The latest killings of two American soldiers by Afghan colleagues over the weekend brought the toll of American troops killed in action during the Afghan War to 2000.
** NEW COLUMNS COMING UP … RECALLING TOTAL RECALL: SCHWARZENEGGER’S COMEBACK PROCEEDS WITH A BIG (WHAT ELSE?) BOOK and BOND 50: DR. NO IS A TIME CAPSULE OF THE MAD MEN ERA.
** QUICK HITS. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the midst of some intensive touring around his autobiography. On Monday, he drew big crowds to a book store in Manhattan’s SoHo district. Today he’s in Washington. Tomorrow, he is in Columbus, Ohio. On Thursday it’s Toronto and Mall of the America in Minnesota. On Friday, he is back in LA and does a Google Hangout Online at 2:30 PM, followed by a visit to The Grove that evening. On Saturday, he is in Huntington Beach, where he made his first big appearance as a gubernatorial candidate following his “surprise” announcement on The Tonight Show. … President Barack Obama left his debate prep sessions this afternoon to tour Nevada and Arizona’s famed Hoover Dam this afternoon.
** NEW SURVEY: ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE UP SHARPLY IN SEPTEMBER. Economic confidence is on the rise, having shot upwards in early September and continuing its upward trend the rest of the month.
According to a new Gallup Poll survey, economic confidence in the US is near the highest point it’s achieved since Gallup started measuring this in 2008. When of course economic confidence was declining as the economy dropped into the much denied (at the time) great global recession.
The Gallup Economic Confidence Index averaged -19 in September, up from -27 in August and nearly matching the -17 seen in May, the highest monthly reading since the start of Gallup Daily tracking in 2008. …
The eight-percentage-point overall improvement in September is almost entirely owing to a jump in Americans’ economic outlook, rather than their evaluation of current economic conditions. Of the two index components, the outlook rating rose 13 points in September, to -13, while the current conditions rating rose three points, to -26. …
As Gallup reported in weekly updates of economic confidence in September — on Sept. 11, Sept. 18, and Sept. 25 — confidence has surged among Democrats, but has also improved somewhat among independents. For the month, Democrats’ confidence was up 14 points, to +23, and independents’ was up nine points, to -24. At the same time, Republicans’ confidence was down slightly, at -59. …
Americans’ economic confidence moved sharply higher starting on Sept. 4, the first night of the Democratic National Convention, so that for the week ending Sept. 9 it was up 11 points to -18. It remained at that level for the next two weeks, through Sept. 23. And while it dipped slightly to -21 in the week ending Sept. 30, it remained well above the -26 to -29 range seen in August’s weekly averages. …
** NEW POLL: OBAMA WAY AHEAD OF ROMNEY ON BEST FOR MIDDLE CLASS. A new Gallup Poll survey has good news for President Barack Obama.
Obama has a big lead over conservative Republican candidate Mitt Romney on the question of who would be best for the middle class.
And in a sign that Romney’s business bona fides are not all he had hoped, even among business people, Obama and Romney are tied on the question of who would be best for small business.
Probably because Romney is seen as the candidate of big business and Wall Street.
More Americans believe middle-income earners would be better off in four years if President Barack Obama is re-elected than if Mitt Romney wins, by 53% to 43%. The public also says lower-income Americans would be better off under an Obama presidency, while, by an even larger margin, they say upper-income Americans would do better under Romney. …
Other groups that Americans believe stand to do well under Obama are racial and ethnic minorities, women, young adults, and senior citizens. Anywhere from 53% to 67% of Americans name Obama as better for these groups, compared with fewer than half picking Romney.
In addition to upper-income Americans, respondents to the Sept. 24-27 USA Today/Gallup poll believe that investors and men would fare better under a Romney presidency. Americans are evenly divided as to which of the two candidates would be better for small-business owners. …
With President Barack Obama in Nevada for debate camp, Vice President Joe Biden attacked conservative Republican nominee Mitt Romney at a rally this morning in swing state North Carolina, where Obama and Romney are running dead even.
** NEW COLUMNS COMING UP … RECALLING TOTAL RECALL: SCHWARZENEGGER’S COMEBACK PROCEEDS WITH A BIG (WHAT ELSE?) BOOK and BOND 50: DR. NO IS A TIME CAPSULE OF THE MAD MEN ERA.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Nevada.
Obama received the daily intelligence and economic briefings at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nevada.
He has no scheduled public events today.
