Research

89 Percent Of Americans View The State Of The Nation’s Economy As “Negative”

 89 Percent Of Americans Describe The State Of The Nation’s Economy As Negative, With 46 Percent Describing It As “Not So Good” And 42 Percent Describing It As “Poor” (Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1000 A , MoE 4%, 2/1-4/12)

• 11 Percent Describe The State Of The Nation’s Economy As “Good” (Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1000 A , MoE 4%, 2/1-4/12)
  
• Not A Single Respondent Described The Economy As “Excellent.” (Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1000 A , MoE 4%, 2/1-4/12)

Just 44 Percent Of Americans Approve Of The Way Obama Is Handling The Economy, Compared To 53 Percent Who Say They Disapprove. (Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1000 A , MoE 4%, 2/1-4/12)

• Of Those Who Disapprove Of Obama’s Handling Of The Economy, 41 Percent Say They “Strongly” Disapprove. (Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1000 A , MoE 4%, 2/1-4/12)

Just 44 Percent Of Americans Approve Of Obama’s Attempts To Create Jobs, Compared To 51 Percent ... more

Independent Review Says The DOE Loan Program Could Lose $3 Billion… But Fails To Include The $567 Million Already Lost

The Obama Administration came out with its “Independent Review” of its failed DOE Loan Program. The review says it will “only” lose $3 billion of taxpayer money, while failing to include the $567 billion the government lost on the now bankrupt Solyndra and Beacon Power Loans.

Obama: “Some Technologies Don’t Pan Out; Some Companies Fail.  But I Will Not Walk Away From The Promise Of Clean Energy.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks In The State Of The Union Address, 1/24/12)

“An Independent Review Finds The Government Could Lose About $3 Billion On Energy Department Loans For Green Energy Programs—Far Less Than The $10 Billion Congress Set Aside For The High-Risk Program.” (Matthew Daly, “Report: Energy Loans Could Cost $3B,” The Associated Press, 2/10/12)

The Review Looked At 30 Loans Or Loan Guarantees Loans Totaling $23.8 Billion, But Did Not Involve Solyndra Or ... more

As Of February 10, 2012, 11 Elected Democrats And 1 Independent Have Spoken Out Against Obama’s Contraceptive Mandate That Infringes Upon Fundamental Religious Liberty. As More Democrats Speak Out Against Obama, We’ll Add Them To The Vote Count.

Senators:

• Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) (Politico, 2/10/12)
• Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Senator John Kerry (D-MA) (Bloomberg, 2/9/12)
• Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) (Politico, 2/10/12)
• Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) (Nebraska Radio Network, 2/8/12)
• Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) (Tampa Bay Times’ “The Buzz,” 2/9/12)
• Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) (Letter To HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, 2/9/12)

House Democrats:

• Representative John Larson (D-CT), House Democrat Caucus Chairman (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) (The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 2/8/12)
• Representative Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) (Politico, 2/8/12)

Other Prominent ... more

As Of February 9, 2012, 7 Elected Democrats Including 1 Independent Have Spoken Out Against Obama’s Contraceptive Mandate That Infringes Upon Fundamental Religious Liberty. As More Democrats Speak Out Against Obama, We’ll Add Them To The Vote Count.

Senators:

• Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) (Tampa Bay Times’ “The Buzz,” 2/9/12)
• Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) (Nebraska Radio Network, 2/8/12)

House Democrats:

• Representative John Larson (D-CT), House Democrat Caucus Chairman (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) (The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 2/8/12)
• Representative Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) (Politico, 2/8/12)

Other Prominent Democrats:

• Former Democrat National Committee Chair Tim Kaine (Politico, 2/8/12)
• Former House Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI) (The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 2/9/12)
• Former House Representative Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA) (The ... more
  
  

Cardinal-Designate Timothy Dolan Says Obama Broke His Promise On Religious Liberty

Cardinal-Designate Timothy Dolan: “I haven't. I hope he would understand that I'm a bit skeptical because he gave us some promises at Notre Dame. He gave us some promises in the healthcare debate to Sister Carol Keehan and Catholic Health Association. He gave me promises. I'm skeptical, I'm saying wow, I hope I can continue to work with him here.”

CBS’ Charlie Rose: “So you are saying that the President has gone back on promises he made to you?”

Dolan: “I would say – I would say, Charlie, that when I left the Oval Office where I was very grateful for his invitation to be there, I left with high hopes that nothing that his administration would do would impede the good work that he admitted and acknowledged in the Church. And I am afraid I don't have those sentiments of hope now.”

