Puncturing the Obama Popularity Balloon

It’s not surprising to see that Obama is seen as popular, even while his actual policies are much less so. The popularity polls are driven by the Pravda media, whose unprecedented sycophantic ‘coverage’ of Obama makes serious people cringe with embarrassment (a recent press conference hardball question: what about the Presidency has enchanted you?). This coverage reinforces the normal American proclivity to ‘give the guy a chance’, even as doubts grow.

But this begs the question—why is the media so sycophantic? Why are they unable to see how wildly in over his head Obama is, and how totally disconnected from reality his economic rhetoric is when compared to the actual ‘facts on the ground’? As the economy careens toward 10%+ unemployment (more than 25% in some American cities), and savings and pension values remain decimated, how is it possible that the Pravda media continues to be nothing but acolytes? When will the popularity polls start to crater?

Our answers: Pravda sees in Obama the secular model of competence: educational pedigree; soothing voice; a sort of suaveness and empathetic style in articulation. They don’t see him for the spiritually empty suit he is, because they are spiritually empty themselves (we know the Pravda media is more than 90% godless intellectuals/liberal Democrats). And so they can’t see the abject incompetence when it is right in front of them; they can’t even formulate a question that would expose him because they don’t think it is possible. They are giddy in seeing everything that they believe is possible to see in their concept of intelligence. They do not see his lack of real intelligence, which is most evident in his utter inability to connect with the heart and soul of the individual.

And that will be his undoing. He’s a class warfare guy; a group identity guy; an elitist vs. masses guy; a secular collectivist. Americans are none of those things. They may get duped for awhile by oratory, but it’s all just a helium balloon that’s already got a slow leak. Smooth talk won’t be able to kick accountability down the road much longer; articulate words cannot forever disguise reality. The American people may never fully turn on Obama in terms of visceral, personal dislike, but they will realize they’ve been had by a con man who isn’t like them (and that has nothing to do with skin color; it has everything to do with individuality and the love of freedom). Americans love their freedom, and they know it didn’t come from Obama. They also know when their freedom is being taken from them by an already too large and ever-growing government.

For our money, the 100-day artifice is likely the high-water mark for Obama’s popularity. Remember, about 40% of Americans didn’t vote in 2008; 46% of those who did vote didn’t vote for Obama; probably at least a third who did vote for him now wish they hadn’t. And even today’s polls are capturing clear majorities who do NOT favor growth of government on the scale being pursued. Really, what is the basis for believing Obama will continue to be popular?

Pravda was deeply invested in producing a glowing report card at 100 days, but now the celebration is over, and nothing in the economy or the world is improving. On the contrary, things continue to slide, and the Mafia-style lawlessness with which the auto company cramdowns were executed will not inspire anyone. We know for a fact that our instinctive reaction to the heavy-handed socialist takeover of GM and Chrysler and the UAW payback is very simple: a government-made vehicle? Give us a break. We’ll never buy another GM or Chrysler vehicle. We are absolutely certain that we are not the only ones with this reaction.

The socialists can do all the ownership engineering they want, but what if nobody wants the end product? We’re quite sure the Obama team is well down the path looking at ways to force consumers to buy GM and Chrysler cars through tariffs or other barriers imposed on Toyota and other carmakers. But we don’t think they can do enough fast enough. GM and Chrysler are finished; the UAW is going to own grand percentages of nothing.

Pravda may continue to fabricate polls, but we believe the level of fabrication is going to be more and more obvious and cringe-worthy. This farce is going to collapse. The popularity poll balloon has been punctured.

Paul Gable

Posted April 30, 2009