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Monday, January 26, 2009
Rich Galen :: Townhall.com Columnist
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Obama?
by Rich Galen
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What was the biggest suprise of Election Day?



One of the songs from the 1959 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" is, "How do you Solve a Problem like Maria?"

Republicans are asking themselves the same question about President Obama. According to RealClearPolitics.com, the new President's approval ratings average 73% ranging from a high of 79% (Pew and ABC news/Washington Post) to a low of 60% (CBS News/New York Times).

Note, though, that all of those polls were taken before last Tuesday's inauguration.

Republicans in the House and Senate have to find a voice without getting in between a 70+ percent President and the American people.

What … ever … shall … they … do?

First of all, don't panic. Just below the chart showing Obama at his high levels is a chart showing the approval rating of the U.S. Congress. Average? 21% approval. Nearly the same percentage of Americans disapprove of the way the Congress is operating as approve of the way the new Administration is starting.

So, the secret is to leave Barack Obama alone for the time being. He'll make his own mistakes. Snapping at a reporter in the briefing room the other day was not a good way to start.

The relatives of people killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 telling the press they are furious at the prospect of terrorists being set free upon the closing of Guantanamo will wear away some of the glow.

If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ever had a glow it has long since been reduced to a faint spark.

Republicans in the House cannot whine about not getting a fair chance to participate in the design of legislation. The current split is 256 Democrats and 178 Republicans (with one vacancy).

When you are 78 seats in the hole you are not going to win many battles in Committee or on the Floor. There are no filibusters in the House, whatever bill Pelosi wants to bring to the floor for a vote is coming to the floor for a vote.

Republicans in the House have to pick their spots. The current campaign to make the case that the focus of any stimulus package should be putting money directly into the hands of Americans so they can go back to being consumers - is a good example. Continued...
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About The Author

Rich Galen has been a press secretary to Dan Quayle and Newt Gingrich. Rich Galen currently works as a journalist and writes at Mullings.com

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Reply # 1
Date: Jan 28, 2009 - 2:59 AM EST
roy/ropati - 3
Bottomline: The issue of Barack’s eligibility for POTUS candidacy let alone taking the Oath and serving as POTUS will be resolved only by Barack releasing subject to independent verification all records and documents proving his US citizenship, rather than his hiding the information at great expense including to deal with the, at last count I saw, dozen or so lawsuits originating in different states by different plaintiffs – one of them a Hillary Clinton supporter. That will be the only thing that puts the conflicting stories to rest, affirms or denies them, and for some people deals with the mysteries of the Kennedys – Caroline to replace Sen. Hillary after Hillary’s SecState confirmation. Some also wonder about Obama’s willingness to help Hillary pay off her campaign debts, his letting Hillary slide by the 60-something vetting questionnaire especially in regard to Bill’s acquisition of money from foreigners, including a preponderance of Muslim countries. Barack’s release of records on all these matters, including his campaign financing, will show his commitment to “transparency in government” and resolve all speculation. Then he can serve unencumbered by all this, gain much-needed credibility, prove he did not swear a false Oath (erroneously on Jan. 20) repeated later at the WH and possibly remove the US from jeopardy of anarchy, chaos and 3rd-world country status, and risk of all his actions as POTUS being illegal and voided. I hope he does and wish him all success.
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Reply # 2
Date: Jan 28, 2009 - 2:56 AM EST
roy/ropati - 2
That story appeared in the Advertiser a few days after Barack spent $40,000 in campaign funds to go alone except for aircrew and professional attendants, security via Barack One private jet to visit his dying white grandmother, interrupting his campaign to do so. Barack did not attend his white grandmother’s memorial service with her family members and friends after she died. News media reported he intended to attend a private memorial service at some later date.
He returned to Hawaii after the election, stayed with family and supporters, campaign workers and security in a luxury beachfront resort, was photographed shirtless at the beach, etc. No report has surfaced of his attending a private service for his white grandmother - the woman who took him in, raised him, sent him to exclusive private school while he did illegal drugs, met often with a Communist mentor – a black man some say may be his real father. Then Barack/Barry went off to Occidental College from where he visited Indonesia and Pakistan on his Indonesian passport with his Muslim buds from college and stayed in Muslim homes in Pakistan. The story goes on from there, much of it in the two auto-biographical books – Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. Some say and Barack has never denied William Ayers wrote or edited those books for Barack. On p. 120 of the latter book, title taken from a Rev. Wright sermon where Barack says he sat for 20 years deaf, blind and dumb, never hearing a Wright Black Separatist rant, Barack explains his entire life up to that point as his “exotic background.” There are some other interesting quotes from both those books. (cont.)
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