President Obama, now facing the consequences of automatic spending cuts and the complications they raise for his broader domestic agenda, is taking the most specific steps of his administration in an attempt to ensure the election of a Democratic-controlled Congress in two years.
"What I can't do is force Congress to do the right thing," Obama told reporters at the White House on Friday after a fruitless meeting with Republican leaders to avert the country's latest fiscal crisis, known as the sequester. "The American people may have the capacity to do that." They seem to be unable to reach you, except for the 47%.
Obama, fresh off his November reelection, began almost at once executing plans to win back the House in 2014, which he and his advisers believe will be crucial to the outcome of his second term and to his legacy as president. I wonder why they didn't try to win back the House in 2012? [snigger]
He is doing so by trying to articulate for the American electorate his own feelings -- an exasperation with an opposition party that blocks even the most politically popular elements of his agenda. Seems like he did that in 2008, 2010, and 2012. Maybe the fourth time is the charm?
Obama has committed to raising money for fellow Democrats, agreed to help recruit viable candidates, and launched a political nonprofit group dedicated to furthering his agenda and that of his congressional allies. The goal is to flip the Republican-held House back to Democratic control, allowing Obama to push forward with a progressive agenda on gun control, immigration, climate change and the economy during his final two years in office, according to congressional Democrats, strategists and others familiar with Obama's thinking. His best chance for that was 2008-2010. What did he do then? Oh, yeah. I remember now. Mortally wound the health care system.
This approach marks a significant shift in the way Obama has worked with a divided Congress. He has compromised and badgered, but rarely -- and never so early -- campaigned to change its composition. Compromised, eh? In case you didn't guess, this is the WaPo, but not Bob Woodward.
"If 2012 was a referendum on President Obama, then 2014 will be a referendum on the tea party Congress," Israel said. "And the president and House Democrats are joined at the hip on this."
In his State of the Union address last month, Obama outlined an agenda that called for gun control measures, immigration legislation, a hike in the minimum wage and a new focus on climate change, among other items that the media says poll well with the 47% public.
So far, though, most of the proposals have little traction in the Republican-controlled House. Nobody seems to remember who elected all those House members. Not Klingons, but citizens, citizens outside the Beltway.
Obama's decision to squarely blame the opposition for across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester has also generated little goodwill across the aisle.
That is among the risks of Obama's strategy to define the differences between his agenda and the Republicans': He could be seen as the kind of partisan politician he once deplored, and he is likely to have little to show for it in terms of legislative achievements.
In some ways, Obama is flipping the traditional script for second-term presidents. Most have about two years to secure a domestic agenda before lame-duck status sets in. But Obama is laying out an argument for a new Congress that, if successful, could give him his last two years in office to cement his legacy. I saved the best news for last -
Of all the presidents since Franklin D. Roosevelt, only Bill Clinton picked up House seats for his party in the midterm election of his second term . His approval rating on the eve of the 1998 contest was 65 percent, 14 points above Obama's current public standing.
From your keyboard to God's ear, Bobby.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/03/2013 11:22 ||
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#2
As always, covering for Champ. But covering what? That he's a lame duck already? That his only chance of doing anything in the next 4 years is a change of control in the House in 2014? Let us hope so.
#3
Its a given, iff we can survive Iran + esepc China first this year.
INHO China is gearing up for a mil conflict wid Japan, + like any "smart" Politician or Govt. in History = Maha-Rushian Histoire' will likely wait-n-see + analyze how these "sequestration" cuts will affect the Fed-DOD including the Bammer.
This is just the latest revelation in the stealth inflation and food fraud theme I have written about frequently in recent months. The non-profit group Oceana took samples of 1,215 fish sold in the U.S. and genetic tests found that that 59% of those labeled tuna were mislabeled. It seems that white tuna should be avoided in particular as 84% of fish samples labeled white tuna were actually escolar, a fish that can cause prolonged, uncontrollable, oily anal leakage. Oh and if you live in my hometown of New York City, you should pay particular attention:
Big Apple has big problem with seafood fraud: 94 percent of tuna and more than three quarters of sushi samples in New York City mislabeled.
Of the 142 fish samples collected in New York, 39 percent were mislabeled. New York City led the nation with the highest occurrence of mislabeled salmon as well as the highest amount of fraud among salmon collected from grocery stores and restaurants.
#1
..but, but the mayor is concerned with transfats and big gulps, not truth in labeling. His minions are hustling the fast food joints not the fish markets (cause maybe the mob doesn't collect from McDs, but probably does have hands in the markets again since Giuliani has moved on).
WASHINGTON, DC (AP Feb 20,2013)- Sources close to the White House have learned that Barack Obama is planning to run for the office of Pope when the College of Cardinals convenes to elect a successor to ailing Benedict XVI at the end of this month.
Calling on the promise of Equality for All, Obama is said to firmly believe that the time has come for a non-Catholic to occupy the Vatican's highest office.
Foreseeing a looming citizenship issue he states that he has discovered an Italian birth certificate that proves he was born in Rome before he was born in Kenya. "That Hawaiian birth certificate never has been worth what I paid for it anyway", he noted.
Continuing, he concluded, "And there's no way that a handful of cardinals could be more expensive to buy than 10 million voters in Michigan."
Further questions should be directed to Obama's Papal Campaign Manager, Abdul Azeem Khan.
Foreseeing a looming citizenship issue he states that he has discovered an Italian birth certificate that proves he was born in Rome before he was born in Kenya. "That Hawaiian birth certificate never has been worth what I paid for it anyway", he noted.
Continuing, he concluded, "And there's no way that a handful of cardinals could be more expensive to buy than 10 million voters in Michigan."
