Charles Blow, New York Times
Elections often turn on character moments and the slopes of lines.They are about who a candidate reveals himself to be under pressure more than who he says he is on stage. And they are about the direction of change when the time comes to vote for change — or to forswear it in favor of continuity.Taking that into account, at this moment, President Obama’s chances of being re-elected look stronger than they have in months. The Romney campaign seems to be coming off the tracks with no clear vision for how to get back on.
Bernanke Admits Obamanomics Has Failed Dismally
On September - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Larry Kudlow, IBD
About 30 years ago, Paul Volcker launched a monumental monetary effort to bring down inflation. As Fed chairman, he sold bonds, removed cash from the economy and cared not one wit about rising interest rates. And it worked. Gold plunged, King Dollar soared, and the drop-off in bank reserves and money extinguished high inflation -- and actually launched a multi-decade period of very low inflation.This week, current Fed chairman Ben Bernanke embarked on an absolute reversal of Volcker's policy. He is launching a monumental effort to buy bonds and inject new money into the economy in order...
About 30 years ago, Paul Volcker launched a monumental monetary effort to bring down inflation. As Fed chairman, he sold bonds, removed cash from the economy and cared not one wit about rising interest rates. And it worked. Gold plunged, King Dollar soared, and the drop-off in bank reserves and money extinguished high inflation -- and actually launched a multi-decade period of very low inflation.This week, current Fed chairman Ben Bernanke embarked on an absolute reversal of Volcker's policy. He is launching a monumental effort to buy bonds and inject new money into the economy in order...
From Cairo 2009 to Cairo 2012
On September - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Michael Walsh, New York Post
"A New Beginning”: That’s what President Obama called his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo back in June 2009. Speaking at al-Azhar University, an ancient seat of Muslim scholarship, Obama called for a fresh start “based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition.“There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground.”
"A New Beginning”: That’s what President Obama called his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo back in June 2009. Speaking at al-Azhar University, an ancient seat of Muslim scholarship, Obama called for a fresh start “based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition.“There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground.”
Fed’s Bold Act Still May Not Jolt Slow Economy
On September - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Crutsinger & Wiseman, AP
No sooner did the Federal Reserve unveil a bold plan Thursday to juice the U.S. economy than it dangled the prospect of doing even more. Investors celebrated by sending stock prices jumping.Economists were less impressed. Many wondered how much the Fed's action would help.Chairman Ben Bernanke himself urged everyone to keep expectations in check."I personally don't think that it's going to solve the problem," Bernanke said at a news conference. "But I do think it has enough force to help nudge the economy in the right direction."The Fed's move to buy...
No sooner did the Federal Reserve unveil a bold plan Thursday to juice the U.S. economy than it dangled the prospect of doing even more. Investors celebrated by sending stock prices jumping.Economists were less impressed. Many wondered how much the Fed's action would help.Chairman Ben Bernanke himself urged everyone to keep expectations in check."I personally don't think that it's going to solve the problem," Bernanke said at a news conference. "But I do think it has enough force to help nudge the economy in the right direction."The Fed's move to buy...
U.S. Ignored Libya’s Downward Spiral
On September - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Christopher Chivvis, Foreign Policy
As details emerge, it appears increasingly probable that al Qaeda-linked groups werebehind the violence, likely acting in reprisal for the death of Abu Yaya al-Libi,Al Qaeda's second in command, who was killed by a drone strike in Pakistanearlier this year. Just prior to the Benghazi assault, on the 11th anniversaryof the 9/11 terrorist attacks, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released an Internetvideo in which, according to CNN, he said that al-Libi's "blood is calling, urging and incitingyou to fight and kill the crusaders."Even ifthe deaths were not linked...
As details emerge, it appears increasingly probable that al Qaeda-linked groups werebehind the violence, likely acting in reprisal for the death of Abu Yaya al-Libi,Al Qaeda's second in command, who was killed by a drone strike in Pakistanearlier this year. Just prior to the Benghazi assault, on the 11th anniversaryof the 9/11 terrorist attacks, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released an Internetvideo in which, according to CNN, he said that al-Libi's "blood is calling, urging and incitingyou to fight and kill the crusaders."Even ifthe deaths were not linked...
President Obama’s Mideast Meltdown
On September - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Charles Krauthammer, FOX News
"What we are seeing on the screen is the meltdown, collapse of the Obama policy on the Muslim world," Charles Krauthammer said on the panel segment of FOX News' "Special Report" tonight. "The irony is that it began in Cairo, in the same place where the speech he made in the beginning of his presidency in which he said, you wanted a new beginning with mutual respect, implying under the other presidents, particularly Bush, there was a lack of mutual respect. Which was an insult to the United States, which had gone to war six times in the last 20 years on behalf of...
