"Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans," said Obama in his weekly address this morning.

WHAT, HES GOT SOME KIND OF HAIR WARDROBE NOW? Ann Althouse: And whats the first thing you not
WHAT, HE’S GOT SOME KIND OF “HAIR WARDROBE” NOW? Ann Althouse: “And what’s the first thing you notice — the difference between today and the Speech he gave at the memorial? Right. Different color hair. Gray for the memorial, signifying the wise elder, the father figure. Back to dark hair to signify the vigorous young man, ready to forge ahead, solving problems, and restoring his party’s electoral fortunes.” ...

Hair Today
Everything is staged with Obama Ann Althouse: “And what’s the first thing you notice — the difference between today and the Speech he gave at the memorial? Right. Different color hair. Gray for the memorial, signifying the wise elder, the father figure. Back to dark hair to signify the vigorous young man, ready to forge ahead, solving problems, and restoring his party’s electoral fortunes.”ht. larwyn ...

Top Senators to Sit Together at 'State of the Union' address
How nice, Coburn and Schumer to sit together. I don't think any Republicans should sit next to any Democrats at the SOTU. Dems didn't want Republicans sitting next to them when they were writing the Health Care bill, choosing rather to do it behind closed doors alone. Republicans should say no, were not gonna do it just because the cameras are rolling at the State of the Union... CNN.com Washington (CNN) -- In a symbolic gesture toward more civil political discourse, Democratic Sen. Charles S...

Obama may face new kind of crowd at State of the Union
It's starting to sound like President Obama will be speaking to a different kind of audience at this month's State of the Union, and there will be less of a pep rally atmosphere. Two prominent senators from different parties -- Democrat Charles Schumer of New York and Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma -- said today that will sit together during Obama's Speech, and hope their colleagues follow suit. Obama's nationally televised address will be the night of Jan. 25. Other lawmakers have also expr...

Most saw Palin speech as effective
MediaCurve: A new national study among 1,437 self-reported Democrats, Republicans and Independents revealed that Americans indicated that Sarah Palin was more sincere and believable after viewing her Speech in response to the shootings in Tucson. The study was conducted during January 13-14 by HCD Research and reported on its MediaCurves.com® website, to obtain Americans’ perceptions of Sarah Palin after viewing a video of a Speech she gave in response to the shootings in Tucson. Res...

President Obamas Weekly Address: We Carry On Now
As a new week in Washington is about to begin with a return to focusing on healthcare, jobs and Deficits, President Obama took one last opportunity to offer uplifting words and to make clear that now is the time to “carry on” from last week’s tragedy in Arizona, but hopefully to do so with a new tone. In his weekly video address, Obama was reflective and inspirational suggesting “we are one American family - 300 million strong.” He went on to state that “...

I do not want civil discourse
For a decade, from the election of Bush 43 forward, the Left has lied and cheated as it tried to return to power. Al Gore made a mockery out of the American electoral system by being a spoilsport over Florida, which Bush indeed won by 537 votes. Dan Rather forged a document to try to derail Bush’s re-election. Twice Democrats stole U.S. senators from the Republicans. After voting to support the war to get by the 2002 election, many Democrats quickly soured on the war. The profane Protest...

Polling and Other Shiny Objects
"A diamond is a chunk of coal that is made good under pressure.” - Henry Kissinger There are various types of polls on campaigns. Tracking polls provide frequent snapshots of the actual horserace and serve to guide where resources such as media buys, direct mail and field should be diverted. Tracking polls are relatively inexpensive, and near the end of the campaign can be conducted on an almost daily basis. Messaging polls are far more expensive and are conducted less frequently. Each...

In the Health Care Fight, a Political Focus on Jobs, With No Simple Answers
By ROBERT PEAR NYT WASHINGTON — As Republicans choreograph a House vote to Repeal President Obama’s Health Care overhaul this week, no charge has stung Democrats more than the argument that the new law will “kill” jobs in an economy wobbling back to life. In the fight over whether the law will create or destroy jobs, both political parties cite evidence to support their claims. But many Economists say the effect on jobs is likely to be modest — neither so negative as Republic

John Kerry Serves Up a Reality Check
John Kerry gave a Speech last week at the Center for American Progress that should become the marching song for every liberal in this country. He was clear: The last 10 years have cost us too much, and if the hyper-partisan tone doesn't change to one of true concern for the direction of this country, we will cede any chance to lead to others. He hits it all: Infrastructure, energy, Debt, Climate Change. Every point. The one that hit home for me was when he talked about where we might have been, ...

The super Secret key to successful Republican outreach to minorities.
(Note: this is a bit off the beaten path for the 2012 focus here, but I was inspired by Dave Galtier’s excellent post of a couple of days ago. I claim no particular expertese on minority outreach; these reflections are drawn from working for Bush-Cheney’s 72 hour program on Hispanic outreach in 2004, living in a part of Washington DC demographically dominated by Minorities for the past three years, and studying comparative politics). There’s been a lot of talk recently about GOP ...

Repealing Health Care Reform: Bring It On
Democrats have been eagerly awaiting a debate on repealing the Affordable Care Act. And they have good reason: Ahead of a vote on Repeal in the GOP-led House this week, strong opposition to the law stands at 30 percent, close to the Lowest Level registered in AP-GfK surveys dating to September 2009. The nation is divided over the law, but the strength and intensity of the opposition appear diminished. The law expands coverage to more than 30 million Uninsured, and would require, for the first t...

