After last week's national press conference by President Obama, national support for the economic stimulus package grew by 7 points to 59% according some polling data and opposition began to wilt. And as the president sells the program around the nation at rally events, the public is witnessing a fully engaged leader who is able to quickly move complex legislation through congress at break-neck speed. It is a very impressive start to his first 100 days in office.
Certainly there were a few disappointments and rocky moments with a few troubled cabinet choices. However, this White House is right on top of any matter and damage control and quickly does whatever is necessary to turn any event around. When John McCain and some other Republicans decided to bet on failure for the economic stimulus package, they underestimated that President Obama and his handlers are extremely skillful and the president is quickly able to rally public support around any issue in political trouble.
Once again, John McCain finds himself on the losing end of politics. After his big loss in the 2008 election, he was hoping to show some strength by championing the idiotic cause of trying to prevent economic recovery in the U.S. Of all the battles for McCain to seek to champion, this has to be perhaps his most silly crusade yet. The fact of the matter is that while other nations around the world in Europe, Japan and China have all moved ahead with their own economic stimulus packages, they were really looking to the U.S. for leadership on this important issue. It's simply not a winning strategy for America's #2 political party, the Republicans, to come up with a second rate political strategy such as opposing an economic recovery package. Past history such as during the Roosevelt years during the Great Depression have proven that government spending and public works projects do provide jobs and will help to lift a nation up from a deep recession.
The fact of the matter is that the Republican Party leaders are playing a politically dangerous game by being viewed as both obstructionists and not concerned with economic recovery. And further, they fail to understand the popularity of President Obama, who makes a real connection with average citizens as a deeply concerned and engaged leader.
Mr. Obama's handlers now seem to understand that a constant campaign mode to sell his policies might be needed to get the nation behind him. And each effort only brings him more positive news coverage, and only weakens the Republican Party opposition among the general public.
The Republican White House of George Bush just didn't seem to get it that the nation was slipping into a deep recession despite fears coming out of Asia and Europe that demanded action. Now the Republican leaders in congress are betting heavily on obstruction as well as inaction. By comparison the Democrats in congress and Mr. Obama have proved that they can move quickly and pass major legislation and earn public respect.
Now the biggest remaining question is whether this is the right type of action or not. If the Republicans once again have bet on the wrong actions, and the losing side, because of their ideology, or their stubbornness, their partisanship, or whatever, then they just might just be a sorry lot in 2010 and beyond. So far the Republican instincts just haven't proven themselves too good dealing with this recession. Being on the wrong side of history and this recession could leave the Republicans a second rate political party for quite some years.
The Democrats thirst for leadership from their past political drought has created a wiser more mature Democratic Party, able to wield power more wisely. And Mr. Obama strikes the public as having the magnetic leadership abilities of a Ronald Reagan as well as the progressive policies of a Roosevelt to achieve a great deal. No question about it, Mr. Obama is off to an impressive start as president.
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