Prepping for an avalanche

In a strange twist of political irony, Barack Obama observed his first anniversary in the White House Wednesday by watching the Senate seat held by the late Massachusetts political lifer, Ted Kennedy, change from Democrat to Republican.

It seems that it was not since powered wigs were congressional chic that a Senate seat belonged to a Republican in a state where Democrats outnumber them 3 to 1.

In an overdose of irony, it was Kennedy himself who pushed for changing the rules on how a senator from Massachusetts is to be replaced provided a seat became vacant.

While Republican Gov. Mitt Romney was in office, Kennedy successfully had the rules changed because he didn't want a Republican governor appointing a Republican. You know what they say about the best-laid plans.

Change is fleeting. One year ago, 54 percent of Americans believed President Obama would heal the political divisions in the country. Last week that figure was nearly sliced in half to 28 percent.

Last year, Obama's approval rating was a lofty 70 percent, but that too has taken a nose-dive to 46 percent. His disapproval rating is the highest ever recorded by Gallup at the beginning of any elected president's second year in office.

According to Realclearpolitics.com, by nearly a 2 to 1 margin, Americans say the country is on the wrong track. So what's wrong?

Leave it to Bill Clinton's "It's the economy, stupid." Last January, Obama promised his overhaul of the country's health-care system would be debated over the public airwaves. It hasn't happened.

Provided ObamaCare passes, the federal government would regulate and control one-sixth of the nation's economy. Who'd have ever thought we'd have more czars in D.C. than Moscow thanks to the unprecedented government incursion into American industry and commerce - General Motors, Frannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Federal fiefdoms anyone?

Then there's the stimulus - $787 billion that would halt unemployment at 8 percent. Instead, unemployment has increased to 10 percent, 17 percent if you count those who have stopped looking for work. Obama said he would "put an end to the run-away spending, the record deficits."

However, in just one year, the deficit has tripled and the ripple effect it will have on future generations will be unprecedented.

Terrorism: Granting Khalid Mohammed a criminal trial rather than a military tribunal awards him the same constitutional rights as any American.

Obama has this bizarre preference for prosecuting terrorists and not waging war against them, like somehow this will make them want to drop their weapons and become our friends. While at war, Americans shouldn't have to plea-bargain with those sworn to kill us.

This emphasizes how serious Obama is about fighting the "war on terror." In fact, the very term "war on terror" has been banished in the Oval Office.

Obama seems more concerned with getting down the correct political verbiage than dealing with the omnipresent threat we've witnessed on American soil twice in the past year.

Believing closing Guantanamo will curtail terrorist recruiting is more than naïve, it's foolish.

Global warming: Carbon Control in our Time! For years, global warming alarmists have pointed to every drought and heat wave as proof global warming is a threat. Then came those revealing e-mails.

Call it karma that brought a menacing snowstorm that pelted Copenhagen, Denmark, during the recent warming conference where 1,200 limos and 140 private jets transported all the bigwigs in luxury and an overload of carbon. Provided the cap-and-trade legislation ever passes, it would anchor the economy to the Titanic.

Nuclear armed Iran and North Korea: The longer we procrastinate, the higher the cost. Obama's overtures have only served to embolden our enemies in reaching their objective.

Obama has surrounded himself with people more interested in protecting him from blame then keeping the American nation, the people he swore to protect, safe from harm.

Since taking office, the president has campaigned on behalf of three Democratic candidates. All three have lost. The American people have spoken. Is Obama listening? A potential avalanche of change looms large, Nov. 2.

One final thought on the Massachusetts Senate election of Scott Brown. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Obama said that Democrat Martha Coakley lost, not because of anger among voters for the past year, but for the past eight years

Let's review. The most liberal state in the union just elected a Republican to a seat that's been Democratic for decades because of - you guessed it, George Bush.

Talk about a Bush League presidency.

(Maresca, a local freelance writer, composes "Talking Points" for each Sunday edition.)

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