Research Briefing

As Obama Returns To San Francisco, A Look At What Americans Learned From His Last San Francisco Fundraising Jaunt

Obama At San Francisco Fundraiser In April 2008: “It's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” (John Whitesides, “Under Fire, Obama Clarifies Small-Town Remarks,” Reuters, 4/12/08)

OBAMA WILL RAISE MONEY FOR DNC TODAY IN SAN FRANCISCO

Today, Obama Will Attend A DNC Fundraiser In San Francisco. “President Barack Obama is headed to San Francisco on Thursday, the White House said today. Obama will attend a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, stay overnight and leave the city on Friday, a White House spokesman said.” (Rob Hotakainen, “Obama Heading To San Francisco,” The Sacramento Bee’s “Capitol Alert” Blog, 10/13/09)

OBAMA LOOKS DOWN ON ANY MEDIA OUTLETS WHO DISAGREE WITH HIM

The Obama White House Has Begun Denouncing Critics On Its Blog. “Instead, the White House blog now issues regular denunciations of the Administration's critics, including a recent post that announced ‘Fox lies’ and suggested that the cable network was unpatriotic for criticizing Obama's 2016 Olympics effort.” (Michael Scherer, “Calling 'Em Out: The White House Takes On The Press,” Time, 10/8/09)

• Gibbs On Denouncing White House Critics: “The best analogy is probably baseball … The only way to get somebody to stop crowding the plate is to throw a fastball at them. They move.” (Michael Scherer, “Calling 'Em Out: The White House Takes On The Press,” Time, 10/8/09)

The Obama Administration Has Been “Actively Going On The Attack Against Fox News.” “Lately the Obama Administration has—in TIME and other outlets—been actively going on the attack against Fox News. The Administration, and Obama himself, have had run-ins with Fox before, but this time the message is different: they're characterizing the cable channel as not just a conservative outlet, but as a political organization, devoted to undermining the White House and defeating its policies.” (James Poniewozik, “What's Obama's Fox News Strategy?” Time’s “Tuned In” Blog, 10/14/09)

OBAMA WHITE HOUSE LOOKS DOWN ON ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH HEALTH REFORM

Gibbs: Protests At Health Care Town Halls Are “Manufactured Anger.” Gibbs: “Well, you know, look, I hope people will take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the Astro Turf nature of so-called grassroots lobbying-- … The Astro Turf nature of grassroots lobbying, which is largely the term for, you know, this is manufactured anger.” (Jon Ward, “A Transcript Of Gibbs' 'Manufactured Anger' Line,” The Washington Times’ “POTUS Notes” Blog, 8/4/09)

OBAMA LOOKS DOWN ON RURAL AMERICA

Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA): Obama Doesn’t “Get Rural America.” “‘They don’t get rural America,’ said Rep. Dennis Cardoza, a Democrat who represents California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley. ‘They form their views of the world in large cities.’” (Lisa Lerer and Jonathan Martin, “Rural Democrats Differ With Barack Obama,” Politico, 6/17/09)

In June, Rural Democrats Were Angered By Various White House Decisions. “Angered by White House decisions on everything from greenhouse gases to car dealerships, congressional Democrats from rural districts are threatening to revolt against parts of President Barack Obama’s ambitious first-year agenda.” (Lisa Lerer and Jonathan Martin, “Rural Democrats Differ With Barack Obama,” Politico, 6/17/09)

Obama Angered Rural Democrats By Threatening To Slash Direct Payments To Larger Farms. “The first sign of a disconnect between the White House and rural voters came in the administration’s budget, which included a plan to slash direct payments to farms with annual gross receipts of more than $500,000.” (Lisa Lerer and Jonathan Martin, “Rural Democrats Differ With Barack Obama,” Politico, 6/17/09)