Obama says oil disaster is his responsibility

by: Mae Singerman

Thu May 27, 2010 at 14:13:25 PM EDT

President Obama just ended his press conference on the Gulf Coast disaster by saying he takes full responsibility for getting it cleaned up. Nice to hear.

In general, I haven't heard much anger directed at Obama the way I think it would have been directed at President Bush over this oil spill.

Thoughts on what that's about or even if it's true? Has Obama been doing a good job handling this? 

Job Losses Graphic

by: Mae Singerman

Wed Feb 17, 2010 at 10:20:49 AM EST

This is a dramatic graphic put out by the Obama administration today. I love graphic representations of complicated data, but also am weary of oversimplification to prove a point. Anybody have a good analysis on this graph?  You can view it in it's full size HERE

State Of The Union: Deep Twitter Thoughts on SOTU

by: Katie Halper

Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 07:13:43 AM EST

Before the State Of The Union

• kthalps: guys, the only way obama can repeal dont ask dont tell is if we dont ask dont tell. so shut up abt it. duh!

State Of The Union Starts
kthalps: I guess we’ll have accept third-place “I do not accept second-place for the United States of America.” -Barack Obama.#SOTU #Union address

• kthalps: joe biden blinks a lot. Nancy Pelosi barely blinks. Between the two of them, they blink at an average rate. #SOTU
• kthalps: did Joe Biden & Nancy Pelosi coordinate wearing purple (tie and suit, respectively)? And was that a reference 2 shades of blue/red = purple
• kthalps: looks like America is united by collective desire to punish banks!
• kthalps: u know Sandra Sotomayor had 2 use all self control 2 not slap Alito for saying “not true” #SOTU
• kthalps: I wrote Sandra Sotomayor intentionally. I was honoring O’Conner 4 opening door for female judges like Sonia. DUH!

After SOTU

• kthalps: Chris Matthews’ comments about forgetting Obama was black was so Matthewsian. #sotu

McDonnell Response

• kthalps: Where did the Republicans find the three black people to stand behind Bob McConnell? #SOTU
• kthalps: why does the asian guy in glasses behind mcconnell keep nodding? It’s like he’s a bobble head #SOTU
• kthalps: sorry, make that mcdonnel. all white names look the same to me
• kthalps:i think “we welcome ur ideas on facebook and twitter” was not a joke. But audience laughed. Awks
• kthalps: oh snap! McConnel’s daughter was in the army. Can’t say that about Sasha or Malia, can you Barack Obama! Boooyakashah! #SOTU response
• kthalps: oh nice! McDonnel is advocating torture! “foreign terror suspect given same rights as U.S. citizen” I love it when Republicans get rt to the point #SOTU response
• kthalps: did they build this set especially for McDonnel’s speech? #SOTU response

Commentary after SOTU & response

• kthalps: my mom on Anthony Weiner: “He was never married b4? Katie, find me a picture of his girlfriend online” #SOTU #thingsmymomsays
• kthalps: david Axelrod needs to brush his eyebrows. They got all hot & bothered during #SOTU

BE STRONG OBI - I LOVE YOU

by: Mae Singerman

Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 11:33:22 AM EST

Okay, so maybe Facebook has gotten a little more serious lately, now that everyone is friends with their grandparents and co-workers. But for some reason, it still seems weird to me that President Obama has a Facebook page where people write all kinds of crazy things to him. Sure, some people give advice or thoughtful opinions, but a lot of people write to Obama like he’s a 19 year old dude from down the hall in their dorm.

Comparing Obama to Hitler

by: Katie Halper

Wed Aug 26, 2009 at 07:47:42 AM EDT

Political scientists and historians from Rush Limbaugh to Sean Hannity to Lyndon LaRouche to that woman with short brown hair who, I deduce, must be a scholar of German history, are comparing Obama to Hitler and his likening his health care plan to Nazism. Liberal bullies and freedom of speech haters like Barney Frank are trying to silence these brave Americans who are speaking truth to Nazi power just as they want to smother our grandmothers. But is it so wrong to compare the Communist-Nazi-Muslim-Jeremiah Wright-following Obama to Hitler? Does comparing health care reform aimed at saving millions of lives to an extermination of millions of lives trivialize the holocaust? I think not! They say those who don't learn their history are condemned to repeat its mistakes. Well, a quick look at the history, the facts and data analysis reveal the frightening and shocking similarities between Obama and Hitler. Will America realize this before its too late?

