Together the big five oil companies—BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell—earned a combined $33.5 billion, or $368 million per day, during the first quarter of 2012. Recall that these companies made a combined record profit of $137 billion in 2011, mostly due to high oil and gasoline prices. Their ongoing huge earnings mean that these…
Public Opinion Snapshot: The Death of Public Support for Global Warming Action Is Greatly Exaggerated
President Barack Obama recently observed that tackling climate change remains vitally important despite difficulties moving legislation forward. Conservatives, of course, are trying their utmost to remove the issue permanently from political discussion, claiming that the public is tired of the debate and no longer has an appetite for combating global warming. But a just-released poll…
Majority of Muslims Do Not Like bin Laden, al Qaeda
A year after the death of its leader, al Qaeda is widely unpopular among Muslim publics. A new poll by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, conducted March 19 to April 13, 2012, finds majorities – and mostly large majorities – expressing negative views of the terrorist group in Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey and…
President Obama Makes an Argument for Rebuilding America
Speaking to 3,000 attendees of the Building and Construction Trades Department conference in Washington, DC this morning, President Obama made an argument for investing in rebuilding America. He told the crowd: [As] a share of the economy, Europe invests more than twice what we do in infrastructure; China about four times as much. Are we…
Obama: “As long as I’m president, we’re gonna keep moving forward…You’ve got my signature on it”
Here’s President Obama talking about Lilly Ledbetter, fair pay, and change. He also doesn’t miss the chance to take a quick jab at Mitt Romney.
New Obama Campaign Slogan – “Forward”
The video outlines the challenges America faced as President Obama took office at the height of the worst recession in almost a century and details the progress that has been made reclaiming the security of the middle class and building an economy that’s meant to last, where hard work pays and responsibility is rewarded.
Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem
The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition. When one party moves this far from the mainstream, it makes it nearly impossible for the political system to deal…
A world of zombie economic policies — policies that should have been killed
The good news is that many influential people are finally admitting that the confidence fairy was a myth. The bad news is that despite this admission there seems to be little prospect of a near-term course change either in Europe or here in America, where we never fully embraced the doctrine, but have, nonetheless, had…
Zimmerman Raised $200,000 From Website For Trayvon Martin Killing Defense
George Zimmerman raised more than $200,000 to defend himself in the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, his lawyer said on Thursday. Attorney Mark O’Mara gave the figure in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, which was set to be broadcast Thursday night. Zimmerman raised the money through a bizarre website, which he set…
CHART OF THE DAY: US Vs. UK Growth
Now the first thing to note is that the US has recovered WAY better than either the Eurozone or the UK. So if you think Obama has been a disaster, you might first acknowledge that the US has performed better than all its major Western peers. But beyond that, check out the UK line. The…
Paul Ryan Flip Flops on Ayn Rand: ‘I Reject Her Philosophy’
In 2005, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) heaped praise on Ayn Rand, a 20th-century libertarian novelist best known for her philosophy that centered on the idea that selfishness is “virtue”. The New Republic wrote: “The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would…
“If Paul Ryan Knew What Poverty Was, He Wouldnt Be Giving This Speech”
Rep. Paul Ryan R-Wis., chairman of the House budget committee, knew some Catholics were spoiling for a fight with him Thursday when he was scheduled to speak at Georgetown University, a Catholic institution. Nearly 90 faculty members and administrators sent him a letter expressing concerns with his recent comments that his proposed budget, which includes…
Rick Scott Drug Testing Executive Order Ruled Unconstitutional By Federal Judge
A federal judge has ruled that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) violated the Constitution last year when he ordered drug testing for state government workers. U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled on Wednesday that suspicionless drug testing testing for state workers violated the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable search and seizure. Scott had suspended…
Predict Obama’s odds in the 2012 election
Political scientists at George Washington, Yale and UCLA believe most elections can be predicted with just a few pieces of information. They created a formula that uses economic growth, presidential approval ratings in June and incumbency to forecast President Obama’s share of the two-party vote in the Nov. 6 election. SOURCE: Predict Obamas odds in…
Arrests In Case Of Black Georgia Couple Held At Gunpoint And Arrested While Moving Into New Home
The Kalonjis said they were held by the gunmen for 10 minutes with their hands above heir heads, and that they thought they were being robbed. The couple did not have their closing papers with them, and could not prove that they owned the home. When deputies arrived, they arrested the Kalonjis and charged them…
Top Republican Says Senate GOP Could Escalate Government Shutdown Fight
A member of the Senate GOP leadership says he and his colleagues could end up backing House Republicans in their efforts to fund the government at levels below those agreed to in the bipartisan debt-limit deal last August, increasing the chances of a government shutdown fight just weeks before the 2012 election. “I think the…
Military Shift Campaign Donations From Ron Paul To Obama In March
The Army Times reported in February that anti-war GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-TX) was at that time, “by far,” getting the most in campaign contributions from members of the United States military. According to a review of Federal Election Commission data, Paul received nearly $250,000 in donations from servicemembers, President Obama, $130,000 and GOP…
Atlanta Bar Owner Posts Sign Calling President Obama a N*gger
An Atlanta bar owner posted a sign outside his restaurant that says, “I do not support the Ngger in the White House. ”The sign, posted outside the Georgia Peach Oyster Bar in Paulding County, Georgia, has caught the attention of many onlookers.In an interview with Atlanta’s Fox 5 news, bar owner Patrick Lanzo says that he’s…
In Digital Finance Race, Senate Uses Horse And Buggy
Checking a candidate’s contributors has become critical for understanding the candidate’s politics. It’s also easier than ever before with regular deadlines and electronic records — unless the legislator you are tracking is a member of the U.S. Senate. For more than a decade now, the Senate has kept itself exempt from rules other federal candidates…
Governor Rick Scott Vetoes Funds For Rape Crisis Centers During Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) shocked the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence this week when he vetoed $1.5 million in funding for 30 rape crisis centers in the middle of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. State lawmakers allotted the money to offset an increase in need and a lack of sufficient funding for victim services. A…