Dear Jim Bob,

Based on what I see Obama doing with all the big spending and taking over much of the private sector of the economy, I wonder how he has such a high approval rating. How do you explain that Jim Bob?

Teresa Tempertantrum

Tin Star, Texas

Dear Teresa,

Great question! Approval ratings and polls are just a reflection of what people believe. What people believe is based on the information they have in their brain that forms the basis for what they believe. So, to understand why Obama has high approval is merely an exercise in examining what people believe and why they believe it. Unfortunately, the things people believe are not necessarily true.

There are three factors that are impacting what people believe about Mr. Obama:

1. The mainstream news media and the “spin” they put on what is happening in the world every day.

2. The fact that we now live in a sound bite society and most people are so focused on their own little slice of life that they are uninformed about the details of what is happening politically (For example, most don’t know about all of Mr. Obama’s Czar appointments and the significance of what he has really done to circumvent public inspection and oversight of his policies. Nor do they understand the basic facts about how economies function and what really stimulates growth and opportunity).

3. The fact that we now have a few generations of people, the majority of whom who are incapable of critical thinking. They are also incapable of a lot of other things (Like operating a cash register that doesn’t have pictures on the keys, or adding up a list of numbers without a calculator).

So, what we largely have is a society that can’t think, a society that suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder, and a biased media that ignores in depth, critical reporting about anything Obama. This means the information people get is badly tainted. They limit what they know to the sound bites from the mainstream media. How is it tainted? Mostly it’s tainted about who is responsible for the country’s economic situation and what it will really take to get it turned around.

Obama and the Democrats continue to blame George W. Bush for all things evil, and they have been doing it relentlessly for the past 8 years – totally cheered on and supported by the mainstream media. The primary message people are getting is that Obama is a victim of George W. Bush and he’s working so hard to overcome the handicap of following the evil Republicans. So, they believe whatever Obama is doing is good and they approve his actions. George Bush is happy and completely willing to be blamed (as he has done for the past 8 years) so there is no challenge from his camp.

At some point, this may change. When it becomes evident that Mr. Obama has systematically trashed our economy and it begins to erode media revenues, there might be some new information out there that will change what people believe. When someone you love is denied a life-saving operation by our new health care ‘Czars’ the reality of Obama may begin to sink in. However, don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen. The true “misery index” (unemployment rate + inflation rate) of Mr. Obama has not yet run its course. When it does become evident, it may be too late.