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The Obama Administration : What Went Wrong
NRO ^ | August 17, 2009 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 08/17/2009 9:16:58 AM PDT by RobinMasters

We are witnessing one of the more rapid turnabouts in recent American political history. President Obama’s popularity has plummeted to 50 percent and lower in some polls, while the public expresses even less confidence in the Democratic-led Congress and the direction of the country at large. Yet, just eight months ago, liberals were talking in Rovian style about a new generation to come of progressive politics — and the end of both the Republican party and the legacy of Reaganism itself. Barack Obama was to be the new FDR and his radical agenda an even better New Deal.

What happened, other than the usual hubris of the party in power?

First, voters had legitimate worries about health care, global warming, immigration, energy, and inefficient government. But it turns out that they are more anxious about the new radical remedies than the old nagging problems. They wanted federal support for wind and solar, but not at the expense of neglecting new sources of gas, oil, coal, and nuclear power. They were worried about high-cost health care, the uninsured, redundant procedures, and tort reform, but not ready for socialized medicine. They wanted better government, not bigger, DMV-style government. There is a growing realization that Obama enticed voters last summer with the flashy lure of discontent. But now that they are hooked, he is reeling them in to an entirely different — and, for many a frightening — agenda. Nothing is worse for a president than a growing belief among the public that it has been had.

(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 111th; bho44; democrats; discobama; lameduckobama; miserablefailure; obama; obamacare; obamalegacy; pelosi; third100days; vdh; victordavishanson; waterloo
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To: SeattleBruce
you can only kick a dead horse so long...will they admit failure...of course not.

Revenue has dropped like a rock, and there is little chance of improvement in the near future. Their days of ignoring reality have come to a screeching halt, and they can't blame this one on the Republicans.

Running the government is a whole lot tougher than just bitching about how someone else is running it....hate it for them.

161 posted on 08/18/2009 1:48:20 PM PDT by A.Hun (Common sense is no longer common.)
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To: A.Hun

Revenue has dropped like a rock, and there is little chance of improvement in the near future. Their days of ignoring reality have come to a screeching halt, and they can’t blame this one on the Republicans.

Running the government is a whole lot tougher than just bitching about how someone else is running it....hate it for them.
++++++++++++++

Yes, true. They will attempt to blame Republicans, and the traitor media will cover them even in that. Even though:
—they have controlled all of Congress since 1/2007.
—they have controlled all of the Fed. gov. since 1/2009.
—they completely agreed with TARP 1 and TARP 2
—they themselves passed porkulus over HUGE opposition warnings, and massive opposition among the American people
—they themselves passed Crap and Tax out of the House (despite opposition)
—they themselves threaten to pass some kind of Government Health care bill - despite massive opposition

Yes, facts all. The dim bulbs hate facts. They obfuscate facts and try to hide them or hide behind other nebulous things like ‘what’s good for the country’ or ‘what’s good for workers’, etc., without ever having to flesh those statements out.

Is it any wonder we can’t trust this socialist lot? (that is a completely obvious statement - but I needed some way to conclude.) :)


162 posted on 08/18/2009 2:04:14 PM PDT by SeattleBruce (God, Family, Church, Country & the Tea Party! Take America Back! (Objective media? Try TRAITORS.))
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To: SeattleBruce

The only silver lining to this cloud is that peoples eyes have now been opened as to how dangerous the far left is.

Ironically, Obama’s base is screaming he is not progressive enough and not willing to ram through their health care agenda.

My only hope is that they don’t completely ruin our nation before we can vote some of them out, at least get a Republican house to put the brakes on their agenda.


163 posted on 08/18/2009 2:13:32 PM PDT by A.Hun (Common sense is no longer common.)
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To: A.Hun

The only silver lining to this cloud is that peoples eyes have now been opened as to how dangerous the far left is.
+++++++++++++

True.
****************
Ironically, Obama’s base is screaming he is not progressive enough and not willing to ram through their health care agenda.
+++++++++++++

Proving they may be more ignorant than Obama is. Wow, that says a lot.


164 posted on 08/18/2009 2:37:45 PM PDT by SeattleBruce (God, Family, Church, Country & the Tea Party! Take America Back! (Objective media? Try TRAITORS.))
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To: RobinMasters; neverdem; Lando Lincoln; SJackson; dennisw; kellynla; monkeyshine; Alouette; ...

 

  Ping !

Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:   

FR Index of his articles:  http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index
NRO archive: http://author.nationalreview.com/?q=MjI1MQ==
Pajamasmedia:  http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/
His website: http://victorhanson.com/

165 posted on 08/24/2009 9:09:09 AM PDT by Tolik
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To: livius

That’s why I send my kid to a Catholic school. I am a lapsed Catholic myself, but I want to keep him as far away from the Government as possible.


166 posted on 08/24/2009 9:17:27 AM PDT by MattinNJ (DeMint/Palin 2012)
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To: livius

These are the people from the community-organizer-in-chief courtesy of ACORN. I see many of them are proudly wearing their ACORN red t-shirts now.


