GARY BAUER

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


The Week To Honor Prisoners?

If you are a jihadist who has declared war on Judeo-Christian civilization, and if you have been captured and taken off the battlefield, this may be the week you have been waiting for.

In Iraq, jihadists attacked two prisons, including Abu Ghraib. Official reports indicate that more than two dozen police and soldiers were killed, and dozens more were wounded, in the sophisticated attacks involving car bombs, suicide bombers and rockets.

The attacks freed more than 500 of the worst Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists, who may now wreak havoc in Iraq. Some may head to Syria to fight in the civil war there.

Meanwhile here in the U.S., Obama and his left-wing Justice Department have "stormed" Gitmo in an effort to "parole" as many as 71 of the 166 terrorists held there. This comes in spite of the well-documented history of Gitmo detainees returning to the battlefield after being released.

If that wasn't enough, Obama and his left-wing State Department are "storming" the jails of Israel, pressuring Israelis to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as a show of good faith to get stalled peace talks restarted. Speaking to the Christians United for Israel Summit today, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) asked, "When do the Palestinians have to show good faith?"

As I suggested, if you're a prisoner who has declared war on the West, this may be your week.


"We Are Going To Force It Through!"

The Christians United for Israel Summit isn't the only big conference going on in Washington this week. Organizing for Action, the remnants of Obama's reelection campaign, held an event last night for hundreds of hard-core left-wing activists. President Obama addressed the group as did House Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democrat Harry Reid and Cecile Richards, the president of the pro-abortion Planned Parenthood.

But what got my attention were the remarks of Jim Messina, OFA chairman and Obama's 2012 campaign manager. Referring to the Senate's quasi-amnesty legislation, Messina told the audience of liberal activists, "We are going to force it through the House!"

It's obvious why Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Messina are so desperate to force amnesty through the House. A Pew poll of Latino illegal immigrants finds that they would "vote Democratic at an eight-to-one clip."

What is less obvious is why any Republican would go along with them. According to the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, only 32% of Americans want the House to vote up or down on the Senate's quasi-amnesty bill. A majority of Americans (53%) want the House to break up the bill and consider it in separate pieces.

A recent National Journal poll found similar results. When asked how the House should handle the Senate's bill, only 29% said the House should pass it "as is." Clearly, the Obama/Reid/Pelosi approach to immigration "reform" is not all that popular.


Obama Hits New Low

President Obama's approval rating is at a post-reelection low. According to the latest Marist poll, just 41% of registered voters approve of Obama's overall job performance and only 37% approve of his performance on the economy. Perhaps that is why Obama is planning yet another major speech on the economy tomorrow.

If Obama's approval ratings continue on this trajectory, his political capital will quickly evaporate and he could well become a liability for Democrat candidates in next year's critical mid-term elections.

The Washington Post/ABC News poll found that support for Obamacare is down too. A year ago, the public was evenly divided on Obama's signature legislative accomplishment, but now just 42% of the public supports Obamacare, while 49% opposes it.

Even worse for the White House, the Post poll found that some Democrats are "steadily turning against Obamacare." Among "ideologically moderate or conservative" Democrats, support for Obamacare is down 11 points to 46%.

This may not seem like a big deal right now, but if Obamacare's implementation continues to experience major problems, it could become an albatross around the necks of vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking reelection in 2014.

* * * * *