Thursday, February 25, 2010
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY: 250 DAYS UNTIL THE 2010 ELECTIONS!
Lights, Camera, Action!
President Obama and congressional leaders of both political parties met today at the Blair House, across from the White House, to debate healthcare reform ideas. It didn’t take long for President Obama to launch into a campaign speech, berating his critics and suggesting that the problem is conservative opposition. Let me make this point again: Obama’s “problem” is the American people and some in his own party who have rejected his socialist scheme.
The only reason ObamaCare is not already a reality is because Democrats could not agree. They have historic majorities in the House and Senate, and a president willing to sign almost anything they give him. But the reason congressional Democrats could not reach a consensus is that they know the American people don’t want what they are offering. Here’s proof.
Yesterday, CNN released the results of a new poll on healthcare reform. While some specific reforms are popular, this socialized Big Government takeover is not. When asked what Congress should do now, only 25% of those polled said Congress should pass a similar bill; 48% said scrap it and start over; and 25% said drop it and move on. That means the approach favored by Barack Obama and congressional Democrats has the support of just 25% of the American people, while 73% oppose what they are doing.
It couldn’t be clearer: THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DON’T WANT SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!
While there have been some good points at today’s summit, I think the best point was made before the summit by a man who isn’t there. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) said that our biggest problem today isn’t healthcare, but the fact that we already have a government we can’t afford. Barack Obama wants to make it even bigger with another trillion-dollar entitlement program run by the very folks who have bankrupted the Post Office, Social Security and Medicare. That is a point that almost every American understands. In fact, it has spawned a new political and cultural movement. (More on that in the next item.)
I’ve been watching the healthcare summit all day. (It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.) I know that conservatives were divided on whether it was a good idea for the GOP even to attend for fear that Obama would dominate the event. But my sense is that this has not been a good event for the president. He has alternated between looking angry, arrogant and bored.
Republican participants have been persistent in getting their main points across. Yes, the meeting was a “set-up.” Yes, the Democrats will try to ram their scheme through Congress in the days ahead. But we will fight back and the GOP did that well today. And, of course, there is the most important meeting coming up – on November 2nd – when we will all meet at the polls.
Who Are The Tea Party Patriots?
This is a question that I have been asked more and more in recent days as the Tea Party movement grows in strength and visibility. Let me start by stating what it is not: The Tea Party movement is NOT a new political party. It is a new movement that seeks to influence America’s political landscape and shape our public policy.
The folks involved understand that the growth of government is unsustainable. They know it jeopardizes the standard of living our children and grandchildren will enjoy. They are worried about our growing national debt, and an administration that seeks to pile on even more debt and massively expand the size and scope of government. The Tea Party patriots overwhelmingly identify as Independents. Some are disaffected Republicans. Some are Democrats.
They tend to be middle class and patriotic. They know that higher taxes are not the solution but part of the problem. They are deeply committed to following the Constitution, and they worry about Big Government becoming a threat to our liberty. These are all mainstream values, yet there is a constant effort by cultural elites to demonize these good Americans with false charges of racism, extremism, etc.
In no world, except that of the wacky leftwing fringe, would these folks be considered a danger to the country. So you can imagine my shock at new reports that a major assault against the Tea Party movement is taking shape. The elitist media’s mockery failed to blunt the movement last year. The election of a Republican senator in Massachusetts has the liberal establishment panic-stricken.
So, to lead this effort they have called in the “big guns,” Bill Clinton and James Carville. Unbelievably, the Clinton/Carville team is planning to bribe or browbeat one or two key Tea Party leaders into becoming a “mole,” while, according to Andrew Breitbart’s BIGGOVERNMENT, “others will be subjected to a full-on smear campaign.” It’s the worst of all worlds – the Clinton political machine working with the gang from Chicago. The politics of personal destruction are back with a vengeance. Saul Alinsky would be proud of his prodigy.
Winds Of Change
My friends, do not despair. Democrats are right to be worried about the changing political landscape. A slew of new polling data has been released, and it does not paint a pretty picture of the president and his party. As I noted above, ObamaCare is tremendously unpopular. Here are some of the other recent findings:
- A Rasmussen poll released this week finds just 10% of likely voters rate Congress’ job performance as “good” or “excellent.” Seventy-one percent consider it “poor.” That does not bode well for the majority party.
- Barack Obama’s approval rating is at 45%. One year ago, it was 59%.
- Even more ominous for the Democrats, a new Pew Research Center poll found collapsing support among America’s youth. Since the 2008 election, there has been an 18-point swing in support toward the GOP among 18-to-29 year olds. According to the Associated Press, “It was the largest percentage point jump in those who identified or leaned Republican among all the voting age groups.”
Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, said, “This is a generation of young adults who made a big splash politically in 2008. But a year and a half later, they show signs of disillusionment with the president – and, perhaps, with politics itself.”
Many of you email me asking, “What else can we do?” Here’s something: Adopt a voter, and start with a family member. Most folks on this list have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews. Many of you wrote during the 2008 campaign to tell me how distraught you were that a young relative, frequently a son or daughter, had been swept up by Obamamania. Talk to them today.
Don’t say, “I told you so.” That usually ends a conversation. You can start by saying, “I know many people had a high hopes for our new president, but today they are disappointed and they are beginning to understand the concerns a lot of people had with his ideas.” Use the information in this report to gently question their thinking and their support for Obama’s radical agenda. Don’t focus on him personally, but on his job-killing policies and the unintended consequences of Big Government liberalism.
These conversations may not be easy, but there are many more receptive ears today than there were one year ago. The harvest is plentiful, so let’s get to work!
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