Sarah Palin wants Americans to unite. From her Facebook page:
Time to Unite.
I want to personally thank Republican Dede Scozzafava for acting so selflessly today in the NY District 23 race. Now it's time to cross the finish line with Doug Hoffman so that he can get to work for District 23 and the rest of America.
With Congress poised to overhaul one-sixth of our economy with so-called health care “reform” (which is really a government takeover of health care) and with plans to enact a cap-and-tax bill just as our economy struggles to recover, Doug Hoffman will be a voice for fiscal responsibility and common sense in Washington.
We need candidates like Doug now more than ever. In these final days of the campaign, it's vital that Doug continue to receive the enthusiastic support of those who want to bring common sense to Washington. Let’s help make it happen! You can help Doug by visiting his official website today and offering your support: https://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/donate3.html
- Sarah Palin
This is indeed a time for America to unite. We face some tough days ahead. With the vote on ObamaCare, the largest power grab in history, legislation that will destroy the Republic as we know it, looming over us like a dark cloud, it's time to show Congress and the President that we mean business! Americans of all stripes need to come together and fight for the heart and soul of our great nation.
We can do this. While the battle in NY-23 isn't won quite yet, the latest polling has Doug Hoffman with a healthy lead. Now the democrats are pouring all they have in to defeat him. You can bet that ACORN and all of the rest will being flocking to NY-23!
Of course, many patriots are there as well, so please join in the fight and if you can't go and join them on the ground, send Doug some cash!
It goes without saying that none of this would have happened if Sarah hadn't endorsed Doug Hoffman. Once she made it the popular thing to do, everyone jumped on board. Look for a full recap to follow, but right now, lets get Doug over the finish line. We can celebrate later!
Somehow you just know the great Renaldus Magnus, who united America in his time, is looking down tonight and smiling approvingly at all of this.
TUNE IN TOMORROW TO HEAR A HEALTH CARE REFORM PLAN THAT WILL PROVE TO BE THE GAME CHANGER
Mark my words - tomorrow is the game changer! Tune in to hear common sense solutions that bury the false accusations that conscientious members of Congress have no solutions to meet America's health care challenges.
If you're like me, shaking your head wondering why all the miscommunication between Washington and the American people who have been saying, "Please hear what we're saying about our desire for health care reform," then tomorrow will be a refreshing time of clarity for all.
All Americans, and especially colleagues of House Republican Leader John Boehner: please listen to tomorrow's weekly GOP national address. Rep. Boehner will highlight a common sense alternative to Speaker Pelosi's 1,990-page government takeover of health care. I urge you to watch for it. For a preview, go to:
You'll hear solutions. You'll hear of real choices based on America's proven free-market principles. You'll know once and for all what the GOP and Independents have been saying all along about alternatives to another big government take over. After tomorrow, you'll know that accusations against the GOP and Independents for not providing solutions are false. Those claims are bogus. There are alternatives. Tune in to Rep. Boehner's address tomorrow to hear them.
The mark of a true leader is that people actually want to follow them. Sarah Palin is that sort of leader. Sarah has proven herself as a leader from the time she was captain of her basketball team, and the leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes . When Sarah was mayor of Wasilla, she was also elected president of the Alaska Council of Mayors. And of course, as Chairman of the AOGCC and Governor of Alaska, she showed incredible leadership.
Though some were bewildered when Sarah stepped down as Governor, they just didn’t understand the dynamics going on in Alaska. Sarah has continued to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is indeed one of our nation’s strongest leaders. From taking strong stands against the unconstitutional attempts at the government take over of health care, to speaking out on energy and monetary policy, Sarah Palin has been the leading voice.
In fact, Sarah’s outspoken comments against ObamaCare stopped it’s momentum dead in it’s tracks. As Sarah talked about a system that would inevitably lead to rationing of care, see RomneyCare in Massachusetts, she called it "downright evil." Sarah’s ability to distill down the idea of bureaucrats sitting in some government office, arbitrarily coming up with formulas for who will and won’t receive ObamaCare, based on how "valuable" they are to society, was brilliant. The idea of "death panels" is now part of the American lexicon.
The mark of a true leader though is the ability to risk it all when the situation calls for it. To go "all in" if that’s what is called for. This is just what Sarah has done with the Congressional race in New York’s 23rd district.
Some background on this deal first. This is a special election for the unexpired term of Republican John McHough, who was chosen earlier this year to be Secretary of the Army. There wasn’t a primary process to chose candidates to run for this seat, instead, this was a backroom deal where the party bosses chose who the candidate would be.
Unfortunately, the party "elite" chose an extreme liberal. At this point, the whos and whys, that "backstage intrigue" of it all, doesn’t really matter. Suffice it to say, the "elite" thought it better to run an extreme liberal in a safe Republican district. Not all that brilliant.
Enter local businessman Doug Hoffman. Hoffman, a very successful businessman in the district, and a CPA, has never held elected office, never run for elected office, but he is a rock solid Conservative, and understands that our nation is on the wrong path. Frankly, as Barack Obama allows America to turn into a financial quagmire, we could use a few more CPAs in Congress and a lot less attorneys!
For her part in what has become a national race, and a referendum on not only Barack Obama, but the direction of the GOP, DeDe Scozzafava couldn’t be less of a sympathetic figure. To call Scozzafava a RINO, Republican In Name Only,.is to insult other RINOs. DeDe is so far to the left, that she has been endorsed by the ultra-leftist group, the Daily Kos, over the democrat in the race!
Scozzafava is a darling of ACORN, supports card check, ObamaCare, all of the spending, and is married to a union leader. According to one ratings group, Scozzafava, a state assembly woman, is more liberal than 43 percent of the elected democrats in the state!
Moreover, Scozzafava is the most recent recipient of the Margaret Sanger award. Regular readers will recognize Sanger as the founder of Planned Parenthood, the "holy church" of the "progressive" movement, and the democrat/communist party. Margaret Sanger was, among other things, an ardent supporter of eugenics, she was an inspiration to such fine folks like Adolf Hitler and Josef Mengele.
Sanger, an associate of the Ku Klux Klan, and frequent speaker to the group, founded Planned Parenthood as part of her attempt to push for the abortion of black babies, who she called "human weeds."
This is who DeDe Scozzafava is. A far left "progressive" that makes the democrat in the race look very attractive, even to Republicans. This woman is so far left that she has prompted popular columnist, Mark Steyn to coin a new phrase for her, and those like her: DIABLO, "democrat in all but label only!" Frankly, I hope this one catches on, and seeing how DeDe’s campaign manager reportedly approached the democrat party bosses about her playing on their team, this is quite appropriate!
Now for it’s part, the hapless GOP "elites" went "all in" for DeDe. The NRCC has sent an incredible amount of money up there to support this DIABLO. And Newt Gingrich, once the darling of Conservatives coast to coast, jumped in with both feet as well.
