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Mr. Mojo Rising
Author: BobR    Date: 10/14/2011 12:54:17

It's been a roller-coaster year for the president. From the Debt talks to Osama bin Laden to poor jobs numbers to battles with Congress to DADT, he has ridden a wave up and down in popularity and effectiveness. Depending on your point of view, either he keeps bouncing back, or he keeps getting knocked back (sometimes by the very people that should be supporting him). His current trend is moving in a more postive direction.

Some of that is not of his own doing. Some of that is the Republicans seeming to willingly shoot themselves in the foot in Congress, and a lackluster crop of presidential candidates. The ennui in Republican circles has been so bad, they were literally begging NJ Gov Chris Chistie to run. After he turned them down, perennial candidate Sarah Palin did too. With Romney, Cain (and possibly Ron Paul) left to battle it out for the nomination, the Republican voters let out a collective yawn and hope 2016 is better. Polling shows the president ahead of all the potential candidates.

The president is also well-set with campaign funding. He currently has $70M in cash ready to go, and the first primary is still months away. On some level, that is the advantage of the incumbent, but it is a good indicator that there are plenty of people willing to put their wallet where their mouth is in support of the president. Undoubtedly, most of the money for the Republican contender will go to PACs (from the Koch brothers, et al) for 3rd party attack ads, so the road will not be an easy one, but although numerous small donations -vs- a few large ones translates to equivalent funds being spent, it shows lopsided support in the voting booth where it really matters.

Currently, the common wisdom is that Romney will prevail in the primaries. That is reinforced when FOX News uses him to frame a question during a White House presser:
President Barack Obama called out Fox News' Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry Thursday as a "spokesperson for Mitt Romney."

During a joint news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, the president allowed Henry to asked the first question.

"President Obama, I wanted to get your first reaction to the Iranian terror plot," Henry said. "Your secretary of state called it a dangerous escalation. What specific steps will you take to hold Iran accountable? Especially when Mitt Romney charged last week — quote — 'If you do not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your president. You have that president today.'"

"Well, I didn’t know that you were the spokesperson for Mitt Romney," the president replied with a quick smile.

In lesser times, I think the president would not have made the quip, or at least without the smile. This time, however, he let the FOX News reporter hang himself, then pointed out to everyone that the reporter had done just that. Fair and balanced? Wait for FOX to claim that the president attacked the reporter, in 3... 2... 1...
“I think everyone can see that he decided not to engage with Mitt Romney and decided to kind of come after me a little bit."

(link...)

Clue to Mr. Henry: He is there to respond to questions, not "engage" with a candidate that hasn't actually been selected by the party yet. He will do that during the presidential debates next fall (and wipe the floor with whomever it might be).

The poll numbers, the actions in Congress to distract from their horrendous inaction on the jobs problem, and Republican propaganda outfit FOX News all show a Republican party unable to drag the president down into the basement. In fact - the more they try to use their dirty tricks, it seems that the more people finally "get it", and reject their non-leadership. The desperation from the Republicans shows that the president's standing - although not stellar - is stronger than their grandstanding and gross mismanagement. Their frustration is palpable.

Is my schadenfreud showing?
 

52 comments (Latest Comment: 10/14/2011 22:12:52 by Raine)
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Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 13:14:36
Good Morning!

Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2011 13:21:10
Morning, comrades!

I will continue to dismiss Mitt until after the NH primary.

Massachusetts politicians always win the New Hampshire primary; it's a given.

Folks as obscure as Paul Tsongas and Henry Cabot Lodge have won, as well as eventual nominees Mike Dukakis and John Kerry.

It's what happens afterward; are they really national candidates, or is it just a local bounce...only time will tell.



Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 13:29:59
I long had displeasure about Ed Henry. What he did at that presser what a journalistic abomination.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 13:33:27
So it appears that The Mayor decided to pospone the *cleaning* of Zuccotti park....

looks like they blinked.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 13:38:05
More about the delay:
A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose girlfriend is a member of Brookfield's board of directors, had confirmed Thursday that Brookfield had requested the city's assistance in maintaining the park.

