++Obama's Approval Rating 49% and disapproval 47%.
++The majority of Democrats want Congress to approve the Iran Nuclear Deal; 52% are against, 44% are for. Sander Levin in the House came out today to endorse the deal, it is rumored that Chuck Schumer is against the deal. Bibi has sent his top guns to the United States to fight the deal. The question remains whether Congress can disapprove the deal and still not have a veto proof majority.
Showing posts with label Obama approval rating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama approval rating. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Obama's Mistake
++President Obama's approval rating has dipped to a new two year low at 43%. Of course, the GOP who has been saying this is the the time to strike is at 9%.
++Nancy Pelosi yesterday said that on the debt ceiling, she would invoke the 14th Amendment about the faith and credit of the United States. 189 Democratic representatives have signed onto this notion as of yesterday. But what I was most disturbed by was that Jay Carney reiterated President Obama's reluctance to raise the debt ceiling unilaterally. He referred to last year's statement by the President, where he ruled this action out. At that time, President Clinton urged President Obama to raise it and let the courts decide.
++President Obama said this year he would not negotiate on the debt ceiling. He said it several times and often. Today,the GOP leaked their demands on raising the debt ceiling, which resembled the Romney-Ryan platform with everything from repealing Dodd-Frank,Obamacare, approving the Keystone Pipeline,banning late term abortions,and ending EPA's attempt at regulating carbon emissions. These demands should be saved for people who want to know the essence of the New Republican Party. Basically,total capitulation to corporate interests, the thorough gutting of the safety net,the privatizing of Social Security and the elimination of Medicare.
++But President Obama by negotiating in the past blundered and letting Carney tip his mitt this time weakens him. Jason Linkins, who is a must read every Sunday if you want a hilarious synopsis of the Sunday news shows,today has an excellent article on the whole debt ceiling fiasco. Very few times was there are any negotiations over it. It was raised constantly under President Reagan and under W. But Jason is right that President Obama blundered by negotiating in 2011.
++Nancy Pelosi yesterday said that on the debt ceiling, she would invoke the 14th Amendment about the faith and credit of the United States. 189 Democratic representatives have signed onto this notion as of yesterday. But what I was most disturbed by was that Jay Carney reiterated President Obama's reluctance to raise the debt ceiling unilaterally. He referred to last year's statement by the President, where he ruled this action out. At that time, President Clinton urged President Obama to raise it and let the courts decide.
++President Obama said this year he would not negotiate on the debt ceiling. He said it several times and often. Today,the GOP leaked their demands on raising the debt ceiling, which resembled the Romney-Ryan platform with everything from repealing Dodd-Frank,Obamacare, approving the Keystone Pipeline,banning late term abortions,and ending EPA's attempt at regulating carbon emissions. These demands should be saved for people who want to know the essence of the New Republican Party. Basically,total capitulation to corporate interests, the thorough gutting of the safety net,the privatizing of Social Security and the elimination of Medicare.
++But President Obama by negotiating in the past blundered and letting Carney tip his mitt this time weakens him. Jason Linkins, who is a must read every Sunday if you want a hilarious synopsis of the Sunday news shows,today has an excellent article on the whole debt ceiling fiasco. Very few times was there are any negotiations over it. It was raised constantly under President Reagan and under W. But Jason is right that President Obama blundered by negotiating in 2011.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Things We Missed
++President Obama hits 60% in Washington Post approval rating.
++President Obama becoming only the second President sworn in 4 times to office. FDR being the first.
++Hillary Clinton and President Obama appearing on 60 Minutes and the speculation on 2016 starting already. Days later Hillary Clinton says again she really doesn't want to run for President.
++The bizarre hearing on the Benghazi episode where Hillary Clinton takes the Republicans to town.
++The bizarre hearing where John McCain defends the surge against Chuck Hagel.
++The first hearings on gun control where Gabby Giffords speaks only to be interrupted by the news of new killings in Tucson.
++Immigration Reform finally gets a big boost from the Gang of 12 with a path to citizenship. Whether the hype turns out to be real, the mood has changed after the GOP got trashed by Latinos in the 2012 elections.
++Harry Reid's Big Foldo on filibuster reform. Things will be slightly better for nominees.
++The Senate reintroduces the Violence against Women Act, which was rejected by the House because it included native Americans.
++The Senate approved and the President signed the $50 billion Hurricane Sandy relief bill only months after the event. Most Republicans voted against it.
++The U.S. sits on the edge of a recession because of sequestration, which would bring domestic discretionary spending to a level near an all-time low.
++We have missed almost all of the Republican debate about re-branding themselves. They say there is no need to change their policies.
++We have been following the GOP plans to rig the electoral college. But wiser heads are delaying this because if you are a state like Pennsylvania why would you dilute your clout. But the plans are ready in case the GOP thinks it will lose the 2016 Presidential elections.
++The Democrats have introduced bills to facilitate voters casting their ballots. An audit of the Florida results shows that 200,000 people tried but could not vote because of long lines.
++Geraldo Rivera says he may run for Senate from New Jersey.
++Nate the Great Silver predicts the 49ers will win the Super Bowl against the Baltimore Ravens.
++President Obama's swearing-in only brought 1 million people to town, exceeding the previous estimate of 800,000. This time the crowd was more diverse than last. Pundits applauded the speech as a statement that the governing paradigm has now shifted in the United States. Andrew Sullivan and Charles Krauthammer both agreed as to the merits of the speech but Charles thought it was manifesto of liberalism. It was certainly the first and only speech where gay rights were linked to the struggles for civil rights. From Selma to Seneca to Stonewall. Amitai Etzioni should be proud--Obama laid out a communitarian view of the American polity, which was in sync with American history. James Taylor, I could have done without. But Beyonce was terrific with the Star-Spangled Banner and no she didn't lip-sync it.
