Obama at 41% Job Approval - CNN

CNN - Politics: Reports on its end of year poll for President Obama, " Obama's approval rating stands at 41% in a new CNN/ORC International survey.....The President's disapproval rating remains unchanged at 56%, which is an all-time high in CNN surveys. ".

Lets Get Real:

Thus what political advice does this blog have for the Oval, it would never take it, but here it is, he needs new staff, old hands who will tell him the TRUTH not what he wants to hear, he needs to find a way to ditch ObamaCare or make it WORK, and fast, if the studies are right between 50 - 100 million Americans could lose their business health cover, IF that happens the Oval and the Democrats are toast, thus either reform ObamaCare or ditch, take the political punches from the left and move on.   On the domestic side, there is a need for immigration reform, this will not happen if ObamaCare is front and centre, thus as stated above, a resolution one way or other, then get the Republicans to support the bill by taking on some of their idea, show to the US voter that the Oval can actually deal in Washington D.C.   On the international front, be tougher with Iran, its good to have the PR of being tough, you can have back channel talks at the same time, a bad deal will not get pass the House or Senate.   The Oval has to get its mind around the fact that it has to either ditch ObamaCare or make it work, it can not wait for 50 - 100 million Americans to find they have no health cover, then it would be to late.    This is good advice, but the Oval will not take it, its ego does not match its skills.    Thus expect ObamaCare to be front and centre next year.  

Is the Liberal NYT turning on Obama ? - 2nd Term Blues

The New York Times: Reports the following on the latest ObamaCare change, " Millions of people facing the cancellation of health insurance policies will be allowed to buy catastrophic coverage and will be exempt from penalties if they go without insurance next year, .. ".

Lets Get Real:

It can be postulated that even the liberal NYT is not buying the latest spin out of the Oval that only half a million are still without health cover, either its half a million or 5.5 million, one would normally give the truth to the Oval, but with the Obama White House TRUTH is a strange concept.  The Democrats in the House and Senate must be looking at the polls and thinking they will be wiped out next year in the Mid Term Elections, thus the pressure on the Oval to change the rules of ObamaCare.   The  Obama White House has been changing the rules of ObamaCare on the fly, its has been making strong suggestions to the insurance companies and the States to change the rules, thus going against ObamaCare.    There has been push back thus the latest development.  One postulate that ObamaCare is fast turning in to a dodo, and the cost will be paid by Democrats in 2014. 

The White House, Reality and ObamaCare - 2nd Term Blues

The Guardian: Reports the following on the latest change by the Obama White House when it comes to ObamaCare, " The administration estimates that fewer than 500,000 people have still not found coverage after their existing plans were canceled because of the new law’s requirement that insurance options meet a set of minimum requirements. ".

Lets Get Real: 

This is the same White House that pushed out a website that did not work, would not know the truth if it bit it on the backside.   If the Obama Administration is estimating that half a million Americans still do not have cover, one can assume the real number is in the millions, so while President Obama swans off to Hawaii for another game of Golf, millions of Americans could find in the New Year that they have no cover, or if they have enrolled the back end of ObamaCare has not been built, thus paying the insurance companies, thus people are not covered.  Also the information from ObamaCare is a mess from the view of the insurance companies, wrong personal information, bad spelling etc.   ObamaCare will haunt Democrats right up to the 2014 Mid Term Elections. 

Latest ObamaCare Change - 2nd Term Blues

BBC News: Reports on the latest change to ObamaCare, the Obama Administration will grant a hardship exemption to those Americans who have lost their health cover due to ObamaCare, thus they can get bare bone plan, the article notes the following, " The "hardship exemption" will apply to roughly 500,000 people who lost their private plans under the law commonly known as Obamacare. ".

Lets Get Real:

Of all the States that have reported about six million Americans have lost their health plan due to ObamaCare, if the new change just covers half million how about the rest of the 5.5 million, are they suppose to just suck it, either pay a higher price for health cover or just pay the cost of not getting the individual mandate, what if they have enrolled on ObamaCare but due to the IT problems they have not paid the insurance companies, they might think they are covered but what if they have a New Year accident as the insurance companies have been negative on the idea from the Oval they cover those even if people have not paid.   ObamaCare is a political and policy mess, when will Democrats wake up and smell the coffee. 

US Senate vs. the Oval over Terror policy - 2nd Term Blues

The New York Times: Reports the following from the US Senate Intelligence Committee, " has asked the C.I.A. for an internal study done by the agency that lawmakers believe is broadly critical of the C.I.A.’s detention and interrogation program ".

Lets Get Real:

The Oval and the CIA should fight the Senate Committee over this request, the Obama Oval on the whole has kept the Bush 43 strategy when dealing with terrorism, in fact the Oval has increased drone strikes, they have become more deadly under President Obama.   The Oval and the CIA has to protect the national security interests of the US, the Senate is full of Senators who think they should be President, most you would not trust to take you dog for a walk.   Those pushing for the release of these secret and sensitive files have allowed the memory of 9/11 to fade from their memory for political reasons, the left hated the Bush 43 strategy when dealing with terror, they thought Obama would throw it ALL out, that has not happened, there have been some PR change, and NO torture, depends if POTUS has really asked after giving that order.   On this President Obama on the whole has been right, right on the decision and to the right of the liberal extreme of the Democratic Party.   Hat off to POTUS. 

More Disaster for ObamaCare - Private Exchanges NOT WORKING!

CNN - Politics: Reports the following, " Private health insurance exchanges still are not able to directly enroll consumers in subsidized health plans offered through Obamacare.. ".

Lets Get Real:

At what point do Democrats in the House and Senate BAIL on the Oval, how many lies can they cover for, the above is the latest disaster to befall ObamaCare, on can not recall a time when there was any good news, also it can be expected that on January 1st 2014 millions of Americans will have no health cover, what happens if someone has enrolled in ObamaCare, has not paid his/her first payment, will the insurance companies follow the advice of the Oval and cover people who might have accidents in the New Year, it is a open question.   The Republicans should only pass the debt ceiling if the Oval will delay the whole of ObamaCare for a year as to fix the system.  If the Oval will not then the Republicans should not give the Oval one more dime for the debt ceiling.  It is time to play Chicago hard ball with the Oval. 

Torture Memos and Congress - 2nd Term Blues

Guardian: Reports from Washington on a class between the Obama Administration and the Senate Intelligence Committee when it comes to CIA torture memos, " Senators clash with Justice Department lawyer over CIA intelligence memos...CIA nominee Caroline Krass angers intelligence committee by claiming legal opinions on torture are beyond its scope ".

Lets Get Real:

This shows that the Obama Administration has become realistic when it comes to the torture of terrorists, when that clock is ticking you have to do what is needed, torture is not the first thing used, but in extreme cases it has to be used, it is an interesting question, is it better to be killed by a Obama drone or ducked under water for a few minutes.   One could postulate that terrorist would take the water torture to being killed by a drone.    Of course the official US line that under Obama there is no more torture just a massive increase in drone strikes that sometimes takes out innocent people, this blog does NOT credit that for one second, one assumes that the CIA or other off the book agencies do the job, a President would not ask, he might get told,  after 9/11 and 7/7 and other incidents ALL methods have to be used, its sad fact but that is the truth, the West can not afford to be PC or asleep at the Helm.