by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics:

Newly-released audio archives give listeners a behind the scenes glimpse at the confusion and stress surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963.

According to CBS News, "The complete audio record of the flight back to Washington was lost for years until the estate of JFK's top military aide, Army Gen. Chester "Ted" Clifton Jr., sold his copy of the tapes to The Raab Collection, historical document dealers, which gave a copy of the audio to the National Archives."

It appears the White House Communications Agency edited out 42 minutes of the footage in a previously-released version of the tapes.  Conspiracy theorists suggest this was done to cover up "the real story" of the assassination.  Others say it was done to protect code names, confidential whereabouts and other sensitive information for national security purposes.  You can decide on that for yourself.

Most striking in the tapes is the primitive communication between Air Force One, the White House and other government officials.  The channels routinely went out and interference caused rampant miscommunication.  It is a wonder that everyone kept their composure and got their job done that day.

History buffs often wonder about the intensely chaotic time between the grassy knoll and the return to the White House that fateful day.  With the release of these tapes, the whole world can be a fly on the proverbial wall.  Immerse yourself in these historical moments and feel the tension as word came that our president was dead.

Mitt Romney for President 2012

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics:

Am I the only one who thinks Republicans have a lot to be proud of this campaign season?

With a field full of accomplished conservatives running for president in the GOP race, you'd think Republican voters would be like kids in a candy store, with too many goodies in sight to pick just one. Indeed they are finding it hard to choose a candidate, but that's because they don't find anyone particularly appealing.

Seriously?

"Jesus isn't on the ballot," quipped one Christian conservative leader. And surely the Republican candidate will be a mere mortal, with battle scars, decisions that alienated someone, and a few past mistakes. So we're going to have to slap ourselves into reality a little bit.  But that is no reason to fret our field, especially compared with President Obama's dismal record.

For me, I've found my comfort zone with Mitt Romney. His background in the private sector proved he knows how the real economy works (for better and for worse) and his experience as governor proved he can effectively move the wheels of government (ditto).

Many pundits worry aloud that if Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee, staunch conservatives won't be fired up enough to go to the polls in November. Really? Even if they are not over the moon about Mitt, they should at least be fired up about thwarting a second Obama term. The elusive group of Independent voters are quite warm to Mitt and appear ready to cross Obama off their dance cards if the right suitor comes around. And for crossover appeal, their only choices are Romney or Paul. That should be a very easy choice.

Mitt is the clear winner on the questions of electability, leadership and pragmatic conservative governance. He is steady, sure, and 100 percent pro-America. He has earned my vote.

But hey, those other guys aren't bad either.

Reuters: Ann and Mitt Romney Appear Confident Ahead of IA Caucus

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics:

It's full steam ahead for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney after a razor thin margin of victory in the Iowa Caucus Tuesday night.

The former Massachusetts governor originally intended to downplay Iowa and focus on victory in New Hampshire's primary, held next week.  But as other candidates billing themselves as the anti-Romney rose and faltered in Iowa, Romney found himself within striking distance in the Hawkeye State.  Romney's campaign became tempted to seriously compete in Iowa and possibly win both of the first two contests, setting up a delegate lead and reinforcing the impression of his inevitability.

Feeling confident about his standing in the caucuses, Romney predicted victory early this week, causing pundits to recoil or even predict an upset.  But the candidate closed strong, focused on the message that Iowans should pick him as the most likely Republican to beat President Obama in November.  As returns flowed in from caucus sites, a three way tie for first place quickly formed between Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney.  Paul eventually fell behind as his eastern strongholds concluded their tallies.  That left Romney and Santorum jockeying back and forth for a photo finish across the rest of the state.

Looking forward to New Hampshire's first primary next Tuesday, Romney appears strong.  He has improved his lead in state polls and secured nearly every major endorsement in the state.  Today, he is expected to receive the endorsement of local prodigal son John McCain, whose campaign came from behind to win the Republican nomination in 2008.  New Hampshire's significantly less-evangelical makeup could prove problematic for Santorum, who counted on religious conservatives to propel his Iowa victory.  Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman could prove formidable competitors, as NH voters have a history of skewing pragmatic (rather than ideological), libertarian (rather than socially conservative), and rebellious against inevitable candidates.

The Romney campaign has plenty to smile about as they have most surrogates and precinct captains locked up, resources in place, and a strong rapport with Granite State voters.  Indeed, Romney appears poised for back-to-back victories as primary season charges ahead.

