Many gay activists and others are talking about the speech Barack Obama gave at a big LGBT fundraiser in NYC and how he "punted" on the topic of gay marriage by telling his audience he believed it was an issue for states to decide.Gay activists were not happy with his side stepping an issue they feel is important and are verbally slapping him upside the head for today.
There was another speech given though in Manhattan was at the Broadway Theatre, where Obama spoke to supporters who bought tickets, which started at $100, to watch a performance of the musical "Sister Act."
Andrew Malcolm at LA Times' Top of the Ticket (thanks for the email Andrew!!!) caught something that Obama said and wonders if Obama is in that "White House bubble" and shows Obama's complete political disconnect with reality.
Obama said "The track record of the last 2 1/2 years is one that I could not be prouder of."
Oh really?
Andrew runs the numbers and finds;
***Unemployment was 7.3 when Obama took office, it is 9.1 percent now, not including the million who have given up looking
***When Barack Obama became president, the national debt was $10.6 trillion. Today, it is $14.3 trillion, a 35% increase in 885 days. Borrowing of nearly $4.2 billion every day, photo op or not.
***Obama's approval number has dropped from 69 percent to 43 percent.
Malcolm shows the breakdown;
****Gallup, Obama's job approval was 43%.That's down 25 points among whites, down 24 among seniors, down 23 among independents, down 22 among men, down 21 among women.
*** Obama's disapproval rate is 50 percent
*** 66 percent of the country thinks the U.S. is on the wrong track
A couple additional points to add to Andrew's, via Pew Research:
***The public's economic optimism is now at its lowest point since July 2008
***But the percentage saying they expect the economy to be better a year from now has fallen 13 points since April 2010 (from 42% to 29%) and is at its lowest point since Obama took office.
***Fewer than three-in-ten Americans (27%) say that Obama's policies have made economic conditions better, a figure that has changed little over the past two years. Somewhat more (34%) say that Obama's policies have made conditions worse, while 33% say they have had no effect so far.
This is the 2 1/2 year track record that Barack Obama could not be "prouder" of.
His track record. His resume. His policies. His failure.
.