Archive for October 20th, 2011
These are my links for October 20th from 10:51 to 18:19:
- Gallup.Com – Polling Matters by Frank Newport: Occupy Wall Street, Obama, Marijuana, and Facebook – 3. True or false: Presidential job approval ratings don’t rise between the fall of the year before an election and election year itself. In other words, it's unlikely that Obama’s job approval ratings will be much higher next year.
That’s false. Clinton’s ratings went up over 10 percentage points between October 1995 and 1996. Reagan’s job approval ratings went up over 10 points between October 1983 and 1984. Carter’s ratings went up over 20 points between October 1979 and January 1980 (although they rapidly fell back down again). And George H.W. Bush’s job approval ratings fell more than 30 points between October 1991 and 1992.
In other words, an incumbent president's job approval ratings can, in fact, change significantly between October of the year before an election and the election year itself. Obama’s job approval ratings are hovering right around 40%. History suggests it is in theory possible that his ratings could rise 10 points between now and next year, which would put him at or around 50% — the bottom range of where he would need to be based on history to win re-election.
4. What percent of those aged 65 years and older say marijuana should be legalized?
The answer to that question is 31%. That contrasts, of course to the overall average of 50% for all adults, and 62% among those aged 18-29 years who support legalizing pot. Perhaps some of those aged 65 and older are aging hippies who fondly remember the Flower Power days of the 1960s.
5. True or False: Facebook users are almost entirely composed of those below age 50.
False. While Facebook use certainly skews young, 18% of those we interviewed in a recent USA Today/Gallup poll who were 65 years and older said they have a Facebook page. That compares to 35% of those 50 to 64, 58% of those 30 to 49, and a whopping 74% of those 18 to 29 we interviewed. Overall, 48% of Americans say they have a Facebook page.
- Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland – With the approval of the Obama administration, an electric car company that received a $529 million federal government loan guarantee is assembling its first line of cars in Finland, saying it could not find a facility in the United States capable of doing the work.
Vice President Joseph Biden heralded the Energy Department's $529 million loan to the start-up electric car company called Fisker as a bright new path to thousands of American manufacturing jobs. But two years after the loan was announced, the job of assembling the flashy electric Fisker Karma sports car has been outsourced to Finland.
"There was no contract manufacturer in the U.S. that could actually produce our vehicle," the car company's founder and namesake told ABC News. "They don't exist here."
Henrik Fisker said the U.S. money so far has been spent on engineering and design work that stayed in the U.S., not on the 500 manufacturing jobs that went to a rural Finnish firm, Valmet Automotive.
"We're not in the business of failing; we're in the business of winning. So we make the right decision for the business," Fisker said. "That's why we went to Finland."
=======
Read it all…..
- LifeNews.com – The Pro-Life News Source – Cain Releases Clarifying Statement: I'm Pro-Life on Abortion |
- Dilbert October 20, 2011 – Forbidden Planet » Flap’s California Blog – Dilbert October 20, 2011 – Forbidden Planet
- Cain Releases Clarifying Statement: I’m Pro-Life on Abortion | LifeNews.com – RT @StevenErtelt: Cain Releases Clarifying Statement: I'm Pro-Life on Abortion
- Poll Watch: Who Has More Popular Support – The Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: Who Has More Popular Support – The Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street? #tcot #catcot
- GOP 12: T. Boone Pickens doesn’t like GOP in-fighting – > But, they can't stop RT @GOP12: T. Boone Pickens to GOP field: Listen to Reagan, and quit pickin' on each other.
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Should the Federal Government Develop a New Nutritional Rating System for Food and Beverages? – A simpler, easier to use nutritional rating system for food and beverages is proposed…:
- California Veterinary Board Says NO to Dog Groomers Cleaning Teeth With Dental Scalers » Flap’s California Blog – California Veterinary Board Says No to Dog Groomers in Canine Dentistry issue..:
- Obama’s numbers down even in Hawaii – Public Policy Polling – RT @ppppolls: Obama's Hawaii approval is 56/35. Down net 15 points from 64/29 in March:
- Flap’s Links and Comments for October 20th on 06:31 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Chris Christie spurs a candidacy and Herman Cain mocked by Hillary Clinton…:
Tags: #catcot, #tcot, Facebook, Fisker, Marijuana, Obama, Pinboard Links
1 Comment »
Ventura County Tea Party Rally, April 2009
The answer is probably NEITHER.
