'All Obama All the Time' Garners Mixed Reviews

Broadcasters say 'overexposed' prez wastes valuable time

(NEWSER) - Networks are not happy about the primetime hour that President Obama's July 22 news conference took up, reports Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post. Rahm Emanuel called the top brass at all three networks to ensure they carried the event. The networks both resent the pressure and complain that they’re not getting their money’s worth. “There was nothing” newsworthy, says one CBS VP. “There hardly ever is these days.” More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama has big plans for the economy, and that’s too bad because he knows nothing about it, Fred Barnes writes in the Weekly Standard. All of his proposals and angry jabs at Wall Street are counter to his professed interest in growth and job creation. “Obamanomics pays lip service to a free market economy,” Barnes writes. “But Obama hasn't a clue what makes it work.” More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama said today that the US faces a long slog in finding its way out of financial tumult, but emphasized that he is seeing signs of hope, the New York Times reports. "Times are still tough," he said. "By no means are we out of the woods just yet. But from where we stand, for the very first time, we are beginning to see glimmers of hope." While he issued no major policy initiatives, Obama reaffirmed his determination to reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, notes the Washington Post. More»

Both sides look to gain political capital in putting off raise

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s freeze on top White House salaries has put pressure on Congress to do the same for itself, reports Politico, but as with much on the Hill, that’s a lofty idea mired in the mud of political reality. Even those who support a pay freeze are scrambling to maximize political capital gained from enacting it, reports Politico. More»

Prez deserves his failing grade from the public, writes Karl Rove

(NEWSER) - President Obama has the lowest approval ratings of any postwar president at the end of year one, and he's done plenty to earn them, writes Karl Rove. Poor policies at home and abroad have helped send his ratings downward, as has the increasingly blatant slipperiness of the president's words. These "rhetorical tricks"—like chiding the Bush administration for "hastily" launching the bank rescue plan he voted for—and attacks on his predecessor have "cheapened the office," Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal . More»