Obama holds edge over Romney in general election matchup, poll finds Boosted by improved public confidence in his economic stewardship, President Obama for the first time holds a clear edge over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general-election matchup, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Romney continues to solidify his position as the front-runner in the race for the GOP nomination. But as the contest has grown more negative, public impressions of the top Republican contenders have soured, as has the former Massachusetts governor’s standing as a general-election candidate. Obama remains a polarizing figure, with Americans closely divided on whether he deserves reelection as well as on many aspects of his performance in office. Although better than they were a few months ago, his ratings on handling the economy and job creation remain negative, with intensity continuing to run against him.
In a general-election test, Obama leads Romney 52 to 43 percent among all Americans; more narrowly, 51 to 45 percent, among registered voters. Among all adults, it’s Obama’s first time topping 50 percent in a head-to-head matchup with Romney since July; it’s his first time ever above that point among registered voters.
Obama’s overall approval rating stands at 50 percent, the highest in a Post-ABC News poll since a brief run above 50 percent immediately after Osama bin Laden was killed in early May. Still, nearly as many — 46 percent — disapprove.
Among political independents, who are likely to determine the outcome of the election, 47 percent approve and 50 percent disapprove of the way he is handling his job.
OBAMA: I deserve a 2nd term
LAUER: Three years ago we sat for this interview on Super Bowl Sunday. You had been president for just 10 days. And we talked about the state of the economy, which was in dire straits, and you said to me “if I don’t have this done in three years then it’s going to be a one-term proposition.” You got good news on Friday in terms of jobs – the unemployment rate went down to 8.3%. But I think if you go out on the street and you ask average Americans “is the recovery done” overwhelmingly they will tell you it is not. So do you deserve a second term?
OBAMA: I deserve a second term, but we’re not done. Look, when you and I sat down, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. In fact we had found out just a few days before we sat down that we’d lost that much, 750,000 jobs. And now we’re creating 250,000. We’ve created 3.7 million jobs over the last 23 months. We’ve created the most jobs since 2005. The most manufacturing jobs since 1990. But we’re not finished.
Santorum Only GOP Candidate Beating Obama, Rasmussen Daily Poll Finds Just ahead of three more Republican nominating contests, a new poll -- a snapshot in time -- shows former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum leading President Barack Obama in a one-on-one matchup. The Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll for one day only -- Feb. 5. -- marks the first time Santorum has held a lead over Obama in potential matchups. It’s a small lead for Santorum -- 1 percentage point, giving him a 45-44 percent edge over Obama. The same daily tracking poll finds Obama actually beating former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the GOP frontrunner, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul. Neither Obama nor the other GOP candidates gets a majority in any of the hypothetical matchups. (CNS News)
Green-job training in Washington put on hold after program produces few jobs Government-funded training for so-called green jobs has come to a near standstill in Snohomish County, having produced lackluster results. Over the past few years, about 500 residents in the county attended short-term training programs with the hope of landing one of 25,000 or more green jobs expected to be needed in the state by 2020. So far, 95 of those 500 students have found jobs. WorkForce Development Council of Snohomish County, which oversees training under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, recently put a hold on sending more people through the training program, which had a job placement rate of about 20 percent. That's still a higher placement rate for green-job training programs than the national rate, which is about 10 percent, according to a recent U.S. Department of Labor audit. Nationwide, about $500 million in Recovery Act funds were allocated to train nearly 125,000 people for green careers. Nearly a year and a half later, the audit found, only 52,762 people had been trained and 8,035 had found jobs. (The Everett Daily Herald)
U.S. Steps Up Pressure to Oust Assad The U.S. called for a new international coalition to drive Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power and end an 11-month uprising that looks poised to enter its bloodiest phase yet. Syria's opposition on Sunday said it had little choice left but an all-out armed struggle against the regime after Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution calling on Mr. Assad to step aside. Damascus, meanwhile, appeared emboldened by the diplomatic support—cracking down harshly against opposition forces over the weekend—and is vowing to press on with its offensive. The veto left Washington, European and Arab states grappling for an alternate plan, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday called the failure to pass the U.N. resolution a "travesty" and predicted it "will actually increase the chances for a brutal civil war." She called for an international coalition to form a "friends of democratic Syria" group to ramp up pressure to force Mr. Assad from power by stiffening sanctions, working to cut off funding and arms shipments to the regime, and channeling humanitarian aide to besieged communities. "Faced with a neutered Security Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people's right to have a better future," Mrs. Clinton said during a visit to Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday. (WSJ)
