Barack Obama's luster has worn off even here in California, with only 45% inclined to re-elect and 44% looking for somebody new. The problem with that is the somebodies trying to run against the president seem far less attractive with a name attached. In a new Field Poll, President Obama leads Mitt Romney 50-40 and Gingrich 55-35.
On the Republican front, yesterday's field poll shows Romney barely edging Gingrich 26-23. After the top two, the numbers drop off dramatically to Cain at 9% and Ron Paul at 5%. Perry, Bachmann, Santorum, and Huntsman pull in 3% or less.
There are some other numbers in todya's poll that show a continued lack of enthusiasm for the President's campaign.
"The good news for the president is once you put him up against a real live Republican, he doesn't look so bad," said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo.
Still, DiCamillo said the poll's finding that one-third of voters surveyed feel "very strongly" inclined not to vote for Obama, compared with the 26 percent who feel "very strongly" about casting a vote in his favor, is an "ominous" sign for the president. (SacBee)
Now, I don't think that anybody seriously thinks California will be in play. After all, if that is the case, things will be looking remarkably bad. However, Obama has used the state as a resource for money and field purposes. A continued lack of enthusiasm could put a dent in both those categories.
Oh, and there is the fact that we'll have a number of important ballot measures (see the previous post) in November to take care of here in California. Exporting resources might be harder than ever for the President, which might have a bigger impact on the race than a single poll. However, I have a pretty strong suspicion that the Democratic base might get a little more enthused when presented with the stark choice of President Obama and the GOP nominee. The differences, while perhaps not as great as we would like them to be, are still quite visible. California Democrats will certainly do there fair share.
I proudly manage the IssaWatch.com project for the Courage Campaign.
As Sunshine Week -- an annual, national push to make government more open and transparent -- begins, we at Courage Campaign are calling for Darrell Issa to back up his rhetoric with action. After resisting calls for his own disclosure while criticizing the Obama Administration for similar, we're calling on Rep. Issa to disclose all the meetings he has with lobbyists. While this sort of hypocrisy is nothing new from Issa, the double-standard is particularly audacious. Rick Jacobs recently sent this message to Courage members explaining the effort.
With his State of the Union address, President Obama delivered an important message that Congress and the American people need to hear: our nation's leaders must pass legislation that creates American jobs now.
America, our shining city on a hill, has been blessed with great fortune in our proud past, but as the President noted, every generation faces new challenges and new opportunities. We must be bold and forward looking, never forgetting that America's prosperity has always relied on hard work, solid education, and well-maintained infrastructure. We're a nation that has always thrived when we've built things - the light bulb, the automobile, the Internet, and the GPS. We need to build things again. We need to Make It In America
It's almost trite to point it out by now, but if there's an enthusiasm gap out there, it's not evident in the early voting, and it's not evident at rallies like this one today at USC, where an estimated crowd of 40,000 is thronging to hear the President talk about what's at stake this election season. Even though things are getting started more than a wee bit late and getting in through security was a hassle, this eclectic crowd of voters is eager in anticipation. Sitting here on the media riser, the atmosphere is electric.
Liveblog is below the fold.
Our own Calitics alum and current FDL correspondent Dave Dayen in the press pool
EDIT BY BRIAN: I added the press release from OFA about the speakers at the rally below David's wonderful commentary.
Well, the President is (roughly) scheduled to speak at 2. But, folks have been lining up for hours now. Over at Neon Tommy, they've been liveblogging the situation at USC. Oh, and the photo is a shot of the line AT 6:00AM! See David Atkins liveblog above!
Dan Savage, after reading about suicide after suicide, started the "It Gets Better Project". Today, he got the "big get", by President Obama recording a message. The problem is tragic, but we can do so much more to prevent this needless loss of young lives.
Obama's mad about insurers blaming his health care plan for big rate hikes, but he doesn't have to take it anymore. He can and should issue an executive order to stop the rate hikes immediately.Obama's mad about insurers blaming his health care plan for big rate hikes, but he doesn't have to take it anymore. He can and should issue an executive order to stop the rate hikes immediately.
