1.) When Nancy left Barry — Who is helping Pres. Obama make important decisions, like which debates to sit out on except for a partisan speech here and there, or which iron to use on the third hole at Andrews Golf Course? Some pundits think it’s Billary Clinton. Others have wondered if the Chigaoans are calling all the shots. Dana Milbank knows who it’s not: “Obama, without Pelosi charting his leftward course, has drifted to where he appears to feel most comfortable: in the middle, splitting differences.” It’s like Pelosi does not even work in Washington anymore! According to Milbank, Pelosi spoke to “Democratic faithful at 86 events across the country in the first 90 days of the year.” With Pelosi out of town so often, Rep. Steny Hoyer is finally realizing his dream of being the Democrat who Republicans come to when they need to walk all over somebody.
2.) Republicans who want to make sure that what they’re voting for actually matters are just like Hanoi Jane — “A top aide to House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy on Thursday suggested Republicans who have problems with the continuing resolution hitting the floor Thursday are committing a sin akin to Jane Fonda heading to Vietnam,” reports National Journal. “For the handwringers out there, buck up,” wrote McCarthy’s aide, adding, “For those seeking other office please campaign at home, not on the backs of your colleagues.” According to NJ, the words “backs of your colleagues” link to a page dedicated to Jane Fonda’s fraternization with the North Vietnamese Army, including a speech in which she says, “I don’t think that the people of Vietnam are about to compromise in any way, shape or form about the freedom and independence of their country, and I think Richard Nixon would do well to read Vietnamese history, particularly their poetry, and particularly the poetry written by Ho Chi Minh.” McCarthy’s aide later apologized for his incredibly stupid email, but the damage is done: House GOP froshes are now scared to vote against leadership, because voting against a CR that does little to staunch the flow of red ink gushing from Washington is just like sitting atop the guns of the North Vietnamese during wartime.
3.) Dick Trumka angry at Obama! Dick Trumka smash budget proposal! — The leaders of several unions got together for a good old fashioned bitch session on Wednesday. Only this time, the tears in their beers were Pres. Obama and Sen. Reid’s fault. “Now, not only are we getting screwed by the Republicans but the Democrats are doing it too,” said one union official, according to a report by Ben Smith. Such statements were in keeping with the “mood at a summit of labor leaders who are worried that Democrats seem unlikely to go to the mat for them as an election year approaches.” Sad face!
4.) White House washes hands of Syrian rebels — “The Obama administration has turned down a plea from Syria’s democratic opposition to step up diplomatic pressure on President Bashar Assad, who has violently repressed peaceful anti-government protests,” reports the Washington Times’ Eli Lake. While the White House has gently chided Assad, encouraging him to listen to “the Syrian people calling for meaningful political and economic reforms,” Syrian rebels want something sterner. “President Obama has not personally condemned the regime. The White House has not yet issued sanctions against officials who ordered soldiers to fire on peaceful demonstrators. The White House will not say whether they will pursue a Syria specific resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council,” said a Syrian opposition leader. Perhaps Obama is hoping that this problem will solve itself.
5.) Auditors find waste in Obama’s weatherization program — The stimulus weatherization project–the one that was supposed to help millions of low-income homeowners across the country save money on their utility bills by spending thousands of government dollars to seal the cracks in their windows and doors–has been suspended in Delaware and is under close scrutiny in nearly a dozen states. In Joe Biden’s home state, an auditor found that weather-proofing contractors were going above and beyond in their duties: Instead of just sealing windows and insulating attics, they were doing extreme home makeovers to the tune of many thousands and thousands of dollars more than expected! As a result, the program has been on hold for over a year, and “only 689 homes have been retrofitted while roughly 6,000 families are on the waiting list for help.” Gee, how many jobs did that program create or save?
6.) Keith Olbermann, feminist — Former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann is still alive, and still evincing his hate for women in public. This time, the target of his Freudian ire was S.E. Cupp. “On so many levels she’s a perfect demonstration of the necessity of the work Planned Parenthood does,” Olbermann tweeted. “I never mentioned abortion,” Olbermann tweeted when asked if he meant that Cupp’s mother should have killed her while she was in utero. “I said her parents could have used counseling by PP rather than get the results they did…I insinuated her parents would’ve helped the earth had they consulted PP for birth control.” Good on you, Keith. Wishing that someone had never been conceived is so much classier than wishing that they had never been born.