evening all

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Steve Benen: ….. “It’s safe to say Speaker John Boehner does not agree with President Obama’s suggestion on Tuesday that Americans are better off now than they were when he took office. “Are you kidding me?!” Boehner said loudly in response to a reporter’s question on the comment.”

…. Obviously, national conditions aren’t close to where they need to be. …. Maybe, if guys like Boehner would start passing jobs bills and stop holding the economy back on purpose, the public would start to feel like the country is on the right track again.

But for those who take reality seriously, there’s no real question as to whether the country is better off now than in January 2009:

Then the nation was hemorrhaging jobs; now it’s gaining jobs.

Then the economy was shrinking; now the economy is growing.

Then the American automotive industry was on the verge of collapse; now it’s starting to thrive.

Then taxpayers were sending money to Wall Street; now taxpayers are being paid back.

Then Osama bin Laden was targeting Americans and our allies; now he’s dead and al Qaeda’s leadership has been decimated.

Then U.S. troops were headed into the Middle East in greater numbers; now they’re headed home with their heads held high.

Republicans, including John Boehner, drove the United States into a pretty deep ditch during the Bush/Cheney era, and conditions are still pretty ugly. That doesn’t change the simple fact that the nation is much stronger now than the day the president was inaugurated ….

Full post here

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The GOP’s racial confusion:

The Week

AP: A third former employee considered filing a workplace complaint against Herman Cain over what she deemed aggressive and unwanted behavior when she and Cain, now a Republican presidential candidate, worked together during the late 1990s, the woman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. She said the behavior included a private invitation to his corporate apartment.

The woman said he made sexually suggestive remarks or gestures about the same time that two co-workers had settled separate harassment complaints against Cain, who was then the head of the National Restaurant Association.

Full article here

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Washington Post: Car buyers were out in force in October, snapping up trucks and SUVs and taking advantage of deals on Japanese cars.

U.S. car and truck sales were expected to top 1 million in October, a surprising number for a month when sales are usually slow. When adjusted for seasonal factors, that would be the best pace since the Cash for Clunkers program in August 2009.

Full article here

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Mediaite: In a Quinnipiac poll taken Oct. 25-31, embattled GOP juggernaut Herman Cain continued to show amazing staying power …. (but) The real news from this poll, taken before most of the fallout from Politico‘s alleged sexual harassment expose, might be that some rays of sunshine are finally hitting President Obama.

….. President Obama gained six points on his approval rating … and is now beating all Republican challengers by margins of 5-16 points. The President has seen steady progress in the polls since rolling out his American Jobs Act in September, taking it on the road, and taking the fight to the Republicans who oppose it.

Elsewhere in the poll, Democrats opened up a lead on the generic House ballot, beating Republicans 42-36, after tying them at 39 in October.

Full post here

Also, the President is up to 45% approval with Gallup today – that’s a rise of seven points in two weeks 😉

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Wait – Suskind said the Obama administration didn’t like women much:

Washingtonian

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White House

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AP: Michelle Obama has presented national arts and humanities awards to 12 community-based, after-school programs, including for at-risk kids.

The programs use dance, theater, writing, music, history and other art mediums to inspire teen moms and other young people and help them reach their potential. The first lady said at a White House ceremony Wednesday that the programs show that the arts are a lifeline – not a luxury – for many of these kids.

Most of the participants graduate from high school or earn a GED and go on to college.

The 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards are presented on behalf of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in partnership with three national cultural agencies.

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Gallup

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President Obama leaves Andrews Air Force Base en route to France

rise and shine

Greg Sargent: The first thing you should watch this morning is this harsh new Web video from the Obama-allied Priorities USA Action. It paints a very lurid picture of “Mitt Romney’s America,” and it provides the clearest clues yet as to what kind of campaign Obama and outside groups will run against him if he’s the nominee.

