It's All About Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
A few weeks ago, Saturday Night Live had a skit where the comedian who portrays Obama ran down a list of the items that our president said he was going to either solve or take care of when he became president, including healthcare, the economy, Guantanamo, unemployment, etc. As we all know by now, Mr. Obama has failed miserably at most everything on this list.
Is the honeymoon over for Mr. Obama with the press? Probably not. As a student of politics, I will say that this president has had the press in the palm of his hand more often than not. This is and was due to many factors. First, you have a very charismatic man who persuaded people he was something he is not. Secondly, the country had been through eight years of George Bush and was ready for a huge change. Finally, and my main point, this man campaigned as a healer, not as a divider, as a centrist, not as a liberal, and as someone who said he was going to bring both parties together, which he has not.
And here we are, a couple of days after the November elections, and there appears to be a small wave of discontent among voters. Why is this? One year after Obama carried Virginia by 15 points, a Republican wins by almost 20 points. Keep in mind that Virginia's last two governors were Democrats. Virginia swept all three races for statewide office, governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. In New Jersey, by all counts a liberal state, the incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine went down by almost 5 points. And that’s with Obama stumping for him 3 times. The Republican who won, Chris Christie, ran a positive campaign and did not have to rely on negative ads to win. What’s going on in the world of politics?
Well, I'll tell you. The same people who elected Obama one year ago are beginning to abandon him now. The independent voters who turned out in droves last November to vote for Obama are beginning to realize that he is not what they thought he was. He ran on a platform of peace and harmony, and he ran as a middle of the road guy, and once he became president, his true colors began coming through. He is a left wing liberal, and this really should not have been a surprise to many people because he was one of the most liberal senators in the Senate. The independent voters voted for someone who was going to change the country. In a positive way. They did not vote for someone who was not going to end the war. They voted for someone who was going to pass a healthcare bill that was going to change America’s healthcare system. They voted for someone who was going to fix our economy and create jobs. Is it any wonder the independents have changed their minds!
He ran as a healer and a president who was going to bring both parties together. Let me ask you something. When the Democrats passed the stimulus package, they (the Democrats) did that behind closed doors. Not one Republican even had a chance to look it over. This is not what I call trying to work with both parties. Why do you think the Dems pushed the stimulus package through so quickly and with such secrecy? Because they did not want the Republicans to examine and criticize the bill. Why do you think Obama cannot get his healthcare bill passed? It’s not the Republicans who are blocking this. The Democrats have enough votes to pass it within their own party. It is precisely their own party who is not pushing this through. Here's the reason. It is not what America wants or needs. Not right now. Yes, we need healthcare reform. Just not now. What we need is a president whose #1 priority is the economy and jobs.
If you look back in history, certain presidents left a lasting mark on their White House years. Nixon had China. Carter had the Middle East. Reagan had the Communist wall and the defeat of the Soviet Empire. Clinton had Serbia. And Obama could do the same, if he only begins to focus on one problem, and not 3 or 4. He would go down as a great president if he is able to revitalize this economy and begin to get the unemployment rate down and get people working again. Forget healthcare for now. Forget cap and trade. Forget the road system. Concentrate on getting America back to work.
That alone could be his legacy. If you put money in people's pocket, they are happy. If you put people to work, they will have more pride in themselves. If you put people back to work, they have more money to spend, and they will begin to visit local retail shops and start buying goods and services. Once you do that, the snowball effect takes place and America will be back on her feet.
Mr. President, you are taking on way too much. Tackle the economy and jobs. Then move on to your next project. In real estate it’s all about location, location, location. In America, right now, it’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs. Get to work Mr. President!
Eddy's Edict...
