Reform Party of NC on Congressional, Presidential Approval Ratings

Via ReformParty.org:

According to recent polls, the Congressional approval rating is 8.9 percent. This number is at an all-time low. The Reform Party believes that this number is a testament to American’s growing frustration with the federal government.

Both sides are to blame. The Republican representatives are busy obstructing the process. Rather than debating ideas, and bringing facts to the table, the Republicans in congress move to impede the Democrats at every turn. These obstructionist tactics have made the Republican Party the party of “no”.

The Democratic Party has drifted further towards liberal ideology. Over the past three election cycles, the party has lost a large portion of its moderate representation. Despite fading centrist support the Democrats continue to push an unpopular agenda.

In order to improve the Congressional Approval rating, both Republicans and Democrats need to move to the middle. Representatives on all sides must work to find compromise solutions. If they do not, Congressional approval will remain low.

Recent polls show President Barack Obama’s approval at approximately 38 to 40 percent. The Reform Party of North Carolina is not surprised that the President’s approval rating is low. This low rating is the result of unpopular policies.

Obama’s primary failure was this:

When he came into office, he had political capital and a super majority in congress. He had the chance to make one major move. Instead of trying to get people working and stopping foreclosures, he opted to make a complex healthcare reform. This healthcare reform was used against him by the Republicans, and within two years he lost the House of Representatives.

In his first term, he also, with some Republican support, pushed through a multi-billion dollar spending bill. That spending bill, the Investment and Recovery Act, was a poor attempt at stimulus spending, and the stimulus could have been executed more effectively.

The 787 billion dollar spending bill was a scattershot that threw money at thousands of projects. Instead of spreading the money out, it should have been injected into the manufacturing sector. This injection should have taken place through an infrastructure overhaul. This kind of overhaul would have propped up heavy manufacturing sectors including construction machinery, cement, steel and many other sectors that have been hard pressed for the past generation. At the same time the overhaul would have replaced or significantly improved thousands of bridges, dams, rail lines, roadways, water ways and port facilities that are deficient.

Throughout his administration, he has continued poor budgeting practices that have increased the federal debt by 57 percent. The deficit has fallen recently from over a trillion dollars to 680 dollars, but this decrease is not enough. This spending threatens the foundation of our country. Continuing down the path of reckless spending will lead to bankruptcy.

The Reform Party was founded on principles of fiscal responsibility. It supports a balanced budget amendment, restructuring social safety nets to be sustainable, improving accounting processes, and stopping pork barrel spending. In order to balance the budget, all of these ideas must be executed.

Throughout his presidency, the President has overseen few major economic reforms. This lack of attentiveness to the economy has created a slow recovery, and unemployment still stands above 7 percent. The President needs to do a better job of reforming taxes, regulations and improving the climate for small businesses.

The Reform Party of North Carolina concludes that for Barack Obama to improve his ratings, he must improve his agenda and policies. The President must usher in spending and economic reforms. The President must reform his healthcare law. The President must pay more attention to infrastructure and manufacturing.