Barack Obama
By | January 26, 2010 | 4:37 pm
On the eve of his State of the Union address, Barack Obama said he would “rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president.” But his proposal to freeze domestic spending is exactly the kind of policy that results in four years of stagnation—rewarded by an election defeat at the hands of dispirited and disillusioned voters. If he continues to surrender his mandate, he could become a mediocre one-term president. In... READ MORE»
By | January 19, 2010 | 1:36 pm
Having taken the oath of office just one year ago, Barack Obama is a flashing meteor that sputtered out too soon—or so the national media narrative tells us. According to this story line, the young president is a presumptuous liberal who disappointed his own idealistic followers while irritating everyone else. At ABC News, the leading tipsters at The Note already speak of a “final judgment,” so we may soon hear declarations of a... READ MORE»
ALBANY—David Paterson just endorsed lifting the cap on the number of charter schools in the state—a move recommended yesterday by the State Board of Regents—to make New York more competitive for the "race to the top" pool of federal education... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Don't like those school cuts? Blame your... READ MORE»
ALBANY—A day after he announced he would stall $750 million of payments to local governments and school districts, David Paterson was asked on CNBC if there was anything the federal government could do to alleviate New York's cash... READ MORE»
By | December 14, 2009 | 9:22 am
President Obama's just-get-me-a-bill-dammit approach to health care reform is rooted in the calculation that a signing ceremony would be a major political winner for the White House in the 2010 elections. In his latest "60 Minutes" sit-down on Sunday night, the president offered a preview of the triumphant spin we can expect if he is able to put his signature on a bill. "Seven presidents have tried to reform a health care system that everyone... READ MORE»
ALBANY—David Paterson stood by his displeasure with the Obama administration's decision to hold the trial of 9/11 terrorists in lower Manhattan, and alluded to the federal government's miscalculation about the air quality in the... READ MORE»
Michael Bloomberg is out with a statement supporting "the Obama Administration’s decision" to host the trial of an alleged 9/11 plotter here in New York... READ MORE»
If you ask Mark Penn, the whole Barack Obama-as-online-phenomenon storyline has been considerably overstated. In fact, Obama’s victory in the presidential primary was fueled more by “traditional media” than “social media,” Penn, a former top Hillary Clinton strategist, said last... READ MORE»
By Kate McGee | November 11, 2009 | 4:39 pm
Senator Chuck Schumer said the Obama administration shouldn’t rush to a decision on whether to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, which the president's advisers are reportedly urging him to do. Standing in front of the Manhattan Veterans Affairs office, Schumer—joined by New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez—said the number-one job is to protect the country from... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Bill Owens, who is being sworn in as a member of Congress today, has announced his intention to vote for the health care restructuring bill backed by Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. He resisted taking a specific position on the issue throughout his... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Representative Eric Massa is voting no on the health care bill, damn it, no matter what the outside consequences or what Barack Obama... READ MORE»
Bill Thompson supporters continue firing shots at those they say could have and should have done more to help out. The latest is from David Dinkins. From The... READ MORE»
SARANAC LAKE—June O'Neill, the Executive Committee chair of the state Democratic Party, says that the race to replace John McHugh in Congress is not a public verduct on Barack Obama's administration. "No, it's not a referendum on Obama," she told me Tuesday afternoon. "It wasn't a referendum on Obama in New York 20 and it's not here. If you are the Republican Party and you are running inferior candidates as they do, I would want... READ MORE»
Here is one of the many robocalls Michael Bloomberg’s campaign is sending out. This one, by Spanish television personality Denisse Oller, mentions Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor. It’s targeted to Spanish voters, but was received by a reader originally from Manhattan with a distinctively Italian... READ MORE»
