Michael Barone, DC Examiner
In the run-up to this weekend's G-8 summit at Camp David, journalists have unfavorably compared European "austerity" with Barack Obama's economic policies.European spending cuts, the argument goes, have hurt people and are arousing political opposition, while Obama's proposals to keep federal spending at 24 percent of gross domestic product indefinitely are likely to succeed.Evil Republican spending cuts, in contrast, would deny the economy needed stimulus and wreak havoc on ordinary people.But the facts undermine the storyline. Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus...
White House Visitor Logs Show Extent Of Lobbyist Access
On May - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Before 9 a.m., a group of lobbyists began showing up at the White House security gates with the chief executives of their companies, all of whom serve on President Obama’s jobs council, to be checked in for a roundtable with the president.
Obama’s Oprah Problem
On May - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Lee Habeeb, National Review
She didn’t see it coming. One day, Oprah Winfrey turned around, and her nationally syndicated show was sliding in the ratings, and her audience was fleeing en masse. And it happened soon after a day she thought was one of the best in her life.Isn’t that how all the giants fall? When they least expect it?It was the day Oprah announced she was backing the African-American candidate, then-senator Barack Obama, over the highly qualified and experienced woman candidate, then-senator Hillary Clinton.
She didn’t see it coming. One day, Oprah Winfrey turned around, and her nationally syndicated show was sliding in the ratings, and her audience was fleeing en masse. And it happened soon after a day she thought was one of the best in her life.Isn’t that how all the giants fall? When they least expect it?It was the day Oprah announced she was backing the African-American candidate, then-senator Barack Obama, over the highly qualified and experienced woman candidate, then-senator Hillary Clinton.
WATCH: G8 Leaders Watch Dramatic Soccer Final
On May - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
World leaders: they're just like us.
After this year's G8 summit concluded in Camp David, President Obama joined Angela Merkel and David Cameron to watch the end of the Champions League final.
David Cameron cheered on underdog Chelsea as they scored a dramatic win over Germany's Bayern Munich. Merkel looked less than pleased.
The victory was a first for the UK team, who won in overtime.
Check out photos of Obama, Merkel, Cameron, Francois Hollande and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso watching the game below.
Columnist: Obama Is Condescending To Women
On May - 19 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
WHEN I listen to President Obama speak to and about women, he sometimes sounds too paternalistic for my taste. In numerous appearances over the years — most recently at the Barnard graduation — he has made reference to how women are smarter than men.
Bush Makes White House Return For Big Honor
On May - 19 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, are expected to return to the White House later this month to be honored by President Barack Obama with the unveiling of their official portraits that will hang at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The White House confirmed on Friday that the Bushes are slated to revisit their Washington home of eight years on May 31 for a rare joint appearance between the current and past president.
Was Obama’s Bio a "Fact-Checking" Error?
On May - 19 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Jim Treacher, The Daily Caller
Unless you’re a credulous rube, it sure does look like Obama told his literary agency that he was born in Kenya for some reason. And the false information wasn’t corrected until April 2007, a couple of months after he launched his presidential campaign. “But wait,” you protest. “How do you know Obama wrote that? How do you know he ever even saw it? Shut up!” Well, we all know that Obama is the exception to every rule, so maybe he’s the exception to this one too. Author and television producer Steve Boman writes at...
Unless you’re a credulous rube, it sure does look like Obama told his literary agency that he was born in Kenya for some reason. And the false information wasn’t corrected until April 2007, a couple of months after he launched his presidential campaign. “But wait,” you protest. “How do you know Obama wrote that? How do you know he ever even saw it? Shut up!” Well, we all know that Obama is the exception to every rule, so maybe he’s the exception to this one too. Author and television producer Steve Boman writes at...
Like 2008, Media Plays Defense for Obama
On May - 19 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Ben Shapiro, Big Journalism
Never mind that the agency used the “born in Kenya” biography until 2007. Never mind that authors who have worked with the agency state that the agency asks that authors pen their own biographies. Never mind that Obama has routinely padded his biographical details to appeal to particular audiences. Nothing to see here. Michael Shear, at the New York Times, was in full defense mode: “Perhaps the darker side of politics is always close to the surface … the conservative Drudge Report Web site published a headline: “BORN IN KENYA,”...
