Obama's
approval ratings are up, people are
more satisfied with the economy than they have been for the past decade, and just
seven percent say jobs are the most important problem facing the country, the lowest number since October 2008.
Even a Republican pollster declared that America was busting out of its Recession Era slump.
Nearly everyone thinks the president has the wind at his back going into tonight's State of the Union address. But what are Republicans telling the New York Times?
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director who has advised Republican leaders, said Mr. Obama may not be able to convince the country that he has made enough progress fixing the economy. “It will be an uphill battle, as his policy record on growth is not strong, the recovery is still unsatisfying and the inequality message is not popular, which is why he abandoned it so quickly after declaring it the issue of our time,” he said.
Which numbers, exactly, is he looking at? The
51 consecutive months of job growth since October of 2010. Or perhaps the 5.6 percent unemployment rate—a six-year low. Or maybe he's thinking of public perception, which is
pretty darn sunny overall.
Then there's old Stuart Stevens, Romney's chief adviser in 2012.
“We just had an election in which the president said his policies were on the ballot,” he said. “Hard to see what is different today than 60 days ago.”
Yeah, hard to see on your etch-a-sketch.
And let's not forget to consult RNC chair Reince Priebus, who called the president's proposals "so out of touch you have to ask if there is any point to the speech."
Hmm. What part of the GOP trying to cut Social Security disability benefits or deporting Dreamers who were brought to the U.S. as children is in touch with American priorities? Maybe instead you have to ask if there is any point to the 114th Congress.
Anyone else remember when Republicans were reading completely different polls from everyone else in 2012, convinced that President Romney was a sure thing? You know what they say about bad habits.