Enter Sarah Palin. Now Sarah wasn’t the first heavy hitter to come in and help Hoffman. Dick Armey and his Club For Growth were early supporters followed by Fred and Jeri Thompson. But Sarah was the first person to really stake her reputation on Doug Hoffman. Sarah was the first person considered a front runner in 2012 to lay it on the line.
The people of the 23rd Congressional District of New York are ready to shake things up, and Doug Hoffman is coming on strong as Election Day approaches! He needs our help now.
The votes of every member of Congress affect every American, so it's important for all of us to pay attention to this important Congressional campaign in upstate New York. I am very pleased to announce my support for Doug Hoffman in his fight to be the next Representative from New York's 23rd Congressional district. It's my honor to endorse Doug and to do what I can to help him win, including having my political action committee, SarahPAC, donate to his campaign the maximum contribution allowed by law.
Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a "time for choosing."
The federal government borrows, spends, and prints too much money, while our national debt hits a record high. Government is growing while the private sector is shrinking, and unemployment is on the rise. Doug Hoffman is committed to ending the reckless spending in Washington, D.C. and the massive increase in the size and scope of the federal government. He is also fully committed to supporting our men and women in uniform as they seek to honorably complete their missions overseas.
And best of all, Doug Hoffman has not been anointed by any political machine.
Doug Hoffman stands for the principles that all Republicans should share: smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense, and a commitment to individual liberty.
Political parties must stand for something. When Republicans were in the wilderness in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan knew that the doctrine of "blurring the lines" between parties was not an appropriate way to win elections. Unfortunately, the Republican Party today has decided to choose a candidate who more than blurs the lines, and there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race. This is why Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party's ticket.
Republicans and conservatives around the country are sending an important message to the Republican establishment in their outstanding grassroots support for Doug Hoffman: no more politics as usual.
You can help Doug by visiting his official website below and joining me in supporting his campaign:
Several things to note. Sarah took a direct shot at the party "elite" when she pointed out that Doug Hoffman wasn’t anointed by the party machine. She also took a direct shot at the GOP letting them know in no uncertain terms that "politics as usual" wouldn’t stand.
Of course, as with most of Sarah’s speeches and writings, there is a healthy dose of Ronald Reagan added, showing that she gets it. While the "elites" in the party keep telling us "the era of Reagan is over" Sarah knows what we know, that is Reagan is timeless. That’s a lesson she is about to teach all of the RINOs and DIABLOs in the party!
Bear in mind that when Sarah gave her unwavering support to Doug Hoffman, he was dead last in the three way race between himself, Scozzafava, and the democrat. This wasn’t a cut and dried "win" for anyone supporting Doug Hoffman!
Knowing this, so-called front runners like Tim Pawlenty came out with statements like this noted on The Hill’s website:
When asked on ABC's "Top Line" webcast if he will endorse a candidate, Pawlenty replied "probably, yeah," but said that he would need to take time to review the candidates' policy positions.
But in the interview, Pawlenty only raised issues with Scozzafava and did not address Hoffman.
"As a conservative, I am worried about some of the things I've heard about how the person was selected," he said of Scozzafava.
"The selection of this individual...seems a little cloistered," he continued, raising issue about how the Republican Party selected Scozzafava as a nominee. Critics say that the nomination was not open and thorough enough. The party passed over Hoffman and a number of other candidates for Scozzafava.
"The process may not have been as open as it should have been," Pawlenty added.
The governor also said that he is "concerned about some of the alleged issue positions that she holds."
Real profile in courage there, huh! Pawlenty has since come aboard and endorsed Doug Hoffman. What of the other so-called "front runners" Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee? Well, for Huckabee, while he says that he supports the ideas that Hoffman stands for, he has no plans to endorse, or have HuckPAC send any money. That’s kind of all you need to know about Huckabee. Seems like his career as a TV host, and bass player is firmly cemented now! Romney is AWOL in this deal. Not a single word.
But what of the "Sarah effect" in all of this. Well, first of all, record amounts of money started rolling in! In less than 12 hours after her endorsement $116,000 came in. To put that in perspective, they had raised roughly $200,000 in the week before.
The most profound effect though was in polling. The Club For Growth polled after Sarah’s endorsement and it looked like this: Hoffman 31.3%, Owens (the democrat) 27.0%, Scozzafava 19.7%.
From dead last to first in just a couple of days! And this in a race that Newt Gingrich is still lecturing us that will only "split the party!"
For those that may have forgotten about the "Sarah effect" might I remind you about the run-off race in Georgia after the 2008 elections. Senator Saxby Chambliss was in a tough spot. He had won the election in a three way battle, but under Georgia rules, the winner must have at least 50.1 percent to take the seat. He didn’t have it. In the run-off election, Chambliss was locked in a dead heat race, according to the polls. Both sides sent all of their "stars" in to stump for their candidates. The democrats sent in Bill Clinton and rapper Ludacris. The GOP sent in everybody. No help, as none could draw much of a crowd on either side.
Sarah came in on a Sunday night and attended a fund raiser, and then on Monday, the day before the election, held four rallies, all to standing room only crowds. Chambliss won in a 16 point blowout!
More of the "Sarah effect" is apparent this morning as new polling out shows Doug Hoffman’s lead in the race is widening. From Real Clear Politics:
October 27, 2009
NY-23 Poll: Hoffman +5
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For the second time in two days, a poll released by a conservative group finds Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman leading the Nov. 3 special election race for New York's 23rd District. Neighborhood Research polled the district for Minuteman PAC, the political arm of the Minuteman Movement, which has endorsed Hoffman and is airing ads on his behalf.
Hoffman leads Democrat Bill Owens by 5 points and GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava by 20 points.
Hoffman 34
Owens 29
Scozzafava 14
Und 23
The poll was taken Oct. 25-26 of 366 likely voters. The three candidates are vying to replace former congressman John McHugh (R-N.Y.), who was appointed by President Obama to be Secretary of the Army.
This of course is great news and validates what Conservatives have been saying all along. When Republicans put up a real Conservative candidate, that candidate will win. Works every time it’s tried. Now obviously, with so many undecided this is not a done deal, but it certainly shows that being a conservative is what will win the day over being a squishy "moderate" or in DeDe Scozzafava’s case a far left DIABLO.
NY-23 is the rallying point for Conservative Americans, no matter what party they are in. As the latest Gallup polling shows, Conservative ideology is the leading ideology in America, and has been. Unfortunately, the GOP with it’s delusions of grandeur always has this "big tent" strategy of being all things to all people that only disappoints everyone.
This is not new though, this has been the basic GOP strategy for years and years. The few bright spots in GOP history are when brilliant Conservative leaders like Ronald Reagan emerge. Newt Gingrich, when he moved towards conservatism was able to break a forty year stranglehold the democrat party had on Congress, but alas, Newt has become another party "elite" squish.
Gingrich, who is being shown the truth about Scozzafava, has decided that rather than admit he was wrong, or just sort of fade into the background on this, that instead he would double down on DeDe and is now doing what the RINOs in the party do, attack Conservatives!
