June, 2009
Archive for December 14th, 2010
14
Dec
10
whistle while you work
President Barack Obama whistles as he walks along the Colonnade of the White House following a holiday reception, Dec. 14, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
14
Dec
10
that washington post/abc poll….
A few points from today’s Washington Post/ABC poll that are likely to get lost in all the noise:
* President Obama’s approval rating is 49% (compared to the much publicized 42% in the McClatchy-Marist Poll yesterday)
* “The midterm elections were widely seen as a rebuke to President Obama. Still, the public now trusts Obama more than congressional Republicans to deal with the country’s main problems in the coming years” (43 to 38 per cent)
* “The president’s advantage is a striking contrast to the public’s mood at this time in 1994 and 2006: George W. Bush trailed the Democrats by 26 points on this measure after they took the House in 2006, and Bill Clinton trailed the Republicans by 15 points in trust to handle the country’s main problems after the GOP won the House in 1994.”
* “Most continue to say the Republicans in Congress are not doing enough to compromise with Obama on important issues.”
* “…Obama maintains double-digit leads over the GOP in two big areas: helping the middle class and health-care reform.”
* “Americans believe the president is more genuine in wanting to reduce the deficit. More than two in three said Obama is sincere in his commitment to deficit reduction, while only a bare majority say the same for congressional Republicans.”
* “…Obama’s tax compromise with Republicans on Capitol Hill sparked vocal protests from liberal elected officials and leaders of some progressive groups. But the poll shows no notable erosion in his support among liberal Democrats in the population at large. His approval rating among liberal Democrats stands at a lofty 87 percent, almost identical to where it was in an early October poll and down marginally from a survey later that month.”
NYT (Ishmael Reed) – Extracts: …Progressives have been urging the president to “man up” in the face of the Republicans. Some want him to be like John Wayne. On horseback. Slapping people left and right.
One progressive commentator played an excerpt from a Harry Truman speech during which Truman screamed about the Republican Party to great applause. He recommended this style to Mr. Obama. If President Obama behaved that way, he’d be dismissed as an angry black militant with a deep hatred of white people. His grade would go from a B- to a D.
….When these progressives refer to themselves as Mr. Obama’s base, all they see is themselves. They ignore polls showing steadfast support for the president among blacks and Latinos. And now they are whispering about a primary challenge against the president. Brilliant! The kind of suicidal gesture that destroyed Jimmy Carter — and a way to lose the black vote forever.
Unlike white progressives, blacks and Latinos are not used to getting it all. They know how it feels to be unemployed and unable to buy your children Christmas presents. They know when not to shout. The president, the coolest man in the room, who worked among the unemployed in Chicago, knows too.
Full article here
14
Dec
10
picture perfect: no 34
February 10, 2007: On board a plane flying to Iowa after Barack Obama announced his bid for the Presidency in Springfield. Scott Olson/Getty Images
See all the ‘Picture Perfect’ photos here
Two points worth noting….
(1) TPM: The Virginia federal district court judge (a George W Bush-appointee) who ruled that the individual mandate in the health care bill is unconstitutional owns a stake worth between $15,000 and $50,000 in a GOP political consulting firm that worked against health care reform – the very law against which he ruled.
Henry Hudson
(2) Legal experts are attacking Judge Henry Hudson’s decision, citing an elementary logical flaw at the heart of his opinion. And that has conservative scholars – even ones sympathetic to the idea that the mandate is unconstitutional – prepared to see Hudson’s decision thrown out.
“I’ve had a chance to read Judge Hudson’s opinion, and it seems to me it has a fairly obvious and quite significant error,” writes Orin Kerr, a professor of law at George Washington University, on the generally conservative law blog The Volokh Conspiracy.
Read the details here
The challenge to the health care bill has been taken by Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s attorney general – who might just possibly be a ‘birther‘ and homophobe.
Classy guy.
14
Dec
10
‘momentum’
Bloomberg: Sales at U.S. retailers increased more than forecast in November and optimism among small businesses rose to a three-year high, signaling the economy was gaining momentum as the holiday season began.
The 0.8 percent gain in purchases followed a 1.7 percent jump in October that was larger than previously estimated, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The National Federation of Independent Business’s sentiment gauge rose by 1.5 points to 93.2, the highest since December 2007, as more companies projected sales will grow.
….“There’s no question this will be the strongest quarter for consumer spending since before the recession,” said Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial in New York, who correctly forecast the increase in sales. “The economy has pretty good momentum going into the new year.”
Full article here
Obama and the Age of Unreason
Beth Broderick: …President Barack Obama has been under siege from every side for the entirety of his time in office. The poor guy just cannot do anything right. Passing health care legislation, wrestling 25 billion out of BP, turning around the auto industry and his many other accomplishments are simply ignored. The good is simply not good enough. In spite of his many courageous acts the common wisdom prevails that he is not tough…
Not tough enough? The guy is made of steel. Governing this wild kingdom of a nation is like a never ending episode of Survivor. Every week we send our leader into a shark tank with a bucket of bloody mackerel around his neck. Then when by some miracle he manages to come back alive with enough fish to feed the team we scream: “What? No tuna?” ….
The recent hand wringing over the temporary tax cut deal is a true case in point. The president does not preside over only like minded citizens. He must govern for us all…. I absolutely never want to see Mr. Obama acting like Mr. Bush
… Obama saved the bacon of the unemployed, assured tax credits for children and college students and prevented the middle class from receiving a bill for 3,000.00 on January 1. We seem to think that he has some kind of magic wand that he is refusing to wave….
… We need to surrender this idea that political purity is the highest value. Good governance should be the goal…
If we turn into the latte version of the Tea party threatening censure of all but the most purely progressive, this country will continue to be torn apart. Let’s leave the wringing and the rancor to the Republicans. We are not a party known for its unity, but we are united in our desire to work for the common good and to bend the will of history toward justice.
President Obama is not perfect nor is he a purist, but he is on our side. I for one intend to stand by his efforts on this mission near impossible…..
Full article here
(Actress and director Beth Broderick is the founding director of Momentum, one of the first organizations in New York established to assist people with AIDS)
14
Dec
10
the silent majority
Washington Post: About seven in 10 Americans back the tax deal negotiated last week by President Obama and congressional Republicans, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The high bipartisan support for the package masks more tepid public approval for some of the main components of the agreement that comes before a key Senate vote Monday afternoon … but put all four items together, and 69 percent of all Americans support the package.
Large majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents alike favor the agreement, which has drawn stiff opposition from some Democrats in the House. In the poll, 69 percent of liberal Democrats support the agreement, which Obama has called a framework for legislation.
Even when primary objections to the pact are mentioned – that it would add about $900 billion to the federal budget deficit and that it extends tax breaks to the wealthy – 62 percent of all those polled support the package.
Full article here
The Obama Diary 
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