Sharla's Labyrinth: Americans getting serious about impeachment

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Americans getting serious about impeachment

by Bob Unruh

Editor’s note: This is another in a series of “WND/WENZEL POLLS” conducted exclusively for WND by the public-opinion research and media consulting company Wenzel Strategies.
Not only have voters begun to connect the dots between the faltering economy and global insecurity to President Obama’s administration in significant numbers, they also have begun to join him in calling for “change.”

Only this is the impeachment type of change, not the type Obama has so often preached.
The poll shows those advocating impeachment nearly equal to the number of those against it. For example, regarding Obama’s campaign for amnesty to illegals, 44 percent say he should be impeached for that, while only 48 percent say he should not. And 46 percent say they think Obama should be impeached for launching the war to remove Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, while 49 percent say no.
“Taken by itself, any of these questions about President Obama could be ignored, but it becomes much more questionable when all of these … administration actions are taken as a whole,” said Fritz Wenzel, whose public opinion and media consulting company Wenzel Strategies did the poll.
The scientific survey was done by telephone March 7-12 and contains a margin of error of 2.92 percent.
“Obama appears to have found a way to split the nation directly down the middle on each issue, but, as his plummeting poll numbers may now indicate, the American public may well be catching up with the cumulative effect of this administration’s handling of the Constitution and the federal government,” Wenzel said.

He noted that Obama’s job approval is in freefall.
“American voters apparently are finally, after more than four years, beginning to connect the sluggish economy, the precarious state of international affairs, and Barack Obama,” Wenzel said. “After an inauguration bounce, his job approval has now returned to near the lowest level he has ever seen, with 42 percent giving him positive marks for his overall performance.”
Wenzel said: “Some of this has to do in particular with his ham-handed management of the recent sequester budget battle with Congress – and the aftermath which has shown he and his administration spokesmen deceived the country. Even some media outlets have started grilling administration officials over inconsistencies and other problems. The tide seems to have turned against the Obama administration, as not even a majority of Democrats give him positive marks for his handling of his job.”

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One 1 in 4 respondents gives Obama an excellent report card. Sixteen percent rate his performance as “good” and another 10 percent say “fair.” But 47 percent, including 1 in 6 of the Democrats, say he’s at “poor.”
But on issues ranging from the Fast and Furious gun scandal, secrets, drones killing Americans, recess appointments, Obama’s “czars,” his Arizona lawsuit, illegal aliens, Gadhafi’s reign, and his advocacy for homosexuality through his attempts to undermine the Defense of Marriage Act, things have gone beyond just disapproval.
“One of the longest lingering problems from the first term of the Obama administration is the so-called ‘Fast and Furious’ scandal involving the ATF’s gun-running scheme. Americans are clearly looking for a scapegoat for this debacle, which resulted in about 100 gunshot deaths, and 65 percent said they agree Attorney General Eric Holder should be impeached for his handling of this scandal. This number is so high that it is hard to see how Democrats on Capitol Hill can run defense for the administration on this one. Those who do are at serious political risk,” said Wenzel.

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“This figure is particular interesting given that Americans seem to want to give the administration a reasonable amount of leeway in its handling of national affairs. A slim majority of 51 percent said they think the administration should have the freedom to withhold some information from Congress about how it is conducting its affairs. However, that number is a little deceiving, as just 19 percent said the administration itself should have the discretion to decide just what should be withheld and what should be disclosed. Another 23 percent said they think Congress should decide, and 25 percent said they think the federal courts should make that decision. Even among Democrats, just 33 percent said they think the Obama administration should have the power to decide what information should be withheld from the oversight of Congress,” Wenzel said.

His analysis of the Obama administration’s performance level continued:
“Asked whether they approved of the Obama administration’s drone killings of three Americans who were reputed to be connected with terrorist operations but none of which had been convicted of a crime, 60 percent disagreed with those killings,” he said.
“This has got to be a big piece of the growing disenchantment with Obama, as 46 percent said they ‘strongly disagreed’ with those drone killings. Sen. Rand Paul’s filibuster recently brought this issue into the national spotlight, and it is clear Americans were paying attention.”
He explained, “Even after respondents were informed that these citizens were terrorists, 41 percent still said they don’t believe Obama had the right to execute them without a court ruling of guilt. The American public clearly wants the U.S. judicial system to weigh in on such cases – 49 percent said they would have preferred that these terrorists be captured and tried in court.”
Continuing to the next subject, Wenzel said, “Six in 10 respondents said they do not agree with Obama’s decision to make up his own mind about what is and what is not a congressional recess appointment. A federal court recently struck down several appointments to top administration jobs. These appointees continue to make federal policy despite not winning congressional approval. The public agrees with the federal court system that this is wrong. A similar percentage of respondents – 61 percent – said these officials should be removed from office.”

Wenzel explained, “This reflects a core American value of fair play and playing by the rules, and the Obama administration’s refusal to respect the Constitution and these rules. This speaks to a very important factor at play here – the American people tend to grant a president a certain amount of trust, but, once lost, it is very difficult to win that back. If Americans revoke their trust of Obama, he will find himself in very deep trouble.
“So far, he is safe, but only marginally so, as 51 percent said he should not be impeached for this breach of the Constitution, but 43 percent said they think he should face impeachment over this issue.”
The dozens of “czars” that Obama has appointed, too, are raising questions. They assumed their sometimes significant responsibilities on the word of the president, but without any congressional oversight or approval.
“Here, 51 percent said they believe Obama should face impeachment over this issue,” Wenzel said.
On Obama’s fight with Arizona over enforcing immigration laws? “Forty-four percent said he should be impeached for that action and 48 percent said he should not be impeached for it.”
On the war against Gadhafi? Forty-six percent endorse impeachment as punishment; 49 percent said no.
On impeachment for how the Defense of Marriage Act was handled: Forty percent say impeach and 52 percent said no.

There has been a flood of impeachment comments lately. Rock legend and gun-rights defender Ted Nugent said there’s “no question” Obama should be impeached, and he’s calling CNN anchor Piers Morgan an “effective idiot” in the battle over the Second Amendment.
Referring to Obama, Nugent says, “There’s no question that this guy’s violations qualify for impeachment. There’s no question.”
He blasted “the criminality of this government, the unprecedented abuse of power, corruption, fraud and deceit by the Chicago gangster-scammer-ACORN-in-chief. It’s so diabolical … .”
Sign the petition urging Congress to impeach Obama.