Posted: 16 March, 2011 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Barack Obama, Budget Crisis, Health Care Reform, ObamaCare | Tags: barack obama, budget, congress, congressional democrats, congressional elections, democrats, leadership, liberals, obama, obamacare, president |
Democrats in Congress say they have grown frustrated with Obama because of his lack of leadership in their ongoing battle with Republicans over spending cuts, but with nothing in Obama’s career to suggest that he is one for political rough riding, it is odd for Democrats to express dismay that Obama isn’t leading the charge.
During the bloody 14-month fight over ObamaCare, Obama opted not to fully engage until the final three weeks. Since Obama declined to take the lead when it came to a multi-trillion-dollar law that will forever be associated with his name, Democrats should know that he isn’t jumping into the fight over funding the government for six months. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: 24 February, 2011 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Barack Obama, Elections, Mid Term Election, Politics, Progressive Agenda, Recession, Unions | Tags: congressional elections, democratic party, democrats, economics, liberal agenda, political corruption, progressive agenda, ronald reagan, Scott Schaefer |
Wisconsin Republicans have begun increasing the pressure on the Democratic State Senators who fled Wisconsin to prevent legislature from having a quorum, thus forestalling that body’s ability to vote on budget legislation aimed at returning the state to a sustainable course of fiscal sanity.
These Democrats, who fled Wisconsin faster than the French left Paris, are obstructionists who are refusing to work within the law, continue to reject the defeat Democrats suffered at the polls in the November midterm elections. The massacre suffered by the Democrats in November was due to a political tsunami of American voters who turned out by the millions, casting their votes for fiscal responsibility. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: 27 January, 2011 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Demographics, Economy, Housing, Recession | Tags: Economy, Housing, housing market, housing prices, real estate, real estate market, recession |
Data through November 2010, released January 25 by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, the leading measure of US home prices, show a deceleration in the annual growth rates in 17 of the 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and the 10- and 20-City Composites compared to what was reported for October. The 10-City Composite was down 0.4% and the 20-City Composite fell 1.6% from November 2009 levels. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: 19 January, 2011 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Bailouts, Barack Obama, Economic Stimulus, Economy, Mid Term Election, Politics, Recession | Tags: barack obama, constitutionality, federal government, lawsuits, obama, obamacare, supreme court |
As House Republicans in Washington along with the new Tea Party freshman ponder and debate how to repeal ObamaCare, six more states joined a lawsuit in Florida against President Obama’s health care overhaul. Now more than half of the states in the Union are challenging the law. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: 19 January, 2011 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Barack Obama, Economy, Mid Term Election, Progressive Agenda | Tags: anti-business, barack obama, campaign finance laws, chamber of commerce, midterm election, obama, reelection |
Although the sea of socialist rhetoric and hypocrisy through which Barack Obama makes us wade is routinely deep, I found a news blurb this morning that I found particularly hypocritical. Barack Obama is meeting with the US Chamber of Commerce to see what he can do to help create jobs. Obama also wants to assure the business community he supports them.
That’s a tall order for the most anti-business President in our history.
Then it dawned on me, this is what Obama meant by transparency when he was running for office, because his effort to appear pro-business by making nice with the Chamber of Commerce is entirely transparent.
Just two months ago Obama was on a nationwide speaking tour attacking and maligning the Chamber of Commerce, claiming they were trying to buy the election, and snatch prosperity from the poor voters who deserved it. But that wasn’t bad enough. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: 30 December, 2010 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Economy, Housing, Recession | Tags: economics, Economy, housing market, lexington luxury builders |
December 2010 Overview
The December housing market begins with a continuation of the seasonal price and inventory declines, with asking prices down by 0.45% this month and active inventory down by 3.16%. In November 2010, the Altos 10-City Price Composite continued its seasonal decline by 0.45%. Expect weekly declines in price, inventory and demand through the end of the year. Watch the third week of January before the first inklings of seasonal demand uptick become visible. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: 25 December, 2010 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Barack Obama, Defense, Economy, Politics, Progressive Agenda, Recession | Tags: barack obama, Economy, liberal agenda, Politics, progressive agenda, redistribution of wealth |
A great American philosopher once said: It’s Déjà vu all over again. Although it’s a great line, my intent here is not to wax philosophic by quoting Yogi Berra. The malaise in which America now flounders is Déjà vu all over again, as it is eerily reminiscent of the America of 1980 and the malaise in which the country was mired at that time. Because the last thing they want are parallels being drawn between Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter, liberals will disagree, but the similarities are so striking they’ll have to split hairs to do it. Very much the way Jimmy Carter split hairs over the definition of recession while debating Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Though I’m convinced the similarities between America in 1980 and America today are clear, I’ll illustrate them with several irrefutable examples. Mind you, this is by no means a comprehensive list, we don’t have that much ink, so these are just a few examples: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: 3 November, 2010 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Demographics, Economic Stimulus, Economy, Health Care, Mid Term Election, Politics, Tea Party | Tags: baby boomers, barack obama, Mid Term Election, midterm election, obama, seniors |
Older American voters are the voting block most likely to vote in any election. This year, however, they are going to do so in record numbers. Seniors are supporting Republicans more than any other demographic group, in this election cycle, and they are poised to vote at historic levels.
