National Review's Eliana Johnson joins Greg Corombos to discuss current events. Today's topics: Tavis Smiley pours cold water on DNC's efforts to get out the black vote, Obama plans to cut a nuclear deal with Iran without congressional approval, and Maryland Democrats walk out on a presidential speech.
Over It: 'Steady Stream' of Democrats Leave Campaign Rally During Obama Speech
In 2008, they were passing out. In 2014, they're walking out. These tweets come from mainstream media correspondents who watched in puzzlement as "lots" of Maryland voters departed a campaign rally over the weekend while President Obama was still talking. Change:
Here's how Reuters' Jeff Mason summarized the event:
President Barack Obama made a rare appearance on the campaign trail on Sunday with a rally to support the Democratic candidate for governor in Maryland, but early departures of crowd members while he spoke underscored his continuing unpopularity. With approval levels hovering around record lows, Obama has spent most of his campaign-related efforts this year raising money for struggling Democrats, who risk losing control of the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 4 midterm election. Most candidates from his party have been wary of appearing with him during their election races because of his sagging popularity. Not so Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown of Maryland, who is running for governor, and Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois, who is running for re-election….A steady stream of people walked out of the auditorium while he spoke, however, and a heckler interrupted his remarks.
Maryland is one of the few states in which Obama's political brand is not radioactive, which is why he was even invited to the Brown event in the first place. A recent, massive nationwide survey from the New York Times and YouGov found that the president's approval rating is underwater in 43 out of 50 states. Obama registered his strongest score in Maryland, a jurisdiction packed with government workers, white liberals with postgraduate degrees, and African-Americans. Yet even a gymnasium full of Democratic base voters in Obama's best state couldn't be bothered to sit through his remarks...
Also read:
Pollster: Without Black Vote, Democrats Face 'Crushing Losses'
Hispanics seem to be souring on Obama, Democrats
Greg welcomes guests Mike Baker, KT McFarland and Howard Kurtz.
'Nerd Prom': D.C. Permanent Political Class Repelling A-List Stars with Boorish Antics
A-list celebrities are tired of crazed Washington, D.C. denizens treating them like animals at a petting zoo or acting like star-struck children at the Kids' Choice Awards at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, which is known as "Nerd Prom."
Washington, D.C., known as "Hollywood for ugly people," has become more of a "Boomtown" since President Barack Obama's election. The same celebrities, who, along with the mainstream press, gawked and fawned at Obama during his campaign and first term in office are now tired of the press and other D.C. barnacles making the event "amateur hour" in an age with an increasing social media presence.
The Hollywood Reporter observed that Washingtonians "may govern the free world's leading nation and regulate the globe's biggest economy, but when it comes to celebrities, Washingtonians are as starstruck as folks from Des Moines."
In their first World Cup finals the Irish had fought their way through Group F and into the knockout stages at Italia 1990 without winning a game, having secured draws with England, Egypt, and Holland. Ireland then lined up to play Romania in the round of 16. The date was June 25, 1990 in Genoa's Stadio Luigi Farraris. Ireland's fans, the most popular in the world, were there in force.
Ireland's starting line-up were as follows: Packie Bonner, Chris Morris, Mick McCarthy (capt), Kevin Moran, Steve Staunton, Ray Houghton, Paul McGrath, Andy Townsend, Kevin Sheedy, John Aldridge and Niall Quinn. Tony Cascarino would come on for Aldridge in the 22nd minute while David O'Leary would replace Staunton early in the overtime period.
While Ireland had avoided the mighty West Germans the match against the technically gifted Romanians, including the legendary Gheorghe Hagi, would prove to be anything but easy. The Irish team employed the tried and trusted Jack Charlton style of football throughout the game by bombarding the Romanian defense with long balls.
During normal playing time the Irish could not make the breakthrough and in reality the Romanians came closest to breaking the deadlock through the dangerous Hagi.
The 90 minutes ended in a 0-0 draw. In a further half hour of extended play neither side could find the golden goal and the Irish players faced their first-ever penalty shoot-out at a major soccer championship. This video covers the drama of the shoot-out with Donegal and Celtic's own Packie Bonner in the line of fire for the Bhoys in Green.
"She loves God, the Church, family, children, laughing, deep conversations, holding hands and playful banter."
"I had been going back and forth inside my head about where and how to propose to Joanna," he recalled. Everything from dinner at a pricey restaurant to a sunset walk on the beach to fireworks ran through Philip's head. "Ultimately though, I felt drawn to propose in the context of the sacraments," he concluded.
