Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on August 23, 2009

How low can Obama’s numbers go?

For any president to have a -14 (minus 14) approval rating this early in his presidency is stunning… and REALLY, REALLY bad. It means that many of Barack Obama’s own supporters are becoming disillusioned and disgusted. But examining the revelations of the nefarious and/or idiotic doings coming from out of the White House in just the last few days makes it less shocking and more clear.

Downward spiral: Rasmussen Presidential Approval Index drops to record low for Pres. Barack Obama, negative 14, August 23, 2009

Americans are becoming more angry with the president’s “behind closed doors” Big Pharma deals, his socialist policies, ObamaCare controversies, cronyism, potential infringements on the First Amendment, attacks on conservatives at town hall meetings, and power grabs. Not to mention the lies about the mandates in the health care reform bill and Waxman-Markey global warming energy tax bill being exposed. Loaning $2 billion to Brazil to exploit offshore oil resources in hopes of extracting a major new source of petroleum for oil in South America, while ignoring the vast amounts within our own nation’s borders, is meeting with critical disapproval and suspicion.

From Hot Air, Good news: Obama backs off-shore drilling! Update: A Soros connection?:

This should be good news for the Drill Here, Drill Now contingent, right? The Obama administration has committed $2 billion in loans to exploit offshore oil resources in hopes of extracting a major new source of petroleum. Despite the White House pursuit of a cap-and-trade scheme to limit the use of fossil fuels, the new field could help bring lower energy prices, and their support of this exploration of American resources shows their flexibility on energy policy.

Wait — did I say American resources? That’s true, but only in the South American sense.

[...]

This seems odd in several ways. For this particular administration to offer billions in loans to a foreign oil company makes a mockery of a number of Obama talking points. First, why does Petrobas need loan guarantees to pursue its exploration? As the WSJ notes, it is a very large corporation, which should have the resources to get to the oil on its own. Obama, who has ripped American corporations for their supposed subsidies in American tax policy, now wants to use an empty Treasury to give cash to a Brazilian oil company.

On the subject of America’s development of energy resources, Gateway Pundit summarized it thusly:

Over the past 30 years:

• Democrats have blocked the development of new sources of petroleum.
• Democrats have blocked drilling in ANWR.
• Democrats have blocked drilling off the coast of Florida.
• Democrats have blocked drilling off of the east coast.
• Democrats have blocked drilling off of the west coast.
• Democrats have blocked drilling off the Alaskan coast.
• Democrats have blocked building oil refineries.
• Democrats have blocked clean nuclear energy production.
• Democrats have blocked clean coal production.

But, they’re funding projects in Brazil.

On the demise of ObamaCare, from NRO, The Corner: “The fault, dear Barack, is not in our stars, But in ourselves”:

…The opposition to Obamacare would have gone nowhere had the president offered a concise plan, had his team kept repeating four or five logical and easily understandable talking points, and had he prepared a few pat answers to the more controversial elements of the plan, from the public option to so-called “end of life” panels to treatment of illegal aliens and the real cost.

Instead, Obama and his advisers, in lazy fashion, outsourced the plan to the partisan left-wingers of the Democratic party who are key House chairs. They in turn offered up a 1,000-page legalese mess, which the administration’s key players never read, and which Obama arrogantly thought he could wing through in a few weeks with his “hope and change” / “trust me” cadences.

Once a few citizens at town halls started to call them on it, it quickly became clear not just that Obama’s health-care reform was an effort to emulate in the long run the failed Canadian system, but far more importantly, that none of its defenders were able to explain, much less defend, the plan.

Now the problem is not just that health care is going down, but that in the process the administration has tarnished the blue-chip Obama brand, and we are in a sort of emperor-has-no-clothes moment. Take away the rhetoric and charisma, and this same absence of preparation, professional research, and focused public defense seems to apply to almost everything Obama has offered, from more stimulus and more deficit spending to cash for clunkers and cap and trade.

Obama’s administration is a mess and America knows it. Too much this past week has been revealed about the appalling secrets held and activities performed by this administration, an administration that rode in on a fantasy white horse that cajoled unsuspecting voters with empty, feel-good rhetoric, that claimed to be one of hope and change and a clean, new beginning for America.

From Rasmussen Reports:

These figures mark the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President. The previous low of -12 was reached on July 30.

The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. It is updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

Obama’s bumbling, race-baiting involvement in the Prof. Henry Gates/Cambridge police debacle, rising unemployment, union thuggery and Democrat attacks from Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, and others against American townhall dissenters of ObamaCare, the 10-year budget deficit growing by ANOTHER $2 trillion, the silly mess of “Cash for Clunkers,” and Obama’s expensive family vacation to Martha’s Vineyard during this escalating mess haven’t helped his approval rating, either.

Truth be told, I’m surprised his numbers aren’t lower than -14. The “Chicago Way” isn’t the “American Way.”

