Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Obama’s approval rating slips to 44 percent
Rasmussen Reports has a new poll showing 55 percent disapprove of Obama’s job performance



WASHINGTON, DC—Rasmussen Reports daily tracking has President Obama’s job approval charting at 44 percent, with 55 percent disapproving. According to the polling firm, “Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-four percent (55%) disapprove. The Rasmussen Reports Media Meter shows that media coverage of the President has been 51% positive over the past week.”

There are a host of reasons for the president’s poor performance rating: unemployment that remains close to 10 percent, a lingering recession, unpopular legislation, unfinished wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, GITMO remaining open, near-miss terrorist attacks, and inaction to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Obama’s disapproval numbers also account for four high profile election losses and the prospects in November’s midterm elections—that is quite simply, governing against the will of the American people (both left and right) has real consequences. Mr. Obama has said he wouldn’t mind being a one term president and if he stays with his current agenda, he’ll likely be one.


--Killswitch Politick




Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Haliburton awarded a no-bid contract by the Obama administration
KBR, a former subsidiary gets a deal for 20,000 times the maximum no-bid ceiling

WASHINGTON, DC—Bloomberg News reported that KBR, a former subsidiary of Haliburton, has been awarded a no-bind contract worth at least $500 million. The engineering and construction company, even though the Justice Department is pursuing a lawsuit stemming from taking kickbacks from sub-contractors.     

On the campaign trial in November of 2007, then Senator Barack Obama said, “I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.”

That statement certainly isn’t in-line with an estimated $568 million to be paid to the ex-Haliburton subsidiary through 2011 nor the $25,000 cap on no-bid contracts.

The Obama campaign boosted, “Barack Obama and Joe Biden will end abuse of no-bid contracts by requiring that nearly all contract orders over $25,000 be competitively awarded.” But in the 2008 campaign, Candidate Obama was the top recipient of KBR employee donations, contributing over $20,000 to his coffers.

I guess this is what Mr. Obama meant when he stated he would engage in a “laser-like focus” on jobs; perhaps this is the first step to bring down the unemployment rate.


--Owen E. Richason IV
Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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