Politics First. Country Second. People... Third?

Country First. Remember that sign from the campaign trail a little over a year ago? Turns out it was more than a slogan. The sign speaks a truth to Obama's style of governing. Politics first. Country second. People... third? How else do you explain his outright denial of how unpopular the Democrats attempted takeover of health care has become? Why in the world is Obama still trying to push it through? For such big ears, this president sure seems to have tin ones.

I don't ever remember seeing a sitting president expend so much energy trying to get his party's candidates elected in a non-election year cycle. First it was for Corzine, now it's Coakley. Yep, that's right, the Hopenchange Express could go 0 for 2. That's worse than the Dallas Cowboys playoff record this year. And needless to say, it doesn't come off as post-partisan. It comes off as petty. It diminishes Obama's role as a leader for all Americans. Probably because Obama's actions show that he only wants to be the leader for progressive-minded Americans. The rest can buy government sanctioned health insurance or go to jail.

The public sees this and it's affecting the president's poll numbers drastically. Especially given the challenges our nation is facing: from 10% unemployment to the war in Afghanistan, from trying to stabilize a disaster area to fighting terrorism at our own army bases and on our planes. Is there a precedent for presidential shilling during times like these? Of course not. Then again, there's no precedent for this kind of shilling, either.

Four million people in the United States lost their jobs last year. That's despite spending a trillion dollars on a "stimulus bill" that hasn't stimulated anything except big government. Too bad big government relies on a successful and prosperous private sector to keep it going, because there's not much of a private sector left. These charts (and an excellent post at Captain Capitalism) show how government is now growing more rapidly than the independent businesses that can actually create wealth and jobs. No wonder, in what seemed like a long shot weeks ago, Taxachusetts might turn out for the GOP.

Even if Brown doesn't win tonight's special election for the Senate seat previously occupied by Ted Kennedy, a one or two point loss in a state with only 12% registered Republicans should be enough to halt the one party rule and the sleazy backroom deals the Democrats have perpetuated on the American people during Obama's first year in office. It should at least be enough to make other Democrats running in more conservative states change their course for more moderate footing. If not, then this president and this Congress are truly enemies of the people. That's not just a tin ear. That's tyranny, no less offensive than if we were ruled by kings.