"What we are seeing on the screen is the meltdown, collapse of the Obama policy on the Muslim world," Charles Krauthammer said on the panel segment of FOX News' "Special Report" tonight. "The irony is that it began in Cairo, in the same place where the speech he made in the beginning of his presidency in which he said, you wanted a new beginning with mutual respect, implying under the other presidents, particularly Bush, there was a lack of mutual respect. Which was an insult to the United States, which had gone to war six times in the last 20 years on behalf of...
How Paul Ryan Would Wreck the New Deal
On September - 13 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Konczal & Covert, The Nation
Republican vice-presidential pick Paul Ryan is widely considered a leading conservative policy intellectual on welfare and entitlement spending. His budget—loosely adopted by the Republican Party platform—calls for a massive reduction in programs that benefit Americans broadly, and the poor specifically, in order to pay for big tax cuts. But his vision goes further, fundamentally altering the way the United States provides for the poor and elderly. Ryan’s plan takes the social insurance promises of the New Deal and the Great Society and turns them into something...
Republican vice-presidential pick Paul Ryan is widely considered a leading conservative policy intellectual on welfare and entitlement spending. His budget—loosely adopted by the Republican Party platform—calls for a massive reduction in programs that benefit Americans broadly, and the poor specifically, in order to pay for big tax cuts. But his vision goes further, fundamentally altering the way the United States provides for the poor and elderly. Ryan’s plan takes the social insurance promises of the New Deal and the Great Society and turns them into something...
More Evidence Of Obama’s Policy Failures
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Yves Smith, Naked Capitalism
Matt Stoller pointed out that income disparity, which is associated strongly with negative social indicators (crime rates, poor health outcomes) as well as lower growth, rose faster under Obama than Bush.Newly released Census data provides more evidence of the failure of Obama’s economic policies. A Bloomberg story summarizes how it shows that median incomes fell even as those at the top showed income gains. And why might Obama think he can be indifferent to the fate of ordinary Americans? Might it not be unrelated to the disproportionate role that the 1% and even more important,...
Matt Stoller pointed out that income disparity, which is associated strongly with negative social indicators (crime rates, poor health outcomes) as well as lower growth, rose faster under Obama than Bush.Newly released Census data provides more evidence of the failure of Obama’s economic policies. A Bloomberg story summarizes how it shows that median incomes fell even as those at the top showed income gains. And why might Obama think he can be indifferent to the fate of ordinary Americans? Might it not be unrelated to the disproportionate role that the 1% and even more important,...
U.S. Median Income Lowest Since 1995
On September - 13 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
James Politi, Financial Times
The median income of American households dropped to its lowest level since 1995 last year, extending its decline during President Barack Obama’s tenure and highlighting the depth of the damage to the middle class inflicted by the recession and weak recovery.According to annual data from the Census Bureau, median income adjusted for inflation – a closely watched measure of the financial health of average Americans – fell to $50,054 in 2011, or 1.5 per cent below its 2010 level and 4.1 per cent below its score when Mr Obama took office in 2009.
The median income of American households dropped to its lowest level since 1995 last year, extending its decline during President Barack Obama’s tenure and highlighting the depth of the damage to the middle class inflicted by the recession and weak recovery.According to annual data from the Census Bureau, median income adjusted for inflation – a closely watched measure of the financial health of average Americans – fell to $50,054 in 2011, or 1.5 per cent below its 2010 level and 4.1 per cent below its score when Mr Obama took office in 2009.
Who Again Has the Bungled Foreign Policy?
On September - 13 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Philip Klein, DC Examiner
We're still learning more details about the events leading up to and surrounding the attacks by Islamic radicals on the U.S. consulate in Libya and embassy in Egypt, but the media has already agreed on one thing: Mitt Romney is the political loser."Unless the Romney campaign has gamed this crisis out in some manner completely invisible to the Gang of 500, his doubling down on criticism of the President for the statement coming out of Cairo is likely to be seen as one of the most craven and ill-advised tactical moves in this entire campaign," opined Time's Mark Halperin.
