The World is NOT Coming to an End

TODAY'S HEADLINE:  Fiscal Cliff Talks Frozen

Two thoughts.  First and, by far, most important: If Congress fails to act the world will not come to an end.  Far from it. In fact I believe the complete failure of talks is the optimal outcome.  We need to aggressively deal with the national debt. This is the only approach that does that.

I am confident the economy will not go into recession.  In fact, I predict with confidence, it will improve.  After all Nancy Pelosi's $800 million dollar stimulus had no effect on the economy.  Neither will this tax increase coupled with the minor spending reduction.

This is much ado about nothing.

Second, in spite of my bold suggestion we allow the tax cuts to expire and the spending cuts to take effect, neither will happen.  Compromise will be reached.

Federal Stimulus Doesn't Help the Economy

Friday's economic reports were nothing short of disastrous.  Unemployment is back up to 8.2%, new jobs created last month were 50% below forecasts, auto sales dipped to low levels (after earlier improvements), and the stock market dropped to the lowest levels in 2012.


And many think it's going to get much worse.  Could we be looking at a double dip recession? A genuine world wide depression? I certainly hope not.


My point this morning is not to spread doom and gloom, but instead to point out that President Obama's policies of massive government spending and expanded welfare programs just haven't worked.  Washington policies and political party posturing have only made things much, much worse than they needed to be.

I've enlarged the chart beyond the normal size of my blog to insure it is readable.

The chart above, prepared by the non-partisan Comeback America Initiative shows President Obama has stimulated us more that any president in modern history.  Sadly it's mostly through out of control Federal Spending.


Federal spending was close to 20 percent of GDP during the Carter administration, dropped to 18 percent under Clinton, and is currently at an incredible 24 percent of GDP according to the Congressional Budget Office.  And now the economy is slip-sliding backwards.

If government spending worked, it would already be working.  It's difficult to spend more than the 24% of GDP Obama is spending today.  Especially since a great deal of it is borrowed money.


Candidate Romney's prescription for the government is significantly better than President Obama's.  Most importantly, Romney will cut back the amount of Federal interference in the economy.  I fear President's Obama's solution of ever increasing spending will destroy the nation and bring on a world wide depression.


In a future blog entry I'll explain why the "hot button" social issues like abortion or gun control should NOT affect your decision on a President.

Thoughts on a $1,118.00 Day

If it is always darkest before the dawn, daybreak must just be moments away. Because, on both the social and economic scales, it is a very dark time in America. Gold today hit a record high of over $1,118.00 an ounce as investors and governments around the world abandoned the US Dollar and other paper currencies in favor of the precious metal. Publicly and privately many say the see the collapse of the US Dollar and possible the collapse of the United States.

Misled and misguided by a President wholly unqualified and unready to lead this nation during an economic crisis, the United States is floundering. And the deaf, dumb and blind US Congress is leading the nation off the edge of the cliff as surely as the Pied Piper led the rats and then the children in the fairly tale to their potential doom. I'm not at all certain we can have a happy ending.

Clearly investors and foreign governments don't think a happy ending is in our future as they abandon on currency as if it were infected with Swine Flu (or, more likely, the Ebola virus). Death be to those holding US currency when the end times arrive.

President Obama's biggest mistake today is that he is ignoring the economy as he pursues a Health Care Restructuring Plan that is horrifically bad in its own right. He should be working on the economy and the deficit, but if, god forbid, he succeeds in forcing this Health Care Bill down the throats of a public that neither wants it nor needs it, it will bring on the collapse all by itself.

Poor President Obama has done virtually nothing right. Being naive in both the ways of Congress and in basic economics, he turned the Economic Stimulus Act over to Nancy Pelosi and give little or no guidance. Pelosi hadn't the slightest idea how to build a stimulus package, so she did what she does best, packaged up 780 billion dollars of pork and special favors for friends and supporters and called it stimulus.

Now some folks are surprised (or, at least, act surprised) to find the stimulus package isn't doing any good and the very slow economic recovery is exactly what would have been expected without a package.

The problem is the stimulus package is actually a time bomb and is ready to explode the deficit. Gold, therefore, is the safe haven for investors and other nations that are handling their economy correctly.

Three things need to happen. First, and perhaps most important, the Health Care Restructuring Bill must be stopped.

Second, the President needs a new economic team, a strike force if you will. He should ask Mitt Romney to head up this effort to, literally, save the United States.

Finally, Nancy Pelosi should step down as Speaker of the House and usher in a new spirit of true bipartisanship. Now is not this time to build walls and foster hatred. Pelosi isn't capable of anything else and she must go.

It's The Economy, Stupid

I'm going to quote, well, paraphrase actually, a guest I heard on talk radio this morning. I have absolutely no idea who it was; I don't have a name. I was only in my car for five minutes. But is was a fascinating analysis that I thought was insightful and completely correct.

This unknown guest said that President Obama's problems with his Health Care Plan wasn't really caused by the health care proposal. Instead it was caused by the rapidly declining economy and the President's huge over promise when he pushed through Nancy Pelosi's stimulus bill.

President Obama put the maximum pressure on Congress to pass the bill quickly, so quickly that no one actually read the bill. He warned of dire consequences if the bill waited even a day. And he made grandiose predictions of a quick recovery and limited unemployment. Numerous speeches were made and numerous promises were laid out before the American People, including how Joe Biden was going to personally watchdog the spending to make sure it happened quickly and there would be no waste.

Among the many people who never read the bill was President Obama himself.

In effect, Congress and the American People went out on an $800,000,000,000.00 (eight hundred BILLION dollars) limb for the President and he has failed utterly and completely.

In spite of some reporting so stupid it literally defies belief, the economy is not recovering. It is in shambles. Unemployment is skyrocketing. And the stimulus is not working....... at all.

Now, many of us knew the grab bag of political greed, waste, paybacks and payoffs that Nancy Pelosi called a "Stimulus Package" was doomed to failure from the beginning. But we hoped for the best.

But today, faced with misuse of funds, government lies of epic proportions, waste, fraud and inefficiencies, Obama's credibility is shot. The people no longer believe him. Never has a President spent his political capital so quickly.

The unknown talk radio guest stated that the real problem in Congress wasn't Health Care, it was the economy. If the economy had responded as Obama had so boldly promised, passing Health Care would be a breeze and every other proposal would be a breeze.

