Barack obama

One of the president’s defenses is that the Obama administration depleted the national stockpile of N95 masks and other materials (So, too, did Democrat-run states like California, after Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger built up a stockpile in case of a SARS-like pandemic.) The USA Today fact-checked Republican claims about the Obama administration’s failure to replenish the stockpile and — shockingly — found those claims to be true. … [Read more...] about Fact Check: No, Tea Party Is Not to Blame for Obama Failing to Replenish Mask Stockpile

With something like a pandemic, there's really not much one person can do to address this problem, other than practice social distancing and good hygiene. However, owning a gun may increase people’s sense of personal security during the pandemic. This is consistent with social psychology research that shows control is a fundamental human need people strive to maintain, even if it is based on an illusion.  … [Read more...] about Booze, peanut butter and guns: Why Americans’ shopping lists changed during coronavirus

In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear's “Afternoons with Andy” have turned the 42-year-old Democrat into a sudden heartthrob for some Kentuckians and appeared in memes as Captain Kirk, Mister Rogers and Kermit the Frog. In New York, the display of Cuomo's softer side as he expresses worries about his mother and TV newsman brother have won him proclamations of love. Some New Yorkers are now openly wondering whether it's too late for Cuomo to make a run for the Democratic presidential nomination. … [Read more...] about Governors seize spotlight amid states’ coronavirus response

The field of candidates mulling a primary run against Kirsten Gillibrand has thinned out in the past week, with representative Steve Israel and Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer pulling their names from contention. As it turns out, Chuck Schumer hasn’t been the only one watching over Gillibrand. President Obama, the big guy himself, had developed a keen interest in clearing the field for the vulnerable freshman senator, if only for reasons of cold political calculation: With the chance to flip Republican-held Senate seats in other areas of the country in 2010, Democrats don’t want to waste party resources on a bitter primary battle in New York. And so when Steve Israel announced a week ago that he wouldn’t run against Gillibrand, he credited an overture from Obama for his changing his mind. So what, exactly, happened? Did the affable prez turn on his famous, irresistible charm? … [Read more...] about Rahm Emanuel Gave Gillibrand Opponent an Offer He Couldn’t Refuse

Other bounces like Obama's and Carter's completely reversed themselves in fewer days than we have until the 2020 election. Given that those might be the best parallels for Trump's (one occurring in the modern era and one occurring during a prolonged event with an economy in trouble), those are not particularly encouraging analogs for Trump. … [Read more...] about Trump’s popularity bump may have already plateaued ahead of schedule