OPINION:
Many of us have to suspend our belief in logic and rationality in an attempt to understand why President Obama seems to have a clear path to re-election.
One would expect marches on Washington demanding the president step down, yet approximately half of all American voters approve of his dismal performance. The media dismiss his failures and even worse, still seem to get star-struck at his very appearance. All the while, Republican opposition is marred by self-destructive infighting.
The president has no accomplishments to justify a second term. His health care law becomes more unpopular every day and as we await a Supreme Court ruling on its constitutionality, we find that parts of it infringe on religious liberty. Mr. Obama’s boasting about ending the war in Iraq is hollow since he opposed the surge, which was the cause of success. In fact, it was President George W. Bush who negotiated the terms for troop withdrawal. Even Mr. Obama’s signature achievement, the killing of Osama bin Laden, was made possible by interrogation techniques of the former administration - techniques Mr. Obama adamantly opposed.
What’s more, Mr. Obama’s economic policies are a failure. The facts are before us. Unemployment was 7.3 percent in December 2008 and since then, it has hovered between 8 percent and 10 percent despite a promise that the stimulus program would keep it below 7 percent. In January 2009, Mr. Obama promised a 50 percent reduction in the annual deficit, yet for three consecutive years the annual deficit has been well above $1.3 trillion, raising the national debt from $10 trillion in 2009 to a projected $16 trillion in 2012. Foreclosures remain at all-time highs while housing starts are at all-time lows. Gasoline prices have doubled during the president’s term because he refuses to implement an energy policy using American energy.
Most astoundingly, the White House attributes none of these problems to the president’s policies. If you listen to the administration and the media, all of the above is the fault of Mr. Bush, the rich, tsunamis, earthquakes and/or the European debt crisis. The president claims his policies are slowly but steadily improving the economy. Baloney. That sounds very much like the doctor who claimed a successful operation despite the death of the patient.
MIKE FERREER
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
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