But now it's the President himself who is facing hurricane force winds of change. And it's his agenda that needs a stimulus.

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The following information was helpful to me in the preparation of today's essay:

Associated Press: 'Help Wanted' counting stimulus jobs

Lee's Tidbits: Oregon Stimulus jobs created? 3,236 in first three months

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Obama Hits New Low

Rasmussen Poll: 49% of Americans Say America's Best Days Have Come and Gone. Obama's Approval Falls to Only 48%

Associated Press: May-June joblessness up in 90 pct of metro areas

Fox News: Stimulus Dollars Fund Erotic Film, Stage Show Yes, I know it's Fox News. And yes, I know it's a very tiny part of the stimulus funds, but this is exactly the kind of thing that just kills Obama's credibility. You would think that the Federal Government would have learned that lesson long before this. This was a bone headed, stupid mistake.

It's The End of the World as We Know It

Well, faithful readers, it is time for the very lengthy third part of my trilogy. Parts one and two below were necessary to provide context for this third and most important discussion. Below is my analysis of the current economic crisis in the United States and, ultimately, the world. As my title above suggests, it is not a pleasant prognostication.

Long time readers know that I have been sounding the alarm siren for the last six months. As soon as it became obvious that our Congress and President were on the wrong track in handling the economic downturn, I've done my best to bring the keys issues to the forefront. This link here will take you to a dozen or more past blog entries where I've outlined the coming problems and condemned in no uncertain terms the horrific Economic Stimulus Package.

Sadly, a quick review of comments from many readers proved two tragic facts. First, most people simply want to "play politics" and never, under any circumstances, read legislation or consider alternative solutions. If our fellow Democrats did it, it must be good. If Republicans proposed it, it's stupid, lame, old school and wrong.

Second, all too many people are just here for the free lunch. As long as some other "rich guys" pay the bills and they believe they'll eat for free, then they'll line up at the trough. Every day is a holiday and every meal is a banquet.

So just how bad is it? It's very, very bad. And you're going to feel the pain as early as tomorrow.

Borrow and Spend Democrats

I am a rather proud "tax and spend" Democrat. There are many things I genuinely believe the government can do better than the private sector and many others that the government must do because the majority of people simply will not do them. The beauty of being a "tax and spend" Democrat is there was a natural barrier that prevented us from going overboard: TAXES. If taxes got too high, the electorate would reign us in. And, as long as we worked with a nearly balanced budget, this system was nearly prefect.

Plus, by answering to the actual tax payers, we were forced to be honest, efficient and logical. We were forced to prioritize.

Today, under the vacuum of leadership from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the naivete of President Obama, none of that is happening. Instead of tax and spend, the new priority is borrow and spend without restraint. There are literally no priorities. There is no restraint. Pork barrel spending abounds, in fact it has become the coin of the realm. Payoffs are common place, corruption is rampant and institutionalized.

Barack Obama was and is totally unprepared for his job as President. He is no more than the band leader on the Titanic. The ship is sinking and it will take him down.

Where We Stand

About 500,000 new people apply for unemployment each week. Over 9 million new unemployed have been added to the dole since the pathetic non-Stimulus Bill passed. Unemployment has reached a 30 year high at 9.5% and virtually every economist predicts is will be over 10% by August.

Because the non-Stimulus Bill was nothing more that a massive pork barrel spending give-away three horrible things have happened. First, only about 7% of the money has actually been spent. Only 11% will be spent by year's end. Did Barack Obama lie? No, I don't think so. He simply had no idea what Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were doing. Again, Barack Obama was (and still is) woefully unprepared to play at this level.

Second, the stimulus money turns out to be primarily rewards for contributors and patrons. I know this comes as a total surprise to everyone, but the vast majority of the money seems to be headed to states that supported and voted for Democrats! WOW! Who knew?

Third, and perhaps most tragic, the paltry sums of money that are flowing out as being pirated away for bankrupt states and used to pay bills or lower debt, not for any stimulus at all. The report issued today by the General Accounting Office paints a tragic picture of misuse of funds.

But the surprises hardly end there. It turns out there actually were (and are) shovel ready projects needing funding and ready to hire people. Are they getting the money? Nope. Not according to an analysis by The New York Times.

In short, not one single job has been created and only a handful of jobs have been saved. This could have all been avoided. A stimulus package costing 1/3rd less was proposed and on the table from Republicans. Every single penny would have been spent to hire people for permanent, full time, high paying jobs. But, of course, none of it would have gone to pay off contributors. None would have been wasted. And it would be working hard today, not on hold until 2010 and 2011.

Where Are We Headed?

By borrowing insane amounts of money and not taxing anyone for anything yet, Democrats have appealed successfully to both the party partisans and the pigs down at the trough. But that's all about to end.

Interest rates are about to skyrocket. I know of no economist who predicts less than a doubling of interest rates in the next few months. While that assures there will be absolutely no recovery in the economy, it is actually much worse. As interest rates eclipse 7% the government will be totally unable to service the huge deficits. One hundred million dollars a day in interest!

Because of the inevitable collapse of the US economy, tax increases will move from counterproductive to impossible. My essay back on March 7th was tragically accurate, we are on the same economic policy path that led to The French Revolution. Let them eat cake!

President Obama's current drive for universal health care, a laudable goal, is moot. No matter what bill passes, the program will collapse, along with Social Security and the current Medicare/Medicaid in the next few years. We cannot borrow ourselves out of debt. We cannot service the debt. We cannot tax our way out of debt. Like a chess player who has been out maneuvered, we have no moves remaining. Checkmate.

Is there a way out? Like the immortal line from the movie War Games, the only way to win is not to play. Because of the non-Stimulus Bill and the pork filled Budget recently passed, it may already be too late. Inflation is coming. And the deficit is unsustainable. And Democrats are sadly still playing politics.

The public is about to explode. They are already feeling the pain. Even after siphoning off stimulus money, states are making critical cuts in goods and services. California, Illinois and New York are about to undertake massive layoffs that will further balloon stressed out welfare rolls. California is issuing virtually worthless IOU's to taxpayers and creditors as their bonds are being lowered to near junk status. Illinois is about to release 10,000 prisoners because they simply cannot pay the guards.

