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    Power Players

    Is Obama peaking too early?

    Top Line

    Barack Obama is having a very good month, at least as far as presidents facing a tough re-election go.

    As Yahoo News Washington Bureau Chief David Chalian points out, the President's approval rating cracked the critical 50 percent mark in the latest ABCNews/Washington Post poll this week.  Obama is now leading Mitt Romney in a hypothetical match-up with a margin of 51-45 percent. No doubt that boost comes in large part from the improved economic picture and especially the report last week that unemployment is at a three-year low.
    That's good news for Obama. But is that good news coming too early?  Candidates want the trending pendulum to swing their way — but election day is still nine months away.
    Amy Walter, ABC's Political Director, reminds that independent voters decide elections. And on that front, Obama's prospects are mixed. If the election is about tax code fairness — Obama wins, handily. Indies give him 48% to 47% approval rating on the issue.  But, if the election is about job creation and economic revival, Obama has some convincing to do. Just 39% approve of the job he's done on creating jobs — and just 41% approve of his handling of economy.
    And whether the pendulum is swinging in his direction or not, ABC News' Rick Klein explains Obama isn't taking any chances. The President's absolute 180 degree turn on the issue of supporting Super PACs means that the Obama campaign will now send surrogates out to actively fundraise for Priorities USA. They see the numbers, and they're scary numbers, of big money being raised on the other side.
     
    • Mission Man  •  4 days ago
      A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN

      Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of coffee, he
      takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised.

      All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

      In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

      Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joes employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.

      If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

      Its noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

      Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime.

      Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

      He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

      Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day.

      Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."
    • Mission Man  •  4 days ago
      Republicans like to call Obama extreme. I think extreme is directing five guys to hold down the kid that didn't fit in so he could butcher his head with a scissors. I think extreme is hiding money in complicated Cayman Island accounts to cheat on taxes in a way no middle class American could do.
    • Mission Man  •  4 days ago
      The reason why the Repubs will loose more and more power is because they let the religious wackos take control of their party. Real Americans now what seperation of church and state truly mean.
    • Mission Man  •  7 days ago
      Once America is forced to learn a bit more about who Romney really is, Obama will beat him handily. I'm looking forward to hearing Mitt's concession speech.
    • Mission Man  •  7 days ago
      If the Republicans were in the White House now, we would be in 5 seperate wars. Iran, Iraq, Afganistan, Syria and North Korea.......and they still would be promoting tax cuts!
    • Mission Man  •  7 days ago
      This just shows the lack of character, honesty and integrity of the Republican Party. They are so desperate knowing how badly they are hated and are going to lose most of their seats, they are going to stay in the gutter the whole campaign. They have nothng to run on because they have spent the last 3 years doing NOTHING but obstructing every single piece of legislation to help jobs, infrastructure, veterans, homeowners, and the poor. They are People haters unless you are white and rich. They are bigots who are working to take away our rights as workers, women, voters, and even as human beings trying just to have a roof and food for our families.
      Republicans are destroyers, haters, and liars and we need to remove all of them from office in November to bring back our America and repeal all their extremist non-Christian state laws.

      I stand with my President who is a real leader with a proven success record. He is man with true values and who stands up for ALL Americans...the job of an honorable President.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      I think it's important to ask ourselves; Where would we be right now if Republican's hadn't adopted abject obstructionism in direct response to Obama's winning the election? Their stated intent to make him a one-term President at all costs is sabotaging our potential.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      Romney got rich ripping off government and stealing workers pensions which then had to be bailed out by the government pension guarantee corporation.

      He use his gains from bankrupting pension funds to give his kids $100 million tax free and continues to hide millions in the Cayman Islands where shell companies drive up the price of oil.

      He should show Americans his tax returns since 9-11-2001 so the troops know how he enriched himself while they served and suffered casualties in the Middle East.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      Bush Jr. saw to a 7% reduction in the entire economy, then made matters worse by deviating from the whole of our history by failing to raise taxes during time of war -- cutting them instead.

      This meant that whoever followed would be spending quite a lot, just to stop the free-fall.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      When will Americans wake up? Religion and Government do not mix! Keep Religion in the house of worship and Government in the White House! The Tides of Change, is happening - get out of the bedrooms of the people and get to work on employment for the people!
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      Here's what I'll do. I'll undo everything Obama has done. I'll bring back Bin Laden. I'll resurrect Qaddafi. I'll remove your 23 year son from your health insurance. I'll bring back "pre-existing conditions". I'll stop the 22 months of private sector growth. I'll de-regulate the banking industry.

      The Republican Party is living in a different world. Pity them.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      I want a future president to be a president, not a Christian Taliban religious hater seeking to make the USA a theological state.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      The best way to defeat Romney is to let him talk
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      It seems to me that the Republican party would have far less followers if it weren't for abject partisans who choose to ignore Obama's many accomplishments.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      This just in ... Obama's won already
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      He's a shallow candidate for a shallow party.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      These people are cracked.

      I don't know what it is that right-wingers see in Obama that makes them freak out. The guy has nothing but class.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      The GOP has given us many reasons to vote......for Obama.
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      Republican mantra for 2012: No We Can't!
    • Mission Man  •  8 days ago
      A middle class American voting Republican is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders...