Is Obama Running On Empty? 

Since his reelection eight months ago, President Obama has been coasting, and it's showing. His approval ratings are down. His signature legislative accomplishment, Obamacare, is as unpopular as ever. Seeking to regain his footing ahead of some critical budget battles in the months ahead, Obama decided to give yet another speech on the economy. 

But how many times can this White House "pivot to the economy"? By one analysis, they've tried well over a dozen times. In fact, ABC’s Rick Klein said in February that Obama has "pivoted enough to have spun himself around, more than a few times."

Indeed, Obama's message seems to be wearing thin even among his loyal media cheerleaders. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank summed it up well, writing: "…just six months into his second term, Obama is fresh out of ideas. … And so the president, it seems, is going into reruns." 

Leadership requires more than just good speeches.

Phony Scandals? 

There were a couple of things in Obama's speech yesterday that warrant some discussion. Yesterday the president declared that Washington has been distracted by an "endless parade of distractions and political posturing and phony scandals." Really? 

When the IRS scandal broke, President Obama condemned the targeting of Christian, conservative and Tea Party groups as "outrageous." Obama said, "There is no place for it, and [those responsible] have to be held fully accountable." He went on to say, "I have got no patience with it, I will not tolerate it, and we will make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this." 

Is this the phony scandal he referred to yesterday? More than three-quarters of the American people think this "phony scandal" deserves a special prosecutor. 

Maybe Obama was referring to Benghazi. If that is a phony scandal, why has his administration gone to such extraordinary lengths to prevent the survivors from testifying? If it was phony, he should want everyone to know the facts. 

The American people do not think these are "phony scandals." A June Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 58% of Americans questioned the White House's honesty and integrity as a result of the Benghazi scandal, and 55% felt the same way as a result of the IRS scandal. 

Alternate Reality 

After rehashing his class-warfare rhetoric, Obama then offered his audience a false choice between his left-wing agenda and a grossly distorted view of conservative values, saying, "That's not the vision I have for this country.  It's not the vision you have for this country.  That's not the America we know."

This is coming from a man who often seems clueless about what America is. He is committed to "fundamentally transforming" America into a European-style, socialist welfare state. He doubled down on Obamacare yesterday, even as members of his own party are turning against it. 

America was founded on the notion that our liberty comes from God. But Obama is extremely uncomfortable with the concept of American exceptionalism. According to Obama, America is no more exceptional than England or Greece. 

He has denied our Christian heritage. Speaking before foreign audiences, Obama has said, "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation," and "If you actually took the number of Muslims Americans, we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world." 

That is a bizarre and inaccurate statement. There are more Muslims in Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso and Kazakhstan! Yet Obama has the audacity to lecture us about the right vision for America. 

Holder v. Texas 

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that his Justice Department is seeking to force the state of Texas to abide by pre-clearance requirements to change the state's elections laws. This is a process that prevents states from reforming their election laws without first getting the Justice Department's permission. Holder's declaration comes exactly one month after the Supreme Court's decision that such pre-clearance requirements were unconstitutional.

Writing for the court's majority, Chief Justice John Roberts noted that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act relied on "a formula based on 40-year-old facts, having no logical relationship to the present day." But just like the George Zimmerman case, the left insists on finding racism where there isn't evidence it exists. 

In his speech, Holder promised that today's action "it will not be our last." A former Justice Department spokesman told the Washington Post, "It's a pretty clear sign that a lawsuit against the Texas voter-ID law is also on the way," and he suggested that Holder may go after similar laws in other states too. 

Whatever one might think about its policies, you have to admire this administration's determination. While conservatives tie themselves in knots worried about the niceties of polite discourse, this administration will do anything and everything it has to in order to advance its agenda. 

Don't like laws on marriage or immigration? Ignore them! 

Don't like the Supreme Court rulings? Disregard them! 

Can't pass cap and trade legislation through Congress? Regulate it!

Can't make Obamacare's mandates work? Suspend them! 

The Left's Pro-Abortion Extremism 

Texas State Senator Wendy Davis is in Washington, D.C., today for a series of fundraisers. As you may recall, Davis became the left's latest heroine for filibustering a bill banning late-term abortions. House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi and other leading liberals were there to cheer her on at a breakfast event just blocks from Capitol Hill. 

Davis is being coy about her future, but many liberals are hoping she runs for higher office. They might want to think twice. Contrary to the many misconceptions of the liberal media, most Americans do not share the left's tolerance for late-term abortions. 

Today the Washington Post released yet another poll finding that Americans overwhelmingly support banning late-term abortions. Only 27% of Americans opposed banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. A recent poll conducted for the left-wing Huffington Post found similar results.