Romney’s corporate background, as well as that infamous Bain picture, get top billing, and are tied to the allegation that Romney’s policies would be a boon to corporations while decimating the middle class. Obama advisers and allies intend to paint an extremely vivid and even frightening picture of what Romney’s desire to roll back Obama’s post-Bush reforms would mean for the economy, the country, and the future. Beyond his pro-corporate policies, the feeling on the Obama team is that Romney’s corporate past is an unexplored and potentially serious liability, particularly amid the intense anti-Wall Street sentiment that seems to be on the rise…..

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CNN will have live steaming of the President’s 11:25 speech

Today:

11:25 The President delivers remarks in front of the Key Bridge at Georgetown’s Waterfront Park in Washington, DC

12:30 Jay Carney’s press briefing

2:30 Michelle Obama hosts the PCAH’s National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards

4:15 The President and Vice President meet with Senate Democratic leadership

7:0 The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Nice, France

7:0 The Vice President and Jill Biden host Eric Cantor and his wife Diana for dinner at the Naval Observatory

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More at the White House site

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You know how much I hate GOPolitico and how I hold my nose when I link to it – well, I’m holding my nose again because this article is worth reading: link

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Quinnipiac: President Barack Obama’s job approval rating is up, from a negative 41 – 55 percent October 5, to a split today with 47 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving in a Quinnipiac University poll released today. The president has leads of 5 to 16 percentage points over likely Republican challengers.

…. “President Obama seems to be improving in voters’ eyes almost across-the-board,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “He scores big gains among the groups with whom he has had the most problems – whites and men. Women also shift from a five-point negative to a four-point positive.

….. Obama also is looking better in matchups against potential Republican nominees:

47 – 42 percent over Romney, compared to a 46 – 42 percentlead October 5;
52 – 36 percent over Perry, up from a 45 – 44 percent tie last month;
50 – 40 percent over Cain, who was not included in a matchup last month;
52 – 37 percent over Gingrich, who was not matched last month.

More here

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From the same poll:

More here

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The Week

See Steve Benen on Cain’s troubles

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Full editorial here – thanks Proud

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Morning everyone 😉

ohio

President Obama helps spell out “Ohio” with the Weithman family, Rachel, 9, Josh, 11, and mom Rhonda, in their home in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 18, 2010

TPM: As any political pundit worth his or her salt will tell you, you can’t win the presidency as a Republican, Democratic, Whig or Bull Moose party member without winning the state of Ohio. Right now, President Barack Obama leads all GOP challengers there.

… In 2008, President Obama took the state by well over 200,000 votes. But in 2010 Republican John Kasich beat then Gov. Ted Strickland as the GOP wave swept the country. And as we approach 2012, the GOP may have once again be poisoning the well of public opinion, and the possible electoral results are starting to show.

In a new Quinnipiac poll President Obama leads head-to-head match ups against former MA Gov. Mitt Romney 45 – 41, Rep. Michele Bachman 49 – 36, undeclared maybe-candidate TX Gov. Rick Perry 47 – 35, and former AK Gov. Sarah Palin 51 – 35….

Additionally, Sen. Sherrod Brown, who had registered negative job approval ratings in early 2010, has skyrocketed in the wake of Gov. John Kasich’s push against organized labor and subsequent fall in the polls. Voters now think that Brown deserves reelection by at 47 – 33 margin, and his job approval stands at 49 – 30….

More here

Thanks Lisa

more nice numbers

See here

Thanks Proud 😉

polling pennsylvania

Quinnipiac: …Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum trails President Barack Obama 49 – 38 percent in Pennsylvania according to a Quinnipiac University poll…

…In possible presidential election matchups, President Obama tops Romney 47 – 40 percent and leads Santorum 49 – 38 percent. Independent voters back Obama, 41 – 37 percent over Romney and 46 – 35 percent over Santorum.

Obama gets a split 48 – 48 percent job approval rating in Pennsylvania, compared to a negative 42 – 53 percent April 28 …. Independent voters split 48 – 47 percent, compared to a negative 37 – 57 percent April 28th.

