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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (71364)9/1/2009 12:09:45 PM
From: FJB  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 224729
 
The Obama Slide
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: August 31, 2009

All presidents fall from their honeymoon highs, but in the history of polling, no newly elected American president has fallen this far this fast.

...

The public's view of Congress, which ticked upward for a time, has plummeted. Charlie Cook, who knows as much about Congressional elections as anyone in the country, wrote recently that Democratic fortunes have "slipped completely out of control." He and the experts he surveyed believe there is just as much chance that the Democrats could lose more than 20 House seats in the next elections as less than 20.

There are also warning signs in the Senate. A recent poll shows Harry Reid, the majority leader, trailing the Republican Danny Tarkanian, a possible 2010 opponent, by 49 percent to 38 percent. When your majority leader is down to a 38 percent base in his home state, that's not good.

...

Amazingly, some liberals are now lashing out at Obama because the entire country doesn't agree with The Huffington Post. Some now argue that the administration should just ignore the ignorant masses and ram health care through using reconciliation, the legislative maneuver that would reduce the need for moderate votes.

This would be suicidal. You can't pass the most important domestic reform in a generation when the majority of voters think you are on the wrong path. To do so would be a sign of unmitigated arrogance. If Obama agrees to use reconciliation, he will permanently affix himself to the liberal wing of his party and permanently alienate independents. He will be president of 35 percent of the country — and good luck getting anything done after that.

...

nytimes.com




To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (71364)9/1/2009 1:05:57 PM
From: lorne2 Recommendations  Respond to of 224729
 
Activists call on Perry to follow through with secession
Sun, Aug 30, 2009
Wayne Slater/Reporter
trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com

Rick Perry's talk of secession appears to have buoyed efforts by Texas secessionists who want the governor to follow through. At a rally Saturday on the Capitol steps, members of the of the Texas Nationalist Movement called on the governor and the Legislature to put a referendum on the state ballot on whether Texas should leave the union. At an anti-tax "tea party" protest in April, Perry touted states rights and raised the possibility of secession.

On Saturday, secessionist speakers denounced the federal government in general - and the Obama administration in particular. One speaker said, "We are aware that stepping off into secession may be a bloody war. We understand!" Another self-styled patriot invoked George Washington as an ally of secession (History lesson: Washington presided over creation of the union) and Sam Houston - "You go ask Sam Houston what he thought about secession. He did it anyway." (History lesson: Houston opposed secession. He ran for governor as an independent Unionist in 1859. Despite his efforts, the people of Texas voted to secede, and he was forced out of office in March 1861. )

There are no plans by the governor to call a special session of the Legislature. For his part, Perry says he never advocated secession - only resistance to federal programs that infringe on states rights. The message is part of his anti-Washington appeal to the right-wing of the Republican Party in advance of next March's GOP primary against Kay Bailey Hutchison. Hutchison calls Perry's rhetoric about secession "silly."

Here's a video from Texas Observer on Saturday's rally:
youtube.com