Year: 2011

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been incredibly successful in changing the debate in this country, away from austerity and budget cuts and slashing social programs to further enrich the rich, and toward unemployment and the horrible income disparity that is pervasive in our society. The Occupy movement has once again engaged and inspired the young into direct political action, which is wonderful. I still support the Occupy movement, but it is time the movement rethink its tactics. Today's Day of Action and the resulting arrests, violence and horrible traffic and transit disruptions in NYC and Philly will probably lose the protestors support they were already losing.

Federal law enforcement authorities yesterday arrested a 21-year-old Idaho man suspected of shooting with a semiautomatic rifle at the White House on Friday night, as the Secret Service reported finding that at least one bullet had indeed struck the presidential residence. In response to this, on Twitter, the president of the College Republicans at the University of Texas, Lauren Pierce, had this to say:

“Y’all as tempting as it may be, don’t shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we’ve EVER had! #2012.”

"He did ask if I could debate here in Washington on Monday. It is my understanding that such a letter has come in. Monday I'm going to be in Portland in the morning, I'm going to be visiting some of our labs. I'm in California in the afternoon, that's two. I can't remember what the third is." -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), quoted by Politico, rebuffing Rick Perry's request for a debate on overhauling Washington, DC.

A new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll in Iowa finds Herman Cain still leading the Republican field with 25%, followed by Ron Paul at 20%, Mitt Romney at 16%, Rick Perry at 8%, Michele Bachmann at 8%, Newt Gingrich at 5% and Rick Santorum at 5%. Wouldn't it be something if Ron Paul actually won both Iowa and New Hampshire. It is very possible.

I call it the Honeymoon Glow, because there is simply no way Newton Leroy Gingrich is more competitive against President Obama than Mitt Romney, but that is what a new McClatchy-Marist poll finds.