Rose: “Do your conference of bishops want you to be more aggressive and more confrontational on this because it's such an ... more

Today, The Marietta Times Reports That FirstEnergy Corp. Will Close Three Power Plants Because Of Costly Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulations, Affecting 105 Jobs. “The Willow Island Power Station in Pleasants County is one of three aging coal-fired power plants in West Virginia that will be shut down later this year, FirstEnergy Corp. announced Wednesday. Its subsidiary Monongahela Power will be retiring Willow island, the Albright Power Station in Preston County and the Rivesville Power Station in Marion County by Sept. 1. The company said 105 employees will be affected. The decision was based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which were recently finalized, and other environmental regulations.” (Brett Dunlap, “FirstEnergy Closing Power Plant,” Marietta Times, 2/9/12)

NOTE: Weeks Ago, EPA Regulations Led FirstEnergy To Announce It Was Shutting Down Plants In Ohio, Pennsylvania, And Maryland, Threatening 529 Jobs. “In ... more

This Morning, Obama Campaign Tells Politico That Klein “The Minute He Became A Lobbyist … Stopped Raising Money For The Campaign.”

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/02/ron-klein-out-the-minute-he-started-lobbying-obama-113863.html

The Obama campaign says that Ron Klein, former Democratic congressman from Florida, turned Obama stalwart, turned lobbyist, is out as a bundler after registering as a lobbyist for Spirit Airlines in early January. “The minute he became a lobbyist, he stopped raising money for the campaign,” a senior Obama for America official tells POLITICO. “He’s no longer associated with the campaign.” … The official said Klein raised all of the cash prior to Dec. 31, 2011, meaning he never raised money as a lobbyist — and also meaning they don't have to return the estimated $200,000 to $500,000 he raked in.

This Afternoon, Klein Tells NBC That’s Not The Case And Says He Hasn’t Heard From Anyone In The Obama Campaign.

... more

In today’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney revealed that Obama has “no opinion” on whether the Senate should pass a budget. It has been over 1,000 days since the Senate Democrats passed a budget. Obama will release his FY2013 budget next week (late, again), which is expected to repackage his failed deficit proposal from last fall.

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: “The White House has no opinion about whether or not the Senate should pass a budget? The president’s going to introduce one. The Fed chair says not having one is bad for growth. But the White House has no opinion about whether – ” 

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney: “I have no opinion — the White House has no opinion on Chairman Bernanke’s assessment of how the Senate ought to do its business.” (White House Press Briefing, 2/8/12) 

Next Week Obama Will Release His Budget, Which Is Just A Rehash Of His Previous Failed Policies

NOW, AGAIN: Obama’s FY2013 Is Essentially The Same Framework He Proposed In ... more

Obama Promised His Plan Would “Bring Down Premiums By $2,500 For The Typical Family.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks Of Senator Barack Obama At Campaign Event, Raleigh, NC, 6/9/08)

But  A Thomson Reuters Report Finds That Health Care Costs “Increased 4 Percent In The Third Quarter Of 2011.” “The cost of health care increased 4 percent in the third quarter of 2011 from the previous year, at least for people with employer-sponsored health insurance. The news come from the Thomson Reuters Healthcare Spending Index for Private Insurers, and also shows a .9 percent increase over the second quarter of 2011.” (Amy Gillentine, “Health Insurance Increased 4 Percent In Third Quarter 2011,” The Colorado Spring Business Journal, 2/6/12)

• Gary Pickens – Chief Research Officer At Thomson Reuters Center For Health Care Analytics: Across The Country Health Insurance Costs Are Continuing To Increase. “Insurance costs are still on the rise... While there has been a light slow down due to the pace of ... more
  
  

In the wake of the Solyndra scandal, another green energy program Obama invested in has announced more layoffs.

Obama: “Some Technologies Don’t Pan Out; Some Companies Fail.  But I Will Not Walk Away From The Promise Of Clean Energy.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks In The State Of The Union Address, 1/24/12)

Fisker, Which Received More Than A Half Billion In Loan Guarantees, Announced It Is Laying Off Staff After Failing To Meet Early Manufacturing And Efficiency Goals

Fisker Automotive Has Announced It Is Laying Off Staff To Try To Reserve Enough Capital In Order To Qualify For More Taxpayer Funds From The DOE. “In another setback for President Obama's clean energy loan programs, the recipient of more than a half-billion dollars in federal loans is laying off workers at their Delaware and California operations. Delaware’s News Journal reports that Fisker Automotive, a California-based electric car start-up company, is laying off an undisclosed number of staff to try to reserve ... more