POLITICS DEPT:
More news the Obama administration won't like:
"The number of Americans filing for initial unemployment insurance jumped last week to the highest level in 3 months, the government said Thursday. There were 479,000 initial jobless claims filed in the week ended July 31, up 19,000 from a upwardly revised 460,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said. The weekly figure is the highest since the week ended April 10, when 480,000 initial claims were filed."
BASEBALL DIARY:
White Sox 4, Tigers 1: the Tigers still aren't hitting, still have injuries...and the season begins to drain away.
Rangers 11, Mariners 6: the Rangers have an owner, finally. And they have a win, with the big news being they got some big home runs and finally scored some runs. That needs to continue.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wednesday's wash
POLITICS DEPT:
Michael Barone has an interesting point today--perhaps this election year won't be 1994 redux (huge GOP gains), nor 1982 (when the party out of power won, but didn't win big). Maybe instead it will be like 1966, when there was reaction against the growth of government (thanks to LBJ's Great Society) and a war was making people uneasy (Vietnam).
Makes sense--now people are reacting, not against the Great Society, but against ObamaCare and Afghanistan (rather than Vietnam). And it was still a huge Republican win...
Polling watch--
In the Connecticut senate race, likely Republican candidate Linda McMahoh when last seen was trailing by some 20 points. But today a poll is out showing her down by only 10.
She has baggage, because she used to be involved in world wrestling, etc etc etc. But I'm sensing this one's not over.
In Nevada, Sharron Angle remains in pretty much a dead heat in the senate race there with the tiresome Harry Reid. Yes, Reid seems to lead slightly. But he remains under 50%, his tiny lead comes after a barrage of negativity against Angle, and so...usually incumbents in that kind of situation remain in big trouble. I'll predict it right now: in November, Sharron Angle will win this race.
Meanwhile, take note of businessman Rick Snyder's win in yesterday's Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary. Snyder has never held political office; he focused relentlessly on the economy, and he beat out several other established Wolverine state GOP pols. Lesson? More evidence that it's good this year to be an outsider.
Over 1 million people voted in the Michigan GOP primary; only 525,000 in the Democratic primary. Michigan is ready to go Republican, and I predict it will.
Meanwhile, Democrats told us endlessly how ObamaCare would gain popularity as time went on. Ummm...no, according to a Fox News Poll:
"Just 15 percent of voters like the new health care law and think it should be implemented as is. Most don't like the law in its current form: 42 percent think it needs to be changed, and another 36 percent would repeal it all together."
BASEBALL DIARY:
The Tigers split a doubleheader with the White Sox yesterday.But, given that Detroit is 7 games out now, that's not going to get much done.
Mariners 3, Rangers 2: a disappointing loss for the Rangers in Seattle. The Mariners just got done losing 7 games in a row. Colby Lewis pitched well for the Rantgers; and really, as long as they continue to pitch well, they should be fine. But they're not hitting right now; Texas has scored just 3 runs in their last 2 games.
Michael Barone has an interesting point today--perhaps this election year won't be 1994 redux (huge GOP gains), nor 1982 (when the party out of power won, but didn't win big). Maybe instead it will be like 1966, when there was reaction against the growth of government (thanks to LBJ's Great Society) and a war was making people uneasy (Vietnam).
Makes sense--now people are reacting, not against the Great Society, but against ObamaCare and Afghanistan (rather than Vietnam). And it was still a huge Republican win...
Polling watch--
In the Connecticut senate race, likely Republican candidate Linda McMahoh when last seen was trailing by some 20 points. But today a poll is out showing her down by only 10.
She has baggage, because she used to be involved in world wrestling, etc etc etc. But I'm sensing this one's not over.
In Nevada, Sharron Angle remains in pretty much a dead heat in the senate race there with the tiresome Harry Reid. Yes, Reid seems to lead slightly. But he remains under 50%, his tiny lead comes after a barrage of negativity against Angle, and so...usually incumbents in that kind of situation remain in big trouble. I'll predict it right now: in November, Sharron Angle will win this race.