++Conservatives are aghast that the University of Chicago bought Ronald Reagan's childhood home and plan to raze it to the ground for a possible Obama Presidential Library.
++The Hagel hearings sound like the Last Hurrah of the neo-cons. To emphasize why Hagel is wrong for Defense, you have ads by the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson,Christians for Israel, and a host of pro-Israeli groups. The thing these people miss is that Hagel is not going to formulate policy but implement it.
++John Kerry slides by the Senate confirmation process because of Senatorial courtesy. Tough fights are ahead for almost every other nominee since they all touch on domestic policy where the discussion is polarized.
++Conservative Judge Sentelle ruled that all of President Obama's recess appointments were unconstitutional ,jeopardizing the National Labor Relations Board and the Consumer Protection Agency, two targets of the right.
++President Obama nominated a prosecutor as head of the SEC.
++And Barney Frank was not nominated as the interim Senator from Massachusetts. Elizabeth Warren is now the senior Senator from Massachusetts.
++The House postponed the debt ceiling fight until May, which in government speak means August. Probably by then the question will be moot because the deficit reduction measures in sequestration will have taken place.
++Paul Krugman continues his lonely fight to explain that the deficit situation has stabilized but the real issue continues to be employment. Basically, both the Obama Administration and Congress have dropped the ball on getting the economy going again.
++Syria remains in a civil war; Egypt is rioting against President Morsi; Iran has been hit by hyperinflation due to the economic sanctions;Israel has bombed a convoy of anti-tank weapons destined to Hezbollah; and China is making menacing noises toward disputed islands. Russia has had its worst human rights year since the end of the Cold War. Britain has entered triple dip recession because of Prime Minister Cameron's policies. At least most of the manuscripts in Timbuktu were actually saved from the jihadists who burned the historic library.
++President Obama becoming only the second President sworn in 4 times to office. FDR being the first.
++Hillary Clinton and President Obama appearing on 60 Minutes and the speculation on 2016 starting already. Days later Hillary Clinton says again she really doesn't want to run for President.
++The bizarre hearing on the Benghazi episode where Hillary Clinton takes the Republicans to town.
++The bizarre hearing where John McCain defends the surge against Chuck Hagel.
++The first hearings on gun control where Gabby Giffords speaks only to be interrupted by the news of new killings in Tucson.
++Immigration Reform finally gets a big boost from the Gang of 12 with a path to citizenship. Whether the hype turns out to be real, the mood has changed after the GOP got trashed by Latinos in the 2012 elections.
++Harry Reid's Big Foldo on filibuster reform. Things will be slightly better for nominees.
++The Senate reintroduces the Violence against Women Act, which was rejected by the House because it included native Americans.
++The Senate approved and the President signed the $50 billion Hurricane Sandy relief bill only months after the event. Most Republicans voted against it.
++The U.S. sits on the edge of a recession because of sequestration, which would bring domestic discretionary spending to a level near an all-time low.
++We have missed almost all of the Republican debate about re-branding themselves. They say there is no need to change their policies.
++We have been following the GOP plans to rig the electoral college. But wiser heads are delaying this because if you are a state like Pennsylvania why would you dilute your clout. But the plans are ready in case the GOP thinks it will lose the 2016 Presidential elections.
++The Democrats have introduced bills to facilitate voters casting their ballots. An audit of the Florida results shows that 200,000 people tried but could not vote because of long lines.
++Geraldo Rivera says he may run for Senate from New Jersey.
++Nate the Great Silver predicts the 49ers will win the Super Bowl against the Baltimore Ravens.
++President Obama's swearing-in only brought 1 million people to town, exceeding the previous estimate of 800,000. This time the crowd was more diverse than last. Pundits applauded the speech as a statement that the governing paradigm has now shifted in the United States. Andrew Sullivan and Charles Krauthammer both agreed as to the merits of the speech but Charles thought it was manifesto of liberalism. It was certainly the first and only speech where gay rights were linked to the struggles for civil rights. From Selma to Seneca to Stonewall. Amitai Etzioni should be proud--Obama laid out a communitarian view of the American polity, which was in sync with American history. James Taylor, I could have done without. But Beyonce was terrific with the Star-Spangled Banner and no she didn't lip-sync it.
++Conservatives are aghast that the University of Chicago bought Ronald Reagan's childhood home and plan to raze it to the ground for a possible Obama Presidential Library.
++The Hagel hearings sound like the Last Hurrah of the neo-cons. To emphasize why Hagel is wrong for Defense, you have ads by the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson,Christians for Israel, and a host of pro-Israeli groups. The thing these people miss is that Hagel is not going to formulate policy but implement it.
++John Kerry slides by the Senate confirmation process because of Senatorial courtesy. Tough fights are ahead for almost every other nominee since they all touch on domestic policy where the discussion is polarized.
++Conservative Judge Sentelle ruled that all of President Obama's recess appointments were unconstitutional ,jeopardizing the National Labor Relations Board and the Consumer Protection Agency, two targets of the right.
++President Obama nominated a prosecutor as head of the SEC.
++And Barney Frank was not nominated as the interim Senator from Massachusetts. Elizabeth Warren is now the senior Senator from Massachusetts.
