It was perhaps the most memorable utterance of former President George H.W. Bush’s early days, so when he broke his “read my lips, no new taxes” pledge in 1990 the public never again viewed his policy promises the same way.
A prominent Republican pollster who was working at the Republican National Committee then said the broken pledge contributed significantly to Bush’s 1992 loss to Bill Clinton. Now President Obama is facing his own rhetorical crisis over the false Obamacare sales pitch, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it.”
David Winston told Secrets that the empty promise “undercuts the president’s argument on everything.” It’s not that the public won’t trust Obama or believe his sincerity, said Winston, but there will forever be “something in the back of their minds” telling them that the president won’t be able to deliver.
“It’s a real problem,” said Winston, adding that Obama already suffers from poor approval ratings and is viewed unfavorably by the public.
It’s a huge opening for the GOP, he said. “This is a big moment. We’re in a position where people are open to listening to us.”
He and others are advising the GOP to focus on job creation and the economy, which polls put far ahead of Obamacare on the list of issues concerning Americans. House Speaker John Boehner seems to agree, making jobs one of the election’s top issues, followed by Obama’s signature initiative, the Affordable Care Act.
WEEKEND FOR OBAMAS, BIDENS COST $295,437
President’s Day seems to have no equal when when it comes to vacation extravagance by the occupants of the White House and vice president’s mansion.
According to new records obtained by the taxpayer watchdog group Judicial Watch and provided to Secrets, three separate jaunts taken by President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill during last year’s Presidents Day weekend cost at least $295,437.
And that’s mostly just for security, not Air Force One, Air Force Two, or other official costs. Biden’s Aspen, Colo., skiing trip cost the most, $115,777.61. Obama’s Florida golf weekend cost $98,135.79, and the first lady’s Aspen vacation was billed at $81,523.64.
WALL STREET ADVISOR: UNEMPLOYMENT IS 37.2%
Don’t believe the happy talk coming out of the White House, Federal Reserve and Treasury Department when it comes to the real unemployment rate. Because, according to an influential Wall Street advisor, the figures are a fraud.
In a client memo provided to Secrets, David John Marotta calculates the actual unemployment rate of those not working at a sky-high 37.2 percent, not the 6.7 percent advertised by the Fed.
“The unemployment rate only describes people who are currently working or looking for work,” said the Charlottesville, Va.-based adviser. That leaves out a ton more.
“Unemployment in its truest definition, meaning the portion of people who do not have any job, is 37.2 percent. This number obviously includes some people who are not or never plan to seek employment. But it does describe how many people are not able to, do not want to or cannot find a way to work,” he wrote in a memo meant to warn clients about buying stocks in an overpriced market.
DEMS SEE GOLD IN TEA PARTY INFLUENCE
Despite national polls showing dwindling voter support for the Tea Party, House Republicans are embracing the movement’s issues tighter than ever, setting up a potential clash with voters in districts that lean Democratic, according to a new study of key House votes.
On average, said the study from the progressive group Americans United for Change, House Republicans in Democratic-leaning districts or those that voted for President Obama over Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 sided with the Tea Party about 81 percent of the time.
With the vote scorecard, titled “Tea Stained,” the group is launching an effort to spotlight Tea Party votes by 47 moderate Republicans in Democratic-leaning districts. Winning some of those districts in the fall is the only chance Democrats have of taking back control of the House, though most pollsters see the Republicans staying in charge.
“The Tea Party, which is now synonymous with the Republican Party, is an anvil around the necks of moderate and swing GOP members, and this report ensures that as hard as they try, they can’t run from their records,” Americans United for Change President Brad Woodhouse told Secrets.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
