First of all, I am not a Neocon – far from it. If you ever thumb through my articles, you will see how I consider Bush and Gingrich internationalist, anti-constitutionalists. You will also see how I’ve talked to JFesta about how, though we have the greatest military in the world, we need most of them here to protect our own borders and not 8,000 miles away meddling in someone else’s business.

Second, regardless of how old the Zogby poll is, the point is that it isn’t just the GOP who is griping about the President, it is Democrats also. A President’s popularity always rises slightly after a State of the Union address only to come back to reality shortly thereafter. Please remember that I got the Zogby poll from Arianna Huffington’s site, not a conservative blog site.

Regarding the President’s 50% approval rate, I guess that would depend on which poll you believe. Of course CBS and NBC are going to be among the highest since they are basically full of Establishment lackeys:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

Peace

1. I have no idea what you are talking about on that first comment. I guess that’s some inside joke you have with your neocon pals.

2. Nice move there slick. Citing a 5 month old Zogby Interactive poll, which shows exactly the opposite of the point that you were trying to make. The only only thing you “got straight” is that you showed everybody on here that you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. This is from the MOST RECENT Zogby Interactive poll dated Feb 1, 2010:

“Less than a week after delivering his first State of the Union address and directly on the heels of his dramatic debate with Congressional Republicans, 50% approve of President Barack Obama’s job performance, new Zogby Interactive poll shows.” That is higher than the 5 month old poll that you cited.

That was almost insulting. When you come at me with right-wing spin, you’ve got to do a lot better than that. I’m actually a little embarrassed for you.

See my previous response where I provide a flood of facts released this past week which lead to optimism on the job front. I’m going to have change your name pretty soon from Consti Tution to Cherry Picker if you keep this up. I know it causes you physical pain and mental anguish to see that Obama is having some success on this issue.

EMPLOYMENT: “The unemployment rate dropped unexpectedly in January to 9.7 percent, while employers shed 20,000 jobs, according to a report that offered hope the economy will add jobs soon. The unemployment rate dropped from 10 percent because a survey of households found the number of employed Americans rose by 541,000, the Labor Department said Friday.”

It’s odd that the following facts slipped your neocon fact checking. I’m sure it was just an oversight, but I’ll gladly fill everybody else in and let them decide whether or not you were trying to win an argument by providing incomplete, heavily-skewed information:

- “The figure for November was revised higher, however, to show a gain of 64,000 jobs. That was initially reported as a gain of 4,000.”

- “Much of January’s report offers hope that employers are starting to reverse course and may start adding jobs soon. Aside from November’s gain, January’s job losses were the smallest since the recession began and are down from the huge loss of 779,000 jobs in January 2009.”

- “The manufacturing sector added jobs for the first time since January 2007. Its gain of 11,000 jobs was the most since April 2006.”

- “Retailers added 42,100 jobs, the most since November 2007, before the recession began. Temporary help services gained 52,000 jobs, its fourth month of gains. That could signal future hiring, as employers usually hire temp workers before permanent ones.”

- “The average work week increased to 33.3 hours, from 33.2. That indicates employers are increasing hours for their current workers, a step that usually precedes new hiring.”

- “The number of part-time workers who want full-time work, but can’t find it, fell by almost 1 million. That lowered the “underemployment” rate, which also includes discouraged workers, to 16.5 percent from 17.3 percent.”

DEFICIT: “Being attacked on your home soil and subsequently having to fight two wars because of it will do that.” Having to fight???????? Is that supposed to be some lame attempt at right-wing humor again? Don’t ever use the phrase “having to fight” in connection with the disastrous, flawed decision to invade Iraq. That’s really rich. Nice try to slip that in though as a convenient excuse to cover for the fact that your party took a budget surplus and turned it into record deficits. To add insult to injury, the reason Afghanistan turned into a mess is because of neglect by the Bush Administration DUE to resources being focused on Iraq rather than Afghanistan. You have no credibility whasoever on deficits and are in absolutely no position to cry like a baby about it 1 year into the Obama administration. Your party opposes a deficit commission and has no credible plan to address the health care crisis which is guaranteed to bust future budgets. The bottom line is that your party has no credibility on budget deficits and even now opposes concrete action to tackle the issue. One year is a bit soon to deliver the verdict on Obama and deficits, especially considering where we were just one year ago. DEBT CEILING: It was raised many times during the Bush Administration, but I forgot it is no problem since it was done by a republican. It only becomes an issue when Obama has to due it while we are still trying to extract ourselves from the ecomomic calamity created by your party.

NO LONGER AT RISK OF FINANCIAL COLLAPSE: You say we are at 10% uemployment and holding. Actually we are at 9.7% and dropping. Does it ever get old being wrong so often? Bank Closures: Again, bank closures CREATED BY CONDITIONS put in place while Bush and the repubs were in power are only now concerning you, but somehow were no problem under Bush. Beyond hypocritical.