++The House postponed the debt ceiling fight until May, which in government speak means August. Probably by then the question will be moot because the deficit reduction measures in sequestration will have taken place.
++Paul Krugman continues his lonely fight to explain that the deficit situation has stabilized but the real issue continues to be employment. Basically, both the Obama Administration and Congress have dropped the ball on getting the economy going again.
++Syria remains in a civil war; Egypt is rioting against President Morsi; Iran has been hit by hyperinflation due to the economic sanctions;Israel has bombed a convoy of anti-tank weapons destined to Hezbollah; and China is making menacing noises toward disputed islands. Russia has had its worst human rights year since the end of the Cold War. Britain has entered triple dip recession because of Prime Minister Cameron's policies. At least most of the manuscripts in Timbuktu were actually saved from the jihadists who burned the historic library.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
American Spectacle
++Watching the political scene at this time resembles Walter Mosley's scifi series "Crosstown to Oblivion". Magical visions of hope and change are crushed by a repressive system that lacks understanding and tolerance.
++President Obama has an approval rating now some 5 points higher than the average of his whole first term. But somehow the Senate protests his cabinet choices as if a President doesn't get his choices. This is highly unusual historically. The last cabinet choices that was rejected,according to my memory, was John Tower,who was a natural choice for Defense but his drinking problems came to light. For this president, we have had the Senate chase off Susan Rice and now are gunning for Chuck Hagel.
++For someone who has taken office or don't anything remotely controversial for years, the flap over Hagel is supposed to be either a refutation of the neocons and an assertion of independence of judgment or the approval of an anti-Israel white man soft on defense. The magnification of this nomination as a bone of contention and a decision on the entire fate of the planet seems absurd. But maybe that is the point. Maybe we need manufactured crises on a daily basis because our political system has become so dysfunctional.
++Paul Krugman on the Bill Moyers show said that President Obama chose a good, tough negotiator as Secretary of Treasury in Jack Lew. Progressives have qualms about Jack Lew because he was instrumental in the de-regulation of the economy under Clinton. Republicans now pledge to block the nomination. Their reason is because Jack Lew played an instrumental role in creating President Obama's first budget. They have not mentioned his role at Citibank and his advocacy of de-regulation which you would think would be a plus.
++Paul Krugman told Moyers that the recession at this point is unnecessary. If Congress had passed Obama's job bill, we would be down to 6.7% unemployment. As Krugman reminded everyone, full employment is 5% by all models. But he said that President Obama will not be able to pass anything and will have to spend the next few years protecting the social welfare net.
++Alas, the Treasury Department nixed the idea of printing the $1 trillion Platinum coin--an idea supported by Paul Krugman. The White House continues to say they will not negotiate over raising the debt ceiling. In an unusual coordinated effort by congressional Democrats,they presented the White House with a letter supporting President Obama taking any legal measures to avoid negotiating with Republicans on this issue, including invoking the 14th Amendment, which the White House has previously rejected.
++The White House is studiously ignoring the political noise and confusion of the GOP as it prepares for this year's legal initiatives. Joe Biden will be presenting "gun safety" initiatives this coming week after his meetings with various groups, including the NRA. The White House is going full-tilt on immigration reform, presenting a comprehensive program, which would include a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. The President has also announced plans to speed up the withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan.
++One of the daffy criticisms of President Obama's recent Cabinet picks is the lack of diversity. John Kerry,Chuck Hagel,John Brennen,and now Jack Law. So they are all white males, replacing all white males, minus a woman. Somehow the fact that Eric Holder, Kathleen Sebelius,Secretary of Energy Chu,Janet Napolitano remain doesn't count. President Obama is considering nominating Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a Republican, as Transportation Secretary.
++If you only followed the White House actions recently, you would think we are in normal political times. But the most noise is still coming from the Right and more radical noises are becoming mainstream. Right-wing talk show host Michael Savage called for the creation of a nationalist party led by a charismatic leader. He thought the tea party has failed because they lack charisma. Glenn Beck is trying to merge libertarianism with survivalism with a new building project to house "patriots" compete with a research center on our founding principles. The NRA has revved up its lobbying efforts to stop anything on gun control pretending that the Second Amendment is absolute. Paul Ryan introduced into the House a Fetus Personhood Bill,like those rejected over the past year in the states. The House again is trying to defund Planned Parenthood as Texas and Oklahoma are doing. And the beat goes on.
++In the states will have more wing nut laws. Governor Scott in Florida fibbed about the cost of Medicare to the state in order to reject federal funds. Bobby Jindal has moved to eliminate income and corporate taxes in Louisiana and raise taxes on the poor. Governor Snyder in Michigan has signed two restrictive abortion bills and a Right to work Bill. He also has a new Right To Work ad campaign and aims to create a bureaucracy to administer the law. Virginia is introducing anti-reproductive rights legislation and the soon to be candidate for governor Ken the Cooch urges Christians to go to jail to protest the contraception mandate in the Affordable Health Care Act. Several states have adopted laws to allow teachers to be armed in classrooms and to provide training in firearms for school administrators.
++Meanwhile Jerry Brown has announced California has finally conquered the state's deficit.
++The Obama White House finally responded to the petitions of those wanting to secede from the union by suggesting we are one nation. They destroyed the hopes of scifi fans by arguing rather eloquently against building the Death Star.