There was still uncertainty about how the proposal would all unfold. Philip bought the ring and secured the blessing of Joanna's father. The previous evening, he and Joanna had enjoyed a great time at Catholic Underground in Los Angeles. There was adoration, confession and live music by Catholic artists. When they left the event, each spoke aloud about how sure they felt about their future together. It all emboldened to Philip to propose after Sunday evening Mass.
"I probably checked my pocket 50 times to make sure the box hadn't somehow disappeared," Philip said regarding the Mass. Afterwards, he suggested to Joanna that they pray together in a side chapel with the tabernacle. "This wasn’t an unusual practice for us, so she was entirely unsuspecting."
It was through prayer, that Philip put his proposal into words. After giving thanks to the Lord for His Presence in the Eucharist, he added "And I pray you help me to make a gift of myself to Joanna, especially as we prepare for the sacrament of matrimony, if she'll have me." At this point, Joanna opened her eyes and saw the ring. She knew the prayer was a proposal and said yes...
What an amazing game!
No. 1 Florida State beats No. 2 Auburn 34-31
For all Jameis Winston had done as a redshirt freshman for Florida State, he never had to pull the Seminoles from the brink of defeat.
In the biggest game of the year, down by four with 79 seconds left, the Heisman Trophy winner put together the drive of his life, and the Seminoles proved they could take a punch to win a championship.
Winston threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn 34-31 to win the BCS national title game on Monday night.
"There's a lot of heart and guts down in Tallahassee, too," coach Jimbo Fisher said.
The Bowl Championship Series went out with a bang, with one of the best title games in its 16-year history. It will be replaced by a four-team playoff next season. And the Southeastern Conference's seven-year winning streak in college football's biggest game was snapped by the Atlantic Coast Conference school that played in the first three BCS title games but hadn't been back since.
Florida State was voted a unanimous No. 1 in the final AP Top 25. Auburn finished second.
Winston struggled much of the night but was near perfect when the Seminoles (14-0) needed it most, going 6 for 7 for 77 yards on the game-winning 80-yard drive.
"It was the best football game he's played all year," Fisher said, "and I'll tell you why, because for three quarters he was up and down and he fought.
"And to pull it out in the atmosphere and environment and with what was on the line tonight, to me if that's not a great player, I don't know who is."
Florida St. fans revel in BCS victory over Auburn
Preliminary Win in D.C. for Religious Freedom
The Archdiocese of Washington is pleased that today the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued an injunction that prevents the Archdiocese and its affiliates from having to choose between paying crippling fines or facilitating the provision of abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations, and contraceptives to their employees. The order prohibits the government from enforcing the HHS mandate’s objectionable requirements against the Archdiocese and its co-appellants pending further order from the court.
This action by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is in line with the rulings of courts all across the country which have held that the HHS mandate imposes a substantial and impermissible burden on the free exercise of religion. These decisions also vindicate the pledge of the U.S. Catholic bishops to stand united in resolute defense of the first and most sacred freedom – religious liberty.
While the decision today is a preliminary ruling, and the merits of the case are soon to be considered, the Archdiocese is hopeful that the final disposition of this case will support religious freedom and rights of conscience.
CNN Poll: GOP has edge in early midterm indicator
Democrats have lost their advantage and Republicans now have a slight edge in the battle for control of Congress, according to a new national poll.
A CNN/ORC International survey released Thursday also indicates that President Barack Obama may be dragging down Democratic congressional candidates, and that the 2014 midterm elections are shaping up to be a low-turnout event, with only three in 10 registered voters extremely or very enthusiastic about voting next year.
Two months ago, Democrats held a 50%-42% advantage among registered voters in a generic ballot, which asked respondents to choose between a Democrat or Republican in their congressional district without identifying the candidates. That result came after congressional Republicans appeared to overplay their hand in the bitter fight over the federal government shutdown and the debt ceiling.
But the Democratic lead evaporated, and a CNN poll a month ago indicated the GOP holding a 49%-47% lead. The new survey, conducted in mid-December, indicates Republicans with a 49%-44% edge over the Democrats.
Democratic voters seem particularly unenthusiastic about voting, and that is likely to benefit the GOP. Thirty-six percent of Republicans say they're extremely or very enthusiastic about voting. That number drops to 22% among Democrats.
Another GOP advantage is the President's standing with the public: 55% of registered voters say that they are more likely to vote for a congressional candidate who opposes the President than one who supports him and four in 10 say they are likely to vote for a candidate who supports Obama.
