporate income tax.
What Obama is giving the American people is demagoguery, not leadership. And he has played this same game with free trade agreements for months now. During a June press conference Obama said:
In reality, the trade deals are not "pending before Congress right now" because Obama hasn't sent them to Congress. They have been stuck on his desk because of opposition from Big Labor!
When it comes to his latest $500 billion stimulus bill, Obama has other problems to worry about. He blames Republicans for holding it up, but Democrats are also lining up against it. Consider some of these statements:
- "I have serious questions about the level of spending that President Obama proposed." -- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
- "I am not supporting a repeal of tax cuts for the oil industry unless there are other industries that contribute. …that offset is not going to fly, and he should know that. Maybe it's just for his election…" -- Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
- "When you start singling out certain industries [oil and gas], there's an unfairness to it. On the pay-fors, I have a problem." -- Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
- "Terrible. We shouldn't increase taxes on ordinary income." -- Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA)
- "I think the best jobs bill that can be passed is a comprehensive long-term deficit-reduction plan. That's better than everything else the president is talking about — combined." -- Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)
- "Every dollar that is spent on the jobs bill … is not going to be available to Congress to deal with the debt. And to me, the top priority of ours should be long-term major debt reduction." -- Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
I could go on, but the point is obvious. Clearly, Obama doesn't even have his own party on board yet. To further underscore the point, while Obama is demanding immediate passage of his bill, the New York Times reports that Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid may not even schedule a vote "until after his chamber's recess at the end of the month."
Most importantly, American voters are far from sold. A Rasmussen poll found that just 38% of likely voters support Obama's $500 billion stimulus bill.
Mr. President: the American people are not called to love you. Some may have swooned in 2008, but since then we've lost hope and desperately want a change. Truly great presidents loved the American people. And if you love us, sir, repeal ObamaCare and stop trying to raise our taxes!
Obama Wants To Tax Soup Kitchens
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) made a great point on his blog this week: Obama's proposal to make charitable donations taxable is essentially the same as raising taxes on soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
Of course with the poverty rate in "Obamerica" now affecting nearly one out of every six of us and jobless claims still going up, soup kitchens and homeless shelters are in great demand. Yet Obama wants to make it harder for them to raise the money they need to stay open -- all so he can get more revenue to spend on his failed economic ideas.
By the way, it's not just conservatives like Cantor who object to Obama's tax hikes. Wealthy liberals and non-profit groups are furious too.
Carville: Time To Panic
Democrat super-strategist James Carville has some advice for President Obama and his party: "People often ask me what advice I would give the White House about various things. …What should the White House do now? One word came to mind: Panic."
In the wake of crushing defeats in Nevada and New York, the New York Times reports today that the White House is in full damage-control mode, desperately trying to mend fences with the Jewish community. But this could be a difficult balancing act.
Ever since FDR, most Jews have voted for Democrats. In recent years, Orthodox and other religious Jews have started voting for more conservative candidates who mirror their values and strongly support Israel. Obama's hostility toward Israel has accelerated this trend and Tuesday's stunning upset in New York's 9th District suggests it could be reaching a critical mass.
It's not likely that all of New York has suddenly become competitive. But the growing disaffection among Jewish voters could cause big problems for Obama in states like Florida, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Ohio. It could also negatively impact fundraising for Obama and Democrat candidates down the ballot.
Here's another complicating issue for Obama: According to a recent Gallup poll, Obama's approval rating among Muslims is 80%, a level of support exceeded only by blacks. How has Obama managed to alienate Jews while galvanizing Muslims? I would suggest it is his anti-Israel policies. But anything Obama does to win back Jewish voters risks alienating Muslims.
Perhaps more Jewish voters will begin to rethink their allegiance to a party that is so conflicted on the safety and security of the Jewish state.
The Green Jobs Scam
I have written extensively in past reports about how the "green jobs" agenda is a scam on almost every level. In one case, it really was a scam.
This week Cameron Potter pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges for stealing $400,000 in grants from the Department of Energy. But in this case, I am less concerned about the theft of taxpayer dollars and more concerned about what this case says about Obama's radical agenda.
Potter was the chief financial officer of a Tennessee-based environmental group that spends much of its time lobbying against "high-risk energy" like coal and nuclear plants. Given that coal and nuclear power provide about 65% of the electricity in this country, and wind and solar supply less than 2%, why is the Department of Energy giving out grants to left-wing groups trying to shut down coal and nuclear plants?
It's just one more example of how your hard-earned tax dollars are being misused by Obama to promote a counterproductive left-wing agenda that would shut down America's economy and cost us even more jobs. But wait… There's more.
Today's Washington Post has a devastating report on the failure of Obama's green jobs agenda. Consider this quote: "A $38.6 billion loan guarantee program that the Obama administration promised would create or save 65,000 jobs has … directly created 3,545 new, permanent jobs after giving out almost half the allocated amount, according to Energy Department tallies."
According the Department of Energy, the program has allocated $17.2 billion. Let's do the math: $17.2 billion divided by 3,545 jobs = $4,851,904 per job.
And Obama has the audacity to demand we give him another $500 billion!
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