Voters say 48 – 46 percent that Obama deserves to be reelected, also up from a negative 42 – 52 percent. Again, independent voters go from a negative 37 – 56 percent April 28 to a slightly negative 46 – 49 percent today.

Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute: “Whether it’s still the Osama bin Laden bounce or because voters are taking a closer look at the alternatives, President Barack Obama’s fortunes in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state in presidential elections, has improved …. Independent voters, a critical bloc, have shifted dramatically in the six weeks since President Obama suffered his all-time low in Pennsylvania.”

More here

Thank you aamom

Update:

Also from Quinnipiac: Connecticut voters approve 53 – 44 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, up slightly from 49 – 47 percent in a March 8, 2011, Quinnipiac University poll. President Obama deserves reelection, voters say 51 – 43 percent, and they would vote for Obama 46 – 35 percent over an unnamed Republican in 2012.

Thank you Proud 😉

whisper it ….. 47 v 41

Quinnipiac

Thanks Proud and Loriah

From the same poll …. wow, so much religious prejudice:

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PPP

‘obama is the gop’s worst nightmare’ (updated)

Brynja Hammer smiles at President Barack Obama during a visit to the Oval Office on her eighth birthday, August 21, 2009. Byrnja’s father Mike is spokesman for the National Security Council. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Politicususa: Republicans’ … only hope for defeating President Obama short of an act of God is to drive up his negatives, but a new AP/GfK poll shows that not only are Obama’s approval ratings remaining steady at 53%, but an incredible 84% said that the president is a very likable person.

The numbers in the AP/GfK poll show an electorate that is still not happy with the direction that country is going …. but something very interesting happens when you look at Obama’s approval numbers. They aren’t going down. Obama’s job approval rating is still at 53% which is where it has been since January….

….The one point that emerged from this poll is that America really, really likes Barack Obama. When asked to evaluate how well Obama understands the big issues facing America, 68% believed that he understood them at least somewhat well. 60% believed that Obama understands the problems of ordinary Americans. 61% believed that he will keep America safe, and 59% thought that he understands their problems. 57% called Obama a strong leader, and most tellingly a whopping 84% said Obama is a likable person.

It is tough for a lot of people to get 84% of their friends and family to call them likable, much less the entire country. Needless to say, these are not the numbers of a future one term president.

….Until the jobs all come back and there is a chicken in every pot, Obama will still hover around 50%, but even that small majority would be more than enough easily defeat any of the slugs that the GOP may be forced to run against him in 2012.

…For the Republicans, 2012 has turned into a Nightmare on K Street. One, two, Obama’s coming for you.

Full article here

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Ah, I was relieved to see this on Media Matters today because when I read AP’s own report on their own poll last night I thought my eyesight must have been failing me. As Media Matters put it: “.. how badly does the press not want to focus on Obama’s solid approval ratings? So badly that even the AP buried the lede in reporting on its own poll.”

It’s true! In their very own report on their very own poll, AP simply mentioned in the third paragraph of five that “in the AP-GfK poll over the past month, Obama’s approval rating has held steady around 50 percent”.

Around 50 percent? You have to actually go to the AP-Gkf website and open up a PDF to discover that the figure is 53!

Back to Media Matters: “The AP can’t even be bothered to spell out Obama’s approval rating in the latest AP poll. (It’s 53 percent. But the AP goes with “around 50 percent.”) And no, that’s not even the lede. Instead, Americans souring on the economy is the lede. But I guarantee you if the AP poll had the president’s approval rating dropping to 42 percent, the way the Quinnipiac poll did, the AP would have hyped that in the headline and the AP poll would be making headlines today.”

You couldn’t make this stuff up!

“Shh! New AP Poll Has Obama Approval Rating At 53% – “There’s no need to distract the press regarding the latest findings from the AP-GfK poll. Y’know, the one that has Obama’s approval rating at a robust 53 percent.

Don’t distract the Beltway press corps, let alone the right-wing blogosphere, because they’re still obsessing over yesterday’s Quinnipiac poll that had Obama down to a 42 percent approval rating. Those results, as we noted, were instantly dubbed to be very important.

