Year: 2013
Biden Boasts of Senate Expertise
I think I understand the Senate better than any man or woman who’s ever served in there.
— Vice President Joe Biden, quoted by Politico.
House Republicans Call Out Senate Republicans Over Government Shutdown Plan
Does Ted Cruz have a plan to get 41 votes? Does he have a strategy he’s executing on to get 41 votes? Not that I’m aware of. Has he ever come to the House leadership and said, ‘Here’s my plan to get 41 votes in the Senate, to hold the line so we can defund Obamacare?’ Never. No. He’s just on his twitter account attacking House Republicans.
A frustrated but anonymous “GOP leadership aide” to NBC News, criticizing tea party Republicans vying for the 2016 presidential race, like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who want to shut down the government (or at least pretend their goal isn’t to gain political advantage) in yet another attempt to derail the Affordable Care Act.
AT&T Can’t Help Itself
Social media was awash in messages of remembrance of 9/11 on the 12th anniversary of one of the saddest days of loss in America. Many of the tributes were heartfelt but a bunch had a “just phoning it in” quality.* Condescending Corporate Brand Page, for example, found a horse groomer posting a picture of a horse with the New York skyline clipped into its coat.
But AT&T’s tweet of a man’s hand holding up a smart phone to take a picture of the beams of light that mark Ground Zero was the popular winner for Worst 9/11 Tie-In Tweet or Facebook Post. One Twitter user noted, “Not an occasion for product placement, AT&T.”
As is almost always the case, the original sin could have been forgiven; the ones that follow are harder to overlook. In this instance, that sin would be AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson’s apology tweet, which included this line:
I consider that date a solemn occasion each year, a time when I reach out to those I was with on that awful day, share a moment of reflection for the lives lost and express my love of country.
Really Randall? It’s a day you “reach out?” Like to maybe, “reach out and touch someone?” Oh wait, that was AT&T’s long-running advertising slogan. Doh!
We agree with marketing and technology consultant David Berkowitz when it comes to companies trying to “engage” with us in social media.
“Unless you’re bringing something of value, the easy thing is just to keep your mouth shut.”
* Pun intended.
Most Say Obama’s Handling of Foreign Policy No Better — and Maybe Worse — Than Bush’s
64%
Of Americans — including 68% of independents and 41% of Democrats — believe President Obama’s handling of foreign policy is worse than, or the same as, former President George W. Bush’s handling of foreign policy, a new Reason-Rupe poll finds. Just 32% of Americans say President Obama is handling foreign policy better than Bush did.
Children’s Book By Limbaugh a Frightening Notion Indeed
The release date for Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims is set for October 29, two days before Halloween, which seems entirely appropriate. After all, it’s tough to think of a cultural development more frightening than one of conservatism’s most age-inappropriate personalities peddling his ideas specifically to young kids. … Except maybe for Rush’s on-air musing that, if the book sells well, he plans to expand it into a series.
— Michelle Cottle, writing on the Daily Beast.
Sullivan: Enough with the Eye-Rolling Already!
I’m tired of the eye-rolling and the easy nit-picking of the president’s leadership on this over the last few weeks. The truth is: his threat of war galvanized the world and America, raised the profile of the issue of chemical weapons more powerfully than ever before, ensured that this atrocity would not be easily ignored and fostered a diplomatic initiative to resolve the issue without use of arms.
— Andrew Sullivan, writing on his Dish blog.
Over His Diplomacy
Last night as President Obama explained his Syria stance,
Most of America watched “So You Think You Can Dance.”
We’ve all grown so weary of
His position(s) on Syria,
That he might as well be the president of France.
