NY+NV: Obama’s Recipe for Losing in 2012
How many times must the American people prove to Obama they are fed up with his policies before he will get it? By voting Republicans into Congressional offices in two special elections this past Tuesday, Americans gave the president another punch in the gut. Bob Turner won the New York 9th District race, Anthony Weiner’s former seat and a heavily Jewish district. Obama won this district by double digits in 2008 but Jews showed him Tuesday they were not happy with his weak Israeli policies, notably Obama’s demand Israel revert back to its 1967 borders with the Palestinians. Former NYC mayor Ed Koch supported Turner and said Obama “threw Israel under the bus”.
What’s laughable is Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz tried to proclaim with a straight face that “It’s a very difficult district for Democrats.” As Townhall’s Guy Benson , who did some astute reporting on the race noted, “New York’s Ninth Congressional District has been a very difficult district for Democrats to lose,” they’ve won the seat since in every election since 1923.
It also should be duly noted that Brooklyn Young Republicans under the leadership of President Russell Gallo and Vice-President Eugene Pevzner were instrumental in helping Turner win. They along with support from Kings County Republican Chairman Craig Eaton led an aggressive “boots on the ground” effort in Brooklyn, reaching out to the Jewish community, registered Democrats, and inactive Republican voters. The GOP clearly used an ethnic outreach model to win this seat so Republicans need to stop shying away from targeting ethnic minority voters (which include blacks).
If the NY win wasn’t ominous enough for Obama and his cohorts, Mark Amodei’s victory in Nevada put the icing on the Democrat double whammy cake. While Amodei’s win may not be getting the media attention of Turner’s, it’s quite a big deal because Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District is one of the most critical swing counties in the nation. Washoe County is a good predictor on how the rest of Nevada will vote and Nevada has voted for every winner of presidential races except one since 1912.
But before Republicans took these victories, Obama was given numerous warning signs to change political course yet, he refused. Prior to Democrats getting their shellacking in last year’s mid-term Congressional elections, Bob McDonnell won the Virginia gubernatorial race, Chris Christie captured New Jersey’s gubernatorial race and Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy’s long held seat.
Americans voting Republicans back into power is a clear and direct repudiation of Obama’s reckless high unemployment, spending, taxing and debt agenda. Despite these major losses, President Obama refuses to focus on what the American people want: jobs, reducing the country’s $14 trillion debt and spending.
While Republicans called for budget cuts to fund the government’s 2011 budget, Obama insisted on tax increases on higher earners, those so called rich, individuals who make over $200,000 and couples who earn over $250,000. During the debt ceiling debate this summer, Obama again insisted on raising taxes on higher earners and refused to deal with entitlement reform then brazenly blamed the impasse on Republicans.
Apparently, the third time is the charm for our president. In September, Obama served up more of the same in his jobs bill, demanding Republicans “pass this bill now,” give him another $447 billion stimulus paid for by you guess it, MORE TAXES on the RICH. The top 5% of higher earners already pay their fair share in taxes to the tune of 50% of all taxes paid in this country. Obama’s Robin Hood jobs plan would eliminate mortgage interest deductions and other itemized deductions for the “rich,” raising their tax rate to 42% .
Taxing one group of Americans, many of whom are small business owners who create jobs, is a formula for killing jobs not creating them. Not to mention the fact that this is anathema to achieving the American dream. If you work hard, you should be able to keep more of your money not work to become a slave of the federal government. Not only are Republicans tired of this tax tune but more importantly the American people are also tuning it out. Obama’s approval ratings dropped to a new low of 42%, not to mention the fact that no president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has won re-election when unemployment is above 7%.
I think I hear Republicans singing “We’ve only just begun. . . to win.” Obama has pissed off Blacks by not addressing the black 16% jobless rate, almost double the national average. Now he’s pissed off the Jews. This is a recipe for how to lose in NY and in 2012.
Obama wanted what is arguably the most difficult job in the world and he got it. But the question remains when will Obama take responsibility for the colossal failure his presidency of hope and change has become and do something other than blame everyone from Bush, Republicans, the Tea Party, natural disasters and the kitchen sink for his shortcomings.
Tags: Anthony Weiner, Bob Turner, Brooklyn Young Republicans, GOP, Isreal, Jewish, Mark Amodei, Nevada, New York, New York 9th
I think the fundamental problem is that he simply is not up to the monumental job he got elected to. His policy ideas in general don’t work and neither he nor his advisers seem to be able to figure out how to do something new. Their approaches continue the same political approach again and again. Its not working but he seems incapable of a course correct. Black folk are going to hold on to him even though we are catching hell, because we’re stuck in a similar kind of rut politically as well.
Its strange to me that given the amount of anger and growing ambivalence on the left that the Obama campaign appears to be meeting if not exceeding its quarterly fund raising goals. By some accounts, he’s well on course to raising a billion dollars for his reelection campaign. This at the same time that you have people like Nader and Cornel West openly calling for a primary challenger though their approach is stupid as they openly say they don’t want someone who could beat him, just someone to make him defend his policy choices. Why should anybody sign up for that duty if its not to win?
If we get an electable nominee out of the GOP, Obama could very well be going down in 2012 at the rate at which he is screwing it up. Even at this point, I don’t think its a slam dunk, but at the rate he is going, he keeps opening the door wider and wider.
Please also don’t forget what , the Brooklyn Young Republican Club did for Bob. Our Club has been around since 1880. We were the first in Brooklyn to hold a Fundraiser for Bob Turner, and we raised $1,000 towards his election. We also had people campaigning for Bob, before election day doing door to door and phone banking . We also had an election day operation, getting out the vote for Bob, along with our own sound car asking voters to vote for Bob. Thank you for your time. Glenn Nocera President of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club . Going strong since 1880.
I also would like to thank Glenn Nocera for campaigning for me on Election Day. Without Glenn Nocera and my friend David Storobin I would not have had an operation in my race for district leader.
Although I got crushed by a RINO I still want everyone to know that I am not going anywhere and will be in the game till the end.
Thank you again for coming on Brooklyn GOP Radio earlier! Your insight was awesome. And you made a huge impression on our friend and resident senior citizen Vinny – he always asks how you are and wants to know when you’ll be back on the show! LOL. Looking forward to talking to you soon!