Heritage: Big Labor Drags American Airlines into Bankruptcy

by Nick Stone: 


In the wake of the 9-11 terror attacks and the ensuing aviation industry downturn, every major American airline filed bankruptcy to reduce costs and reorganize their balance sheets. Every airline that is, except American Airlines. 

American Airlines takes pride in its position as America's defacto flag carrier and reputation for innovation, like the first frequent flyer program. The company is also known for good relations with employees.  American's website proudly boasts, "For our progressive and fair-minded policies and employment practices, American Airlines is the only airline in the nation to earn a perfect 100% score four years in a row by the Human Rights Campaign for its Corporate Equality Index (CEI)."

Management has moved heaven and earth to work in good faith with employees while achieving productivity and cost containment goals. Indeed, wages and benefits for AA employees significantly exceed their counterparts.  But financial analysts have urged the airline to do more to bring labor costs down in the face of flat revenues and high fuel prices.  AA has been in stalled contract negotiations since 2006 and recent talks have found the union unwilling to help avoid financial disaster. In need of a game changer, yesterday American's holding company (AMR) declared Chapter 11 reorganizational bankruptcy. 

According to PBS Nightly Business Report, the move was "brought on by the carrier's sky high labor costs." Bankruptcy gives the carrier muscle in negotiations with unions. 

American Airlines employees are in for a rude awakening put off for too long. Unable to avoid sacrifices faced by their counterparts at other airlines, American's unions decided they would rather take down the company than agree to sacrifices for their members. Unfortunately, those employees may go down with the ship. 

Of course, airlines and autos are the two go-to example industries where union intervention has strangled companies and resulted in disaster. For a few extra bucks and slightly looser work rules, unionized employees often face unfortunate consequences. When high labor costs force their company into bankruptcy, massive pay cuts and layoffs are often the result. Worse yet, the company may dissolve leaving everyone jobless. 


The Heritage Foundation summed up the situation at AA perfectly: "American’s unsustainable losses forced bankruptcy, which in turn could have a negative impact on creditors, employees, retirees, shareholders, and consumers. And though American may emerge stronger after bankruptcy, it will not be without a steep price paid by all parties involved."

In a hard hit industry and a poor economy, the notion that the union would hold American Airlines hostage is reckless. It is reckless because their decisions will result in more drastic pay cuts and layoffs than would have been required through cooperation. It is also reckless because it permanently tarnished the final legacy airline in America.  

WaPo: Romney Secures Key Miami Endorsements

by Nick Stone: 

South Florida is the most liberal, reliably-blue part of the Sunshine State.  But it's also home to the state's three largest groups of Republicans.

Miami-Dade County is home to Florida's actively partisan Cuban community and some 367,500 registered Republicans.  Their votes can be strategic in offsetting more rural, conservative parts of the state.  Just ask John McCain.

Four years ago, John McCain's Florida victory paved his way to the GOP nomination by squeezing past Mitt Romney in the primary and taking all of Florida's delegates.  McCain swamped Romney in Miami by a margin of 76,356 to 24,189 - more than enough to offset Romney strongholds in Southwest and Northeast Florida.

This year, Romney has called out the heavy artillery to put Dade County in his column.  His campaign made an astute move by hiring Miami native JC Hernandez as Florida Field Director.  At a Miami campaign stop this morning, Romney will announce endorsements from Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart as well as former Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart.  This heavy hitting trifecta will use their Cuban-Republican bona fides to tip the scales in Romney's favor between now and January.

The "Other" Miami Factor: Jeb Bush.

Four years ago, former Governor Jeb Bush did not officially back a candidate in the Florida primary.  Behind the scenes however, Bush urged his close allies to "take a look" at Mitt Romney.  As we previously wrote, "Many did just that" and several Bush allies joined Team Romney.  As Texas Governor Rick Perry edged past Romney in polls earlier this year, Bush was found not-so-subtly praising Romney to conservative journalists.  Jeb's support, either behind the scenes or on the front lines, could be the deciding factor in Miami and across Florida.

The winner of the early Florida primary is likely to seize momentum and win the Republican nomination for president.  Mitt Romney knows his path to victory goes right through the heart of Miami.

(updated post)

American Express is asking Americans to support local economies by "shopping small."  November 26 will mark the second annual "Small Business Saturday" where Americans pledge to patronize a small business in their community.

Next February, PBS will introduce the next episode of American Experience: The Presidents.  In this chapter, the presidency of Bill Clinton (1993-2001).

News broke yesterday that the so-called Deficit Supercommittee failed to reach an agreement to cut $1.2 trillion over the next decade.  But is their failure really so bad?

