Month: May 2012

Super PAC Attack Looms for Obama

Buck Banks

GOP Super PAC plans ad campaign against Barack Obama, the “metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln” whose “misguided mentor” was Jeremiah Wright.

— Jake Beckman, Bloomberg News assignment editor, tweeted regarding the $10 million super PAC attack campaign being mounted by GOP strategists in September to disrupt the Democratic convention.

In reply, Adam Weinstein, Mother Jones blogger, wrote: “Which part of ‘metrosexual black Abraham Lincoln’ was supposed to make me not want to reelect that dude?”

GOP Silent on Same-Gender Marriage

Buck Banks

The greatest indication that public opinion on same-sex marriage has shifted over the past few years: almost no prominent GOP elected officials raised the issue after the day of the endorsement; party leaders, almost to a person, changed the topic to the economy when asked about Obama’s now evolved stance. Besides, at a time when Republicans are trying to minimize the impression that their party is intolerant, the last thing they want is to pick a big fight over personal liberty and morality. Rest assured, they will quietly communicate Obama’s position to targeted voters via religious organizations and mail as the election nears. And if Obama loses narrowly, some of his supporters are sure to look back and wonder if publicly backing gay marriage cost him his job.

— Mark Halperin, writing in Time Magazine.

The Guy Whose Economic Advice We Are Least Likely to Take

Trish

This is roughly equivalent to John Edwards publishing a book on marital fidelity, or Ron Paul publishing a book on racial tolerance.

Pundit Henry Decker, in a column called, “Not A Joke: Bush To Publish Book On Economic Growth.” The book is part of an effort to rehabilitate the reputation of former Pres. George W. Bush, whose policies of mortgage and finance deregulation, and of cutting taxes at the top of the income scale while launching two wars plunged the country into recession.

Fox News ‘Breitbarts’ President’s Purported ‘Enemies List’ – Falsely Asserts ‘Smear’ of Romney Finance Co-Chair

Jon Ponder

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Andrew Breitbart may be dead but his practice of creating fake political scandals lives on at Fox News. The latest case involves Frank Vandersloot, the Romney campaign’s co-chair, who is apparently no relation to Joran Van Der Sloot, the accused murderer in the Natalie Holloway case. Rachel Maddow reported the facts beneath the fakery in the latest case last night. Here’s Media Matters’ take:

[…]

Brooks: Obama Perfecting His Image of Manliness

Buck Banks

Obama has displayed a kind of ESPN masculinity: postfeminist in his values, but also thoroughly traditional in style — hypercompetitive, restrained, not given to self-doubt, rarely self-indulgent. Administrations are undone by scandal and moments when they look pathetic, but this administration, guarded in all things, has rarely had those moments … I’d say that Obama is a slight underdog this year: the scuffling economy will grind away at voters. But his leadership style is keeping him afloat. He has defined a version of manliness that is postboomer in policy but preboomer in manners and reticence.

— David Brooks, writing in the New York Times.