Meanwhile, take note of businessman Rick Snyder's win in yesterday's Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary. Snyder has never held political office; he focused relentlessly on the economy, and he beat out several other established Wolverine state GOP pols. Lesson? More evidence that it's good this year to be an outsider.
Over 1 million people voted in the Michigan GOP primary; only 525,000 in the Democratic primary. Michigan is ready to go Republican, and I predict it will.
Meanwhile, Democrats told us endlessly how ObamaCare would gain popularity as time went on. Ummm...no, according to a Fox News Poll:
"Just 15 percent of voters like the new health care law and think it should be implemented as is. Most don't like the law in its current form: 42 percent think it needs to be changed, and another 36 percent would repeal it all together."
BASEBALL DIARY:
The Tigers split a doubleheader with the White Sox yesterday.But, given that Detroit is 7 games out now, that's not going to get much done.
Mariners 3, Rangers 2: a disappointing loss for the Rangers in Seattle. The Mariners just got done losing 7 games in a row. Colby Lewis pitched well for the Rantgers; and really, as long as they continue to pitch well, they should be fine. But they're not hitting right now; Texas has scored just 3 runs in their last 2 games.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday's trackings
POLITICS DEPT:
Polling news--
President Obama's poll numbers continue to fall:
"Only 41% of those surveyed Tuesday through Sunday approved of the way Obama is handling his job, his lowest rating in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll since he took office in January 2009. In Gallup's separate daily tracking poll, his approval was at 45% Monday."
Here surely is one of the reasons for those falling numbers:
"Talk about the new normal. Americans are shopping less, saving more, working harder without getting paid more — if they even have a job — and not even thinking about buying homes. A government report Tuesday offered more evidence that the recovery is being stalled by sluggish consumer spending. Personal spending was unchanged in June, reflecting a third straight month of lackluster consumer demand. Incomes were also flat, the weakest showing in nine months. The disappointing Commerce Department report on spending and income was among a raft of data released Tuesday that confirmed the economy ended the April-to-June quarter on a weak note."
Nor is this helping, as President Obama's party gets lots of negative publicity from its ethically-challenged members:
"A House panel announced Monday that Rep. Maxine Waters has been charged with violating ethics rules, setting the stage for a second election-season trial for a longtime Democratic lawmaker and adding to the party's political woes. The charges against Waters, a 10-term California congresswoman, focus on whether she broke the rules in requesting federal help for a bank where her husband was a board member and owned stock. She immediately denied the charges. The House ethics committee's announcement comes just days after it outlined 13 charges against Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., including failing to disclose assets and income, delayed payment of federal taxes and improper use of a subsidized New York apartment for his campaign office."
Polling news--
President Obama's poll numbers continue to fall:
"Only 41% of those surveyed Tuesday through Sunday approved of the way Obama is handling his job, his lowest rating in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll since he took office in January 2009. In Gallup's separate daily tracking poll, his approval was at 45% Monday."
Here surely is one of the reasons for those falling numbers:
"Talk about the new normal. Americans are shopping less, saving more, working harder without getting paid more — if they even have a job — and not even thinking about buying homes. A government report Tuesday offered more evidence that the recovery is being stalled by sluggish consumer spending. Personal spending was unchanged in June, reflecting a third straight month of lackluster consumer demand. Incomes were also flat, the weakest showing in nine months. The disappointing Commerce Department report on spending and income was among a raft of data released Tuesday that confirmed the economy ended the April-to-June quarter on a weak note."
Nor is this helping, as President Obama's party gets lots of negative publicity from its ethically-challenged members:
"A House panel announced Monday that Rep. Maxine Waters has been charged with violating ethics rules, setting the stage for a second election-season trial for a longtime Democratic lawmaker and adding to the party's political woes. The charges against Waters, a 10-term California congresswoman, focus on whether she broke the rules in requesting federal help for a bank where her husband was a board member and owned stock. She immediately denied the charges. The House ethics committee's announcement comes just days after it outlined 13 charges against Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., including failing to disclose assets and income, delayed payment of federal taxes and improper use of a subsidized New York apartment for his campaign office."
