Carter Country
If you’re president, the last thing you want to hear is yourself being compared to Jimmy Carter. Most of what we remember from the Carter years are bad: double-digit inflation and interest rates, an embassy held hostage, high energy prices and more. Bad news for President Barack Obama: He’s looking up at Carter in a USA Today/Gallup Poll that tracks approval ratings for the last 12 presidents. At this point in his presidency, Carter had a 60 percent favorability rating. Obama’s is 55 percent, down nine points since inauguration day. At the six-month point Obama ranks 10th among the 12 presidents who’ve served since World War II. The good news: a high rating after six months doesn’t necessarily predict a successful presidency — Carter and President George H.W. Bush both had high marks at this point but failed to win re-election.
Health-care monkey wrench
President Barack Obama regularly tells Americans his health-care reforms will play a major role in reducing federal deficits and strengthening the U.S. economy. He may have to stop that — or get a new Congressional Budget Office director. CBO’s current head, Douglas Elmendorf, told the Senate Budget Committee this week reform measures being drafted by Democrats would worsen the federal budget outlook and increase deficits. Asked if current legislation would “bend the long-term cost curve,” which is Washington-speak for gradually erasing red ink, Elemendorf said, simply, “No.”
It’s a devastating assessment, given the CBO’s non-partisan status (although the party in control of Congress selects the director). The analysis likely will weaken support for the 1,018-page bill unveiled by House Democrat leaders last week while emboldening moderate Democrats and Republicans to demand new approaches to reform — or, at a minimum, a deceleration in the process. Obama wants Congress to finish up health care before the August recess in a few weeks. But Elmendorf’s negative assessment almost certainly helps those who want to slow the process down.
Franken chimes in
Newly minted U.S. Sen. Al Franken achieved lift-off at the opening day of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings. Though it was the Minnesota Democrat’s fifth day in office, it probably was the first time most Americans have seen and heard him as a full-fledged senator. With just four days of service under his belt, Franken is the most junior member of the Judiciary Committee’s majority and thus was the last person on the panel to give an opening statement.
The former television comedian was solemn and business-like. He said he had a lot to learn and takes his constitutional oath seriously. Obviously, he has Stuart Smalley bound and gagged somewhere. Only once did Franken tread into partisan territory, suggesting as had other Democrats before him, that the charge of judicial activism cuts both ways and has been seen in the current court led by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts. For his opening Senate act — uh, appearance — Franken can feel good about himself.
Palin’s resignation has people buzzing
The early consensus on Sarah Palin’s resignation as Alaska governor is there’s no consensus. Palin announced Friday she’ll step down July 25, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will take over. One view is that Palin is sick of politics, especially the personal attacks on herself and her family since she was picked as John McCain’s running mate last year. Another is that Palin, who would have been up for re-election next year, wants to be free of her official duties in Alaska so she can better establish herself on the national stage for a presidential run in 2012.
The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol is of the latter view, writing that Palin probably figures she’s done all she could do as Alaska’s governor and wants to be able to get around the lower 48, improve her depth on the issues and the like. If so, it’s a gamble, because Republican rivals and Democratic opponents both will call her a quitter for leaving before her term is up. Then again, that’s pretty mild compared to some of the stuff she’s faced from media pundits, late-night comics and others.
One other point. Palin is 45. She could “retire” from politics for a couple of presidential cycles and make a comeback and still be younger than Hillary Clinton was when she sought the presidency in 2008.
Can’t draw flies?
Want to know why Vice President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Iraq last week? Because administration officials figured he’d draw a bigger crowd that way. Rim shot, please. We jest because the Veep’s announced trip to Wattsburg, Pa., near Erie, also last week, attracted only about 100, according to local reports. Biden was there to talk about using federal stimulus money to expand Internet access to rural areas. Obviously, folks in Wattsburg didn’t find the topic all that stimulating. Certainly, Biden isn’t the first vice president to struggle for attention, and he won’t be the last.
