Posted by
Patrick Henry on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:15:38 PM
Recent polls reflect a growing disconnect between the public's regard for President
Barack Obama and their opinions about his policies. It is the tenuous nature of that
opinion gap that is driving the speed train on which Obama is trying to push through
his social reform agenda and the urgency of the task facing the loyal opposition.
People like Obama personally -- at least 63% of them do. But the support for his
big spending, big government policies has declined steadily in recent weeks. In other
words, since a lot of people like having a "rock star" for a president, they're willing
to cut him some slack to mess with America. But that has limits. The open question
is how long will America be willing to contine the honeymoon after their electric
bills double, the dollar is de-valued by rampant inflation and it becomes clear that
universal healthcare means fewer and poorer options for the average American?
That honeymoon is bound to end, but how much irrevocable change will have been
set in motion before it happens?
Republicans were dealt a severe blow by the defection of Pennsylvania Senator Arlen
Specter who placed the preservation of his own tenure in office ahead of party loyalty
by switching to the Democrats. So what can the GOP do now? The answer is obvious.
They need to work very hard at making Obama wear his socialist policies. Party
propagandists need to burn the midnight oil designing graphic ways to make Americans
feel foolish for fawnning on Obama, on the one heand, and faunching over his policies
on the other. The goal in view should be that by the next election Barack Obama is
synonymous with unsustainable deficits, government interference in the private
sector and out-of-control big government that the same polls show Americans
resent and don't want.
Sprcial interest groups should be courted. For example, it is inconceivable that
any good, practicing Catholic who believes abortion to be child murder can support
Barack Obama in any election. Obama's role in loosening restrictions on abortion,
creating public funding supporting it, pressuring doctors to perform them and
appointing an HHS Secretary with a history of supporting late-term partial birth
abortions and those who perform them should be plasterered before the Catholic
Church, whose American bishops are already on record with their opposition. One
of former presidential candidate John McCain's advisors cautioned the GOP against
becoming "the religious party." But religion and politics have always mixed in one
way or another, and an army of offended Catholics joining arms with an equally
outraged horde of evangelicals and supplemented by the anti-gun control, anti-
illegal immigration, pro-states rights group could easily unseat Obama in as little
as four years. The GOP has to make Obama wear his policies, and trumpet the
inconsistency of worshiping the man and hating what he does.
In the early 90's the Republican party was down, and according to some, out.
Then came Newt Gingrich and the contract with America. Americans like charismatic
leaders. But make no mistake: in the end, Americans are their own leaders. Exploit
them, deceive them, dismiss them and they will get rid of you. It's time for America
to quit acting like a blushing debutante and connect the dots. The picture will look
a little different when that happens.