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: I notice you didn’t argue with the fact that Obama has been very effective at taking out targets and disrupting plots thus far. Actually, he has changed tactics significantly and I outlined some of those for you earlier. He is getting far better cooperation from countries abroad, has stepped up drone attacks, and even pulled off a very successful daring daylight raid in Somalia using U.S. helicopters, etc. I guess nobody informed you that the “underwear bomber” incident was a failed attempt in which nobody died. The shooting at Fort Hood WAS NOT an act of international terrorism. It was not planned or funded by an overseas terror group. He was not part of a sleeper cell. He was a U.S. citizen and a member of the U.S. military. Nice try again at trying to distort and play with the facts. If we were counting that kind of stuff I’d have to increase Bush’s numbers (LAX El Al incident, DC sniper, etc.). But I won’t do that because I’m not intellectually dishonest. I wish I could say the same for you.

You said “I am just pointing to the folly of your statements with the facts.” You have yet to refute any of the facts I have presented. Just because you think have, doesn’t make it so. Your desperation to confirm your point of view by using selective memory, selective “facts,” and making excuses for your party’s recent stunning failures is a little transparent. You also said “the recovery is not happening the way it was supposed to.” We’re kind of in uncharted territory here thanks to you guys. He’s doing the best he can to clean up your mess while your party fights him every step of the way. I think he’s done a masterful job to get us where we are so far. This is not the final destination. He’s been in office only 1 year! I can’t even imagine where things would’ve been under McCain/Palin.

I’m glad that you now see hope and change. I forgot what it looked like after 8 years under Bush/Cheney.

Second, let’s get something straight. The President’s popularity is tanking everywhere. Even within his own camp:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-zogby/obama-losing-support-amon_b_274013.html

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of newly laid-off workers filing initial claims for jobless benefits rose unexpectedly last week, evidence that layoffs are continuing and jobs remain scarce.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Firsttime-jobless-claims-rise-apf-106391038.html?x=0&.v=8

2. Employment Data:
Monthly Job Losses – Dec 2009: 85,000 BETTER!! **Could actually see an increase in January’s #’s
Monthly Job Losses – Feb 2009: 651,000
Just released TODAY that the job numbers for December have to be adjusted because there were MORE unemployed than originally reported. Making Decembers numbers worse than November. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aNSc0oQ0vb4M&pos=10) The unemployment rate rose in 306 of 372 metro areas, the Labor Department said Tuesday. The rate fell in 41 and was unchanged in 25. That’s worse than November, when the rate fell in 170 areas, rose in only 154 and was unchanged in 48. (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100202/D9DK7V400.html) Sounds like a recovery to me! And why hasn’t jobs been the focus for the last year? It’s really compassionate to make people suffer longer just so you can pass healthcare.

Deficit – Whoops! SURPLUS Jan 2001: $236 BILLION
Deficit – Jan 2009: $1.3 trillion (inc. Bush TARP, etc.)
Being attacked on your home soil and subsequently having to fight two wars because of it will do that. And while we’re at it lets talk about Obams’s 1.6 trillion deficit in his new budget proposal. That makes it bigger than Bush’s (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100201/ap_on_bi_ge/us_budget) and that’s not accounting for the deficit that was put into the stimulus. Even his own Democrats are trying to distance themselves from his spending habits. (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/michael-jackson/sc-dc-obama-dems04-20100203,0,987524.story) Or how about the fact that by the end of February we will have reached the limit congress set for deficit spending. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hEkfx_bpGC-zVoeKNR38gWLcjXdw) It’s estimated this will happen the day before they vote to raise the deficit limit to 14.3 trillion!! I can go on and on and on…..

Jan 2009: Country teetering on the edge of total economic collapse.
Feb 2010: Not so much..
Unenjoyment wasn’t supposed to go past 8% thanks to the One. We’re at 10% and holding. And predictions are that jobs won’t recover until well after Obama’s first term. There were bank closures in January, one every other day for the entire month. That’s not so much? Since the beginning of 09 there have been approximately 150 bank closures under Obama’s watch. (http://www.examiner.com/x-28163-St-Louis-Headlines-Examiner~y2010m1d24-140-bank-closures-in-2009-Nine-in-2010)

Number of acts of international terrorism on U.S. soil under Bush: 1 – 2,973 lives lost
Number of acts of international terrorism on U.S. soil under Obama: 0 – 0 lives lost
Thanks to the efforts that Bush started and Obama continues. Oh, but wait! Wasn’t there an attempt on Christmas? Didn’t a lone radicalized military man kill 13 fellow officers in Texas? You are wrong. 13 died on Obama’s watch IN THIS COUNTRY.

You wanted proof. There’s your proof. I’m not the one making these claims. So called respected news outlets are. I am just pointing to the folly of your statements with the facts. You can blow sunshine and rainbows out your posterior all day long but it doesn’t change the fact that the recovery is not happening the way it was supposed to. Even the President has acknowledged that. Twelve Democratic Senators spent last weekend in Miami Beach raising money from top lobbyists for oil, drug, banks, and other corporate interests that they often decry, according to a guest list for the event obtained by POLITICO. (http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0210/Dem_senators_spent_weekend_with_bank_energy_tobacco_lobbyists.html?showall)

But you don’t have to believe me. Just take five minutes reading the above links and educate yourself.

