Sorry, Jimmy: Race Ain't the Only Card in the Deck

Chrysler ad a political football

(NEWSER) - God bless America ... and the Chrysler bailout ... seemed to be the message that left football fans misty-eyed after Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl Chrysler ad. It's "halftime" in America, and we're all pulling together for a brighter economic future, says the gravelly-voiced star. But Eastwood was opposed to the bailout that made the Chrysler turnaround possible, and now the ad has become a political football as Dems score points with it and the GOP tackles it, notes ABC News . “Saving the American Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on," crowed White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer on Twitter, referring to Eminem’s Chrysler ad during last year's Super Bowl. "Powerful spot," chimed in Obama re-election strategist David Axelrod. But George Bush's political maven Karl Rove snapped that he was "offended" by the ad, which he argued was orchestrated by the administration to paint a rosy future. More»

President chides Republicans on payroll taxes

(AP) - President Obama continued his onslaught on congressional Republicans today, saying that Congress needs to extend a payroll tax cut in light of an economic recovery that's "still fragile" and middle class families who need the money. In a statement given from the White House this afternoon, Obama urged Republicans to "keep your word to the American people" on not raising taxes. Obama has been seeking an extension and expansion to the payroll tax cut that will expire at the end of the year. More»

GOP candidate calls lack of new deal an 'astonishing failure'

(NEWSER) - Republican presidential contenders are railing against President Obama over his decision to bring home all American troops in Iraq by January 1, reports CBS News .

• Mitt Romney: "President Obama's astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women. The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government."
• White House response: "Mitt Romney didn't lay out a plan to end the war in Iraq in his foreign policy agenda—he barely even mentioned Iraq—but he is apparently willing to leave American troops there without identifying a new mission."

President winds up bus tour, says Republicans blocking economic growth

(NEWSER) - President Obama accused Republicans of keeping a politically motivated stranglehold on the US economy as his three-day bus tour of the Midwest wrapped up today, the Los Angeles Times reports. "I need you to send a message to folks in Washington," he told voters at a seed-production facility in Atkinson, Ill. "Stop drawing lines in the sand, stop engaging in rhetoric instead of getting things done. It’s time to put country ahead of party." More»

Paul Krugman: It's getting harder to trust him on the economy

(NEWSER) - The way President Obama is talking lately, it sounds an awful lot like he's accepted the "economic fallacies" of Republicans, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . He seems more concerned about cutting the deficit and slashing spending than creating jobs. It's possible this is part of some grand political strategy, but Krugman is skeptical. "It’s getting harder and harder to trust Mr. Obama’s motives in the budget fight, given the way his economic rhetoric has veered to the right." More»