++If you like old news clips, check out Oliver Stone's The Untold History of the United States. Stone has some funky political biases. He likes FDR, Henry Wallace, Joe Stalin, JFK, Gorbachev, so far. Basically every other President was a corporate stooge and a willing instrument of the military-industrial complex. But the footage of the early nuclear age is riveting.I haven't seen the segment on W and Obama.
++If people want a serious issue to complain about, Obama has been disappointing on civil liberties and the laws on wiretapping and detention.
++If you want to get depressed, Chris Hedges' "The Death of the Liberal Class" is out in paperback.
++President Obama has an approval rating now some 5 points higher than the average of his whole first term. But somehow the Senate protests his cabinet choices as if a President doesn't get his choices. This is highly unusual historically. The last cabinet choices that was rejected,according to my memory, was John Tower,who was a natural choice for Defense but his drinking problems came to light. For this president, we have had the Senate chase off Susan Rice and now are gunning for Chuck Hagel.
++For someone who has taken office or don't anything remotely controversial for years, the flap over Hagel is supposed to be either a refutation of the neocons and an assertion of independence of judgment or the approval of an anti-Israel white man soft on defense. The magnification of this nomination as a bone of contention and a decision on the entire fate of the planet seems absurd. But maybe that is the point. Maybe we need manufactured crises on a daily basis because our political system has become so dysfunctional.
++Paul Krugman on the Bill Moyers show said that President Obama chose a good, tough negotiator as Secretary of Treasury in Jack Lew. Progressives have qualms about Jack Lew because he was instrumental in the de-regulation of the economy under Clinton. Republicans now pledge to block the nomination. Their reason is because Jack Lew played an instrumental role in creating President Obama's first budget. They have not mentioned his role at Citibank and his advocacy of de-regulation which you would think would be a plus.
++Paul Krugman told Moyers that the recession at this point is unnecessary. If Congress had passed Obama's job bill, we would be down to 6.7% unemployment. As Krugman reminded everyone, full employment is 5% by all models. But he said that President Obama will not be able to pass anything and will have to spend the next few years protecting the social welfare net.
++Alas, the Treasury Department nixed the idea of printing the $1 trillion Platinum coin--an idea supported by Paul Krugman. The White House continues to say they will not negotiate over raising the debt ceiling. In an unusual coordinated effort by congressional Democrats,they presented the White House with a letter supporting President Obama taking any legal measures to avoid negotiating with Republicans on this issue, including invoking the 14th Amendment, which the White House has previously rejected.
++The White House is studiously ignoring the political noise and confusion of the GOP as it prepares for this year's legal initiatives. Joe Biden will be presenting "gun safety" initiatives this coming week after his meetings with various groups, including the NRA. The White House is going full-tilt on immigration reform, presenting a comprehensive program, which would include a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. The President has also announced plans to speed up the withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan.
++One of the daffy criticisms of President Obama's recent Cabinet picks is the lack of diversity. John Kerry,Chuck Hagel,John Brennen,and now Jack Law. So they are all white males, replacing all white males, minus a woman. Somehow the fact that Eric Holder, Kathleen Sebelius,Secretary of Energy Chu,Janet Napolitano remain doesn't count. President Obama is considering nominating Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a Republican, as Transportation Secretary.
++If you only followed the White House actions recently, you would think we are in normal political times. But the most noise is still coming from the Right and more radical noises are becoming mainstream. Right-wing talk show host Michael Savage called for the creation of a nationalist party led by a charismatic leader. He thought the tea party has failed because they lack charisma. Glenn Beck is trying to merge libertarianism with survivalism with a new building project to house "patriots" compete with a research center on our founding principles. The NRA has revved up its lobbying efforts to stop anything on gun control pretending that the Second Amendment is absolute. Paul Ryan introduced into the House a Fetus Personhood Bill,like those rejected over the past year in the states. The House again is trying to defund Planned Parenthood as Texas and Oklahoma are doing. And the beat goes on.
++In the states will have more wing nut laws. Governor Scott in Florida fibbed about the cost of Medicare to the state in order to reject federal funds. Bobby Jindal has moved to eliminate income and corporate taxes in Louisiana and raise taxes on the poor. Governor Snyder in Michigan has signed two restrictive abortion bills and a Right to work Bill. He also has a new Right To Work ad campaign and aims to create a bureaucracy to administer the law. Virginia is introducing anti-reproductive rights legislation and the soon to be candidate for governor Ken the Cooch urges Christians to go to jail to protest the contraception mandate in the Affordable Health Care Act. Several states have adopted laws to allow teachers to be armed in classrooms and to provide training in firearms for school administrators.
++Meanwhile Jerry Brown has announced California has finally conquered the state's deficit.
++The Obama White House finally responded to the petitions of those wanting to secede from the union by suggesting we are one nation. They destroyed the hopes of scifi fans by arguing rather eloquently against building the Death Star.
++If you like old news clips, check out Oliver Stone's The Untold History of the United States. Stone has some funky political biases. He likes FDR, Henry Wallace, Joe Stalin, JFK, Gorbachev, so far. Basically every other President was a corporate stooge and a willing instrument of the military-industrial complex. But the footage of the early nuclear age is riveting.I haven't seen the segment on W and Obama.
++If people want a serious issue to complain about, Obama has been disappointing on civil liberties and the laws on wiretapping and detention.
++If you want to get depressed, Chris Hedges' "The Death of the Liberal Class" is out in paperback.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Happy Passover!
++Gallup reports President Obama hit 50% approval with 43% disapproval.
++Morning Joe's statement that none of the Republican establishment believe Romney can win seems borne out by a Pew poll where 59% of voters expect Obama to win,and 30% of Republicans agree.