Chairwoman Wasserman-Schultz continues to attack the Republican Party and the tea party and frankly use her influence to destroy our constitution and country. On the first day of the session of the 112^th Congress in January, she adamantly refused to participate in being on the floor of the House of Representatives and read a part of our constitution. In response she said, “It is a stranglehold on the tea party”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPTaGIZwW0c&feature=player_embedded Yet, this is the document that our elected officials swear an oath to.

Furthermore, in a private meeting on May 23 with Matt Brooks the chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she called for “partisan unity on matters of Israel policy” http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0511/Jewish_GOP_official_blasts_DWS.html?showall. Mr. Brooks responded by saying, “It’s unprecedented and inappropriate that the chairwoman of the DNC would take advantage of a meeting with a visiting head of state and ask him to put a gag order on Republicans,”. Israel does need to be in a debate when it comes to campaign issues. We have been involved in a war on terror since September 11, 2001. With the Muslim Brotherhood trying to take over Egypt, and with whats going on in Libya, we need to keep Israel up as a campaign issue.


President Obama sat idyll by when french President Nicholas Sarkozy refered to Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “liar” , during the G20 Summit in France on November 3. He responded to the French President, “You're fed up with him? I have to deal with him every day."  http://theweek.com/article/index/221244/calling-netanyahu-a-liar-how-damaging-was-sarkozys-gaffe

Chairwoman Wasserman-Schultz continues to deny that there is any rift between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. http://yrnetwork.com/media/news.aspx?uid=3903

Another issue is the mandate on The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare).  There is a lawsuit going through the courts with several states indicating that the federal government has overstepped their bounds by requiring that every American must have health insurance or face penalties. On Tuesday November 8, Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected the mandate as it was a question on the ballot. http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/9722-ohio-votes-to-nullify-obamacare In response, Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz said on MSNBC, that a DC District Court Conservative Judge said the law was constitutional, and it would ultimately be decided in the US Supreme Court. While this may be true she was basically saying screw the people let the courts overturn what they say. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drErFBH-a64

With all this being the case I really find it totally unbelievable that she remains so popular with the constituents in her South Florida Congressional District. Recently, at a town hall meeting with them she mentioned a Hebrew phrase “Tikkun Olam” repairing the world and that she is committed to doing it and that it is truly wonderful how she and President Obama have been given the opportunity to improve our situation over the last three years. She said that Republicans on the other hand have been “essentially crossing their arms, sitting back, and hoping for the economy to remain stagnant.”  http://shark-tank.net/2011/11/03/21312/ I am totally at a loss for words at how many of her constituents remain loyal to her. They are truly brainwashed. As a Jew and as an American I am downright offended by her actions.

Defeating Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

I have spoken to many people about various congressional House seats Republicans need to pick up in 2012. One of the most important is the South Florida Congressional seat currently held by DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. There are four individuals running for the Republican nomination to take her on.

1. 2010 nominee Karen Harrington - http://www.karenforcongress.com/
2. Joe Goldner - http://www.joegoldnerforcongress2012.com/
3. Joe Kaufman - http://www.kaufmanforcongress.com/
4. Osvaldo (Ozzie) Defaria - http://ozzieforcongress.com/home/

by Nick Stone: 

Daily headlines spell either inevitable doom or smooth sailing for President Obama's re-election. To clear the confusion, we decided to assess Obama's campaign and found that logic and history show an uphill climb to a second term.

False start.  Let's look back to where we began in 2008. Obama was at the peak of his prestige at the historic moment of his election. But while the world clamored for Obama, only 53 percent of Americans pulled the lever and voted for him.

So we start with 53%. Does anyone really believe Obama hasn't lost a mere four percent of his support, putting him below the halfway mark? Of course not. Indeed according to Real Clear Politics averages, Obama has been treading below the 50% mark since November 2009, two full years ago.  Modern presidents want to see their approval ratings well north of 50% a year out from Election Day to avoid disaster.


Nowhere to run. Polls show erosion of Obama's progressive base, but he can't run much further Left to appease them. Obama can't count on winning 52% of Independents (Democrat presidential candidates rarely win this group) or picking off 20% of conservatives like 2008, and he can't run Right to get them back.  So the president is in precarious posture heading into the election.