It’s true the Quinnipiac poll didn’t really resemble many other reputable survey results issued this month. And it’s true virtually every other poll measuring Obama’s approval rating in March found him hovering around the 50 percent mark. But that didn’t matter. The Quinnipiac findings were news and the AP’s are not. Why? Because good news for Obama isn’t really news.

So shh, please don’t wake the press and disturb them with news of the latest AP finding. Please don’t interrupt their fascination with the 42 percent approval finding when a new poll has Obama more than ten points higher than that.”

‘when one bad poll for obama = big news’

MediaMatters: A new poll from Quinnipiac University is making headlines this week. Why? Because it shows Obama’s approval rating at a low point of 42 percent. And when a single poll (and possibly outlier) shows Obama’s approval rating going down, that’s news!

News organizations all agree: The Quinnipiac poll is a big deal. But for context, here’s a look at all the Obama approval rating polling results currently listed at PollingReport.com, for the month of March:

CBS: 49%
CNN: 51%
Fox: 49:%
CNN: 50%
ABC/Washington Post: 51%
Allstate/National Journal: 49%
Bloomberg: 51%
Ipsos/Reuters: 49%

And here’s a very recent result, not listed by PollingReport.com:

Gallup: 49% (see today’s poll)

For the month of March, Obama’s approval rating has been quite consistent (average: 50%), just as it’s been for nearly the last 18 months. But when the Quinnipiac poll came out and broke with that trend, and broke with the trend in a negative direction, suddenly that single poll was big news.

Thank you for the link majii 😉

warming up

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama participate in tree plantings at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C., April 21, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Quinnipiac: First Lady Michelle Obama gets the warmest rating … when American voters rate their feelings about politicians and other national figures in a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is third … but 55 percent of American voters don’t know enough about Christie to form an opinion…..

1 Michelle Obama (60.1), 2 President Clinton (59.2), 3 Christopher Christie (57), 4 President Obama (56.5), 5 Rudolph Giuliani (52.3), 6 Mike Huckabee (51.8), 7 John Boehner (51.1), 8 Mitt Romney (50.4), 9 Tim Pawlenty (48.2), 10 Jon Huntsman (47.9), 11 Ron Paul (46.3), 12 Michael Bloomberg (46), 13 Michelle Bachman (45.6), 14 Mitch McConnell (45.2), 15 Mitch Daniels (45.1), 16 Donald Trump (45), 17 Rick Santorum (43.9), 18 President George W. Bush (43.9), 19 Haley Barbour (43.5), 20 Newt Gingrich (42.7), 21 Sarah Palin (38.2), 22 Harry Reid (34.8), 23 Nancy Pelosi (32.9)

More here

you’re likeable enough, mr president ;-)

Aug. 8, 2010: “We were walking through a locker room at the University of Texas when White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson stopped to weigh himself on a scale. Unbeknownst to him, the President was stepping on the back of the scale, as Marvin continued to slide the scale lever. Everyone but Marvin was in on the joke.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Time: Three out of four American voters – 74 percent – like President Barack Obama, but a narrow majority disapproves of his policies, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today….

Given four choices to describe their feelings about Obama, American voters say:

* 41 percent like him personally and like his policies;
* 33 percent like him personally, but don’t like his policies;
* 1 percent like his policies, but don’t like him;
* 19 percent don’t like him or his policies.

Meanwhile, read these figures and weep, GOP:

…voters oppose cuts in the growth of entitlement programs to reduce the budget deficit:

* 70 – 25 percent against cutting Social Security;
* 72 – 25 percent against cutting Medicare;
* 59 – 37 percent against cutting Medicaid.

By 64 – 32 percent, voters say raising income taxes on those earning more than $250,000 should be part of any budget deal.

By 49 – 40 percent, voters oppose cutting federal funding for National Public Radio and by 53 – 43 percent they oppose cutting it off for Planned Parenthood.