Obama Gains; Health Care Case

20 December 2011 |permalink | email article

New Washington Post/ABC News poll indicatesafter a difficult summer and a contentious fall President Obama’s jobs-approval ratings are showing signs of improvement although not in terms of his handling of the economy and jobs. The best news is that his overall performance has recovered among key groups, including independents, young adults and seniors. While the public’s opinion of Republicans in Congress has continued to deteriorate, Obama’s job-approval rate is now the highest since March.

Briefs: The Supreme Court confirmed Monday that it would devote three days in late March to hearing arguments in challenges to the 2010 health care overhaul law. A decision, with obvious implications for the 2012 presidential election, is expected by the end of June….Sarah Palin told Fox News she’s not ready to endorse a candidate “There’s no need to endorse until that enthusiasm really is within me, in my gut.”….Rival campaigns say Gingrich’s numbers continue to fall in Iowa. The former House Speaker spent his weekend not on the trail but signing books outside Washington, D.C. ….The New York Times’ Nate Silver has a new FiveThirtyEight forecast in Iowa: The PPP poll now shows: Paul 24, Romney,24, Gingrich 16.

Brown Goes Solar

The California governor has always been a contrarian in exploring new ways to do old things. He sees a modern day message for proponents of solar power in the story of Hanukkah. Speaking at the Capitol Menorah Lightening Monday Jerry Brown said it’s a good time to reflect on the idea that we’re running out of oil so we need a miracle which means that utilizing the sun, not oil, is the answer.

What They Said

In her new memoir, Condoleezza Rice has a sentence so stunningly lame it makes you want to scream—or cry. “The fact is,” she writes, “we invaded Iraq because we believed we had run out of other options.”—Maureen Dowd in The New York Times, suggesting that while not a National Security Council adviser she could think of a hundred other options we had with Saddam.

“That’s where his storyline collapses. It doesn’t sit right to see companies go bankrupt and go through layoffs, and watch the layoff artist walk away with millions of dollars.—Priorities USA adviser Paul Begala to the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent. The New York Times revealed Monday that Mitt Romney’s retirement package from Bain Capital means he makes millions every year from its subsequent dealings

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