Hey — are you gonna pay for that? (ap photo)
President Obama took his harumphy new economic message to Racine, Wisconsin today. Before all that, though, he and Mayor John Dickert stopped at the O&H Danish Bakery to sample the local specialty, a pastry called the Kringle. From the pool report:
The staff had samples all already laid out — rhubarb, apple, cheese.
POTUS took a bite of each – “Those are outstanding” and “Pecan and cherry sound just right.”
With a mouthful, POTUS mumbled “These are good.”
After inquiring about keychains (daughter Malia likes to collect them), Obama wandered over to the cashier. “What’s the damage here?” He asked. Apparently low-balled on the total, Obama insisted, “That’s can’t be right,” and “No, no, no — I’m paying full price.”
So he had the Kringle, and his remarks included an obligatory reference to brats and cheese curd — but where was the embattled senator from Wisconsin? Notes RealClearPolitics:
Public Policy Polling took a look at the Wisconsin Senate race, and finds that Senator Russ Feingold is potentially in for big trouble. His approval rating is a tepid 42/42 split, and he earns only 45% of the vote against his two largely unknown challengers, Ron Johnson and Dave Westlake. Johnson and Westlake get 43% and 38%, respectively. The President is upside-down in his approval at 45%-50%, while majorities oppose Obama’s health care plan.
It’s a mildly interesting election year conundrum for Obama. He needs to keep all the Dems he can get in the Senate, and Feingold looks to be in serious trouble. But Feingold is also the standard-bearer for Obama’s Troubles on the Left — criticizing the administration for national security, war and other policies. He is currently threatening to vote against financial reform.
In any case, while Obama was sampling the Kringle in Racine, Feingold was in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Maybe next time, Russ. (ap photo)