There are so many "gems" in this deal, but Newts reasoning that Scozzafava is "adequately conservative" is a joke, but it does give us an insight into how the "elite" party machine thinks. Scozzafava is far to the left of the democrat, but because she has an "R" beside her name she is "good enough." Now this is a stupid strategy in a blue district or blue state, but NY-23 is a very safe Republican district that would absolutely vote for a Reagan/Palin conservative. There is no logic for this move.
Now the "elites" want us to sit down and shut up, as they know best. They say if a democrat wins, it will only strengthen Obama and Pelosi. Well, let me say this, if Scozzafava is going to vote like a democrat, what’s the difference?
We already have enough pretend Republicans in the party like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Olympia Snow, and Susan Collins. Any one of this bunch is likely to be the key vote for the democrats on issues that anger Conservatives and damage America. But even more telling, any one of these, especially McCain and his protege Graham, like Newt, are more than inclined to attack Conservatives who disagree with their "wisdom" than they are democrats!
This bunch is the reason why recent polling shows that 73 percent of Republicans think the party is going in the wrong direction.
NY-23 is ground zero for the fight over the direction of Republican party. Of course, it is also ground zero as we start to take out nation back from Obama and the communists that are destroying this great nation. Having a Conservative win in New York should tell the GOP to stop with the foolishness and stand for something, and stop with their "big tent" strategy.
The fact is, Conservatism is the "big tent" and what people want are strong leaders not squishes!
A win in New York will also have a profound effect on democrats in Congress. While there are some that will go down in flames if it means they can advance the "glorious Marist revolution" there are others, the blue dogs, who would like to still have a job after the next election! A strong showing in New York will make those in the democrat party that have an ounce of sanity left think twice before they vote for Obama’s agenda!
As for Sarah Palin, she has emerged as the leader of our movement. While others were dithering and "thinking" or worse, backing the wrong horse, Sarah stepped up and took a stand. Sarah not only took a stand against Obama, but took a stand against those in the Republican party that have it wrong. That takes courage.
I know a lot of people see this as a signal that Sarah is "going rogue" and will start some third party. Don’t fall into that trap. Sarah is a student of Reagan and understands that a third party isn’t the answer. The answer is to take back the Republican party. Reagan, after Carter was elected, and Conservatives, were feeling marginalized by the Republican party. He cautioned that forming a new party as a mistake. Four years later, Reagan was proven correct, and it was the party "elite" who mounted a third party effort to get yet another "moderate" "big tent" squish elected.
As if to highlight the fact that she is indeed a Republican, but intent on showing the party elders the error of their ways, Sarah came out in strong support today for the Republicans in both the Virginia and New Jersey Governor’s races:
East Coast Races Impact All Americans
Today at 2:36am
As I stand here in a high school gymnasium watching freshmen girls' basketball games, I'm struck by the sight of America's future right in front of me - these tenacious young women full of energy and intensity. I want them to realize every opportunity this great, free nation can provide.
There are big political races on the East Coast that are coming down to the wire - the results of which will impact policies and political actions that touch all of us in every state. Like other independent Americans, I don’t always see eye-to-eye with Republican political committees, so when I tell you that the Republican Governors Association has my complete support and confidence in its campaign efforts back East, know that I really mean it. The RGA is helping lead the conservative comeback beginning this year, and its involvement in the East Coast races is significant. I hope you'll support these efforts, which are vital to the cause for America's freedom and prosperity: http://www.rga.org/initiatives/comeback-fund/.
Let's consider the governor's race in New Jersey. The state has the highest tax burden in the country and the incumbent Democrat governor has only added to the economic burden. He eliminated property tax rebates for middle class homeowners while the sales tax increased. Altogether, taxes on the people in the region have increased by billions of dollars. It’s no surprise that New Jersey has the highest unemployment rate in the region! Thankfully, there is an alternative. Residents there will be better off under an administration that understands the benefits that result when workers are allowed to keep more of what they earn. Watch New Jersey's economy come alive under new leadership that will put government back on the side of the people! Chris Christie promises this new leadership.
Fortunately, New Jersey's Democrat governor is being held accountable with the RGA spending $7 million in the New York and Philadelphia media markets telling the truth about a liberal administrative record while highlighting New Jersey's tax-hiking ways and reminding voters there is an alternative! The NY and Philly markets are the most expensive in the nation though, so the RGA is requesting help to stay on the air. Visit http://www.rga.org/initiatives/comeback-fund/.
Then in Virginia, there is a clear difference between Republican Bob McDonnell and his liberal opponent. Republican Bob McDonnell is fighting for cheaper American energy and lower taxes, while his opponent wants to raise taxes and, amazingly, even bragged about having more earmarks than any other state legislator. Bob McDonnell promises to fight for Virginia's hard working families, and he opposes some heavy-handed union leadership efforts that could ultimately hurt employers and employees. The RGA has aired $6 million of TV ads exposing the liberal candidate’s record. I encourage you to help fight for our neighbors in the East by visiting: http://www.rga.org/initiatives/comeback-fund/.
Americans who believe in smaller government and free enterprise have a chance to show Washington that people all across the U.S. don’t want an ever-increasing national debt, more dependency on foreign energy sources, and more wasteful government spending. If, like me, this is what you want to show Washington, then I hope you'll support Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell and the RGA, as great efforts are put forth in these East Coast races.
The young student athletes I'm watching right now are counting on us to do the right thing - to fight for what is right for America today and into their future. Electing candidates with common sense and respect for freedom is one way we can fight for what is right.
When Sarah stepped down as Governor of Alaska, one of the things she promised was that she would stand up for Conservative principles, and would spend her time going around the country supporting candidates who shared her values. She said it didn’t matter if they were Republicans, democrats, or from no party at all. It’s that principle over party attitude that we need in America right now.
Now is the time for all Americans to decide what they want America to be, where we want America to go. It is indeed a time for choosing.
Do we want America to remain a free Republic, a nation where a person’s own abilities and strengths are honored, a place where everyone who tries has the opportunity to succeed, or do we want a centrally controlled communist super state where little regard for personal liberties and freedoms exist. A Big Government nanny state where tyranny is the watchword of the day, and people are taxed into oblivion, while the government chooses winners and losers?
This isn’t a hard choice for me, I’ll tell you that! I stand on the side of liberty and freedom, and I stand on the side of Sarah Palin and Doug Hoffman!
Fred Thompson has a brand new advertisement that will be running in NY-23
This pretty much sums it up
Look, most of the nation is looking at the Governors races in Virginia and New Jersey as a bellwether to 2010. A referendum on Barack Obama and the rest of his communist party. And that it is. Obama won Virginia handily, and if the polling is correct, Bob McDonnell, the Conservative Republican candidate, is on his way to a landslide victory, a strong repudiation of what Obama is doing. And even New Jersey, a reliable democrat state is looking like it may elect the Republican, Chris Christie. That would be huge.
