Archive for March, 2009
Hillary Clinton has a 70% approval rating as Secretary of State
The latest CNN/ORC poll has Hillary Clinton with a 70% approval rating as Secretary of State.
For some perspective, the highest her predecessor Condoleeza Rice ever received was 62%, shortly after her appointment in 2005. It should be noted that Clinton’s approval rating is also higher than Obama’s (which is around 50% in the latest Zogby poll).
There are still people we know who don’t seem to understand why Clinton took on the role of Secretary of State and left the Senate.
Well, would you want to be a Democrat in the Senate right now?
Would you want to be voting for crazy spending bills without having the chance to read them, knowing full well that by summer, every rancid pork-laden project in that bill will start to come to light and be an albatross around the neck of every Senator who rammed that Trillion Dollars of Spending through?
Or, would you rather be traveling the world, representing America well, making people proud, and removing any foreign policy experience criticism you could ever receive should you decide to run for elected office again in 2016?
We sure as Hell wouldn’t want to be in the United States Senate as a Democrat right now — though, Republicans in Congress have a GOLDEN opportunity to stand up and fight all of the nonsense and wasteful spending tooth and nail so that in a few years, when the public realizes how much of a hole Obama has dug us, those Republicans will all look like prescient geniuses.
We’re thrilled Clinton is not in the Senate and has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any of the boondoggles in Washington.
Sometimes the universe brings you the wrong French toast. Hillary Clinton didn’t become President in 2009, but at least three things permanently changed because of her run for the Democrats’ nomination:
(1) The American public accepts the fact that a woman will be President in 2013 or 2017. She will either be the 45th or the 46th President. We believe her name will either be Clinton or Palin. And whoever she is, she will, at last, be the CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN, the “One” we have actually been waiting for.
(2) Hillary Clinton permanently has an identity of her own now, separate and distinct from her husband. She’s no longer someone’s wife. Bill Clinton’s now “Hillary’s husband”.
(3) People who didn’t like Clinton pre-2008 (but, usually, could never articulate WHY when pressed) see her in a different, more positive light these days (which largely explains that 70% approval rating…when, pre-2008, Clinton never cracked 45% in polls like that nationally).
So, as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s not just doing the nation a lot of good with her hard work and determined service abroad, but she’s doing her own political future a lot of good as well, whatever she decides to do after her tenure at Foggy Bottom.
Go, Hillary, Go!
If Oprah was a sandwich, she would be this burger
If Oprah was a sandwich, she would be this burger they’ve invented in Michigan that’s 4,800 calories, has five patties, a whole cup of chili, chips and salsa, and a giant 8 inch sesame bun.
But, if Oprah was a sandwich, she’d also obsessively try to eat herself, as some sort of cannibal (if cannibals, sandwiches or otherwise, ever could technically eat themselves).
Either way, it would be nice to have her in Michigan, where other people could have a turn dealing with her.
Wow, if Barney Frank tells you that you're childish and need to grow up, you really need to listen
Barney Frank confronting you and saying how childish you are and how much you need to grow up is like Oprah telling you that you eat too many doughnuts and Helen Jones-Kelley confronting you about your Muppet hunting and skinning addiction.
Code Pink deserves every bit of rebuke, but it’s just funny to see the source that’s coming from.
What's Hillary Clinton doing today? March 25th
Hillary Clinton is making her first trip to Mexico as Secretary of State today and tomorrow, traveling to Mexico City and Monterrey to discuss bilateral and international matters, as well as the Meridia Initiative.
Go, Hillary, Go!
What happens in the UK will reverberate here in the US
Just watch.
What happens in the UK will reverberate here in the US too.
Tony Blair took his fall for the Iraq War before George W. Bush did. If Gordon Brown goes down for reckless spending and massive deficits in the UK, then watch similar sentiment rise up against Obama here in time.
Already, moderates in the middle and fiscal conservatives see the folly in Obama’s Trillions in Spending. Tea Parties are held throughout the country every few days. The MSM doesn’t deign to cover any of this, but there remains the inconvenient fact that Obama’s now at 50% approval rating in the latest Gallop poll, despite unprecedented media cheerleading for him (with his face featured on almost every magaine cover on the newsstands).