Below is the August 14 letter to President Barack Obama from the Officers of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
August 14, 2010
Dear Mr. President:
Your Press Secretary has recently been quoted as strongly criticizing those of us Democratic Party activists who feel that you have failed in some of the most important promises you made, stated or implied, during your campaign and that you are not steering our country in the right direction. He dismisses us as the "professional left" as if we were the ones making a living from politics. We worked very hard for your election as we do for all candidates who seem able and willing to work for progressive social change, and to make a better life for our citizens and for the world. Your rhetoric often suggests that you share this goal, but your actions frequently prove otherwise. We do not simply disagree with you on a single small issue. Unfortunately our unhappiness and disappointment has a broad scope. To name a few examples:
You promised to work for meaningful health care reform - we got a woeful compromise. You committed to seek to reign in an out-of-control financial sector - we got third best. You seemed to be in favor of winding down unnecessary and increasingly inept and unwinnable foreign adventures - we got an escalation of an untenable and unending war. You promised to close Guantanamo and end don't ask, don't tell - neither has seen much of your efforts. You campaigned against the Bush imperial presidency, and then you expanded it. We could go on.
In our opinion you have failed, in whole or in part, to deliver on many of your commitments. Instead, you have continued and supported some of the Bush policies that many hoped and believed, based on your utterances, you would quickly terminate. At best, the many who supported you and believed that you were going to bring about great change are confused and disappointed; at worst, they find themselves less motivated to continue their support for you.
The Republican policy of lock-step unthinking resistance to any meaningful change is, of course, in large measure to blame for our disappointment. But when we see you capitulate in advance of negotiations by submitting far less than the public needs and deserves (health care, financial regulation, public education, women's reproductive rights) or affirmatively go in the other direction (civil liberties, the war in Afghanistan, to name a few instances), we are deeply offended. Then, to add insult to injury, your Press Secretary, Mr. Gibbs, publicly castigates and belittles us as the "professional left", whatever that means, and suggests that we need to be "drug tested".
But we are not a "professional left." On the contrary, we are among those volunteers from around the country who campaigned, raised and contributed money, and voted for you. We were, and are, active in your Democratic Party; indeed, many of us were active in it long before you arrived on the scene.
We take issue with the fact that apparently Mr. Gibbs has no qualms about insulting us and diminishing our hard work and years of faithful support. We resent being vilified and dismissed by your Press Secretary as if our opinions were not representative of a large number of your voters and supporters and as if we were as truly hostile to your program as the "just say no" Republicans.
We don't, however, make the mistake of seeking to shoot the messenger. Gibbs (and even Emanuel) is not the real problem, Mr. President. We fear you are. We demand that you do a better job of exercising your powers as President; that you represent us better; that you cleave to your promises to us with more fidelity; and that you refrain from sending forth your minions to attack our right to disagree. Our country is in grave danger on many fronts and we respectfully reserve the right to continue to insist that you adhere to your promises to the American people, and your supporters without being told that we are your real problem.
Indeed Mr. President, you have enemies that wish to see you fail but we would hope that your administration has the clarity of vision to recognize that we are not the enemy.
Respectfully,
The Officers of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party:
Karen Bernal, Chair
Mal Burnstein, Northern California Vice-Chair
Dotty LeMieux, Secretary
Ralph Miller, Treasurer
Jeffrey Killeen, Parliamentarian
Mayme Hubert, Officer-at-Large
Dr. Bill Honigman, Officer-at-Large
J Brian Washman, Officer-at-Large
For more information, contact Karen Bernal, Chair of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party, 916-812-1793, nekochan99@hotmail.com.
WASHINGTON, DC, April 10, 1865 (FNS)-The Civil War ended yesterday with the surrender of General Lee's Confederate Forces to Ulysses S. Grant, the Union Commander, at Appomattox.
Although most observers are generally happy with the surrender, many of President Obama's most loyal supporters are livid with the Commander-in-Chief because of the concessions he made in order to obtain the future support of the Southern Senators who will rejoin the body when the next Session begins.
At a media event this morning, Press Secretary Dick Timoneous expressed the President's hope that the formerly Confederate Members of Congress are looking forward to changing the political culture and steering the Nation in a better direction:
"It's time for the opposition to realize that what really matters is putting America first. The President is certain that by offering some concessions now, Southern Senators will look beyond their own parochial interests and do their part to move this process forward."
Yesterday, President Obama met with Senators at the White House and pushed them to pass comprehensive, clean energy and climate legislation. Still, the skeptics are spinning a monotonous web of negativity regarding what is achievable on this front. And, not surprisingly, the "mainstream media" once again has been asleep at the wheel in setting the record straight. Fortunately, we know that when this President rolls up his sleeves, he gets stuff done and delivers on his promises. One thing’s for sure; President Obama is anything but an underachiever!
