The White House late Tuesday rejected the proposal by Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) that would have allowed him to use one quarter, or $700 million of the federal “stimulus” funds allotted to his state to pay off state debt and contingent liabilities. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag wrote in a letter at the behest of the president, “Congress has not authorized the Executive Branch to waive any of the above statutory requirements governing the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.”
Last night Joel Sawyer, Sanford’s communications director, told HUMAN EVENTS, “We appreciate the White House's response, as it represents a far more constructive form of dialogue than did the DNC attack ad now running in South Carolina. We're in the process of drafting a response that will go back to the White House tomorrow, which will more narrowly tailor our request to pay off debt in a way consistent with the administration's response. We believe there is a way to do so.”
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has targeted Sanford in an attack ad in South Carolina in an effort to force Sanford to take billions of dollars that come with strings attached that will substantially expand the debt of every state who accepts this funding through mandatory expansion of social programs that last far longer than the federal tax dollars.
“In the meantime, part of a truly constructive response would be to call off the attack dogs from the DNC who are now attempting through political attack ads to determine our course of action,” Sawyer continued. “It's time for the President's game of good cop, bad cop to end, and therefore we again ask him to end these ads so we can engage in a productive dialogue on the merits or our request.”
Sanford has led nationally on the issue of the rejection of this unfunded federal mandate increasing state social programs.
Polling Numbers for Obama Plummeting
The polling numbers for President Barack Obama are persistently plummeting as he continues to cling to the unsuccessful Keynesian notion of big-government spending binges as a solution to the nation’s financial woes. For the first time yesterday, the Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll shows that only 36% of American voters now strongly approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing as president, down from a high of 45% on January 31st, just six weeks ago. A high of 32% now strongly disapprove of the job Obama is doing up from a 22% low.
Obama’s net approval rating which is derived from subtracting those who strongly disapprove of his job performance from those who strongly approve gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of only +4, his lowest rating to date.
The Rasmussen total approval rating is at an Obama low of 56% which is down from a high of 63% on December 31st, just six weeks ago, while his total disapproval rating is at an all-time high of 43% up from a 34% percent low only six weeks ago.
Other Rasmussen data from polling last week reveals a majority of people now oppose the massive $3.5 trillion spending spree a/k/a the Obama budget by a margin of 46% against to 41% in favor. Only 27% of voters polled nationwide favor the passage of a second so-called economic stimulus package and 55% are opposed while 19% are not sure.
White House Photo Op with Business Owners
President Obama and serial tax-evader cum Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced a program at a press conference yesterday to inject $15 billion into the small business credit market. In yet another style over substance photo op, the Obama administration hosted small business owners at the White House to showcase this new plan.
“As part of my Financial Stability Plan, the Treasury Department will begin purchasing up to $15 billion of SBA loans through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP,” Obama said. “We will immediately unfreeze the secondary market for SBA loans and increase the liquidity of community banks.”
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the House Republican leader, pointed out that Obama’s proposed budget will cripple the very businesses he’s purporting to help with loans.
“Today’s White House conference is simply an attempt to provide political cover for the job-killing burden the President’s budget would place on our nation’s small businesses,” Boehner said. “The cornerstone of this budget is the largest tax hike in history, and the majority of those hit by the budget’s income tax increase are small businesses. Unfortunately, what little help the administration is attempting to provide small businesses comes by expanding a program that Congress’ independent watchdog has singled out for insufficient oversight. Small businesses and all taxpayers deserve better.”
Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) the ranking member on the House Committee on Ways and Means said, “The President’s budget imposes historic levels of new taxes on small businesses at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars and an untold number of job losses. Is a loan program barely worth a fraction of those higher taxes really going to make a difference? I doubt it. If the administration is serious about helping small businesses and creating jobs then it will back away from its plan to raise taxes on over 3 million small businesses.”
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) pointed out yesterday the vapid nature of this latest Obama administration plan. “By my math, the $15 billion in aid announced today amounts to 2% of the $687 billion in tax increases unveiled in President Obama’s budget the lion’s share of which will fall on the shoulders of small businesses,” Kingston said. “In effect, for every dollar Washington takes away from small business, they’ll get a whopping two cents back.”
