****
National Journal: President Obama’s ad-makers may have to pay royalties to Clint Eastwood after a remarkable two-minute Chrysler commercial that aired on the biggest of all stages – the Super Bowl – and gave a pretty good preview of what the president’s reelection commercials might look like. At the very least, the ad and Eastwood’s powerful narration make it much, much more difficult for Republican front-runner Mitt Romney to keep pushing his line that Washington should have let the automakers go into bankruptcy.
And don’t think that Team Obama wasn’t watching the Super Bowl along with millions of other Americans and immediately grasped the boost they could get from the commercial. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer quickly tweeted “Saving the America auto industry: something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on.” Senior strategist David Axelrod tweeted “Powerful spot. Did Clint shoot that, or just narrate it?” Former White House aide Bill Burton tweeted, “Clinton Eastwood #winning.”
More here
Thanks Allyson
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ABC: ….. Fifty percent of Americans in this new ABC News/Washington Post poll approve of Obama’s job performance, the most since spring. Fifty percent say he deserves re-election, better than Bill Clinton at the start of his re-election year and as good as George W. Bush a month before he won a second term. And Obama now leads Romney among registered voters by a slight 51-45 percent, the first time either has cracked 50 percent in a series of matchups since spring.
Two chief factors are at play. One is the economy’s gradual but unmistakable improvement, marked by the newly reported January unemployment rate of 8.3 percent, the lowest since a month after Obama took office. The president’s approval rating on handling the economy, while just 44 percent, is its best in 13 months.
More here
****
This week:
Monday: PBO will attend meetings at the White House.
Tuesday: PBO will host the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President will also announce key steps that the Administration and its partners are taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects. At the fair, the President will view exhibits of student work, ranging from breakthrough research to new inventions, followed by remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to the country’s economic future.
Wednesday: PBO will attend meetings at the White House.
Thursday: PBO will host Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy at the White House.
Friday: PBO will attend meetings at the White House.
****
****
Michael Tomasky (Daily Beast): It was somewhere between hilarious and pathetic to watch Republicans respond to the positive jobs report last Friday. Some friends and I were counting the minutes until some Republican started casting aspersions on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which compiles and releases the data. Sure enough, by early Friday afternoon, Tea Party Congressman Allen West was saying (on the basis of no evidence of course) that “Americans need truth, not these number games.” West’s comment suggests a desperation that will spread if future reports are as good as last week’s, which raises the question of what the Republicans will do next to try to wreck the economy.
…. There are decent and honorable individual Republicans. Probably many of them. I even know some. But as a collective entity – as a party and a movement that includes the media wing and the base that boos a gay soldier at a debate and cheers executions – they are toxic destroyers, their minds infected by the idea that any cooperation with the president for the sake of the country is the moral equivalent of Munich (yes, with all that analogy implies). They will do anything. Nothing could be more just than to see a surprisingly low unemployment rate come November, with Republicans still insisting that black is white and that governance equals capitulation, and the public rewarding them accordingly.
More here
****
USA Today: With U.S. forces still fighting in Afghanistan, the Obama administration has chosen to mark the end of the Iraq War with something more modest than a ticker-tape parade – a state-dinner-like event at the White House later this month feting a select group of combat veterans and their spouses or guests.
The core theme is the common fighting man or woman, said Douglas Wilson, Pentagon public affairs chief. The intent is for those invited – with guests, numbering more than 200 – to represent the 1.5 million who fought in a nine-year-war that left nearly 4,500 dead and 32,000 wounded, he said.
“The dining room that night will look like the America that served in Iraq,” Wilson said. “State dinners honor heads of state and I think the feeling was that this type of dinner is an appropriate way to honor men and women who … merit the same degree of respect as a head of state,” he said. The black-tie White House event to be called “A Nation’s Gratitude” may be unprecedented, Wilson said.
More here
****
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Morning everyone 
Good Morning
Morning everyone
Thank You
HEY, Joey!! How ya doin’? Said in my best “Joey Biden” voice. And isn’t VP Biden the sharpest dresser? He and Pres Obama make such a handsome pair.
Ha! (Secret note to Chips: If I EHVAH get to be first, I’ll take this Sheriff Joe photo, thank you very much.)
Well hello there – VP BIden! Nice to see ya this pleasant morning
Say hello to Jill, FLOTUS and to our President for me!
Now, THAT’s a cup-o-Joe….Good Morning TOD family. Will be checking in throughout the day to get my “Obama buzz”.
Nice!
Good Morning
Good morning bitterwtsweet! I missed all the Super Bowl excitement, we just went to bed! Thanks to Ms Chips for all the great videos and positive charts and articles!
My pleasure andogriff!!
Just sent the excellent Tomasky article out to all on my mailing list.
Good Morning TOD
What a way to “Rise and Shine”. Great job Chips
Have a great day everyone!
And you have a blissful day too Donna
45% still ‘trust’ mitt? {eye roll}
Mind-boggling, isn’t it amk? Probably the same people who voted for John ‘the fundamentals of the economy are strong’ McCain (46%).
Hammers … Where are the damn hammers ? One doesn’t find them when one needs them the most.
GOP TURNOUT TROUBLES CONTINUE
By Steve Benen – MADDOW BLOG
Counting the votes in Nevada’s Republican presidential caucuses turned out to be more difficult than expected, but this morning, the final results were announced. The tally largely reflects what we already knew: Mitt Romney won easily, finishing with 50% (16,486 votes).
What was far more interesting was the turnout.
