I went looking for the full poll behind a claim that 68% of Americans oppose passing ObamaCare without Republican support. Via this article, I came across this 42 page pdf file with the poll data. From Rasmussen on March 1st, current Party ID numbers stand at 35% D, 32% R, and 33% I. The AP-GFK poll uses 45% D, 34% R, and 20% I. It's possible ObamaCare's numbers are even worse than the AP-GFK poll suggests, but beyond that, there's even more troubling information inside. Obama is completely out of ste... (more)

Are you completely aware of the how far The Community Organizer is willing to go to get his government takeover of health care started? How about selling federal judgeships for votes? Would Obama go that far? Well, let’s consider the interesting case of Utah Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson. Matheson has voted against ObamaCare at every opportunity. Now, suddenly, Rep. Matheson is officially “undecided.” He doesn’t really know how he’s going to vote now. His office reports that he’s waiting to see if a “bipa... (more)

The CBO announced today that the US longterm deficit picture is even worse than originally predicted. The AP reported: A new congressional report released Friday says the United States’ long-term fiscal woes are even worse than predicted by President Barack Obama’s grim budget submission last month. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that Obama’s budget plans would generate deficits over the upcoming decade that would total $9.8 trillion. That’s $1.2 trillion more than predicted ... (more)

In fear of an impending bad unemployment number, National Economic Council Director Larry Summers is spinning the possibility heavy snow will bump the unemployment numbers up by over one hundred thousand. (more)

President Obama voiced support Monday for the mass firings of educators at a failing Rhode Island school, drawing an immediate rebuke from teachers union officials whose members have chafed at some of his education policies. Speaking at an event intended to highlight his strategy for turning around struggling schools by offering an increase in federal funding for local districts that shake up their lowest-achieving campuses, Obama called the controversial firings justified. (more)

President Barack Obama will use a bipartisan summit Thursday to push for sweeping health-care legislation, but if that fails to generate enough support the White House has prepared the outlines of a more modest plan. His leading alternate approach would provide health insurance to perhaps 15 million Americans, about half what the comprehensive bill would cover, according to two people familiar with the planning. It would do that by requiring insurance companies to allow people up to 26 years old to sta... (more)

Via Instapundit I am glad that Obama released his plan this morning, when I was driving. Since I was in the car for several hours, I did not feel compelled to try to churn out a quick review. Instead, the rest of the world did it for me. Among the variety of analyses upon which I base what I am about to say are some decidedly from the left, Wonk Room and Firedoglake, as well as CATO, ATR and the NY Times. (more)

President Obama on Thursday indicated that tax increases on people who make less than $250,000 a year will be on the table when a deficit commission makes its recommendations later this year on how to resolve the nation’s fiscal imbalances. “Everything’s on the table. That’s how this thing is going to work,” Obama said Thursday, moments after signing an executive order creating the 18-member commission. (more)

Obama charges forward on health-care, damn you who oppose. John Boehner, House minority leader, speaks for me: “The President has crippled the credibility of this week’s summit by proposing the same massive government takeover of health care based on a partisan bill the American people have already rejected. This new Democrats-only backroom deal doubles down on the same failed approach that will drive up premiums, destroy jobs, raise taxes, and slash Medicare benefits. (more)

WASHINGTON – Thrust into office on the veracity of hope, President Barack Obama is trying to get himself on the right side of a remarkably different national sentiment these days: anger. Obama's expansive domestic goals are largely the same, but his message is changing, now constructed around a concession that the public is disillusioned and wanting results. If he cannot show people that he understands their frustration and is working to fix it, the risks are real. (more)