Research

Today, President Obama’s FY2013 is officially late, again, as the White House shirks its legal obligation to submit a budget by the first Monday in February. Last night, The Wall Street Journal reported that we won’t be missing much as the president intends to repackage his failed deficit proposal from last fall as his FY2013 budget. That proposal included a $1.5 trillion tax hike that many Democrats rejected and failed to outline a plan for containing the nation’s budget-busting entitlement programs.

Obama Plans To Re-Release His Lackluster Joint Deficit Reduction Committee Proposal As His FY2013

NOW, AGAIN: Obama’s FY2013 Is Essentially The Same Framework He Proposed In September Which Included $1.5 Trillion In New Taxes. “President Barack Obama will release his budget plan next week, calling for $3 trillion in deficit reductions over 10 years, including $1.5 trillion in tax increases to fall mostly on the wealthiest Americans. If that sounds familiar, it's because the president ... more

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Claims The Decline In The Labor Force Is An “Economic Positive” Because It Means Young People Are “Getting More Education.” CARNEY: “Let’s look at some of the facts, which include that a large percentage of that is due to younger people getting more education, which in the end is an economic positive.” (Jay Carney, Press Briefing, Washington, D.C., 2/6/12)

The Labor Force Is Declining Because Millions Of Americans Are Discouraged By The Lack Of Opportunities In The Obama Economy

“Millions Of Americans Wake Up Each Morning Without A Job, Even Though They Desperately Want To Work. It's One Of The Depressing Legacies Of The Financial Crisis And Great Recession.”  (John Ydstie, “The State Of The Long Term Unemployed,” NPR, 12/12/11)

• The Economy Remains In “By Far The Worst Jobs Recovery Since The Great Depression.” “Even with the recent gains, this is also by far the worst jobs recovery since the Great Depression, and the U.S. still has about ... more
  
  

In Tallahassee Today, Vice President Biden Claims The Administration Didn’t Cut Pell Grants. BIDEN: “We took that sixty billion dollars, and we allocated forty billion of it to Pell grants, forty billion to Pell grants. And nearly 600,000 students here in the state of Florida are getting Pell grants, including a quarter of the students here at FSU. So the debate was we should cut Pell grants, we didn’t cut them, we raised them $800 bucks and we increased access.” (Vice President Joe Biden, Remarks At Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 2/6/12) 

In His 2011 Budget, Obama Proposed Cutting Pell Grants By $100 Billion 

Obama’s 2011 Budget Proposed To Cut $100 Billion From Pell Grants. “For example, Obama's budget would cut $100 billion from Pell Grants and other higher-education programs through 2021, scaling back a key Obama initiative.” (Lori Montgomery, “Obama Spending Plan Criticized For Avoiding Deficit Commission's Major Proposals,” The Washington Post, 2/14/11)

• ... more
  
  

Obama Campaign Bluffing On “Expansion Path” Of Winning Arizona To 270 Electoral Votes

Obama Campaign “Has Been Doing A Lot Of Bluffing” On Swing States The President Will Compete To Win, Including “Arguing It Has An Outside Shot At Contesting Arizona.” “President Obama's reelection team has spun multiple pathways to an electoral vote majority, but a glance at his state-by-state approval ratings throughout 2011 suggests the campaign has been doing a lot of bluffing. … The Obama campaign has been arguing it has an outside shot at contesting Arizona, but his approval rating is at 40 percent, with 52 percent disapproving.” (Josh Kraushaar, “Obama Struggling In Battleground States,” National Journal, 1/31/12)

• Obama Campaign Identifies “Expansion Path” Of Winning Arizona To Getting The 270 Electoral Votes He Will Need To Win In November. “During a briefing for reporters at the DNC yesterday, Obama 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina outlined five paths that would get President Obama to ... more
  
  

Disappointed With Obama, Voters Across The Country Are Shifting To The GOP Side

Gallup: “More States Move To GOP In 2011.” (Jeffrey Jones, “More States Move To GOP In 2011,” Gallup, 2/2/12)

“Democrats Have Lost Their Solid Political Party Affiliation Advantage In 18 States Since 2008, While Republicans Have Gained A Solid Advantage In 6 States.” (Jeffrey Jones, “More States Move To GOP In 2011,” Gallup, 2/3/12)

Since 2008, 12 States Have Shifted To Either Solidly Republican Or Leaning Republican. “A total of 17 states were either solidly Republican or leaning Republican in their residents' party affiliation in 2011, up from 10 in 2010 and 5 in 2008.” (Jeffrey Jones, “More States Move To GOP In 2011,” Gallup, 2/3/12)

• While Obama Has Lost 17 Solidly Or Leaning Democrat States. “Meanwhile, 19 states including the District of Columbia showed a solid or leaning Democratic orientation, down from 23 in 2010 and 36 in 2008.” (Jeffrey Jones, “More States Move To GOP In 2011,” Gallup, ... more
  
  

Attorney General Eric Holder testified today in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding Operation “Fast and Furious.” Once again, Holder repeatedly dodged questions about the Justice Department’s role in the ill-fated operation and instead argued that he should be given “credit” for how he has run the department.

