Hello
Saturday mishmash.
President Obama: The same people who are hollering ‘do something’, just two months ago said that i was trying to engineer a takeover of our society
In an interview with POLITICO, the president said: "I think it’s fair to say, if six months ago, before this spill had happened, I had gone up to Congress and I had said we need to crack down a lot harder on oil companies and we need to spend more money on technology to respond in case of a catastrophic spill, there are folks up there, who will not be named, who would have said this is classic, big-government overregulation and wasteful spending."
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"Some of the same folks who have been hollering and saying ‘do something’ are the same folks who, just two or three months ago, were suggesting that government needs to stop doing so much," Obama said. "Some of the same people who are saying the president needs to show leadership and solve this problem are some of the same folks who, just a few months ago, were saying this guy is trying to engineer a takeover of our society through the federal government that is going to restrict our freedoms."
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As to accusations that he is not showing enough passion in fighting the oil spill, the president blamed the media.
"You know, what I think I get frustrated with sometimes, as do, I suspect, other members of my team, is that the media specifically is demanding things that the public aren’t demanding," the president said. "What the public wants to see is us solving this problem. And that may not make for good TV."
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Carl Pope, who's retiring after 17 years as the Sierra Club' executive director, in an interview with the Bangor Daily News:
"It’s now clear, from what happened with Deepwater Horizon, that we have to get off oil much faster than we had previously understood," Pope said. "You have a billion new Chinese consumers. We can’t do this with oil. There isn't enough oil."
One of his major regrets from his years as Sierra Club director is that the club did not "get energy right" in the 1970s and 1980s and also didn’t understand the urgency of the issue.
Now, Pope feels more optimistic about national environmental leadership than he has for many years.
"President Obama is the best environmental president we’ve had since Teddy Roosevelt," Pope said. "He obviously did not take the crisis in the Minerals Management Service adequately seriously, that’s clear. But his agencies have done a phenomenally good job."
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PPP: For the first time since December, Democrats up in generic ballot
PPP finds Democrats leading on the generic Congressional ballot, albeit by the insignificant margin of 43-41.
The biggest reason for the shift is that the party is becoming more unified. Democratic voters are planning to support their candidates by a 76 point margin, 84-8. That represents an 11 point increase from March when it was just 65 points at 80-15.
Compared to that March survey, when the GOP had a 46-43 generic ballot advantage, Democrats are also seeing some good news with independents. They still lean toward the Republicans by a 36-21 margin but that 15 point deficit is smaller than the 44-26 gap that existed previously. Perhaps more important 43% of independents are now in the undecided column compared to just 30% back in the winter. That's an indication those voters are at least back up for grabs for Democrats to win.
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And in related topic, this excellent piece from Booman:
The Census Bureau released some preliminary data on the minority population of the country and it's tough news for real Americans.
Much of the nation's demographic change is seen among children. In California, minorities make up 72% of those under age 15. In 2000, they made up 65%. Nationally, 46% of children under 15 are minorities, compared with 40% in 2000.
I have news for you. Nearly half of all 15 year-olds will be eligible to vote in 2012. And watch out in 2016.
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On 1st anniversary of credit card reform, 3 in 4 credit cardholders say their accounts are better off today
On the anniversary of the law that ushered in the most sweeping changes in the history of the credit card industry, nearly three out of four Americans with credit cards say their accounts are better today than they were a year ago, according to a scientific poll conducted on behalf of CreditCards.com.
The poll found 74 percent of credit cardholders feel their accounts are in better shape today than a year ago, when President Obama signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act
"These results show that credit card reform is delivering important benefits for consumers," says Gail Hillebrand, senior staff attorney for Consumers Union, the San Francisco-based consumer advocacy group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine.
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Just a random post that i bumped into and warmed my heart:
"I just learned today that, because of Barack Obama's Health Care Reform, I have received assistance for my Medicare Part D. (prescription coverage). My premiums were costing me $60.00 a month. Now, they're down to $6.00 a month. My brand-name prescriptions used to cost me anywhere from $60.00 to $120.00, making it impossible. Now, my most expensive prescription will cost me $6.00. Best of all, I have NO DONUT HOLE! I volunteered for Obama and a program for health care reform and its nice to see something I worked for come to fruition.
AND ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU, BARACK OBAMA! YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT FOR 2012!
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Here's a must-see: First Lady Michelle Obama delivers a bit of an emotional commencement address yesterday at Anacostia Senior High School, one of Washington, D.C.’s most troubled high schools. The final 5-6 minutes are quite breathtaking.
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All by AP:
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President Obama takes Malia to her soccer game at Rudolph Elementary school, earlier today:
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President Obama meets with senior advisors regarding the ongoing response to the BP oil spill, in the Oval Office, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
On the phone in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Finally, hilariousness:
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