August 11, 2014

Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit. He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most – from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets. The Obama family offers our condolences to Robin’s family, his friends, and everyone who found their voice and verse thanks to Robin Williams.

May we just add, nice use of the word, “bangarang,” Mr. President.

We’ve Hit a New Low for Trust in Government

August 11, 2014 Buck Banks

13%

Of Americans say the government can be trusted to do what is right always or most of the time, with just over three-quarters saying only some of the time and one in 10 saying they never trust the government, according to a new CNN poll. Said pollster Keating Holland: “The number who trust the government all or most of the time has sunk so low that it is hard to remember that there was ever a time when Americans routinely trusted the government.”

Invade, Leave, Repeat

August 11, 2014 Buck Banks

We got out, but now we’ve got to go back,
‘Cause their soldiers just don’t have the knack.
At the sight of a gun
They turn tail and run,
So we’re back — on the attack — in Iraq.

Almost Half of Americans Think Watergate was Politics as Usual

August 11, 2014 Buck Banks

51%

Of Americans believe the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation was a serious matter, while 46% think it’s the typical politics in which both political parties engage, a new CNN poll finds.

Obama Justifies His ‘Minimalist’ Position

August 11, 2014 Buck Banks

Increasingly politicians are rewarded for taking the most extreme maximalist positions, and sooner or later, that catches up with you.

— President Obama, in an interview with Tom Friedman, on the rise of the Republican far right.

Clinton Criticizes Obama’s Foreign Policy

August 11, 2014 Buck Banks

Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.

— Hillary Clinton, in an interview with The Atlantic, said President Obama’s lack of assistance to Syrian rebels led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq. She also criticized the slammed Obama’s foreign-policy doctrine which he recently coined as, “Don’t do stupid shit.”

Sanders Complains About Hillary Clinton’s ‘Anointment’ as Prez

August 11, 2014 Buck Banks

Day: August 11, 2014

Pres. Obama’s Statement on Robin Williams

We’ve Hit a New Low for Trust in Government

13%

Invade, Leave, Repeat

Almost Half of Americans Think Watergate was Politics as Usual

51%

Of Americans believe the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation was a serious matter, while 46% think it’s the typical politics in which both political parties engage, a new CNN poll finds.

Obama Justifies His ‘Minimalist’ Position

Increasingly politicians are rewarded for taking the most extreme maximalist positions, and sooner or later, that catches up with you.

— President Obama, in an interview with Tom Friedman, on the rise of the Republican far right.

Clinton Criticizes Obama’s Foreign Policy

Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.

— Hillary Clinton, in an interview with The Atlantic, said President Obama’s lack of assistance to Syrian rebels led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq. She also criticized the slammed Obama’s foreign-policy doctrine which he recently coined as, “Don’t do stupid shit.”

Sanders Complains About Hillary Clinton’s ‘Anointment’ as Prez

She has accomplished a lot of very positive things in her career, but I’m not quite sure that the political process is one in which we anoint people.

— Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), in an interview with Yahoo News, critical of the seeming coronation of Hillary Clinton for president.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

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%).”