Total turnout was 32,930, far less than the 44,000 Republicans who voted in the GOP caucuses in 2008.
Going into Saturday’s contest, Nevada GOP leaders told reporters they expected in upwards of 70,000 Republicans to participate. The final tally shows the party failed to even reach half that total.
What’s more, if Nevada were the only state that struggled, it’d be easier to overlook. Unfortunately for the GOP, though, the poor showing in the Silver State fits into a larger pattern.
The Republicans’ primary in Florida last week, for example, showed a sharp decline in turn (about 14%) as compared to 2008. In the Iowa caucuses, GOP turnout fell short of expectations, and in the New Hampshire primary, it happened again. Turnout in South Carolina was strong, but given the party’s difficulties in the other four contests, it’s proving to be the exception.
Read more:
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/06/10330326-gop-turnout-troubles-continue
So, if the turnout was lower, I wonder what the “difficulty” was in counting the votes? HHhhhhmm? Did they need time and votes to perfect their stealing techniques?
We have to vote is such overwhelming numbers that it will be impossible for the Republican party to steal this election. You may think I’m joking, but I’m not. I am very serious. We simply must over-perform to make sure that Pres. Obama and Vice Pres. Biden have 4 more years.
YES WE MUST!!! #PRESS ON
Also, everybody who can do so, train as a poll watcher and guard the voting on election day. The last poll watcher of the day gets to sit in on the counting and can call foul if any shenanigans occur. Every local Dem Party has Poll Watcher certificates and training. This is important!
In PA, in addition to the poll watchers, the vote counting process is open to the public. One only has to remain inside once the doors are locked. Since Nov 1995, I’ve sat through every count, except one, @ my polling place.
Alycee!!!! I love that – your sitting through the counts at your polling place. Thank you for being “our” watchful eye!
Yeah methinks the votes were manipulated to “make” Romney achieve that 50% mark because anything < 50% would have been terribly embarrassing. I don't recall all these shenanigans with the GOP primaries in 2008.
“The dining room that night will look like the America that served in Iraq,” Wilson said. “State dinners honor heads of state and I think the feeling was that this type of dinner is an appropriate way to honor men and women who … merit the same degree of respect as a head of state,” he said. The black-tie White House event to be called “A Nation’s Gratitude” may be unprecedented, Wilson said.
when was the last time the rethugs ever did that kinda thing ?
That would be never Amk. All they do is talk about war, war ,war. All they do is fantasize about sending all Americans to war. All they care about is some misguided sense of machoism. They don’t realize that these are people. Flesh and blood people. Not robots or automatons. PBO, VP Biden, FLOTUS, and SLOTUS and the Obama administration have shown that our men and women in uniform are human beings with families. They’ve poured more resources than all past administrations combined into healthcare, housing, mental healthcare, jobs, and education for the military. They walk the walk.
Not only that. Do the rethugs that the rest of the world will just stand idly by any more and just let US do whatever it wants to do militarily any where any more given the shrub’s Iraq fiasco? Especially after their gutting of their the american military ‘might’.
Made me tear up. gops don’t do that. Nobody does but the brilliant and grateful Obama Admin.
This ad was pretty awesome! The critics are assuming that the ad is praising Obama for saving GM. Perhaps they remember that On November 18, 2008 , Mitt said “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” I didn’t see it as a pro-Obama ad, but apparently some on the right did. So, I guess pro-America must mean, pro-Obama. BTW Clint is a republican. How about those New York Giants!
I must say I agree with you about the Ad. It was a wonderful Ad. It made me feel proud of Detroit and how far they have come. Of course, I credit the Obama Administration, but that was not the focus of the Ad.
I watched Morning Joe today. It was like a funeral parlor. With the exception of talking about the NY Giants Superbowl victory, everyone tip-toed around Joe S. No one even mentioned Matt Lauer asking the President about the ‘correlation’ between that same outcome 4-years ago and the outcome of the 2008 election. Tee Hee.
Republicans are making a critical error if they think accusing the President of attacking the Catholic Church is a good strategy. Women want and need birth control. No organization, religious or otherwise, should have the right to interfere with their choices.
Hi rainlillie! It’s so good to see you here.
Obama is going to be attending a lot of meetings this week. I wonder what they will be focused on.
Does anyone remember this ABCNEWS/WAPO Poll back in OCTOBER where they were screaming OBAMA IS DOOOOOOOMMMMED!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postabcpoll_100211.html
Yea well, LOL.. what a difference an Al Green cover makes. Obama at 50-47% approval and beats Mitt 51-45%
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postabcpoll_020412.html
Yes I remembered the poll. Four months is a long time in politics and Obama MADE Al Green’s song popular again, not the other way around.The folks at ABC knew perfectly well that October 2011 was way to early to make any predictions about Nov 2012. But they needed to sensationalize and spread the “bad news for Obama” message as the MSM always does.
President Obama and his team are the masters of herding. He will push all the Right buttons, and Republicans will react accordingly, which will cause a sensation/controversy, which the MainStreamMedia will instantly cover, which will force them to actually ask questions that matter, which will provide viewers with important information regarding issues that affect their lives. Viewers will be rightly horrified by the opinions and policies of the GOP and their minions, who live in a parallel universe in which the majority of the American people agree with them. Once people are informed, they will vote accordingly, and President Barack Hussein Obama will win his Second Term as POTUS. “The Change Reaction” will usher in the Age of Aquarius and our Country and our World will begin to heal.