Occupy Oakland plans anti-police "day of action" Occupy Oakland protesters are planning more demonstrations against police and are pledging to fill city courtrooms during upcoming hearings. Organizers have called for a so-called "Day of Action" to start Monday morning in the movement's ongoing conflict with police over tactics used during earlier protests. A rally scheduled for noon in front of Oakland City Hall is scheduled to feature recently jailed protesters speaking out against police. Activists also say they will pack courtrooms during morning and afternoon hearings where they say attorneys working with Occupy Oakland will present evidence of unlawful arrests. A late January clash between protesters and police in which City Hall was vandalized and an American flag burned led to more than 400 arrests. A smaller protest Saturday night was peaceful, and no arrests were made. (AP)
Hoekstra Super Bowl ad raises sensitivity question The portrayal of a young Asian woman speaking broken English in a Super Bowl ad being run by U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra against Michigan incumbent Debbie Stabenow is bringing charges of racial insensitivity. (Fox News)
Gingrich Patron Could Have a Plan B: Romney Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino executive keeping Newt Gingrich’s presidential hopes alive, has relayed assurances to Mitt Romney that he will provide even more generous support to his candidacy if he becomes the Republican nominee, several associates said in interviews here. The signals from Mr. Adelson, whose politics are shaped in large part by his support for Israel, reflect what the associates said was his deep investment in defeating President Obama and his willingness to play a more prominent role in the Republican Party and conservative causes. The assurances have been conveyed in response to a highly delicate campaign by Mr. Romney and his top Jewish financial supporters to dissuade Mr. Adelson from adding to the $10 million that he and his wife have given to a pro-Gingrich “super PAC,” Winning Our Future, that has been tearing into Mr. Romney through television advertising. (NY Times)
Police: Missing mom's husband intentionally set fire to home, killing himself and two sons Josh Powell's note was simple and short, a farewell to the world after two years of being scrutinized in the media, hammered by police and questioned by judges, prosecutors and social workers, living his life under a microscope since the day his wife vanished. Just minutes before authorities say he set fire to his home, killing himself and his two young sons days after he was denied custody and ordered to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation, Powell sent an email to his attorney. "I'm sorry, goodbye," he wrote.The Sunday blaze at Powell's home brought yet another twist in the very public scandal that began when Susan Powell vanished in 2009. The case had since spiraled into a salacious saga of finger-pointing and accusations of sex and lies -- and now the unthinkable loss of two young lives caught in the crossfire. A social worker brought the two boys to Josh Powell's home Sunday for what was to be a supervised visit, and Powell let his sons inside -- but then blocked the social worker from entering, Graham Fire and Rescue Chief Gary Franz told The Associated Press. The social worker called her supervisors to report that she could smell gas. Moments later, the home burst into flames, igniting an inferno that neighbors said rattled their houses. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ed Troyer said it appeared some sort of accelerant was used to make the house burn faster.
He said emails Powell sent just prior to the explosion that authorities were made aware of seemed to confirm that Powell planned the deadly blast. Troyer didn't elaborate on the content of the emails. Jeffrey Bassett, who represented Powell in the custody case, said he received an ominous email from his client just minutes before the blast. "I'm sorry, goodbye," it read. Susan Powell, a pretty 28-year-old mother of two, was reported missing Dec. 7, 2009, after she failed to show up for her stockbroker job in Utah. Authorities in the couple's hometown of West Valley City, about 10 miles outside Salt Lake City, quickly turned their attention to Josh Powell. He's been the only "person of interest" in the case, but had repeatedly denied any involvement in her disappearance. (AP)