Along these lines, President Obama held a press conference following the G-20 summit in Toronto. In response to a reporter’s question regarding how he would achieve his deficit reduction goals, the president responded:
For some reason people keep being surprised when I do what I said I was going to do. So, I say I’m going to reform our [health care system], and people say well gosh that’s not smart politics maybe we should hold off. Or I say we’re going to move forward on [Don’t Ask Don’t Tell] and somehow people say well why are you doing that, I’m not sure that’s good politics. I’m doing it because I said I was going to do it, and I think it’s the right thing to do. And people should learn that lesson about me, because next year when I start presenting some very difficult choices to the country I hope some of these folks who are hollering about deficit and debt step up cause I’m calling their bluff.
To that list of accomplishments, we could also add:
Creating or saving 2.2-2.8 million jobs, well on the way to Obama’s February 2009 pledge that he would "create or save 3-and-a-half million jobs over the next two years."
Reforming Wall Street (likely to pass Congress any day now)
Overhauling the student loan market
Reaching a nuclear arms treaty with Russia
We could go on and on, but you get the point: anyone who continues, at this point, to be "surprised" when President Obama gets things done when he puts his mind to it is deep in denial. Or, as a previous president might have put it, they are wildly "misunderestimating" our 44th president.
Clearly, as we’ve seen over the past two years, underachieving is not a problem Barack Obama suffers from. Of course, even a superachiever like Barack Obama has an awful lot on his plate to deal with. And right now, one of the most important things on Obama’s plate is figuring out how to push comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation through the U.S. Senate. Along those lines, yesterday, Obama met with a group of Senators on this issue, reportedly holding firm in his call for putting a price on carbon emissions.
The question at this point is, will President Obama roll up his sleeves and deliver on another of his major campaign promise (as well as a major challenge facing our nation)? Given the long list of accomplishments mentioned above, it certainly wouldn’t be smart to bet against him. The fact is, Barack Obama usually succeeds in whatever he puts his mind to.
Given the nation’s increased focus on energy and climate issues – and the increased support by the American people for taking strong action as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster – now is clearly the time for boldness and for bluff calling by our nation’s leaders. Today, President Obama has the opportunity to demonstrate once more that, when he rolls up his sleeves, he accomplishes what he says he’s going to do. In sum, today is clearly the moment for President Obama to prove the doubters and naysayers wrong – to call their bluff - yet again!
As President Obama prepares for his meeting tomorrow with Senators at the White House to discuss clean energy and climate change legislation, he might want to check with the White House staff on an important matter first. No, not the details of the legislation, although that’s important of course. Instead, what President Obama might want to make absolutely sure about is the non-trivial matter of whether the White House air conditioning is in tip-top shape. I say "non-trivial," but these days it’s more like "life or death." How hot is it in the Washington, DC area? As NBC Washington puts it, "We're Talking Spontaneous Combustion." (UPDATE: it's more likely this is apocryphal than literally true, but it sure feels like plants could catch on fire these days in Washington, DC!)
How hot is it? It's so hot that dead plants are spontaneously combusting in Frederick, Md.
Don't believe it? Just ask Frederick County Fire Marshal Marc McNeal, who told the Frederick News-Post that excessive heat caused a dead plant to catch fire Sunday afternoon in a hanging planter on the rear deck of a townhouse.
The hanging basket fell to the deck and burned some vinyl siding, causing about $3,000 in damages.
It has definitely been hot in the Washington region. Monday will be the 10th day in a row that we've reached 90 degrees or higher, and this will be the 17th day of the month that the thermometer has reached 90.
NBC4 meteorologist Tom Kierein said that when it's all said and done, June 2010 likely will be the hottest June on record in the District.
Dead plants catching on fire in the hottest June on record in the Washington, DC area? Sadly, this (quite possibly apocryphal story) may not be an aberration, but a frightening sign of things to come in a global warming world. True, we shouldn’t draw broad conclusions about the earth’s climate from one heat wave in one specific geographic area, as certain climate change deniers dishonestly did during last winter’s "snowpocalypse" blizzards. However, when we see month after month, decade after decade of record-setting heat globally, it starts to get a bit hard to ignore.
In fact, climate scientists are not ignoring these heat waves and other phenomena. Earlier today, for instance, The Project on Climate Science reported that the "record-breaking heat wave" we are currently experiencing in the eastern United States "is consistent with climate change." According to Tom Peterson, Chief Scientist for NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, "We’re getting a dramatic taste of the kind of weather we are on course to bequeath to our grandchildren." Of course, as The Project on Climate Science points out, "individual heat waves can be driven by a number of factors." However, they conclude, "more frequent heat waves are one of the more visible impacts of climate change already underway in the United States" and "will occur more frequently in the future."
