Wednesday, December 31, 2014

THE SEAN HANNITY SHOW AND WAPT JACKSON MS LOCAL NEWS

The Year of Scandal Part II
On January 1st, 2013, I wrote about how that year was the Year of the Scandals. We had the IRS scandal where it was discovered that the IRS had been targeting Conservative groups in audits. I also wrote about the Benghazi cover-up that engulfed the Obama Administration and sent then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton scrambling to defend the President's actions during the tragic attacks on the embassy there. After writing about all that I said, "Here's to hoping 2014 is the year of responsibility, I have my doubts."

Looking back on 2014, there's no doubt I was right to be doubtful. 2014 brought us the VA scandal where over 40 US soldiers died while awaiting care at hospitals operated by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. In June, the scandal had escalated to the point where the FBI had opened a formal investigation. This pressure forced President Obama to pass legislation reforming the VA agency and sent him backpedaling once again to defend his management.

Hot on the heels of that scandal came the release of a Taliban-captured US soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, who was released as part of a controversial prisoner swap that set some of Guantanamo Bay's most dangerous prisoners free. At the time I said there was more to this story and the Army was looking into reports that Bergdahl may have been a deserter. It's been nearly six months and the US Army has finished its investigation but hasn't released any information on the situation. Politically motivated?

I had hoped 2014 would be a year full of renewed trust and hope in a transparent Washington but the reality is, 2014 was more of the same. Scandals continue to dampen the Obama legacy and leave us all longing for November 2016.

Obama Continues to Fall
It was this time last year that President Obama found himself struggling with a 42% approval rating. Marred in scandal and pummeled over how ObamaCare had served to increase health care costs and leave many with less coverage than they had previously, President Obama set out to recover his approval rating.

Even as the economy showed signs of improvement, the President's monthly approval rating closes the year at 42%. The GOP saw a sweep of both houses of Congress in the mid-term elections and overall Americans have sent the message that the scandals and liberal policies of the Obama Administration have left us longing for a new direction.