"We will continue to defend and guarantee their free speech rights, but those rights do not include the ability to infringe on the rights of others," Bloomberg spokesman Marc La Vorgna said, "which is why the rules governing the park will be enforced."


Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2011 13:42:27
Nobody ever cleaned up after the Tea Party, did they?

From what I understand, Occupy Boston is going out of their way to pick up after themselves and keep things in order...I'd imagine other cities are doing the same.

Curious about the private park....would they be relying on taxpayer security (NYPD) to patrol their park, or did they hire private security to "clean" the place? Because they could evict everyone without any first ammendment repercussions....but using public resources to do so would be wrong, don't you think?



Comment by wickedpam on 10/14/2011 13:46:04
Morning

Blogging from home for a bit, second to last vacation day being used up today

I love that the Pres made Henry look bad

Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2011 13:46:52
Boston's folks are on the Kennedy Greenway at Dewey Square; a public park.

(Google 700 Atlantic Avenue and zoom in one click to see it.)

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 13:50:45
Just because someone posted it... and it made me laugh...



Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 13:54:33
Quote by TriSec:
Nobody ever cleaned up after the Tea Party, did they?

From what I understand, Occupy Boston is going out of their way to pick up after themselves and keep things in order...I'd imagine other cities are doing the same.

Curious about the private park....would they be relying on taxpayer security (NYPD) to patrol their park, or did they hire private security to "clean" the place? Because they could evict everyone without any first ammendment repercussions....but using public resources to do so would be wrong, don't you think?

It's a prvately owned park that the city says must be open to the public 24 hours a day. (it's typical prvatization bs to me) but from the Article:
The company's rules, which haven't been enforced, have been this all along: No tarps, no sleeping bags, no storing personal property on the ground. The park is privately owned but is required to be open to the public 24 hours per day.

The New York Police Department had said it would make arrests if Brookfield requested it and laws were broken. But the deputy mayor's statement indicated that "for the time being" Brookfield was withdrawing its request for police assistance in cleaning the park.

This is the part that is bothering me. It appears that this action, and now non action is kinda proving the point of the protesters -- that government is bought and sold by the corporates.



Comment by Scoopster on 10/14/2011 13:55:49
Mornin' all & Happy Fridee

Quote by TriSec:
Boston's folks are on the Kennedy Greenway at Dewey Square; a public park.

(Google 700 Atlantic Avenue and zoom in one click to see it.)

My friend was supposed to be playing a public electronic music concert there this weekend, but I guess it got postponed because of the protest camp using the space.

Comment by wickedpam on 10/14/2011 13:56:59


Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2011 14:09:08
Well, there you have it. Maybe the big drawback on the Libertarian/Privatize movement.

Privatizing the park is fine, but you have to go all the way. Shifting it to private ownership but still using public resources to patrol and maintain it....there is something inherently wrong about that.

Is it for the "common good" or not? I don't think you can have it both ways here, and you can extrapolate that as far as you want.



Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 14:12:40
Quote by wickedpam:
Cat got your tongue, Mala?


Comment by wickedpam on 10/14/2011 14:16:00
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Cat got your tongue, Mala?



Weird, my comment disappeared - I was just saying the was for the video not for the delay in the concert

Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2011 14:32:59
There was supposed to be an entire 'food truck' fair on the Greenway this weekend. That's all been cancelled because of "overcrowding" fears, so I'd imagine that the concert is a casualty.

Of course, wouldn't it have been neat to have the festival anyway, and get all the thousands of people expected to walk past the protestors and get an earful?

It's censorship, I tellya! (And the Head of the Charles Regatta is coming up next weekend, but that's across town on the Charles.)


Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 14:43:14
A tweet:
Police took everything. Destroyed camp, including legal areas / sidewalk. Many arrests. park closed. #OccupyDenver


Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2011 14:45:57
Shifting gears...just heard on TRMS that there are only 20 days left in the current session of Congress. I don't expect any motion on anything relevant in that time.

Can't the President do anything? Bush set the precedent; can't Obama start issuing executive orders or something to start moving things along?



Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 14:54:52
Quote by TriSec:
Shifting gears...just heard on TRMS that there are only 20 days left in the current session of Congress. I don't expect any motion on anything relevant in that time.