Must read editorial by Frank Schaeffe ‘President Obama Will Be Vindicated’
http://frank-schaeffer.blogspot.com/
The polls look good. Keep in mind we haven’t even started our door by door, person by person, neighbor by neighbor campaign. We will not stop until we have spoken to every possible voter. We all know what it will take. We are all fired up and ready to go.
FLOTUS has a very pure and very big heart when it comes to children and helping the military families and no one with a pulse can find fault with any of that. She outshines any First Lady EVAH.
But Byron Tau…
POTUS , I agree with you Michelle Obama is a wonderful First Lady, and I am darn proud of her. The haters only try to knock her down only because they know just how great she is.
The Citizens United catastrophe
By E.J. Dionne Jr., Published: February 5
We have seen the world created by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, and it doesn’t work. Oh, yes, it works nicely for the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country, especially if they want to shroud their efforts to influence politics behind shell corporations. It just doesn’t happen to work if you think we are a democracy and not a plutocracy.
Two years ago, Citizens United tore down a century’s worth of law aimed at reducing the amount of corruption in our electoral system. It will go down as one of the most naive decisions ever rendered by the court.
The strongest case against judicial activism — against “legislating from the bench,” as former President George W. Bush liked to say — is that judges are not accountable for the new systems they put in place, whether by accident or design.
The Citizens United justices were not required to think through the practical consequences of sweeping aside decades of work by legislators, going back to the passage of the landmark Tillman Act in 1907, who sought to prevent untoward influence-peddling and indirect bribery.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-citizens-united-catastrophe/2012/02/05/gIQATOEfsQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions
As a fucking furrinwr,my take on where the amurikan founding fathers fucked up ‘royally’
1. first amendment (fucking crazy to have the likes of limbaugh ranting & spewing bile on public air waves as ‘freedom of speech”
2. second amendment (not even gonna go there – beyond sanity)
3. SC Judges till they croak ? (fuck sandra day o’ connor)
Amk, I agree with you. Even Canada told Coulter she couldn’t speak her bile there.I think on there should be some kind of “cut off” of what can be said over the public airwaves. After all, one can not curse profusely. There use to be a law about inciting to riot – of course it was applied to the so-called militant African Americans during the 60′s and 70′s. But you couldn’t just spout vitriol willy nilly.
Niall Ferguson, a complete war monger, is on Morning Joe saying we must support Israel in attacking Iran. He said if PBO doesn’t support Israel he will look “even more like Jimmy Carter”. He is getting no push back from anyone.
Ugh, Ferguson ….. a hateful piece of ****:
http://theobamadiary.com/2011/02/14/newsweek-right-wing-comic-book/
He is a right wing tool that was for McCain.
Actually he argued against a strike.
I did not get that opinion at all.
Actually Bill, what I got from the interview was that Niall Ferguson – whom I think is a douchebag on a regular day – was arguing against an Israeli strike on Iran. He argued that it would cause a double dip recession especially for America, because gas prices would skyrocket, he argued that If Israel struck Iran, then Iran would retaliate and we don’t know how close they are to achieving a nuclear weaponry system because all their experimentation is underground. He also argued that, if Israel went alone and struck Iran, the Arab world who would have been on their side in forming a U.S. & world coalition kind of like the Libya situation would turn against Israel and would not be in a cooperative with the U.S. in forming a coalition. The Morning Joe panel didn’t quite agree with his arguments and were mostly kind of pushing an Israeli strike.
That was my take.
Interesting. I think he said oil prices would not increase because the world economy is slowing down and Saudi Arabia would step in and provide for any shortfalls. I also thought he said Iran did not have the ability to respond. I think the points you heard were his take on conventional wisdom which he went on to say were incorrect.
A State Dinner for Iraq Veterans. Brilliant.
Loved that balloon popping superbowl predicting dog on leno. Thought she predicted wrong this time.
Was her name ut by any chance ?
/ducks and runs
Be nice, amk. be nice. UT did the damn thing with that “love” letter. I really did laugh out loud.
Let the healing begin…
ut wrote that damned letter ??? Where ?
Really Amk? Really? You’d better watch your back all day. I’m coming for you.
And hey! I did write the letter. So take it back before I use the force against you.
Heh, it’s not cool for a jedi master to lose her cool. Show me the effing letter and all will be forgiven.
Go look for the letter in the previous thread. Fingers – mouse – click.
LOL. Loved it. Especially the ending and the four sexy men. That’s the ut I was looking for. All forgiven.
Okay, you two, don’t make me come over there and break this up……..
Morning everyone:) What nice news to wake up to. Though I must say, I didn’t expect that Romney AND Gingrich would be anywhere near 40% against PBO! WTH is wrong with those people?? Their ignorance is bliss….until it slams them upside the head!
The low key, dignified State Dinner sounds like the perfect, honorable solution. I love that idea. There are still so many in harm’s way that a big parade seems to me to be hurtful to those still fighting.Never leaving comrades on the field of battle doesn’t “count” this time? The dinner is perfect. They deserve a parade when they are ALL home, safe and sound.
Remember Iraq was the biggest american blunder to begin with. Nothing to ‘celebrate’ there. Fuck shrub, darth and the entire neocon fifth columnists . Thank God for a sane man ending it in a sane way.
Precisely, amk.
yes,yes,yes!