But the real battle, the real iconic election is NY-23. If Doug Hoffman’s polling holds, and he indeed wins this election, it will serve as proof that when voters are offered a clear choice between candidates, they will chose a Conservative. This should once and for all show the hard headed "elites" that running "adequately conservative" democrat-lite candidates is a losing strategy, and one that needs to stop!
Join Sarah Palin, Fred and Jeri Thompson, Dick Armey, myself, and a growing list Americans and support Doug Hoffman. Lets send a strong and clear message to the Republican party that "business as usual" just won’t cut it any more!
By winning in New York, we will start the process of taking the Republican party back from the "elite" beltway hacks and give it back to principled Americans who put their principles, their ideas, over party politics. A huge win for Conservatives, but even a bigger win for all of America. We need a strong Conservative Republican party to take America back, and get her on the right track again. We need a strong Conservative Republican party to drag America away from the abyss.
Sarah Palin’s new book, set for release on November 17th has set yet another sales milestone. According to Newsmax Magazine, Going Rogue, An American Life has smashed all previous sales records for the magazine’s book division.
Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue: An American Life," hasn't even been released yet.
Though it won't be released until Nov. 17. -- it's already breaking records as an online bestseller.
In fact, it is the best-selling book ever in the history of Newsmax for pre-publication sales.
"Americans are very anxious to read this book," Christopher Ruddy, editor of Newsmax.com said. "We have never seen so many people pre-ordering a book from us since we started Newsmax in 1998."
Newsmax has several offers going that couple Sarah’s new book, with subscriptions to their popular magazine.
In other news, Sarah is scheduled to appear at the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri. The college, which bills itself as "Hard Work U" seems to be the perfect fit for Sarah, who is known for her hard work and determination.
Tickets to attend the Sarah Palin Convocation at College of the Ozarks on December 2, are no longer available. The ticket line quickly filled, consuming all tickets available to the public. Due to limited seating, there was a cap on available tickets. "As a charismatic speaker and highly-interesting political figure, Sarah Palin attracts much public interest," said Sue Head, Executive Director of The Keeter Center for Character Education. "Because of this, the College anticipated that tickets would go quickly."
Governor Palin is slated to speak at College of the Ozarks December 2, as part of the Leonard B. and Edith Gittinger Community Convocation series, which was developed to attract renowned speakers to share on the topics of character, work ethic and citizenship with College of the Ozarks students and the community alike.
It is also reported that Sarah will headline a Right To Life benefit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 6th. From their Life Voice blog:
Wisconsin Right to Life Presents Sarah Palin
Yes, it’s true! Sarah Palin is coming to Milwaukee to appear at a benefit for the educational efforts of Wisconsin Right to Life. The event is Friday, November 6 at 7:30pm at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park, Hall B. You won’t want to miss this exciting opportunity to hear Sarah Palin!
While we do not have confirmation of this event, it must be noted that Sarah is a strong supporter of right to life issues, and as Governor, traveled to a Right To Life event in Evansville, Indiana to promote their efforts.
Sarah is also scheduled to be a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show in an episode that will air November 16th the day before her book hits the shelves nationwide. Winfrey, who’s show is still trying to climb out of the ratings hole it fell into after she, for the first time, endorsed and campaigned for a candidate, Barack Obama, is looking for Sarah to bring in the viewers. Her move to support Obama alienated a significant amount of her audience.
Sarah, who is ratings gold, just ask Lorne Michaels, should help Oprah’s floundering ratings. Just the dynamics of the interview will be worth a look.
With massively failed economic policies, high unemployment, attempts to destroy the best health care in the world, and an absolute inability to perform as Commander-in-Chief to the nation’s armed forces, Barack Obama is seeing a historic slide in his approval ratings.
Both Rasmussen and Gallup have polls out this week showing that Barack Obama has lost favor with the American people.
PRINCETON, NJ -- In Gallup Daily tracking that spans Barack Obama's third quarter in office (July 20 through Oct. 19), the president averaged a 53% job approval rating. That is down sharply from his prior quarterly averages, which were both above 60%.
In fact, the 9-point drop in the most recent quarter is the largest Gallup has ever measured for an elected president between the second and third quarters of his term, dating back to 1953. One president who was not elected to his first term -- Harry Truman -- had a 13-point drop between his second and third quarters in office in 1945 and 1946.
The dominant political focus for Obama in the third quarter was the push for healthcare reform, including his nationally televised address to Congress in early September. Obama hoped that Congress would vote on healthcare legislation before its August recess, but that goal was missed, and some members of Congress faced angry constituents at town hall meetings to discuss healthcare reform. Meanwhile, unemployment continued to climb near 10%. The high point of Obama's third quarter may have been his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize during the quarter, which led to a noticeable but very brief bump in support.
More generally, Obama's 9-point slide between quarters ranks as one of the steepest for a president at any point in his first year in office. The highest is Truman's 19-point drop between his third and fourth quarters, followed by a 15-point drop for Gerald Ford between his first and second quarters. The largest for an elected president in his first year is Bill Clinton's 11-point slide between his first and second quarters.
In Obama's first quarter and second quarter, his job approval average compared favorably with those of prior presidents. But after the drop in his support during the last quarter, his average now ranks near the bottom for presidents at similar points in their presidencies. Only Clinton had a lower third-quarter average among elected presidents. (Gerald Ford averaged 39% during his third quarter in office, in 1975.)
Obama's 53% third-quarter average is substandard from a broader historical perspective that encompasses all 255 presidential quarters for which Gallup has data going back to 1945. On this basis, Obama's most recent average ranks 144th, or in the 44th percentile, clearly below average not just for presidents' third quarters but for all presidents.
These are not the numbers of a President who is looking at the realistic chance of a second term. It is of some note that Bill Clinton had even poorer numbers in his first term, and went on to not only become re-elected, but end up as a rather popular President, even respected in many circles.
President Clinton had two things that saved his presidency. One, he tried so hard to appease his left wing base that Americans voted in the first Republican majority in Congress in over 40 years. As conservatives, a sweeping agenda of conservative plans were enacted, such as balancing the budget, welfare reform, and a host of other programs popular with Americans. Clinton, of course, got credit for these conservative Republican programs.
More importantly though, Bill Clinton had Dick Morris, his adviser, telling him to move to the center, smile a lot, and sign whatever the conservative Republican Congress sent him! In other words, go with the flow, and enjoy the ride! This was great advice, and of course, it worked!
Barack Obama does not have that luxury. Oh, there is no doubt that the democrat/communist party will most likely lose control of Congress in 2010. If the tell tail signs are correct, it could be a serious thrashing for the democrat/communists.
Unlike Clinton though, who is not a die hard ideologue, Obama is a hard left Marxist. Obama was marinated in communism from birth. He is a true believer. Even worse, all of those who surround Obama are true believers. They are of the opinion that the only reason communism fails every time it’s tried, is just because the "right people" haven’t tried it!
