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03 Jan 2011 10:15

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Politics: Why RNC chairman Michael Steele has no chance of being reelected

  • $20M the amount of debt the RNC will carry into this year – which is massive and will hurt Steele
  • $10M the amount of debt the fiscally-minded RNC will likely carry into the 2012 presidential year
  • $2M the largest amount of debt the RNC has had in a presidential year (in 2000) – until now source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Dec 2010 17:09

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Politics: Ezra Klein: Obama’s brand power strong even with GOP House

  • Whatever the explanation, there appears to be more life in the Obama brand than the pundits might think, and than the Republicans might hope.
  • Policy superdude Ezra Klein • Reacting to a recent poll which suggests that Obama has stronger post-midterm stock than his two predecessors. While people trusted the other party to solve problems more than the president after the unsuccessful midterms for both Clinton (in 1994) and Bush (in 2006), Obama still has a little bit of  an advantage over the GOP this time around. “There’s been a lot of criticism of Obama’s communication skills lately,” Klein notes, “but if you look at the polls, he’s doing a far better job than his predecessors did preserving his brand within an unfriendly political environment.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 23:46

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Politics, U.S.: GOP donors not thrilled about Michael Steele’s reelection bid

  • The long and short of it is I have a hard time finding any major donor who would trust [Michael Steele] to straighten out the RNC and run a principled and ethical fundraising operation…My own slogan is now, Anybody But Steele.
  • Former RNC Finance Chair Al Hoffman • On Michael “Drill, Baby, Drill” Steele’s announcement that he will run for a second term as RNC chair. Lots of big-money GOP donors have pledged stop giving to the RNC if Steele wins his reelection bid. Some worry that, should Steele win, the RNC might not even be able to raise enough money to fund the 2012 GOP Convention in Florida. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Dec 2010 10:10

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Politics: Michael Steele: Will Mr. Delusional run for RNC Chair again?

  • That look in Michael Steele’s eyes? Some might call it “deer in headlights.” We call it “ignorance to the gravity of his situation.” Anyway, the man of Steele, who has led the RNC through its most embarrassing period in ages, will be announcing his future plans today. Our money is on him being so oblivious to his unpopularity among Republicans (especially for his fiscal skills, which are pretty much the key part of running the RNC) that he’ll run again. And honestly, we hope he does. We love the sound of a good trainwreck. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Dec 2010 21:15

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Politics: Forced to make decisions, Congress instead sits on its hands

  • » So, look here: The Democrats don’t want to give an inch. The GOP doesn’t want to give a centimeter. The president just gave a couple of inches, and the Democrats didn’t like it. So now, we have two bills which could’ve passed today die on the vine in the Senate. Because both sides don’t want to find any common ground. Is it really that hard to compromise? Yes, yes it is.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Dec 2010 11:10

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Politics: Senate GOP: We’ll block all bills until we extend Bush tax cuts

  • 42 GOP senators will make Lame Duck Congress suck more source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

20 Nov 2010 20:40

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Biz: Timothy Geithner to GOP: Don’t screw with us. You’ll regret it

  • It is very important to keep politics out of monetary policy. You want to be very careful not to take steps that hurt our credibility.
  • Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner • Telling Republicans in no uncertain terms to stay out of the Federal Reserve’s BIZ-NASS. As we noted last night, Republicans are coming down hard on the money people pretty heavily, with some threatening to strip the Fed of some of its rights. May we offer a suggestion here? How about the legislators stick to legislating and the Treasury sticks to the money stuff? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Nov 2010 21:45

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Biz: Federal Reserve taking it from all sides with stimulus plan

  • On its current economic trajectory, the United States runs the risk of seeing millions of workers unemployed or underemployed for many years. As a society, we should find that outcome unacceptable.
  • Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke • Explaining why the much-maligned stimulus plan (which involves shoving $600 billion into the economy whether it likes it or not) is necessary to save the economy. Republicans and Tea Partiers claim that the plan could raise prices of essentials such as food. Internationally, there’s worries about the stimulus driving down the value of the dollar (thereby making exports to the U.S. more desirable). Republicans in Congress are talking about stripping the Fed of its mandate to promote full employment as a result of this action. We’d like to see Republicans, rather than reacting to things they don’t like, offering up ideas. Is it really that hard, guys? You’ve had two-plus years. Where are your economy-fixing ideas? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Nov 2010 22:30

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Politics: Obama: Sorry I’ve dropped the ball on bipartisanship

  • I neglected some things that matter to a lot of people, and rightly so: maintaining a bipartisan tone in Washington. I think, moving forward, I’m going to redouble my efforts to go back to some of those first principles. And the fact that we are out of crisis – although still, obviously, in a difficult time – I think will give me the capacity to do that.
  • Barack Obama • Explaining the other day how he managed to lose his grip on bipartisanship during his first two years in office, and his desire to regroup and find it again. It’s OK man, and kind of understandable. The other side wasn’t looking for bipartisanship, either. Though we do admit that we kinda hoped that you would’ve kept more of a level head going into office. Get your fresh start dude. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2010 22:29

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Culture, Politics, U.S.: Republicans like happier television than Democrats

  • The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores…with higher concentrations of Republicans. [Democrats] seem to like shows about damaged people.
  • John Fetto, of Experian Simmons • Regarding the TV-watching habits of Democrats and Republicans. The media research company did a study on which shows are favored by which partisans. GOPers enjoyed shows like “American Idol,” “Modern Family” and “The Mentalist.” Democrats? “Mad Men,” “Dexter,” and “90120.” source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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