You are about to feel serious pain and it's just the beginning. We are entering The Greatest Depression.

It is likely Obama will end his single term as a badly failed President in spite of his many great talents. While Republicans are unprepared to regain control of both houses next election, they will make serious gains. And real, thinking Democrats will quickly break with Pelosi and Reid and Obama, if necessary, to demand repeal of most spending plans and reduced borrowing.

I'm not at all certain that is will be anywhere enough.

Take a Deep Cleansing Breath

There are several things that we really ought to be discussing. And if you've been following me on Twitter we may have already discussed some of them. One thing about the 140 character limit, discussions are short and sweet. But some things need more than 140 characters.

We really ought to be discussing the disastrous economic outlook. Thing are not getting better. In fact they are getting much, much worse. The Economic Stimulus Package is not working... at all. Of course we should not be surprised. The Pelosi package was absolutely the single worst piece of legislation ever passed by Congress up to that time. Of course no Congress Person ever read it, so what should we have expected.

How bad is the economy? Just look at what Warren Buffet had to say this week:

The world's second richest man, veteran investor Warren Buffet, has given a blunt assessment of the state of the United States economy - it's still in a shambles. In an interview with US business television channel CNBC, Buffet said that he doubts whether the economy has made much progress since May, when he declared the economy was at war. "I get figures on 70-odd businesses, a lot of them daily," Buffet said. "Everything that I see about the economy is that we've had no bounce."

We really ought to discuss the economy, but it is just too damn depressing.

We ought to be discussing The Waxman-Markey Energy Bill or Cap and Trade and Pork as it should be called. Up until today students of modern government had believed it was impossible to pass a worse piece of legislation than the Pelosi Stimulus Bill. It appears they were wrong. Once again the House, under Pelosi's non-existent leadership has passed a disastrous bill without reading it. That's right folks, not one single Member of Congress read this bill before passing it.

I want a job where I can simply not do the work! And when things go bad, I can avoid all blame. But I digress.

We really ought to be discussing the recent Supreme Court Rulings, all of which were excellent. Most important was the landmark ruling that guaranteed a defendant could face and cross-examine his accusers in court, even if that accuser was a laboratory technician or forensic scientist. Please take a few minutes and listen to this excellent report by National Public Radio and then we'll discuss this further. Maybe.

I can hardly wait to Sonia Sotomayor to join the High Court. She will be an excellent addition.

We ought to be discussing the death of local radio. Fortunately, Jerry Del Colliano has done this for us. Please read his rather frightening and eye popping analysis. And do join us on Twitter to discuss this further.

There are so many things we need to be discussing. But.... let's just take a deep breath, cool down and fight off this summer heat wave and listen to some excellent music by the wonderful Regina Spektor.

The Great Depression: The Advanta House of Cards Collapses

Are you feeling depressed? Well, you should. That's why it's called The Great Depression.

What happened in the 1930's is repeating itself today in a virtually identical pattern. The names have changed and certain new industries have replaced the institution of the 1920's and 1930's, but the chain of events remains unbroken.

Students of The (first) Great Depression know that the Stock Market Crash neither caused nor even marked the beginning of the depression. It was more of an early warning system. In fact, many people in late 1929 and 1930 felt we had weathered the storm of the stock market collapse and were on the way to recovery. Sadly, they were wrong.

The cascade of business and institutional collapses and, especially the banking collapse happened slowly and over time. The worst of the crisis didn't hit until 1932. And then, as today, our government did virtually everything wrong.

Actually, today the actions of our government are much worse. We may well be looking down the barrel of a loaded gun that will actually destroy our country. We have the absolutely wrong leadership team in Washington. They do not see or understand the crisis that grips our country. Our leaders are literally fiddling while Rome burns.

I am especially distressed that, in spite of the daily warning bells, President Obama seems oblivious to the crisis at hand. But, as a friend mentioned to me earlier today, that might just be for the best. He would certainly prescribe the wrong medicine.

Today might just be the beginning of the final collapse. Yesterday Advanta Bank abruptly cancelled over one million business credit cards that have virtually kept small business in America afloat. With average credit limits of $25,000.00 to $40,000.00 these cards have been a lifeline as bank loans dried up and other credit card companies, like American Express, reduced lines and limits.

Unless you work with small businesses like I do, you cannot imagine the disaster happening today. Literally one million businesses are scrambling to replace a credit card in an economy where no new credit cards are being issued.

You can look for business payroll defaults as early as next week. You can look for layoffs as early as today. You can look for bankruptcies and store closures in the next few months.

Add this to the bankruptcies of Chrysler and General Motors, the bizarre closing of over 1,000 automobile dealerships and the general layoffs at factories and white collar businesses around the nation and you will soon see the death of many small towns. It is literally a house of cards. And the first card to fall was Advanta's.

If.... if..... if..... If only we had a real stimulus package instead of the pinata of death designed by Nancy Pelosi and the clueless Democrats in Congress. Dammit America. You should never let people who have done a day's work, managed a business, made a payroll, or worked and studied in economics design a "stimulus package."

You will note from the government's own website that, 120 days later, almost no money has made it into the economy. As of 20 minutes ago the government has somehow managed to spend a whopping $31.1 billion dollars out of the$ 787 billion dollars in the stimulus package!!

Watch the House of Cards Fall:

Advanta Closes One Million Credit Card Accounts

Feel the pain in real time: The Twitter Advanta Feed

Ask The Consumerists: Small Business Credit Cards

Advanta Freezing All Credit Card Accounts

NPR: The End of Advanta

Mechanical Issues

I want to apologize for the lengthy delay between posts and the very brief post today. The major reason for the delay is a very difficult work schedule primarily caused by our tough economic conditions. I am reminded daily just how pathetically poor the Obama/Pelosi stimulus package really is. Make no mistake about it, our government has failed us badly in this current crisis.

I also have some minor computer problems that have limited my ability to post. These will be corrected very soon. It is interesting to note that tonight's post is actually being made on an iPhone!

I have three short observations to make tonight. First, and by far the most important, is to simply note that the absolute greatest strength of our democracy was illustrated by last weeks back to back speeches by President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney. Such an open, honest, articulate debate couldn't happen anywhere else. And it was all so civil and peaceful and gentlemanly. Regardless of your position on the issues presented, it was a moment that should have made us all proud.

