December 19, 2012

Year of Obama

December 19, 2012 Buck Banks

When he won re-election, the message was clear —
The nation wants Obama at the wheel, to steer.
He already has the Nobel,
So hey, what the hell,
Have Time Magazine name him Person of the Year!

Is Newtown Obama’s Birmingham?

December 19, 2012 Buck Banks

I can’t help wondering if the bullets of Sandy Hook Elementary will be for Obama what the snarling dogs and high-pressure fire hoses of Birmingham, Alabama, were for John F. Kennedy in 1963: the human tragedy that will force him to take a political risk, simply because it is right.

— Todd Purdum, in Vanity Fair.

Rick Scott Is Winning His Unpopularity Contest

December 19, 2012 Buck Banks

36% to 45%

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) with an upside-down approval rating, according to a new Quinnipiac poll, with a majority of Floridians saying he doesn’t deserve a second term. Key finding: 53% of Republicans would like another candidate for governor in 2014.

Obama: Re-Election the More Satisfying Victory

December 19, 2012 Buck Banks

I think it was easy to think that maybe 2008 was the anomaly, and I think 2012 was an indication that, no, this is not an anomaly.

— President Obama, in an interview with Time, on his re-election being a more satisfying victory than four years ago.

Manchin Doubles Down on Need for Gun Control Dialogue

December 19, 2012 Buck Banks

If we can’t keep our children safe, and I’m afraid to have a dialogue because I’m afraid someone might vote against me, I don’t have a right to be here.

— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), quoted by ABC News, on changing his mind about stricter gun control laws.

Republicans’ Life Ratings Fall, Democrats’ Rise

December 19, 2012 Buck Banks

From 47.0 to 40.3

Amount Republicans’collective Life Evaluation Index score dropped in November from October. Independents’ life ratings also declined last month, but to a lesser degree. Democrats became slightly more upbeat — their Life Evaluation Index score climbed to 56.9, from 53.7 in October, according to Gallup.

Day: December 19, 2012

Year of Obama

Is Newtown Obama’s Birmingham?

I can’t help wondering if the bullets of Sandy Hook Elementary will be for Obama what the snarling dogs and high-pressure fire hoses of Birmingham, Alabama, were for John F. Kennedy in 1963: the human tragedy that will force him to take a political risk, simply because it is right.

— Todd Purdum, in Vanity Fair.

Rick Scott Is Winning His Unpopularity Contest

36% to 45%

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) with an upside-down approval rating, according to a new Quinnipiac poll, with a majority of Floridians saying he doesn’t deserve a second term. Key finding: 53% of Republicans would like another candidate for governor in 2014.

Obama: Re-Election the More Satisfying Victory

I think it was easy to think that maybe 2008 was the anomaly, and I think 2012 was an indication that, no, this is not an anomaly.

— President Obama, in an interview with Time, on his re-election being a more satisfying victory than four years ago.

Manchin Doubles Down on Need for Gun Control Dialogue

If we can’t keep our children safe, and I’m afraid to have a dialogue because I’m afraid someone might vote against me, I don’t have a right to be here.

— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), quoted by ABC News, on changing his mind about stricter gun control laws.

Republicans’ Life Ratings Fall, Democrats’ Rise

From 47.0 to 40.3

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by CBS News.

“Here’s the problem with the red meat: It becomes an addiction. Once you go there and you put that out there, then you’re forced to defend it. So what do they do? They double down. They triple down again.”

— Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D), quoted by the Washington Post, on Republicans relying on anti-Muslim attacks in the Michigan U.S. Senate race.

— Stephen Miller, quoted by The Guardian, pledging “total devotion” to President Trump.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”