There is no Dick Morris in the Obama camp. The Chicago thugacracy that advises Obama will only continue to attack Fox News, the "evil" corporations, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and well, the American people. Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, and others will advise Obama to ride these tactics into the ground.
It is a recipe for complete and total failure. Unfortunately, as Obama fails as a President, he fails America, so ultimately America starts to fail as well.
In the most recent Rasmussen polling, Obama looks even worse, at -13
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. That’s the lowest level of Strong Approval yet measured for this President. Thirty-nine percent (39%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -13 (see trends).
For the first time during Obama’s time in office, the Approval Index has been in negative double digits for seven straight days. Fifty percent (50%) of Democrats Strongly Approve while 66% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove of his performance. Among those not affiliated with either major political party, 18% Strongly Approve and 42% Strongly Disapprove.
Currently, just 42% support the health care plan proposed by the President and Congressional Democrats. Fifty-four percent (54%) are opposed. Just 31% of voters believe that Congress has a good understanding of the health care proposal.
The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve.
Overall, 47% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. Fifty-two percent (52%) disapprove.
While there is no surprise that most democrats approve or strongly approve of Obama’s job so far, or that most Republicans strongly disapprove of it, the big news is independents. With only 18% of independents strongly approving of Obama and 42% strongly disapproving, a -24, Obama is losing a key group of supporters he must have.
Much has been made of a poll showing the lowest number of folks ever self identifying as Republicans, but the dirty little secret is, people self identifying as democrats are also at historic lows. This dissatisfaction with both parties has most people self identifying as "independent." For Obama to lose this group of voters, in such a big way, does not bode well at all.
Can Obama turn all of this around? Well yeah, of course he can. If Obama was advised by anyone but hard core leftists, they’d tell him to drop his unconstitutional and disastrous ObamaCare boondoggle, cancel the porulus package, get out of the banking and automobile business, then slash taxes, and get out of business’ way.
They’d tell him to stop his idiotic war against Fox News, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and everyone else who disagrees with him, as that list is only growing exponentially!
They’d also tell him to quit screwing around and playing politics with the lives of our brave men and women in the military, and make a decision on Afghanistan, and let the Generals do their jobs.
There is, of course, no chance of any of this happening, so look for the most corrupt President in our nation’s history to see his approval numbers slide further into the abyss.
Just when you think the most corrupt administration in history can sink no lower, here they go. This is an incredible over-reach by Barack Obama’s "Department of Justice"
From the Washington Times:
KINSTON, N.C. | Voters in this small city decided overwhelmingly last year to do away with the party affiliation of candidates in local elections, but the Obama administration recently overruled the electorate and decided that equal rights for black voters cannot be achieved without the Democratic Party.
You read that right. Without the all loving, all caring, all benevolent plantation owners of the democrat party, blacks cannot have equal rights. Blacks obviously, according to Barack Obama, are simply not capable of making these tough decisions.
More from the Times:
The Justice Department's ruling, which affects races for City Council and mayor, went so far as to say partisan elections are needed so that black voters can elect their "candidates of choice" - identified by the department as those who are Democrats and almost exclusively black.
The department ruled that white voters in Kinston will vote for blacks only if they are Democrats and that therefore the city cannot get rid of party affiliations for local elections because that would violate black voters' right to elect the candidates they want.
Several federal and local politicians would like the city to challenge the decision in court. They say voter apathy is the largest barrier to black voters' election of candidates they prefer and that the Justice Department has gone too far in trying to influence election results here.
Stephen LaRoque, a former Republican state lawmaker who led the drive to end partisan local elections, called the Justice Department's decision "racial as well as partisan."
"On top of that, you have an unelected bureaucrat in Washington, D.C., overturning a valid election," he said. "That is un-American."
The decision, made by the same Justice official who ordered the dismissal of a voting rights case against members of the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia, has irritated other locals as well. They bristle at federal interference in this city of nearly 23,000 people, two-thirds of whom are black.
In interviews in sleepy downtown Kinston - a place best known as a road sign on the way to the Carolina beaches - residents said partisan voting is largely unimportant because people are personally acquainted with their elected officials and are familiar with their views.
"To begin with, 'nonpartisan elections' is a misconceived and deceiving statement because even though no party affiliation shows up on a ballot form, candidates still adhere to certain ideologies and people understand that, and are going to identify with who they feel has their best interest at heart," said William Cooke, president of the Kinston/Lenoir County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Mr. Cooke said his group does not take a position on this issue and would not disclose his personal stance, but expressed skepticism about the Justice Department's involvement.
Let me get this straight, you have a typical small town, where just about everybody either knows everybody else, or at least knows of them, a town that is most made up of black residents, and yet, Barack Obama and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, are telling them they are too stupid to know who to vote for without a big (D) beside the candidate’s name?
What next from our Dear Leader and his "Ministry of Justice," will it be simply illegal to BE anything but a democrat?
The Times goes on to say:
Others noted the absurdity of partisan elections since Kinston is essentially a one-party city anyway; no one among more than a half-dozen city officials and local residents was able to recall a Republican winning office here.
Justice Department spokesman Alejandro Miyar denied that the decision was intended to help the Democratic Party. He said the ruling was based on "what the facts are in a particular jurisdiction" and how it affects blacks' ability to elect the candidates they favor.
"The determination of who is a 'candidate of choice' for any group of voters in a given jurisdiction is based on an analysis of the electoral behavior of those voters within a particular jurisdiction," he said.
Critics on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights are not so sure. "The Voting Rights Act is supposed to protect against situations when black voters are locked out because of racism," said Abigail Thernstrom, a Republican appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "There is no entitlement to elect a candidate they prefer on the assumption that all black voters prefer Democratic candidates."
Kinston is one of the areas subject to provisions of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, which requires the city to receive Justice Department approval before making any changes to voting procedures. Kinston is one of 12,000 voting districts in areas of 16 states, almost exclusively in the South, that the Voting Rights Act declared to have had a history of racial discrimination.
In a letter dated Aug. 17, the city received the Justice Department's answer: Elections must remain partisan because the change's "effect will be strictly racial."
"Removing the partisan cue in municipal elections will, in all likelihood, eliminate the single factor that allows black candidates to be elected to office," Loretta King, who at the time was the acting head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, wrote in a letter to the city.
Ms. King wrote that voters in Kinston vote more along racial than party lines and without the potential for voting a straight Democratic ticket, "the limited remaining support from white voters for a black Democratic candidate will diminish even more."
Ms. King is the same official who put a stop to the New Black Panther Party case. In that case, the Justice Department filed a civil complaint in Philadelphia after two members of the black revolutionary group dressed in quasi-military garb stood outside a polling place on election last year and purportedly intimidated voters with racial insults, slurs and a nightstick.
After a judge ordered a default judgments against the Panthers, who refused to answer the charges or appear in court, the Justice Department dropped the charges against all but one of the defendants, saying "the facts and the law did not support pursuing" them.
