Seriously, what is the point? "Hope and change" has brought nothing but "Let's do whatever congressional Republicans want". The latest: Citing the financial burden in a struggling economy and after Republican protests, President Barack Obama on Friday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to shelve a proposal to tighten smog standards. "I have continued to underscore the importance of reducing regulatory … Read More
The Gutsy Call
Conservatives are trying to downplay Obama's role in the killing of bin Laden, but the New York Times gives a dramatic account of what happened inside the White House, and indeed, it does show that Obama made a tough, and ultimately correct decision: As more than a dozen White House, intelligence and Pentagon officials described the operation on Monday, the … Read More
Thought For The Day
Actually, does the killing of Osama bin Laden help Barack Obama's reelection chances? I doubt it. I still think Obama's re-election is going to depend mostly on economic conditions. What's more, the election is still 18 months away. UPDATE: Here's a better photo: UPDATE: A guy who happened to be in Abbottabad twittered the whole thing, without realizing it was a … Read More
They Blinked
What happened at the budget negotiations? It seems Obama et al grew a pair: At one crucial moment in the game of chicken over a looming shutdown of the United States government, President Obama and the House speaker, John A. Boehner, faced off in the Oval Office. Mr. Boehner, a Republican heavily outnumbered in the room by Democrats, was demanding … Read More
Good, Because I Have A Few Things I Want To Say To Him
WXII: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In his first visit to the Triad since becoming president in 2008, Barack Obama will visit Winston-Salem on Monday. Sources confirmed to WXII that the president will be attending an event at the west campus of Forsyth Technical Community College on Bolton Street. Details about the visit weren't immediately available. The source said White House officials were … Read More
Kudos To Obama For Doing An “It Gets Better”
I'm a little disappointed in my president for, well, for a number of reasons, but I'm glad he's still not above using the bully pulpit for good causes: What's more, the White House posted an item from Brian Bond, the deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement, who not only shared his own story about being taunted as a young … Read More
The Phrase Of The Day Is “Hippie Punching”
Yeah, despite my enjoyment of the GOP/Tea Party rift, I should keep in mind that there's some infighting on the left, too: Top Obama adviser David Axelrod got an earful of the liberal blogosphere's anger at the White House moments ago, when a blogger on a conference call directly called out Axelrod over White House criticism of the left, accusing … Read More
On Obama’s Sagging Approval Ratings
"Democrats in Washington are divided and somewhat puzzled over President Obama's fading popularity", writes Matt Bai at The New York Times today. He then goes on to explain why he thinks Obama's popularity is lackluster in the middle of his first term: because Obama has too much of a legislator — trying to pass health care, the stimulus, etc. You know, I … Read More
Krugman Is Abundantly Right Today
I've heavily edited what Krugman writes today (it's largely an article about Elizabeth Warren) to bring out its essence: Why does the Obama administration keep looking for love in all the wrong places? Why does it go out of its way to alienate its friends, while wooing people who will never waver in their hatred? *** Mr. Obama rode into … Read More
The Obama Administration Hoped To Avoid A Media Circus By Firing The “Racist” Shirley Sherrod Quickly
Yeah. Nice going. How did that work out? UPDATE: Gibbs, Obama's press secretary at this afternoon's briefing: "Without a doubt Miss Sherrod is owed an apology.. on behalf of this entire administration." "Everybody made determinations without knowing all of the facts." ". . .a disservice was done, an apology was owed." You think?!? The press secretary also suggested that it was worth taking some … Read More
Bush: The Worst President In Modern History
Every eight years, a couple hundred president scholars are asked to rank the presidents on various scales, including communication, honesty, intelligence, foreign policy achievements, economic achievements, etc. The 2010 assessment is out — you can read the PDF here – but the "headline" results are: In overall rankings, Obama comes in at 15th In overall rankings, Bush 44 dropped from 23rd … Read More
Behind The Scenes
There's a very read-able article about the how the Obama White House, and how it handled events the past two weeks. A very rare inside baseball look at how the forces handled the McChrystal Rolling Stone interview and the Obama speech relating to BP. Interesting dynamics.
Obama’s Katrina?
A lot of "serious" right-wing contributors are comparing the Obama's response to the Oil Spill to Bush's response to Katrina. Read, for example, how unhinged the Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan I don't see how the president's position and popularity can survive the oil spill. This is his third political disaster in his first 18 months in office. She continues: I wonder if … Read More