167 posted on 08/24/2009 9:17:46 AM PDT by sarasota
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To: Billthedrill

You nailed it Bill.


168 posted on 08/24/2009 9:22:25 AM PDT by sarasota
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To: livius

Why were they in the classrooms? Union muscle? Who authorized this??


169 posted on 08/24/2009 9:23:18 AM PDT by sarasota
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To: lionheart 247365

Honeymoon’s over....every other President has probably had an inkling that he’d pretty much automatically be the most hated man in the world. I guess Zero thought he’d be different...


170 posted on 08/24/2009 9:27:49 AM PDT by ErnBatavia (Impeach now....not next month... now)
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To: MattinNJ

You’re not the only one. I’m Catholic, but I was talking to somebody (a non-Catholic) just the other day who is going to send their child to our local Catholic school for that very reason.


171 posted on 08/24/2009 1:49:20 PM PDT by livius
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To: sarasota

The Americorps volunteers are in the classrooms (they said there would be one of them in each elementary school classroom) and I have no idea who authorized it. Supposedly, they are reading tutors. But I can’t believe that the teachers are very happy about it, with the possible exception of the total union hacks.

This has all been arranged quietly, behind our backs, probably through the unions.


172 posted on 08/24/2009 1:51:32 PM PDT by livius
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To: RobinMasters

Outstanding assessment, and a REAL opportunity for conservatives. BETTER government, not bigger.

The cure should not be worse than the disease.


173 posted on 08/24/2009 1:54:27 PM PDT by RinaseaofDs
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To: Atomic Vomit; timetostand
>Epoch Fail!!

Epic Fail.

Epic is the "correct" term, as far as modern lingo goes, but is really a misnomer as much as "Epoch".

"Epic" means "long". Education-averse kids likely think it means "impressive" or some such.

174 posted on 08/24/2009 1:58:33 PM PDT by TChris (There is no freedom without the possibility of failure.)
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To: RobinMasters

What went wrong? He was elected, IMO, that is what went wrong.


175 posted on 08/24/2009 2:33:35 PM PDT by calex59
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To: RobinMasters
"Nothing is worse for a president than a growing belief among the public that it has been had."

And every Obama/Biden sticker I see on a bummper tells me that the owner is either a welfare abusing piece of trash, or a white guilt liberal who wants to "feel better" because the gubmint is using my tax money so that someone who could otherwise be doing something can sit on their @$$ and watch Oprah all day.

176 posted on 08/24/2009 4:40:09 PM PDT by libs_kma (F.U.B.O.)
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To: Ditto

...Puppet on the left hand, puppet on the right hand, one guy holding both puppets...


177 posted on 08/24/2009 7:11:14 PM PDT by gargoyle (...My thoughts are not seditious, or treasonous, they're revolutionary...)
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To: Tolik
You know, this is the type of commentary that rekindles my faith in Americans.

I was quite depressed when so many people voted for this man, including some of our own – remember, a percentage of Republicans and Conservatives voted for him.  I was so depressed, I couldn't believe the country that exemplifies and values liberty and freedom had given in to a pervasive socialist's ideology, and had sold out its collective values, portending to an increasing dependency on the state's mandate and services.

However, articles like these brightens my life and give me hope – hope that Americans, as a whole, deep inside still cherish the warmth offered by the flame of freedom.

178 posted on 08/24/2009 7:20:55 PM PDT by Victoria Delsoul
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To: livius
Yup. When they taught my first grader about Australia, they focused on the aborigines and the boomerang. We did a report on ANZAC day and the architectural masterpiece, the Sydney Opera House. When they asked for a report on an African American, we did it on Dr. Rice.

Don't think that would have gone over well in public school.

The Christmas plays are awe inspiring and they get Easter Break, not Spring Break.

179 posted on 08/25/2009 8:46:54 AM PDT by MattinNJ (DeMint/Palin 2012)
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To: TexanByBirth
There has to be a sponsoring organization, in this case it sounds like the school district. Any concerns you might have should be directed to the sponsors since they are the ones receiving the funds to pay the volunteers.

I assume this is the "Teach for America" program, run by Americorps. It's a "volunteer" program only in that it doesn't involve conscription. TFA teachers are generally kids who graduated high in their class, but are looking to do something "socially relevant" out of college. They get paid at least as much as a "regular" starting teacher, and the sponsoring school district has to pay Americorps several thousand dollars a year for the privilege of hosting a TFA teacher. Generally, about a third of TFA teachers continue on in teaching for at least a while after their stint. The rest go on to law school or an MBA, or find work that pays better. Controversy has recently arisen because some school districts continue to hire Americorps teachers even while they are laying off their seasoned staff.

180 posted on 08/25/2009 8:47:11 AM PDT by AZLiberty (Yes, Mr. Lennon, I do want a revolution.)
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