Republican Reading Wreck
Public reading requires good locution
And the outgoing persona of a showman.
But one thing you really need
Before you begin to read
Is knowledge of what’s in the Constitution.
Month: January 2011
U.S. Unemployment Lowest in 19 Months
9.4%
U.S. unemployment dropped in December to its lowest level in 19 months, the Department of Labor announced Friday. The economy added 103,000 new jobs, up from November’s revised estimate of 71,000.
Fewer Americans Identify as Democrats
31%
Percentage of Americans identifying as Democrats, which dropped in 2010 to tie the lowest level in the last 22 years of Gallup polling. While Democrats still outnumber Republicans, at 29%, the percentage identifying as independents increased to 38%, making it the most common identification.
Boehner’s Alleged Affair – and Gingrich’s Confirmed One – Go Unmentioned by the New Yorker – Yes, the New Yorker
Peter Boyer’s nearly 9,000 word profile of Speaker John Boehner in the New Yorker last month filled in a few gaps in what is commonly known about Boehner’s biography, but there was a notable item missing — the fact that just four months ago the Capitol was aswirl with rumors that Boehner was having an extramarital affair with a (female) lobbyist.
Similarly, in describing events that led to the ouster in 1998 of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Boyer omitted one of the central reasons — some would say the real reason — Gingrich was forced out: At the same time he was driving efforts to impeach Pres. Bill Clinton over a perjurious cover-up of an affair with a staffer, Gingrich was himself engaged in an affair with a congressional staffer, his current wife, Callista Bisek.
111th Congress Had All-Time Low Approval
25%
The average approval rating of the 111th Congress from Americans over the course of 2009 and 2010. This is among the lowest average approval ratings for a Congress that Gallup has recorded in the past two decades, mirroring the weak growth in U.S. GDP over the same period.
Verbatim
The American people have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories as to just how temporary the privilege to serve is. They have reminded us that everything here is on loan from them. That includes this gavel, which I accept cheerfully and gratefully, knowing I am but its caretaker. After all, this is the people’s House. This is their Congress. It’s about them, not us. What they want is a government that is honest, accountable and responsive to their needs. A government that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows before the public it serves.
— John Boehner (R-OH), in a pre-speech excerpt from his remarks upon being elected Speaker of the House today.
Verbatim
I have sometimes thought I could move to New Jersey or Connecticut and run. I’d love to run against Joe Lieberman. I have no use for him. But it’s all fantasy.
— Alec Baldwin, to CNN, saying he is “very, very interested” in running for office but to leave acting would be “extremely painful.”
The Party of ‘No Ideas’ Takes Power Today
The old Gray Lady nailed it today. In an op-ed piece titled “Pomp, and Little Circumstance,” the New York Times‘ editors showed the new Republican-led House of Representatives for what it is — John Boehner’s little stage for light drama. It would seem the new regime is all about the appearance of appearances and keeping the “sub” in “substance”:
The Republicans’ antics are a ghastly waste of time at a moment when the nation is expecting real leadership from Congress, and suggest that the new House leadership is still unable to make tough choices. Voters, no less than drama critics, prefer substance to overblown theatrics.
The Unappealing Truth
OK, I’m about to reveal
How, during the 2012 elections, pols can keep it real.
Although it sounds moronic,
I’m not being ironic
When I say what it takes is “base appeal.”