Second, I applaud and endorse President Obama's nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Republicans will bluster, but look for a speedy confirmation. By the way, if any of you happened to witness Rachel Maddow's silly Whiskey Sour analogy, it was spot on correct (but still silly).

Finally, President Obama's cuts in missile defense are stupid and extremely dangerous. It is moments like this that I wish Alaska Governor Sarah Palin were Vice President (or President). Not only would we have a stronger, better and more intelligent defense program, we would have had a real and effective stimulus program.

Looking the Other Way

President Barack Obama has an impressive and important agenda. And he has the ability to multitask, delegate and manage a complex process of proposals with apparent ease and competency. I am both impressed and pleased.

In addition, let me mention that I strongly approve of his foreign policy agenda and his first contacts with leaders on the world stage. President Obama is living up to our highest expectations. American is both better liked and more respected under President Obama.

I know many Republicans are busy picking nits. And I know many of my conservative readers disagree. I appreciate both their genuine beliefs and the role of the "loyal opposition."

Finally, I recognize that the major media, the press, is not doing their job and their very unhealthy love affair with the President continues. This romance does not serve our nation well. We need it to be over. Now.

And here's why. Flying beneath the radar is a deficit and spending/borrowing program that runs the risk of destroying President Obama's administration. Tragically, even if Obama somehow survives, the country will be left in ruins.

I've listened to all the Obama administration spokespersons and the left wing talking heads and I've read many of the important left wing blogs, so I know all the official explanations. I also recognize that at least 50% of the apologists don't believe a single word they are saying. Under the cloak of false confidence, they are secretly praying that somehow Obama can pull it off.

He can't.

Meanwhile I know that Republicans are attacking the deficit because they think it's their job. However, since Republicans have little to no credibility on deficit spending, no one is paying any attention.

As a result a time bomb that will have the power of 100 atomic explosions remains ticking beneath the surface. It will explode unless credible economists and Democrat leaders wake up and immediately sound the alarm. We cannot support this level of debt. It is economically not possible.

By the end of Obama's first term we run the risk of both interest rates and unemployment exploding to double digits. I want to emphasize again that President Obama's Stimulus Package (actually it is Nancy Pelosi's Stimulus Package) will not work. It's not that I don't want it to work. I do. It just won't. It was nothing more than a badly conceived waste of taxpayer's money.

Meanwhile here is the news, White House Boosts Deficit Projections:

WASHINGTON -- The federal budget deficit will widen to a record $1.841 trillion this fiscal year, $89 billion wider than previously expected, because of the weak economy and expensive financial rescue, the White House said Monday. The Obama administration expects the deficit to be $1.258 trillion in fiscal 2010, which begins in October. In its February budget overview, the White House predicted a $1.752 trillion budget gap in 2009 and a $1.171 trillion deficit next year. Changes in a host of tax and spending projections are propelling the deficit higher in the near term, primarily the result of the continued woes of the U.S. economy. "The change in the deficit estimates reflects upward technical revisions in light of new information regarding the collection of receipts, financial stabilization efforts, and other federal programs," Mr. Orszag said in a blog posting. OMB now expects total government receipts to decline nearly 15%, or $368 billion, this year. As a percentage of gross domestic product, receipts are seen sinking to their lowest level since 1950, 15.1%. Since February, the estimate for this year's corporate tax receipts has fallen $18 billion, while projected individual tax revenue has declined $5 billion. The deficit is now expected to reach 12.9% of GDP this year -- a level not seen since World War II. Over the next decade, the White House expects accumulated deficits of $7.1 trillion. The White House still says it can halve the deficit by the end of President Barack Obama's four-year term. Yet the new figures are likely to trigger more Republican criticism that the administration isn't doing enough to tackle runaway government spending. While the White House has updated its top-line deficit figures, it hasn't changed the economic assumptions that underpin the budget, which are based on information available at the end of January. The economy appears to have worsened since then, potentially foreshadowing even wider deficits. The administration's forecast calls for a recovery to begin by the end of this year and gain momentum in 2010. Specifically, the White House expects the economy to contract 1.2% this year before rebounding and growing 3.2% in 2010 and 4% in 2011. After miserable first-quarter growth data, the White House's figures look even more optimistic now than they did in February. The White House expects the unemployment rate to average 8.1% this year. Last month, though, the rate surged to 8.9%, the highest level since 1983.

In summary, we must all stop looking the other way. The deficit is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. It will destroy us all.

We can only accomplish President Obama's important agenda with a realistic outlook and with common sense spending and control of the deficits. We must begin today.

Fighting Fire with Willful Ignorance

There is no need for me to add a lot of commentary to the library of bloggery already on line about the "tax and spend protest" Tea Parties taking place around the country later today. From the Daily Kos to Michelle Malkin, posts, schedules, analysis and buffoonery abound.

What I am appalled about this early morning is the left's astonishingly coordinated misinformation campaign against the Tea Party movement.

I genuinely don't know if the Tea Parties will be a rousing success or just fizzle out and die. I know I'm not attending one and I'll likely skip Fox News wall to wall coverage. But I do understand both the motives and the message behind these protests.

And, if I'm smart enough to understand this groundswell of protest, I'm quite positive my fellow liberals understand it too. So why are they all pretending (or at least the so-called progressives are pretending) to completely misunderstand what is happening? Is it denial? Is it a misinformation campaign? Is it, as some conservatives argue, fear of the common man? Or are they all just plain stupid?

Virtually all of the stupidity, or denial, or misinformation is wrapped up in Paul Krugman's rambling, nearly incoherent, monument to fear column in Sunday's New York Times. Krugman starts off with the totally incorrect premise that the Tea Parties are fake protests carefully orchestrated by the Republican Party. What a frakking joke (homage to Battlestar Galactica). The incompetent Republicans are so screwed up they can't even organize their party's national committee, let alone a nationwide, massive protest.

But Krugman goes rapidly down hill from there.

I'm going to end my short commentary here and direct you to all immediately go over to Mary's magnificent FREEDOM EDEN blog and read her two brilliant rants: Krugman: Tea Parties Forever and Eugene Kane and Tea Parties

My advice to my fellow liberals is to focus on reality. People are upset and genuinely concerned about our exploding national debt. First, we should also be concerned about an unsustainable national debt. Second, lying about the nature and purpose of these protests hardly helps our cause and actually denies us the opportunity to argue the economics and the issues behind the President Economic plan.