Holder Runs In Circles, Gives Dizzying Response On When He Learned Of “Fast And Furious:” 

Holder Has Had Only Passing Conversations With President Obama Regarding “Fast And Furious:” 

Holder Thinks His Accountability Should Be Limited By Fairness:

Holder Wants Credit For Running The Department Of Justice: 

Rep. Lynch (D-MA) Is Troubled That Holder Did Not Know About “Fast And Furious:”

At today’s press briefing, the White House was repeatedly asked about Obama’s three-year record of failure to address the housing crisis. Check out the questions below:

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: “Mr. Secretary, wasn’t it two years ago the administration first proposed a bank fee? Am I right about that? January 2010?” (White House Press Briefing, 2/1/12)

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan: “Um, I believe that’s correct.” (White House Press Briefing, 2/1/12)

----

Tapper: “I just wonder, if you couldn’t get it through a Democratic House and Senate, why do you think now would be a better chance of making it through Congress? “(White House Press Briefing, 2/1/12)

CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell: “Why shouldn’t this proposal today, in an election year, not just look like an effort, a politically motivated effort, to reach out to homeowners in key battleground states that just also happen to have big mortgage foreclosure issues, like Nevada, Arizona, Florida, etc?” (White House Press Briefing, 2/1/12)

... more

Today in Falls Church, VA, Obama will announce another housing program which he already unveiled at the State of the Union. The program joins the “alphabet soup” of housing proposals enacted by Obama, which have failed to keep millions of Americans in their homes.

Obama’s Housing Proposal Is Just “The Latest Addition To A Mosaic”

Obama’s Proposal “Is The Latest Addition To A Mosaic Of Obama Administration Programs” That Have Failed To Boost The Housing Market. “The proposal, to be released in the coming weeks, is the latest addition to a mosaic of Obama administration programs aimed at boosting the housing market, which is entering its fourth year of weak sales and high foreclosures.” (Lorraine Woellert, “Obama Pushes Proposal To Streamline Refinancing For Homeowners,” Bloomberg, 1/25/12)

The Last Two Incarnations Of Obama’s Refinancing Program Only Helped About 1,000 Homeowners. “Haven’t similar programs been tried before? Yes. But those programs put in place a series of rules ... more

“The Pace Of Recovery In Output And Employment Has Been Slow Since The Recession Ended In June 2009, And The Economy Remains In A Severe Slump.” (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012-2022,” Congressional Budget Office, 1/31/12)

The Congressional Budget Office Downgrades Obamanomics In Its 2012 Budget And Economic Outlook

CBO: “The Economy Will Continue To Grow At A Sluggish Pace Over The Next Two Years.” “The pace of the economic recovery has been slow since the recession ended in June 2009, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) expects that, under current laws governing taxes and spending, the economy will continue to grow at a sluggish pace over the next two years. That pace of growth partly reflects the dampening effect on economic activity from the higher tax rates and curbs on spending scheduled to occur this year and especially next.” (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012-2022,” Congressional Budget Office, 1/31/12)

• CBO: “Considerable Slack ... more
  
  

Speaking At The National Press Club, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Said “Mistakes, Serious Mistakes, Were Made” In “Fast And Furious” Operation. NAPOLITANO: “‘Obviously I think if the question is referring to things like Fast and Furious, I think everyone has acknowledged that mistakes, serious mistakes, were made there. The key question is making sure those kinds of mistakes, from my standpoint are never again repeated.’” (Department Of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Remarks At The National Press Club, Washington, D.C., 1/30/12)

The Department Of Justice Makes “Serious Mistakes” And American Citizens Suffer The Consequences

“The Attorney General, In Testimony To The House And Senate Last Year, Said He Feared The Justice Department Could Be Living With The Consequences Of More Than 1,000 Guns Connected To Fast And Furious That Remain Unaccounted For Years To Come.” (Carrie Johnson, “Emails Show How ‘Fast And Furious’ Ambush News Unfolded At Justice ... more