In sum, if you enjoy record-setting warmth – not to mention the stronger storms, mass extinctions and "record sea ice shrinkage" in the Arctic that go along with that warmth – you have a lot to look forward to! If not, then you should contact your Senator and let him or her know you want climate action now.
Come to think of it, perhaps we should all hope for the White House air conditioning to be broken tomorrow – or turned off on purpose - so that the Senators meeting there get a taste of what the planet will feel like everywhere if they don’t do something about it now. When you think about it, a bit of Senatorial sweat and a few stained shirts is not too high a price to pay if it results in long-overdue, comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation on the President’s desk sometime this sweltering summer. Is it?
Dear California Democrats - please see my following response to President Barack Obama. I'd love to hear what you think. Imagine having a governor who fights to put in single-payer healthcare! Imagine the example that Minnesota could provide for California and the other 48 states? In my 23 years in the state senate, I've fought for healthcare for all. As the prime sponsor of the Minnesota Health Plan, I've organized over 1/3rd of the legislature to co-sponsor the bill.
Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address - my first as a U.S. Congressman. You've heard a lot of instant reactions from the Beltway and beyond about the President's message, but it's my hope we can take a step back from the minutia and develop a better sense of recent history.
Let's remember where we were when the President delivered his inaugural address last year. When the President took office, America had just endured the worst year for job loss since 1945. In the last three months of 2008, our country was hemorrhaging an average of 673,000 jobs per month. By the last three months of 2009, that number was reduced to 69,333, a 90% improvement. To be sure, the state of our union needs to be much stronger, but because of the efforts of President Obama and Democrats in Congress, we've endured the worst of the Bush recession and we're creating an economy that once again creates jobs for the middle and working classes.
There's been a lot of analysis about why Democrats lost the Massachusetts Senate race, because it was so obvious. Failing to accomplish what you campaigned on depresses your base, emboldens the enemy and convinces independents that you're a loser. The lesson is not that Democrats went "too far" - but that they didn't go far enough. If I had faith in President Obama and the Democratic Party, I would be hopeful that they learned that lesson. But only one person seems to get it - former DNC Chair Howard Dean - who was unceremoniously kicked to the curb last January. It was Dean who gave Democrats a backbone in the run-up to the Iraq War. It was Howard Dean's "Fifty State Strategy" (as opposed to Rahm Emanuel's recruitment of Blue Dogs) that won Congress in 2006. And it was Dean's playbook that Barack Obama used to beat Hillary Clinton in an historic campaign. Beltway Democrats resent Dean, because he cares more about helping progressives win than stroking their ego. And - what's most unforgivable - he's been proven right.
There's been a lot of analysis about why Democrats lost the Massachusetts Senate race, because it was so obvious. Failing to accomplish what you campaigned on depresses your base, emboldens the enemy and convinces independents that you're a loser. The lesson is not that Democrats went "too far" - but that they didn't go far enough. If I had faith in President Obama and the Democratic Party, I would be hopeful that they learned that lesson. But only one person seems to get it - former DNC Chair Howard Dean - who was unceremoniously kicked to the curb last January. It was Dean who gave Democrats a backbone in the run-up to the Iraq War. It was Howard Dean's "Fifty State Strategy" (as opposed to Rahm Emanuel's recruitment of Blue Dogs) that won Congress in 2006. And it was Dean's playbook that Barack Obama used to beat Hillary Clinton in an historic campaign. Beltway Democrats resent Dean, because he cares more about helping progressives win than stroking their ego. And - what's most unforgivable - he's been proven right.
As we all drink our morning coffee and digest what this latest change-up means for the Senate, let me be the first to say - I continue to be hopeful that the Senate will take action on climate change.
The signs of momentum for a clean energy and climate bill outweigh any signs that come from the Massachusetts special election.
In case you are tired of making your own New Year's resolutions, President Obama would like you to help him set his. He is inviting Americans to tell him what we think the administration's priorities should be for 2010.
"I'm going to have all the [health care] negotiations around a big table. And it will be televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." - Barack Obama, 2008
2008 was the Year of Change - when voters ushered in a new progressive era. But a year later, health care has been hijacked by extortionists - just so we can "cut a deal" to get 60 U.S. Senators. In Sacramento, a back-room state budget deal likewise sold progressives down the river. And in San Francisco, the City and Muni budgets were also made behind closed doors - letting the powerful still call the shots. We can't elect candidates who promise "change" - unless it also comes with a public and transparent decision-making process.