Obama is in the last stages of debate prep for his first encounter with conservative Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who is at the head of a very short list to be the next US secretary of state, plays Romney in debate simulations with the president.
Romney is also off the campaign trail, prepping for a debate in which most say he must achieve a major breakthrough.
But debates, for all their hype, seldom result in anything like that, even with a candidate who is a superior debater, which Romney is not.
Perhaps Obama will be distracted by the 20th anniversary of his wedding to First Lady Michelle Obma, which coincides with Wednesday night’s debate.
But I doubt it.
Obama is also involved in major crisis monitoring and management.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises involving the Arab Awakening, Iran and Israel, Syria, Iraq, AfPak, and the South China Sea.
Military Crisis Zone Times: The Persian/Arabian Gulf is ten hours ahead of Pacific time and Afghanistan is eleven and a half hours ahead of Pacific time. The time in Manila, on the South China Sea, is fifteen hours ahead of Pacific time.
** FROM THE JERRY FILES. Governor Jerry Brown is in Northern California.
He has no scheduled public events.
Brown has finally finished going through bills from the recently concluded legislative session.
Brown vetoed legislation to extend working benefits to domestic workers.
He also vetoed legislation to direct local police departments not to turn over illegal immigrants arrested on other charges to immigration authorities.
But he did sign legislation making it possible for illegal immigrants who have federal work permits to receive drivers licenses.
And he signed first-in-the-nation legislation to ban so-called gay “cure” therapies.
Brown also signed legislation to continue California’s program of roughly $100 million in tax credits for in-state film production, combating massive efforts by other states to raid the Golden State.
And he is working on his Prop 30 revenue initiative.
Brown is getting ready to spin up the public portion of the campaign, which is leading by 15 to 23 points in three polls released last week.
A statewide television advertising campaign will begin on Wednesday.
Prop 30 has been in the low 50s to high 50s in support for months now, and that’s where it is in those latest public polls.
** OBAMA PASSES THROUGH THE MINEFIELD OF U.N. WEEK (BUT SETS UP A POTENTIAL EXPLOSION NEXT YEAR). … From my September 28th essay.
** IS POST-PARTISANSHIP PASSE? SCHWARZENEGGER AND COMPANY (AND BILL CLINTON) SAY NO. … From my September 26th column.
** DETHRONED: MAD MEN‘S DOWN SEASON OPENED THE DOOR FOR A SUPERLATIVE HOMELAND. … From my September 24th column.
** JERRY BROWN: GEARING UP A CAMPAIGN AT LAST? … From my September 22nd feature.
** HOW ROMNEY SHOULD HAVE ATTACKED OBAMA: ANATOMY OF A GEOPOLITICAL CRISIS. … From my September 19th essay.
** CONSIDERING THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY. … From my September 15th essay.
** WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED SINCE 9/11? … From my September 11th essay.
** PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE ELEPHANT: THE CONVENTIONS AND THE CLIMATE. … From my September 8th essay.
** WHILE ONE CLINTON WOWS AT THE OBAMARAMA, ANOTHER PIVOTS TO THE LONG GAME. … From my September 6th essay.
** SO WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED WITH CLINT EASTWOOD? (AND THE PERILS OF ARGUING WITH IMAGINARY OBAMAS). … From my September 4th essay.
** FROM GOVERNATOR TO MOONBEAM. … From my January 3rd, 2011 feature.
** OBAMA: RIDING WITH HISTORY. (NOTE: As Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, this column was the featured column on the top of the front page of the Huffington Post.) … From my January 19th, 2009 Huffington Post column.
As the James Bond franchise prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary with Global James Bond Day on Friday, various celebrities reveal their favorite Bond actor. That’s Californian Pierce Brosnan in the image.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in major military operations in the region, and the Arab awakening underway, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer. The NWN live link to AJ does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer from the Russia Today channel. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the state-run channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND NATIONAL ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Having crashed over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, 2008, crude oil is trading around $92 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
This is up about $58 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity, and down about $22 per barrel from the price at the time of the Osama bin Laden raid.
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| Comments (28) |
Good video of VP Biden in North Carolina.
Good video of the celebrities on favorite Bond.
Crisis video today?
The Veep is doing a good job driving the message!
Jonas says:
October 2, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Good video of VP Biden in North Carolina.
Fun!
Jonas says:
October 2, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Good video of the celebrities on favorite Bond.
Good news!!!
