Trump accepts high marks for CPAC
Donald Trump went to CPAC this week and aced his performance as a prospective White House Wannabe. Any doubts? Just ask him.
“I tell the truth. I tell it like it is, and people understand what I’m saying, and the place did go crazy,” The Donald tells MSNBC’s Morning Joe today. ”That’s what I said in the speech. And that’s why I got 10 standing ovations.”
Remarks like that, taken out of context, might sound like the words of a talking ego.
But the billionaire New York real estate developer’s speech did get high marks from Politico. An A-minus, in fact, which put him right up there with Newt Gingrich and out in front of former Senator Rick Santorum (C-plus) and House Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann (B).
Bully for him, especially when you consider the seemingly tenuous circumstances that brought him to Washington.
“I was sitting in my office building buildings and doing things,” he says. ”I got a call from CPAC: Would I come and speak? And I just happened to be in the right mood. I got on my plane, I went down to Washington.”
In the right mood … just happened to be.
White House Intrigue: Could Hillary Replace Joe?
Could Hillary replace Joe as Barack’s main squeeze in 2012? That’s the juicy bit of palace intrigue enlivening today’s U.S. political melodrama.
It started when author Bob Woodward told CNN that the idea of a Clinton-Biden switch was “on the table” — at least among some Clinton advisers. A switch would mean Hillary becoming President Obama’s vice presidential running mate and Joe taking up her State Department chores.
“President Obama needs some of the women, Latinos, retirees that she did so well with during the 2008 primaries. And so they switch jobs,” explained the veteran journalist whose new book, “Obama’s Wars,” offers an inside look at the administration.
It may not be a bad idea given the latest Pew poll showing that Latinos are disillusioned with the political process. Only 51 percent of Latino registered voters are sure to get to the polls in the November midterm elections, according to Pew. That’s bad news for Democrats because Latinos favor them over Republicans by a margin of 65 percent to 22 percent.
But some who might welcome a Clinton-Biden switch could have more than the 2012 campaign in mind. “The other interesting question is (that) Hillary Clinton could run in her own right in 2016 and be younger than Ronald Reagan when he was elected president,” Woodward added. For the record, Hillary would be 65. Ronnie was the oldest incoming president ever, at 69.
Shocking enough to knock a presidential seal off a podium? Both ABC and NBC reported finding no evidence that Obama is considering such a plan. In fact, NBC’s Today Show quoted senior Obama adviser David Axelrod as calling the Woodward scenario “absolute fiction” and talked live to Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine who said he’s never heard such talk except in the media. Apparently, the president believes Biden’s doing a heck of a job as Veep. But what if Hillary wanted a new job in a second Obama term? Her most likely destination would be Secretary of Defense, according to NBC. The current Pentagon chief, Bob Gates, is expected to leave before the end of 2011.
So much for that rumor, right? Not so fast.
Bill Clinton emerges as leading U.S. political favorite — poll
Nearly a decade after his presidency ended in scandal and disgrace, Bill Clinton has emerged as the most popular figure in the U.S. political firmament, according to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Except he’s not running for office.
Fifty-five percent of the 1,000 adults who responded to the survey reported having positive feelings about the Arkansas Democrat, vs. only 23 percent who harbored negative feelings. (When he left office in early 2001, his ratings were 34 percent positive and 52 percent negative.)
The poll, which has a 3.1 percentage point margin of error, comes at a time when many voters are angry about the country’s economic straits, including high unemployement and an exploding fiscal deficit. Clinton’s two-term presidency was marked not only by impeachment and the Monica Lewinsky scandal but also by buoyant growth and a balanced budget.
How did other political figures rate?
Only President Barack Obama had a favorable rating clearly ahead of the negative number, at 47 percent to 41 percent.
Former Republican vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin rated 30 percent to 48 percent. The most visible of potential GOP presidential candidates also elicited the strongest feelings, both positive and negative.
Bottom Line: Would you let him babysit your teenage daughter? If your answer is yes then maybe your daughter needs to find a parent that cares about her…Assuming you have a teenage daughter. This guy (bubba) was accused of brutaly raping a woman. Now I know it was just an accusation but he (bubba) didn’t stand up to good the last time he was questioned under oath.
Law & Order: SVU star stops by for chat with Attorney General
When Hollywood and Washington meet, the geeky government bureaucrat is usually the one in awe of the movie or television star.
But when “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” television heroine Mariska Hargitay stopped by the Justice Department to meet Attorney General Eric Holder, the awe was focused squarely on the the chief law enforcement officer.
Describing their meeting as a “huge thrill”, Hargitay described Holder as a “rock star.” She is in town as part of the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act which was aimed at focusing more resources and attention on violent crimes against women.