Hard part begins for tea party
WASHINGTON — Welcome to Washington, tea partiers. Now that they're freshmen in a GOP-run House, the political movement's Candidates are running smack into the traditions, partisan divisions and powerful competing interests that make it so hard to redirect the government. Some Tea Party Activists - part of a loose-knit, Libertarian-tinged network advocating Small Government and less federal spending - already are dismayed to see their new lawmakers plunge into familiar patterns of raising...

Obama pledges to turn the page, work with GOP and Democrats
WASHINGTON — Citing “great challenges for us to solve,’’ President Obama pledged to work with Democrats and Republicans in the aftermath of the Arizona shooting that killed six, grievously wounded a member of Congress, and brought legislative debate to a virtual standstill. In his weekly radio and Internet address, the president moved to turn the page from the week of solemn observance for the dead and the Victims to the governing business ahead. “We carry on becau...

McCain Defends Obama: A Split With Sarah Palin?
So is it another about face that means a shift (or re-shift) or is it a perfunctory, lip service bow to the “old John McCain?” Arizona Senator John McCain, a politician who seemed to be working had to shed his old persona, reverted to his old persona in an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post where he praised Barack Obama’s Tucson shooting Speech, defended Obama’s Patriotism and even suggested some regret for some of his own past statements. Does this signal a split with h...

Obama emerges from shooting in strong political position
A little more than a week after the deadly shooting in Arizona, it seems clear that President Obama's political standing is stronger. Obama's Speech at last week's memorial service in Tucson won near-universal praise, his Approval Ratings are back at 50% or higher in several polls, and many commentators put him in an improved position for re-election in 2012. "Predictions are a low form of journalism," wrote David Remnick in The New Yorker the morning after the Tucson address. ""But I'd predict...

At which session, if in order, the Governor shall be inaugurated.
The AP sets the stage and Chas blogs from the Ryman prayer breakfast and the inauguration. Bredesen said goodbye and the new Governor, having been sworn, said it’s time to raise our sights. The TN Report says Democrats gave the Speech high marks. The Dean hits the diet metaphor (Bredesen:ships::Haslam:diets).  And Woods covers it all. As for now-Citizen Bredesen? He spent his first night in private life down in section 112 watching the Predators. ...

Top 10 Facts About the Arizona Shooting to Educate Your Friends on the Left
Like many of you, I was flabbergasted by the response to the tragedy in Tucson. Yeah, we know now that about 3/4 of the country gets it - they realize the media/Left’s blame game was just so much - well, “vitriol.” But that still leaves millions of people who do NOT get it, and apparently many of them were tweeting in the hours and days after the shooting - tweeting some pretty appalling stuff: Now, THERE’S some Hate Speech for you. Some of these misguided folks m

Health care debate will go on, Coburn says
Acknowledging that Senate Republicans face a difficult, if not impossible, obstacle in the repealing the Democrats' health-care package enacted into law last year, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a leading conservative, vowed to continue pressing the issue. "The fact is is we're not through with the debate on Health Care in this country," Coburn said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "My hope is the debate will be good for us." Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) suggested that such ...

Senate Dems indicate willingness to 'break apart,' fix health reform
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Sunday said House Republicans remain determined to Repeal the Healthcare Reform law, but one Democratic lawmaker urged her colleagues to instead focus only on reforming flawed provisions. Republicans this week will move ahead with plans to Repeal the healthcare overhaul, Flake said during an appearance on “Face the Nation” on CBS. And while he expects the Jan. 8 Mass Shooting in his home state will cause lawmakers to “tone down the Rhetoric” during the

Obama Attends Church No Reports of Lightening Strikes at This Time
Vixen on Civility! Senators Schumer and Coburn to Sit Together at State of the Union vagabond trader on Just For Men Obama: AZ Memorial vs. Weekly Address — Only His Hairdresser Knows For Sure katy on Civility! Senators Schumer and Coburn to Sit Together at State of the Union Godless atheists attend church, who knew?...

2 senators agree to sit together for Obama address
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senators from different parties said Sunday they'll skip tradition and sit together during President Obama's State of the Union address. The decision by Sens. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, and Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, comes amid calls for greater civility in political discourse following the fatal shootings last weekend at a political event in Tucson, Ariz. Mr. Schumer said he and Mr. Coburn hope other lawmakers will follow their example and skip the ...

Alaska Ear
NOWHERE BUT UP . . . Well, darlings, it's been a depressing week. After the Arizona killings came the rush by some Democrats to blame the shooting on the mean-speak of people like Our Sarah . A quick scan of the shooter's online rantings left little doubt that he was a young man disintegrating into psychosis. (We've had our share of similar types -- remember the guy who carved up kids at Mountain View Elementary School or the Mariel boatlift Refugee who stabbed his roommate to death downtown, co...

Weighing political capital: tragedy vs. popularity
By Nicholas Wilbur When you're president, there's a fine line between playing politics and doing your job. When you're a critic, there's a fine line between questioning motives and legitimizing Conspiracy theories. In the eyes of the media, the Tucson shooting became "Obama's 9/11" even before the president gave what every newspaper and network in the country said was a moving Speech to the American People. (One can only imagine what scathing criticisms would have emerged had Obama responded t...

Doctors replace Giffords' breathing tube
Jump to text Doctors have removed Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' breathing ... Jump to photos Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords More Gun Control needed after Tucson? MR. GREGORY: Good morning. Some good news from Arizona this morning as doctors at University Medical Center were able to remove Congresswoman Gabby Giffords from a ventilator yesterday, meaning she is now able to breathe on her own. Remarkable progress just one week after the tragedy in Tucson . She remains, however, in critical condition....