ShareThisOur nation's beacon of hope and change has morphed into a Keystone Cop. This week's Gallup poll shows President Barack Obama's approval rating at 44 percent, a record low for a man who was once wildly popular.
So why has Obama plummeted from savior to something less? If you have web access, you're officially a pundit and there are literally as many explanations out there for why the president's popularity is in a freefall as there are web commentators.
The first rule in deciphering political poll trends is, "the economy, stupid." Most politicians and pundits are blaming the president's unpopularity on a weak job market and a skittish economy. Of course, that's a major factor. Americans are more forgiving if they're working and consumers are spending. But there's much more going on.
Republicans most recently hit on the campaign theme of Democrats' overspending and overdoing. There's no denying that spending and deficits are at record levels while the economy is lagging. Perhaps the president promised too much on the campaign trail and what he's delivered is a disappointment.
But no matter your perspective, it is nothing short of amazing the amount of legislation Democrats have been able to push through in a relatively short time: health care reform, Wall Street reform, and an almost trillion dollar ($862 billion to be precise) recovery package. If you're a deficit hawk, that's amazingly bad. If you're a supporter of government assistance to the poor, that's amazingly good.
Obama's supporters, present and past, may be disappointed in those legislative accomplishments. Certainly on the environment, he has not done nearly enough, although I give him credit for a strong focus on green jobs and green industry. But like his legislation or not, it's impressive that he has been able to tackle so many topics. In fact, just about the only major issue the president promised to tackle and has not so far is immigration.
Reform advocates and those who are counting on a so-called Path to Citizenship point to the president's lack of advocacy as one reason for his low approval ratings. It's certainly true that he sounded like an immigration reform advocate on the campaign trail. I recall viewing one of his campaign speeches on his campaign website in which he called for the now-infamous Path to Citizenship.
Last week another Gallup release reported some 62 percent of Americans disapprove of Obama's performance on immigration. One media outlet blamed that number on the president's failure to pass his Path to Citizenship into law.
The latest complaints come from members of the Spanish-language media, who told Politico that Obama is in danger of losing his support among Latinos because he has expanded enforcement without passing immigration reform. Support from Latino voters is important -- it helped usher Obama into office -- and polls last month indicated that some Latino voters won't come out to vote if reform measures are not passed.
I'm not sure the majority of those upset with the president over immigration reform are on the side of porous borders. Regardless, I don't think immigration is a top-five issue for most Americans. The economy, jobs, national security and other issues rank higher.
But I do think that the president's unpopularity has more to do with his propensity to take one stand and then quickly shift to another, than it does with his legislative agenda. Just this past week he unwisely stepped out in favor of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque. Then he retreated after he realized what an unpopular stand he had taken. Americans now see him as a president who blows with the prevailing winds, instead of as a principled leader.
There was no need for him to take a stand on the mosque. It's a matter of city and state, not federal law, at least at this point in the story. He not only stepped out, he stepped out and then stepped back. If Obama wants to regain popularity, he needs to stop doing 180-degree turns. Whether he is capable of that is another question.
(Bonnie Erbe is a TV host and writes this column for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail bonnieerbe(at)CompuServe.com.)
COLUMN
JAN BREWER DID THSI TO GET REELECTED, SAD DY FOR USA :(:(:(
THE FACTS ARE THAT JAN BREWER AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE DOING THIS TO GET REELECTED, HERE ARE FACTS.
1, HOW MUCH MONEY $$$$$$$ IS ALLOCATED TO ENFORCE THIS LAW?? NONE.
2, HOW MANY NEW POLICEMEN / WOMEN SHES HIRED TO HOLD AND PROCESS THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS? NONE.
3, HOW MANY NEW IMMIGRATION JUDGES SHES HIRED TO PROCESS THE THOUSANDS OF DEPORTATION CASES?? NONE.
4, HOW MANY NEW JAILS SHES BUILT TO HOLD THE THOUSANDS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS? NONE.
