Rockhurst Sentinel

Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Opinion

These are the four simple words uttered by Rush Limbaugh just over one year ago when asked for his thoughts about the inauguration of President Barack Obama. They have since become an infamous phrase, used as political fodder on the liberal left and fuel on the conservative right. But beyond that, they are evidence of an increasingly hostile political climate that has plagued the Obama administration.

Limbaugh was ahead of the curve when he made this statement. Now, it is quite evident that many Americans agree with him to one degree or another. Whether it was Rush's statement that helped cause the current hostility, or merely a part of the conservative upheaval, is not certain. What is certain however, are the facts.

Obama's approval rating has dropped significantly, between 20-25 percentage points depending on the poll, since January 2009. Some recent ratings even showed a meager 41% job approval rating. (Richard S. Dunham, Houston Chronicle) It shouldn't be surprising to even the casual observer of national politics that Obama's policies are encountering stiff opposition. Case in point: the recent election in Massachusetts of Scott Brown to fill the US Senate seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy.

As much as those on the left may not want to admit it, Scott Brown's victory was a referendum on the President's policies. The people of Massachusetts sent a strong message to Washington by rebuking the 40-plus year legacy of their former stalwart civil servant in favor of electing a man who has claimed he will stand against the current healthcare overhaul.

Looking back on the past year, it is clear that there is sharp disconnect between those in power, and the people who put those people in power. My friends, in this country we do have a disconnect between those who hold the nation's purse strings and the people who work to earn that money.

Now, I won't claim that we are quickly becoming a communist country, as some on the right have done, but I do think that some of Obama's policies have tendencies in the wrong direction. I don't know whether or not TARP and the stimulus bill were "necessary" to "save" the economy. My gut says they were not. However, what I do know is that they greatly increased the federal government's power, and that only makes Obama more unpopular.

It's no wonder Obama's approval is in the tank. Look at what he's done. The incompetently run Cash for Klunkers? That worked well. Have the bank nationalizations and the GM take-over done much to help the economy? Well, even though we aren't creating jobs, we are losing jobs at a slower rate. Success? I think not. Now Obama wants health care reform? The people want jobs right now, not health care and certainly not bigger government. Obama has yet to provide an adequate turnaround in the economy. Whether or not we want to admit it, he's trying to develop a "cult of personality" (does the Nobel Peace Prize come to mind?) to push his radical agenda through. And so far, he's failed.

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