++The Romney campaign's hiring of Ed Gillespie , the former head of the RNC, indicates establishment worries that Romney is not ready yet for prime time and doesn't have the structure in place for the general election. The GOP points out that Romney has burned through over $100 million trying to beat a fairly far-out candidate who wears sweater vests. They also note that while the Obama campaign has been laying down organizational structures all over the country, the Romney people are engaged in slash-and-burn tactics that leave nothing left behind for the general election.
++Gallup's Economic Confidence Index reported consumer confidence was at its highest since a year before Obama took office.
++The mediocre jobs report--120,000 private sector gained--brings the unemployment rate down to 8.2%. But this might not hurt the President as much as people think. A McCatchy poll shows that 57% believe the economic woes are still those inherited by President Obama, while 38% were caused by him.
++Quinnipiac, which generally assumes a larger Republican portion of the electorate than is real, reports that in a head to head Obama beats Romney in Florida by 49-42%, while Rasmussen has him up by 3,46-43%. In Ohio,it's Obama by 8 and in Rasmussen by 6.
++The Romney campaign claims they will not release anymore tax returns when pressed by the Obama campaign. The Washington Post reports that they use an ethics loophole so as not to report the extent and nature of his holdings. Locally within the Beltway, commentators are finally picking up that Romney's vast offshore accounts will become an issue for him. This is the first time I've heard reporters recognize that offshore accounts might be a delicate issue for the general election.
++David Frum has written that Obama has adroitly tied Romney to the Paul Ryan budget and wrapped the Republicans up in it as the Republican agenda. For reasons that escape me, the Romney people think embracing the Ryan budget is a winner, despite polls that show over 60% of Americans oppose each and every one of its points. David Brooks thinks this has made Obama look terribly partisan.
++RNC chairman Preibus denied the Republicans were waging a war against women. He likened it to a war against caterpillars. Romney says he gets all the feedback he needs on women's issues from his wife who talks to a lot of her friends. So no need to be concerned. Meanwhile President Obama hosted a woman's conference at the White House today and the audience was cheering,"Four More Years!"
++Morning Joe's statement that none of the Republican establishment believe Romney can win seems borne out by a Pew poll where 59% of voters expect Obama to win,and 30% of Republicans agree.
++The Romney campaign's hiring of Ed Gillespie , the former head of the RNC, indicates establishment worries that Romney is not ready yet for prime time and doesn't have the structure in place for the general election. The GOP points out that Romney has burned through over $100 million trying to beat a fairly far-out candidate who wears sweater vests. They also note that while the Obama campaign has been laying down organizational structures all over the country, the Romney people are engaged in slash-and-burn tactics that leave nothing left behind for the general election.
++Gallup's Economic Confidence Index reported consumer confidence was at its highest since a year before Obama took office.
++The mediocre jobs report--120,000 private sector gained--brings the unemployment rate down to 8.2%. But this might not hurt the President as much as people think. A McCatchy poll shows that 57% believe the economic woes are still those inherited by President Obama, while 38% were caused by him.
++Quinnipiac, which generally assumes a larger Republican portion of the electorate than is real, reports that in a head to head Obama beats Romney in Florida by 49-42%, while Rasmussen has him up by 3,46-43%. In Ohio,it's Obama by 8 and in Rasmussen by 6.
++The Romney campaign claims they will not release anymore tax returns when pressed by the Obama campaign. The Washington Post reports that they use an ethics loophole so as not to report the extent and nature of his holdings. Locally within the Beltway, commentators are finally picking up that Romney's vast offshore accounts will become an issue for him. This is the first time I've heard reporters recognize that offshore accounts might be a delicate issue for the general election.
++David Frum has written that Obama has adroitly tied Romney to the Paul Ryan budget and wrapped the Republicans up in it as the Republican agenda. For reasons that escape me, the Romney people think embracing the Ryan budget is a winner, despite polls that show over 60% of Americans oppose each and every one of its points. David Brooks thinks this has made Obama look terribly partisan.
++RNC chairman Preibus denied the Republicans were waging a war against women. He likened it to a war against caterpillars. Romney says he gets all the feedback he needs on women's issues from his wife who talks to a lot of her friends. So no need to be concerned. Meanwhile President Obama hosted a woman's conference at the White House today and the audience was cheering,"Four More Years!"
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Time Magazine Poll
Time Magazin just released a poll on President Obama's performance in office. Consider this is summer--Obama's bad season as we've seen since 2008. The Republican headquarters near the House buildings now sport a large "Fire Pelosi" banner in red. Senator Corker of Tennessee said today that Obama doesn't have the leadership to create jobs. We'll visit the Chamber of Commerce strategy in a later post but the filthy rich have $14 trillion that is not being invested and American corporations have $2 trillion they have not put to work yet.
So pretty grim news. So Obama's approval rating in the Time poll is 49% with 45% disapproving. In a match-up of Obama versus George W. Bush--it's Obama by 53 to 33%. Against Sarah Palin 55-34%.
On Foreign Affairs, Obama's approval is 52 to 41%. On Afghanistan 47-44%.
53% disapprove of his immigration policies. 54% disapprove of how he handled the BP affair.
On right track-wrong track. 56% think the U.S. is on the wrong track. Still in 2008, right track was 18%. This new number is actually about a 6% improvement over the last few months.
On the economy, 61% blame George W. Bush; 27% blame Obama. Given the media pounding of Obama on this issue, I find this number encouraging.
