Wow, what a difference a year makes. Just a year ago Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States of America. Since then things have been tough for him. The economy is in the tank, he's fighting two wars, unemployment is over 10%, He failed to get an Olympic bid for Chicago (his home town ), failed in Copenhagen, putting future generations of Americans deeper and deeper in debt with each passing day,etc.
Then Tuesday losing the election of the late Senator Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts to Republican Scott Brown changed things. It seems to have put the kibosh on the Universal Healthcare Bill.
Now the White House is in disarray.
"At the end of Barack Obama’s worst week since taking power a year ago, the US president’s fortunes look set only to deteriorate over the coming days. Following the shock defeat of the Democratic candidate in Massachusetts on Tuesday, a move that deprived the president of his 60-seat super-majority in the Senate and left his legislative agenda in tatters, Mr Obama has just four days to reboot the system.The US president had originally delayed next week’s State of the Union address to Congress in the hope he would get his signature healthcare reform bill enacted in time. That prospect, already waning, was killed dead by the voters in Massachusetts. A growing number of Democrats believe the nine-month effort could collapse altogether."
Panic within his own party
"Nor can Mr Obama rely on unity within his own party, which has been in disarray, if not panic, since Tuesday. For example, Mr Obama’s more populist tack on Wall Street re-regulation failed to attract endorsement from Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate banking committee, even though he was present when Mr Obama made the announcement.
Others, such as Tim Johnson, Democratic senator for South Dakota and a senior member of the banking committee, were already opposed to elements of Mr Obama’s regulatory proposals including the plan to establish a consumer financial protection agency.
Can't keep even keep his own administration unified:
"Worse, most people do not think Mr Obama can even command unity within his own administration on the Wall Street proposals amid growing speculation about whether Tim Geithner, the Treasury secretary, can survive in his job. Mr Geithner was conspicuously sidelined during Thursday’s announcement by the presence of Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman, who lent his name to the push to rein in Wall Street banks"
Remember the Hope and Change thing? How's that workin' for ya, Mr. President? He was going to bring everyone together. It seemed like the second coming. Everything was going to be nirvana. Now it looks like everything is falling apart for him.
Watching what's going on to our friends and neighbors to the south makes me sad. I have a lot of relatives down there but on the other hand, I think President Obama and the Demorcatic supermajority in the House and Senate has woken a sleeping giant. Tuesday night's election proved that. The teaparty goers, is not just an aberration, it's real. They want their country back. They want their leaders to abide by their constitution. They want freedom not tyranny like the present bunch (that means both parties) in Washington are trying to impose. Good for the American people! Good for them for standing up for freedom!
In the long run, America will be better off. That in turn will make Canada better off too.
