Obama Ends Year On An Upswing

Ken O’Brien

Americans are more optimistic about the U.S. economy than they have been in years, and that upbeat mood has pushed President Obama’s job-approval level to its highest point since the spring of 2013, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll released Tuesday afternoon.

The poll showed 51 percent of Americans with a positive view of the economy, up from 38 percent in October.

It was published on a day that the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 18,000 for the first time, with the economy’s growth rate up to 5 percent in the fall. 

Presidential Weekly Address: America's Resurgence Is Real

Sunday Photo-'Toons 1.30

Southbridge: Last Democratic Bastion In Southern Worcester County

Ken O’Brien

From President to State Representative, Southbridge stood virtually alone in its support of Democratic candidates in election 2012 in southern Worcester County.

While President Obama did carry a few towns within this geographic Gulag, Southbridge stood alone, a blue oasis in a desert of red, in its support for Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren and Democratic candidate for State Representative Kathleen Walker. 

New Poll: How Long Before Republicans Try To Impeach Obama?

Ken O’Brien

Having spent the day combing the Conservative blogs and watching Faux News, I think they will honor tradition.

That is the tradition that they began with the last two term Democratic President, Bill Clinton.

Thus, as a public service, and to save the right wingnuts the burden of broaching the subject, The O’Zone is launching a survey. 

Fox News Is Already Preparing For An Obama Win

Ken O’Brien

I’ve been sitting here watching Fox News and they are getting ready, even before the first votes are in, to make excuses.

If they know anything they know the truth. How else could they work to twist it so effectively?

Wait to see where they place the blame. 

Only Pakistan Favors Romney Presidency Of 21 Countries Surveyed

Ken O’Brien

A BBC World Service opinion poll has found sharply higher overseas approval ratings for US President Barack Obama than Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

An average of 50% favored Mr. Obama, with 9% for Mr. Romney, in the survey of 21,797 people in 21 countries. 

Obama Takes The Rubber Match

The Return Of Multiple Choice Mitt

Ken O’Brien

Snap polls from CNN, PPP and CBS News gave President Obama the victory in the foreign policy debate.

In the CNN-ORC poll, 48 percent of voters said Obama won; 40 percent said Romney did. Public Policy Polling's swing state poll gave it to Obama by 53 percent to 42 percent. The CBS poll of uncommitted voters was more dramatic: Obama took 53 percent, Romney took 23 percent, and another 24 percent called it a tie.

Following is a series of observations over the course of the debate. 

Obama Shoots, He Scores, He Wins – Again, And Again, And…

Ken O’Brien

It was the Michael Jordan of American politics versus its Lance Armstrong.

It was heart, talent, spirit, and mastery of the fundamentals versus “win at all costs”, “whatever it takes”, and regret the truth later.

Romney was constantly tripped up by having to tap dance around prior positions he now wants to disown. He continually failed to provide specifics. He repeatedly said “I know how to improve the economy”, but he never said how. You have to wonder why his support in the state where he was governor is now only 34% and before he announced he would not seek reelection he was losing in polls by 16% to his leading competitor. 

The First Debate: Mitt Romney's Five Biggest Lies

Ken O’Brien

Mitt Romney turned in a polished performance in the presidential debate – and revealed himself to be an accomplished and unapologetic liar. In an evening where he sought to slice and dice the president with statistics, Romney baldly misrepresented his own policy prescriptions, made up numbers to fit his attacks and buried clear contrasts with the president under a heaping pile of BS.

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Here are Mittens’ five most mendacious statements: 

Sunday Photo-‘ Toons 1.25

Ken O’Brien

As the October chill envelops us like a foreclosure notice on the warmth and comfort of a home in the New England summer, we review the tumult of the prior week.

Local events of note were relatively sparse, eclipsed by the week’s developments on the national scene.

We did have the spectacle of the state representative accepting an invitation to debate and then beginning to tap dance around petty points of contention. We also learned that our new Middle/High School was in a wireless dead zone. But not to worry. Like everything else in Southbridge, we can buy our way out of it. Let’s just hope that nothing critical requiring such resources happens in the meantime.

The iPhoney 5

Ken O’Brien

I don’t know who to feel sorrier for, Barack Obama or the American public.

Mitt Romney is like some kind of freakish Frankenstein’s monster created by Steve Jobs as a parting joke.

Last night we witnessed the unveiling of the all new iPhoney 5. Let me take you for a moment through this product line’s evolution. 

If Benghazi Was A Screw Up, What Was 9/11?

Ken O’Brien

The right-wing media, led by Faux News, has been trying for weeks to construct a narrative castigating the Obama Administration for incompetence in the events leading up to the tragedy at the Benghazi consulate. Clearly there is an earnest hope of creating an “October surprise” to upset the President’s momentum heading into the last weeks before the election. 

Smoke Versus Clarity: Romney V. Obama Tax Plans

Ken O’Brien

It’s still the economy stupid.

In a run-up to Wednesday’s first Presidential debate it’s important to keep this in mind. And equally important, the issue is not the past but the future.

The core components of the economy issue are twofold – economic growth to provide jobs and the reduction in Federal indebtedness.

So You Don’t Trust The Polls, But You Trust The Free Market

Ken O’Brien

Are you one of those who have come to doubt the polls about the Presidential election after the relentless attacks by some elements of the media this week?

Do you long for an “unbiased” source that reflects the true sentiment of the public as regards the likely outcome of the race?

If only there was a free-market model that provided an accurate reflection of where the contest was headed, where people actually had to back up their beliefs with their dollars.

Well there is such a place. 

Kristol: Obama Turned Around Economy

Ken O’Brien

Bill Kristol, Editor of the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, “Bush was president during the financial meltdown, the Obama team has turned that around pretty well.”

Sunday Photo-'Toons 1.21

Ken O’Brien

The political scene was dominated this last week by the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Wednesday night the Big Dawg, Bill Clinton, actually got better ratings than the opening game of the official NFL season where the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

On the local scene there were a couple of town council subcommittee events and the release of the agenda for next Monday’s town council meeting.

Finally there was the first day of school marking the opening of the new Southbridge Middle/High School. Aside from some to-be-expected opening day confusion on which buses students were to board at the end of the day, all apparently went relatively smoothly. Kudos to teachers and staff for a challenge well met.

With all that now behind us we sit down to a brunch of Eggs Florentine with a white wine spritzer and conjure up our own take on the week in review.

Gallup Reports Jump In Obama's Approval After Convention

Ken O'Brien

President Obama gets a 52 percent approval rating against 43 percent disapproval in Gallup's daily tracking poll, which surveys 500 Americans a night and averages three days of data. The current tracking poll samples the nights of the Democratic National Convention and represents a major jump for Obama, who has basically been running even on approval in tracking and other major national polls, if not a little underwater. 

Open Thread: Obama's Speech - What Do You Think?

Ken O'Brien

What was your reaction to President Obama's Convention speech?

Are We Better Off Now Than Four Years Ago?

Ken O’Brien

Yes, we are.

When Obama took office America was lying in the street dying from a near fatal wound from the last Republican President. The banking system collapsed. We were losing 750,000 jobs a month. Housing collapsed. Construction stopped. The auto industry was in a death spiral. America was in a state of complete panic. Our nation was dying under Bush.