In lieu of a ticker tape parade – we still have troops in Afghanistan – POTUS will host an official State-like dinner for troops who fought in Iraq later this month:
With U.S. forces still fighting in Afghanistan, the Obama administration has chosen to mark the end of the Iraq War with something more modest than a ticker-tape parade — a state-dinner-like event at the White House later this month feting a select group of combat veterans and their spouses or guests:
Obama dinner to mark end of Iraq War
With U.S. forces still fighting in Afghanistan, the Obama administration has chosen to mark the end of the Iraq War with something more modest than a ticker-tape parade — a state-dinner-like event at the White House later this month feting a select group of combat veterans and their spouses or guests.
The core theme is the common fighting man or woman, said Douglas Wilson, Pentagon public affairs chief.
The intent is for those invited — with guests, numbering more than 200 — to represent the 1.5 million who fought in a nine-year-war that left nearly 4,500 dead and 32,000 wounded, he said.
“The dining room that night will look like the America that served in Iraq,” Wilson said.
“State dinners honor heads of state and I think the feeling was that this type of dinner is an appropriate way to honor men and women who … merit the same degree of respect as a head of state,” he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-05/iraq-veterans-obama-dinner/52976580/1
OOoops, already posted! Sorry!
BRILLIANT, absolutely brilliant!! (my guess, with no proof or inside information whatsoever, is that this was Michelle’s idea.)
Hmmmm, I bet you’re right about that.
isonprize, I agree with you.
My feeling as well, isonprize, she is so genuinely compassionate and dedicated to the armed forces. It is representational, the armed services people are not so naive to think they could all be invited to a dinner, but they will know they all will be looked after with the NE policies being out into place. That is what matter most. Zoom Zoom, ah, Monday! Have a good one, all!
Won’t the others who were not selected to the dinner feel left out?
hopefruit2, Hopefully not, but I’m sure they will have a certain number of ones representing each group of our military, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Forces, who did I forget. Hopefully they will feel honor that they are being honor.
And they are also inviting their wives or guests. I’m sure it will be a very impressive event.
Coast Guard…
Coast Guard.
Tell me it’s a snark, hf.
No amk I was sincere (I know it may sound like concern trolling which is not my intention at all!). I do love the idea of the state dinner (can’t wait for the pictures, speeches, etc), but I was just curious about how the selection process worked. Ultimately, I trust the administration’s judgment on this issue – they know the military far better than I do.
The military is mostly “one for all and all for one” Every unit that has a representative there will feel equally honored. There may be some good natured ribbing among the troops over who gets selected but they will feel excited and happy that the Prez has recognized them, especially since I suspect this will not just be limited to the “Brass”
Although my son isn’t a Verizon worker, he is an IBEW member in Washington. This makes me want to switch my phone service.
Verizon cutting 336 N.J. jobs
Verizon Communications will lay off 336 employees in New Jersey, installers who work in homes and businesses on traditional telephone lines, the company said on Friday.
The technicians are part of Verizon Connected Solutions, a Verizon subsidiary. The layoffs represent virtually all of the unit’s New Jersey employees. Twenty will remain, working out of an office in Plainfield, Verizon spokesman Lee J. Gierczynski said.
“They are getting closed down, totally laid off,” said Ed Cocliff, a business agent at Local 827 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersThe employees, who will lose their jobs over the next two months, work from offices in Freehold Township, Boonton, Ewing and Egg Harbor.
Read more:
http://www.tmcnet.com/scripts/print-page.aspx?PagePrint=http%3a%2f%2fwww.tmcnet.com%2fusubmit%2f2012%2f02%2f04%2f6098277.htm
We may NEED to keep a running tally ! http://romneytheliar.blogspot.com/
Or an even more COMPLETE list….from Steve Benen:)
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/03/10311610-chronicling-mitts-mendacity
Tweeting that list.
fab
Yeah, That’s The GOP Ticket. – “CAN ROMNEY LIE HIS WAY INTO THE WHITE HOUSE?”
=======================================================
We know from this GOP Presidential Primary season that the core Republican base also doesn’t care if their candidates are liars, in fact, if they see the lie as helpful in hammering the Democrats, they cheer it on (birth certificates anyone?).
There is a dynamic, a co-dependence between dishonesty and what it takes to make one most viable in the GOP Primary. To begin, the current requirements of racism, hatred, greed and religious purity that the GOP rank and file seek in a candidate is not humanly possible nor viable in a General Election so it is an unachievable fantasy.
Romney and the rest of the GOP candidates aren’t principled enough to step up and say that such a childish wishlist isn’t possible, they instead offer a wink and a nod and put on their Santa “Flaws” costumes and lie and deceive to play the role that the GOP “kiddies” are rooting for them to play.
For Mitt Romney, a man whose “principles” are more like interchangeable Lego blocks, the response is, “No problem, I can do that!”
========================================================
http://planetpov.com/2012/01/18/yeah-thats-the-gop-ticket-can-romney-lie-his-way-into-the-white-house/
An excellent pocket guide to FLOTUS’ massive campaign to fight childhood obesity:
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2011/12/lets-move-101-primer-for-beginners.html
This is just so exciting and so impressive in every way. THREE CHEERS for FLOTUS!!!!
U.S. closing its embassy in Syria…..
The Senate meets at 2 p.m. to take up H.R. 658, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. The House approved this bill last week, and the bill represents a compromise between Republicans and Democrats that provides the first long-term funding bill for the FAA in eight years.
