First Read: “The details and proposals we’ve heard so far suggest that President Obama is set to go somewhat small in the upcoming State of the Union address, not dissimilar from his 2014 address. This, of course, shouldn’t be surprising given that Obama is entering the fourth quarter of his presidency, and that he now faces a Republican-controlled Congress — hardly the formula for getting big things done in the modern era. Some of his proposals so far: free community college for qualified students, paid sick leave, expanded broadband. In fairness, these things are hardly akin to the school-uniform proposals during the Bill Clinton Era, and some are big aspirational ideas. But they aren’t the big concrete proposals that come across as doable in this political environment.”
Joni Ernst Tapped to Deliver GOP Response
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) will be delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union Address, the Weekly Standard reports.
“The State of the Union is scheduled for next week. Ernst was elected in November and has only been a U.S. senator for a couple weeks.”
Obama Redefines the State of the Union Speech
Politico: “He’ll use the speech as an opportunity to assert himself, remind people that though Republicans are enjoying the majorities in Congress, he’s still here. But as for the State of the Union tradition of unveiling big announcements for a year-ahead agenda, Obama’s done with that. The country’s been done with that for a while, aides say, and the White House has finally caught up.”
“They believe they’ve now redefined the State of the Union model, not just for this year and next but for the next couple of presidents at least.”
Obama Avoids the Bush Trap
Washington Post: “While Obama has certainly been battered over his six years, he can at least say this: He’s in considerably better shape than his predecessor, George W. Bush, heading into the home stretch.”
“While Obama’s and Bush’s numbers rivaled each other for the better part of the middle of their presidencies — complete with hard-fought reelection races — Obama in recent months has differentiated himself from the tail end of the Bush years, keeping his approval rating steadily above 40 percent.”
Obama Approval Bounces Back
A new CBS News poll finds President Obama’s overall job approval rating has risen seven points since last October, although it still remains below 50%. Forty-six percent of Americans now approve of the job the president is doing, while just as many disapprove. His approval rating is now at the level it was a year ago.
Is McCain Finally Ready to Work with Obama?
New York Times: “Now, six years after losing the presidential election to Barack Obama, Mr. McCain finally has the only job in Washington, other than being president, that he ever wanted: chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, overseer of the American military and the nation’s defense policy. The question is whether he will use his new clout (and ability to subpoena) to make war or some accommodation with the White House.”
“For now, despite hints that he is trying to reinvent himself from cantankerous Obama critic to elder statesman, Mr. McCain still seems to be in clobber mode.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I need to first apologize to all those offended by my tweet. It was not my intention to trivialize the Holocaust nor to compare the President to Adolf Hitler.”
— Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), quoted by The Hill.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’ll tell you what, if you guys need any tips on winning back-to-back, you know where to find me.”
— President Obama, quoted by the Texas Tribune, meeting with the 2014 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.
How Will History Judge Barack Obama?
Jonathan Chait: “He has amassed a record of policy accomplishment far deeper than even many of his supporters give him credit for. He has also survived a dismal, and frequently terrifying, 72 months when at every moment, to go by the day-to-day media, a crisis has threatened to rock his presidency to its core. The episodes have been all-consuming: the BP oil spill, swine flu, the Christmas underwear bomber, the IRS scandal, the healthcare.org launch, the border crisis, Benghazi. Depending on how you count, upwards of 19 events have been described as ‘Obama’s Katrina.'”
“Obama’s response to these crises—or, you could say, his method of leadership—has been surprisingly consistent. He has a legendarily, almost fanatically placid temperament. He has now spent eight years, counting from the start of his first presidential campaign, keeping his head while others were losing theirs, and avoiding rhetorical overreach at the risk of underreach.”
New York Magazine: 53 historians weigh in on Obama’s legacy
Valerie Jarrett Is Obama’s Real Chief of Staff
John Fund: “It’s an old Washington parlor game to blame the staff for the failings of an administration and pretend that if only an irritating staffer of the moment were removed, all would be well. The president himself is responsible for his slow response to crises, contradictory messages, and blatantly political calculations on issues.”
“But Jarrett isn’t any ordinary staffer. There are several things noteworthy about her. 1) Jarrett seems to be the only close Obama aide who entered the administration and is still there; 2) Jarrett has been highly successful in keeping new people with fresh ideas she doesn’t like from the president; and 3) she appears to suffer more than most staffers from a severe case of hero worship of her boss.”
Quote of the Day
“I kind of like the direction he has signaled he is going in. He knows he has nothing to lose.”
— Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO), quoted by the Washington Examiner, on President Obama.
Manchin Says Obama Veto Threat Not Democratic
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he was disappointed that the White House threatened to veto his legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline, arguing the president’s move was “not the way a democracy works,” The Hill reports.
Said Manchin: “He never even gave it a chance, never even gave it a chance. Now, that’s just not the way you do legislation. It’s not the way a democracy works. And it’s not the way the… three branches of government should work.”
Quote of the Day
“Bipartisan progress can only be achieved if President Obama is interested in it.”
— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), quoted by CNN.
Split Power is the New Normal
Morning Line: “President Obama is not alone. Every president in the last 50 years, save Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson, has experienced at least one session of Congress in which the opposing party controlled both chambers of Congress. In total, 16 presidents have been in this position.”
“In U.S. history, the president’s party has been in the minority in both houses during only 24 of the 114 sessions of Congress. But 16 of those sessions came in the last 70 years, after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. In other words, it is now par for the course for a modern-day president to have to compromise with the other party to get much of anything done in Washington.”
Most Think National Problems Won’t Be Addressed
A new Pew Research poll finds that “76% of those who cited a top national problem said they did not think progress would be made by President Obama and GOP leaders to address the problem they mentioned.”
“And there, at least, was one point of partisan agreement. That dim view was shared by 78% of Republicans, 71% of Democrats and 80% of independents.”
Hawaii’s Favorite Son?
Los Angeles Times: “Obama left Hawaii over the weekend after two weeks of what has become the first family’s traditional end-of-the-year vacation here, but such visits increasingly appear less like homecomings. Obama attends luaus and plays golf with old friends, but he and his family stay at a rented home. He hasn’t lived here since he left for college and few expect him to return full time when he leaves the White House. He only occasionally interacts with the public, and doesn’t return to the sites of childhood exploits.”
“In turn, residents mostly leave him alone, acknowledging his desire to use his yearly visits to recharge, yet still seeing him as one of their own.”
Obama Will Preview State of the Union in Weeks Ahead
President Obama “will spend the days before his Jan. 20 State of the Union address pitching Americans on the economic policies he intends to propose,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Mr. Obama plans to roll out legislative proposals and executive actions over the week on issues including housing, manufacturing and higher education… He will do so while traveling the country highlighting progress in the economy.”
“The strategy is a shift from previous years when the White House has kept a tight lid on proposals Mr. Obama would announce in his State of the Union address. Mr. Obama’s aides hope the approach builds on momentum from the lame-duck congressional session, which resulted in an agreement to fund the government through September.”
Obama’s Privacy Zone Is Golf
New York Times: “Six years into his presidency, there seems to be almost nothing the nation does not know about Mr. Obama, ranging from his views on the use of drones to target terrorists to how his daughters have less interest in hanging out with him as they become teenagers. But little is known about the state of his game and what he is like on the golf course, where he has spent roughly 1,000 hours playing 214 rounds since he was elected in 2008.”
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