Just two weeks ago, President Barack Obama was riding high after authorizing a U.S. raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. Since then, the president has enjoyed a spike in his approval ratings and some immediately suggested after the raid that the successful operation clinched reelection for him.
But Fox News senior contributor Brit Hume disagrees. During the “Fox News Sunday” online “Panel Plus” segment on Sunday, Hume suggested that Obama get on board with at least one of the current proposals put forth to address the federal debt. But he also noted the opposition he would face from his own party if he did so.
“If the president were to get behind a program like Paul Ryan’s or his own bipartisan debt commission, there would be a revolt within his own ranks,” Hume said. “People don’t understand how deeply Democrats believe in these programs and think their growth is a good thing. It should be encouraged and you ought to raise taxes and cut defense to pay for it. That’s what they believe.”
Hume said this isn’t the kind of disagreement that would be resolved easily.
“This is the deepest fault line – one of the deepest fault lines in American politics we’re talking about here and to expect that everybody would easily come to agreement – that seems to me is naïve,” Hume said. “It’s not to say that it won’t happen. I think President Obama probably recognizes it.”
If it isn’t resolved, Hume said it could mean a failed reelection bid for the president — even with what many see as a weak GOP primary field.
“If he goes into the 2012 election and nothing serious has been done about the debt – that would deepen his political predicament, which I think by the way, looking at it from here is very serious,” he continued. “He’s in real trouble. Everyone is saying, ‘Well, look at the Republican field.’ I think this will be a referendum election and not so much a choice election. And if it is and conditions like this persist – he’s toast.”
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