W.C. Fields on Life

Barack Obama on the Midterm Elections

President Barack Obama traveled to Chicagoland to give an economic speech at Northwestern University in order to justify his fundraising appearance for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D-IL).   The President used the speech to justify what he perceives as a rosy economic picture during the six years of the Obama Administration. Americans are supposed to believe this rhetoric even if they do not feel it in their daily lives through  their income and wages

Mr. Obama claimed that his speech at Northwestern was nonpolitical.  Yet the Campaigner-in-Chief uttered 28 words which many Democrats may come to regret.

That sort of reminder may sell well in a solidly blue state like Illinois, but vulnerable incumbent Senators like Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Sen. Kay Hagen (D-NC) cringe at reminding voters of that fact.

If Mr. Obama's policies were working so wonderfully, then incumbents up for re-election would clamor for appearances with President Obama.  Instead, those vulnerable candidates just want the benefits of fundraisers without appearing with "the Won".

Midterms are turnout elections, meaning that parties need to work to get their base out to the polls. Mr. Obama's favorability polling is in the low 40s.  Gallup reports that 65% of Likely Voters think that the US is on the wrong track.

Most voters ordinarily only pay attention to politics after Labor Day of an election year, which influences their opinions and motivates them to get to the ballot box.  At the 2014 Value Voters Summit, Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA) joked about what was wrong with Washington.  Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) cited concrete ways to turn America around by voting.  But what may motivate many likely conservative leaning and independent voters to crawl over broken glass and risk Ebola infection to vote is President Obama's personalization of the midterms as a referendum on his policies.

If the Republican National Committee were smart, they ought to use this clip to remind prospective midterm voters what their support for down ballot candidates really means.

George Costanza on Lies

Celebrating Failed Presidents?

  Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States,  celebrated his 90th birthday by going on a media campaign to redefine his legacy.  Carter's interview with MSNBC insisted that had he authorized robust military action, he would have won re-election.  Instead, Ronald Reagan beat the malaise from Plains Georgia.  On President Reagan's first inauguration day, Tehran released the 52 American hostages after 444 days of captivity. 

 Mr. Carter's self-serving quote failed to account for two factors as he celebrated his foreign policy strategerie (sic).  Firstly,  President Carter did attempt a military operation to free the hostages in April, 1980.  

Operation Eagle Claw was an abortive attempt by the US military to rescue the hostages.  As the eight US helicopters advanced to the Desert One staging area, only five were in operational conditions  (hindered by fine sand, hydraulic issues and a crack in the rotor blade).  The assault was called off, but one of the helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft full of jet fuel, which destroyed both aircraft and killed eight servicemen). 

 Although Operation Eagle Claw may not have been an apocalyptic military operation, it may have been propelled by politics.  President Carter was engaged in a tough battle for the Democrat Presidential Nomination with Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).  In fact, President Carter lost several key primary contests in April 1980 (Pennsylvania, Michigan and Vermont) and was seriously losing momentum. 

Although the failed rescue attempt did generate a lot of scorn for Carter, it also seemed to quash his political insurgency. After Operation Eagle, the rally around the flag instinct which Democrats of the day still had for the military cut Kennedy's mojo.    So Mr. Carters self righteous reminiscing about not using the powers of the Presidency to get re-elected is  questionable. 

 In addition, Mr. Carter intimates today that the hostage release was an answer to his prayers and in the end it all worked out.  While one should not dismiss the power of prayer, it seems more likely that  the Islamic Republic of Iran worrying about what "that crazy cowboy" Reagan  in the Oval Office would do.  Moreover, one should not discount the gesture from Tehran to be one last insult to the Peanut President. 


To celebrate President Carter's milestone birthday, President Barack Obama chose to celebrate himself on social media by posting a photo featuring the 39th and 44th Presidents together.   Of course, Mr. Obama has a history of using his image for branding when supposedly celebrating others, like his social media tribute to Neil Armstrong's death or Rosa Parks' passing. 


 Funny how failed President's celebrate themselves.  Some things never change, despite the rhetoric to the contrary. Some wags have wondered if Barack Obama is the second coming of Jimmy Carter.  

  

However, now Carter can take solace that he is no longer considered with worst President in modern American  history.

Tony Robbins on the Zeitgeist