Daily Loaf

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate for NY's 23rd Congressional District

As President Obama’s approval rating continues to slip, it is clear that he will face a much tougher race for re-election in 2012 than he ran last year. It’s like an overdue pregnancy; it’s been nine months, but he has yet to deliver. The markets are still fragile, and the dollar is going down while unemployment numbers are going up. Toss in our sky-rocketing debt and indecisive action in Afghanistan, and it starts to look like Obama isn’t the savior he was made out to be.

One can criticize the policies of Bush, but at least The Decider actually made decisions. Recent polls from a number of sources all show one undeniable trend  — the American people do not think we’re headed in the right direction.

Such a difficult time for Obama, and one might be under the impression that support for Republicans is on the rise. This isn’t exactly the case; CNN reported that approval for the GOP has hit 36%, down nearly 5% from the last poll taken in the summer, and almost at the same point it was in the last few months of Bush’s time in office.

Discontent with the major parties seems to be a growing phenomenon. Millions have attended “tea parties” all over the country, and the philosophy and wisdom of the Founding Fathers is a recurring theme in today’s political arena. Ordinary people are demanding that something be done; they demand accountability, fiscal responsibility and the protection of our most basic freedoms. Partisan bickering and the corruption that plagues Washington has made the American people feel alienated.

As a result, there has been a re-emergence of third candidates. Not long shots like Ralph Nader or Pat Buchanan, whose presidential runs seem futile, but viable and credible candidates with a fair share of support.

The press has taken notice. Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman is running for New York’s 23rd Congressional District, a seat up for grabs since Rep. John McHugh was appointed Secretary of the Army. Hoffman, a notable New York accountant, has shown favorable numbers in the polls at around 23%. This number is expected to grow as Hoffman continues to receive nationwide attention, thanks to interviews with Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin.

His conservative principles have earned the endorsement of powerful Republican figures, including Fred Thompson and Sarah Palin, even against the GOP’s own candidate. Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava, a Republican with an endorsement from ACORN, has a liberal voting record and a platform that isn’t a far cry from the Democratic contender’s.

Hoffman isn’t the only third-party candidate to raise eyebrows; in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, Modern Whig Party candidate Paul C. McKain has entered the arena in a bid for the seat occupied by Democrat Allen Boyd. McKain, a former firefighter and businessman, has gained a great deal of support among the Republican base as well as the conservative wing of the Democratic Party.

McKain promises to restore true citizen participation in government, pledging to act as a representative of the people, as intended by the Constitution, not as a mouthpiece for special interest groups. In a district where Democrats are a powerful majority, McKain fights an uphill battle, but it’s a battle that he believes he can win.

And with the growing discontent among American voters, it’s possible that he will.

Tom Bortnyk is a columnist for the political blog Informed Dissent.

Jon Stewart and Rachel Maddow aside, Democrats aren’t always known for their sense of humor. But the Dems are taking full advantage of the Republicans’ latest wave of Rush-worship.

Echoing RNC Chair Michael Steele’s toadying apology to His Rushness, the Dems have created a web page — “the Secret Republican Apology Machine” — where you can mad-lib your own apology to Limbaugh. The New York Daily News quotes from a statement by Jennifer Crider, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, whose site houses the page, imsorryrush.com:

“If you’re one of the growing number of Republicans who need a quick and easy way to apologize to Rush Limbaugh after you cross him, look no further than ImSorryRush.com… Even if you’re not a Republican, this new site gives you the opportunity to apologize to Leader Rush just like the elected Republicans did.”

Not much to this one. Bizkit is a dog and he/she is having one intense dream. Enjoy.

• Democrats bow to lenders, revise mortgage bailout plan.
• Obama hits personal high in job approval polls.
• St. Pete police or Keystone Cops?
• The Coast Guard has called off the search for the missing NFL boaters.
• “Pakistan hunts militants after deadly cricket attack.” They’ve weaponized crickets?
• When breaking & entering, try not to hit the air marshal’s house.
• Blockbuster swears they’re not filing for bankruptcy. (Which of course means they are …)
• Jimmy Fallon’s a hit!

A dance image from the NEA site, no doubt the kind of thing Senators regard as "wasteful" and "non-stimulative."

If so, it would be a good omen for the art world.
Dreams that the Obamas would usher in a new era of cultural savvy in Washington took a beating last week when the Senate voted against including funding for the arts in the economic stimulus bill, calling theaters and museums “wasteful” and “non-stimulative.” The fact that the thumbs-down vote was 73-24 and included a number of prominent Democrats, including Dianne Feinstein and Charles Schumer, added insult to injury.
The House version of the bill that was approved earlier today retained $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, and the prognosis for Senate approval is good; the vote is taking place as I write, so we’ll see. But the message from last week’s vote was harsh — and if the Obamas send a sign that their support for the arts is solid, that could help salve the wounds.

The winners, sort of

In keeping with their Obama-inspired “No We Can’t” strategy — that is, flat-out no-compromise obstructionism because it’s the only way they have left to make any political hay — the Republicans unanimously voted against the $787 billion economic stimulus package, despite earlier indications that there might be a few Republican defectors. For those of us who hope that this thing works, we now have an added incentive: If it does work we can rub it in the GOP naysayers’ faces when the party goes down in flames in the 2010 congressional elections.