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11 Jan 2012 10:09

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Politics: Michelle Obama tired of being portrayed as “angry black woman”

  • I guess it’s more interesting to imagine this conflicted situation here and a strong woman and — you know? But that’s been an image that people have tried to paint of me since the day Barack announced, that I’m some angry black woman.
  • Michelle Obama • Defending herself from claims that she fostered tension with the president’s top deputies — Rahm Emanuel and Robert Gibbs — leading to the claims getting into New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor’s book “The Obamas.” We can certainly agree with the basic thrust of what she’s saying — even if Kantor’s book is accurate, just look at how much crap she gets over the stupidest things from the right. That is clearly the result of others trying to typecast her in a certain image. Let’s cut the image politics here. source

30 Sep 2011 11:05

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Culture: Michelle Obama shops at Target: Today in things that suprise nobody

  • It is not uncommon for the First Lady to slip out to run an errand, eat at a local restaurant or otherwise enjoy the city outside the White House gates.
  • Michelle Obama’s communications director, Kristina Schake • Stating the obvious in the wake of the AP getting a photo of her shopping at Target. To which we say: Duh. Do you think she spends all of her time just hanging out at the White House all day? She’d go crazy. Heh. Most people don’t, however, need plainclothes Secret Service agents to enter the Target half an hour ahead of them just so they can go shopping. source

24 Sep 2011 12:50

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World: Russia: Putin and Medvedev trading places like Murphy and Aykroyd

On the left, a guy who wants his old job back. On the right, a guy who’s got said job and will accept an ultimate job swap — from President to Premier — for the 2012 election. The United Russia party likes this idea. source

01 Sep 2011 21:48

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Politics: New York Times: Obama’s scheduling fight with Boehner embarrassing

  • The contemptuous reaction from the House speaker, John Boehner, to the president’s request to address a joint session next Wednesday — the day Congress returns from its summer recess — was appalling. No matter how he feels about Mr. Obama personally or politically, there can be no excuse for his lack of respect for the office, to which he is second in the line of succession. And it was distressing to watch President Obama fail, once again, to stand up to an opposition that won’t brook the smallest compromise.
  • The New York Times Editorial Board • In a piece titled “Oh, Grow Up,” on the infighting between Obama and Boehner over the timing of the president’s speech on jobs. To put it simply, we’re with them. Especially on this particular point: “Worse, the vital importance of the speech — and the need for Congress to take its full responsibility for creating jobs and reviving the economy — was upstaged by yet another Washington soap opera.” God, it’s like Washington breaks a little more with each passing day. source

22 Aug 2011 21:49

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Biz: S&P’s President Deven Sharma: I’m stepping down, homies

We know what you’re thinking — his departure had something to do with this mess. Well, you’d be wrong; apparently, his departure’s been planned for months. source

10 Aug 2011 21:46

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Politics: How dare Obama take a vacation! (Or thank goodness!)

  • The presidency travels with you.
  • Jay Carney, White House press secretary • Defending Obama’s vacation plans. The president is still heading to Martha’s Vineyard, despite the economic picture of America. After Standard & Poor’s downgrading of America’s credit rating, should Obama be taking this vacation? Or is a family vacation now more important than ever? Whatever the case may be, it’s not like Obama hasn’t sacrificed time off for the sake of the country already. Last year, he took part of his vacation in Pensacola, Fla. in an effort to draw attention to the Gulf Oil Spill. And he’s already called off multiple vacations this year as a result of budget negotiations. source

30 Jun 2011 13:18

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Tech, U.S.: Obama’s high-tech version of Fireside Chats — via Twitter

Obama is really embracing this whole Twitter thing. On July 6, he’s going to be on Twitter talking about the economy, hashtags and all. Be sure to tune in to talk to our prez … virtually. source
 

29 Jun 2011 17:00

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Politics: President Obama dismisses congressional “fuss” on Libya

  • A lot of this fuss is politics… I said there would be no troops on the ground. I said we would not be carrying the lion’s share of the operation, but as members of NATO we would be supportive of it because it’s in our national security interest and it’s the right thing to do. We have done exactly what I said we would do.
  • President Obama • Defending his military intervention in Libya, and dismissing complaints from Congress. In the process of doing so, Obama struck a more confrontational tone towards his critics than is common for his administration. There’s a definite argument that one can make for the warfare going on in Libya, on fairly simply moral grounds — nobody really doubts what would have happened in Benghazi had nobody moved to stop it. Making that sort of argument would, we think, go a lot further to appeal to American sensibilities than judicial wrangling over defining “hostilities” would. source

14 Jun 2011 10:09

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Politics: Obama: My family would be OK if I were a one-term president

  • Michelle and the kids are wonderful in that if I said, ‘You know, guys, I want to do something different,’ they’d be fine. They’re not invested in daddy being president or my husband being president.
  • President Barack Obama • Claiming that if he wanted to be a one-term president, his family would be totally cool with the idea. While Obama says that he has days “where I say that one term is enough,” he keeps going because of “a belief that the work that we started in 2009 is not yet complete.” A few people on the other side of the aisle would probably welcome the idea of a one-term presidency, too, brah. source

06 Jun 2011 16:04

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U.S.: Rick Santorum makes it official for 2012

  • Pick Rick? Former Republican senator Rick Santorum has officially announced his candidacy for President in 2012. We’ll admit, we were surprised when we long ago heard he might run, as we figured any candidate whose name can’t be safely Googled would be advised by strategists to sit it out. For perspective on his political stripes, here Santorum brings up gay marriage as an example of Obama devaluing our “moral currency.” The fact that he uses this rhetoric in his announcement speech is telling — that’s what he wants to be talking about, not currency standards. And in a country that seems to care less and less about who wants to fall in love and get married, this could very well be the last stand for one of America’s most strident political culture warriors. source