This is more than a simple insult to blacks everywhere, this is a usurpation of our Constitution and a very dangerous development. This sets up a precedent that allows serious manipulation and intimidation by the federal government. And as we are witnessing on a daily basis, Barack Obama and his people only know how to function through threats and intimidation.
I know most of you have heard about the case against the New Black Panthers In Philadelphia, but just in case, let me refresh your memory:
Don’t know about you, but seeing a couple of big guys dressed in paramilitary outfits, silly looking berets and all, and carrying weapons would be rather intimidating to many people, and yet, Barack Obama’s "Justice Department" simply dismissed a the cases against these thugs.
Now the Panthers never showed up for court, so they were convicted in absentia, which is nothing out of the ordinary. The evidence is overwhelming that they were attempting to intimidate voters, and yet, for Obama’s team, all is well.
The New Black Panthers, just like the old Black Panthers, have a long history of racism, hatred, and violence. In fact, it was Obama neighbors and best buddies, the Ayers family, who have direct ties to the Black panthers. The Panthers and Weather Underground teamed up for more than a few "adventures" in their day.
It was the failed Brinks truck robbery carried out by the Black Panthers as well as Bill Ayers’ wife, Bernardine Dohrn, that landed her on the FBI’s most wanted list, and eventually got her a felony conviction. Two security guards and a policeman died in the shootout that occurred between the Panthers and authorities.
Michelle Malkin has more on the Philly case against the Panthers here.
To learn more about this racist group, check out their website here.
What is it about Barack Obama and the fact that he can only surround himself with the most radical and violent elements of our society?
While you think about that, I’d like to pose a bigger question that has bothered me for much of my life. Why do black people vote almost exclusively for democrats? The democrat party since it’s inception has had a history of racism towards blacks and really, outright hatred.
It’s plenty obvious from all of the programs and actions that democrats simply think blacks are incapable of functioning on their own, and thus must be "protected" from making wrong decisions in their lives. This now includes, according to Barack Obama, making the "wrong" decision to vote for someone besides a democrat!
Most of the black people I know are conservative. They live their lives as conservatives. They have strong families, they attend church, and they are active in helping others. Most blacks are against abortion, and gay marriage. In fact, it was the larger than normal black turnout in California, because of Obama, that saw the amendment banning gay marriage pass!
And yet, blacks will always vote against their interests, and go for whatever person has a (D) beside their name.
I blame the Republican party, a lot, for this. Somehow, the party of Lincoln, the party of Eisenhower, who sent troops into Little Rock so black kids could go to school, and the party who worked with LBJ to pass the Civil Rights bill, while Johnson’s own party was fighting him all the way, allowed the democrats to paint THEM as racists, and never fought back.
The democrat party is the party that created the Klu Klux Klan, Jim Crow, and other discriminatory groups and programs. In fact, it’s the democrat party who still has a former member of the Klan in the Senate, Robert Byrd, of West Virginia.
For much of history, most blacks indeed voted Republican. In fact, one of the nation’s greatest spiritual leaders of all time, Dr Martin Luther King, was a Republican. Francis Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association, has penned a great piece for Human Events:
Why Martin Luther King Was A Republican
It should come as no surprise that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican. In that era, almost all black Americans were Republicans. Why? From its founding in 1854 as the anti-slavery party until today, the Republican Party has championed freedom and civil rights for blacks. And as one pundit so succinctly stated, the Democrat Party is as it always has been, the party of the four S's: slavery, secession, segregation and now socialism.
It was the Democrats who fought to keep blacks in slavery and passed the discriminatory Black Codes and Jim Crow laws. The Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan to lynch and terrorize blacks. The Democrats fought to prevent the passage of every civil rights law beginning with the civil rights laws of the 1860s, and continuing with the civil rights laws of the 1950s and 1960s.
During the civil rights era of the 1960s, Dr. King was fighting the Democrats who stood in the school house doors, turned skin-burning fire hoses on blacks and let loose vicious dogs. It was Republican President Dwight Eisenhower who pushed to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and sent troops to Arkansas to desegregate schools. President Eisenhower also appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren to the U.S. Supreme Court, which resulted in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision ending school segregation. Much is made of Democrat President Harry Truman's issuing an Executive Order in 1948 to desegregate the military. Not mentioned is the fact that it was Eisenhower who actually took action to effectively end segregation in the military.
Democrat President John F. Kennedy is lauded as a proponent of civil rights. However, Kennedy voted against the 1957 Civil Rights Act while he was a senator, as did Democrat Sen. Al Gore Sr. And after he became President, Kennedy was opposed to the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. King that was organized by A. Phillip Randolph, who was a black Republican. President Kennedy, through his brother Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy, had Dr. King wiretapped and investigated by the FBI on suspicion of being a Communist in order to undermine Dr. King.
In March of 1968, while referring to Dr. King's leaving Memphis, Tenn., after riots broke out where a teenager was killed, Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.), a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, called Dr. King a "trouble-maker" who starts trouble, but runs like a coward after trouble is ignited. A few weeks later, Dr. King returned to Memphis and was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Given the circumstances of that era, it is understandable why Dr. King was a Republican. It was the Republicans who fought to free blacks from slavery and amended the Constitution to grant blacks freedom (13th Amendment), citizenship (14th Amendment) and the right to vote (15th Amendment). Republicans passed the civil rights laws of the 1860s, including the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Act of 1867 that was designed to establish a new government system in the Democrat-controlled South, one that was fair to blacks. Republicans also started the NAACP and affirmative action with Republican President Richard Nixon's 1969 Philadelphia Plan (crafted by black Republican Art Fletcher) that set the nation's first goals and timetables. Although affirmative action now has been turned by the Democrats into an unfair quota system, affirmative action was begun by Nixon to counter the harm caused to blacks when Democrat President Woodrow Wilson in 1912 kicked all of the blacks out of federal government jobs.
Few black Americans know that it was Republicans who founded the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Unknown also is the fact that Republican Sen. Everett Dirksen from Illinois was key to the passage of civil rights legislation in 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1965. Not mentioned in recent media stories about extension of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is the fact that Dirksen wrote the language for the bill. Dirksen also crafted the language for the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which prohibited discrimination in housing. President Lyndon Johnson could not have achieved passage of civil rights legislation without the support of Republicans.
Critics of Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater, who ran for President against Johnson in 1964, ignore the fact that Goldwater wanted to force the Democrats in the South to stop passing discriminatory laws and thus end the need to continuously enact federal civil rights legislation.
Those who wrongly criticize Goldwater also ignore the fact that Johnson, in his 4,500 State of the Union Address delivered on Jan. 4, 1965, mentioned scores of topics for federal action, but only 35 words were devoted to civil rights. He did not mention one word about voting rights. Then in 1967, showing his anger with Dr. King's protest against the Vietnam War, Johnson referred to Dr. King as "that Nigger preacher."