Related reading:
Gateway Pundit: Team Obama Funds Oil Drilling Project in Brazil… Nixes Offshore Drilling In US …Update: Soros Invested Heavily in Petrobras
VotingFemale Friends Speak!: Obama’s Approval Tanking to new minus 14 Index LOW; so says Rassmusen
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Fascist Nightmare: Obama’s Back Room Deals with Big Pharma… Obama’s Relationship with Drug Companies Exposed (video) and Govdelivery: Obama’s Spam Service for Unsolicited Axelrod Emails on ObamaCare, Taxpayer-Funded (video) and Our Deficit Grows and Obama Goes… On Vacation to Uber-Pricey Martha’s Vineyard and Garage Sale Police: No, I’m Not Kidding… Wish I Were and Barney Frank’s Wacky Town Hall Circus: Says He’ll Vote the Way HE Thinks Is Best on ObamaCare, Will Likely Ignore Majority of Voters (video)
The Patriot’s Mind: Obama’s Approval in the Tank – Solution? Investigate the CIA!
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: I Can’t Keep Up With All The Failures
No Runny Eggs: We’ve Only Just Begun
Hip Hop Republican: Isaac Hayes – “Help Me Put and End to Corruption in Chicago”
Cynthia Yockey, A Conservative Lesbian: Obama’s tanking, so expect a lie about Gov. Palin in 3, 2, 1…
Riehl World View: Today’s LOL: So, Sarah Palin Is Irrelevant?
Ztower: The Reid/Pelosi Fantasy Politics Time-Line
VotingFemale Speaks!: Sarah Palin Calls out Obama & Co on Giving Billions of your Dollars to Develop Oil Fields In Brazil instead of the USA
NewsReal Blog: Bill Maher Lies About Sarah Palin to Attack American Patriots
Right Voices: Poll: Americans losing confidence in Obama and Ted Kennedy Wants The Election Law Changed To Fill His Seat
GayPatriot: Obama Promised Fiscal Discipline, Delivered Fiscal Recklesness, Lost the Good Will of the American People and Another Day, Another Democrat Insults Obamacare Opponents
RedState: It’s pretty bad when you have *Air America* calling you a liar, Mr. President
FOX News: White House Reveals Identity of Firm That Sent Unsolicited E-Mails on Health Reform
Hot Air: GovDelivery throwing Obama under the bus?
Nice Deb: Video: Libs Cooling On “Charming Liar” Obama Because Of Big Pharma Deal
Chris Muir, Big Hollywood: The French Connection
ABC News: The Reshaping of the GOP
Clinging to G & G: Quote of the day and 2nd Quote of the day
The Underground Conservative: White House Admits It Paid For Spamming
The Hill: 10-year budget deficit grows by $2 trillion
Mark Epstein: The Choice is Clear: Kill the “Message” or kill the “Messengers”
Gathering of Eagles: NY: Barack Obama Vacations While Economy Tanks and Barack Obama: I’ll Pay Others to Drill for the Oil I won’t let Americans drill for themselves
Hot Air: The Obamas will conspicuously consume on Martha’s Vineyard
Lloyd Marcus, American Thinker: Who Will President Obama Drum Up Hate Against Next?
Hot Air Green Room: We Need The Truth, Not Beer and Apologies
Founding Bloggers: (VIDEO) African American Officer Regarding President Obama: “I Supported Him, I Voted For Him. I Will Not Again.”
Goodtimepolitics: Police officers across the country have a message for Obama
Michelle Malkin: Look who’s hijacking 9/11 and Harry Reid is “on the ropes” and Letter from a Whole Foods worker Updated and Sunday open thread and and Death panels? What death panels? Oh, those death panels and Dear White House: Look who’s funded by the health care industry and Um, who’s bought and paid for by the drug lobby? and Axelrod’s profits: Uh, who’s on the take from the drug lobby again?!?! and Flashback: Who’s funding the Obamacare Astroturf campaign? and Corporate Shills for Hope and Change and Stuck on stupid(ly)
Conservative Nation: The Left Attacks Whole Foods
Ztower: It’s Not About Your Health, Nitwit! It’s About President Obama’s Legacy. Now Get Out Of The Way!
Dandelion Salad: Obama’s New Mistress – Big Pharma + Mark Leno: Single Payer Saves Money
Pumas Unleashed: Obama caught behind closed doors making deals with Big Pharma…
Temple of Mut: Checklist of Death
GoodTimePolitics: If Sarah Palin’s dim and Obama is brilliant, how did he lose the argument to her? and The Dirty Dozen: 12 New Obama Administration Policies That Undermine Civil Society
Gadget’s Blog: News Flash: Obama not really black, just full of crap.
Sister Toldjah: Why “Gatesgate” is a losing situation for Obama – and black youths (UPDATE: POLICE RELEASE TAPES)
Pundit and Pundette: The sinking Obama brand, et cetera

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