5, HOW MANY BUSES / PLANES SHES BROUGHT TO DEPORT THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THOSE WHO ARE ORDERED BY THE IMMIGRATION JUDGES TO BE DEPORTED?? NONE.
CAN ANYONE ANSWER THESE FACTS? THE REPUBLICAN STATES ARE TRYING TO MAKE THIS THEIR PLATFORM, THEY WILL LOSE BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG TIME.
ALL ARE GODS CHILDREN. NO HUMAN IS ABOVE ANOTHER. ALL ARE CREATED BY ONE ALMIGHTY GOD WHO LOVES ALL HIS CHILDREN.
I AM NOT SAYING DON'T CLOSE THE BORDERS I AM SAYING STOP THE FOOLISH HATE AND IGNORANCE.
Regan Isnsider, GOP DESTROYED THE US ECONOMY.
GO TO THIS LINK http://www.marketwatch.com/story/reagan-insider-gop-destroyed-us-economy-2010-08-10
FAIR IS A ONE SIDED RACIST ORG. THEY ALSO SHOW ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE COIN. WERE NOT FOLLIES AS THE TEA BAGGERS. WERE ESPRESSO DRINKERS :) HA HA HA :) :)
HERE ARE THE FACTS This week, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) came out with a report entitled, The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on U.S. Taxpayers, which discusses the costs of unauthorized immigration to the United States. As usual, FAIR has put out a highly misleading fiscal snapshot of the costs allegedly imposed on U.S. taxpayers by unauthorized immigrants and completely discounts the economic contributions of unauthorized workers and consumers. Moreover, FAIR inflates their costs in a variety of ways and conveniently ignores any contributions that would offset these costs.
While the publication is long and deals with a wide range of issues that warrant more dissection by credible economic experts, the trade publication Education Week has already begun the deconstruction with an item that sheds light on their misleading claims about providing English language services in schools.
Another argument FAIR makes, which makes it hard to glean what their solution would be is the high cost of deporting undocumented workers which FAIR blames on the immigrants themselves. It's a somewhat circular argument to say that the cost of undocumented immigrants includes the cost of failing law enforcement efforts. So, in essence, FAIR is saying that the deport-them-all approach costs too much money and doesn't work. Yet their "solution" is to spend even more money on enforcement.
FAIR's data is meant only to reinforce their vision of "attrition through enforcement." It is not rooted in an effort to move the immigration debate forward. Therefore, passing comprehensive immigration reform - which would yield a cumulative $1.5 trillion in added U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years - is the only sound economic decision the United States can make.
SOURCE Immigration Policy Center
Jan Brewer was asked WHAT A ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LOOKS LIKE? ??
Moments after signing Arizona's tough new immigration law in April, Gov. Jan Brewer was asked WHAT A ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LOOKS LIKE????
The question, posed during a news conference that was broadcast live on TV, seemed to catch Brewer off guard. After a long pause, she said, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT A ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LOOKS LIKE. I can tell you that there are people in Arizona that ASS-U-ME they know what an illegal immigrant looks like. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY KNOW THAT FOR A FACT OR NOT."
Her answer cut to the very heart of the controversy surrounding the law, which takes effect July 29. Although there are many people who assume they know what an illegal immigrant looks like, the fact is, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to tell a person's immigration status by appearance, experts say.
So despite assurances to the contrary, some civil-rights groups and others fear that enforcement of the law will lead to racial profiling. Several lawsuits already raise worries of civil-rights violations, and a group of Arizona law professors concluded the law authorizes enforcement based on ethnicity. That, they allege, would mean officers would end up harassing and possibly detaining people who aren't illegal immigrants.
The vast majority of illegal immigrants are Hispanic. But most Hispanics in Arizona are not illegal immigrants - they are legal residents or U.S. citizens, many with roots dating back generations.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/07/18/20100718illegal-immigration-profiling.html#ixzz0u2wY1a1d