Research

This Week, Obama Will Be Taking A Taxpayer Funded Trip To Colleges In Colorado And North Carolina In An Effort To Energize The Youth Vote. “President Barack Obama will take a two-day, three-state trip this week to visit college campuses and talk about student loan interest rates. The trip is billed as an official one, paid for by taxpayers. But the Obama campaign is also capitalizing on the trip, touting the president’s student-loan message and drawing contrasts with Mitt Romney. … Obama is scheduled to visit the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Iowa on his official trip Tuesday and Wednesday. In his (official) weekly address on Saturday, the president said he will be talking to students about making college more affordable, and about pushing Congress to pass legislation to prevent interest rates on student loans from increasing.” (Donovan Slack, “Campaign Capitalizes On Official Trip,” Politico, 4/23/12)

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It’s been a bad week for the President. As Obama desperately tries to deflect blame for high gas prices and sell his Buffet tax gimmick, his pandering has been overshadowed by scandal and the political fallout. Highlights of Obama’s week include:

More and more Democrats are joining Republicans in calling for Keystone to be approved.

Obama Is Finding Himself “Increasingly Boxed In On The Keystone Pipeline As More Congressional Democrats Are Joining Republicans In Backing The Project.” “President Obama is finding himself increasingly boxed in on the Keystone pipeline fight as more Congressional Democrats are joining Republicans in backing the project, which has strong labor support and could generate significant numbers of jobs in economically hard-hit states.” (Jennifer Steinhauer, “Democrats Joining G.O.P. On Pipeline,” The New York Times, 4/19/12)

• “This Week The Republican-Run Housed Passed A Transportation Bill That Includes A Provision Requiring Approval Of The Pipeline, With ... more
  
  

Turnout Fallout

Democrat Primary Turnout Falls Sharply From Last Election With Unopposed Incumbent

On Saturday, Less Democrats Voted In The Louisiana Democratic Primary Than In 1996, The Last Time A Democratic President Ran For Renomination Unopposed. (Federal Election Commission, Accessed 3/25/12; Politico, Accessed 3/25/12)

In 8 Of 10 States That Have Held Democratic Presidential Primaries This Year, Turnout Has Been Lower Than Turnout In 1996. (Aaron Blake, “Obama May Have A Turnout Problem, Too,” The Washington Post’s The Fix, 3/13/12; Federal Election Commission, Accessed 3/25/12; Politico, Accessed 3/25/12)

• “Turnout In Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Oklahoma And Tennessee Is Down At Least 29 Percent From 16 Years Ago.” “Turnout in Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Oklahoma and Tennessee is down at least 29 percent from 16 years ago, and in Massachusetts, it was down 8 percent, according to a Fix review. The numbers paint a picture that might lead some to ask whether Democrats are also ... more
  
  

Today David Axelrod weighed in calling the GOP primary a “death march.” Turns out that is the exact phrase Obama used to describe his own campaign in ’08 speaking to weary primary supporters. So either Axe is wrong or he’s spinning himself in circles and into the realm of the nonsensical tele-conference pundit?

SHOT: In March 2012, Axelrod Calls Republican Primary A “Death March”

@aburnspolitico: Axelrod's take on Romney campaign: "tactical victories in a kind of death march here" (Alexander Burns, Tweet, 3/7/12)

CHASER: In March 2008, Obama And Axelrod Used The Same Phrase To Describe Their Own Primary

In March 2008, Obama Said The Democratic Primary Was “Like A Bataan Death March.” OBAMA: “For those of you who are just weary of the primary, and feeling kind of ground down or that it’s like a Bataan death march, I just want everybody to know that the future is bright.” (Mark Halperin, “Obama Compares Campaign To Bataan Death March,” Time’s The Page, 3/27/08)

In March 2008, David ... more

NBC’s David Gregory: “Is this an issue that the President will campaign on?”

White House Chief Of Staff Jack Lew: “I think the Affordable Care Act is something that is a big accomplishment and he will be campaigning on that. I think the right of women to all forms of preventive health care is an important part of it.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 2/12/12)

So What Has ObamaCare Accomplished? 

Rising Health Care Spending

CBO: The Aging Population And Rising Health Care Costs "Will Increase Federal Debt To Unsupportable Levels." "Under both CBO's baseline and its alternative fiscal scenario, the aging of the population and rising costs for health care will push spending for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs considerably higher as a percentage of GDP. If that rising level of spending is coupled with revenues that are held close to the average share of GDP that they have represented for the past 40 years (rather than being allowed to increase, as ... more

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