Republicans, who are usually more likely to vote than Democrats, are far more likely to vote than are their Democratic counterparts this year, in every age group. But, older Republicans and independents who are leaning right, are creating a political tsunami that is crashing down on thousands of Democratic candidates.
This generational tidal wave of seniors and baby boomers, are mad as hell and they’re apparently not going to take it anymore. They are more enthusiastic about voting than at any time in the past, according to the Pew Research Center, and they are invested in the outcome of this election. By comparison, the group which includes young voters and 30-49 year old adults, are likely to turn out to vote in numbers typical for midterm election cycles.
Make no mistake, it is older voters who will carry the day today, and their enthusiasm is measurable. Here are some of those measures. Beating by 9% their previous high water mark, 84% of seniors and boomers say they will Definitely vote and 60% of them have given the election alot of thought. Historically, enthusiasm of this magnitude is usually a predictor of a very high voter turnout.
This senior wave represents a tremendous paradigm shift. Think about election cycles of the past, for a moment, and see if you can visualize the impact senior voters had. There really isn’t anything that jumps to mind. The impact of senior voters – and their voices – are typically minimized. Not so, this year. As another journalist recently put it, this time around seniors are concerned about the future. And, having lived through the ascendency of America as a superpower, they don’t like the fragile state America is now in. The way things are now in America isn’t exactly what they had in mind for their golden years.
They are pessimistic about the economy and 70% of them now say they plan on working after retirement and 60% say that Obama’s progressive policies have made the economy worse. In an amazing declination of support, at the beginning of the Obama administration, 60% approved of Obama, while now only 40% do. They are far more skeptical of healthcare reform than are younger voters, and they prefer a small government over a large one.
Some 80% view the economy negatively, while two-thirds of them believe their children’s generation will have it worse than their generation did. Never before in our history has a generation of Americans believed the next generation would be worse off. They believe that the US government is too big and spends too much, which translates into the evaporation of their safety net.
Gallup estimates that the senior turnout this year will be 11% higher than it was in the 2006 midterm election cycle, and in 2006, seniors turned out to vote at double the rate of younger voters. Rasmussen reports that seniors favor the Republican in their district by an18% margin, 53% to 35%. Seniors turning out in these kind of numbers and favoring Republicans as strongly as they are, are causing a political tsunami which will crash down on Democrats all across America.
I’ve cited enough numbers to make my point. However, two more numbers are certainly noteworthy. The Tea Party has hugely impacted older voters. More than 30% of the Tea Party are seniors, and almost 50% are Baby Boomers.
Since it is approaching closing time for the polls on the east coast, I’ll wrap this up. I want to conclude by giving thanks. Thank you, seniors and boomers, for standing up for what you believe and thank you for having the strength to back it up with your vote.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the one man who, I believe, had the greatest single impact on the electorate of any man in history. And, were it not for him, the resurgence of patriotism and ascendancy of the Tea Party – forces that will bring America back from the brink – would never have been possible. Thus, it is with a full heart that I thank Glenn Beck. There is no doubt in my mind, we would have been lost without you.
There is one thing about which seniors and boomers are completely certain: they’re not racists. They are sure of it and so am I, despite the almost daily attempts of the liberal media and Democratic leadership to the contrary.
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Posted: 2 November, 2010 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Housing, Mid Term Election, Politics, Tea Party | Tags: congressional elections, democrats, house, independent, independent voters, independents, obama, polls, republicans, senate, Tea Party |
The Democrats’ final push to woo undecided voters fizzled, putting dozens of Congressional races beyond reach and destroying the Democrats chances in at least four toss-up Senate seats. That is, at least, according to Democratic strategists and party officials.
Independents, a crucial swing bloc, hell this year they are The swing bloc, are breaking sharply for Republicans in the final days of the campaign. New polls released this morning show swings of as much as 14 points in the last week.