Sounds like hope and change to me…

Better? Yeah better. Open your eyes. Some facts for you since they seem to be in short supply in your world:

1. I didn’t forget anything! THE FACTS: The republicans had control of the Presidency, Senate, House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court from 2000-2006. The Senate was 49-49 from 2006-2008. So the House was the only branch of government controlled by the dems from 2006-2008 with a 31 seat majority. So using your logic you blame the party that was out of power during 6 of the 8 years in question and only had control of 1 of the houses of Congress for the last 2 years. The republicans still had all other branches of government and a virtual tie in the Senate for the final 2 years. That is some tortured logic there. Absolutely amazing!

2. Employment Data:
Monthly Job Losses – Dec 2009: 85,000 BETTER!! **Could actually see an increase in January’s #’s
Monthly Job Losses – Feb 2009: 651,000

Stock Market today: 10,279 BETTER!!
Stock Market 1/20/09: 7,949

Deficit – Whoops! SURPLUS Jan 2001: $236 BILLION
Deficit - Jan 2009: $1.3 trillion (inc. Bush TARP, etc.)

Jan 2009: Country teetering on the edge of total economic collapse.
Feb 2010: Not so much..

Number of undercover CIA Agents outed under Bush: 1
Number of undercover CIA Agents outed under Obama: 0

Number of acts of international terrorism on U.S. soil under Bush: 1 – 2,973 lives lost
Number of acts of international terrorism on U.S. soil under Obama: 0 – 0 lives lost

Under Bush: U.S. tortured as a policy for the first time in our history
Under Obama: Torture ended

I’m just getting started. I feel like Obama in front of the House republicans in Baltimore. LOL. You might have been just a little premature to congratulate yourself. Who is the mule now?

Long worded response, and worth it. Well thought.

FB,

As to question #3, it should be 100% from both parties. Smell the coffee comrad.

1. I take your point about polls. Whether the numbers are exactly representative can be argued from both sides. But what I believe we both can agree on is that there is a alarmingly large portion of the population who actually believe these things even though there is absolutely no credible evidence whatsover on which to base these bizarre beliefs.

2. You are disputing the analysis? My basic analysis is that these absurd beliefs are poisoning the political climate and now make it difficult to get anything done. I have absolutely NO problem with people who honestly oppose President Obama on some of his policy positions (if those disagreements are grounded in facts). I repeat this all the time on You Tube. Hell, I regularly criticize President Obama myself. I think it would be a little difficult to argue that this ridiculous stuff is not a big part of the problem right now. As President Obama said, when congressmen and republican opinion leaders say he is (socialist/not born in the U.S./sympathizes with terrorists/wants to kill your grandmother – you pick) then they have prevented themselves from ever supporting him on anything. We just saw clear evidence of these with the debt commission flip-flop by co-sponsors of the bill.

3. I completely reject your point about “not sure” responses. Part of an obligation of every citizen is to keep themselves informed. There is no excuse for anybody in this country to believe that Obama sides with the terrorists for example. I am tolerant of opposing Obama’s policies, but I will not tolerate this nonsensical B.S. Its gone on long enough and it needs to stop now. Any honorable republican would harshly condemn this crap and the people who peddle it. Unfortunately, those honorable republicans are in short supply these days. “Not sure” is a cop out and goes directly towards hate or stunning ignorance. If these numbers were in the single digits I wouldn’t be too concerned. But I see these people around me every day. I live right in the heart of it and I call people out on it whenever I can. Just as I did a local mayor here when he claimed at a tea party that “President Obama, Pelosi, and Reid were more dangerous to the future of the U.S. than Osama Bin Laden!” He was called out by me on YouTube (I filmed him saying it) and I contacted him directly. Sorry, but I just couldn’t disagree with you more. I am disappointed that you defend these people.

4. Obviously, I reject your absurd contention that I am a hypocritical left-winger. You seem unable to list any specific facts to support that wild conclusion. The funny thing is that I’m actually pretty moderate on a lot of things. Shining a light on the FACT that a rather large group of Americans believe these claims and by doing so are poisoning the current political atmosphere is not in any way being hypocritical. You may want to check the definition of the word. If I was claiming that Mitch McConnell was an alien spore and will soon destroy mankind, then you might have a point. But in this case you don’t. I’m a stickler with the facts and of course I provide commentary with those facts. But my commentary is firmly rooted in those facts. As the saying goes, you are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. I really don’t see any hypocrisy here.

5. I know you want to totally dismiss the poll out of hand, but I think that is unfair. Could the numbers be off slightly? Of course. The more important point is that there is a large segment of republicans that believe these things. If you want to take out the “not sure” responses it is still a VERY large number. If you include the “not sure” responses it is fact a majority who either believe or are not sure about things which absolutely absurd. Both sides have radicals, but we’ve never seen anything like this before. The kind of things in the poll are virtually 100% coming from one side. There is just no equivalence. If a democrat said some of these insane things I’d condemn them immediately. That is the difference.