31% to 26% believe Obama's policies have helped. The large number of undecideds is worrisome.
Before Tan Man Boehner measures for drapes, he should know by 43-39% Americans trust Democrats more on the economy. In the generic poll, Democrats have a 43-42% lead.
On the Deficit, Americans do not want to cut Social Security and Medicare. The majority want to balance the budget by cutting defense spending. This is an interesting development. And Conservatives want to cut unemployment benefits by a 49-21% margin.
What is absolutely fascinating is that 80% of Americans believe the economy has stabilized and heading in the right direction. This may account for 2/3rds of Americans don't want additional stimulus spending.
So far the polls this summer reflect that the American people still remain relatively sane and still possess their faculties.
So pretty grim news. So Obama's approval rating in the Time poll is 49% with 45% disapproving. In a match-up of Obama versus George W. Bush--it's Obama by 53 to 33%. Against Sarah Palin 55-34%.
On Foreign Affairs, Obama's approval is 52 to 41%. On Afghanistan 47-44%.
53% disapprove of his immigration policies. 54% disapprove of how he handled the BP affair.
On right track-wrong track. 56% think the U.S. is on the wrong track. Still in 2008, right track was 18%. This new number is actually about a 6% improvement over the last few months.
On the economy, 61% blame George W. Bush; 27% blame Obama. Given the media pounding of Obama on this issue, I find this number encouraging.
31% to 26% believe Obama's policies have helped. The large number of undecideds is worrisome.
Before Tan Man Boehner measures for drapes, he should know by 43-39% Americans trust Democrats more on the economy. In the generic poll, Democrats have a 43-42% lead.
On the Deficit, Americans do not want to cut Social Security and Medicare. The majority want to balance the budget by cutting defense spending. This is an interesting development. And Conservatives want to cut unemployment benefits by a 49-21% margin.
What is absolutely fascinating is that 80% of Americans believe the economy has stabilized and heading in the right direction. This may account for 2/3rds of Americans don't want additional stimulus spending.
So far the polls this summer reflect that the American people still remain relatively sane and still possess their faculties.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Hear My Train A Comin'
Still great and Hendrix does a cover of Sunshine of Your Love, which makes one lament the wrong guitarist died. Let't not go there.
The frequency of the posts is due to my procrastination in doing my taxes. As Douglas Adams, another great procrastinator, said,"I love deadlines. I love to hear them "whoosh" when they go by."
An important message to all Americans from the Right Wing: Obama is going to outlaw fishing everywhere in the United States and off the coasts. This is as good as Sean Hannity's Fox show in California where he discovered that President Obama was denying the citizens of California water because he was saving an endangered snail.
Great news from Rasmussen again, President Obama has dropped to 43% approval rating--the lowest of all time. Remember my 9% rule for Rasmussen's polls. The AP poll has Obama approval rating steady for the last two months at 53%, which is the same as the Daily Kos RS2000 poll. President Obama has gained ground on national security issues, especially the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and the escalation of the war in Afghanistan. On the economy and health care, he still retains support from half the population.
But Congress does not fare so well. Approval of Congress has fallen to about 20%. Still, only 30% approve of how Republican congresscritters are going, compared to 36% for Democrats. Interestingly, on who should control Congress, it's 44% Democrats and 38% Republicans.
A new twist in my view is that a majority believe their congresscritter should not be re-elected. Usually, Congress' approval can fall into mud but usually when the question is asked about your representative a majority want their guy or gal re-elected.
The AP found that 56% believe America is headed in the wrong direction. This is usually the bellwether question for politics. But remember at the start of the Obama Administration only 18% felt America was heading in the right direction. As jobs start being produced, I expect the right way-wrong way numbers will shift.
Nate "The Great" Silver over at www.fivethirtyeight.com has recovered from the Olympics to make his Senate predictions for 2010. Nate was only 1 or 2 medals off in his Olympic medal predictions. He says the Democrats retain control of the Senate with 54.7 seats. Harry Reid is defeated and Dick Durbin or Charles Schumer becomes majority leader. For the Republicans to take control of the Senate, Nate says they have to run the circuit. He says they can't. On the other hand, Karl Rove says the Republicans will regain the Senate. He's wrong. Bet on Nate.
Our socialist President seems to be saving capitalism, despite itself. Mike Dorning writing in Bloomberg News reports that US stocks, which hit their post-financial-crisis low on March 9, 2009, have risen more than 68%, and the the Standard & Poor's 500 Index is up 41% since Obama took office. He quotes one chief economic strategist as saying," If he was a Republican, we would hear a never-ending drumbeat of news stories about markets voting in favor of the President."
The chief analyst for Morgan Stanley predicts the U.S. will add 300,000 jobs in March,the most in four years. Another analyst points to productivity growing 6.9% in the fourth quarter, which was the biggest one-year gain since 2002. Commodities prices are up 32% since Obama took office. The bottom-line in the article is that everyone, including a slightly grumpy former assistant Treasury Secretary for George W., agrees that none of this would have happened without President Obama's policies.
Peace is breaking out! Todd Palin's snowmobile for the 2010 Iron Dog race is being sponsored by CITGO. That's right Hugo Chavez's CITGO. The Right again meets the Left.
Our Chief of the Supreme Court, Judge Roberts, got his feelings hurt at the State of the Union address. He told students in Alabama--seems he can't speak in a union state--that it was "troubling" that the President criticized the Supreme Court. And he doesn't know why the Supreme Court justices have to go because it's just a political pep rally. Sniff,sniff. The White House responded that what was troubling was the Court's Citizens United decision that allowed American and foreign corporations to make unlimited campaign contributions. You know the decision was bad when there is actually a real bipartisan effort to pass legislation to stop its worst effects.