Much Ado About Less Than 1/10 of One Percent

We're just ending the 4th straight day of our national outrage! It started Sunday on Meet the Press and the other Sunday news shows. Obama Administration officials went out en mass and apologized for and then attempted to minimize the $165 million in bonuses paid to some officers and workers of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), the insurance industry giant who received billions of taxpayer dollars in the massive government bailout.

One Hundred Sixty Five Million Dollars is less than 1/10th of 1% of the money we taxpayers have given to AIG. Actually the Chinese loaned us most of the money, but, hey, we promised to pay them back, didn't we?

When we gave AIG all that money, we actually bought 80% of the company. We own it. As the new owners we fired the CEO, Chairman and the entire Board of Directors. We brought in our own man, Edward Liddy as the new CEO and Chairman of the Board. And we put our own Board of Directors in place. Frankly, we did exactly what we should do as new owners of a company. Liddy is our own man.

We knew about the bonuses. We knew about the contracts. Nobody at AIG hid them. They were not secret. And Edward Liddy, when he took over the company, knew about them. They were part of the package. According to Liddy they were a critical part of the package. As Liddy explained to Congress today, "I am trying desperately to prevent an uncontrolled collapse of that business."

Actually such bonuses are not that unusual in billion dollar businesses. Companies fight to hire the best and brightest. It's not unlike sports teams drafting the best players or movies hiring an "A List" star to insure a big box office run.

So bonuses that were not secret were actually paid last week. And now we are all outraged!

President Barack Obama is outraged. The public is outraged. The Congress is outraged.

Goodness knows the media is outraged! Actually, the media is thrilled beyond belief. Ratings are through the roof. They are all faking the outrage, but I digress.

The trouble is that we are all outraged about the wrong things.

First of all we ought to be outraged that we invested 180 billion dollars in a bankrupt company.

But since we spent our precious borrowed money, we ought to be outraged that the President and Congress are destroying the company we Americans now own. We ought to be outraged that President Obama lacks the courage to back the man he put in the job of saving our $180,000,000,000.00.

We ought to be really outraged at Senator Christopher Dodd, now forever to be known as the Judas of AIG. Stunningly Dodd accepted over $103,0000.00 in campaign donations from AIG just last fall, after AIG had received the bailout money. Today Senator Dodd is "demanding" that all bonuses be returned!

This rather stunning piece of hypocrisy has ABC News wondering out loud, Should Senator Dodd Shouldn't Return His AIG Bonus?

But hold on to your outrage. It gets worse. Dodd realized the bonuses needed to be paid and wrote into law safeguards to insure the bonuses were paid. But now Dodd denies ever writing the "Dodd Amendment" to the stimulus bill. The Dodd Amendment not only allows the bonuses to be paid, but requires it.

Dodd's excuse is that he never read the bill. In other words he failed to do the job for which he was hired. Perhaps AIG paid Dodd a bonus for his incompetence?

Of course this is exactly what we get when NOT ONE SINGLE MEMBER OF CONGRESS BOTHERED TO ACTUALLY READ THE STIMULUS BILL BEFORE PASSING IT INTO LAW!

Of course this is exactly what we get when PRESIDENT OBAMA BETRAYS HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISE TO POST ALL BILLS ONLINE FOR 5 FULL DAYS OF PUBLIC REVIEW BEFORE SIGNING. The vast army of bloggers would have actually read the bill, unlike the President or the Congress.

Finally, we ought to be outraged that we allowed our government to purchase a failed business in the first place and set up this stupid Congressional micro-management of employee salaries.

Liddy knows he is in deep trouble now. I don't envy his job and I've personally been in similar situations (albeit on a much smaller scale). He can't win. And, in the public spotlight he won't quit, although he should. He handled himself well in Congressional testimony today.

None of the outraged viewers noticed, but Liddy tried to let America know they were one the wrong page. From tonight's article by Emily Kaiser and Corbett B. Daly for Reuters:

Liddy said the payouts were necessary to retain top employees with the specialized knowledge to dispose of $2.7 trillion in complex securities that ended up dragging the insurer to the brink of collapse last year. He said the company had whittled down that amount to $1.6 trillion, and he was worried that employees responsible for winding down the rest would return their bonuses "with their letters of resignation," which would make the task tougher. "It just got harder by many, many multiples," he said.

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ADDENDUM: About midnight (Wednesday night/Thursday morning) I got this great tip about FOX's Shepard Smith take on the Congressional hypocrisy Hearings earlier today. This is great stuff and, for all you FOX haters out there, it is 100% correct! I simply had to share it with you. A Tip o' the Wizard's pointy cap to fellow blogger Watcher

Barack Obama's Small Business Initiative

I've been rather tough on Barack Obama's economic plans and programs and with good cause. Obama allowed Nancy Pelosi oversee the creation of Frankenstein's Stimulus Monster, an unworkable combination of hands and feet and legs and ears that can only slither off to die the death it so richly deserves. It's just a damned shame we had to pay eight hundred billion dollars for this monster.

But today Barack Obama announced an excellent group of programs and policies that stand a good chance of building a solid base for future economic growth. Obama's Small Business Initiatives will help provide much needed credit for small businesses and provide change the tax laws to help businesses survive the recession/depression. It's no substitute for the stimulus package we still need, but it will save a significant number of jobs and might actually create a few new ones.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama freed billions of dollars to help the nation's small businesses on Monday, hoping to get credit flowing again to Main Street, not just Wall Street. He heaped praise on the little guys of American industry, often overshadowed in the blitz of government bailouts. The centerpiece of Obama's latest plan will allow the government to spend up to $15 billion to buy the small-business loans that are now choking community banks and lenders. That, in turn, could allow those banks to start lending money again to small companies to invest, pay bills and stay afloat. "You deserve a chance. America needs you to have a chance," Obama said in an appeal to all those who run small businesses or hope to one day. Obama's effort was, at one level, fundamental to helping the economy rebound. Small businesses have created about 70 percent of the new jobs over the past decade, and as their credit lines have dried up, so has their ability to thrive or survive.

