Obamanation

Things We Read Today This Weekend, 6

By Justin Katz | September 9, 2012 |

First, scroll down and read Monique’s postings on Rep. Spencer Dickinson. Then… The topics of hope and hopelessness pervaded this weekend’s readings, from absurd labor rules in schools, to the likely outcome of Make It Happen, to Spencer Dickinson’s insider view, and then to Sandra Fluke.

Obama’s Economy

By Marc Comtois | September 5, 2012 |

Better off? Under President Obama… Jan-09 Today Gasoline $1.84 $3.84 National Debt $10.6 Trillion $16 Trillion Unemployment 7.80% 8.30% # Unemployed 11.98 million 12.8 million Median Income $53,410 $50,964 # Food Stamp Users 31.98 million 46.7 million Poverty Rate 13.20% 15.70% Oil (Europe), barrel $41.22 $113 Oil (Texas), barrel $38.57 $95 Gold, oz $853 $1,690…

The Context of the President’s Context

By Justin Katz | July 27, 2012 |

It’s intriguing to observe the telescoping nature of the “context” to which folks are referring when discussing President Obama’s infamous Friday the 13th Roanoake speech. The damning two sentences continue to be: If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The inferred meaning is that somebody else should…

Chronology of a Chastened Politician

By Justin Katz | July 24, 2012 |

Here’s President Obama, speaking in Roanoke, Virginia, on Friday, July 13: I’m always struck by people who think, “Well, it must be because I was just so smart.” There are a lot of smart people out there! “It must be because I worked harder than everybody else.” Let me tell you something: There are a…

Credit for Building, Blame for Dividing

By Justin Katz | July 19, 2012 |

President Obama’s teleprompter style has been the subject of substantial (often mocking) critical commentary, and with some justification, as this nearly parodic 2010 video from a Virginia classroom proves: Given recent political events, one can sympathize with the desire of public officials to avoid extemporaneous speech. In a world in which one’s every public utterance…

Obama Administration Weakens Welfare Reform

By Monique Chartier | July 14, 2012 |

From the Daily Caller; thanks to commenter ANTHONY for the link. The Department and Health and Human Services announced the agency will issue waivers for the federal work requirement of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program — considered a central facet of welfare reform in 1996 — Thursday. … “Thus, HHS has authority…

At What Point Can We Start Reading Into the Unemployment Numbers?

By Monique Chartier | July 7, 2012 |

As Marc notes, the Obama administration’s reaction to an unemployment number that remained unchanged at 8.2% is that it is “a step in the right direction”, as opposed to a Bush era unemployment rate of 5.6% which, according to candidate Barack Obama, was “too early to celebrate”. Further to this month’s unemployment figure, the Obama…

Happy Independence Day?

By Justin Katz | July 4, 2012 |

The Ocean State Current encourages readers to spend some time today reading the Declaration of Independence and considering its continuing significance in our times. Some of the particulars resonate as if addressing present issues: He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors…

Extreme Job Reclassification: How the Obama Admin Boosted Its Green Job Count

By Monique Chartier | June 23, 2012 |

This illuminating exchange between Chairman Darrell Issa and John Galvin from President Obama’s Department of Labor Statistics took place in a committee hearing a couple of weeks ago but I didn’t become aware of it until John Gibson played the tape this week. (Youtube video of Chairman Issa’s exchange with the reluctant Mr. Galvin here.)…

Didn’t Obama Kinda Heckle Himself?

By Justin Katz | June 15, 2012 |

The Big News on Friday is that Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro “interrupted” President Obama’s statement on granting a sort of limited work-visa amnesty for young illegal immigrants. (The official transcript admirably captures what words from the reporter’s questions were possible to hear.) Mr. Munro explains himself thus: I always go to the White House…