Further questions should be directed to Obama's Papal Campaign Manager, Abdul Azeem Khan.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/03/2013 17:41 Comments ||
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#13
escolar, a fish that can cause prolonged, uncontrollable, oily anal leakage."
How long before the French try to turn it into a perfume?
Posted by: Charles ||
03/03/2013 18:39 Comments ||
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#14
OTOH I would think its a "necessary evil" - iff they didn't, all those other non-Tuna fish species captured in longliner nets + other would simply go to waste + thrown away because there's simply not enough corporate/comercial or private buyers for their meat, not even in local neighborhood public/open markets + stores.
Iff the Gubmint wants to do something, they + Wall Street should focus on ways to improve fish + other sea or ocean farming [aquaculture] that better for both humanity + the environment.
[POLITICKER] Furthermore, while saying the federal deficit does indeed need to be curtailed, Mr. Bloomberg argued the United States could owe "an infinite amount of money" and there is no specific amount that would cause the country to default.
"We are spending money we don't have," Mr. Bloomberg explained. "It's not like your household. In your household, people are saying, 'Oh, you can't spend money you don't have.' That is true for your household because nobody is going to lend you an infinite amount of money. When it comes to the United States federal government, people do seem willing to lend us an infinite amount of money. ... Our debt is so big and so many people own it that it's preposterous to think that they would stop selling us more. It's the old story: If you owe the bank $50,000, you got a problem. If you owe the bank $50 million, they got a problem. And that's a problem for the lenders. They can't stop lending us more money."
Two liter plastic bottles of Coca Cola? PANIC!!!!
Posted by: Fred ||
03/03/2013 00:00 ||
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[DETROIT.CBSLOCAL] Is the governor caving to pressure from the suburbs? Does it matter if he is?
Detroit City President Charles Pugh said that's a fact, as Rick Snyder on Friday declared a financial emergency in Detroit, setting the stage for a state takeover. Probably the fact that Detroit has a mayor and a president is a big part of its problem.
Pugh said, however, while there is pressure from outside the city, he's certain there are people within Detroit who would welcome a state-appointed emergency financial manager. Meaning not everybody in the city is below average...
"Because they're tired of it lingering. They want to get it over with," Pugh told WWJ Newsradio 950′s Pat Sweeting. If you're cutting spending you're not handing out contracts. Government consists of giving contracts to campaign contributors and other people you know.
But what those people don't realize, Pugh said, is that an EFM won't just be in and out. What? No magick wand?
"It doesn't work like that. And if it doesn't work like that in smaller cities, why in the hell would they think it would work in a city as complicated as Detroit?" No end in sight, huh? That means no more boodle for the foreseeable future...
Pugh pointed out that emergency financial managers were appointed to oversee the Detroit Public Schools, and, years later, the second EFM there is still on the job. Danger, Will Robinson! How well has the EFM for the city schools worked?
Also among those who oppose the EFM move is U.S. Congressman Gary Peters, who said he's "deeply disappointed" in the governor's decision. "The city council of Detroit has the right to dispose of its own boodle!"
"All of us agree that the city has serious financial challenges which must be addressed, however I fundamentally disagree with taking measures that disenfranchise the families I represent in Detroit," Peters said, in a statement. Let's translate that statement into English: "All of us agree that Detroit's politicians have plucked the rotting carcass of the city bare, and won't stop of their own accord, however I fundamentally disagree with taking measures that will do anything about it."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/03/2013 00:00 ||
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President Pugh is right! We must save the Studebaker at all costs.
#2
The Soviet Union ( remember them?) had a novel and interesting idea about what Human nature really is. Then they fell in, collapsed and disintegrated. Now Detroit is pursuing an economic model which which is equally wise and misinformed concerning Human nature. You reap what you sow. ( what IS that smell?)
Does anyone feel sorry for Detroit ?
Now the State of California ( hey, Dude. Power to the People, dude. Occupy Wallstreet, dude.) smells like they are next. You voted for him. I didn 't. Maybe you can get a free iPhone and a bigger helping of Foodstamps.
See you in Church, muthah.
You know what a single round of 9mm ACP costs? Mine is $1.10 per. You? Looks like I may go have to go back to reloading my old brass with wad cutters.
#3
The American West is littered with hundreds of old ghost towns which long ago past their reason for existence. No one mourns their passing or offers to 'rebuild'. Here is Karakorum once capital of the largest human empire ever founded. Sic transit gloria mundi.
#5
First we started with a ghost city, then next a ghost state (California, Illinois and New York in the running) and then finally the first ghost country, unless you count Atlantis.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
03/03/2013 16:26 Comments ||
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Atlantis would sink the Immigrant ships with crystal-power I think before letting them in. They were a racist bunch of people according to Plato.
/sarcasm
Posted by: Charles ||
03/03/2013 18:42 Comments ||
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Well they will just have to sell the city to OCP so they can begin construction on Delta City.
Remember, to the Left(tm) Bush and Chaney were responsible for Abu Ghrib because they set the tenor of the environment that resulted in the acts, but Obama and Co are not responsible for that act of releasing illegals, even though by words and actions they have indeed set the tenor. It's about power, never about principle.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
President Obama, now facing the consequences of automatic spending cuts and the complications they raise for his broader domestic agenda, is taking the most specific steps of his administration in an attempt to ensure the election of a Democratic-controlled Congress in two years.
That is among the risks of Obama's strategy to define the differences between his agenda and the Republicans': He could be seen as the kind of partisan politician he once deplored, and he is likely to have little to show for it in terms of legislative achievements.
[DETROIT.CBSLOCAL] Is the governor caving to pressure from the suburbs? 
