Research

Obama’s Latest Partisan Move “Another Reminder Of Obama’s Central Campaign Pledge To Change The Culture Of Washington” Has Failed:

Three years after pledging a new era of post-partisan cooperation, President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared war with congressional Republicans by unilaterally installing his nominee to head a new consumer protection bureau. … It was the latest milestone in Obama’s journey from bipartisan conciliator to partisan agitator, perhaps the starkest break to date from his campaign promises to change the tone in Washington.

But the move carries some risks, too. It’s another reminder of Obama’s central campaign pledge to change the culture of Washington, a town that is arguably more gridlocked and partisan than the day he took office.

AP: “Obama, GOP Tangling Over Promises Made, Promises Kept By The President”:

President Barack Obama’s campaign team is casting him as a man of his word, countering Republican efforts to portray his White House record as ... more

“You Say We Can't Wait, Then Why Have You Waited?”

Watch The Video Here

CHUCK TODD:  “You are saying you can't wait. Then why have you waited? Why haven't you been -- why didn't you start doing this six weeks ago as you guys were pushing the jobs bill? Do it simultaneously if this stuff is going to work, even around the margins why wait as long as you have?” (MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown,” 10/27/11)

Especially When Obama Had Control Of The White House, The Senate And The House Of Representatives For Two Years  

“Mr. Obama Has Been The Least Obstructed President Since LBJ In 1965 Or FDR In 1933, Which Is How We Got Here.” “The larger political subtext of Mr. Obama's speech is that if Congress doesn't pass his plan, he'll then campaign against Republicans as obstructionist. Thus his speech mantra that Congress should ‘pass it right away.’ This ignores that Mr. Obama has been the least obstructed President since LBJ in 1965 or FDR in 1933, which is how we got here.” (Editorial, “The Latest ... more

In Recent Polls, Obama Is Struggling In Battlegrounds And Even Blue States

Florida

51 Percent OF Florida Voters Disapprove Of The Way Obama’s Job Performance. (Quinnipiac University Poll, 674 RV, MoE 3.8%, 7/27-8/2/11)

50 Percent Of Florida Voters Say Obama Does Not Deserve To Be Reelected, Only 42 Percent Say He Does. (Quinnipiac University Poll, 674 RV, MoE 3.8%, 7/27-8/2/11)

52 Percent Of Florida Voters Don’t Like Most Of Obama’s Policies. (Quinnipiac University Poll, 674 RV, MoE 3.8%, 7/27-8/2/11)

“Florida Has Long Been A Key To Winning The White House.” “Florida has long been a key to winning the White House. Obama defeated John McCain there in 2008. In the 2012 presidential race, Florida is an even bigger political prize with its 29 electoral votes -- far more than other battleground states such as Ohio, Missouri and Virginia.” (Catalina Camina, “Obama, Romney Tied In Florida” USA Today, 8/4/11)

 “President Barack Obama's Numbers In The Key Swing State Of Florida Have Gone South ... more

Obama And Dems Desperately Try To Rally Their Youth Vote, But Young Americans Are Disenchanted With Obama’s Failed Policies

“President Obama And Vice President Joe Biden Are Going Back To School This Week. Obama Travels To Madison, Wisconsin On Tuesday To Headline A Rally At The University Of Wisconsin While Biden Heads To Penn State To Fire Up Voters -- Particularly The Younger Crowd -- In The Two Key Battleground States.” (Michael Falcone & Amy Walter, “Giving It The Old College Try,” ABC’s The Note Blog, 9/27/10)

OBAMA AND DEMS TRYING TO REENGAGE THEIR YOUNGER VOTERS

“Thousands” Are Expected At Wisconsin Rally. “On Tuesday, the president is scheduled to hold an old-fashioned campaign rally on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Party officials said they expected thousands to cram onto Library Mall, an outside setting, to see Mr. Obama.” (Michael D. Shear, “An Effort To Recapture Democratic Enthusiasm,” The New York Times’ The Caucus Blog, 9/26/10)

DNC Chairman ... more

Fresh off claiming to be oblivious to former-Rep. Eric Massa’s questionable behavior and ignoring the myriad ethical lapses of Rep. Charlie Rangel, there appears to be a new ethical scandal brewing in the “most open and honest” Congress for  Speaker Nancy Pelosi to claim ignorance.