She was joined in her meeting with Holder by her husband and fellow actor Peter Hermann and their 3-year-old son, August. The attorney general handed their son a little coin that senior administration officials give out as souvenirs to visitors and, according to August, told him: “Don’t lose it!”
Hargitay will also be testifying before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Thursday about the backlog of rape kit tests.
She is best known for her starring role on “Law & Order: SVU” as detective Olivia Benson, but has also starred in movies and other television hits like “ER”. Her show was spared the ax last week when NBC canceled the long-running original series “Law & Order.”
- Photo credit: Reuters/Jeremy Pelofsky (Hargitay and her husband stop by to talk to reporters at the Justice Department)
How well was Palin vetted? McCain, um, doesn’t know
Republican John McCain says he doesn’t know whether his former vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, was adequately vetted. At least, he doesn’t know who says she wasn’t, and he doesn’t care. What he does know is that the 2008 presidential race was a tough fight. But now he’s very proud and very happy. Any more questions? Get lost. McCain just wouldn’t take the bait in an interview with NBC’s Today show when asked to comment on revelations about his failed 2008 White House campaign that appear in the new book, “Game Change,” by New York magazine writer John Heilemann and Time magazine reporter Mark Halperin . NBC asked whether the book is correct where it describes the vetting process for Palin as hasty and haphazard, with no one bothering to speak to her husband or her political enemies. “I wouldn’t know,” McCain replied. Sorry? The Republican Party nominee wouldn’t know if his own running mate had been adequately vetted? “I wouldn’t know what the sources are, nor care,” the Arizona senator explained. “I am not going to spend time looking back at what happened over a year ago when we’ve got two wars to fight, 10 percent unemployment in my state and things to do. I’m sorry. You’ll have to get others to comment.” McCain’s decision to transplant Palin from political obscurity to the national limelight undermined his credibility even among Republicans. Some worried that voters would see the former Alaska governor as too inexperienced to become Veep and possibly, some day, take on the mantle of Commander-in-Chief during a national emergency. Palin has since become the most visible Republican figure in the national political firmament, publishing a best-selling book, landing a job as pundit on FOX News and attracting speculation about a possible White House run in 2012. “She will be a major factor in American politics in the future,” McCain predicted, with an apparent air of vindication. “I am proud of everybody in my campaign. I’m proud of the campaign we ran. I’m so proud that I had the opportunity to represent my party in the election. And I’ll always look back on that period with pride and with satisfaction. It was tough. But I’m very happy and I’m very happy in my new role in the Senate and going back and fighting the good fight.”
Photo Credits: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (McCain); Reuters/Brian Snyder (McCain and Palin) and (Palin)
The First Draft: Democrats turn to Clinton in Senate healthcare push
Former President Bill Clinton is due to visit Capitol Hill today to talk healthcare reform with Senate Democrats and their independent allies.
The meeting’s important because Democrats have yet to find the 60 votes they need to stop Senate Republicans from blocking President Barack Obama’s signature domestic issue. House Democrats got their end of the job done over the weekend by passing landmark legislation.
Clinton’s presidency was overshadowed by his own failed bid to reform the healthcare system in the 1990s. But NBC said he could help sway Democrats wavering in the current debate, including Sen. Blanche Lincoln of his home state, Arkansas.
A big obstacle that Clinton, Obama and Senate Democrats face seems as old as human nature: people who will cooperate — if they get their own way.
This time, a small clutch of moderates want their own way on the so-called public option, a proposal to offer government supported low-cost health coverage that is anathema to Republicans and the insurance industry.
Some senators are categorical about what they want.
For independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut — a state long associated with insurance interests — opposition to the public option is a moral issue. “If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote,” he said at the weekend on Fox News. But his independent neighbor to the north, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, sounds like Lieberman’s polar opposite: “It would be outrageous to me, that when you have an overwhelming majority of Americans wanting a strong public option, that we do not deliver that.”
“why does’t the conservitives bring up all the bills that was rejected by a liberal congress. bills like haveing bank of america investigated fannie may investigated and of course acorn. the automob le industry all these things made democrats money so bring it up”
Why don’t the conservatives mention all of the bills that were rejected by a liberal congress; such as bills to have Bank of America and Fannie Mae investigated, along with Acorn and the automobile industry. These things should be revealed because they all made money for the Democrats.
Hope this helps!
The First Draft: Hillary Clinton marginalized? If you have to ask…
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent the weekend in Switzerland and Ireland, but landed on the morning talk shows on Monday, fending off questions about whether she has been marginalized in the Obama administration. It’s not considered a good sign when people start asking this question in Washington, because the implication is that the answer is “yes.”
Clinton had no comment when newscaster Ann Curry on NBC’s “Today” program asked whether she should be more visible on such hot-button issues as Iran and Afghanistan. But she responded fully when asked about concerns that the “highest-ranking woman in the United States needs to fight against being marginalized.”
