Arab Spring and American Fall
9/14/11 – President Obama – Apparently you are living in some dark spot surrounded by hawks who are completely out of tune with the rest of the world. You are hoping to be reelected and the Democrats are hoping to recapture the House in 2012. Public opinion shows it will probably not happen.
Poll
after poll show that:
Widespread
anger at America in the Muslim world. While views have improved in
Indonesia, throughout the Middle East and South Asia, hostility
toward the United States persists unabated. CNN's
Global Public Square.
Six in ten Americans believe that that the U.S. weakened its economy by overspending in its responses to the 9/11 attacks. Six in ten see the Arab-Israeli conflict as one of the five most important issues for U.S. interests. A clear majority (61%) says that the U.S. should not take sides in its efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while just 27% want the U.S. to lean toward Israel (5% toward Palestinians). WorldPublicOpinion.org.
Along with earning the lowest monthly job approval rating of his presidency, 41%, in August, President Barack Obama received term-low monthly job approval ratings from Hispanics (48%) and whites (33%) and tied his lowest rating from blacks (84%). Congressional job approval is now 15%, up slightly from the record-tying low of 13% recorded in August, while disapproval is 82%, compared with 84% last month. Gallup
...Thus in many nations where fears of American power have been so pervasive in the decade since Sept. 11, there are now concerns about the relative decline of American power. Initially, the exercise of U.S. military strength in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with the perception that the U.S. disregards the interests of other countries, led to a backlash against American power. But today, the rise of China and the uncertainty surrounding global economic leadership are creating new anxieties about a world where, many believe, American power is weakening. Pew Research Center
In Kabul United States ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker said Wednesday that his embassy was hit with six grenades in a Taliban attack, but played down the insurgents’ raid as “not a very big deal”. 27 people died in a 24-hour battle, but Crocker says it was “not a big deal.”
In remarks by Secretary Panetta at the Pentagon during the recent 9/11 Commemoration for Pentagon Personnel, he said, “We must never stop being vigilant. We must never stop keeping the pressure on. We must never stop fighting to protect the safety of this country. We must never stop until we have been able to ensure that terrorists have no place to hide and that they no longer represent a threat to this country.”
In other words he just declared unending war. Americans and the entire World population want Peace.
The American position on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict flies in the face of World opinion. The one-sided support of Israel is insane. American threats to veto Palestinian Statehood and threats to cut aid to Palestine are being met with worldwide revulsion. Jews around the World are rallying against America's support. There is a critical difference between support for Israel in the past and today. American Jews routinely participate in protests against the Israeli occupation. In Europe Jews have become reluctant to publicly show their support for Israel. Many have joined the BDS movement which can be summed up as the struggle against Israeli colonization, occupation and apartheid. BDS is a rights-based strategy to be pursued until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and complies with the requirements of international law.
Israel now occupies all but 13 percent of the West Bank. They are continuing to construct new illegal settlements. Their walls cut right through Palestinian homes and farms. As a result of their failure to have the courage to say, “I'm sorry,” they have totally alienated their ties with Turkey and Egypt. And that alienation has led to further unhappiness with Israel from many of their other neighbors. In the face of all of this, American one-sided support will only exacerbate the problem.
American Jews in New York abandoned the Democratic party last night when they overwhelming voted for a Republican to replace Anthony Weiner. Republicans are trying to spin this as a vote against your “anti-Israel policies”, but, if you talk to the voters, you will find the majority want peace in the Middle East.
You have alienated the Hispanic vote with your failure to act on immigration reform. Max Baucus single handedly torpedoed health care reform. Baucus was also one of 5 Democrats who killed the Dream Act and Hispanics know that your campaign manager previously worked for and advised Max Baucus. Under your leadership more people have been deported than ever before. Private prisons and detention centers are raking in millions harassing and housing legal and illegal immigrants.
Black Americans feel completely abandoned by you and the Democrats. Their unemployment record is out of sight. Your popularity ranking continues to plunge. If Troy Anthony Davis is executed next week, you will see your ranking plunge even further. If you had any courage you would immediately grant Davis clemency and/or commute his sentence to life while the truth about his wrongful conviction winds its way through a terribly biased Georgia justice system. Troy has always maintained his innocence, and there was never any physical evidence linking him to the crime. 7 out of the 9 non-police witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony. New witnesses have come forth identifying another suspect.
As to jobs, it is obvious that Republicans will never cooperate with you. You should explore the sale of a new class of Treasury bonds, called JOB BONDS to fund the creation of new American jobs. See my previous letter on the subject here: http://www.tomasdaly.com/PresidentObamaEmails2.html.
Americans voted for you because you promised CHANGE. Sadly a Republican will probably replace you. You have just 14 months to right the ship of fools you are currently piloting. It's time to lead. It's time to quit trying to compromise with a group who has publicly stated their goal is to do anything that will defeat you. It's time to dust off those promises you made. It's time to clean out the financial advisors who support only corporations and bankers. It's time for CHANGE.
Thomas
Daly
Retired California Newspaper
Publisher
tomasdaly.com
voteoutincumbents.org