Some unlikely “reasons” have been offered lately for why the president and Democratic members of Congress have seen their support collapse among so many Americans.
One argument put forth is that the president and Congress have failed to get the message out about “good things” they have done since Democrats took control of Congress in 2006 and the president took office two years ago. Democrats say the public would enthusiastically support them if we understood how “wonderful” programs such as ObamaCare socialized medicine and the $862 billion “stimulus” are.
But that argument is absurd. With his control of the “bully pulpit,” President Barack Obama regularly explains and defends Democrats’ policies to the American people. And whatever one may think of his actions, he is generally thought to be a good communicator. Plus, he has the aid of the often unskeptical, liberal news media in getting his message out. If the American people don’t “buy” what the president is “selling,” it isn’t because he hasn’t been “advertising.”
The much more likely reason for the president’s and the Democrat Congress’ loss of support is the public’s disagreement with the liberal laws they have imposed on the country. Most Americans want ObamaCare repealed, and most think the stimulus money was wasted. There is also massive opposition to Democrats’ plan to give amnesty to illegal aliens.
And contrary to the constant claim that “racism” is behind opposition to the president, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that opposition to the president is cutting across racial and other lines.
“[S]upport for the president among Latinos, young people and women has dropped as much as it has among groups that were considered less likely to stick with the president, such as white males …,” Tribune Newspapers reported.
The president will not be on the ballot next Tuesday, but we will at least learn in the upcoming elections how far support for Congress has fallen. Democrats may lose control of one or both houses of Congress. But they will have only their own actions to blame for that.