Bush-whacked. The electoral map looks much worse for Obama than it did four years ago.  Census figures show electoral votes leaving reliably blue states for red states, so even if he won on exactly the same turf, the president would have 6 fewer electoral votes than in '08.  But he won't win many of those states.  The president faces serious headwind in the 2004 Bush states he previously picked off. Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina will most certainly swing back into the GOP column and Ohio and Florida are likely to follow suit.  Take away the one elector Obama won from Nebraska and Obama's electoral math is down to 272.

The GOP is committed to strong campaigns in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin which together put 46 electors in play.  That brings Obama down to 226 firm EV's.  If Mitt Romney emerges as the GOP nominee, New Hampshire's 4 EV's go almost immediately into the Republican column.  That's only 222 firm EV's for the president.  Looking west, Republicans will certainly put Colorado and Nevada (both Bush states) back into play next year, forcing the President's count down even further to 207.  Obama is unlikely to win any states he hasn't previously won, though the campaign has deluded itself into thinking that Georgia and Arizona are in play.  We say No Way to that assertion.

An objective analysis of the Electoral Map puts Obama at 207, "Republican" at 219 and 112 EV's in play.

Bad News Barry.  Economists say there is a looming chance of a second recession. The Supreme Court is likely to overturn Obamacare in the middle of campaign season. Administration scandals, scandals and more scandals keep surfacing.  Americans aren't any better off economically than they were four years ago.  If the Carter-like onslaught of bad news keeps piling up, voters are increasingly likely to take a chance on a new president.

History. The record isn't kind to incumbent Dems. Only FDR and Bill Clinton have been re-elected in modern history.  The others have been killed, lost their election bids or chosen not to run at all.  Yes, it's really that bad.

Divide and Conquer.  Ironically, voter frustration may be the Ace up Obama's sleeve.  Perhaps the only chance Obama has to secure victory in 2012 is to divide the field into a three-way race.  Like Perot's candidacy allowed Bill Clinton to win with only 43% of the vote in 1992 and 49% in 1996, Obama could conceivably carry some 40+ percent of the vote and find his way to the magical 270  if Americans become so unimpressed by the major parties that many support a third candidate.  Without a tiebreaker, the metrics don't look great for Obama.

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics: 

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) was at his best this week: on attack, on point, on his game.

The Minority Leader noted pointedly from the Senate floor "what is happening in Washington this week, and what isn't." Criticizing President Obama's so-called jobs bill, McConnell claimed that Democrats crafted a plan to make Republicans look bad by taking the least popular parts of Obama's plan, coupling them with tax hikes, and forcing Republicans to vote "No".

President Obama originally accused Republicans of pulling a political stunt on the jobs bill, urging them to vote on his plan in full.  Referring to his proposal as a mix of bipartisan proposals, Obama argues that Republicans only want to block the bill because he is the one who proposed it.  But the truth doesn't support Obama's claims of Republican obstructionism.  According to the Business Insider, "Senate Minority Leader [McConnell] called Democrats' bluff on President Barack Obama's jobs bill, introducing the bill in full on the Senate floor only for it to be blocked by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid."

This is the political sideshow McConnell rightly described:

"Here’s how it works. The President proposes a stimulus bill which he calls a jobs bill. “Congress rejects it in a bipartisan way for very sensible and straightforward reasons. “The President then goes on a bus tour to criticize Republicans for voting against this so-called jobs bill. 

“Democrat leaders consult with the White House on breaking the same bill into smaller pieces.  And how do they break it up? By identifying parts they know Republicans will oppose and adding on a tax hike just to make sure. Then, another bus tour or a press conference with the President complaining about Republicans again. Repeat for 13 months, in the hopes that Americans will forget that they’re all now living under the economic policies that were enacted during the first two years of the Obama administration. And hope for success. In other words, they’re actually designing legislation to fail over on the other side, so they’ll have someone else to blame for the economy 13 months from now. That’s what’s going on in the Senate this week.

“And what’s not going on? What’s not going on is the kind of bipartisan cooperation that Americans really want. The Majority Leader is out there telling people that Republicans are rooting for the economy to fail. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Look: if Republicans wanted the economy to fail, we’d all line right up behind the President’s economic policies, rather than opposing them. Because they haven’t solved this jobs crisis."

But the sneaky partisan plan by Obama and Democrats may backfire.  It turns out that a bipartisan chorus has rallied together around the so-called jobs plan alright - a bipartisan chorus of opposition.  Two weeks ago, Senator Reid used the nuclear option to prohibit the bill from coming up for a vote because it would force wavering Dems like McCaskill (D-Mo), Manchin (D-Wv), Ben Nelson (D-Ne) and Bill Nelson (D-Fl) to look bad heading into their re-election next year.  The cloture vote failed 50-49.  In the House, a strong bipartisan coalition is sure to come out against the bill, which could make Obama look even worse.  As Democrats in swing and red districts rush to put distance between their own records and President Obama, it is becoming harder for the President to make the case of the big, bad GOP blocking his bill.

