How Low Can He Go? 

Late last month, President Obama quipped about his low approval ratings, “[T]he good thing about when you're down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up.” But Obama’s statement was premature at best. 

A new Quinnipiac University poll finds the president’s approval rating has dipped to 38 percent among registered voters, with barely one in three approving of Obama’s actions on health care and only four in ten approving of his Iran policy. 

Worst of all for Obama, his advantages among young and Hispanic voters have virtually vanished. A minority—49 percent—of 18-to-29-year-olds now say they disapprove of Obama’s job performance, while 50 percent of Hispanic voters feel the same way. 

What’s more, majorities also believe Obama is not “honest and trustworthy” and that he lacks “strong leadership qualities.” That’s bad news as Obama looks ahead to his legacy. 

Perhaps Obama can take solace in the rousing round of applause he received at Nelson Mandela’s funeral in Pretoria, South Africa, on Tuesday. Unfortunately for Obama, Pretoria’s 8,000 miles away from the audience that matters: the American people. More and more, it seems Obama’s most ardent supporters are those who are furthest removed from the effects of his policies. 

The Budget Compromise 

By now you have probably heard that last night congressional negotiators, led by Republican Representative Paul Ryan and Democrat Senator Patty Murray, reached a budget deal. It is not the “big deal” that some hoped for and others feared, depending on their perspective. Rather, it is, by Washington budget standards, a very small deal. At its core it authorizes approximately $23 billion of additional spending over the next few years and adds about $28 billion of spending cuts down the road. I know that this sounds like a lot of money. But it is miniscule compared to the size of the budget, which is roughly $3.5 trillion. Most of the extra spending will go to provide a small increase in the Pentagon budget. 

This morning some conservatives embrace the deal. Others, including Senator Marco Rubio, oppose it. Both sides can make some good arguments. Liberals aren’t united either - some of them are upset that there was no extension of unemployment benefits included. 

Sadly, here is the reality of the deal: It is probably the best conservatives could get as long as Obama has the White House and liberals control the Senate. This small deal will likely ensure that there is not another government shutdown between now and November 2014. That means that conservatives will be able to keep the focus on the Obamacare disaster and increase the chances that the issue will dominate the 2014 elections. 

The deal is already highlighting splits in both Republican and Democrat ranks. Rhetoric will likely heat up in the days ahead. But I continue to believe the big debate in the next 12 months will not be over the budget as much as it will be, and should be, about the far-reaching and disastrous ramifications of Obamacare. 

Time’s #2 

Gandhi. FDR. Churchill. King. Reagan. All of these men have been designated as Time’s Person of the Year at various times in the 85 years that the magazine has been handing out the award. Before I reveal who won this year, I’ll tell you who was runner-up: Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor who put lives at risk and damaged U.S. security interests by leaking details about clandestine NSA programs. 

I understand that Time doesn’t discriminate between good and evil – they only claim to identify the most influential person, not the best. That explains why Adolf Hitler won it in 1938 and Joseph Stalin in 1939 and 1942. But come on – Edward Snowden? To recognize a traitor to the country with such a distinction would have been a travesty. Thankfully, Time named a worthy winner: Pope Francis, who was elected head of the Roman Catholic Church earlier this year.