Daily Archives: July 20, 2009

Is Obama becoming another Carter?

July 20, 200912:53 p.m.

obama_carter“Barely six months into his presidency, Barack Obama seems to be driving south into that political speed trap known as Carter Country: a sad-sack landscape in which every major initiative meets not just with failure but with scorn from political allies and foes alike,” wrote Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie of libertarian Reason.com and Reason magazine. Former President Jimmy Carter and President Obama both inherited awful economies with dizzying budget deficits, the authors argue.  In addition, they both are “smart, moralistic and enamored of alternative energy schemes,” and they face as much effective opposition from their own party’s left wing as from the GOP.
But columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. warns not to bet against Obama, noting that Democrats control Congress and Obama isn’t afraid to use that power.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under President Obama | Comments (30)

Tiahrt should have left Obama out of abortion ‘what if’

July 20, 20096:04 a.m.

tiahrt24Arguing on the House floor Thursday against allowing public-funded abortions within the District of Columbia, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, took the regrettable step of wondering aloud whether such a “financial incentive” might have prompted the single mother of President Obama to abort him. “There is a financial incentive that will be put in place, paid for by tax dollars, that will encourage women who are single parents, living below the poverty level, to have the opportunity for a free abortion,” Tiahrt said. “If you take that scenario and apply it to many of the great minds we have today, who would we have been deprived of? Our president grew up in similar circumstances. If that financial incentive was in place, is it possible that his mother may have taken advantage of it?” Tiahrt didn’t stop there, unfortunately, also raising the specter of an aborted Justice Clarence Thomas, inviting “another round of questions over how the GOP is actually relating to minority communities,” noted a Huffington Post blogger.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Abortion, Kansas delegation, President Obama | Comments (162)

Open thread 7/20

July 20, 20096:02 a.m.

thescream11

By The Editors | Filed under Open thread | Comments (106)

Sebelius sets high bar for health reform

July 20, 20096:01 a.m.

sebeliusqa3“Inaction is not an option, and reform is long overdue. The Obama administration is working to enact reform that will reduce costs for families, businesses and government; protect people’s choice of doctors, hospitals and health plans; and assure affordable, quality health care for all Americans. We are guided by a simple principle: Protect what works about health care and fix what’s broken, and do it in a way that does not add to the deficit.” — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in a commentary for CNN.com

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Health and safety | Comments (12)

Late-night laughs

July 20, 20096:00 a.m.

“At her confirmation hearing, Sonia Sotomayor said that judges gather information from everywhere, including Wikipedia, which explains why she kept citing the landmark case Roe v. Wade Boggs.” — Conan O’Brien

“How about that Harry Potter movie? . . .  In this one, Harry goes up against Dick Cheney and his secret CIA hit squad.” — David Letterman

“President Obama’s teleprompter fell to the ground and shattered during a speech on the economy. Wow, even speeches about the economy are crashing. That’s bad.” — Jimmy Fallon

By The Editors | Filed under Late-night laughs | Comments (1)