Barack Obama has really had a tough start to his presidency. Fortunately the press either hasn't noticed many of the real problems and issues or has purposely chosen to ignore them. And you've got to give credit to the highly coordinated Democrat Demolition Squad that has kept at least the Obama supporters clearly focused on nonsensical non-issues like Rush Limbaugh, James Cramer and Glenn Beck. What a joke. Any Democrat or liberal who has fallen for this misdirection ploy should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

But Barack Obama is genuinely a very smart guy. He is a quick study and he hasn't been "misdirected." While Carvell and company kept the adoring masses entertained, Obama has worked to strengthen his economic proposals and programs. His economic team is still woefully understaffed and Secretary Geithner is still in deep trouble, but each day shows signs of improvement.

Communist China Knows Tax Cuts Work

If the Communist Chinese know that TAX BREAKS will INSTANTLY stimulate their economy, why can't President Obama figure it out?

HINT: The Chinese didn't have Nancy Pelosi write their stimulus bill.

From BLOOMBERG: China February Auto Sales Rise 25% After Tax Cuts

March 10 (Bloomberg) -- China vehicle sales surged 25 percent in February, the first gain in four months, after the government cut taxes on some models, helping the country extend its lead as the world’s largest auto market this year. Sales of passenger cars, buses and trucks climbed to 827,600, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said today in Beijing. The tally in the first two months rose 2.7 percent to 1.56 million, compared with a 39 percent decline to 1.35 million in the U.S. China has halved retail taxes on small cars and drawn up plans to give out vehicle subsidies in rural areas to revive demand after auto sales rose at the slowest pace in a decade last year. Combined with the country’s wider 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) economic stimulus package, the policies have caused General Motors Corp. to roughly double its forecast for China’s nationwide auto market growth this year. “Consumers are regaining confidence because of the government’s stimulus policies,” said Ricon Xia, an analyst at Daiwa Research Institute in Shanghai.

Senator Russ Feingold: Principles Before Partisanship

Senator Russ Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, has long been one of the politicians and leaders I most admire. His his unyielding fight against the genocide in Darfur and continued support for the people of Darfur makes him a real hero in my book.

Feingold is a man of principle and deep convictions. He always (and I do mean always) puts principles above partisanship or personality. He is one of a few rare Senators who will consistently reach across the aisle and forge partnerships to achieve goals. He does not ever play games, but uses his political talent to achieve real results for the American people.

Feingold and I agree about 90% of the time on all issues, but when we disagree I always respect his opinion and position and especially respect his willingness to put it all on the line to advance his argument.

So I was not even a tiny bit surprised to watch Senator Feingold's press conference yesterday where he announced he could not and would not support the insane Pelosi pork filled spending bill now being debated in the Senate. Feingold joins fellow Democrat Senator Evan Bayh in advising President Obama to veto the bill and demand Congress send him a responsible appropriations bill. Feingold and Bayh and a few other principled Democrats may join Republicans and actually defeat this bill in the Senate.

But Senator Feingold is carrying the fight one critical step further. Reaching across the aisle once again, Feingold is joining forces with Republican Senator John McCain in introducing legislation to give President Obama the line item veto and the ability to eliminate waste from spending bills.

Feingold is leading the fight for the American people on several other key fronts. He has also introduced Constitutional amendment that would prevent Governors from appointing replacements for Senators or Representatives who leave office mid term (for any reason) and force states to hold elections to replace the absent officials. This takes the risk of "pay-for-play" appointments off the table and insures representatives are actually responsible to the people they represent.

At the same time Senator Feingold is working closely with House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) in sponsoring the Democracy Restoration Act would restore voting rights to over 4 million people, the vast majority African Americans, who have convictions but have paid their debt to society and are out of prison and living in the community.

Some of these efforts might fail, at least today, as they face huge opposition, primarily from Democrats. His opposition to earmarks has earned him the ire of several prominent Democrats. And some see his opposition to the budget appropriations bill as an attack on President Obama. This is completely untrue. Feingold is exactly the type of leader Obama needs if he is to enact the change he promised in his election campaign.

And Feingold is exactly the type of Senator America needs.

A Ray of Sunshine in a Storm of Spending

There is a glimmer of hope this morning that good judgement and financial responsibility will gain strength among Democrats who effectively control the government.

I've been saying for some time it must be the Democrats who reign in Barack Obama who is showing all the restraint and maturity of a college freshman turned loose with daddy's credit card on a distant campus.

As it turns out a good number of Democrats have become quite alarmed at Obama's largess and are ready to cancel the credit card. POLITCO reports this morning: Moderates uneasy with Obama plan

Moderate and conservative Democrats in the Senate are starting to choke over the massive spending and tax increases in President Barack Obama’s budget plans and have begun plotting to increase their influence over the agenda of a president who is turning out to be much more liberal than they are. A group of 14 Senate Democrats and one independent huddled behind closed doors on Tuesday, discussing how centrists in that chamber can assert more leverage on the major policy debates that will dominate this Congress. Afterward, some in attendance made plain that they are getting jitters over the cost and expansive reach of Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget proposal. Asked when he’d reach his breaking point, Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, said: “Right now. I’m concerned about the amount that’s being offered in [Obama’s] budget.” Another attendee, Sen. Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.), said she expected the newly formed caucus to shape Obama’s budget proposal as it moves through Congress. Sen. Evan Bayh, the Indiana Democrat who assembled Tuesday’s skull session, added that he was “very concerned” about Washington’s level of spending, especially in a $410 billion “omnibus” spending bill to fund the government until the start of a new fiscal year in October. As for the tax increases on high-income earners called for in Obama’s plan, Bayh said, “I do think that before we raise revenue, we first should look to see if there are ways we can cut back on spending.” “The American people and businesses are tightening their belts,” Bayh added. “I think we need to show that the government can economize as well.” If the moderate Democrats in the Senate are willing to work with moderate Republicans — as Bayh said they are eager to do — they will negate the White House’s ability to portray opposition to Obama’s spending as partisan obstructionism.

This is genuine bipartisanship at work. A welcome development.

Dim Sum

I'm afraid these three little dumplings I'm serving for a luncheon snack just might make you throw up........

The world is trying so very hard to awaken our partisan political leaders from their slumber. These aren't Republicans slamming the new President. These are real experts trying hard to get through the wall partisan rhetoric. Please turn off the politics long enough to listen.

1. The Wall Street Journal: The Obama Economy - "Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it's become clear that Mr. Obama's policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence -- and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth."

