9/11 Deja Vu, Encouraging News, Don't Assume Victory

by Gray Bauer, Contributing Author: 9/11 Déjà Vu - We are learning more about the second American killed last week in Syria fighting for ISIS. Abdirahmaan Muhumed was killed in the same battle as Douglas McAuthur McCain. Muhumed is believed to be part of a group of 15 Somali Americans who have left the country in recent months to fight with ISIS.

According to a local Fox affiliate in the Twin Cities, Muhumed cleaned airplanes for a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. His position required a security clearance and gave him "unfettered access" to the planes.

While you're standing in line at the airport "getting to know" TSA agents, how many other possible jihadists are running around in "secure" airport areas because of inadequate security clearances?

By the way, there is growing concern over the fate of 11 commercial jetliners that were reportedly stolen when Islamists seized control of Tripoli International Airport last month. A Moroccan military expert told Al Jazeera that there was "credible intelligence" that Al-Qaeda linked groups were plotting to use the planes against targets in North Africa on the anniversary of 9/11.

No doubt this disturbing news is of particular concern to Israel and the anti-jihadist government in Cairo. Other security experts fear the planes could be used to destroy one of Saudi Arabia's major oil refineries.

Encouraging News - Politico's latest Battleground poll has some encouraging news for those hoping for change in Washington this November. Here are the key findings:

70% of registered voters felt the country was on the wrong track; only 21% said it was on the right track. Voters tend to punish the president's party when they feel the country is on the wrong track.

51% disapproved of Barack Obama's job performance, while 44% approved. (Gallup has his approval rating even lower -- 39%.) While the president's party generally loses seats in mid-term elections, there is a strong correlation between the president's popularity and how many seats are lost.

Nationally, voters are leaning toward Republican candidates by a four-point margin over the Democrats -- 46% to 42%.

Voters trust Republican candidates more on four key issues: the economy (+7%), taxes (+5%), foreign policy (+10%) and immigration (+7%).

Now here are the most encouraging findings: 69% of Republicans were "extremely likely" to vote this November compared to just 57% of Democrats. That's a 12-point enthusiasm gap. And in states with a competitive Senate contest, voters favored Republican candidates by a whopping 16-point margin -- 52% to 36%.

Don't Assume Victory - Late last week, Rush Limbaugh spent two days zeroing in on a problem that has been nagging at me for some time -- the lack of a compelling GOP message. Others are noticing too. Yesterday, National Review published an editorial pleading with Republican candidates to "Make Your Case."

Earlier this year, there was some excitement about the possibility of the party releasing another Contract With America. Unfortunately, the idea was scrapped. That's too bad. Voters deserve to know what is at stake; what Republicans would do if they won control of the Senate; and why it matters so much that they do win.

The political environment could hardly be better for the GOP. Most competitive Senate races this year are in states Mitt Romney won. That makes the strategy simple: Republicans should be doing everything they can to nationalize these elections, turning them into a referendum on Barack Obama and his left-wing agenda. Republicans should explain that their Democrat opponents will be Obama lackeys who will vote for and enable his radical agenda.

To do that, you have to fight on big picture issues, such as Obama's failed foreign policy and admitted lack of a strategy for dealing with ISIS.

Challenge the Democrats for Obama's extremism on values issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.

Expose the way Obamacare is destroying jobs, raising costs and threatening to take away the health insurance that people have now.

Expose Obama's lawlessness, including his failures to secure our borders. They should force every Democrat Senate candidate to say where they stand on amnesty.

By the way, Obama's amnesty idea is so unpopular that there is growing speculation he may delay any executive orders until after the elections, fearing an announcement now could cost him control of the Senate.

Unfortunately, many GOP Senate candidates really aren't doing any of this. It appears that GOP strategists are once again playing prevent defense, which usually fails. Politico notes that even in spite of the GOP's generic polling advantage, Democrats have largely succeeded at "turning key contests into discrete battles fought on local terms."

There is still time to turn this around. Many Americans don't tune in to the elections until after Labor Day. But with just 62 days remaining until November 4th, conservative candidates who want to win, who want to save this country from Obama's destructive agenda, need to take the fight to their opponents!
-------------
Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of theCampaign for Working Families

---

Tags: 9/11 Deja Vu, Encouraging News, Politico, polling, Don't Assume Victory, lack of compelling GOP message, 2014 elections, Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!