BB:Brown is getting ready to spin up the public portion of the campaign, which is leading by 15 to 23 points in three polls released last week.
A statewide television advertising campaign will begin on Wednesday.
Prop 30 has been in the low 50s to high 50s in support for months now, and that’s where it is in those latest public polls.
John Kerry was robbed but the gets to be the Secretary of State after Hillary, Romney will get what he deserves.
BB: Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who is at the head of a very short list to be the next US secretary of state, plays Romney in debate simulations with the president.
Romney is also off the campaign trail, prepping for a debate in which most say he must achieve a major breakthrough.
But debates, for all their hype, seldom result in anything like that, even with a candidate who is a superior debater, which Romney is not.
More great news for Barack and US!!
** NEW POLL: OBAMA WAY AHEAD OF ROMNEY ON BEST FOR MIDDLE CLASS.
Romney is “typed.”
The Wind Surfer is back…
Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 2:37 pm
John Kerry was robbed but the gets to be the Secretary of State after Hillary, Romney will get what he deserves.
BB: Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who is at the head of a very short list to be the next US secretary of state, plays Romney in debate simulations with the president.
Romney is also off the campaign trail, prepping for a debate in which most say he must achieve a major breakthrough.
But debates, for all their hype, seldom result in anything like that, even with a candidate who is a superior debater, which Romney is not.
I vote Craig, Connery, Brosnan… in a 3-way tie.
Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Fun!
Jonas says:
October 2, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Good video of the celebrities on favorite Bond.
Good bad news news video from Afghan War.
I don’t know I want to read a whole book by Schwarzenegger and his ghost.
Awesome.
** NEW SURVEY: ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE UP SHARPLY IN SEPTEMBER.
Is he campaigning again??
** QUICK HITS. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the midst of some intensive touring around his autobiography.
Too bad for Mittens.
… President Barack Obama left his debate prep sessions this afternoon to tour Nevada and Arizona’s famed Hoover Dam this afternoon.
Romney’s racism and elitism will reveal itself again in the debate. Hecannot help himself by now.
We’ll see.
If Obama’s feeling that loose, he should do well.
> Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 6:00 pm (Edit)
Too bad for Mittens.
… President Barack Obama left his debate prep sessions this afternoon to tour Nevada and Arizona’s famed Hoover Dam this afternoon.
In a way.
> Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 5:59 pm (Edit)
Is he campaigning again??
** QUICK HITS. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the midst of some intensive touring around his autobiography.
It’s encouraging news for the Obama side.
> Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 5:59 pm (Edit)
Awesome.
** NEW SURVEY: ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE UP SHARPLY IN SEPTEMBER.
It is rather long.
> Cooper Hawks says:
October 2, 2012 at 5:32 pm (Edit)
I don’t know I want to read a whole book by Schwarzenegger and his ghost.
Indeed.
> Jonas says:
October 2, 2012 at 4:40 pm (Edit)
Good bad news news video from Afghan War.
I vote Connery, Craig, Brosnan, in that order, followed by Dalton, Moore, and the other guy. (Who was in a great Bond movie.)
Heh.
> Jack Aubrey says:
October 2, 2012 at 3:54 pm (Edit)
The Wind Surfer is back…
Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 2:37 pm
John Kerry was robbed but the gets to be the Secretary of State after Hillary, Romney will get what he deserves.
BB: Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who is at the head of a very short list to be the next US secretary of state, plays Romney in debate simulations with the president.
Romney is also off the campaign trail, prepping for a debate in which most say he must achieve a major breakthrough.
But debates, for all their hype, seldom result in anything like that, even with a candidate who is a superior debater, which Romney is not.
He is.
> Jack Aubrey says:
October 2, 2012 at 3:54 pm (Edit)
Romney is “typed.”
I do expect SOS Kerry.
> Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 2:37 pm (Edit)
John Kerry was robbed but the gets to be the Secretary of State after Hillary, Romney will get what he deserves.
BB: Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who is at the head of a very short list to be the next US secretary of state, plays Romney in debate simulations with the president.
Romney is also off the campaign trail, prepping for a debate in which most say he must achieve a major breakthrough.
But debates, for all their hype, seldom result in anything like that, even with a candidate who is a superior debater, which Romney is not.
Yes, when he doesn’t screw up.
> Capitol Boy says:
October 2, 2012 at 2:31 pm (Edit)
The Veep is doing a good job driving the message!
Jonas says:
October 2, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Good video of VP Biden in North Carolina.