Stuart Rothenberg, a nonpartisan pollster, said Friday he thought the Republicans could pick up as many as 70 House seats. This, my fellow patriotic Americans, is a beat down which has not been accomplished since 1948.
Republicans must pick up 39 seats to seize control of the House of Representatives. This outcome, I guaranty, is now a forgone conclusion. By this time tomorrow, Republicans will be contemplating who among them will be the next Speaker of the House.
The eleventh hour free fall in Democratic support among independents is also keeping alive the GOP’s longer-shot hopes of taking the Senate.
Obama has been campaigning strong, in the style which is uniquely his. The deep baritone chant which blames Bush, blames Republicans and claims that Republicans are undermining the voting process by trying to buy the vote. He has really beaten this drum for weeks. The problem for Obama, is that, like the fabled emperor, he has no clothes. In short, American voters now see him as the liar he is.
On Obama’s claim that Republicans are trying to buy the vote, the truth is that Democrats have outspent Republicans in this election cycle by more than $400,000,000. The President, as is his custom, is lying.
Democratic strategists acknowledge their biggest problem is the frustration being expressed by swing voters with Obama. They are – privately – very concerned with voter disenchantment on the 2012 elections, especially since Obama is the source of this disenchantment.
Independents are voting against Democrats because of Obama and the more he campaigns for Democratic candidates, the more he seals their fate. Democrats are being called ‘Obama liberals,’ and the strategy is proving very effective.
Nationally, independent voters, who backed Democrats in 2006 and 2008, have swung to the GOP. In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 52% said they would vote Republican this time. Obama, who won 52% of independents in 2008, now enjoys just 40% support among that group.
With enthusiasm rising on the right, and free falling on the left, no Democrat is completely safe.
ebbing on the left, Democratic candidates needed this year to win over even more independent voters than Mr. Obama did in 2008, strategists said. Candidates who have been banking on making up this ground in the closing days have instead seen independent voters flocking to the GOP.
For example, Rick Boucher of Virginia, who has comfortably held his seat for 14 terms, has suffered a sharp drop in support among independents. Just a month ago, polls showed him up by more than 12 points over his opponent. That race is now too close to call. The reason: Boucher’s ties to Obama.
Another Democrat, this one from Rhode Island, told Obama to “Shove it” the other day. I prognosticated this very phenomenon some months ago, saying that Democrats would cannibalize themselves while trying to keep their jobs in my article XXXX.
In Pennsylvania, where Obama won independents by 19 points, Republican Senate Pat Toomey has a 13 point lead over Democrat Joe Sestak among independents. Democrats say the trouble for Sestak among independents could pose less of a challenge than in other Senate races, as Democrats hold a 1.2 million-voter edge in party registration in Pennsylvania, while only about one in 10 voters there is unaligned with the major parties. Blah, blah, blah. The talking heads can explain it away how they will, but the fact remains: the Pennsylvania Senate race is going Republican.
In Mr. Obama’s home state of Illinois, Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk has moved in the polls from winning 38% of independents to now winning half of them. Kirk is in a dead heat with Obama’s man, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias. Apparently, even Illinois can get worn out by crooks.
Tad Devine, a Democratic consultant who served as a senior adviser to the presidential campaigns of Al Gore and John Kerry, said the trend was striking this year. “They are behaving like Republicans,” Mr. Devine said of independent voters.
No, Mr. Devine, they are behaving like Americans.
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Posted: 18 October, 2010 | Author: Scott Schaefer | Filed under: Economy, Media, Politics, Recession, Tea Party | Tags: barack obama, congressional elections, Health Care, health care reform, healthcare reform, nancy pelosi, obama, obamacare, stupak, Tea Party |
Seven months ago the Speaker of the House, Her Highness Nancy Pelosi, was busy rounding up votes to win approval in the House of the version of the ObamaCare Bill which had passed in the Senate. Not an easy task, to say the least.
Democratic representatives who had voted no in November had to be convinced to switch their vote to yes in March. She also had to persuade Democrats who had refused to vote for the bill in November, because it hadn’t contained an anti-abortion amendment, to vote for the bill in March which lacked the same language.
She quite boldly scheduled the vote for Saturday to keep besieged Democratic representatives from returning home to their districts. She didn’t want the resolve of her members waning because they would have been attacked by those vicious Obamacare opponents. You remember, she said they were violent, anti-American astroturf.
She was, of course, referring to tea party patriots, but we can just call them voters, for now. Those opponents, according to polls at that time, included most American voters. But Pelosi, Obama and Bill Clinton all predicted the bill would become more popular after it was passed. Pelosi added, at the time, that people would like it better after they had a chance to read it and find out what was in it. She was including all of the House and Senate in the group who would like it more after reading it.