Never mind that the agency used the “born in Kenya” biography until 2007. Never mind that authors who have worked with the agency state that the agency asks that authors pen their own biographies. Never mind that Obama has routinely padded his biographical details to appeal to particular audiences. Nothing to see here. Michael Shear, at the New York Times, was in full defense mode: “Perhaps the darker side of politics is always close to the surface … the conservative Drudge Report Web site published a headline: “BORN IN KENYA,”...
The Breitbart Scoop: How Did Media Miss This?
On May - 18 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Tim Stanley, Telegraph
Whatever you think of Breitbart.com’s punishing vetting process, it has exposed just how little work the mainstream media did in investigating candidate Obama back in 2008. Not all of Team Breitbart’s revelations have been election-deciders, but they have often been stuff that a simple Google would have uncovered. If they revealed tomorrow that he’d had his own cross-dressing-themed sitcom on primetime TV in the 1980s, I wouldn’t be surprised.The latest find is a fascinating inversion of the birther conspiracy. Breitbart.com has...
Whatever you think of Breitbart.com’s punishing vetting process, it has exposed just how little work the mainstream media did in investigating candidate Obama back in 2008. Not all of Team Breitbart’s revelations have been election-deciders, but they have often been stuff that a simple Google would have uncovered. If they revealed tomorrow that he’d had his own cross-dressing-themed sitcom on primetime TV in the 1980s, I wouldn’t be surprised.The latest find is a fascinating inversion of the birther conspiracy. Breitbart.com has...
Julia vs. the Reality of the American Spirit
On May - 18 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Robert Tracinski, TIA Daily
When President Obama's re-election campaign put up its "Life of Julia" feature, the mockery from the right came thick and fast, focusing on Julia's creepy faceless anonymity"”literally, the way she is drawn, she has no face"”and on the apparent absence in her life of family, friends, a mentor, a spouse, or anyone or anything to compete with the beneficence of the federal government.Beyond the mockery, though, there is a sense that "Julia" reveals some very important things about the worldview of the left. Here's one...
When President Obama's re-election campaign put up its "Life of Julia" feature, the mockery from the right came thick and fast, focusing on Julia's creepy faceless anonymity"”literally, the way she is drawn, she has no face"”and on the apparent absence in her life of family, friends, a mentor, a spouse, or anyone or anything to compete with the beneficence of the federal government.Beyond the mockery, though, there is a sense that "Julia" reveals some very important things about the worldview of the left. Here's one...
Team Obama Putting Romney In a World of Bain
On May - 18 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Bill Schneider, Politico
‘More to come.” That’s what a source close to the Obama campaign told POLITICO about the ad attacking Mitt Romney’s record as chief executive officer of Bain Capital. This is not a one-week story. It’s going to be the central narrative of the Obama campaign.Why are Democrats so confident they can win on the anti-Bain issue? Because it hits Romney on the defining theme of his campaign: Romney’s claim that he’s a turnaround artist.
‘More to come.” That’s what a source close to the Obama campaign told POLITICO about the ad attacking Mitt Romney’s record as chief executive officer of Bain Capital. This is not a one-week story. It’s going to be the central narrative of the Obama campaign.Why are Democrats so confident they can win on the anti-Bain issue? Because it hits Romney on the defining theme of his campaign: Romney’s claim that he’s a turnaround artist.
Obama’s Gay Marriage Contradiction
On May - 17 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Charles Krauthammer, Wash Post
There are two ways to defend gay marriage. Argument A is empathy: One is influenced by gay friends in committed relationships yearning for the fulfillment and acceptance that marriage conveys upon heterosexuals. That’s essentially the case President Obama made when he first announced his change of views.No talk about rights, just human fellow feeling. Such an argument is attractive because it can be compelling without being compulsory. Many people, feeling the weight of this longing among their gay friends, are willing to redefine marriage for the sake of simple human sympathy.
There are two ways to defend gay marriage. Argument A is empathy: One is influenced by gay friends in committed relationships yearning for the fulfillment and acceptance that marriage conveys upon heterosexuals. That’s essentially the case President Obama made when he first announced his change of views.No talk about rights, just human fellow feeling. Such an argument is attractive because it can be compelling without being compulsory. Many people, feeling the weight of this longing among their gay friends, are willing to redefine marriage for the sake of simple human sympathy.