Five Facts AMERICA NEEDS to Know About Sonia Sotomayor

by: Katie Halper

Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 10:52:25 AM EDT

Meticulously anal pundits, like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh, intellectual heavy weights Tom Tancredo, and ex-convict/current actor/ radio personality G. Gordon Liddy have exposed Judge Sotomayor for what she really is: a KKK-supporting, racist, menstruator/pre-menstruator who hates white people and speaks to aliens.


Sotomayors' own beliefs confirm she is a Racist, Sexist, Elitist, Class-Warfare-Inciting Nazi. You be the judge!

1. FACT: Sotomayor believes that Latinos' Spanish is better than non-Latinos'
2. FACT: Sotomayor believes that women have more estrogen than men
3. FACT: Sotomayor believes that poor people have less money than rich people.
4. FACT: Sotomayor is such a liberal elitist, she doesn't just live in the North East of the country.The neighborhood she was born and raised in is on the East side of the Bronx. The Bronx is to the North of Manhattan.  I'll let you do the math.
5. FACT: "Sotomayor" means "Hitler" in Spanish

"That side was made for you and me"

by: Jeffrey Sharlein

Wed May 13, 2009 at 23:21:53 PM EDT

“Our goal really is to bring the house alive,’’ said Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary. “We’re all American, but all of us come from different backgrounds. We want to expose Americans to other Americans that are doing brilliant work.’’

Jumping on the Bandwagon

by: Rachel Feldman

Tue Apr 14, 2009 at 18:30:47 PM EDT

Next Year's White House Seder

by: Mik Moore

Sun Apr 12, 2009 at 18:01:19 PM EDT

Well, this is pretty cool.

One small thought: If the President would like to elevate the importance of the Passover seder even more than he has already, he might consider replacing the annual White House Hannukah party(currently the big Jewish White House party) with an annual White House seder. The fact is, Hannukah is a minor holiday that has been taken over by Christmas; Passover has held its own against Easter and is the most popular - and interfaith-friendly - of all Jewish holidays. It also speaks to the relationship between Jews and other traditionally oppressed communities, but particularly between blacks and Jews. Passover is, in short, a holiday with good politics.

A large seder would be less fun for the President, perhaps, but would be a great way to bring together all of the President's closest friends and allies in the Jewish community.

Some Hot Dem-on-Dem Action

by: Mik Moore

Fri Feb 27, 2009 at 02:00:58 AM EST

What do you get when you have large majorities in Congress and a new president in the White House? Factions!

Not fair but mostly true... it is usually much easier to be united in opposition than when governing. To police the party come what Howard Dean memorably called "the democratic wing of the Democratic party." Moveon, SEIU, Daily Kos, and other former Deaniacs (and more recently, Obamaniacs) have created Accountability Now, a political action committee (PAC) that will target conservative Democrats seeking reelection.

From the perspective of Democratic Party leaders, Accountability Now is probably seen as a mixed blessing. No party leaders appreciate losing the votes of Democratic members on important issues, but they are usually tolerant if the member comes from a conservative district. The great political realignment since Nixon has been to move all of the conservatives into the Republican Party and all of the liberals into the Democratic Party. Swing seats usually exist only in truly moderate to conservative districts, the very districts whose reps are NOT expected to vote themselves out-of-office by supporting bills anathema to their constituents.

Determining which seats are held by Democrats who are more conservative then they need be is likely to be more science than art. Polls and past voting behavior provides the relevant data; if your district voted for Obama, or if Obama is popular in your district, you can probably get away with supporting his initiatives. The question is one of line drawing; how conservative, or anti-Obama, do your constituents have to be before you can use them to justify voting against Obama's bills?