Contrary to the false assertions by Democrats, the racist "Dixiecrats" did not all migrate to the Republican Party. "Dixiecrats" declared that they would rather vote for a "yellow dog" than vote for a Republican because the Republican Party was know as the party for blacks. Today, some of those "Dixiecrats" continue their political careers as Democrats, including Robert Byrd, who is well known for having been a "Keagle" in the Ku Klux Klan.
Another former "Dixiecrat" is former Democrat Sen. Ernest Hollings, who put up the Confederate flag over the state Capitol when he was the governor of South Carolina. There was no public outcry when Democrat Sen. Christopher Dodd praised Byrd as someone who would have been "a great senator for any moment," including the Civil War. Yet Democrats denounced then-Senate GOP leader Trent Lott for his remarks about Sen. Strom Thurmond (R.-S.C.). Thurmond was never in the Ku Klux Klan and defended blacks against lynching and the discriminatory poll taxes imposed on blacks by Democrats. If Byrd and Thurmond were alive during the Civil War, and Byrd had his way, Thurmond would have been lynched.
The 30-year odyssey of the South switching to the Republican Party began in the 1970s with President Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy," which was an effort on the part of Nixon to get Christians in the South to stop voting for Democrats who did not share their values and were still discriminating against their fellow Christians who happened to be black. Georgia did not switch until 2002, and some Southern states, including Louisiana, are still controlled by Democrats.
Today, Democrats, in pursuit of their socialist agenda, are fighting to keep blacks poor, angry and voting for Democrats. Examples of how egregiously Democrats act to keep blacks in poverty are numerous.
After wrongly convincing black Americans that a minimum wage increase was a good thing, the Democrats on August 3 kept their promise and killed the minimum wage bill passed by House Republicans on July 29. The blockage of the minimum wage bill was the second time in as many years that Democrats stuck a legislative finger in the eye of black Americans. Senate Democrats on April 1, 2004, blocked passage of a bill to renew the 1996 welfare reform law that was pushed by Republicans and vetoed twice by President Clinton before he finally signed it. Since the welfare reform law expired in September 2002, Congress had passed six extensions, and the latest expired on June 30, 2004. Opposed by the Democrats are school choice opportunity scholarships that would help black children get out of failing schools and Social Security reform, even though blacks on average lose $10,000 in the current system because of a shorter life expectancy than whites (72.2 years for blacks vs. 77.5 years for whites).
Democrats have been running our inner-cities for the past 30 to 40 years, and blacks are still complaining about the same problems. More than $7 trillion dollars have been spent on poverty programs since Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty with little, if any, impact on poverty. Diabolically, every election cycle, Democrats blame Republicans for the deplorable conditions in the inner-cities, then incite blacks to cast a protest vote against Republicans.
In order to break the Democrats' stranglehold on the black vote and free black Americans from the Democrat Party's economic plantation, we must shed the light of truth on the Democrats. We must demonstrate that the Democrat Party policies of socialism and dependency on government handouts offer the pathway to poverty, while Republican Party principles of hard work, personal responsibility, getting a good education and ownership of homes and small businesses offer the pathway to prosperity.
Some parting thoughts here:
First, it’s pretty obvious that the plantation mentality of the democrat party is alive and well and being practiced in Kinston, NC. This is the soft racism of low expectations. Obama’s "Ministry of Justice" has declared blacks too stupid to think for themselves, thus needing the loving hand of a tyrannical government to "guide them" to the right choices.
I’m white, and this insults me to no end. I can only imagine how blacks feel.
The other very troubling question, of course, is the incredible overreaching by the Obama administration. While Obama can’t seem to make the life and death decisions on grave matters, like Afghanistan, he and his cronies have all of the time in the world, and worse, the inclination, to delve into the minutia of such things as local elections, and overturn with overwhelming will of the people.
This is the very danger of centralized government our founding fathers feared, and designed our Constitution, and republican form of government to prevent. Barack Obama isn’t the first person to usurp states rights, not by a long shot, but he is the most prolific and radical one.
Barack Obama was elected by saying he would "fundamentally change America." I just find it hard to believe that those lulled into a trance by the promise of rainbows and unicorns had these dangerous "fundamental changes" in mind.
What Barack Obama envisions, like all communists envision, is a strong centrally planned life for all Americans. They want the federal government to have a say in absolutely every area of your life. It’s how they think, how they function.
The democrat (nee communist) party sees itself as the benevolent, all knowing, all caring, all loving party that is just doing this "for your own good." The same plantation mentality that has enslaved blacks for generations is now expanding it’s reach to all of mankind.
It's wrong that they do this to blacks, it’s wrong that they are trying to do this to everyone else. I’ll go farther than that, it is evil what they have done to blacks. The democrat/communist policies have destroyed many black families, and turned many inner cities into wastelands. Democrat/communist policies have turned schools, once looked to for quality education, into nothing more than social engineering centers incapable of graduating students who have the basic skills required to function in society.
And now these people want to take over our health care? These people want to control one sixth of our economy? These people want to further worm their way into our personal lives?
Are we going to let them get away with this?
I ran this a while back, because I thought it was a perfect illustration of how America works, and how communism will destroy her. It think it bears repeating:
Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue, An American Life continues unprecedented success, so much so, many of the nation’s top retailers are counting on it to beef up their bottom lines this year.
Sarah Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life" will likely be a mega-seller when it hits bookshelves next month, a shot in the arm for the book business and perhaps also for the former Alaska governor's unorthodox political career.
Harper, an imprint of News Corp.'s HarperCollins Publishers, said it has received media inquiries from major TV and radio talk shows and is teeing up a major promotional schedule. "Going Rogue" has an initial print run of 1.5 million copies, the same number at the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's memoir, "True Compass."
"Right now it's our top preorder online," said Kathryn Popoff, vice president of trade books at Borders Group Inc.
As you know, Sarah’s book was number one in sales at Barnes & Noble less than 24 hours after they started taking pre-sale orders, and number one at Amazon, who came to the party late, less than 12 hours after that. Immediately sales of w her book were called unprecedented and speculation was, the first printing of 1.5 million would not last long.
More from the Journal:
Fascination with Ms. Palin could turn her into a gold mine for retailers. In a season crowded with new books from leading authors, many stores expect "Going Rogue" to be a hit, tapping into the conservative book-buying audience that catapulted Michelle Malkin's "Culture of Corruption" and Glenn Beck's "Arguing with Idiots" to the top of the lists.
Tom Nissley, senior books editor at Amazon.com Inc., said the online retailer has seen "very high sustained interest in books on the right from popular media figures this year, and I expect the same for Palin's book."
"It's going to be a No. 1 best-seller, the hottest book in the country when it comes out," said Edward Ash-Milby, a buyer for Barnes & Noble Inc. "She has a lot to say, and a lot of people will want to hear it."
Tina Andreadis, a spokeswoman for HarperCollins, said the publishing house is still formulating its marketing plans for the book. She said Ms. Palin is likely to make numerous bookstore appearances.
Also, it seems that Going Rogue is not just the title of the book, but truly how Sarah is doing things:
As the book title suggests, Ms. Palin seems to be trying to manage her own political image.
