Second Term Doldrums
Barack Obama’s second term is getting grim,
His approval’s down and the midterms are looking dim.
The gap in enthusiasm
Is looking more like a chasm,
When Obama can’t even get a beach in Hawaii named after him.
Year: 2014
Lew Welcomes Lack of Budget, Fiscal Drama
It was an undramatic day. We didn’t have a discussion about a government shutdown. You didn’t hear concerns about the U.S. defaulting on its debt. We need to have a sustained, long period where we take that drama out of it, because, frankly, it wasn’t good for the U.S. or the global economy.
— Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, noting that on Oct. 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year, there was little, if any, notable conversation about the nation’s deficit or debt, In The Loop reported.
Bachmann Wants to Take on Clinton, But She’s Palin by Comparison
Michele Bachmann lecturing on foreign policy makes Sarah Palin sound like Dean Acheson. Hillary Clinton is one of the most admired and respected public figures throughout the world, who continues to prove her knowledge and intellect on foreign policy matters. There is simply no comparison.
— Adrienne Elrod, spokeswoman for pro-Clinton group Correct the Record, told Politico, responding to Bachmann’s assertion that “There isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. She will continue foursquare … and put forward Barack Obama’s policy in a third and fourth term.”
Majority of Americans Now Live in States Where Same-Sex Marriage Is Legal
165 million
The number of people living in states where same-sex marriage is legal, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Monday to decline hearing a series of appeals cases, according to Nate Silver. The decision had the effect of immediately legalizing gay marriage in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin, for a total of 19 states and the District of Columbia. “That means for the first time, same-sex marriage is legal for the majority of the U.S. population. The 26 states where the practice is not legal have a total population of about 151 million.”
Supreme Court Rejects Marriage Equality Bans in Five States
The Supreme Court’s decision today not to hear appeals on lower court rulings overturning bans on gay marriage raises the number of states where same-sex marriage is legal from 19 to 24, and will likely lead to overturning bans in six more states.
The Most Expensive Governor’s Race Produces the Worst Ad
What kind of TV ad does America’s most expensive governor’s race get for nearly $49 million (and counting)? Spots like this, which beg for new and stronger adjectives than the ones being used to describe it: “outrageous,” “demeaning,” “sexist,” and even, “laughable.”
The ad was produced, not by the Scott campaign, but by the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) on behalf of Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The increased “offshoring” of expenditures to outside groups like CRNC could explain why Scott is able to spend less this time around than when he bought his office in 2010 for $75 million of his own money. We can thank Citizens United for the ocean of cash and negative ads in every election since that 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Look at the numbers in the Florida governor’s race this year, and you’ll see how much even a well-known Democratic candidate like former Gov. Charlie Crist is being outspent.
