Sorry to bore on but I have been provoked to further musings concerning the liklehood of a lady taking the presidency 'over there' by an article in the WSJ today by Pete du Pont (via good ol' Drudge). Du Pont describes better than me the enormous hole which Obama has dug for himself and into which he seems determined to hurl himself - and his country.
Our federal government's spending has increased to $3.7 trillion this year from $2.98 trillion in 2008. Publicly held national debt is up by $2.4 trillion in less than two years, to about 63% percent of GDP from 40%, and is expected to reach 70% by 2012. Add in the unemployment rate, which has remained above 9.4% for over a year, and America is clearly failing economically. [My emphasis]
Next January the economy will be further depressed by increasing tax rates. The top income tax rate will rise to 39.6% from 35%, and the phase-out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions will effectively lift the top bracket to about 40.8%. On New Year's Day the tax on dividends is scheduled to go up to 39.6% from 15%, and come 2013, ObamaCare will add another 3.8%.
He suggests that a different president is needed, almost anyone will do, just so long as he or she is different from Obama! Obviously any Republican would qualify simply by being Republican, but only one Democrat - Hillary Clinton. According to du Pont, she is the only one in the administration whose opinion poll ratings are 45% favourable against 35% unfavourable. Also, the longer she serves as Secretary of State the greater her experience and qualifications and the deeper her knowledge will be on who, precisely, are the friends and who are the enemies of the United States - a subject which Obama has yet to master!
Obama might be a Marxist progressive but that does not make him stupid, only bigoted. He, or his people, will certainly be aware of the threat from one lady, Sarah Palin, and I agree with du Pont that they will be even more aware of the potential threat from the other lady sitting next to him at the Cabinet table. The smart riposte, du Pont reckons, is for Obama to offer Hillary the vice-presidency in 2012. Question is - will she take it or will she take her chances? Roll up, roll up ...
Sarah vs. Hillary: the Fight of the Century!
DD - if you only observed the US through the lens of the BBC you wouldn't realise how unpopular Obama is nor how parlous a state the US has descended into. You'll get a lot of how Indonesians are excited about Obama's upcoming visit or how a few loony Tea Party activists have compared Obama with Hitler or how angry Obama remains about the BP oil spill . . . but not a lot else which might reflect badly on Him.
Posted by: Umbongo | Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 17:45
Happily I have Fox News to correct my vision - and Mr. Drudge's excellent links to confirm it. I must say I think the next two years are going to be absolutely fascinating 'over there'.
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 19:47
If it is Clinton vs Palin, Clinton will win, which might not be a bad thing, except that she too will try to push through a massive health care bill, and ... well ... remember what she did to you guys not that long ago over Argentina.
But Obama is a disaster. Look at this, published of course in the non-US press (nobody in the US will touch the subject):
http://www.financialpost.com/Avertible+catastrophe/3203808/story.html
Posted by: Dom | Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 20:06
Good grief, Dom, that article is almost unbelievable - except it's not! I have heard rumbles concerning the administration baulking at foreign aid but that is almost criminal.
As to Sarah vs. Hillary I suppose one would have to give 'HillBilly' the edge but it depends how much of Obama's shit sticks to her and how much resentment there is against Washington establishment types. I, too, think Hillary would not be good for America but I don't think she is an out and out Marxist. Also, I suspect she is ambitious enough to want desperately to be a two-term president which will act as a deterrent to any of her more extreme Left-wing tendencies. Anyway, she would be unlikely to enjoy a Dem Congress so that should keep her on a lead!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 20:28
Ah, Dom, should BP back-sue the Federal government for its efforts to make the oil spill worse than it need have been?
I wonder how many Americans realise that many foreigners look upon America as technically backwards, and have done so for a long time. I can remember a boss of mine recounting his time in the Texas petrochemical biz, and shaking his head at the "cowboy" incompetence he encountered. And that had been in the late 70s.
Posted by: dearieme | Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 20:34
"Ah, Dom, should BP back-sue the Federal government ..."
Not BP, but the coastal states should.
Posted by: Dom | Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 20:42
Here's an interesting comment at a newspaper, via Samizdata:
"Subtracting time needed to get to the area, at 146,000 barrels per day that translates into 9 million barrels that could have been processed since the inttial offer was made by the Dutch."
In other words (I know you understand the point, but I take a strange pleasure in repeating this) there are 9 million barrels of oil dirtying the coastal states that are directly -- DIRECTLY -- due to Obama.
Posted by: Dom | Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 20:47
David, I do wish you'd 'qualify' calling Hill "HillBilly" - I realize being from 'over there' you are likely unaware the extent to which you drive a particular segment of your readership 'over here' bonkers. Trueblood Hillbillies after all did finally manage to get 'them' to move to New York (possibly unexcusably by routing them via Washington DC but). It's not the fault of Hillbillies the good people of New York sent 'her' back to DC.
From the Heartland of America:
http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/07/pretty-bad-2012-numbers-for-obama.html
And - just so ya'll knows - this has hit my email several times, and has brought me more personal responses each time I've re-forwarded. We recognize of course the simple expedient of an Executive Order trumps EPA standards everytime. All it would take is for "Ears" to sign & issue the damn thing. Two months ago!
http://www.financialpost.com/news/features/Avertible+catastrophe/3203808/story.html
Posted by: JK | Friday, 16 July 2010 at 00:32
Sorry, 'JK', I have no wish to upset the upright citizens of Arkansas, a state I admire more than anyother despite never having been there! However, please note the capital 'B' in the middle of 'HillBilly'!
Yes, I saw those poll numbers elsewhere and as the man says, it's very early days. And Dom already sent that second link of yours and if you read his comment immediately above yours, someone has done the arithmetic and it is almost beyond belief.
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 16 July 2010 at 09:01
The vicepresidency ain't worth a pail of warm piss (as the saying went before it was bowdlerised, apparently). She'll want to go for the Presidency. If the choice ends up as Hellary vs Palin, it's the end of the Republic, or at least deserves to be.
Of course, there's one way for Hellary to get the presidency without bothering with an election. Or two ways, I suppose: impeachment too.
Posted by: dearieme | Friday, 16 July 2010 at 09:41
You're a very naughty boy, 'DM', what are you suggesting?! Surely not "Yes, Mrs. Obama, but how was the play?"
'HillBilly's' problem would be deciding between taking the vice-presidency as a way to becoming the legitimate presidential candidate in 2016, or gambling everything on unseating Obama in 2012 but splitting the Democrat party in the process and thus weakening her nationally against, say, Palin. There is a large segment of the Democrat party who remain resolute worshippers of 'The One' and who would revolt against anyone who took him down.
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 16 July 2010 at 10:28
David? I think somehow the folks in the DC have taken to reading D&N. Lord knows I've been recommending this blog for daily reading to the manurely outgassing Head of the Senate Agriculture Committee, the good Senator from Arkansas - Blanche Lincoln. Who, it turns out, has a residence in Maryland.
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2010/eq_100716_yua6/neic_yua6_l.html
Er, Dom? Apparently I forgot to wipe my bi-focalurized spectacles else Id'a seen your link. Then again it could have been my habit of re-forwarding that item caused me to re-post it.
Posted by: JK | Friday, 16 July 2010 at 18:11
Obviously the earth moved for her, 'JK'!
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 16 July 2010 at 19:42