The House meets at noon for speeches and 2 p.m. for legislative work on three land use bills:
H.R. 306, which directs the secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the state of North Carolina to provide for the management of free-roaming wild horses.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/208781-monday-faa-in-the-senate-land-use-bills-in-the-house
Reporting from Broomfield, Colo.— As the rancorous contest for the Republican presidential nomination spreads across the nation’s heartland, the leading candidates have begun to turn off swing voters, a setback in the party’s quest to unseat President Obama.
Independents, the dominant political force in Colorado and other swing states, have been warming to Obama in recent weeks while souring on the Republican Party’s top potential challengers, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, polls show.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-gop-20120206,0,6102950.story
sweet (though I hate the weather vane indies)
Those “Let’s Hate Obama” speeches that these candidates have been giving at the end of their primary caucuses have made them look terrible to the “average” voter. Romney clearly doesn’t understand that while negative campaigning works when your opponent is Mankini, it won’t work for PBO because folks naturally LOVE our President. Add to that the recent positive developments in the economy, Michigan, ACA, etc which are the direct results of PBO’s policies, and the GOP needs to start looking at 2016 or more realistically, 2024. During Romney’s last “victory” speech which was basically a hateful anti-Obama rant, the anger on Twitter was palpable – even among some noted conservatives like Andrew Sullivan.
Good morning all. It’s another great gettin’ up day in “O” ville. The ‘pubs and right wing are trying to change the narrative of the HHS decision regarding providing contraceptives and other women reproductive services to ALL citizens who receive health insurance by employers at no charge or co-pay. This is not about making the Catholic church or any other church provide or pay for these services. This is why health insurance should not be employer based, and taken out of the hands of any entity who can decide who will receive the legal provisions in their insurance coverage. These hospitals, universities, and other religious institutes are reimbursed primarily through medicaid, they are legally bound to offer services that any person who qualifies for those services. This is not a religious matter, it is a legal one. It would be the same thing as it was when AAs were not treated in certain hospitals because some people thought it perfectly ok not to. I hope HHS sticks to their guns on this and not fall to prey to the poutrage.
100% in agreement with you cookemom. Morning Joe tried to brow beat Rev. Al Sharpton and Gov. Dan Malloy (D) of Connecticut about this issue. They fought back hard and he tried to throw a tantrum like a juvenile brat. It does not apply to churches. Churches are EXEMPT. Hospitals and Instiutions who employ people of different faiths and none-faiths are rightfully not exempt because if they can cover viagra and it doesn’t violate their so called religious sanctity then why the heck is birth control off limits? 28 states in the Union have a much more stricter mandate than the Obama administration. Georgia included. Where there are no exemptions even in the case of the morning after pill I believe. Other states have exemptions that reflect the exemptions in the ACA. So the Obama administration was within their rights as you posited to adopt this rule because it is legal.
VP Biden is a busy bee today-
11:00 AM
Biden and Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter visit Florida State University.
12:00 PM
Obama receives the presidential daily briefing.
12:30 PM
Carney briefs the press.
2:30 PM
Obama meets with senior advisers.
2:45 PM
Biden attends a campaign event.
4:30 PM
Biden attends a campaign event.
Here is our Secretary of the Navy smacking down Mitt Romney…..it is at the 22 minutes mark…… ( I highly recommend watching the entire video when you have time )
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Secretary-of-the-Navy-Ray-Mabus/10737427811-2/
This should add to Romney’s heartburn
http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/208451-the-right-defense-strategy-for-our-time
No wonder why he hates the Feds…they check up on him!
Roll Call reports that records show Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) was apparently reimbursed twice for travel, paid by both taxpayers and his political and non-profit organizations, in eight cases.
So, if you go to PPP polls Twitter home-
Their first tweet is to AMK for Obama.
Is that you?
Yup.
One has a fukcing twitter home ? Man, no one tells me anything any more.
CONGRATS TODAY TO THE GIANTS FANS…EVEN THO’ I WAS CHEERING FOR THE PATRIOTS…I WILL SMILE POLITELY TODAY!..:) AS FOR THE EMBASSY IN SYRIA…WE KNEW THIS WAS COMING AND THERE IS AN ‘OZ’ BEHIND THE CURTAIN IN EGYPT STIRRING THE POT. PBO MUST REMAIN THE WATCHER WITH IRAN…THERE ARE PUPPETEERS OUT THERE WHO WOULD LOVE TO SEE HIM BITE THE APPLE. THANK GOD FOR OUR THINKING PRESIDENT!
THESE ARE THE DAYS WHEN I AM THRILLED TO HAVE VP JOE IN THE HOUSE…NOONE KNOWS FOREIGN AFFAIRS LIKE HE DOES…WE HAVE AN AWESOME DUO IN THE WHITEHOUSE!
General Motors, the world’s largest automaker, is expected to announce record profits for 2011 on strong earnings in the final quarter of last year, reports the Wall Street Journal. They would be the third US automaker to announce healthy profits for the year, a strong indication that President Obama’s efforts to revitalize the US auto industry, which was on the verge of collapse when he took office, have been successful.
ThinkProgress
AMEN! PBO HAS MADE ALL THE RIGHT MOVES…IT JUST TAKES TIME TO SEE THE RESULTS. AMERICANS ARE SPOILED FOR THE NEED FOR INSTANT RESPONSE! SORRY FOLKS! THE ECONOMY DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY! WE ARE SEEING DAYLIGHT ON THIS ECONOMY BECAUSE WE HAVE A PRESIDENT IN THE OVAL OFFICE WHO KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING!
A grateful shout-out to the person on the previous thread (Maggy?) who highlighted the Frank Schaeffer piece “President Obama Will Be Vindicated.”
