Posted on 03/16/2011 7:38:44 PM PDT by Hojczyk
The combination of high oil and gasoline prices, rising food costs, higher health insurance premiums and the likelihood of future inflation has jarred consumer confidence, creating a major crisis for the Obama administration.
The collapse has been sudden and dramatic.
In December, the consumer confidence scale in the Rasmussen Poll stood at 81.7 percent. But in January, euphoria set in. Obama compromised on the George W. Bush tax cuts, the nation seemed to be coming together after the Giffords shooting and a Republican House sat poised to stop any new spending or social experimentation. On Jan. 11, the Rasmussen confidence index rose to 88.3.
Then reality dawned. Unemployment remained persistently high, economic growth was largely stagnant and partisan bickering resumed. The confidence level on Feb. 11 dropped to 84.5.
Then the bottom fell out. The daily Rasmussen polling reflected a drop day after day until, by March 11, the index had fallen to 73.1, its lowest level since it registered a 69 in July of 2009, in the depths of the recession.
The false dawn of January has faded and the hard, cold reality of a likely second recession is setting in. But this recession is accompanied by the likelihood of inflation, a stagflation syndrome that will probably grip America for years. And which will likely take a manmade recession, on the order of 1979-82, to counter it.
Will Obama get reelected? No way! In the teeth of the economic catastrophe that is shaping up, his chances are doomed.
The tsunami in Japan, perhaps the greatest tragedy since 9/11, will further impede any prospect for economic growth. There will be a demand for spending to repair the devastation of the quake. But Japan is tied with China as the world's second largest economy, generating 12 percent of the global GDP. With Japan neither producing nor buying for the foreseeable future, the drag on the global economy will be profound.
Worse, the Fed and the administration are out of tools to help. Interest rates are already at zero. Fiscal stimulus -- the deficit -- already consumes 40 percent of our total government outlays. The Fed is printing money at a ferocious rate under its qualitative easing (QE-2) program. What is left to do?
Only dramatic cuts in the federal deficit, a rollback of regulations that cripple small and community banks, a cancellation of future tax increase plans, a big reduction in federal spending, repeal of ObamaCare, freeing manufacturing from the prospect of carbon taxation and unleashing our domestic energy potential can solve our problems. But Obama is not about to undo his legacy of disaster for the American people.
And then there is the longer-term oil and gasoline crisis. Instability in the Middle East is going to mount, not recede. The chances of disruption in Saudi oil supplies and the possibility of an overthrow of the regime (triggered by the best efforts of Iran) will continue to force prices upward. The drag on the economy and the rising consumer discontent in the United States spell further problems for the Obama presidency.
As the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said -- outrageously and wrongly -- about 9/11, "the chickens are coming home to roost." The policies of this administration -- the disastrous overspending, the irresponsible borrowing, the social experimentation -- all are magnifying and amplifying the impact of the recession. Relief is not going to come anytime soon.
Instead, the true legacy of the Obama years is likely to be stagflation and an entire decade wiped out by his policies, budget and programs. Long after he is gone in 2013, we will still be repairing the damage of his terrible decisions.
Bet me.
Normally, I’m amused to hear Dick Morris get something wrong. Even as often as it happens. In this case, no.
Obama would win if he ran today. It pains me to even think about it, but I believe it.
Well, then I guess you'll be bugging out to Costa Rica or some other 'safe' spot, eh?
I swear, thinking like that is going to be the death of us.
But Morris forgets Obamamedia always tout the fake numbers Obama wants, not the true numbers as they are...
Get "someone" in that will produce even "force" domestic energy production..
and the economy will slowly recover..
Capitalism let loose with domestic energy over production will make/force America to recover..
If the Federal government is reduced greatly less taxes will be needed less restrictions will jump start the economy..
If State government is de-socialized.. as well more energy will be RELEASED..
The democrats MUST BE watched closely.. they have fine tuned voter fraud to an art..
The republicans allowed this thru dumb headed Bi-partisan utopian nonsense.. THAT must STOP..
Democrats are NEVER bi-partisan... NEVER..
With these changes America can recover slowly.. other changes can increase the speed of the change..
I hope you are right. It’s the only way this pathetic country is going to wake up. I’m fed up with republicans and americans. If republicans don’t get their heads out of their asses and undo obamacare, I’m gonna quit referring to myself as american. I will have to start considering myself a rebel in the resistance.
The only way Obomba can lose in 2012 is if the MSM turns against him, which is not impossible, if the MSM figures that doing it will help maintain or increase their advertising revenue.
Yes, Rush said it. And nothing can stop it, nothing.
You are precisely 100% correct, my friend. Anyone on the left or right who doesn't already see this coming, is simply not completely dialed in to observed reality.
The handwriting has been on the wall since the end of the 2008 campaign.
And the commies know it, and campaign accordingly, with a complicit propaganda wing in the press.
Hussein has a better that 50-50 shot at reelection, depends on who the GOP puts up, and how big their stones are when it comes to commie hunting.
bkmk
If the DNC doesn’t put him out to pasture, he’s going to spend close to $1 billion to get re-elected. Combined with the normal Democrat rigged elections, that is hard to beat.
the only states that will crack down on the birth certificate thing are the ones he has no hope of winning. So it’s not going to do us any good.
Obama’s approval is at 42% today on Rasmussen. An incumbent does not win re-election without being over 50%. Obama has only gotten to that level a few times and only for brief periods. To contrast, George W. Bush was over 50% just about all of 2004.
And, think about it. We’ve had high unemployment, rising gas prices, global instability, a weak dollar, and huge deficits for over two years. No way, not way in this world, that Obama gets re-elected. He is OUT in 2012, no matter who the GOP nominates.
We just need to make sure we get someone good (like Palin). Because, in 2012, voters like you and me will decide who gets to be the next President.
Not much by then. Probably just demand that North Korea get out of South Korea and Japan.
Yep. All I can say is, don’t blame me, I voted for Palin!
If you really believe that, you ought to be hightailing it out of the country, shouldn't you? What are you wasting time on FR for?
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