We're still learning more details about the events leading up to and surrounding the attacks by Islamic radicals on the U.S. consulate in Libya and embassy in Egypt, but the media has already agreed on one thing: Mitt Romney is the political loser."Unless the Romney campaign has gamed this crisis out in some manner completely invisible to the Gang of 500, his doubling down on criticism of the President for the statement coming out of Cairo is likely to be seen as one of the most craven and ill-advised tactical moves in this entire campaign," opined Time's Mark Halperin.
The Logical Outcome of Obama’s Foreign Policy
On September - 13 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Liz Cheney, Wall St. Jrnl
It has certainly been a terrible 48 hours. In Libya, violent extremists killed American diplomats. In Cairo, mobs breached the walls of the U.S. Embassy, ripped down the American flag and replaced it with the al Qaeda flag.In response to the attack in Cairo, diplomats there condemned not the attackers but those who "hurt the religious feelings of Muslims." The president appeared in the Rose Garden less than 24 hours later to condemn the Libya assault and failed even to mention the attack in Egypt. The message sent to radicals throughout the region: If you assault an American embassy...
It has certainly been a terrible 48 hours. In Libya, violent extremists killed American diplomats. In Cairo, mobs breached the walls of the U.S. Embassy, ripped down the American flag and replaced it with the al Qaeda flag.In response to the attack in Cairo, diplomats there condemned not the attackers but those who "hurt the religious feelings of Muslims." The president appeared in the Rose Garden less than 24 hours later to condemn the Libya assault and failed even to mention the attack in Egypt. The message sent to radicals throughout the region: If you assault an American embassy...
Tragedy in Libya
On September - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Blake Hounshell, Foreign Policy
As I write, Al Jazeera is reporting that Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was killed amid an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi along with three others. Video and screen captures, supposedly of his body, are circulating on Twitter. Libya's nascent government has roundly condemned the assault, and the Libyan army engaged in fierce clashes with an Islamist militia late into the night. According to Al Jazeera, the bodies were flown out of the country. (The State Department last night confirmed a death in Benghazi, but did not mention Stevens.)This is, obviously, a...
As I write, Al Jazeera is reporting that Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was killed amid an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi along with three others. Video and screen captures, supposedly of his body, are circulating on Twitter. Libya's nascent government has roundly condemned the assault, and the Libyan army engaged in fierce clashes with an Islamist militia late into the night. According to Al Jazeera, the bodies were flown out of the country. (The State Department last night confirmed a death in Benghazi, but did not mention Stevens.)This is, obviously, a...
A Wake-Up Call for Obama
On September - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Con Coughlin, Daily Telegraph
The murder of the US ambassador and three consulate staff in the Libyan city of Benghazi should act as an urgent wake-up call to President Barack Obama to address America's security concerns properly, rather than trying to avoid them all the time.Ever since Mr Obama entered the White House he has tried to position himself as a politician who has no interest in getting involved in overseas conflicts. Having withdrawn American forces from Iraq and ordered the withdrawal of US combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, he has tried to appease his Democrat supporters by making sure...
The murder of the US ambassador and three consulate staff in the Libyan city of Benghazi should act as an urgent wake-up call to President Barack Obama to address America's security concerns properly, rather than trying to avoid them all the time.Ever since Mr Obama entered the White House he has tried to position himself as a politician who has no interest in getting involved in overseas conflicts. Having withdrawn American forces from Iraq and ordered the withdrawal of US combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, he has tried to appease his Democrat supporters by making sure...
A Black Flag Day for America
On September - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Ross Kaminsky, The American Spectator
On a pretense of anger about an anti-Islamic film, "ultra-conservative" Muslim "protesters" attacked the U.S. embassies in Cairo, Egypt, and Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday. (Short video of the Cairo mob here.)In Egypt, some of the protesters scaled the embassy walls, went into a courtyard, and took down the American flag. They tried (and failed) to burn it, then tore it up, and then put up a black Islamic flag.
On a pretense of anger about an anti-Islamic film, "ultra-conservative" Muslim "protesters" attacked the U.S. embassies in Cairo, Egypt, and Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday. (Short video of the Cairo mob here.)In Egypt, some of the protesters scaled the embassy walls, went into a courtyard, and took down the American flag. They tried (and failed) to burn it, then tore it up, and then put up a black Islamic flag.
Romney’s Behind & Running Out of Time
On September - 11 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Charlie Cook, National Journal
It is becoming clear that if President Obama is reelected, it will be despite the economy and because of his campaign; if Mitt Romney wins, it will be because of the economy and despite his campaign.The U.S. economy—and, by extension, the public’s judgment of Obama’s stewardship over the economy—is a millstone that no president would want around his neck. Polls and focus groups are quite clear: While Americans don’t blame Obama for the economic downturn, they are disappointed with how he has handled it since taking office. They had hoped that...