Blame someone else
New polling suggests the shelf life of the Obama administration’s “Blame Bush” strategy might be nearly up. Over his first five months in office, President Barack Obama has found traction in blaming the Bush administration for the economy. But a Rasmussen Reports survey finds 39 percent of voters say current economic problems result from Obama’s policies, a 12-point jump from last month. While 54 percent say current conditions result from the recession Obama inherited from Bush, that’s down eight points from early June. According to Rasmussen, twice as many respondents (60 percent to 30 percent) trust their own economic judgment more than Obama’s. In February 49 percent trusted themselves while 39 trusted the president.
Letterman humbled
The David Letterman-Sarah Palin kerfuffle over a coarse joke the late-night comic told about one of her daughters, apparently is at an end — Alaska’s governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee accepting the “Late Show” host’s apology.
Letterman’s mea culpa during Monday’s show was extraordinary in substance and tone. “The joke, really, in and of itself, can’t be defended,” Letterman said of his monologue crack about one of Palin’s daughters having sex with a New York Yankees player. He apologized to two of Palin’s daughters — he said the joke referred to 18-year-old Bristol but a number of people assumed it was aimed at 14-year-old Willow — and to the governor. “I’m really sorry about it, and I’ll try to do better in the future,” he said.
Good enough. At least for Gov. Palin, who accepted Letterman’s apology Tuesday “on behalf of all young women.” Not good enough for conservative talk radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, who suggested Letterman was sorrier for the heat he was getting from viewers and advertisers than anything else.
Yet Palin obviously did the right thing. Letterman’s apology sounded and looked genuine. And he issued it during his show, which is pretty significant. Palin could have continued to play the injured party, but being gracious is far more becoming.
Bully treatment
The New York Times’ standing ovation for President Barack Obama’s speech to Muslims in Cairo, Egypt, praised Obama for departing from “eight years of arrogance and bullying that has turned even close friends against the United States,” an obvious shot at the Bush administration. Interesting. You’ve got to wonder how Israel feels after the pummeling — bullying? — it has taken from the Obama team the past several weeks over its settlements — which syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer argues is a phony issue. Of all the Middle East parties, the only one singled out by Obama for specific action was Israel: stop building the settlements. Not a specific word in Obama’s speech about Egypt’s closed political system or Saudi Arabia’s top-heavy monarchy. Just Israel, commanded by its democratic ally to cease and desist. Talk about turning your friends against you.
The Obamas’ date night
The Obamas probably already knew this, but there’s no such thing as the president of the United States and the first lady “sneaking off” anywhere to do anything. The Obama’s recent weekend dash to New York City for dinner and a Broadway show were described by some that way. But no, the Obamas’ days of skipping out to the malt shop for a quick, intimate date are over.
The Washington Times estimates the New York sojourn might have cost taxpayers $250,000 once you include the helicopter trips (including decoys) from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base and from John F. Kennedy Airport to a Manhattan helipad. You’d also have the Washington-to-New York flight itself, including accompanying Air Force fighter jets and a huge military cargo plane to carry motorcade vehicles. Then there’s Secret Service, local police and other security personnel. And the list goes on.
The Times notes the Obamas probably paid for the cost of dinner and the show, maybe a few hundred dollars at most. In fairness, the president and his family can’t walk around the block without a lot of the aforementioned security people involved, so some of the New York expense would’ve been incurred even if the Obamas spent a weekend at Camp David watching Netflix.
Yet, flights on aircraft that guzzle jet fuel like there’s no tomorrow quickly jack up this trip’s cost and, as Joseph Curl of The Times points out, recall Obama’s criticism of CEOs who jet around the country on corporate planes that are so unavailable to most Americans — as is the ability to scoot off to the Big Apple for a dinner/date.
California’s Prop 8 stands
The will of the people, expressed in a free and fair election, still means something in California. On Tuesday the state’s supreme court upheld passage of Proposition 8 last fall that banned same-sex marriage in the state. Basically, the court rejected arguments from gay marriage supporters that a majority of voters aren’t allowed to revoke equal rights intended for everyone. Prop 8 opponents said last fall’s 52 percent to 48 percent vote was a “revision” to California’s constitution and thus required a two-thirds vote in the legislature before going to the people. State justices disagreed and Prop 8 stands. At least for now. Gay marriage supporters say they’ll have their own proposition on the ballot next year. Sort of a gay marriage mulligan, apparently. Meanwhile, about 18,000 marriages performed before Proposition 8’s passage were left intact. Stay tuned.