I've had many incredible experiences during my 34 years in public service, but never have I been blessed to receive the support of two presidents in just over a week - until now. On Thursday, at a Bay Area event, I received President Barack Obama's support for the November 3rd 10th Congressional District special election. This followed our great endorsement rally with President Bill Clinton last week.
At President Obama's San Francisco event last night, the President introduced Garamendi, saying: "Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, who is running for the California 10 [in the] upcoming election - everybody has got to go out there and work for John."
The President went on to say "The reason you're here tonight, the reason I'm here tonight is because we know that our work isn't done. We still have enormous challenges in this country. There are far too many people out there who are really going through a tough time - out of work, seeing their hours trimmed, their wages cut. Americans who are subject to the whims of health insurance companies or who can't afford quality health insurance in the first place. Too many Americans who are seeing the American Dream slip further and further and further out of reach. ... Now is the time to secure our future."
One of the enduring takeaways of the Schwarzenegger era is just how much latitude he is given on the national level as some kind of transformative post-partisan leader, when those same reporters know that California is crumbling into dust under, and in many cases because of, his leadership. We witnessed this again today as national media types heaped praise on the Governor issuing a letter about the Obama health care reform plan:
"As Governor, I have made significant efforts to advance health reform in California. As the Obama Administration was launching the current debate on health care reform, I hosted a bipartisan forum in our state because I believe in the vital importance of this issue, and that it should be addressed through bipartisan cooperation.
"Our principal goals, slowing the growth in costs, enhancing the quality of care delivered, improving the lives of individuals, and helping to ensure a strong economic recovery, are the same goals that the president is trying to achieve. I appreciate his partnership with the states and encourage our colleagues on both sides of the political aisle at the national level to move forward and accomplish these vital goals for the American people."
I love the phrase "significant efforts," by the way. Others might call them "failed efforts," but YMMV.
But this "praise" for health care reform is just a piece of paper. One would think that the national media would seek to know the actions of the Governor on health care - one would be wrong, but one would still think that. And it would take about 10 seconds of Googling to figure out that the Governor has vetoed key elements of the legislation working through Congress. Last year he vetoed AB1945, which would have banned rescission, the insurance industry practice of dumping sick customers for technical violations on their applications like typos the moment that they try to use their policies for treatment. He vetoed SB840, the universal health care bill, on multiple occasions in the past. He vetoed SB1440, which would have mandated that insurance companies spend 85% of premiums on medical care. He vetoed SB973, which would have created a public insurance option by linking local and regional measures. He vetoed AB2, expanding the state's high-risk pool for people with pre-existing conditions.
He basically has vetoed many of the same provisions to be found in the current health care bill. And he is threatening to veto every bill on his desk this year, including another bill to ban rescissions so that customers who have paid insurance premiums for years aren't left to die when they want to use their policies. Anthony Wright notes some of the other bills:
* AB 119 (Jones): GENDER RATING, to prohibit insurers from charging different premium rates based on gender.
* AB 2 (De La Torre): INDEPENDENT REVIEW, to create an independent review process when an insurer wishes to rescind a consumer's health policy, create new standards and requirements for medical underwriting, and requires state review before plan approval. Also raises the standard in existing law so that coverage can only be rescinded if a consumer willfully misrepresents his health history.
* AB 98 (De La Torre): MATERNITY COVERAGE, to require all individual insurance policies to cover maternity services.
* AB 244 (Beall): MENTAL HEALTH PARITY, to require most health plans to provide coverage for all diagnosable mental illnesses.
Dan Walters calls these bills "nothing of cosmic importance". Well sure, he's not going to have a kid, and women are charged more than men by insurance companies anyway! To an entitled white man with a good-paying job, he doesn't have to worry about losing his policy or not getting comprehensive medical coverage. But to a woman who can't afford to lose her job to have a baby, or someone with a mental health problem who can't get relief for his suffering, or someone with an individual policy living constantly in fear that his or her insurance will get revoked precisely when they need it, these are issues of "cosmic importance." Anyone saying otherwise is ignorant.
And yet the Governor will have no problem holding these bills, and these people, hostage. His buddies at the Chamber of Commerce probably don't want him to sign them at all. So he writes a pretty letter supporting health care reform, while denying the very same measures to his own constituents. And national media types call him a "bold leader."
