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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 20, 2010
/ 10 Elul, 5770
Out of Touch
By
Linda Chavez
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
His supporters are genuinely puzzled at President Obama's slip in popularity. They're racking their brains to explain how a man who swept into the Oval Office on a tide of good will could have fallen so low. According to recent polls, most Americans now disapprove of the job Obama is doing. That's a dramatic change from his early months in office, when the president held a 2-to-1 advantage in his approval ratings.
Former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta suggests the president has been acting more like a prime minister and less like a president, relying on legislative accomplishments to define his presidency. Others, like former President Jimmy Carter, have even blamed racism for the president's unpopularity. But the explanation for the president's disapproval is pretty simple. He seems to have no clue what to do about the economy — and everything he's done so far has either failed or made matters worse.
Unemployment is stuck at 9.5 percent — and that number only reflects the percentage of people who have looked for work in the previous four weeks. If you included among the unemployed those who've become so discouraged they've stopped searching for jobs, it would add several million more people to the ranks and raise the rate by several points. And if you count the number of people who have accepted part-time work because there were no full-time jobs available, the rate of unemployed and underemployed would be close to double the official unemployment rate.
To date, Obama's only response to unemployment has been to increase government spending. In doing so, he's padded government payrolls and extended unemployment benefits — which can actually encourage people to stay on the unemployment rolls instead of taking jobs that might be less than desirable. But government spending doesn't create jobs in the private sector. Private-sector employers are worried enough about the anemic growth in the economy, looming deficits, and tax increases that they just aren't hiring.
But it isn't just the president's policies that are problematic. He may be the most out-of-touch occupant of the White House in my lifetime. Witness his reaction to the controversy on the building of a mosque and community center near the site of the 9/11 attack in lower Manhattan.
First, he condescendingly lectured Americans about the First Amendment and the right of Muslims "to practice their religion" — as if anyone was suggesting otherwise. Then he snapped at a reporter who asked about the remarks the following day, "I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put the mosque there."
Two years ago, candidate Obama was able to fill stadiums with adoring crowds everywhere he went. Americans were drawn to his message of hope and change — enough so that they overlooked his inexperience when they went to the polls. He was a tabula rasa on whom many Americans projected leadership qualities they wanted to see.
But the real man hasn't so much led America as he has stood aloof. Even his signature accomplishment — health care reform — was more the handiwork of congressional Democrats than it was a product of his making. He seems eerily disconnected even when he gets what he wants.
With the mid-term elections just around the corner, Obama will soon be back in full campaign mode. But no one seems to believe he can work his old magic — not even the Democrat candidates who'd normally jump at the chance to have a sitting president campaign for them.
If the Republicans take over the House — and win enough Senate seats to ensure their ability to block legislation — the president will find it difficult to continue his spending spree. If Republicans can block tax increases, too, the economy might actually begin to take off.
When that happens, the president's popularity will likely improve as well, as it did for Bill Clinton after the 1994 Republican congressional sweep. But the irony will be that a Republican victory may be the president's only chance to improve his falling approval ratings.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Linda Chavez is President of the Center for Equal Opportunity. Her latest book is "Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)
Linda Chavez Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
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