1.) America increasingly unworthy of Obama’s greatness — Do polls matter? Obama had better hope not. TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports: “President Obama’s approval rating dropped to the lowest level of his entire presidency on Sunday, according to Gallup’s presidential approval rating tracker. Just 39 percent of the public say they approve of the job Obama is doing as president, a new low… Fifty-four percent of the public say they disapprove of his performance… Previously, Obama’s lowest approval rating was 40 percent, reached just two weeks ago as the clock was winding down to raise the debt ceiling and negotiations were becoming increasingly chaotic. ‘We usually don’t know exactly what causes presidential job approval to go up and go down,’ explained Gallup’s Editor in Chief Frank Newport, ‘but it’s a reasonable hypothesis that the proximate causes are the same factors that are affecting most measures we put in front of the public…the disapproval of how Washington has been handling the debt crisis, increasing worry about the economy, and the gyrating stock market – perhaps coupled with the Republicans and their criticisms of Obama occupying a lot of news space with the Iowa straw poll and Perry’s announcement.'” One thing’s for sure: it has nothing to do with the way Obama’s been doing his job. Because he is smart and awesome. There’s not enough time in the day to list all the people besides Obama who are to blame for the false perception that Obama stinks, so let’s narrow it down to one: YOU. This is all YOUR fault.
2.) Another one derides the bus — Fortunately for all of us, Obama has figured out how to fix everything: a bus tour! But those silly Republicans just have to criticize him for every little thing. TheDC’s Amanda Carey reports: “The Republican National Committee will launch a ‘grassroots, media and on-the-ground’ effort during President Barack Obama’s bus tour through the Midwest this week, The Daily Caller has learned. The RNC has dubbed the trip the ‘Debt-End Bus Tour,’ or ‘DEBT.’ RNC chairman Reince Priebus will hold a press conference on Monday with Minnesota GOP chair Tony Sutton in Cannon Falls, Minn. — the first stop on the President’s tour — to draw attention to the slow-growing U.S. economy… In a guide the RNC plans to hand out Monday morning, it slams Obama’s economic policies and criticizes him for taking a so-called non-campaign trip without producing a plan to deal with the country’s debt. In the guide, the RNC calls President Obama’s debt plan ‘A Big Ol’ Hunk of Nothing on Two Thick Slices of Nada.'” Well, they can’t all be gems. Maybe it won’t stop Obama’s taxpayer-funded campaign tour bus, but at least it’ll make everybody hungry for a sandwich or something.
3.) Perry in, Pawlenty out — And we have our first casualty in the GOP race for president. Now that Rick Perry has entered the race and the results of the Ames Straw Poll are in, it looks like America will need to wait a while longer to become the land of Pawlenty. TheDC’s Neil Munro reports: “Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty withdrew from the presidential race Sunday following his third-place finish in Saturday’s Ames Straw Poll. ‘We needed to get some lift to continue on and have a pathway forward,’ Pawlenty said on ABC’s ‘This Week.’ ‘That didn’t happen, so I’m announcing this morning on your show that I’m going to be ending my campaign for president.'” Who’ll be next? Huntsman? Gingrich? How long has the 2012 race been going on, anyway? 50 years? 100? Let’s call it 100.
4.) Plus, Affleck could use the VP gig — Matt Damon? Matt Damon. Matt Damon! TheDC’s Alec Jacobs reports: “Could Matt Damon be the next candidate to jump into the race for the presidency? The Guardian’s Paul Harris seems to think the idea isn’t so far out. Harris cites a discussion liberal filmmaker Michael Moore recently had with Firedoglake, a left-leaning political blog. During the conversation, Moore expressed frustration with President Obama, echoing the sentiment of many on the left who feel the president has ignored the wishes of his liberal base in the interest of compromising with Republicans. Damon, though, has caught Moore’s attention. The documentarian said the actor has taken courageous political positions as of late, and even invoked conservative hero Ronald Reagan while making his case for Damon. ‘The Republicans have certainly shown the way that when you run someone who is popular, you win. Sometimes even when you run an actor, you win,’ he said.” That’s right: Obama isn’t liberal enough, so Matt Damon should run for president, just like… um… Reagan? Well, if Michael Moore actually thought through the things he says, he wouldn’t be Michael Moore. His endorsement alone probably isn’t enough to keep Damon from ever running for president, but it can’t help.
5.) Fey foals — Congratulations to “30 Rock” star Tina Fey on the birth of her second child. People Magazine reports: “The 30 Rock star welcomed a healthy baby girl, Penelope Athena Richmond, on Wednesday with her composer husband Jeffrey Richmond, 50, her rep tells PEOPLE… Said Fey at the time: ‘My husband and I really decided that we felt rather than risk having 30 Rock end in several years and feeling like part of our family is missing that we were going to prioritize our family.'” She’d better be careful. If she keeps having kids, clever libs will call her womb a “clown car” and other brilliant jokes. Now we just need to find somebody who looks vaguely like Andrew Sullivan to hound her about “the real mother.”
6.) Today’s words of wisdom from Alec Baldwin’s Twitter feed — “The Texas Hangman wants his finger on the nuclear button.”
VIDEO: Life in AA-rated America
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