Based on the level of enthusiasm behind the throw the bastards out movement, the voters haven’t yet come around to her way of thinking. All of the national polls agree that the voters are still very much opposed to ObamaCare.
And what, do you suppose, will become of those spineless Congressmen who voted for the bill, but who are from districts very much opposed to the ObamaCare legislation? They cast the votes which made ObamaCare the law of the land. Those bastions of integrity are in their home districts, right now, campaigning for re-election. Certainly they must be extolling the virtues of ObamaCare from every soapbox in the land, winning over the hearts and minds of the voters by discussing the merits of the legislation.
What about those idiot Congressmen who cast the key votes that made Obamacare law? Democrats, one and all, each with a significant interest in convincing the astroturf that ObamaCare is a good thing, and that’s why they voted for it. How do you think they are doing? Not well, at all, is the answer.
Take Betsy Markey of Colorado who in 2008 beat a Republican fixated on the same-sex marriage issue. Markey cast a late no vote November, then publicly switched to yes a week before the March vote. She’s currently trailing Republican opponent Cory Gardiner by an average of 44 to 39 percent in three polls. She isn’t talking about the legislation at all except for a link on her website, which links to a video saying she had "the honor" to vote for the bill. Otherwise, she and her website are silent on the issue.
Or consider John Boccieri of Ohio, who switched from no to yes during a television press conference in which he said the bill would do great things for his constituents. His constituents had voted Republican for 58 straight years until electing him. They’ll be voting Republican again in just a couple of weeks, as Republican challenger Jim Renacci is leading by 10 points in the polls. Boccieri’s website courageously provides a video of the Congressman defending Obamacare and challenging opponents to say which provisions they’d give up.
Then there is Suzanne Kosmas, a longtime real estate agent who beat a Republican with an ethics issue in 2008. She announced her switch from no to yes late in the week before the vote. She’s now running behind her Republican opponent Sandy Adams by an average of 7 percent in recent polls.
To put these numbers in perspective, incumbent Representatives almost never trail a challenger in any poll, nor do they ever run significantly below 50 percent. But these three Democrats, to sample but a few, are running between 5 and 10 points behind Republican challengers, and none of them polls above 40 percent.
Those three are doing well, insomuch as they are at least running, trying to get themselves reelected, which is more than can be said for Bart Stupak of Michigan. You must remember Bart. He was the chief sponsor of the anti-abortion amendment that he forced into the House version of the bill in November. Bart was on television just hours before the roll call vote, dripping with integrity, telling all of America that he was not going to vote for the legislation. Hours later, he did just that, placated as he was, with an executive order. An executive order, which he was assured Barack Obama would sign, that would have the same effect as actually drafting antiabortion language into the bill.
Legal experts and abortion opponents disagreed. But, Bart Stupak cast a critical vote for the bill, as did five other Democrats who were widely referred to as "the Stupak five," all of whom flanked him at his press conference, that fateful day. If these six votes had gone the other way, Obama would have been defeated.
Bart’s prospects of reelection were so grim, he’s not even running. In fact, Urban Dictionary now defines s Stupak as follows:
stu·pak /stooˈpak/,-paked, -pak·ing (noun). A person who comes up with lame ideas; is really dumb, moronic, asinine, idiotic or has shit for brains. Origin: the US Congress 2010.
In Stupak’s home district, Republican Dan Benishek, who is running against Stupak’s Democratic replacement, is leading in the polls by 17 points, with the Democratic candidate garnering a whopping 27 percent.
Two of the Stupak five, Steve Driehaus of Ohio and Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania, are each being beaten like a drum. In his Cincinnati-area district, Driehaus trails 51 to 41, while Dahlkemper trails by a margin of 45 to 37 percent in her Erie Pennsylvania area seat.
Another one of Stupak’s group, Alan Mollohan, from West Virginia, was elected for the first time in 1982, but lost his bid for the candidacy in the May primary. Only one of the group, Nick Joe Rahall, first elected in 1976, won his primary and seems well ahead for November. But for him, the Stupak Five would have met with extinction.
Circumstances are the same with these races and dozens of others: the fateful vote which was cast by many Democrats in favor of ObamaCare is proving to be a career ender.
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Although the sea of socialist rhetoric and hypocrisy through which Barack Obama makes us wade is routinely deep, I found a news blurb this morning that I found particularly hypocritical. Barack Obama is meeting with the US Chamber of Commerce to see what he can do to help create jobs. Obama also wants to assure the business community he supports them.
