Roland Martin on CNN

Roland Martin says it’s time for President Obama to go “gangsta” on Republicans. Roland, a liberal CNN political analyst, said in a CNN opinion piece, “For me, I’m sick and tired of Democrats having power and being unwilling to use it. I’ve always respected Republicans when they had power because they were willing to use it and maybe apologize later.”

Much of Roland’s call to arms centers around whether President Obama should use recess appointments to get his nominees to their posts. In his first White House press corps appearance since July, President Obama announced on Tuesday he would consider using recess appointments if Senate Republicans continue to hold up the vote: Continue reading »»

By GLENN THRUSH & MARIN COGAN

Politico: Democratic Incumbents Call for Less Legislative Ambition

Moderate Democrats, coping with the electoral fallout of President Barack Obama’s grand and ground-down legislative ambitions, have a message for their leaders: Stop supersizing us.

If the first year of Obama’s term was dominated by the so-called Big Bang push for enormous, politically risky initiatives — the stimulus, cap and trade and health care — Year Two is fast shaping up to be year of small ball, retrenchment and backlash. Continue reading >>

Civilian Unemployment Rate

Posted by Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer on The White House Blog:

While unemployment remains a severe problem, today’s employment report contains encouraging signs of gradual labor market healing. The unemployment rate fell three-tenths of a percentage point and employment rose in a number of industries, though overall employment fell slightly.

The unemployment rate declined from 10.0 percent to 9.7 percent. This decline occurred despite a modest rise in the labor force. The broadest measure of the unemployment rate, which includes all persons marginally attached to the labor force and workers working part time for economic reasons, fell almost a full percentage point. Obviously, the unemployment rate remains unacceptably high, and is even worse for certain demographic groups such as teenagers and black or African American workers. Continue reading >>

Obama Health Care Speech to Joint Session of Congress

In light of rising dissatisfaction with current policies and increased government spending, the White House hopes to quickly raise Treasury borrowing limits before the congressional 2010 elections. Only a few hours after Senator Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts, the Senate opened debate on a plan to increase the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.9 trillion.

The current national debt limit, $12.4 trillion, is expected to be exceeded within the next month. Of the $12.4 trillion, over $7.5 trillion (54 percent of the nation’s GDP) is borrowed from foreign governments and private investors. Continue reading »»

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann

Apparently Keith Olbermann doesn’t like GOP Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown very much. Here’s what he said about Brown in a last-minute comment on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olberman:

“In Scott Brown we have an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, teabagging supporter of violence against woman and against politicians with whom he disagrees…The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is close to sending this bad joke to the Senate of the United States.” Continue reading »»

Andy Stern, International President, SEIU

In another move that may send frustrated voters running to the polls in November, a special deal has been struck between the White House and organized labor unions. According to The Washington Post, the deal would exempt union members from a 40 percent excise tax on “Cadillac” health insurance plans until 2018 – five years after the legislation kicks into gear.

A few other perks in the deal include removing dental and vision benefits when applying the tax, and raising the $23,000 income threshold to $24,000. According to White House officials, the deal took over 15 hours to negotiate and included influential participants AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, SEIU’s Andy Stern, Change to Win’s Anna Burger, union leaders from various trades, Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, and Vice President Joe Biden. Continue reading »»

According to the Washington Times, Obama’s top homeland security official announced during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that certain words and terms are no longer acceptable in the White House.

Is the war on terror really over?

Is the war on terror really over?

Apparently the United States is no longer engaged in a “war on terrorism,” fighting “jihadists” or in a “global war.” The only terminology officially permitted in the White House to describe our fight against terrorism is that we are “at war with al Qaeda.”

John Brennan, head of the White House homeland security office said, “The President does not describe this as a war on terrorism. We are at war with al Qaeda. We are at war with its violent extremist allies who seek to carry on al Qaeda’s murderous agenda.” Continue reading »»

Tea Party in Nashville

After watching health care reform poll numbers drop and witnessing the strong public outrage at town hall meetings, the DNC is apparently planning to take a much safer route for the remainder of the congressional recess. Health Care for America Now (HCAN) and Obama’s campaign organization, Organizing for America, are planning to hold 1,000 pro-Obamacare events, rallies and bus tours starting this week.

Organizing for America merged with the DNC earlier this year. Continue reading »»

Some Americans want a single-payer system. Others want free market to flourish. No matter which side you are on, the current debate over health care is becoming tiresome for us all. Even though the health care debate seems to have turned into a “WWF” style political battle, it doesn’t mean either side should roll over and play dead.

An encouraging development in the last few months is that formerly uninterested folks are taking an interest in the political process. As much as Nancy Pelosi would like to convince America that the majority of people who oppose her views are AstorTurf, or as Barny Frank so compassionately said to one of his constituents, “Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table,” the polls paint a different picture. Continue reading »»

The American Senior Association website

CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkission’s video report AARP Backlash, reveals a sobering trend for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Because of AARP’s supposed support of President Obama’s health care plan, as many as 60,000 people have canceled their AARP memberships since the beginning of July.

During a town hall meeting at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, President Obama confidently stated that AARP had already endorsed his health care plan. Continue reading »»

San Diego Tea Party

Contrary to Democratic leaders’ suggestions that hundreds of “tea party” protests across the nation were led by DC-based groups and neo-Nazis, actual coverage of the events paint a very different picture. Photos, videos and first-hand accounts were posted throughout the day on websites, blogs, forums, Twitter, Facebook, and some media outlets. Early estimates indicate over 500,000 people may have attended the protests.

Pajamas Media reported, “The estimated number of participants in yesterday’s tea parties – sent in by citizen journalists who signed up to the site to enter attendance data from the event they participated in – currently stands at more than 481,000. Continue reading »»