McConnell had another great exchange with a reporter, where he was asked about the economy and the President's bus tour:

"You know, the -- the President I think has become convinced that the economy is not likely to be much better a year from now. So he has started the campaign 13 months early and he's trying to convince the American people that it's anybody else's fault but his that we're where we are. It must be the fault of those Republicans in Congress. It must be the fault of those rich people. It must be the fault of those people on Wall Street. I don't think the American people are going to fall for it. He's been President now for three years -- for three years. We've run the debt up, the national debt up 35 percent as he's tried to prime the pump and borrow and spend our way into prosperity. 

"I think complaints about Congress fall on deaf ears. He owned the Congress for the first two years. They did everything he wanted -- everything. The only thing they forgot to do, I don't why they overlooked this, they forgot to raise taxes. But they did everything else. They borrowed. They spent. They overregulated. And all of those policies are in place, and you can see how much it's done for the economy: 1.5 million jobs lost since the first stimulus. Now, he's coming back and asking us to do it again. You all have heard this before 'cause it's one of my favorite sayings. At home we say there's no education the second kick of a mule. We've already done this. We've tried it. It failed."

Bravo Senator McConnell!  Well said, indeed.

Photo credit: CBS News.

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics:

As Herman Cain has risen to first place in the polls, he has come under intense scrutiny for his grasp of policy and especially the famous 9-9-9 tax overhaul. But for as excited as conservatives are about a fair or flat tax, why the rush to condemn 9-9-9?

What the plan does: Scrap current tax code, broaden the tax base and eliminate loopholes. For everyone who has cursed the complex tax code, loopholes for special constituencies, or people failing to pay their "fair share" this is the plan for you. Freedomworks's Dean Clancy analyzed the plan, noting "[B]y proposing it, Cain is showing some political courage and imagination." Legendary supply-side Economist Arthur Laffer praised the pro-growth plan as "wonderful."

What it does not do: Pile on new taxes or burden the poor.  Some allege the 9-9-9 plan is regressive.  Hogwash!  For starters, the plan is exempt on used items, which disproportionately benefits lower and middle class wage earners.  It also eliminates FICA payroll taxes the poor currently pay, even those exempt from ordinary income taxes.

How do we know 9-9-9 won't become 15-15-15? The beauty of the plan is its transparency. Because it will be impossible to hide new taxes in bills like Obamacare does, it will also be much harder for lawmakers to target certain groups for tax hikes. If Congress decides to raise tax rates, they will have to answer directly for it. 

Will the plan spur economic growth? Undoubtedly. By eliminating investment taxes and dramatically lowering corporate taxes, the plan immediately makes it more appealing to do business and invest in business right here in the USA rather than hiding assets and money overseas. The plan also encourages thrift and savings, which would strengthen our core economy.

Should we really slash corporate taxes?  Research Fellow Alex Brill from AEI noted on C-Span Washington Journal this Sunday that corporate taxes are passed on, not only through higher product prices, but often also through lower wages to employees. They are a disastrous policy black hole.  Eliminating or slashing them would benefit ordinary people while establishing America as the best place to do business.

The 9-9-9 tax plan is genius both in its transparency and its simplicity. It directly tackles the pitfalls of our current tax code while getting the government out of the business of picking winners and losers. Is it perfect? What tax code ever is? But it is a bold, fresh plan for economic growth and a level playing field.

Herman Cain deserves great credit for his tax plan and his inspiring insurgent campaign. Bravo!

(Updated to clarify language. A previous edition of this article inadvertently implied that the 9-9-9 plan would eliminate corporate taxes.)

Washington Examiner: Mitt Romney Dominates NH Debate

The Weekly Standard had this to say:  "When the rescue of major banks in 2008 and its aftermath was discussed, Romney took the lead. He explained why the $700 billion bailout was necessary to save the economy and the currency. Later, he insisted the massive regulations in the Dodd-Frank bill, passed last year, would crush small and community banks and dry up their ability to lend. On both issues, his opponents for the GOP nomination deferred to him."  The Examiner said Romney "dominated the debate."

