Perspective

Six Enormous Stakes In Presidential Election.

Still Thinking About Voting For Obama?

Hat tip to Common Cents.

Obama: Banks Are In It To Make Money; Which Is Why We Need to Regulate Them

Last night, I caught a late night showing of Atlas Shrugged Part II with a friend of mine. Little did I know, at the same time, President Obama was on Leno, doing his best to prove we are now living in Atlas Shrugged.

Scary Chart Of The Day

Note that the biggest jump in spending, by far, in the last 55+ years comes with the start of the Obama era.  Our federal deficits are primarily driven by a massive spending problem, rather than a revenue problem.

55 percent of small business owners would not start company today, blame Obama

Gehrke: 

Fifty-five percent of small business owners and manufacturers would not have started their businesses in today’s economy, according to a new poll that also reports 69 percent say President Obama’s regulatory policies have hurt their businesses . . . .

The poll reports another ominous statistic for job creation: “67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers.” Why? Because “President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers,” according to 69 percent of the business owners surveyed.

Honey, You Didn't Build That

Via Instapundit.

Mitt's Right: Handouts Do Win Votes

Carr:  '[T]he indisputable fact is, a huge percentage of Obama’s voters are basically wards of the state. There are millions of them, and they have no intention of voting for anyone who might want them to ever go out and work for a living — “no matter what.”

Well, yeah.

Under Obamanomics, the 47% — and everyone else — will be paying more taxes soon enough

 

Pethokoukis:

One of these two things has got to give: Either a) the projected future explosion in federal spending is reduced or b) a good chunk of the 47% of Americans who currently pay no income taxes will have to start (or perhaps pay a value-added tax).

Less spending or just about everybody — including the broad middle class — will pay more. Lots more . . . .

Why won’t President Obama — unlike Paul Ryan — release a long-term budget plan? Simple. If he did, it would show the only way to realistically pay for the Democratic spending agenda is to eventually raise taxes on pretty much everybody.

And this chart represents an optimistic assessment.

Obama In 1998: "I Actually Believe in Redistribution"

Not that this is exactly new news, but it is worth reminding voters from time to time. 

Everything You Need To Know About Obamanomics

Since Obama has taken office ….
[through Q2 2012 for comparative purposes]

      For every $1 added to the economy, we’ve added more than $3 in debt
      added $5.23 trillion in debt vs. $1.68 trillion to the economy
      50% increase in debt vs. 12% increase in economic output

Total Public Debt:
$10,626T [Jan 20, 2009]
$15,856T [Jun 30, 2012]
--> $5.23 trillion increase in debt

About Romney's "47%" Comment

Over the next few days, you can expect a fair bit of media handwringing and feigned indignation regarding the edited partial video from a private Romney fundraiser in which Romney says that 47% of Americans will vote for Obama because they do not pay federal income taxes or are dependent on government.  The message, however, is right, if not perfectly articulated.  To help make that point, the Astute Bloggers have gathered a few statistics.

Plus:  Thoughts from Professor Jacobson.

And more over at GayPatriot.

Terrifying!

Increases in Real Per Capita Federal Spending Over The Past 35 Years.

 

"This is no way to run a country. But it might be a great way to wreck the economy."  Might?

How Obama Benefits From His Own Failure

John Hinderkaker:

Because Obama’s policies have suppressed economic growth, the ranks of the unemployed and underemployed have grown steadily. As unemployment benefits have finally run out, the long-term unemployed have, by the millions, declared themselves to be permanently and totally disabled. Millions of Americans have come to be dependent on government largesse as a result of the economic folly of the Obama administration. So how are those people going to vote? One might think that, angry at the government policies that have robbed them of their ability to be self-supporting, they would vote Republican. No doubt some will. But many more will cling to the only life raft in sight, and will vote for the party that promises the never-ending continuation and expansion of government benefits.

As Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds says:  "They'll turn us all into beggars 'cause they're easier to please."

The Stakes Are Too High To Lose, Or Take Anything For Granted

John Hinderaker: 

On paper, given Obama’s record, this election should be a cakewalk for the Republicans. Why isn’t it? I am afraid the answer may be that the country is closer to the point of no return than most of us believed. With over 100 million Americans receiving federal welfare benefits, millions more going on Social Security disability, and many millions on top of that living on entitlement programs–not to mention enormous numbers of public employees–we may have gotten to the point where the government economy is more important, in the short term, than the real economy. My father, the least cynical of men, used to quote a political philosopher to the effect that democracy will work until people figure out they can vote themselves money. I fear that time may have come . . . .

Maybe this anxiety is misplaced. President Obama has never been able to rise above 47% support in the polls, and perhaps when November comes undecided voters will break against the incumbent, as the conventional wisdom has it. Maybe the election won’t be so close after all. We’d all better hope so. Because, given the rate at which Democrats are frantically adding to the dependency state, another four years of Obama may be enough to tip the balance between the private sector and government dependence once and for all.

Read the whole thing and then get active.

Social Economics 101

Math

Erick Erickson:

If Barack Obama gets his way and raises taxes on everyone making $250,000.00 a year or more, the amount of money he brings in will not close his own budget deficit. Nevermind the national debt — he won’t close this year’s budget deficit.  

In fact, if we get the Democrats’ their wet dream of tax policy and take 100% of all annual income of everyone making $250,000.00 a year or more, we still won’t close Barack Obama’s budget deficit.

This is why Barack Obama will continue to simply demogague the Ryan plan, rather than present an actual plan of his own.  It is mathematically impossible for any real plan to match his own and, thus, the lie would be revealed.

Auto Bailout

Even the Treasury Department is now admitting that they expect the taxpayers to lose $25 billion on the auto bailout.  And yet Obama wants to repeat the government's bailout of the auto industry in every industry.  

The Case Against Reelection

Krauthammer: 

There are two ways to run against Barack Obama: stewardship or ideology. You can run against his record or you can run against his ideas.

The stewardship case is pretty straightforward: the worst recovery in U.S. history, 42 consecutive months of 8-plus percent unemployment, declining economic growth — all achieved at a price of an additional $5 trillion of accumulated debt.

The ideological case is also simple. Just play in toto (and therefore in context) Obama’s Roanoke riff telling small-business owners: “You didn’t build that.” Real credit for your success belongs not to you — you think you did well because of your smarts and sweat? he asked mockingly — but to government that built the infrastructure without which you would have nothing.

Play it. Then ask: Is that the governing philosophy you want for this nation?

Mitt Romney’s preferred argument, however, is stewardship. Are you better off today than you were $5 trillion ago? Look at the wreckage around you. This presidency is a failure. I’m a successful businessman. I know how to fix things. Elect me, etc. etc.

Easy peasy, but highly risky.

And Yet We're Still Not Allowed to Call Him A Socialist?

Obama:  Let's have a government bailout, not just in the auto industry, but in every industry.

Of course, considering the auto bailout was such a great success for the taxpayers.

Dependency

Daniel Halper:  Over 100 Million Now Receiving Federal Welfare.