By all accounts, President Obama should not be having a good week at in the polls. The Supreme Court has legitimized claims that his signature domestic policy accomplishment was an unprecedented expansion of federal government power, he killed a infrastructure project that would have creates thousands of jobs at no cost to taxpayers, another government housing agency is teetering on bankruptcy, a Federal Reserve report says the odds of another recession are rising, Americans tell pollsters that satisfaction with way things are going in U.S. remains near historical low, and Obama’s Energy Department was caught pressuring a government loan recipient to conceal layoff announcements for political reasons.
And yet his numbers are up in Gallup’s daily tracking poll. Why? Maybe it is because after his very public push for his second stimulus failed, Obama has largely retreated from public view. Obama’s October schedule was chock full of campaign stops filled with tax-hiking class warfare rhetoric in key swing states. Near the end of the month his numbers were at all time lows (39% approve, 54% disapprove). But now that he has largely retreated from public view, first going to France for G-20 meetings and now to Australia, his numbers are rising and currently stand at 44% approve, 49% disapprove.
If Obama can figure out a way to disappear entirely, he may just cruise to reelection.
Around the Bigs
The Washington Post, Energy Dept. pushed firm to keep layoffs quiet until after midterms: President Obama’s Energy Department told Solyndra to delay layoff announcements until after the 2010 elections if they wanted their federal loan restructured. White House spokesman Jay Carney has previously said that politics played no part in any of the Solyndra loan decisions.
Gallup, Americans Tilt Toward Favoring Repeal of Healthcare Law: Given a choice, 47% of Americans favor repealing Obamacare compared to just 42% who want to keep the law.
The New York Times, F.H.A. Audit Sees Possible Bailout Need: An internal independent audit of the Federal Housing Administration estimates there is a 50% chance the agency will need a taxpayer bailout next year as foreclosures continue to rise.
The Wall Street Journal, Turmoil Spreads in Europe: Soaring bond yields that had been contained to Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal spread to other European Union members like Austria, the Netherlands, Finland and France.
The Washington Post, The Occupy movement: More trouble than change?: The Washington Post reports, “The Occupy Wall Street encampments that formed across the country to spotlight crimes committed on Wall Street have become rife with problems of their own. There are sanitation hazards and drug overdoses, even occasional deaths and sexual assaults.” The Post asks: “Is this an occupation or an infestation?”
The Washington Examiner, D.C. Council says protesters should get to stay: Contacted by The Examiner for their opinions, Members of the D.C. Council say they believe the federal government should continue allowing Occupy D.C. to camp on federal land.
Campaign 2012
Gingrich: Freddie Mac officials familiar with Newt Gingrich’s work for the now bailed out mortgage financing entity say, contra Gingrich’s claims, that Newt was not paid $1.6 million for history lessons. The Freddie officials tell Bloomberg that Gingrich was paid “to build bridges to Capitol Hill Republicans and develop an argument on behalf of the company’s public-private structure that would resonate with conservatives seeking to dismantle it.”
Righty Playbook
At The Corner, Andrew Stiles notes that CBO Director Doug Elmendorf told the Senate Budget Committee yesterday, that stimulus spending was bad for long-term economic growth.
Frank Miller, screenwriter of The Dark Knight Returns and 300 on the Occupy movement: “Occupy is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America.”
The Weekly Standard‘s Jeffrey Anderson notes that Obama’s nominee for the Social Security Advisory Board favors rationing health care.
Lefty Playbook
The Washington Post‘s Ezra Klein bemoans the Democrats’ peculiar negotiating strategy: “Over the past year, Republicans have learned something important about negotiating budget deals with Democrats: If you don’t like their offer, just wait a couple of months.”
Salon‘s Steve Kornacki makes the case for Warren 2016: “Elizabeth Warren, the presumptive Democratic challenger to Sen. Scott Brown, has emerged as the biggest rock star candidate in the 2012 Senate elections.”
Slate‘s Dahlia Lithwick is surprised the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Medicaid portion of the Obamacare case.