This afternoon, Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) endorsed Governor Romney, citing his economic experience and leadership.  This move is seen as a huge boost to Romney, whose establishment support will be pivotal in securing the nomination. According to the Washington Examiner, "This is not someone who decided to run for president off the back of an envelope," Christie said of Romney. Some candidates say, "'I think I can win, I hope I'm ready,'" Christie continued. "Mitt Romney says, 'I hope I can win, I know I'm ready.'"

Though core conservatives remain skeptical of Romney, challengers haven't been able to take away his lead.  Rich Lowry said although Romney "doesn't connect (with the conservative base), in some way he does impress."  That may be enough to keep Romney ahead of his chief rival, Texas Governor Rick Perry.  After making a huge splash last month, Perry fizzled in the face of poor debate performances.  Matt Dowd explained, "I don't see how Rick Perry is on a path to the nomination, but he can have a scorched earth campaign against Romney."

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics: 

Imagine this scenario:  Americans are weary from four years of disarray both at home and abroad.  A complicated war has left the President's base alienated.  A culture war at home has left the Party divided.  A massive new federal program has incensed the opposition and exploded the deficit.  As an election looms, nervous Democrats turn on one another and descend into political meltdown.  Even the most loyal journalists eventually turn on the once popular President and the headlines aren't pretty.  A second term once seemed inevitable, but now appears impossible.

If this scenario seems implausible in 2012, would you be surprised to learn it has already happened?

1968: Johnson stuns the world by announcing he won't run for re-election.

The year was 1968.  As bad news piled up for President Johnson, members of his own Party found themselves unable to hold their tongues.  The base fractured and revolted.  Despite an intense effort to drown a primary challenge from Eugene McCarthy in New Hampshire, Johnson clung to a surprisingly narrow victory.  Against the possibility of an embarrassing defeat, LBJ announced to America that he would not seek, nor would he accept his Party's nomination for President in the following election.

Rather than LBJ, President Obama's campaign team has attempted to draw parallels to Harry Truman's 1948 comeback.  Of course, no parallel would be perfect.  Both Truman and Johnson took office because of the death of their predecessors, while Obama was elected during the death of our economy.  The base voters of the Democratic Party have also changed over time.  Obama was elected with 53% of the vote by an uncommon coalition of youth, blacks, Latinos and cross-over Obamicans.  Support from these groups has steadily declined, leaving Obama below 50% today.  If that math seems unspinnably bad, the history is even worse.  Only one Democrat in modern history has won re-election.


Speaking of Bill Clinton...

If President Obama truly believes in Democratic causes and wants to keep the White House away from the GOP, he may have no choice but to step aside. Last week, the Chicago Tribune ran an opinion suggesting that Obama clear the way for Hillary Clinton to take the nomination next year.  More recently, Clinton strategist Dick Morris wondered aloud, What is Bill Clinton Up To?, suggesting that he was laying the foundation for Hillary's nomination.  According to Morris, a senior Democratic strategist recently told him that if the metrics don't improve before January, Obama may consider doing just that.

FrontPage: President Obama addresses the UN.

President Obama descended into New York this week to address the United Nations and avoid a political catastrophe.

Palestine, a pseudo-state without proper government or real estate of its own, is asking for recognition as an official State by the UN. This would result in a complete meltdown of Middle East peace.  Derailment of the Palestinian bid is critical for the futures of both Israel and the Obama White House.

Obama is already buried under a mountain of bad press for a lack of support for our only ally in the Middle East.  Presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry both sharply criticized Obama for leadership failures on the foreign policy front.  Romney alleged, "...repeated efforts over three years to throw Israel under the bus and undermine its negotiating position."  Perry said, "The Obama policy of moral equivalency which gives equal standing to the grievances of Israelis and Palestinians, including the orchestrators of terrorism, is a very dangerous insult."  The governors perfectly captured the gravity of the situation at the United Nations.

President Obama must move Heaven and Earth to stop the UN from recognizing the anti-Zionist Palestinian pseudo-state as a legitimate nation - if not to save the Jewish state, then at least to save himself. Failure in this task may cost his re-election chances next year and cement the perception that Democrat presidents are no friend to Israel.

Just last week, NY area Jews sent Obama a message of disapproval by electing a Republican to Congress for the first time since 1922.  Jewish voters, which heavily supported the President in 2008, will play a pivotal role in Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey in 2012. If they stay home or cast protest votes, Obama is toast.

Israel's future hangs in the balance while an electoral alignment of historic proportions is under way. Generations of Jews are waiting on one last straw to bolt the Democratic Party for good. Will Obama let that be his legacy?

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