A great read and a great way to start the day. Thanks.
OUR WONDERFUL PBO SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BLAMED FOR ANYTHING IN THE FIRST PLACE! I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW G.W. SLEEPS AT NIGHT. OBVIOUSLY THE FOOL HAS NO CONSCIENCE!
I read this morning that Youtube will take down the Eastwood commercial…can we save it?
OH GEESH…SOMEBODY NEEDS TO SAVE IT!
i tried to watch it again this morning and it was gone already.
Removed “due to NFL copyright claim” but can be found on other YouTube accounts.
sorry, forgot the link – the commerical is here as well.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/chrysler-s-clint-eastwood-super-bowl-ad-removed-from-youtube-due-to-nfl-copyright-claim-video-20120206
thanks CTgirl, i enjoyed watching that again! I almost get the same feeling of excitement watching it is as i do the “let’s stay together” video! =)
Why would they take it down. Why would Chrysler let them? I don’t understand this.
Me neither, Betsy.
Interesting, I went to the Chrysler website and you get this message when you click on the ad:
———————————-
Chrysler Commercial
This video is no long available due to a copyright claim by
NFL Properties, LLC
———————————–
Jeez, that’s bizarre Ladyhawke, the same message comes up now on the video I posted last night. Will see if I can find another version.
PS I found another version and put in the last post, but presumably it will be taken down by NFL Properties too?
Weird that NFL owns the ad and not Chrysler.
Exactly meta. Must check again, do NFL logos appear in the ad?
None.
Chips, MSNBC still has it on the ‘vote your favorite ad’ page. As of right now it still plays. Hope you can get from there.
http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/05/10326282-vote-for-your-favorite-super-bowl-ad
Chips, I was able to watch the video twice in your “Half-time” thread just now. No problems. It is very disappointing that there is a copyright issue that has caused it to be taken down. This ad is so moving and powerful. All Americans should have a chance to see it. One of my favorite lines is “The world’s going to hear the roar of our engines”.
Hi Ladyhawke, I replaced the official Chrysler video in that post with another version I found on YouTube – as you mentioned, the official version is now blocked. Really bizarre.
If I made a commercial that everyone wanted to watch for days afterward, I sure wouldn’t be slapping a hold on it so no one could see it.
I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but why would the NFL take down a commercial that, by nature of being a commercial, is meant to be viewed as often as possible in order to sell products, unless they are taking it down for political reasons?”
Really odd speculation about this – is this serious, NFL have copyright on the word ‘halftime’????
Go here: http://saveyoutube.com/ and enter this url: http://youtu.be/vEM9dodyABo It will give you options of which format and size you want to download. Choose one and it will download to your hard drive.
Obama In The Poll Position
by Zandar
Good ol’ Zandardad flagged down this story in my email today on the latest WaPo/ABC poll numbers this morning, and they’re good news for the President (as far as election poll results in February can qualify as “good news” for anyone, I guess.) The crosstabs are pretty interesting when you take a look, too.
President Obama’s approval ratings are 50%-46%, and by a 50%-48% reading, people think he deserves a second term. The Republican nominees as a group fare much worse in approval, 36%-54%.
Of the Republican leaners in the poll, Newt has the most experience to qualify him for President (46%), but Mitt wins the “can beat Barack Obama” category with 56%.
Here’s the interesting part: People are split on Mitt’s wealth being a positive or negative (43%-44%) but only 30% of Americans think he’s paying his fair share of taxes, 2/3rds of Americans don’t (66%).
Also, President Obama would win 51%-45% over Romney and 54%-43% over Gingrich if the election were held now among registered voters. Finally, while President Obama splits with Romney on the issue of job creation and Romney has a six-point edge on handling the economy, the President has a whopping 19-point lead on protecting the middle class, and a 16-point one on handling terrorism.
In other words, despite the effort to paint him as the dreaded Other, President Obama is winning handily on the middle-class “one of us” issue over Mitt. There’s a lesson to be learned there.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/02/06/obama-in-the-poll-position/
Here again is where I say substitute the phrase “good news for the President” with “good news for the country.”
This may be a childish comment, but I don’t care. There is a photo and video going around of Rush Limbaugh picking his nose while sitting in Bob Kraft’s box at the Super Bowl yesterday. For those of you who do not know Bob Kraft, he is the owner of UT’s team the New England Patriots.
Ahem, ut. Care to essplain this ?
“Rush Limbaugh picking his nose while sitting in Bob Kraft’s box “
It was on worldwide teevee, and I would think it would be embarrassing to him. If I were Bob Kraft I would be embarrassed I had Rush as a guest.
Someone posted a Twit pic of that foul excuse of a man on yesterday’s thread. Just nasty. All around nasty
yes, and i still contend that is jan brewer’s finger up rush’s nose. mentally patch the two photos together, and you’ll see it’s her all right.
Newsflash! Bill. Eric Cantor was also in the NY Giants owners box. Care to explain that on behalf of the Mara family?
Kraft donated to Dems and PBO. As long as his money is coming our way, what the hell do I care about Limbaugh picking his nose?
That is surprising about Cantor being in the Mara’s box, but he does have real power. I have read Kraft and Rush are friends from Palm Beach, but Rush is so offensive I don’t see what reason Kraft would wish to associate with him.
And he donated to the President!
Their will be a bad poll Tuesday, the question is, which polling outfit does the RNC go to?
I bet Gallup. Seems to be their latest purchase.
