The Incredible Shrinking President

The Democrats have exactly the same problem that the Republicans had in the last presidential election — deciding where to draw the line, in this case on immigration, as to how many of the usual supporters will sit on their hands.

It is a political nightmare — no question. The president has been slapped down HARD by the US Supreme Court, 9-0, so he is at least alert that his Legacy as a “Constitutional Lawyer,” is seriously in jeopardy.

The Latino Caucus is DEMANDING action because they have done their job, twice! Does the president want Latinos sitting on their hands in November?

Then, there are the angry masses. No they can’t hurt Obama, he is a Lame Duck and only needs to be concerned about the Obama Library…oh, and whether the Democrats will win ANY elections for the next few cycles.

Did I mention the VA, Benghazi, the IRS, Keystone project, Fast and Furious? As much as Obama would love to mail it in while vacationing in Hawaii or playing golf, circumstances just won’t leave him alone — circumstances like Iraq, Palestinian rockets, ISIS, Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Children’s Army on our Border…

Either the problems are too large, or the president is too small. Quite possibly, all of the above.

I suspect that is why Mitt Romney is well ahead of Obama in support — because problems require management and Obama is a rock star, not a manager. Romney is a proven MANAGER!

Putin Is Not Impressed With Obama or Foppish Kerry

 

The real problem is that Putin has no confidence that Obama will take any of the proposals on the table. Putin has taken measure of Obama and found him weak.

I HOPE we will find out that Putin made a mistake about Obama. IF Obama announces approval of the Keystone pipeline, and that the Ruble will not be acceptable at US banks, and the acceleration of natural gas exports, then we will know that the administration has teeth in its (at least to now) Care Bear diplomacy.

I do wonder if Putin has not been less impressed with the foppish Kerry than he was with the more stiff-spined Hillary, who has been schooled in the Machiavellian Clinton machine. Her threats, I believe, carried more force — Putin understands serious political in-fighting, and Hillary brought that.

In spades.

Kerry has only been successful at serial marrying money. That does not impress Putin.

Uprisings, Everywhere

 

The semi-successful Ukrainian revolt is just weeks or months ahead of a similar revolt in Venezuela. Both the revolts were US fingerprints on them, but in both cases we are geographically remote.

 

In the case of the Ukraine, it is really a European Union responsibility, and strangely, several European nations have taken the lead, including France –  which is also trying to bring Obama along on Syrian intervention.

 

It is some sort of question as to who the most powerful world leader might be, but it certainly isn’t Obama.

 

We don’t have friendly nations in South America, who can act in our common interest, but Maduro of Venezuela has managed toed story the economy so badly that US interference is not needed.

 

Last week, the climate changed in Maduro’s regime. It started with Maduro ordered several US officials from his nation, and ended with Maduro suggesting that the US and Venezuela exchange Ambassadors, and between there were deadly riots with the opposition just like it happened in the Ukraine.

 

The Venezuela riots continue, and we have no nearby French President equivalent to call upon.  

Strange Friends — But It May Work

The information that Israel is having talks with Saudi Arabia to use Saudi airspace for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities MAY be a means to put a rod in Obama’s spine, but I expect that it may eventually be used.

Israel reportedly lacks refueling capability, but taking off and landing from Saudi soil would be a piece of cake, and the Israeli jets could reach Saudi soil over a tributary of the Red Sea. Saudi’s have always are said to be ready for airspace use, but it appears the old enemies are engaging in closer cooperation for an attack on a common enemy, Iran..

The other problem is bombs capable of deep penetration, and there is a question if Israel has that capability. Their scientific and manufacturing capabilities are superior, so they may not need our help — perhaps they already have it, or perhaps they don’t need it.

Worst case scenario is that Israel uses THEIR nuclear weapons. THAT would certainly put a period on the subject, at the risk of Israel’s international reputation.

Given the risk of an Iranian nuclear weapon, I doubt that they, either Israel or the Saudis care about reputation.

Few actually know. Israel is not going to let Iran have, or even get near a nuclear weapon. Only Obama/Kerry can use less than lethal means like sanctions, but my confidence I them is nil.

I suspect that STUXNET virus cooperation was the most that Obama will do – something that does not have his fingerprints.

