Barack Obama stood naked on November 2nd and it wasn't a pretty sight.
Angry Democrats lash back
There's no question that the Democratic Party is in disarray. The Clintons are putting out feelers for a possible bid for the presidency in 2012, Democrats lost their seats in the House in record numbers, the Senate has been weakened, and state legislatures have shifted mightily to the Republicans.
The guilty person is Barack Obama.
To more and more Democrats, Obama has become a political poison pill. He appears confused, incompetent, unsure. He speaks well, but mostly when he's in front of a teleprompter.
It's become an inside joke among both political parties that Obama used a teleprompter when meeting with elementary school children during one of his appearances earlier this year.
None of that helps bolster Obama's image.
Now many Democrats are whispering amongst themselves about the cronyism, incompetence, backdoor deals with Wall Street bigwigs, false starts and policy failures of the Obama administration. Some of those voices are rising from whispers to shouts.
Small business people scared to death
"Obama's fiscal policy is stupid. None of us know what's going to happen next." A statement made by a Republican operative? No. It's the heartfelt expression of a lifelong Democrat who owns a small plumbing business in Chicago. Chicago of all places.
It doesn't matter what political persuasion a person is loyal to, most small business people are scared to death of the current economic climate and what's coming next. Many feel paralyzed.
"It's nice to know I'm rich," a 57-year old owner of a computerized injection molding company muses. The Arlington Heights, Illinois businessman has 23 employees and has been in business since 1977. When talking about Washington's fiscal policy he can only shake his head.
He lives in a modest suburban house with a mortgage. Has two cars and a daughter in college out of state. He pays himself $90,000 a year and his business grosses $1.8 million a year.
"According to Obama, I'm one of the filthy rich. What he doesn't seem to understand is that the way I'm set-up--hell many of us [small businesses] are--we aren't C corporations but S corporations. That means under Obama's proposed tax hike on me and the others, a lot more people are going to have to be let go. Personally, I'll have to terminate at least 4 employees. If I don't do it I'll be out of business. Figure it out. What's that going to do to unemployment? We're screwed."
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