That’s tricky. We asked the same “support” or “oppose” question of both in the aforementioned USA Today/Gallup poll. The results show broadly similar views, although the Tea Party, with a 22% supporter, 27% opponent response in this poll, is slightly more negative than the 26% supporter, 19% opponent profile for the OWS movement. Half or more of Americans are neither supporters nor opponents of these movements. That underscores the point made by my colleague Jeff Jones in his analysis — namely that the majority of Americans are not highly caught up in these movements that occupy so much of the news media’s time.
My friends and colleagues, by and large, could care less. So, this is probably correct.
Unless, of course, one of the demonstrations disrupts traffic, then that person will hate your group!
Tags: Occupy Wall Street, Polling, Tea Party
1 Comment »
These are my links for October 20th from 06:31 to 10:48:
- Cain’s troubles multiply – This time Over Abortion – This is simply bizarre. He’s eloquently described his “pro-life” views as synonymous with the standard pro-choice argument. Santorum leapt, releasing this statement: “Herman Cain said that he believes life begins at conception, but that it’s up to the individual to decide whether or not to terminate that life. And I find it gravely troubling that Herman believes it’s a life, but that he doesn’t consider it a life worth fighting for. As the author of the partial birth abortion ban and other pro-life pieces of legislation, this is the exact mentality myself and other true pro-life advocates fought against. In fact, Herman’s pro-choice position is similar to those held by John Kerry, Barack Obama and many others on the liberal left. No, Herman, it is not ‘whatever they decide,’ this is an innocent human life. It is unconscionable for Herman to run for the nomination of the Party that stands in defense of Life while showing disregard for the sanctity of Life. You cannot be both personally against abortion while condoning it – you can’t have it both ways. We must defend the defenseless, period.”
As with his 9-9-9 plan, it’s not clear Cain understands his own position on abortion. Once again, we have seen, not surprising to many of us, that a total political novice wilts under even mild scrutiny in a presidential race.
Moreover, this one will hurt him badly in Iowa, where his Christian conservative credentials were a major reason many voters supported him. Cain’s stumbles, like those of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, may become one long slide down in the polls. Unfortunately for him, he has neither the money nor the staff to help him correct course.
- Hillary Clinton and Hamid Karzai chuckle over Herman Cain – Secretary of State Clinton and Afghan President Hamid Karzai put international diplomacy aside Thursday during their meeting in Kabul to have a few laughs at Herman Cain’s expense.
According to the Associated Press, the two leaders began their meeting in the Afghanistan capital with a discussion about how the GOP presidential candidate recently responded to how he would handle “gotcha questions” from the media on foreign policy.
“When they ask me who’s the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan, I’m gonna say, ‘You know, I don’t know, do you know?’” Cain responded, raising eyebrows about his lack of foreign policy credentials.
Karzai told Clinton that Cain was talking about “all the ‘stans,” to which Clinton laughed and waved her hands, saying, “All the ‘stans places,” the wire said.
“That wasn’t right, but anyway, that’s how politics are,” Karzai responded.
The two leaders moved on to have a more serious discussion. According to the AP, Clinton called for a new partnership between the U.S., Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight insurgents and described a “fight, talk, build” strategy for the three countries.
- Teacher in famous Christie YouTube video running for N.J. Assembly – Marie Corfield didn’t know what to expect when she confronted Gov. Chris Christie at a town hall in Raritan last year.
The 52-year-old art teacher left Robert Hunter Elementary during her lunch break and walked across the street to the municipal building, where Christie was holding court.
"I said ‘Well, now’s my chance. Better go speak my mind,’" Corfield said.
She did, and the ensuing 10-minute argument would soon become a YouTube sensation for Christie, helping him burnish his national image as a tough talking, no nonsense executive. But it also touched off a groundswell of publicity for Corfield, making her a sort of unofficial spokeswoman for aggrieved New Jersey public school teachers and, eventually, a candidate for Assembly.
The September 2010 confrontation reverberated across the internet after the governor’s staff posted it to his YouTube channel. Corfield took to the mic and ripped into the governor’s cuts to school funding and what she saw as his rhetoric against teachers.
