A Political Shot In The Arm

I am certainly not alone in thinking that the raid by Navy Seals that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden may have all but ended the 2012 Presidential election. While President Barack Obama’s approval ratings have been sinking for quite some time the death of the world’s most wanted terrorist may be the shot in the arm he needed to reverse those fortunes.

Even Obama’s most vocal critics have praised him and his administration for the effort that eventually caught and killed the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. A problem for any Republican running is at least for now it takes their main issue off the board…that of national defense and security. That GOP has hammered home in recent elections its belief that they are the party that will stress the military and security while at the same time insisting the Democrats are weak when it comes to that. For now the shoe is on the other foot as it’s the Obama Administration that finally brought Bin Laden to justice and they don’t really have to say it…we all know it. Of course things can change dramatically but despite all the other problems, from gas prices to jobs it looks like the President will be tougher than ever to beat at the polls.

While the date of Bin Laden’s death may not stack up nearly as memorable as others in history it will be one that many are able to say, “I was__________when Osama Bin Laden was killed.” Many in our area were asleep and did not learn about what had happened until they awoke Monday morning. Of course those that were at the Mets-Phillies game will become part of history and while the attendance was about 45,000 you can figure ten times that will insist they were there. May 1st does not have the same impact as December 7th, November 22nd or September 11th but it is nonetheless very significant.

Today is National Teacher’s Day and a good time to reach out to that special teacher who impacted your life. Some of mine are no longer with us but a special thanks to Cy Dunn, Ron Villano, Juanita & Lolita Carfora and others from my days at Central Regional.

Jackson Memorial has all but clinched the Class A South baseball title thanks to a 4-2 win at Toms River South Monday night. Matt Guarino, who started the evening on the bench, ended up the hero with a tiebreaking two-run triple in the 7th.
Guarino entered the game as an injury replacement and certainly made the most of his opportunity. The Jaguars have beaten the Indians twice this season and those are South’s only losses.