According to supporters, she has a tiny circle of advisers—mainly her husband, Todd Palin, and former gubernatorial press secretary, Meghan Stapleton. Ms. Palin relies heavily on social media Web sites such as Facebook to get her message out to fans directly.
"There is not a big political staff here working on her schedule, her future or anything else," said Fred Malek, Sen. John McCain's former national finance chairman, who remains friendly with Ms. Palin. "This is pure Sarah."
Meanwhile, Wal-Mart and Amazon are looked in a huge battle for customers and have started a good old fashioned price war!
Walmart's aggressive discounting of upcoming books by Sarah Palin, Stephen King and others has triggered a full-scale, online price war. As we noted yesterday, Walmart dropped prices on the Top 10 pre-selling books -- including Palin's "Going Rogue" and King's "Under the Dome" -- to $10, and threw in free shipping. Amazon quickly matched that price, leading Walmart to drop to $9. By this morning, Amazon also had priced the books at $9.
The new prices even undercut e-books, which Amazon sells for $9.99 -- a price that some publishers have complained about as unrealistically low. The price war puts more pressure on competitors such as Borders, Barnes & Noble and independents, too. But it's a sudden, welcome windfall for consumers.
Obviously this is great news for consumers who want to buy Going Rogue, but hate to pay retail for anything! At this price, I imagine a lot of stockings will be stuffed with Sarah’s book this Christmas.
Amazon.com has the book for $9 and free shipping is available on orders over $25. Order here.
Wal-Mart offers the book for $8.99 and picks up the freight as well! Order here.
I know I can’t wait to get my copy of Sarah’s book, it is certain to be a fascinating read. And if you are ordering from Amazon, and need another order to hit the $25 free freight plateau, you should check out Glenn Becks Book: Arguing With Idiots, How To Stop Small Minds And Big Government. It’s a must read book full of incredible information about our nation. In fact, I believe it would be the perfect textbook for all ages!
Now that the Senate Finance Committee has approved its health care bill, it’s a good time to step back and take a look at the long term consequences should its provisions be enacted into law.
The bill prohibits insurance companies from refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and from charging sick people higher premiums. [1] It attempts to offset the costs this will impose on insurance companies by requiring everyone to purchase coverage, which in theory would expand the pool of paying policy holders.
However, the maximum fine for those who refuse to purchase health insurance is $750. [2] Even factoring in government subsidies, the cost of purchasing a plan is much more than $750. The result: many people, especially the young and healthy, will simply not buy coverage, choosing to pay the fine instead. They’ll wait until they’re sick to buy health insurance, confident in the knowledge that insurance companies can’t deny them coverage. Such a scenario is a perfect storm for increasing the cost of health care and creating an unsustainable mandate program.
Those driving this plan no doubt have good intentions, but good intentions aren’t enough. There were good intentions behind the drive to increase home ownership for lower-income Americans, but forcing financial institutions to give loans to people who couldn’t afford them had terrible unintended consequences. We all felt those consequences during the financial collapse last year. Unintended consequences always result from top-down big government plans like the current health care proposals, and we can’t afford to ignore that fact again.
Supposedly the Senate Finance bill will be paid for by cutting Medicare by nearly half a trillion dollars and by taxing the so-called "Cadillac" health care plans enjoyed by many union members. The plan will also impose heavy taxes on insurers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and clinical labs. [3] The result of all of these taxes is clear. As Douglas Holtz-Eakin noted in the Wall Street Journal, these new taxes "will be passed on to consumers by either directly raising insurance premiums, or by fueling higher health-care costs that inevitably lead to higher premiums." [4] Unfortunately, it will lead to lower wages too, as employees will have to sacrifice a greater percentage of their paychecks to cover these higher premiums. [5] In other words, if the Democrats succeed in overhauling health care, we’ll all bear the costs. The Senate Finance bill is effectively a middle class tax increase, and as Holtz-Eakin points out, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation those making less than $200,000 will be hit hardest. [6]
With our country’s debt and deficits growing at an alarming rate, many of us can’t help but wonder how we can afford a new trillion dollar entitlement program. The president has promised that he won’t sign a health care bill if it "adds even one dime to our deficit over the next decade." [7] But his administration also promised that his nearly trillion dollar stimulus plan would keep the unemployment rate below 8%. [8] Last month, our employment rate was 9.8%, the highest it’s been in 26 years. [9] At first the current administration promised that the stimulus would save or create 3 to 4 million jobs. [10] Then they declared that it created 1 million jobs, but the stimulus reports released this week showed that a mere 30,083 jobs have been created, while nearly 3.4 million jobs have been lost since the stimulus was passed. [11] Should we believe the administration’s claims about health care when their promises have proven so unreliable about the stimulus?
In January 2008, presidential candidate Obama promised not to negotiate behind closed doors with health care lobbyists. In fact, he committed to "broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are. Because part of what we have to do is enlist the American people in this process. And overcoming the special interests and the lobbyists..." [12] However, last February, after serving only a few weeks in office, President Obama met privately at the White House with health care industry executives and lobbyists. [13] Yesterday, POLITICO reported that aides to President Obama and Democrat Senator Max Baucus met with corporate lobbyists in April to help "set in motion a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, primarily financed by industry groups, that has played a key role in bolstering public support for health care reform." [14] Needless to say, their negotiations were not broadcast on C-SPAN for the American people to see.
Presidential candidate Obama also promised that he would not "sign any nonemergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days." [15] PolitiFact reports that this promise has already been broken three times by the current administration. [16] We can only hope that it won’t be broken again with health care reform.
All of this certainly gives the appearance of politics-as-usual in Washington with no change in sight.
Americans want health care reform because we want affordable health care. We don’t need subsidies or a public option. We don’t need a nationalized health care industry. We need to reduce health care costs. But the Senate Finance plan will dramatically increase those costs, all the while ignoring common sense cost-saving measures like tort reform. Though a Congressional Budget Office report confirmed that reforming medical malpractice and liability laws could save as much as $54 billion over the next ten years, tort reform is nowhere to be found in the Senate Finance bill. [17]
Here’s a novel idea. Instead of working contrary to the free market, let’s embrace the free market. Instead of going to war with certain private sector companies, let’s embrace real private-sector competition and allow consumers to purchase plans across state lines. Instead of taxing the so-called "Cadillac" plans that people get through their employers, let’s give individuals who purchase their own health care the same tax benefits we currently give employer-provided health care recipients. Instead of crippling Medicare, let’s reform it by providing recipients with vouchers so that they can purchase their own coverage.
Now is the time to make your voices heard before it’s too late. If we don’t fight for the market-oriented, patient-centered, and result-driven reform plan that we deserve, we’ll be left with the disastrous unintended consequences of the plans currently being cooked up in Washington.
Common sense from America’s Governor. We all need to put in maximum effort to stop this monstrosity that Obama and his Congress have created, then start over and do things right!
