Laura's E-Blast

http://www.LauraIngraham.com

September 1, 2009

Political guru Charlie Cook is predicting Democrats will lose 20+ seats in the House of Representatives next year. Pollsters Zogby, Gallup, Rasmussen all show a striking downward trajectory of public approval for this administration, across almost every major demographic group. So why is this happening?

It's true that President Obama won last November because people wanted a change from Bush policies. But for many independent voters, that meant an end to dirty politics and Washington excess -- promises Obama made at every stop along the campaign trail. Instead what they got is what most conservatives predicted -- huge deficits, higher taxes, a ballooning federal government, and a weak, appeasement-first foreign policy. Heck, when we can't even convince Scotland to keep the despised Lockerbie bomber behind bars, you know we've lost ground.

Some -- such as David Brooks of the New York Times -- suggest Obama's in trouble because liberals in Washington hold too much sway over his administration. Newsflash: HE IS A LIBERAL! He is obsessed with climate change. He adores socialized medicine. He wants to jack taxes even higher. Obama, in other words, is a typical 80s Ivy League liberal who still thinks Reagan got it all wrong. Far from being too influenced by lefty powerbrokers, the president has breathed them new life.

In the end, history will likely show that when Obama started dropping in the polls, it wasn't because "he took on too much at once" or "because he wasted time negotiating with Chuck Grassley." He lost ground because his ideas were rejected by the American people, just as they were after the Carter era.

Most Americans want the government to tighten its belt and clear the way for businesses to expand. We want real economic growth, fueled by dynamic companies creating new job opportunities. Fake growth, enabled by government make-work and financed by Chinese lenders, is a lot less popular -- and, for that matter, sustainable.

For all the recent discussion of the Kennedy dynasty and Obama's glamor, the reality is that even from the grave, Reagan is still beating Democrats on the issues that matter most.