Good morning TOD family,
Thank you all so so much for your kind words and prayers. I know it’ll help. I want nothing more than to spend time with my grandmother and take care of her. I’ll do everything possible to make it happen.
Please keep us in your thoughts/prayers.
Have a beautiful day and count your blessings.
TPM Headline: Are Senate Dems About To Cave On GOP Union-Busting?
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/labor-blast-senate-democrats-anticipating-cave-on-union-busting-legislation.php?ref=fpa
SMH with this continuous “cave” nonsense!
Wow, they make stuff up before it doesn’t happen…
I think it was posted yesterday, I’m not sure but I saw the link on Twitter…sorry it’s Huff but it’s worth the read…..ugh!
Mitt Romney Supporters Sound Off: ‘We Are The 25 Percent’
-Lovice Coe, 94
Mount Vernon, Texas
Why Romney? “He sounds like he could be president. I sure don’t want to support that Obama … I didn’t vote for him because he was black and his religion was Muslim. [Romney] sounds all right to me.”
A 94 years old racist…..sad…..
-JoAnn Futrell, 84
Dothan, Alabama
Why Romney? “I think he’s a brilliant man. The fact that he’s become a millionaire in our country is an indication that it is possible to live under capitalism and succeed.”
Yes a self made millionaire, just like Trump.
-Neil H. Keddington, 77
Arapahoe County, Colorado
Why Romney? “I just had a feeling that he has a lot of integrity and honesty
Yes that’s all I can think of when I hear the pathological liar….integrity and honesty.
And on and on….there’s about a dozen examples…..it was interesting to read, for me anyway….to understand their thinking…so much ignorance, it’s maddening.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/03/mitt-romney-we-are-the-25-percent_n_1251116.html
It doesn’t matter who repubs nominate — this group was never going to vote for ANY Democrat for any reason.
Part of that 45% that is hopeless. It’s the nature of the American political landscape.
This. You could promise these people a certified check for two million dollars but if it’s a Democrat bringing it to them they won’t even open the door.
There were people who still backed GW and viewed him favorably when he left office. There’s no accounting for willful ignorance, nor the inability to reason when ones own self-interest is in jeopardy. Those type of people will not be reached. They are already factored in the equation of who will be in the ‘no’ column this election. Not a problem.
I’m late to the party, but… I refused to pay good money to Murdoch to watch the Superbowl over here and had to get caught up this morning. I watched the Clint Eastwood commercial and almost fell off my chair. This is a staunch republican praising the recovery of the auto industry and almost endorsing the President’s 2nd term. Republican heads have to be exploding. Here are two things I have noticed. I went to see and vote in the NBC poll on the best commercial. Sure enough, Eastwood’s is far ahead, but NBC is being nasty sneaky about it. Looking at the poll bars, one would think that the next most popular commercial was tied with the Eastwood one. Not true. Looking at the numbers this am Eastwood’s commercial had 24.6% of the vote or 2,944 votes. The next one only had 1,645 votes or 13.7%. Now how could the bars be equal for that. If they had shown it correctly, the bar for Eastwood’s would have been very long and all the others quite insignificant in comparison. I also have noted that Fox News does not want to discuss this commercial at all. Eastwood must be getting a lot of nasty phone calls. All in all, a wonderful Superbowl.
I noticed that as well. At first glance, you’d think the two choice results are even – when they are not.
Not sure what MSNBCs problem is…
Chuck Todd, for one.
Joe Scarborough for two.
Heh.
Touche’.
i just tried to find the commercial in the superbowl ad poll area on a nbc site and i could not even find it listed?
http://www.nbc.com/super-bowl/commercials/
Can anyone else find it in there?????
there must be 70 commercials represented there, but i honestly can’t find the clint eastwood one?????
http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/05/10326282-vote-for-your-favorite-super-bowl-ad
thanks bestpresidentever. i am wondering is it just me that can’t find it on the nbc link i posted? if it is not on there why wouldn’t it be since it looks to have all the commercials? odd. am i just blind? maybe it is there?
lovingandlaughing, I found it on your link too. Maybe they put it back now, as they’ve cleared the mysterious issue on YouTube as well.
On your nbc link, on the top righthand corner click on “sort by advertiser”, then select “Chrysler”, and there it is.
thank you!
Real estate mogul Donald Trump called into Fox News on Monday morning and matter-of-factly took credit for propelling Romney to a nearly 30-point victory in the Nevada caucuses over the weekend.
“There was a lot riding on that particular race in Nevada and it was interesting, because the numbers were much, much greater than you thought,” Trump told “Fox and Friends.” “And a lot of people are giving me credit for that. And I will accept that credit. Always accept credit.”
Um…in 2008 Mitt Romney received 51% of the GOP vote. Was that Trump’s doing too?
Trump is such a gasbag. Love how he’s unknowingly taking credit for Romney sliding from 51% to 50%. Dumbass – both Romney and Trump. Good on Romney aligning himself with racist birthers. Hope he gets hit hard for it.
Exactly. And I guess he is taking “credit” for this as well?!?!?
Mitt “Who Am I This Time” Romney is now joined at the hip with the “Birthers, Baggers and Blowhards”. It could not have happened to a more deserving person. Did you see that Trump endorsement announcement last week? Romney looked embarrassed and his wife could not conceal how uncomfortable she was. The announcement was very quick and they made skid marks leaving the event.