"What is new is the unveiling of Mr. Obama's agenda and his approach to governance. Every new President has a finite stock of capital -- financial and political -- to deploy, and amid recession Mr. Obama has more than most. But one negative revelation has been the way he has chosen to spend his scarce resources on income transfers rather than growth promotion. Most of his "stimulus" spending was devoted to social programs, rather than public works, and nearly all of the tax cuts were devoted to income maintenance rather than to improving incentives to work or invest."

The entire article is so very important. Click over and read it all.

2. James Cramer on CNBC: It’s Amateur Hour at Our Darkest Moment - “Until the Obama administration starts listening, until they start paying attention to what you’re watching – to the stock market, until they realize that their agenda is destroying the life savings of millions of Americans – then all I can give you is caution."



3. I spent the morning watching U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony before the Senate broadcast live by both CNBC and FBN. It was riveting. Bernanke does support the Obama stimulus plan but simply couldn't warn Congress often enough that the deficit must be reigned in and quickly.

One very sad and telling moment was when a Democrat made a labored effort to place the deficit blame on President Bush. Bernanke was calm and patient and respectful, but made it very clear the Bush deficits were minor in terms of economics and in relationship to the GDP and income tax revenue. The Obama deficit is an entirely different matter.

But my point here is that after watching the testimony I switched back to MSNBC where the headline and virtually every story was the "Rush Limbaugh battles Michael Steele for the soul of the Republican Party" story worthy only of Entertainment Tonight and not a major news network. I watched for 30 minutes and the story was repeated SEVEN TIMES!!! No joke. Bernanke's testimony was never mentioned.

I couldn't believe me ears. To give some credit to MSNBC, Pat Buchanan tried to simply dismiss the "controversy" for the complete non-story it is and tried his best to spread the warning of the coming economic disaster.

But I then had to check the other two cable news networks. I dutifully watched FOX for 30 minutes and heard a great interview with Gov. Tim Kaine, the Chairman of the DNC. Kaine's honesty and candor were refreshing. The interview was intelligent and timely. And neither Michael Steele nor Rush Limbaugh were mentioned even once. And Rush was never mentioned during the entire 30 minute break.

Then I switched to CNN. CNN was covering the Bernanke testimony and the economic situation. They also covered several other news stories, most importantly a building collapse in Cologne with devastating images. But Rush Limbaugh never got a single mention.

I have often criticized FOX NEWS as being a Republican outlet. But, at its very worst, FOX has never come close to the complete journalistic sellout of MSNBC. They are doing a grave disservice to their viewers.

Picking Your Opponent

We are looking down the barrel at a ten year Depression. And that is the best case scenario. Best Case.

Barack Obama and a blind, deaf and dumb Democrat Congress have sown the seeds of the destruction of the United States and they are waiting for those seeds to germinate.

Lots and lots of folks are aware of this and they are all screaming at the top of their lungs. The Congressional Budget Office. Wall Street. The nation's leading and most respected economists. Historians. And a few politicians. And even a few in the media, mostly the financial media.



Make no mistake about it. The sky is falling. You are making the most important financial decisions of your entire life right now... whether you know it or not. The Dow dropped below 7,000 today and it will go much lower, possibly as low as 2,500. Unemployment will reach 15%. And the federal government will become technically insolvent, unable to meet its obligations or pay it's debt.

Three things will happen. First, taxes will rise on every single American, including those well below the poverty level to totally oppressive rates. Second, federal services will be cut to the bone, including medicare and social security. Finally, the government will forced to take extraordinary financial measures, either printing money without financial backing, reducing the dollar to a third world currency, or by simply defaulting on the debt, using our military power to demand restructure of debt from our creditors.

Can this be avoided? Only if the nation is totally committed to bringing our best minds and our unified political forces into solving this crisis. It will take the Democrats who control the government to actually take responsibility for their actions and bring back the fiscal responsibility they demanded, but never quite accomplished, during the Bush administration.

What is happening today is the equivalent of a thousand Hurricane Katrinas. The American people are trapped on the roves for their houses and the flood waters are rising. And the federal government's response is worse than anything during Katrina. Far from sending in troops or FEMA, the Obama/Reid/Pelosi team is pumping in more water and demanding no boats enter the rising flood. Help is not on the way.

First I believe President Obama wants to do the right things. He is not a bad man. He is naive and incompetent. He has no idea a crisis looms. He wants to reinvent America and wants to have a clear path to complete his social agenda. That would be all good, I would be the leader of his team, except there is a crisis. There are a hundred Hurricane Katrinas. The flood waters are rising. People are going to die.

So I watched MSNBC tonight and marvelled at Chris Matthews, Rachael Maddow and Keith Olbermann who decided in some sort of Machiavellian unison that the lead story on earth was Rush Limbaugh. Yep. Rush Limbaugh.

Aided by President Obama's Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, presumably with Barack Obama's approval, they made a radio talk show host the number one issue in America. The Dow has now robbed Americans of 60% of their life's savings and is crashing to deep depression levels and the most important thing on earth is Rush Limbaugh?

I feel like I'm watching Joseph Goebbels ramping up the crowds for Kristallnacht. And while Olbermann is deranged, he is no Geobbels, so a sort of an apology is in order. Demonizing Limbaugh is not the equivalent of demonizing the Jews. Olbermann isn't trying to start a race war or promote violence against conservative commentators. Well, except maybe Bill O'Reilly, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Still, you do have the leaders of the Democrat Party, many liberals (and progressives, what ever the hell they are), attempting, apparently successfully, to turn Limbaugh, rather than our failing economy, into the enemy. Since the Democrats are the ones actually destroying the economy, they really need this misdirection, this new enemy and the highly visible Limbaugh fits the bill. He's an easy target. And he is huge, in every sense of the word.

How long will this strategy work? Let's pray not long. Everyday that passes without real economic stimulus and every day that passes without real fiscal responsibility, the closer our nation moves toward the real Armageddon.

Rush Limbaugh? Are all Americans that stupid? I know for sure that Chris Matthews, Rachael Maddow and Keith Olbermann are. Robert Gibbs has played them like a fine violin. Otherwise they would cover the real news.

