Obama faces opposition from newly empowered Republicans

Republicans determined to slash spending and repeal his health care reform

No they aren't. They are determined to continue the kabuki theater where they claim that is what they want to do while they continue to do the opposite. Health care "reform" is a goldmine for private insurers, and they won't make any real changes. Government spending is being used to keep the US money supply from crashing and "wealth" from disappearing. They have no intention of doing anything about either, they just want the votes from the people who either aren't paying attention or those who are but are (justifiably) confused by the misdirection and magic tricks.

Republicans have vowed to shrink government and ease federal oversight of the private sector

Code for continuing to act for their masters. Where is the Tea Party now? All the USA's problems come from one source, the fact that banks and the financial sector are not held accountable for their losses and the public is picking up the tab. The idea that not changing that system is the solution is insanity. But then fools never cut their losses, they always double down.

"the damaged economy, unemployment and the national debt"

What's up with that?

The media would have you believe Republicans elect themselves. Obama faces opposition form the majority of Americans. The spending is out of control. He is harder on states like Arizona and on the cop who arrested a fellow tenured socialist than he is on Iran or on suicide bombers.

The spending is out of control

Indeed it is. Wake me up when the Republicans do something about it instead of just talk about it. And when they admit that out of control spending started in 1980 and not 2008, and admit that government spending exists to support the rich and not those damn poor people sponging off all those hard working taxpayers. (Or maybe only I have noticed that when government debt and spending goes up the number of poor people and number of rich people both go UP, not down.)

Until they do all that, there is no reason to take them seriously or pay attention to anything they say.

The current Congress made more laws this last year than any in the last 45 . The Democrats are again lurching towards totalitarianism. They can't help it.The rest of the country has to stop them.

Health care "reform" is a goldmine for private insurers" That it is but for us, those of us that sell devices its our death bed. You're gonna have a lot of foreign made devices as they'll get tax breaks (they already do) but we don't.

I really wish either party would come up with some type of rule that states that elected officials are prohibited from conflict of interests. Can't figure out how Pelosi and Reid actually got rich, and to be at the top of the wealthiest, by "serving"....

"Obama faces opposition form the majority of Americans."

He currently has a 50% approval rating.

"The spending is out of control."

Not true. General spending is up but not by a huge amount. Most of the short term deficit is due to a lack of revenues and trying to stimulate the economy due to the severe recession. The long term deficit is a problem because of social spending such as Medicare and Social Security. Politicians conveniently conflate short and long term deficits for their own political purposes.

"The current Congress made more laws this last year than any in the last 45 "

The Democratic controlled House passed hundreds of laws but because of the slow pace and rules of the Senate only a fraction were enacted into law.

What the country needs is newly empowered Independents. Both Dems and Repubs suck for air...and money.

Officially the debt is $14,025,215,218,708 and 52 cents.

Neo-cons, Tea Party etc will push the 14,294,000,000,000 higher like the Democrates would have by the end of February I guess.

Semi-controlled spending promised by the new majority will not change a thing.

The fishy stimulus went to the fat cats while the pleb haven't seen much improvement.

No they aren't. They are determined to continue the kabuki theater

What part of "kabuki theater" is mimicked in the Republican plan? Sorry I am not very familiar with kabuki, so can you explain?

He currently has a 50% approval rating.

Plain wrong. His average approval rating across polls is 46.5%. His average disapproval rating across polls is 48%. More people disapprove of Obama's job performance than approve.

Obama's poll numbers are strange. The new Gallup Poll on Jan 3rd says "Obama Job Approval Reaches 50% for First Time Since Spring" but his approval rating as a person is around 70%. That means the American people like him more as a person but not as much his policies.

His average approval rating across polls is 46.5%.

Much more to the point, 65.8 percent say the country is headed in the wrong direction[Real Politics polling]. Obama was on AirForceOne 172 days last year. He makes Bush look like a workaholic. He has played in 2 years the amount of golf that Dubberz did in 8.The Pelosi Congress has spent more than the first 100 Congresses combined.The madness has to end. These Democrats must be stopped.

What the country needs is newly empowered Independents. Both Dems and Repubs suck for air...and money." When oh when can we get away from this two party system? Kill off the republicans and we'll have the same amount of parties as China

Republicans have vowed to shrink government

I wonder if this includes the 742,848 military bases that the US has scattered over the globe on foreign soil.

742,848 military bases that the US has scattered over the globe on foreign soil." We have about 3 Million active and reserve.... you're telling me there's only 4.xx personnel per base? And I didn't know the military is part of the government but a service of the government (unless we have a martial law). You are right though, they should cut the military a lot too but not in uniformed members, but in those GS'ers and high priced contractors... Even went to a base a few months back in NJ. There wasn't one uniformed person there except the security guard.

I wonder if this includes the 742,848 military bases that the US has scattered over the globe on foreign soil.

I can't believe this silliness is allowed to stand here.

"I wonder if this includes the 742,848 military bases that the US has scattered over the globe on foreign soil."

"I can't believe this silliness is allowed to stand here"

Eh,SolidariTea: "He has played in 2 years the amount of golf that Dubberz did in 8." was one of your factoids.

And I didn't know the military is part of the government

It is in that tax payers fund it.

I can't believe this silliness is allowed to stand here.

It was meant to be a joke, but it was also meant to make a point. I guess you missed it. Oh well. Those that got it, got it...those that didn't, didn't.

Molenir: Really think GW Bush worked harder than Obama today?

GJDailleult - I'm still interested in the kabuki comparison, it sounds good. Can you explain what specifically in Kabuki is similar to the situation?