Can't the President do anything? Bush set the precedent; can't Obama start issuing executive orders or something to start moving things along?

I think he is legally doing everything he can. One example was the relaxation of the NCLB rules -- So I really think they have his hands tied.

Hell, they can't even get a full adjournment from congress (Senate) so he can do recess appointments.


Comment by Will in Chicago on 10/14/2011 15:09:21
Good morning, bloggers!! I am checking in for a brief moment.

BobR, good points in the blog. I think that the GOP could have a more lackluster roster of potential candidates than if some one drew names out of a telephone book. The question is how will the president capitalize on this inept line up and a do-nothing Congress that takes vacations more frequently than George W. Bush.

Comment by wickedpam on 10/14/2011 15:18:13
Time to start running out to get some errand run

See everyone later!

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 15:18:57
Just read the UK Defense Secretary has just resigned over an influence peddling scandal...

Comment by Scoopster on 10/14/2011 15:28:44
A heads up to everyone here who uses RBS/Citizens Bank..

Apparently they're currently having a MAJOR problem with their computers, which is affecting all banking operations, including online/phone, branches and all ATMs. No transactions have been processed since yesterday, including any pending DIRECT DEPOSITS.

Comment by Scoopster on 10/14/2011 15:31:26
Oh yeah.. there's a poll up on CNN's US edition home page. Hit it.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 15:40:29
Quote by Scoopster:
Oh yeah.. there's a poll up on CNN's US edition home page. Hit it.
DONE!

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 16:05:17
Quote by Raine:
More about the delay:
A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose girlfriend is a member of Brookfield's board of directors, had confirmed Thursday that Brookfield had requested the city's assistance in maintaining the park.

"We will continue to defend and guarantee their free speech rights, but those rights do not include the ability to infringe on the rights of others," Bloomberg spokesman Marc La Vorgna said, "which is why the rules governing the park will be enforced."
Diana Taylor, to reiterate, on the board of Brookfield properties is in fact the Girlfriend of MAyor Bloomberg.


Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 16:33:27
More about Zuccotti Park. I have been wondering why they chose a privately owned park for the protest -- and have expressed concern about it, but this might shed a little more light on why they did.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 10/14/2011 16:36:15
Surprise, surprise

Part of the reason Friendly's is going into bankruptcy is to get out from under 6000 pensions.

Maybe if they weren't known for glacially slow service and total apathy towards the customer, they might not be in the trouble they're in now.

I'm sure Mittens thinks this is great.

Now there's going to be an empty eyesore right in the center of the very ritzy Town of Medfield. Wonder what the town fathers think of that?

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2011 16:44:03
Quote by Raine:
Just because someone posted it... and it made me laugh...




Dennis is not peasant! He is a member of an autonomous anchro-syndicalist commune! Get it right!

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 16:50:06
Quote by trojanrabbit:
Surprise, surprise

Part of the reason Friendly's is going into bankruptcy is to get out from under 6000 pensions.

Maybe if they weren't known for glacially slow service and total apathy towards the customer, they might not be in the trouble they're in now.

I'm sure Mittens thinks this is great.

Now there's going to be an empty eyesore right in the center of the very ritzy Town of Medfield. Wonder what the town fathers think of that?

That is terrible. I hope the feds fight this one hard.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2011 17:03:24
Quote by TriSec:
Morning, comrades!

I will continue to dismiss Mitt until after the NH primary.

Massachusetts politicians always win the New Hampshire primary; it's a given.

Folks as obscure as Paul Tsongas and Henry Cabot Lodge have won, as well as eventual nominees Mike Dukakis and John Kerry.

It's what happens afterward; are they really national candidates, or is it just a local bounce...only time will tell.



Ahem? Paul Tsongas and Henry Cabot Lodge are so not obscure.


Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2011 17:10:27
Good day everyone. Crashed out this morning. Guess the dreary, rainy weather made me sleepy. Now, we just got to hope that the Democrats can maintain control of the Senate and take back the House. I just worry that in the lower races that the Koch Brothers money will have more influence on the races than even low GOP and Tea Party numbers. I do hope that the efforts to nullify Uncle Thomas vote in Citizens United come to something since he definitely violated conflict of interest rules in that case.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 17:12:19
Quote by livingonli:
Good day everyone. Crashed out this morning. Guess the dreary, rainy weather made me sleepy. Now, we just got to hope that the Democrats can maintain control of the Senate and take back the House. I just worry that in the lower races that the Koch Brothers money will have more influence on the races than even low GOP and Tea Party numbers. I do hope that the efforts to nullify Uncle Thomas vote in Citizens United come to something since he definitely violated conflict of interest rules in that case.
I wrote about that on Monday.

Take a look at something called REDMAP. There is a concerted effort for teabaggers to take over state houses -- it is TOTALLY by design.


Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 17:23:17
Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 17:43:42
For the record, there are only 2 truly private parks in NYC. One is Gramercy Park.

Zaccotti is owned privately but is public space.

I am trying to find the second one. It's not just private, but seems secret as well.

Comment by Scoopster on 10/14/2011 17:49:00
Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 17:52:02
YES putting flouride in the water is JUST like Nazi Germany...


Comment by Scoopster on 10/14/2011 17:54:29
Quote by Raine:
YES putting flouride in the water is JUST like Nazi Germany...

They've seen Dr. Strangelove way too many times, I swear..

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2011 17:57:40
Quote by Raine:
For the record, there are only 2 truly private parks in NYC. One is Gramercy Park.

Zaccotti is owned privately but is public space.

I am trying to find the second one. It's not just private, but seems secret as well.


I knew about Gramercy Park. The other one is so secret it is unknown?

Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2011 18:06:21
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
YES putting flouride in the water is JUST like Nazi Germany...

They've seen Dr. Strangelove way too many times, I swear..

And still aren't aware that it's parody.

Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 19:07:00
It's friday ya bastahds!








Bounce!


Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 19:10:00
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
For the record, there are only 2 truly private parks in NYC. One is Gramercy Park.

Zaccotti is owned privately but is public space.

I am trying to find the second one. It's not just private, but seems secret as well.


I knew about Gramercy Park. The other one is so secret it is unknown?
I'm trying to find the name of it.




Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 19:16:32
Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 19:29:59
This is really disturbing:
JPMorgan gave a massive gift of $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation in the form of money, patrol car laptops, “security monitoring software,” and other tech resources. But the donation was given starting late last year and was completed by spring 2011, so it was obviously not made in response to the Occupy Wall Street protests. At the time, Commissioner Ray Kelly sent JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon a note expressing his “profound gratitude” for the donation, and a company-written news item about the gift described it as “unprecedented” in size.

The police foundation is the private fundraising arm of the NYPD. It allows donors to make tax-exempt gifts to the department and in turn the foundation funds a wide-range of specialized NYPD units, international counterterrorism work, and high-tech gadgetry.


IS the NYPD bought and sold?

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 19:44:31
I love that Randi is playing the clip of Herman Cain saying (and I quote)

I don't have the facts to back this up



Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2011 19:54:17
Quote by Raine:
This is really disturbing:
JPMorgan gave a massive gift of $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation in the form of money, patrol car laptops, “security monitoring software,” and other tech resources. But the donation was given starting late last year and was completed by spring 2011, so it was obviously not made in response to the Occupy Wall Street protests. At the time, Commissioner Ray Kelly sent JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon a note expressing his “profound gratitude” for the donation, and a company-written news item about the gift described it as “unprecedented” in size.

The police foundation is the private fundraising arm of the NYPD. It allows donors to make tax-exempt gifts to the department and in turn the foundation funds a wide-range of specialized NYPD units, international counterterrorism work, and high-tech gadgetry.


IS the NYPD bought and sold?



Um, yes!

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2011 19:54:59
Didn't I post that Salon article about donations to the NYPD a week or so back?

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 20:09:40
BTW, it is official...

Joe the [fake] plumber is running for congress.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2011 20:10:51
Quote by Mondobubba:
Didn't I post that Salon article about donations to the NYPD a week or so back?
You probably did, I may have missed it. My apologies.


Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2011 20:54:33
Quote by Raine:
I love that Randi is playing the clip of Herman Cain saying (and I quote)

I don't have the facts to back this up


That could be used as a drop on a lot of shows.