I hope I am wrong. I hope that we have Israel’s and the Saudis back. It might be what is necessary to take attention off Obamacare.

Just An Idea…

President Obama says that Nelson Mandela is the George Washington of his country.

You might want to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s life, by buying his book, “How To Be A Good Communist” — I could not find it on Amazon, but it is available on-line on the Barnes and Noble book website.

A Man Without A Country

The Snowden affair has brought the demise of the power of the United States under Obama to the fore. China and Russia have lost so much respect — and fear — that they stick their thumb in our eye over nothing, or at least nothing if you listen to Snowden supporters.

Snowden supporters say that his positive action in alerting the populace to the totality of NSA searching and storing of data. Of course there is absolutely zero proof that the collection and storage goes beyond the limits set by the FISA court.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that whether the claims are true or not, those claims are in the public. Now the question is, what else does Snowden know and how damaging could that be to individuals serving in undercover points, worldwide, and exactly to whom does he intend to deliver that information. So far the potential recipients include China, Russia, Cuba and Ecuador — not exactly nations in the Pantheon of Freedom from Government Snooping.

Ecuador appears to have discovered the fact that the US treaty giving Ecuador a favored nation status on flowers and a number of agricultural products comes up for ratification MONDAY. These are products that a major shipping executive says cannot be sold easily to any other nation. Cuba has a treaty to return some felons, and wants removal of the existing embargo – an embargo Obama wants to ease or end and neither will happen with Snowden in Havana.  We sent back eight Russian spies to Russia just last year, and that will not happen again any time soon, even now, with the intransigence of Putin on this matter.

But the Obama administration is not respected or feared like the Reagan administration, so it makes everyone’s calculations chancy, regardless of treaties or commercial arrangements. Political administrations change in the US, and in other nations as well.

China, Russia, Cuba and Ecuador may give sanctuary today, but the chance of a 30 year old continuing to live in one of those nations without a regime change that makes those nations less receptive to keeping a burr under the saddle of the world’s dominant economic and military power is a fool’s bet.

But making good decisions is not a Snowden strongpoint. If he actually causes harm to just one of our operatives, he would make himself eligible to a drone strike in my book.You do not have to have a Middle Eastern name to be a terrorist.

Obama is a “God!”

Obama is a “God!”

Stay with me here…

Obama is not being held responsible for ANY of the current problems. The Washington Post says that Obama’s poll numbers are virtually unchanged after Fast and Furious; the Justice Department chilling, criminalizing of newsmen; Benghazi; and the IRS selective harassing of conservative groups.

That is the “God Effect.”

“God” in every culture and religion, gets credit when the crops come in heavily, or someone is rescued from harm, but never takes any blame for storms, hurricanes, failed crops, or those who die in disasters.

That phenomenon has always impressed me about human nature, and it is true across cultures and religions.

Dan Balz, writing in the Washington Post, notes ” It is never good for an administration when a front-page newspaper article about an ongoing controversy begins as follows: “The White House offered a new account Monday of how and when it learned . . . ”

Perhaps the constant drip, drip, drip of scandal will eventually impact the impervious aura that surrounds this president, who is an iconic figure and can withstand scandals that would politically doom lesser figures.

Reflections

Now that we know more about the SCOTUS decision, it doesn’t get any better, ObamaCare still stands, but…

Here is a good piece of information from the SCOTUS ruling: It was declared a tax, which keeps the ObamaCare, but being a tax it only requires 51 votes in the Senate because you can’t filibuster a tax bill.

Today it only takes four Senators, and a president willing to sign it. That is doable in November, just four months away. It might be possible today to get a few Democrats to switch, and the forcing President Obama to veto it before the election.

Now, obviously as a tax this becomes the largest tax in world history. Close to two trillion dollars over the next decade. That’s pretty important for someone running for president who promised no taxes on the middle class.

On the very pages today of the Washington Post, immediately after the SCOTUS decision, two separate articles from small businesses announced their intent to fire workers immediately.

One small business in Temecula and one in Austin said they would stop funding their employees health insurance and certainly not hire more people but rather prepare to lay off employees.

That may be premature, because this legal setback is easily recoverable politically at the ballot box.

Time to get to work.