“I find it absurd, I find it beyond any realistic assessment of what I’m doing every day,” Clinton said. “I believe in delegating power. I’m not one of those people who feels like I have to have my face in the front of the newspaper or on the TV every moment of the day. It would be irresponsible and negligent were I to say, ‘Oh no, everything must come to me!’”
She had a theory about why she’s comfortable working this way. “Maybe this is a woman’s thing. Maybe I’m totally secure in that I feel absolutely no need to go running around in order for people to see what I’m doing. It’s just the way I am.”
But aren’t there moments, she was asked, having campaigned so hard for president against Barack Obama, that you just want to make a decision yourself?
No. “I am part of the team that makes the decision.”
On another front, Clinton said flatly she would not run for president again. She said she’s looking forward to retirement “at some point.”
Don’t think for a minute that Hilary doesn’t have a set of Billy balls. She is powerful, crafy and Barrack, Billy and Hilary make quite the troyka. It will show up big time during this adminstration.
The First Draft: Will U.S. Ban Air Passengers with Swine Flu?
The answer is a resolute ‘no.’
Instead, the Obama administration hopes to combat infection aboard U.S. flights by encouraging hand-washing in the air. Dealing with sick passengers will be left to individual airlines, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show.
“They have that question with other people who show up and look like they’re sick and had it even before the swine flu was spoken about,” Napolitano said.
“What we’ve been meeting with the airlines about is making sure that hand-washing is easily accessible and that those kinds of things are available on planes for travelers.”
H1N1 infection is expected to balloon in the Northern Hemisphere as cooler weather sets in this autumn, raising the danger of major disruptions for businesses and governments as large numbers of workers call in sick.
That alone could pose national security problems, given that the U.S. government won’t have vaccines available until after infection begins to take hold.
Worst-case predictions suggest that between 30,000 and 90,000 people could die from the swine flu in the United States while up to 1.8 million flu patients could crowd U.S. hospital wards.
I noticed a new article today about the Airline employees being most likely to infect the public. In the article it talked about how most likely low paid employees like the outsourced cleaning staff will be the highest threat because they cant afford to take sick time. At Some of the major airlines it will be the flight attendants for sure. The airline I work for has sick time for their flight attendants, but although most work 110 hrs to 120hrs a month, the company only pays 83 hrs max if you call in sick. Very few flight attendants I know will be staying home if they feel a little under the weather. Swine flu or not in this economy no one is going to voluntarily take a 30-40% pay cut if at all possible. I’ve seen some very sick flight attendants show up and go to work even though they have hundreds of hours of sick bank, because if they do call in sick, the company will just not pay them for the time and they wont be able to tap into their sick bank. If they are deathly ill of coarse nobody is going to go to work, but they might have worked many trips infecting the public before they get that sick. I’m positive that it’s much more likely that a sick flight attendant is going to be a big threat this year with the Swine flu just getting ready to hit us this year.
Bush daughter to be TV reporter
Teacher, author and now television correspondent.
Not a bad resume for a former first daughter .
Former President George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna Hager, a Baltimore teacher, is joining NBC’s “Today” crew as a correspondent, the show’s executive producer Jim Bell told AP on Sunday.
Hager, 27, will work out of NBC’s Washington bureau, but she won’t be covering politics. Nor does she intend to talk about her eight years under public scrutiny known mostly as one of the Bush Twins.
“I hope to focus on what I’m passionate about because I think I’d do the best job on them — education, urban education, women and children’s issues and literacy,” Hager said.
Being a television correspondent wasn’t something she’d always dreamed of doing, but Hager told AP she was intrigued by the idea when Bell came calling.
“I think one of the most important things in life is to be open-minded and to be open-minded for change.”
thanks Frank,i hope she reads your posting the malice out there cannot be disguised,
The First Draft, Tuesday, Dec. 9
Tis the season to be, er, generous with taxpayers’ money.
The White House and Democrats in Congress are busy putting the finishing touches to a whopping $15 billion Christmas present for the U.S. auto industry. The two sides have been haggling for several days over the terms of the bailout to rescue the “Big Three” Detroit car manufacturers but are now reported to be close to agreement.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told NBC’s “Today” breakfast television show that if Congress approved the agreement a “car czar” charged with restructuring the industry could be appointed as soon as this week. She said she favored former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker for the post although he may already have his hands full — President-elect Barack Obama has named him as his senior adviser on jolting the economy out of recession.
Obama has been critical of the Bush administration’s efforts to tackle the mortgage foreclosure crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Americans lose their homes. The issue will be under the spotlight at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT), when the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee holds a hearing on the role of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the financial crisis.
More gloomy housing data may come from the National Association of Realtors, which issues its Pending Home Sales Index for October and monthly Housing Forecast at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT).
LOL–Well, he certainly knows a thing or two about bankruptcy…