All of that hype. All of that promotion. All of that effort propping him up, and the best he can muster is 50% approval.
The vast sums being larded out of the Treasury to pork projects is something regular Americans notice, and are uncomfortable with. In the UK, it seems people are much, much, much more than just uncomfortable at this point. They’re angry.
Time will tell if the public at large here in America will follow the British example in the weeks and months to come.
Wednesday Open Thread
Did you watch Obama’s television appearance last night?
What did you think of what he had to say?
What did you think of the media’s questions?
What else is on your mind today?
Is this the change we can believe in?
Why isn’t Obama keeping any of the many promises he made as a candidate?
Is this the change we can believe in?
Or, is this the new kind of politics?
We don’t have a TeleprompTer to tell us the answers, so we’re still trying to figure this stuff out, and determine why there’s such a pronounced gap between all of Obama’s rhetoric and the reality of his administration.
Tuesday Open Thread
What’s on your mind today?
How do you feel about the reports that China and Russia are pushing international markets to drop the dollar as standard?
How do you feel about all of this?
Crazy Cult Saturday was a complete bust
This past weekend, Obama’s permanent political campaign, Organizing for America, made much ballyhoo over its “Pledge Project Canvass” initiative to “mobilize” Obama’s “campaign army” to walk the streets, knock on doors, and generally harass Americans to support Obama’s reckless spending and general mismanagement of the economy so far.
One of the main objectives of Crazy Cult Saturday, as Pledge Project Canvass is more aptly named, was to pressure members of Congress to capitulate unquestioningly to Obama’s agenda (witnessing, as it were, the firepower of their fully operational battle station).
The only problem is that, apparently, only about 100 people actually called Congress supporting Obama.
Here in Chicago, we actively looked for Crazy Cult Saturday members, but couldn’t find any, not even on Michigan Avenue, where the DNC’s headquarters are now. We couldn’t even find any walking around the Gold Coast, Wrigleyville, Boystown, Lincoln Park, Bucktown, or any of the neighborhoods that should seemingly be infested with Crazy Cult Saturday enthusiasts.
Apparently, none of you encountered any of these people in your parts of the country as well.
The MSM has quickly moved on from its reporting of “Pledge Project Canvass” as, of course, it was a bomb, so it will never be spoken of again. If it had been even moderately successful, this week we’d be hearing nonstop reporting of what a master strategist and beloved Leader Obama truly is, to inspire his flock to such bold and determined action.
But, as things stand, with absolutely no impact from Crazy Cult Saturday, there’s just silence.
Funny how that works, huh?
Day Five: Obama-Special Olympics Bowl-Off Challenge Watch
The LA Times ran an interesting story on the hurt Obama caused last Thursday by mocking the Special Olympics.
Across the country, when people with special needs heard of the President’s insensitivity, many were dejected and demoralized. Yet again in life, a thoughtless bully put them down. This time, it was the man living in the White House.
This story also reveals an interesting point: David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, has a daughter who is a Special Olympian.
According to the article, Obama has interacted with Lauren Axelrod several times. To quote Susan Axelrod, David’s wife, Obama has always been “respectful” of Lauren, never harming her in any way.
It’s telling that Obama and his administration don’t see benefit in accepting Kolan McConiughey’s challenge for a Bowl-Off in the White House, when an event of that nature would do so much good for Special Olympians everywhere. Not only could it be a wildly successful fundraiser for the cause, but it could be something Special Olympians would take great pride in.
Instead of hearing that Obama made fun of them on TV, Special Olympians could be told Obama’s invited members of their group to the White House for a Bowl-Off…where, we all know, Special Olympians would mop the floor with him.
But, it seems like Obama’s afraid to be embarrassed at an event he knows he will surely lose, and isn’t inclined to listen to the extended Kennedy family, who’ve called for hiring a Special Olympian to be part of Obama’s White House staff.
One simple Bowl-Off would take relatively little time away from a President who throws lavish parties every Wednesday and takes extended weekend trips to Camp David every week — surely that Marine One flight could be delayed a few hours one Friday to put the spotlight on the Special Olympics, but this time in a presidential and positive way.