While New York Rep. Gregory Meeks claims to survive “paycheck to paycheck,” The New York Times reports he “lives a life worthy of a jet-setter.”

When he travels, he stays in luxury hotels like the Mondrian South Beach in Miami and the Ritz-Carlton in San Juan, P.R. He drives a Lexus, leased by the federal government, at a cost of $1,000 a month. He eats expensive meals at BLT Steak in Washington and Docks Oyster Bar in Manhattan, among other trendy spots. …

Mr. Meeks’s hotel visits paid by his campaign and political action committee since 2007 include stops at Hotel Playa Bonita in Panama; the MGM Grand, Mirage, Monte Carlo and Bellagio hotels in Las Vegas; the Buccaneer Hotel in St. Croix, V.I.; and ... more

As Congressional Democrats get set to vote on President Obama’s government-run health care experiment today, ABC’s Jonathan Karl produced an interesting graphic on “This Week” this morning that shows where Obama’s priorities lie:

And yesterday, when talking to House Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed Karl’s analysis: it’s all about government-run health care, and nothing else:

The American people have told Obama that the economy is the most important issue to them, but it is clear that Obama is more concerned about the fate of his presidency than listening to the American people and doing what is best for the country.

Is Ohio Congressman Steve Driehaus immune to Obama’s campaign fever? Or does he just realize a vote for Obama’s government-run health care experiment is far more politically terminal?

At the exact same time President Obama is pushing his health care bill across the state in Cleveland, Dreihaus will be at a fundraiser headlined by Vice President Biden. Now that’s some political pressure!

Yet despite this White House double-whammy, Rep. Dreihaus appears unlikely to support the health care bill. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer as much today:

"I appreciate the vice president coming in. But it has no bearing whatsoever on my health care vote," Driehaus said, shrugging off attacks that he's getting from both sides of the health care debate.

Driehaus did vote in favor of the health care bill that cleared the House last year, saying he was proud to stand with his colleagues to support health care reform and calling the vote "historic."

But the bill that could come before the House for a ... more

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to protect free speech rights in Citizens United v. FEC, Democrats have been trying to paint this decision as one that will “open the floodgates” of special interest money. Sen. Chuck Schumer went even further, attacking the Supreme Court’s decision as “un-American.” And as CBS News’ chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford notes, President Obama’s attack on the Supreme Court during his State of the Union address was just as ridiculous:

It wasn't enough that Mr. Obama, for the first time in modern history, took a direct shot at the Supreme Court in his State of the Union address, when he slammed the justices for their recent campaign finance reform decision. Six of them looked on -- including the author of the opinion, key swing vote Anthony Kennedy -- while Democrats jumped up to whoop and holler. All that, of course, was too much for Justice Samuel Alito, who shook his head and silently mouthed, "not true." The next day, the White House ... more

Obama has claimed many times that he’s committed to making “his administration the most open and transparent in history.” Yet, when it comes to his labor union bosses, Obama has no problem blocking their activities from public view:

Since President Obama took office, the Labor Department has rescinded or delayed three sets of rules proposed by the George W. Bush administration that would have required unions and their leaders to more specifically detail their finances … The rules were rolled back while the Obama administration was seeking more stringent regulation of corporate America, including banks, insurance companies, health care providers and publicly traded companies.

During the Bush administration, unions had to disclose where their money was going, giving American union members valuable information about how their dues were being spent. As a result of these rules that President Bush put in place, it was discovered that unions gave $3.2 million to the 2008 Democratic ... more

President Obama may be the one with campaign fever, but it’s making Robin Carnahan sick. As the President swings through Missouri today to pitch his health care experiment and host a pair of fundraisers, the Democrat Senate candidate is nowhere to be found.

After saying that she would rubber stamp Obama’s government-run health care experiment on Christmas Eve, perhaps she’s starting to realize that Obama’s low approval in the state (just 40%), and Missourians’ opposition to his health care bill (62%) is dragging down her campaign.

So where is Carnahan today? Washington, DC! While Obama is fundraising in her backyard, she’s in DC attending a fundraiser with … well, apparently anyone but Obama.

You can’t make this stuff up, folks.