- Will Moving Out of a Poor Neighborhood Bring Down the Levels of Obesity and Diabetes? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Want to avoid Obesity and Diabetes = MOVE:
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: October 20, 2011 – Today's Health and Dentistry Headlines…..:
- Obama struggling in Ohio – Public Policy Polling – RT @ppppolls: Obama can only hope for a Perry resurgence. Perry's fav in Ohio is 21/61! Obama leads him 50-41:
- 40 balloons for my 40th
– YouTube – > Happy Birthday! RT @justin_hart: Family surprised me with a 40-balloon salute: video here:
- Flap’s California Morning Collection: October 20, 2011 » Flap’s California Blog – Today's California Headlines……:
- Flap’s Links and Comments for October 19th through October 20th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Today's sad morning American economic headlines….:
Tags: #catcot, #tcot, Abortion, Cain, Christie, Clinton, Pinboard Links, Pro-Life
Comments Off
According to the latest Rasmussen Iowa Caucus Poll.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Iowa caucus-goers shows that Cain is in front with 28% followed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 21%. Congressman Ron Paul is a distant third at 10% followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 9%, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann at 8%, and Texas Governor Rick Perry at 7%. The sixth place finish for Perry is a sharp decline from early September when Perry was the frontrunner both nationally and in Iowa.
Only one-third of the caucus-goers (32%) are certain of their vote and don’t expect to change their mind. Among these voters, 30% prefer Cain, 22% Romney, and 17% Paul.
Among those absolutely certain they will show up and participate in the caucus, Cain leads Romney 31% to 18%. Many have criticized the Cain campaign for not having a strong organization in Iowa which is seen as essential to turning out the vote. According to such conventional analysis, Cain might be at risk of raising expectations too high and then underperforming.
Unanswered questions in Iowa are:
- Does Mitt Romney run ads attacking Cain or does he allow him finish off conservatives Bachmann and Perry?
- Will Perry contest in Iowa or wait until South Carolina and who does he attack: Romney or Cain?
Tags: Polling, President 2012
Comments Off
These are my links for October 19th through October 20th:
- Jobless Claims Straddle Key Level; Big Upturn Still Elusive – New claims for unemployment benefits fell last week and a gauge of labor market trends hit a six-month low, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to an improvement in the jobs market.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 403,000, the Labor Department said, from an upwardly revised 409,000 the prior week.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 400,000 from the previously reported 404,000.
The claims data covered the survey week for the government's closely watched nonfarm payrolls count for October.
- An Unprecedented 26 Million Americans Are Now Underemployed – While the number of unemployed workers has held steady at around 14 million in recent months, another telling measure of frustration in the labor market—the number of underemployed individuals—rose for a third consecutive month in September, by almost a half of a million people.
Almost 9.3 million Americans are considered underemployed, defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as working part-time for economic reasons, such as unfavorable business conditions or seasonal declines in demand.
That's up from just over 8 million in July, but down from a peak of about 9.5 million in September 2010. In addition, about 2.5 million individuals are considered "marginally attached to the labor force," meaning they were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. (They are not counted as unemployed because they had not looked for a job in the past four weeks prior to the survey.)
- US ‘Misery Index’ Rises to Highest Since 1983 – An unofficial gauge of human misery in the United States rose last month to a 28-year high as Americans struggled with rising inflation and high unemployment.
The misery index — which is simply the sum of the country's inflation and unemployment rates — rose to 13.0, pushed up by higher price data the government reported on Wednesday.
The data underscores the extent that Americans continue to suffer even two years after a deep recession ended, with a weak economic recovery imperiling President Barack Obama's hopes of winning reelection next year.
Inez Stallworth, an underwriting assistant for a financial services company, recently gave up her car, in part because of rising costs for gasoline and groceries.
"I can't fit it in," said the 27-year-old Chicago resident, who said most of her extended family was getting by "paycheck-to-paycheck." Consumer prices rose 3.9 percent in the 12 months through September, the fastest pace in three years.
With gasoline prices high, consumers have less to spend on other things.
Moreover, a rise in overall prices saps economic growth, which is typically measured in inflation-adjusted terms.
The last time the misery index was at current levels was in 1983.
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-10-20 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-10-20 #tcot #catcot
- Update: Ad Pulled – President 2012: Mitt Romney Releases Rick Perry Debate Blopper Video Which Asks: Is Perry Ready to Lead? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Romney Pulls Perry Attack Ad which ridiculed his debate performance bloopers:
- President 2012: Mitt Romney Releases Rick Perry Debate Blopper Video Which Asks: Is Perry Ready to Lead? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Mitt Romney Releases Rick Perry Debate Blopper Video Which Asks: Is Perry Ready to Lead? #tcot #catcot
- President 2012: Rick Perry Attacks Mitt Romney on Immigration – Really? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Rick Perry Attacks Mitt Romney on Immigration – Really? #tcot #catcot
- Flap’s Links and Comments for October 18th through October 19th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for October 18th through October 19th #tcot #catcot
Tags: #catcot, #tcot, Economy, Pinboard Links
1 Comment »
Comments Off
|
Entries (RSS)