Obama’s Career-Long Electoral Strategy
On May - 17 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Jim Geraghty, National Review
I would underline that Obama is using a familiar strategy because it’s not really clear that he’s ever had to use any other one. Once he won the Democratic primary for his State Senate seat in 1996, he had the seat for life, representing Hyde Park, an ultra-liberal neighborhood. He lost a House bid in 2000 against Democrat Bobby Rush, and then his next genuinely difficult fight was the 2004 Senate primary… when revelations from sealed divorce records doomed his best-funded opponent. Many of you are thinking, ‘wait, Jim, no, you’re thinking of...
I would underline that Obama is using a familiar strategy because it’s not really clear that he’s ever had to use any other one. Once he won the Democratic primary for his State Senate seat in 1996, he had the seat for life, representing Hyde Park, an ultra-liberal neighborhood. He lost a House bid in 2000 against Democrat Bobby Rush, and then his next genuinely difficult fight was the 2004 Senate primary… when revelations from sealed divorce records doomed his best-funded opponent. Many of you are thinking, ‘wait, Jim, no, you’re thinking of...
About That Obama Enemies List
On May - 17 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Alec MacGillis, The New Republic
One of the rewards of being a loyal Wall Street Journal subscriber is that one gets to read things one might not see anywhere else. For instance, in Wednesday's paper there was a chilling front-page scoop about the fact that it was an American drone that had tipped off the Turkish military to a suspected caravan of Kurdish militants near the Turkey-Iraq border last year—a caravan that turned out to be nothing but local penny-ante smugglers carrying gasoline and other goods, a fact that was discovered only after Turkish planes killed 34 of the 38 of the men.
One of the rewards of being a loyal Wall Street Journal subscriber is that one gets to read things one might not see anywhere else. For instance, in Wednesday's paper there was a chilling front-page scoop about the fact that it was an American drone that had tipped off the Turkish military to a suspected caravan of Kurdish militants near the Turkey-Iraq border last year—a caravan that turned out to be nothing but local penny-ante smugglers carrying gasoline and other goods, a fact that was discovered only after Turkish planes killed 34 of the 38 of the men.
Panic Time for the Obama Campaign?
On May - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Michael Barone, DC Examiner
Is it panic time at Obama headquarters in Chicago? You might get that impression from watching events -- and the polls -- over the past few weeks.In matchups against Mitt Romney, the president is leading by only 47 to 45 percent in the realclearpolitics.com average of recent polls. A CBS/New York Times panelback poll, in which interviewers call back respondents to a previous survey, showed Romney leading 46 to 43 percent -- and leading among women.
Is it panic time at Obama headquarters in Chicago? You might get that impression from watching events -- and the polls -- over the past few weeks.In matchups against Mitt Romney, the president is leading by only 47 to 45 percent in the realclearpolitics.com average of recent polls. A CBS/New York Times panelback poll, in which interviewers call back respondents to a previous survey, showed Romney leading 46 to 43 percent -- and leading among women.
GOP Draws Battle Plans For Obamacare Ruling
On May - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
House Republican leaders are quietly hatching a plan of attack as they await a historic Supreme Court ruling on President Barack Obama's health care law.
If the law is upheld, Republicans will take to the floor to tear out its most controversial pieces, such as the individual mandate and requirements that employers provide insurance or face fines.
Narrower Lead, but Big Changes Probably Aren’t Cause
On May - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Nate Silver, NYT
We are beginning to see more national surveys now, including this week’s New York Times/CBS News poll, that show Mitt Romney with a slight lead over President Obama in the general election matchup. There are also a number of polls that put Mr. Obama slightly ahead. But Mr. Obama’s lead does seem to have narrowed — from about three or four points in an average of national polls a month or two ago to more like a point or so in surveys today.
We are beginning to see more national surveys now, including this week’s New York Times/CBS News poll, that show Mitt Romney with a slight lead over President Obama in the general election matchup. There are also a number of polls that put Mr. Obama slightly ahead. But Mr. Obama’s lead does seem to have narrowed — from about three or four points in an average of national polls a month or two ago to more like a point or so in surveys today.
Obama: "I’m Going to Win"
On May - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Aaron Blake, Washington Post
President Obama said in an interview airing Tuesday that he will win reelection this year.“I’m going to win,” he said in an interview with ABC’s “The View,” which was taped Monday.Obama acknowledged continued difficulties with the economy present a challenge for his campaign, but also said that the election should be a choice between candidates. He said he hopes American voters will make a decision between his and Mitt Romney’s visions for the country.