It is becoming clear that if President Obama is reelected, it will be despite the economy and because of his campaign; if Mitt Romney wins, it will be because of the economy and despite his campaign.The U.S. economy—and, by extension, the public’s judgment of Obama’s stewardship over the economy—is a millstone that no president would want around his neck. Polls and focus groups are quite clear: While Americans don’t blame Obama for the economic downturn, they are disappointed with how he has handled it since taking office. They had hoped that...
The Trafficking in Political Nonsense
On September - 11 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
John Podhoretz, New York Post
So after President Obama’s small but measurable convention “bounce” in the polls — and a brilliant effort by his campaign to convince credulous and emotionally involved journalists that this four-point jump means Mitt Romney has already lost — there is considerable worry in the air among Republicans.Not to mention a deep degree of condescending concern among those journalists, who are expressing brow-furrowed worry about the difficulty of Romney’s road ahead.
So after President Obama’s small but measurable convention “bounce” in the polls — and a brilliant effort by his campaign to convince credulous and emotionally involved journalists that this four-point jump means Mitt Romney has already lost — there is considerable worry in the air among Republicans.Not to mention a deep degree of condescending concern among those journalists, who are expressing brow-furrowed worry about the difficulty of Romney’s road ahead.
What Would a 2nd Obama Term Look Like?
On September - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Conn Carroll, DC Examiner
Love him or hate, pretty much everybody who paid attention to his Democratic National Convention speech Thursday night agrees: President Obama did not lay out a clear agenda for his second term.True, he did recently tell Time magazine that he expects Republican opposition to "pop" like a "blister" if he wins re-election. But as conservative commentator Ramesh Ponnuru has noted, and liberal commentators Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein have agreed, that isn't likely to happen.
Love him or hate, pretty much everybody who paid attention to his Democratic National Convention speech Thursday night agrees: President Obama did not lay out a clear agenda for his second term.True, he did recently tell Time magazine that he expects Republican opposition to "pop" like a "blister" if he wins re-election. But as conservative commentator Ramesh Ponnuru has noted, and liberal commentators Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein have agreed, that isn't likely to happen.
Corporate Cronyism Weakens America
On September - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Charles Koch, Wall Street Journal
"We didn't build this business"”somebody else did."So reads a sign outside a small roadside craft store in Utah. The message is clearly tongue-in-cheek. But if it hung next to the corporate offices of some of our nation's big financial institutions or auto makers, there would be no irony in the message at all.It shouldn't surprise us that the role of American business is increasingly vilified or viewed with skepticism. In a Rasmussen poll conducted this year, 68% of voters said they "believe government and big business work together against the...
"We didn't build this business"”somebody else did."So reads a sign outside a small roadside craft store in Utah. The message is clearly tongue-in-cheek. But if it hung next to the corporate offices of some of our nation's big financial institutions or auto makers, there would be no irony in the message at all.It shouldn't surprise us that the role of American business is increasingly vilified or viewed with skepticism. In a Rasmussen poll conducted this year, 68% of voters said they "believe government and big business work together against the...
The Truth About Mitt: He’s No Wild-Eyed Wing Nut
On September - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Jon Meacham, Time
Under questioning from David Gregory on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Mitt Romney reverted to type — the basically moderate Massachusetts Republican he was before he decided that he wanted to be the nominee of a party whose base has moved ever further rightward since the nomination of Barry Goldwater half a century ago. As the New York Times pointed out in a piece written off the interview, there was the allowance that perhaps President Barack Obama’s health care reform is not all bad. (“There are a number of things that I like in health care reform...
Under questioning from David Gregory on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Mitt Romney reverted to type — the basically moderate Massachusetts Republican he was before he decided that he wanted to be the nominee of a party whose base has moved ever further rightward since the nomination of Barry Goldwater half a century ago. As the New York Times pointed out in a piece written off the interview, there was the allowance that perhaps President Barack Obama’s health care reform is not all bad. (“There are a number of things that I like in health care reform...
So What If Iran Gets the Bomb?
On September - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Bill Keller, New York Times
IRAN has returned to the front pages after a summer hiatus. Negotiations aimed at preventing the dreaded Persian Bomb have resumed their desultory course. Iran, although suffering from the international sanctions choreographed by the Obama administration, keeps adding new arrays of centrifuges while insisting the program is strictly nonmilitary. Israel is — or maybe isn’t — edging closer to a unilateral strike. The U.S., we learn from The Times’s reliable David Sanger, is considering more and bigger bouts of cybersabotage. Meanwhile, the...