"Those kind of numbers spelled early trouble for the Democrats before the 1994 and 2010 midterms, and for the GOP before the 2006 elections," Holland said.
Greg welcomes guests Will Rahn, Imogen Lloyd Webber and Tom Shillue.
Because obviously!
Presidential poll: Ronald Reagan's the greatest, Obama the worst
Former President Ronald Reagan has edged out Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy as the nation's greatest president in over a century, and President Obama was rated the biggest failure by a sizable margin over George W. Bush, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, according to a new poll.
The YouGov/Economist rankings just released found that more adults, 32 percent, put "the Gipper" in the "great" category. Of the 1,000 polled, FDR followed at 31 percent and JFK at 30 percent. Just 14 percent rated Obama as great.
Instead, 37 percent graded Obama a "failure," more than Bush at 32 percent, Nixon at 30 percent and Jimmy Carter at 22 percent.
The survey looked at presidents since Theodore Roosevelt, the first of the 20th century. Those surveyed were asked to rate each president in six categories: great, near great, average, below average, failure, and don't know.
Obama Approval Falls to 39 Percent!
President Obama's approval rating has fallen below 40 percent for the first time in two years, a Gallup poll showed Tuesday.
In its daily poll documenting a three-day average, Obama's job approval rating is now at 39 percent. Fifty-three percent disapprove of his job performance. The poll's margin of error is 3 percentage points.
The last time the president's approval rating was that low was the summer of 2011, according to Gallup's numbers.
Nearly a year ago - the week before Christmas - his approval rating was close to 60 percent.
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll last week had Obama's approval rating at 42%, a new low for him in their polling. Last month an Associated Press poll showed Obama's approval rating at a dismal 37%.
To give you an idea of how bad this is for the Dear Leader, consider this: Eight years ago, during the first week of November, 2005 (less than 3 months after Katrina), George Bush's approval rating was at 40% with 55% disapproving of his job performance. The latest poll finds that 53% disapprove of Obama's job performance. OUCH!
On Tuesday, Julia Ioffe, senior editor for the uber liberal The New Republic, thought it would be hilarious to suggest that The Dear Leader needed to use military force against Tea Party "anarchists" in Congress.
Ioffe insinuated that the current federal government shutdown is similar to the 1993 constitutional crisis in Russia, in which then-President Boris Yeltsin ultimately ended the impasse by dissolving the parliament, and had tanks shell the legislative body's "White House."
Ioffe asserted that the "old Soviet conservatives" in Russia 20 years ago were "intransigent" and "bullheaded" and the Tea Party representatives in the House are really no different - and should be dealt with accordingly, apparently (tee hee).
What is a president in a presidential constitutional republic to do when faced with an intransigent, bull-headed faction among his people's representatives?
Well, Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first democratically elected president, was once faced with a similar situation exactly 20 years ago, in October 1993. The parliament, then called the Supreme Soviet, was increasingly against Yeltsin's neoliberal economic reforms (suggested to him by young Western advisors like Jeffrey Sachs). On one hand, these reforms freed up the old Soviet command economy. On the other, they drove the country into chaos and violence, and left tens of millions impoverished, their savings nullified by skyrocketing inflation. The parliament, dominated by old Soviet conservatives, was increasingly against these reforms and refused to confirm Yeltsin's key economic advisor. Yeltsin held a national referendum, a sort of national vote of confidence, which he won, and used it as a justification for what he did next.
Almost exactly 20 years ago, he dissolved parliament. The vice president and the speaker of the parliament dissolved Yeltsin's presidency, and holed up with their supporters in the parliament's headquarters, now known as "the White House."
Then Yeltsin did this to it.
Get it? Because the Tea Party is intransigent and those Russian parliament guys were intransigent and blah blah blah...
What's obviously lost on her is the usual hypocrisy of the liberal media when it comes to this kind of violent, authoritarian, eliminationist rhetoric.
The point being that if an editor at a Conservative publication had written the same kind of piece back in 2007 when a Republican president was dealing with a Democrat-controlled Congress the outrage from the Left - including, no doubt, The New Republic - would be predictably hyperbolic. As always, liberals grant themselves the privilege of being as obnoxious as they want to be while scolding others about "civility."
But while there won't be any "teachable moments" or "national conversations" about this particular double standard, TNR and Ioffe did receive some feedback on Twitter...