President Obama said in an interview airing Tuesday that he will win reelection this year.“I’m going to win,” he said in an interview with ABC’s “The View,” which was taped Monday.Obama acknowledged continued difficulties with the economy present a challenge for his campaign, but also said that the election should be a choice between candidates. He said he hopes American voters will make a decision between his and Mitt Romney’s visions for the country.
Why Obama Hasn’t "Lost" the South
On May - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Jon Meacham, Time
For me, perhaps the most striking tactical story of the 2008 presidential campaign was the surprising reaction to Barack Obama in the American South. As a native of the region, I was long skeptical about the Illinois Senator’s viability in the Old Confederacy and thus about his national viability.
For me, perhaps the most striking tactical story of the 2008 presidential campaign was the surprising reaction to Barack Obama in the American South. As a native of the region, I was long skeptical about the Illinois Senator’s viability in the Old Confederacy and thus about his national viability.
Romney Is No Economic Savior
On May - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Republicans say they're eager for the presidential campaign to turn away from "distractions" and focus instead on the economy. Someone should warn them that if they're not careful, they might get their wish.It is true that voters' unhappiness with high unemployment and slow growth poses a challenge for President Obama as he seeks re-election. But for Mitt Romney and the GOP to take advantage of this potential opening, they'll have to do more than chant the word "economy" like a mantra. They have to make the case that their policies will work better than...
Republicans say they're eager for the presidential campaign to turn away from "distractions" and focus instead on the economy. Someone should warn them that if they're not careful, they might get their wish.It is true that voters' unhappiness with high unemployment and slow growth poses a challenge for President Obama as he seeks re-election. But for Mitt Romney and the GOP to take advantage of this potential opening, they'll have to do more than chant the word "economy" like a mantra. They have to make the case that their policies will work better than...
The Public’s Changing Attitudes on Gay Marriage
On May - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Charlie Cook, Natl Jnrl
By Charlie Cook "Off to the Races" is Charlie Cook's indispensable weekly column on national politics appearing in National Journal Daily.It's unlikely that same-sex marriage is going to push the economy out of the dominant role in this election. Indeed, short of a major international incident, it is unlikely that any other issue will displace the economic ones. But gay marriage was the most discussed issue last week. The most remarkable thing was not President Obama's announcement that he...
By Charlie Cook "Off to the Races" is Charlie Cook's indispensable weekly column on national politics appearing in National Journal Daily.It's unlikely that same-sex marriage is going to push the economy out of the dominant role in this election. Indeed, short of a major international incident, it is unlikely that any other issue will displace the economic ones. But gay marriage was the most discussed issue last week. The most remarkable thing was not President Obama's announcement that he...
Barack Obama: Says Mitt Romney would deny gay people the right to adopt children.
On May - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Obama ad says Romney opposes gay adoption
Within a day of President Barack Obama announcing his support for same-sex marriage, his campaign released an ad chiding Republican rival Mitt Romney for opposing it. It’s true that Romney does not support gay marriage -- he reaffirmed that position the same day as Obama’s historic announcement. But the Obama campaign video claims that Romney would deny certain rights to gay partners, including the right to adopt children. The ad shows short clips of both candidates talking about gay marriage -- Obama saying he supports it, Romney saying he doesn’t -- then ...
>> MoreObama’s "Bend Toward Justice"
On May - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Robert Borosage, Huffington Post
Barack Obama put himself on the side of history yesterday. By supporting the right to same sex marriage, he did what the best leaders do: he tugged on that arc of history to help it bend towards justice.The media and the left naturally are filled with often cynical views of the president's motives.His statement is dismissed as a political calculation, forced by the need to raise funds from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, and the desire to rouse the young. It's decried as too little, with the president leaving states in control where 30 have enacted bans on gay marriage. It's...
Barack Obama put himself on the side of history yesterday. By supporting the right to same sex marriage, he did what the best leaders do: he tugged on that arc of history to help it bend towards justice.The media and the left naturally are filled with often cynical views of the president's motives.His statement is dismissed as a political calculation, forced by the need to raise funds from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, and the desire to rouse the young. It's decried as too little, with the president leaving states in control where 30 have enacted bans on gay marriage. It's...
