Remember to to look at
all the polls, even the
FOX poll with O at 42. But the averages are your friend.
Pew:
Obama Job Rating Ticks Higher, Views of Nation’s Economy Turn More Positive
But Most Still Say They Are ‘Falling Behind’ Financially
Democrats take note.
CBS:
Obama's approval rating ticks up in 2015
Politico:
“Recycled.” Not the “new blood” the GOP needs. A man who “had his shot.”
A Republican backlash against Mitt Romney that had been simmering for days boiled over on Wednesday as conservatives across the GOP spectrum panned the prospect of another presidential bid by the former Massachusetts governor and two-time loser on the national stage.
Now there's a juxtaposition for you.
More politics and policy below the fold.
The Nib has cartoonist's response to Charlie Hebdo. Click and read.
The Week:
It looks like 2015 is shaping up to be the year when Catholic conservatives declare war on Pope Francis.
We heard the first rumblings last fall, when the preliminary draft of a statement produced by the extraordinary Synod on the Family inspired New York Times columnist Ross Douthat to warn ominously about the possibility of a schism in the church if the Vatican loosens doctrinal strictures against divorced (and remarried) lay people receiving the sacrament of Communion.
But most Catholic conservatives have held their tongues, working to put a positive spin on papal pronouncements that many of them find increasingly alarming. (Sure the pope’s denunciations of capitalism are galling, but listen to his passionate attacks on abortion! Yes, Francis is far too nice to gays, but he gave such an inspiring speech on the last day of the Synod!)
So far, the tactic has worked — at least until now.
Interestingly, the decisive provocation appears to be the pope’s forthcoming encyclical on the environment.
Let's hope that when the Islamists next strike they first behead the appeasing cowards at CNN, MSNBC, etal who refused to show the cartoons.
— @WalshFreedom
TPM:
Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) said during his radio show on Wednesday evening that his social media post earlier in the day calling for Islamic terrorists to "behead the cowards at CNN, MSNBC" and other news outlets was "satire."
Walsh was upset that numerous news outlets had refused to show cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad that were originally published by the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which was the target of a deadly terrorist attack last week.
So on Wednesday afternoon, Walsh turned to Twitter to express his hope that future targets of Islamic extremists would include American news outlets.
LA Times:
A wave of measles cases traced to Disneyland threatens to spread farther. An unvaccinated California resident infected in the outbreak traveled by plane between Orange County and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during the holidays, health officials said.
The number of measles cases stemming from the outbreak has risen to 26 and now involves Washington state, Utah and Colorado.
LA Times:
Disneyland measles outbreak spreads to 22 cases statewide
Hey, you know all that stuff I've been telling you about how important vaccines are, and all that? Well, they are.
Eddie Huang:
Bamboo-Ceiling TV
The network tried to turn my memoir into a cornstarch sitcom and me into a mascot for America. I hated that.
You can't just turn everyone into Ozzie and Harriet for network TV.
Betsy Woodruff:
Why Can’t the RNC Rid Itself of a Racist?
Because, some conservatives say, they aren’t trying hard enough.
When the Republican National Committee assembles later this week in San Diego for its winter meeting, it’s hoping that Dave Agema doesn’t make the trip. That’s because Agema—the Republican National Committeeman for the state of Michigan—has become an embarrassment for much of the party. Specifically, he has a bad habit of posting racist, Islamophobic, and homophobic screeds on Facebook. He’s expected to attend the Winter Meeting in San Diego later this week, and some conservatives say the RNC isn’t doing enough to muscle him out.