Larry King asked Eric Massa whether he was gay. Y.M.C.A.
One of the problems conservatives have with social networking is that people might respond to them. Our homophobic attorney-general Ken Cuccinelli has a Facebook page and he has been inundated by protesting citizens against his decree to universities not to protect gays. More than 3,000 university students joined a Facebook page to end discrimination of gays at Virginia's Universities and another 1,000 organized their own Facebook protest at William & Mary. VCU is having a rally for gay rights with about 1,000 people. And Christopher Newport University is hosting a meeting led by both Republican and Democratic student leaders to plan next steps to pressure the state government. Virtually all the administrations of the unievsrities and colleges in the state have protested vehemently. And unfortunately for the state Republicans this has made the national news via the Washington Post.
But the Washington Post are great ones to talk. When gay and lesbian couples got their marriage licenses, the paper printed a photo of happy lesbians, but only posted a picture of gay males kissing on their website. A follow-up story about the first weddings did the same thing.
Bob Barr and former Attorney General Mukasey have weighed in against Liz Cheney. Bob Barr is a fascinating character. One of the prime movers of the case for impeachment against Bill Clinton, Barr had an abrupt change of positions during the George W. Bush administration. Barr even beat the ACLU to the punch organizing people to oppose the Patriot Act. His stance on the Cheney episode is much more constitutionally based than the other critics. He thinks all those charged with terrorism should have defense lawyers and be tried in civilian courts.
When I ran the Republican Institute, the Germans were bothered by what they perceived as growing isolationism in the United States. They saw this coming from our right-wing, which by nature are isolationists. They co-sponsored with me two days of seminars on American foreign policy but they demanded I have a real isolationist. I called Bob Barr. Even though he served as a CIA agent, Barr was vocal in his isolationism. He graciously accepted and his remarks left the German guests stunned. They had never heard anyone articulate the case for isolationism before.
After seeing Marc Thiessen on John Stewart, you might want to embrace isolationism. I don't think he should be given any forum even if it's to debate or lampoon his positions. We've produced a culture where you succeed by failing upward.
At some point, I will try to cobble together a post on the latest terrorist arrests in the United States and the two court trials in New York City, which seem to have escaped media notice. It seems the Obama Administration wants to try 9/11 conspirators in civilian courts except for Khalid Sheik Muhammed. That is the latest compromise with the Republicans. I don't like it.
The Eric Massa thing did not work out so well for conservatives. This morning's e-mails brought me complaints that Bart Stupak, an anti-abortion Democrat, is being bribed by the White House to support health care reform. We do know he is being primaried now. But we must get up and arms against the "corruption" of the Obama Administration.
Glenn Beck on his Massa disaster tried to get the former congressmen to talk about corruption. To his credit, Massa just said nothing is going to change unless we have campaign finance reform. He went on to say that the lobbyists and special interests were to blame. This Beck did not want to hear. I guess no progressives were mentioned.
I'm sorry to report Rush Limbaugh says he's not moving to Costa Rica. Apparently, he heard too many comments that it had universal health care. But, never fear, Rushbo and Ann Coulter are waging war on sea turtles, who are migrating to Palm Beach to lay their eggs. This should keep them occupied for awhile.
Watch for some further explosions on Glenn Beck's proposed rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech. It seems military personnel are upset that military charities are acting as co-sponsors for this event and raising funds for it. The backlash is not only because they see worthwhile charities abusing their non-profit status but that they object to the theme of "Restore Our Honor". The serving military complaints about this is that Beck sounds like an anti-Vietnam war protester with this stuff and what honor do we have to restore. Between the Jesuits and the American military, he knows how to pick enemies.
The frequency of the posts is due to my procrastination in doing my taxes. As Douglas Adams, another great procrastinator, said,"I love deadlines. I love to hear them "whoosh" when they go by."
An important message to all Americans from the Right Wing: Obama is going to outlaw fishing everywhere in the United States and off the coasts. This is as good as Sean Hannity's Fox show in California where he discovered that President Obama was denying the citizens of California water because he was saving an endangered snail.
Great news from Rasmussen again, President Obama has dropped to 43% approval rating--the lowest of all time. Remember my 9% rule for Rasmussen's polls. The AP poll has Obama approval rating steady for the last two months at 53%, which is the same as the Daily Kos RS2000 poll. President Obama has gained ground on national security issues, especially the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and the escalation of the war in Afghanistan. On the economy and health care, he still retains support from half the population.
But Congress does not fare so well. Approval of Congress has fallen to about 20%. Still, only 30% approve of how Republican congresscritters are going, compared to 36% for Democrats. Interestingly, on who should control Congress, it's 44% Democrats and 38% Republicans.
A new twist in my view is that a majority believe their congresscritter should not be re-elected. Usually, Congress' approval can fall into mud but usually when the question is asked about your representative a majority want their guy or gal re-elected.
The AP found that 56% believe America is headed in the wrong direction. This is usually the bellwether question for politics. But remember at the start of the Obama Administration only 18% felt America was heading in the right direction. As jobs start being produced, I expect the right way-wrong way numbers will shift.