The Real Reason Mitt Romney Is Accepting Donald Trump’s Endorsement
==============
But Romney may not have had a choice. This morning, several media outfits—Politico, the New York Times, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution—were reporting that Trump was going to endorse Newt Gingrich. This suggests The Donald was talking to both camps to boost his leverage as he was negotiating a deal. (Quelle surprise!)
.
.
To prevent that, Romney needed to be hired (politically) by Trump. And it’s not difficult to imagine Trump laying down a demand: If I endorse you, you better damn well hold my hand in public. So what’s a rich guy gonna do? He will allow himself to be played by Trump, to be his sidekick, if only for the moment. This shows that Romney cannot escape the gravitational pull of GOP craziness. The longer Gingrich remains in the race, the more Romney will have to pander to the Obama-hating extremists who make up much of his party. It’s another sign that in a primary contest it’s hard to win by betting against the house.
==============
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/02/donald-trump-mitt-romney-endorsement
Well, we know he’s always a pathological lying asshole.
Mitt is going to regret the day he gladly accepted Trump’s endorsement.
Mitt’s going to have to fire Trump. They deserve each other.
But but but I though Obama hated da Jews?
PBO is sending a signal LOUD and CLEAR to Iran. Do not mess with us.
Politico is at it again- when all else fails…
Here is Dirty Harrys super bowl ad-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/02/06/super-bowl-commercials-2012-clint-eastwood-chrysler_n_1255352.html
Hey everyone
Here is the Half Time in America. It is on You tube
check it out.
let’s keep watching this over and over and get the youtube view numbers up there like “let’s stay together!”
STANDING BY THEIR MAN — A new Democratic poll of voters in key battleground states says Obama is beating congressional Republicans in the energy and jobs debate, despite his denial of the Keystone XL pipeline. The survey of voters in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado showed mixed reviews of the Keystone call, but Obama outpolled the GOP by a significant margin in addressing domestic energy issues and promoting jobs. Goode has the story: http://politico.pro/zQ3g0G.
WEEK AHEAD — Air to surface: Majority Leader Harry Reid said after (presumed) passage of the four-year FAA bill, the Senate will pivot right to the Senate’s two-year surface transportation bill, which awaits a Tuesday Finance Committee markup on how to fill an estimated $13 billion funding shortfall that has consumed the body for months.
About that money: Chairman Max Baucus’s mark of the revenue title came out Friday … at 10:30 p.m. Despite months of talks, there still isn’t agreement on the entire $13 billion or so needed to fund the two-year bill — the panel says it has found $9.6 billion. A key caveat from the late-night press release: “The Senate Finance Committee staff is reviewing additional offsets that have been discussed with member staffs but have not seen final scores or specificity. The chairman intends to provide these offsets in a modification and will notify members as soon as possible.”
That said, here’s what they’ve got so far on the money front: a $3 billion transfer from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund to the Highway Trust Fund (along with a third of all future LUST money), ending biofuel tax credits for “black liquor,” funneling gas guzzler taxes to the HTF, revoking passports for those owing $50,000 in taxes, authorizing a 100 percent levy on Medicare providers who owe back taxes, and giving some customs fees to the HTF instead of the general fund. Some of the ideas seemingly came out of nowhere — but we’ve seen others before. Customs fees have long been discussed, and a letter from committee Republicans late last year suggested the LUST transfer. Head over to 215 Dirksen at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Bill text and Joint Committee on Taxation summary: http://1.usa.gov/xDHHfy
The House is very quietly trying to privatize our roads this week.
They are marking up a bill to decouple federal transportation funds and the gas tax.
No funds, no roads!
Bastards!
Harry won’t allow that.
True, the point is, however, that they are trying.
Gives you a preview of what might happen if…
Can you imagine privatized roads, with tolls everytime you go into another city or County?
- California has revealed the 14 firms on the shortlist to build the state’s initial high-speed rail segment. Bakersfield.com: http://bit.ly/x4hE05
Thx, Jovie!
OT, but interesting:
How they transformed Meryl Streep into The Iron Lady
http://ow.ly/8TO09
http://ww5.komen.org/Contact.aspx
We can Report Karen Handel…..for ” Improper Conduct ” which is one of the subject choices.
The White House has recently promised major steps to boost the housing market and help struggling homeowners, but bruising fights with Congress loom over major pieces of the plan.
The housing market is widely seen in Washington as still struggling in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis, and weighing down what would be a more robust economic recovery.
In recent days, the White House has made a concerted effort to address the housing sector, rolling out new plans to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and boost the housing sector.
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/1091-housing/208747-white-house-to-push-housing-plan-despite-gop-opposition
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/02/06/more-from-the-today-interview/
Update on that video:
Chrysler’s Super Bowl commercial featuring Clint Eastwood was restored to Chrysler’s YouTube channel today after confusion cleared up about a supposed copyright claim by the NFL.
Some time Sunday night, the video was removed from YouTube. Instead, a message said: “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by NFL Properties LLC.
But a spokeswoman for Chrysler said today that the company did not remove the commercial, titled “Halftime in America,” and is unsure why it was removed.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Free Press today that he isn’t sure why the Chrysler ad was removed from different websites.
“The NFL did not file a copyright complaint about this ad with Google,” he told the Free Press. “We have asked Google to reinstate the ad immediately. Google is looking into why the ad was removed.”
Google, which owns YouTube, and YouTube could not be reached immediately for comment.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120206/BUSINESS0103/120206019/NFL-says-didn-t-file-copyright-complaint-against-Chrysler-s-Clint-Eastwood-ad-YouTube