Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 11, 2009, 12:58PM

Liz Cheney: Obama Given Nobel Prize For Opposing American Dominance
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Liz Cheney attacked President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. "Well, I think what the committee believes is they'd like to live in a world in which America is not dominant. And I think if you look at the language of the citation, you can see that they talk about, you know, President Obama ruling in a way that makes sense to the majority of the people of the world," said Cheney. "You know, Americans don't elect a president to do that. We elect a president to defend our national interests. And so I think that, you know, they may believe that President Obama also doesn't agree with American dominance, and they may have been trying to affirm that belief with the prize. I think, unfortunately, they may be right, and I think it's a concern."

McCain: Palin 'Energized Our Party'
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defended his former running mate Sarah Palin, against the criticism of his former campaign manager Steve Schmidt. "There are fundamental facts ... that cannot be denied," McCain adds. "When we selected or asked Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party, and I have great affection for her."

Read more »

Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 9, 2009, 8:59AM

NYT: Withdrawal From Iraq Daunting, Complicated
The New York Times reports that the withdrawal from Iraq is an enormous logistical task: "By itself, such a withdrawal would be daunting, but it is further complicated by attacks from an insurgency that remains active; the sensitivities of the Iraqi government about a visible American presence; disagreements with the Iraqis about what will be left for them; and consideration for what equipment is urgently needed in Afghanistan."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will deliver remarks at 10:30 a.m. ET, presumably on his having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He will meet with Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) at 11:35 a.m. ET. He will meet with Vice President Biden at 12:30 p.m. ET for lunch. At 1:40 p.m. ET, he and Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner will meet with five Americans who have been hurt by outdated rules regulating the financial sector, and Obama will deliver remarks on regulatory reform at 2 p.m. ET. Obama will meet with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan at 2:30 p.m. ET. Finally, the President and First Lady will host a barbecue for Secret Service members and their families on the South Lawn.

Read more »

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 8, 2009, 8:59AM

CBO: Budget Deficit Reaches Record $1.4 Trillion
The federal budget deficit for the just-completed fiscal year 2009 reached $1.4 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This record number was due to multiple factors, including falling tax revenues due to the recession, corporate bailouts and stimulus spending. This was triple the previous record of $459 billion, which was reached last year.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will have lunch at 12 p.m. ET with business leaders. At 2:30 p.m. ET, he will visit the National Naval Medical Center Marine Wounded Warrior basketball game. At 3:15 p.m. ET, Obama and Vice President Biden will meet with Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner, and they will meet at 3:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. At 5 p.m. ET, Obama will play basketball with cabinet secretaries and members of Congress.

Read more »

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 7, 2009, 9:00AM

Poll: Obama's Approval Rating Going Back Up
The new AP/GfK poll finds that President Obama has a 56% approval rating, up from 50% in September -- and the first time that his approval rating has increased in the AP/GfK surveys. Disapproval is at 39%, down from 49% last month.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet at 10:45 a.m. ET with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. At 1:30 p.m. ET, he will deliver remarks and award the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. At 3:30 p.m. ET, he will meet with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. At 8 p.m. ET, the President and First Lady will host an event for local middle students, to star gaze and conduct hands-on experiments with astronomers.

Read more »

Levi Johnston

Levi Johnston Stars In Safe Sex Pistachio Ad

Christina Bellantoni | October 5, 2009, 5:37PM

Here's how the Get Crackin folks are pegging this YouTube video, which is definitely the hottest thing on the Internet today:

Levi Johnston, father of Sarah Palin's grandchild, shows us how he Gets Crackin'. Show us how you do it. www.getcrackin.com. Show us how you Get Crackin' and you could win $25,000 and see your spot on TV!

Watch and, um, learn(?):

The brand of nuts is indeed sold in the greater D.C. area, and are harvested by the same group who does Everybody's Nuts.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 3, 2009, 1:10PM

Obama: Small Businesses Need Health Care Reform
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama pitched the Democratic health care proposals as being good for small businesses:

"Altogether, they create roughly half of all new jobs. And right now, they are paying up to 18 percent more for the very same insurance plans as larger businesses because they have higher administrative costs and less bargaining power," said Obama. "Many have been forced to cut benefits or drop coverage. Some have shed jobs or shut their doors entirely. And recent studies show that if we fail to act now, employers will pay six percent more to insure their employees next year - and more than twice as much over the next decade."

GOP Address Blasts Obama And Pelosi's "Job-Killing Agenda"
In this weekend's Republican address, Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) called upon PResident Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to "put aside their job-killing agenda" and work with the GOP:

"All told, our economy has lost roughly 3 million private-sector jobs since President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trillion-dollar 'stimulus' plan became law," said Miller, later adding: "It didn't have to be this way."

Read more »

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 1, 2009, 8:57AM

WaPo: Obama May Have To Seek GOP Support On Afghanistan
The Washington Post says that the emerging Democratic opposition to a heavily increased troop presence in Afghanistan could put President Obama in an awkward situation: "The emerging Democratic position could compel Obama, whose domestic agenda is facing stiff Republican criticism in Congress, to rely on those same opposition lawmakers for support if he decides to send more combat troops to Afghanistan."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will deliver remarks at a 1:50 p.m. ET fundraiser for the Democratic Governors Association. He will meet at 3:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and at 4 p.m. ET with Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner. He will depart form the White House at 6:35 p.m. ET, headed to Copenhagen, Denmark, to lobby for the 2016 Olympics to be held in Chicago.

Read more »