The Party of No

While Wall Street and virtually all economists not on Obama's payroll understand the depth and breath of the onrushing governmental spending disaster, it will well beyond the grasp of most ordinary Americans. Trillions of dollars. We can't even begin to understand numbers that large.
Sadly, it's well beyond the grasp of most politicians in Washington, too.

The Washington Dems are trying to blame the whole thing on previous administration, normally a foolproof strategy good for the first couple of years of any new administration. Unfortunately, in this case, such an argument doesn't stand up to even the most cursory analysis. Compared to Obama's spending, Bush was a rank amateur. Actually Bush was a rank amateur in most areas of government, but I digress.

While Dems love to point a finger at the cost of the war in Iraq or the so-called tax breaks for the rich to explain the deficit, Barack Obama has done more damage in two short weeks than Bush did in eight long years. The chart below says it all.

We are in the process of creating an unpayable debt. And inflation is just months away. The complete default of the United States is clearly on the horizon.

How Nancy Pelosi could propose an 8% increase in spending in this recession is beyond all comprehension. That she did it on top of $800 billion in new spending, not so cleverly disguised as a "stimulus package," is stunning. If only anything passed earlier was actually a stimulus, we might have a prayer. It wasn't and we don't.

Just read some of the analysis dominating the nation's newspapers and economic journals.

Reuters reports Obama budget plan forecasts $1.75 trillion deficit. "An eye-popping $1.75 trillion deficit for the 2009 fiscal year is projected in Obama's first budget. That is equal to 12.3 percent of U.S. gross domestic product."

ABC News points out that Obama is planning the largest tax increase in US history: Almost $1 Trillion in New Taxes Over Next 10 yrs, Starting 2011. "President Obama's budget proposes $989 billion in new taxes over the course of the next 10 years, starting fiscal year 2011, most of which are tax increases on individuals."

While the President attempts to aim tax increases toward the highest wage earners, the facts simply prove his oft stated plan cannot possibly raise the needed revenue to offset his massive spending plan. In a detailed analysis, The Wall Street Journal shows that even if Obama taxed this top 2% of wage earners at 100% of income, he would still fall trillions short of the revenue needed. The 2% Illusion shows the complete fallacy of Obama's tax the rich scheme.

"But let's not stop at a 42% top rate; as a thought experiment, let's go all the way. A tax policy that confiscated 100% of the taxable income of everyone in America earning over $500,000 in 2006 would only have given Congress an extra $1.3 trillion in revenue. That's less than half the 2006 federal budget of $2.7 trillion and looks tiny compared to the more than $4 trillion Congress will spend in fiscal 2010. Even taking every taxable "dime" of everyone earning more than $75,000 in 2006 would have barely yielded enough to cover that $4 trillion."

Tragically Obama's may well hit the lower and middle classes hardest of all. Since it is simply impossible to tax the rich enough to cover the deficit, hidden taxes on energy that hit the poor the very hardest will make up a huge part of the shortfall.

What Obama's plan does do is tax small business into oblivion. Virtually every small business will be really hurt by Obama's announced tax plan. Instead of helping the economy, these taxes will lead to massive unemployment. What Obama fails to announce is virtually all small businesses fall under his tax increase plans. The ABC Analysis covers the tax increases on business.

In order to sell this insane plan in congress, Dems are designing the fight as Class Warfare. While John Kerry fired the first salvo yesterday, the demonization of the rich and corporations isn't lost on the Associated Press who detail it today's article, Obama plan brings cries of class warfare.

While Democrats are calling the Republicans the "Party of No," a resounding "NO" is exactly what is needed if we are to save our economy and, ultimately, our country. Sadly, it will require Democrats to wake up and show some sense and demand economic realism and restraint from the Democrat leadership and the tragically naive President Obama.

Barack Obama's Vision

This is exceptionally short entry just to add my voice to the overwhelming approval the President has received for his speech last night. Barack Obama did a masterful job. He was articulate and inspiring. One poll I saw this morning on MSNBC indicated his post speech approval rating jumped to 80%.

Taking a step back and looking at the scope of his vision for America, I cannot disagree with him on anything. He has my support on every single proposal.

Of course the devil is in the details and those details will take do time to develop. And Obama still runs the risk that Nancy Pelosi will circumvent his vision and replace it with a pale partisan version of her own.

Already there is one rather horrific note to indicate politics as usual will actually hold sway in Washington. Obama "promised" that "next year" there would be "no earmarks in the omnibus spending bill." He cleverly omitted that promise for this year's bill. The Pelosi authored spending bill being introduced tomorrow contains over 8,000 pork laden earmarks, some so stupefyingly wasteful they defy belief.

As I said, the devil is in the details.

Unfortunately, I heard absolutely nothing from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to inspire me. His bizarre partisan pandering seemed small, petty and out of place. He did not represent the Republican Party well. But Jindal was just the sideshow, Obama was the star.

It's Not Morning In America, Part 2

It was good to hear former President Bill Clinton echo my earlier observation that President Obama is too terribly negative in his speeches and conversations with the American people. President Obama is very articulate, but he is not inspirational.

I believe our President is doing everything he can to help the economy and the country. He seems to be working at breakneck speed and with great organization and effort. But his efforts seem to lack optimism or, in the iconic single word symbol of his campaign, "Hope."

Bill Clinton makes exactly the same observation in his interview on ABC NEWS:

"I like [that President Obama is] trying to educate the American people about the dimensions and scope of this economic crisis," Clinton said. "I just would like him to end by saying that he is hopeful and completely convinced we're gonna come through this." "I think you will see some good economic news from the stimulus fairly soon," Clinton said. "I think you'll start to see people express gratitude for getting the unemployment benefits, the tax cuts and the food stamps. And you'll see the money flowing through the economy. Then I think you'll see every state be able to quantify how much better shape they're in, because of the education and health money."

I made the point earlier that a huge part of President Reagan's success in pulling America out of the economic mess at the end of the Carter era was Reagan's electric optimism. We all believed it was "Morning in America."

This doesn't mean you sugar coat the facts. But Obama is now slipping in the polls (down 9 percentage points in one month) and support for his stimulus package has now fallen below 50%. Now there are some very serious problems with the stimulus plan, as I've discussed in several recent posts and will discuss further in the future.

But President Obama can start to improve both his ratings and his efforts by following the advice offered by Clinton, one of the finest communicators in recent times.