Nate "The Great" Silver over at www.fivethirtyeight.com has recovered from the Olympics to make his Senate predictions for 2010. Nate was only 1 or 2 medals off in his Olympic medal predictions. He says the Democrats retain control of the Senate with 54.7 seats. Harry Reid is defeated and Dick Durbin or Charles Schumer becomes majority leader. For the Republicans to take control of the Senate, Nate says they have to run the circuit. He says they can't. On the other hand, Karl Rove says the Republicans will regain the Senate. He's wrong. Bet on Nate.
Our socialist President seems to be saving capitalism, despite itself. Mike Dorning writing in Bloomberg News reports that US stocks, which hit their post-financial-crisis low on March 9, 2009, have risen more than 68%, and the the Standard & Poor's 500 Index is up 41% since Obama took office. He quotes one chief economic strategist as saying," If he was a Republican, we would hear a never-ending drumbeat of news stories about markets voting in favor of the President."
The chief analyst for Morgan Stanley predicts the U.S. will add 300,000 jobs in March,the most in four years. Another analyst points to productivity growing 6.9% in the fourth quarter, which was the biggest one-year gain since 2002. Commodities prices are up 32% since Obama took office. The bottom-line in the article is that everyone, including a slightly grumpy former assistant Treasury Secretary for George W., agrees that none of this would have happened without President Obama's policies.
Peace is breaking out! Todd Palin's snowmobile for the 2010 Iron Dog race is being sponsored by CITGO. That's right Hugo Chavez's CITGO. The Right again meets the Left.
Our Chief of the Supreme Court, Judge Roberts, got his feelings hurt at the State of the Union address. He told students in Alabama--seems he can't speak in a union state--that it was "troubling" that the President criticized the Supreme Court. And he doesn't know why the Supreme Court justices have to go because it's just a political pep rally. Sniff,sniff. The White House responded that what was troubling was the Court's Citizens United decision that allowed American and foreign corporations to make unlimited campaign contributions. You know the decision was bad when there is actually a real bipartisan effort to pass legislation to stop its worst effects.
Larry King asked Eric Massa whether he was gay. Y.M.C.A.
One of the problems conservatives have with social networking is that people might respond to them. Our homophobic attorney-general Ken Cuccinelli has a Facebook page and he has been inundated by protesting citizens against his decree to universities not to protect gays. More than 3,000 university students joined a Facebook page to end discrimination of gays at Virginia's Universities and another 1,000 organized their own Facebook protest at William & Mary. VCU is having a rally for gay rights with about 1,000 people. And Christopher Newport University is hosting a meeting led by both Republican and Democratic student leaders to plan next steps to pressure the state government. Virtually all the administrations of the unievsrities and colleges in the state have protested vehemently. And unfortunately for the state Republicans this has made the national news via the Washington Post.
But the Washington Post are great ones to talk. When gay and lesbian couples got their marriage licenses, the paper printed a photo of happy lesbians, but only posted a picture of gay males kissing on their website. A follow-up story about the first weddings did the same thing.
Bob Barr and former Attorney General Mukasey have weighed in against Liz Cheney. Bob Barr is a fascinating character. One of the prime movers of the case for impeachment against Bill Clinton, Barr had an abrupt change of positions during the George W. Bush administration. Barr even beat the ACLU to the punch organizing people to oppose the Patriot Act. His stance on the Cheney episode is much more constitutionally based than the other critics. He thinks all those charged with terrorism should have defense lawyers and be tried in civilian courts.
When I ran the Republican Institute, the Germans were bothered by what they perceived as growing isolationism in the United States. They saw this coming from our right-wing, which by nature are isolationists. They co-sponsored with me two days of seminars on American foreign policy but they demanded I have a real isolationist. I called Bob Barr. Even though he served as a CIA agent, Barr was vocal in his isolationism. He graciously accepted and his remarks left the German guests stunned. They had never heard anyone articulate the case for isolationism before.
After seeing Marc Thiessen on John Stewart, you might want to embrace isolationism. I don't think he should be given any forum even if it's to debate or lampoon his positions. We've produced a culture where you succeed by failing upward.
At some point, I will try to cobble together a post on the latest terrorist arrests in the United States and the two court trials in New York City, which seem to have escaped media notice. It seems the Obama Administration wants to try 9/11 conspirators in civilian courts except for Khalid Sheik Muhammed. That is the latest compromise with the Republicans. I don't like it.
The Eric Massa thing did not work out so well for conservatives. This morning's e-mails brought me complaints that Bart Stupak, an anti-abortion Democrat, is being bribed by the White House to support health care reform. We do know he is being primaried now. But we must get up and arms against the "corruption" of the Obama Administration.
Glenn Beck on his Massa disaster tried to get the former congressmen to talk about corruption. To his credit, Massa just said nothing is going to change unless we have campaign finance reform. He went on to say that the lobbyists and special interests were to blame. This Beck did not want to hear. I guess no progressives were mentioned.
I'm sorry to report Rush Limbaugh says he's not moving to Costa Rica. Apparently, he heard too many comments that it had universal health care. But, never fear, Rushbo and Ann Coulter are waging war on sea turtles, who are migrating to Palm Beach to lay their eggs. This should keep them occupied for awhile.
Watch for some further explosions on Glenn Beck's proposed rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech. It seems military personnel are upset that military charities are acting as co-sponsors for this event and raising funds for it. The backlash is not only because they see worthwhile charities abusing their non-profit status but that they object to the theme of "Restore Our Honor". The serving military complaints about this is that Beck sounds like an anti-Vietnam war protester with this stuff and what honor do we have to restore. Between the Jesuits and the American military, he knows how to pick enemies.
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