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday's musings
POLITICS DEPT:
That's unfair! Dept---
An anti-abortion protester gets arrested in Chicago for supposedly protesting too close to another person---but it was the other person who approached him:
"A Chicago man says he's fighting charges of disorderly conduct for simply standing on a public sidewalk and praying. Joseph Holland, a 25-year-old graduate student at Northwestern University, says he was standing still praying the rosary outside a Planned Parenthood facility in downtown Chicago July 3 when police arrested him for violating the city's new "Bubble Zone" ordinance. The law, passed in October, states that a person cannot approach within 8 feet of another person without consent "for the purpose of passing a leaflet or handbill to, displaying a sign to, or engaging in oral protest, education or counseling" within 50 feet from any health care facility...."I was just standing by the building praying the rosary and one of the Planned Parenthood volunteers came up to me and started yelling at me that I needed to move 8 feet away, but the thing is I didn't actually approach anyone; I was just standing by the building and the building doesn't actually have a bubble," Holland told FoxNews.com."
Something tells me Mr. Holland has a good chance to win this one.
Meanwhile, this can't give the Obama administration good vibes:
"Georgia's most prominent Democrat will be nowhere near Barack Obama when the president comes to Atlanta on Monday. Former Gov. Roy Barnes' campaign said it was simply a matter of conflicting schedules as Barnes tries to catch the attention of voters more than 100 miles away in southern Georgia and ultimately win his old job back."
Yes, right, I'm sure that's all it is. You ever see a candidate for office unable to adjust his schedule to get a photo op with a popular president???
Always watch candidates for office and what they do--they know the polls better than anyone.
Other polling news:
Democratic congressman Heath Shuler of North Carolina appears to be in some trouble. He's only at 45% and leads his opponent by just 1 point.
In Kentucky, Rand Paul still leads by a solid 8 points in the senate race there.
In Wisconsin, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold remains in trouble. He trails his challenger by 2 points.
In the Pennsylvania senate race, Republican Pat Toomey retains a nice lead over Joe Sestak.
So there's plenty of good news for Republicans and conservatives. Only bad news: I'd like to see Marco Rubio doing better in the Florida senate race with Charlie Crist.
That's unfair! Dept---
An anti-abortion protester gets arrested in Chicago for supposedly protesting too close to another person---but it was the other person who approached him:
"A Chicago man says he's fighting charges of disorderly conduct for simply standing on a public sidewalk and praying. Joseph Holland, a 25-year-old graduate student at Northwestern University, says he was standing still praying the rosary outside a Planned Parenthood facility in downtown Chicago July 3 when police arrested him for violating the city's new "Bubble Zone" ordinance. The law, passed in October, states that a person cannot approach within 8 feet of another person without consent "for the purpose of passing a leaflet or handbill to, displaying a sign to, or engaging in oral protest, education or counseling" within 50 feet from any health care facility...."I was just standing by the building praying the rosary and one of the Planned Parenthood volunteers came up to me and started yelling at me that I needed to move 8 feet away, but the thing is I didn't actually approach anyone; I was just standing by the building and the building doesn't actually have a bubble," Holland told FoxNews.com."
Something tells me Mr. Holland has a good chance to win this one.
Meanwhile, this can't give the Obama administration good vibes:
"Georgia's most prominent Democrat will be nowhere near Barack Obama when the president comes to Atlanta on Monday. Former Gov. Roy Barnes' campaign said it was simply a matter of conflicting schedules as Barnes tries to catch the attention of voters more than 100 miles away in southern Georgia and ultimately win his old job back."
Yes, right, I'm sure that's all it is. You ever see a candidate for office unable to adjust his schedule to get a photo op with a popular president???
Always watch candidates for office and what they do--they know the polls better than anyone.
Other polling news:
Democratic congressman Heath Shuler of North Carolina appears to be in some trouble. He's only at 45% and leads his opponent by just 1 point.
In Kentucky, Rand Paul still leads by a solid 8 points in the senate race there.
In Wisconsin, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold remains in trouble. He trails his challenger by 2 points.
In the Pennsylvania senate race, Republican Pat Toomey retains a nice lead over Joe Sestak.
So there's plenty of good news for Republicans and conservatives. Only bad news: I'd like to see Marco Rubio doing better in the Florida senate race with Charlie Crist.
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