As is typically the case with liberal trolls, Ioffe then tried to play the aggrieved victim:
Which earned her this rebuke from Jonah Goldberg:
Where to begin? For starters, the Bolsheviks were not trying to restore an old order. They were bloodthirsty revolutionaries eager to purge every vestige of the old order. After all, they weren't czarists or, needless to say, supporters of the Russian Provisional Government under Kerensky. The tea parties on the other hand are dedicated to the constitutional order established by the Founding and the subsequent amendments. In other words, Ioffe's comparison is silly and nonsensical when actually considering the content of the respective ideologies at play.
But, give her the benefit of the doubt, let's assume she's making a point simply about "tactics." How are tea-party tactics comparable to the Bolsheviks? Are the tea partiers lining opponents against the wall and murdering them? Republican strategy may be flawed, but when Republican representatives democratically elected to stop Obamacare refuse to pass a continuing resolution that doesn't delay the individual mandate or repeal the medical-device tax, only very confused people respond by shouting "Bolsheviks!"
By Thursday, Ioffe was sending out tweets like this:
And finally...this:
Oh, honey...rest assured that nobody is taking you seriously.
But wait! There's more... As an added bonus and for your viewing pleasure, here's a clip from August during the Snowden fiasco of Larry O'Donnell "mansplaining" the facts of life about Vladimir Putin. Now this is some highly entertaining nutjob-on-nutjob crosstalk but keep in mind that while Ioffe is a lefty she is not an O-bot. O'Donnell is furious with her because she's not demonstrating the proper amount of mindless outrage at the way Putin has made a chump out of Obama over Syria. If Vlad hadn't run circles around Barry, I doubt Larry would be this cantankerous with Ioffe.
The irony, of course, is that I'm sure there have been plenty of times when Ioffe herself got a kick out of watching Crazy Larry pull this kind of obnoxious, over-the-top crap on a Conservative guest. How do you like them apples, Julie?
Al Jazeera America's opening week a ratings disaster
Al Jazeera America launched last week, and we have the ratings from Nielsen Media Research for its first few days.
Not surprisingly given the low-rated channel it replaced (Current TV), and the fact that it lost a few million homes from AT&T before launch (it is currently in just over 40 million homes), AJAM’s launch ratings were pretty low by traditional cable news standards.
The highest rated show on AJAM last week was the Thursday evening edition of "Real Money with Ali Velshi," which drew 54,000 total viewers.
The 2 PM Saturday edition of "News Live" averaged 48,000 viewers, while "Inside Story" Thursday at 12:30 PM averaged 41,000 viewers. "News Live" Thursday from 12-12:30 averaged 40,000. The debut edition of "The Stream" on Tuesday averaged 38,000 viewers, below Nielsen's accuracy threshold, while the debut of "America Tonight" averaged 34,000 viewers.
Meanwhile, over at RHN (Race Hustle Network), still known by its industry name "MSNBC"...
MSNBC Ratings Down Double Digits From a Year Ago
MSNBC's ratings tumble continued with a poor August showing, with some programs seeing nearly a 50-percent drop in viewership from a year ago, TV Newser reports.
Among the lowlights were the worst showings yet by its leading program The Rachel Maddow Show, with 43 percent and 47 percent drops in total viewers and the 25-54 demographic, respectively, and 40- and 42-percent drops in the same areas for The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell.
8 p.m.'s All In With Chris Hayes, whose host acknowledged in a New Yorker article that his ratings are "bad right now," was down 48 percent and 42 percent in total and the 25-54 demo as well.
"Morning Joe" was down -9% in total viewers and -17% in the A25-54 demographic compared to the same month last year, which actually was a better result than many of the programs that came later in the day.
In primetime, "The Rachel Maddow Show" posted all-time low ratings in total and demo viewers, down -43% and -47%, respectively. "The Last Word" posted a low in total viewers, losing -40% of its total viewer audience and -42% of its demo audience. at 8 PM, "All In" was down -48% and -42% in total and demo viewers, respectively, placing behind CNN for the hour.
In dayside, MSNBC was down double digits in pretty much every hour in total and demo viewers, including 6 PM's "PoliticsNation," which was down -31% and -37% in total and demo viewers, and 3 PM's "The Cycle," which was down -15% and -18% in total and demo viewers.
It's easy to forget that this week began with a heartfelt and heartwarming "thank you" from Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, the Cleveland girls rescued from captivity at the hands of the monster, Ariel Castro. It is a powerful reminder that sometimes tragedy does end in triumph and a sad story can have a happy ending. These ladies are survivors.
And while celebrating their survival and rescue it's also an amazing feeling to see another young girl rescued before the predator could get away, due to quick-thinking heroism by Temar Boggs and his friend. If these don't make you smile then...you're obviously a cyborg. Peace!