IRAN has returned to the front pages after a summer hiatus. Negotiations aimed at preventing the dreaded Persian Bomb have resumed their desultory course. Iran, although suffering from the international sanctions choreographed by the Obama administration, keeps adding new arrays of centrifuges while insisting the program is strictly nonmilitary. Israel is — or maybe isn’t — edging closer to a unilateral strike. The U.S., we learn from The Times’s reliable David Sanger, is considering more and bigger bouts of cybersabotage. Meanwhile, the...
A Dead Heat With Two Months to Go
On September - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Stephen Hayes, Weekly Standard
Charlotte, N.C. - One day after the Democratic convention ended here, and a week after the Republican convention wrapped up in Tampa, and American politics is basically all tied up. Here’s the top line on Real Clear Politics 60 days before November 6: The RCP average for the presidential race shows a dead heat (Obama +0.7 percentage points), the Senate is 46-46 with 8 tossups, and the generic congressional ballot is tied. And while the conventions gave us little indication who will win in November, they offered some insights into how the campaigns think they can achieve victory....
Charlotte, N.C. - One day after the Democratic convention ended here, and a week after the Republican convention wrapped up in Tampa, and American politics is basically all tied up. Here’s the top line on Real Clear Politics 60 days before November 6: The RCP average for the presidential race shows a dead heat (Obama +0.7 percentage points), the Senate is 46-46 with 8 tossups, and the generic congressional ballot is tied. And while the conventions gave us little indication who will win in November, they offered some insights into how the campaigns think they can achieve victory....
The Public Is Frustrated & Pessimistic
On September - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- Are you better off than you were four years ago? It's a harder question than you might think.If you examine the numbers, they suggest that most Americans aren't better off than they were four years ago -- but aren't much worse off, either. The big difference may be their state of mind. When Barack Obama took office, the economy was collapsing. People were terrified. Companies were firing hundreds of thousands; the stock market was plunging. This fright has now morphed into a quiet dread that the economy is stuck in a state of insecure stagnation, which the...
WASHINGTON -- Are you better off than you were four years ago? It's a harder question than you might think.If you examine the numbers, they suggest that most Americans aren't better off than they were four years ago -- but aren't much worse off, either. The big difference may be their state of mind. When Barack Obama took office, the economy was collapsing. People were terrified. Companies were firing hundreds of thousands; the stock market was plunging. This fright has now morphed into a quiet dread that the economy is stuck in a state of insecure stagnation, which the...
For Obama, the Buck Stops Elsewhere
On September - 9 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Maureen Dowd, New York Times
HOW did the one formerly known as The One go for two?In his renomination acceptance speech here on Thursday night, he told us that America’s problems were tougher to solve than he had originally thought.And that’s why he has kindly agreed to give us more time.Because, after all, it’s our fault.“So you see, the election four years ago wasn’t about me,” President Obama explained. “It was about you. My fellow citizens, you were the change.”We were the change!We were the change? Us?
HOW did the one formerly known as The One go for two?In his renomination acceptance speech here on Thursday night, he told us that America’s problems were tougher to solve than he had originally thought.And that’s why he has kindly agreed to give us more time.Because, after all, it’s our fault.“So you see, the election four years ago wasn’t about me,” President Obama explained. “It was about you. My fellow citizens, you were the change.”We were the change!We were the change? Us?
Obama Clarifies the Choice
On September - 8 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Greg Sargent, Washington Post
On Tuesday, Michelle Obama talked about who Barack Obama is and where he came from. On Wednesday, Bill Clinton talked about where the country and the economy have been and how we struggled to get to where we are now. As Chuck Schumer put it earlier today, those two performances teed up Barack Obama to devote tonight's speech to talking about the future.In a bit of a surprise, Obama's speech "” which had little in the way of soaring rhetoric and stuck to a direct and sometimes pleading tone "” spent little time defending his economic record. That...
On Tuesday, Michelle Obama talked about who Barack Obama is and where he came from. On Wednesday, Bill Clinton talked about where the country and the economy have been and how we struggled to get to where we are now. As Chuck Schumer put it earlier today, those two performances teed up Barack Obama to devote tonight's speech to talking about the future.In a bit of a surprise, Obama's speech "” which had little in the way of soaring rhetoric and stuck to a direct and sometimes pleading tone "” spent little time defending his economic record. That...
