Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling — though improving — economy pushed to the background. Social issues don't typically dominate the discussion in shaky economies. But they do raise emotions important to factors like voter turnout. And they can be key tools for political candidates clamoring for attention, campaign cash or just a change of subject in an election year. "The public is reacting to what it's hearing about," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center. In a political season, he...

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going in the United States has fallen back to 11%, the lowest level since December 2008 and just four percentage points above the all-time low recorded in October 2008. The Aug. 11-14 Gallup poll finds satisfaction down five points from July (16%) and nine points since June (20%). The dip is likely a response to the recent negotiations to raise the federal debt ceiling and continued concern about the national economy amid a volatile stock market. The recent downing of a U.S. military helicopter in Afghanistan resulting in the deaths...

In August last year I published a list of ten key reasons why the Obama presidency was in serious decline. This is a sequel to that post, which was one of the most read pieces on The Telegraph website in 2010. Twelve months on, the outlook continues to look exceedingly bleak for President Obama, with no sign of a recovery. July was the worst month for the Obama presidency since the November mid-terms which saw his party emphatically drubbed in Congressional elections across the country. The president hit an all-time low with a Gallup poll at the end of the...

From the COMMENTS section on the resignation of Austan Goolsbee: The Obama Economic "Plan" 1. Pay people not to work 2. Encourage malinvestment in uneconomic projects, e.g. wind, solar, hi-speed-rail, GM 3. Give handouts to encourage over-levered consumers to increase leverage, e.g. "cash-for-clunkers/caulkers", home buyer tax credits, Chevy Volt credits,… 4. Increase union power vs. state/local reform and the private sector 5. Create a mythical villain on whom to pin the financial crisis and depression: "Wall Street, evil bankers, etc., greedy corporations, etc." 6. Add new multi-trillion unfunded liabilities (entitlements), and ignore those that already exist 7. Suffocate the private...