Patterico's Pontifications

2/1/2012

Ann Coulter Says, and I Am Not Making This Up: “Three Cheers for Romneycare!”

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 11:48 pm



I get her point that a state mandating purchase of health insurance is not unconstitutional in the same obvious and insulting way as a mandate from Congress is.

That said . . .

Three cheers for Romneycare?

Really?

Even his most avid supporters can barely muster one, let alone two.

And Ann is giving three?

Really?

Another Major Holder Scandal — Just in Time for His Appearance Tomorrow!

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 11:10 pm



Just when you thought Eric Holder was really in trouble over Fast and Furious, you learn that he’s potentially in trouble over something else:

A U.S. Justice Department source has told The Daily Caller that at least two DOJ prosecutors accepted cash bribes from allegedly corrupt finance executives who were indicted under court seal within the past 13 months, but never arrested or prosecuted.

The sitting governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, his attorney general and an unspecified number of Virgin Islands legislators also accepted bribes, the source said, adding that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is aware prosecutors and elected officials were bribed and otherwise compromised, but has not held anyone accountable.

The bribed officials, an attorney with knowledge of the investigation told TheDC, remain on the taxpayers’ payroll at the Justice Department without any accountability. The DOJ source said Holder does not want to admit public officials accepted bribes while under his leadership.

Remember that Holder is sitting on the hot seat tomorrow morning answering questions about U.S. gunrunning to Mexico. I don’t know whether he will have to answer questions about this newly emerging scandal tomorrow . . . but he will have to sometime.

If he doesn’t resign first.

States of Disapproval

Filed under: 2012 Election — Karl @ 7:15 am



[Posted by Karl]

Jim Geraghty (among others) , relying on Gallup, notes Pres. Obama’s job approval rating for 2011 is anemic in most swing states. Just as notable are Obama’s disapproval numbers in swing states, as they show an incumbent underwater, often with majority disapproval: IA (45.6/45.9); PA (45/47.8); VA (44.5/49); NC (43.7/48.5); FL (43.6/47.8); OH (42.1/50.2); NM (41.7/51.2); NV (41.3/50.6); CO (40.4/52.2); and NH (38.7/54.4).

Geraghty adds that this does not necessary translate to votes which is true, but probably not good for Obama.  In 2004 — a polarized, close election — Bush lost states where he had net positive job approval, but did not win one state where he had a net negative job approval.  As Jay Cost notes, the only two years where we see a substantial amount of support for the incumbent president among disapprovers — 1972 and 1980 – are also not good news for Obama.

National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar correctly reminds us the Gallup data is from “throughout 2011, reflecting as much the past year as the present,” while noting Obama’s national job approval hasn’t moved much this year.  Where recent polls are available, they generally confirm Kraushaar’s hypothesis.  I covered IA and NH earlier this month; those states are marginally better than Gallup, but they’re also less economically distressed than most (and Obama is still underwater in NH).  In PA, recent polls have Obama at 45/50 and 40/49.  In VA, it 48/47 and 42/51. In NC, it’s 47/49 or 50.  In FL, it’s 44/49.  In OH, it’s 44/51.  In NV and NM, GS Strategies has Obama at 41/57.3 and 43.3/56.8 (the firm did not provide a complete breakdown of the sample, but the firm’s polls for FL, OH and VA are close to other public polls).  In CO, Ciruli Associates (a local firm) had Obama at 39/53 in December 2011.

The news is marginally better for Obama in January’s Purple Poll (.pdf), even though it spotlights FL (40/56).  Obama is underwater in the Southern Swing states (FL, NC & VA) at 42/53 and the Rust Belt (NH, OH & PA) at 41/51.  However, he’s above water in the Heartland (WI, MN & IA) at 48/47, and only marginally underwater in the Wild West (CO, NV & NM) at 47/49.  That showing in the West is improved from the September poll; his numbers have not moved significantly in any of the other regions.  I might trust that uptick, as I doubt it’s coincidence that Obama spent last week in Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.  Time is the candidate’s most valuable resource.  Obama needs to spend his in states where he has the best odds of goosing his job approval rating to a net positive.

–Karl


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