Was Chrysler's Super Bowl Commercial a Nod to Obama? The Super Bowl is televised advertising’s equivalent of the Cannes Film Festival, so White House political strategists must have been smiling when what’s generally being hailed as this year’s best spot -- the Chrysler "Halftime in America" commercial -- subtly echoed the themes of President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. Just to ice the cake, the gritty two-minute spot featured actor/director Clint Eastwood, whose politics usually put him on the Republican side of the aisle. In the spot, Eastwood’s voice narrates an account of Detroit’s comeback and, then, when his unmistakably craggy face appears on screen, talks of how America has arrived at half-time in its struggle back from the financial precipice with good things to follow in the coming second half. Hearing Eastwood make that point naturally invoked memories of his star turn as an irascible, but good-hearted retired auto worker in “Grand Torino.” It’s a message, moreover, that only can encourage the incumbent, who recently spoke in the Motor City and talked about deserving a second term—a theme he hit again in an address Sunday. (Hollywood Reporter)
Snarky Facebook comments no reason to fire teacher, judge rules A New York teacher fired for posting snarky online comments suggesting her unruly students should drown can go back to the classroom, a judge ruled. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Barbara Jaffe last week overturned an administrative decision to boot Christine Rubino, who taught at PS 203 in Brooklyn, for posting "repulsive" comments on Facebook. A blow to the city Department of Education, the ruling underscores the grueling process to fire teachers accused of misconduct or incompetence. Even after lengthy administrative trials, judges can reverse decisions either way, and prolong a costly battle. "After today, I'm thinking the beach sounds like a wonderful idea for my 5th graders. I HATE THEIR GUTS! They are all the devils spawn!" Rubino wrote on Facebook on June 23, 2010. She made the remarks one day after a 12-year-old Harlem girl, Nicole Suriel, drowned on a school trip to a Long Island beach. When a Facebook friend asked, "oh you would let little Kwame float away!" Rubino posted in reply, "Yes, I wld not throw a life jacket in for a million!!" While "offensive" and "repulsive," the comments were posted outside the school building and after hours, Jaffe ruled. The judge found no evidence that Rubino, frustrated by her students' rowdy behavior, meant them actual harm or that the comments "affected her ability to teach." (NY Post)
DEM CONGRESSMAN: FOX NEWS 'ENEMY,' GOP 'TERRIBLE PEOPLE Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) speaking at the 2012 Communications Workers of America Legislative-Political Conference: (H/T to Breitbart)
THOMPSON: Every now and then you have to look at the enemy. And I say just switch over to Fox TV for 30 seconds, see what the enemy is doing, and switch right back. Because then you understand what the enemy is all about. They are absolutely against working men and women.
Stomach virus strikes third cruise ship A stomach virus outbreak delayed the departure of the cruise ship "Voyager of the Seas" from New Orleans in one of three outbreaks of illness aboard U.S.-based cruise ships reported over the weekend. The 15-deck, 3,100-passenger Royal Caribbean Cruises ship was delayed in leaving Saturday for a seven-day trip by a couple of hours, Port of New Orleans spokesman Chris Bonura. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified Louisiana on Friday that a cruise ship might be coming in with a norovirus outbreak, state epidemiologist Raoult Ratard said Sunday. The CDC did not say how many passengers were ill, Ratard said. "They let us know, but that's it. They don't give us details or anything. And we really don't need" details about norovirus, he said. (AP)
Obama's Grandmother in Car Accident President Obama's grandmother, Sarah Obama, is home recovering from an accident that, judging by the condition of the vehicle, could have been much worse. "God is with me, because if you could have seen the wreckage that we came out of safe, one would wonder," Sarah Obama said Monday. Police in the town of Kisumu say the 87-year-old was traveling to her home Saturday night when the driver lost control, and the vehicle rolled into a ditch. All five people in the car, including her two bodyguards, were taken to a hospital for treatment. All were released with minor injuries. A hospital spokesperson says Sarah Obama was bruised and in shock when she arrived at the hospital. She was released about two hours later. (ABC News)
Josh Powell's note was simple and short, a farewell to the world after two years of being scrutinized in the media, hammered by police and questioned by judges, prosecutors and social workers, living his life under a microscope since the day his wife vanished. Just minutes before authorities say he set fire to his home, killing himself and his two young sons days after he was denied custody and ordered to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation, Powell sent an email to his attorney. "I'm sorry, goodbye," he wrote.The Sunday blaze at Powell's home brought yet another twist in the very public scandal that began when Susan Powell vanished in 2009. The case had since spiraled into a salacious saga of finger-pointing and accusations of sex and lies -- and now the unthinkable loss of two young lives caught in the crossfire. A social worker brought the two boys to Josh Powell's home Sunday for what was to be a supervised visit, and Powell let his sons inside -- but then blocked the social worker from entering, Graham Fire and Rescue Chief Gary Franz told The Associated Press. The social worker called her supervisors to report that she could smell gas. Moments later, the home burst into flames, igniting an inferno that neighbors said rattled their houses. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ed Troyer said it appeared some sort of accelerant was used to make the house burn faster.
