Was that a promise?

President Barack Obama on the economy: "I will be held accountable. I have four years. A year from now, I think people will see we're starting to make some progress. If I don't have this done in three years, then it's going to be a one-term proposition." (interview with NBC's Matt Lauer; February, 2009)

(h/t: Hot Air)

Sign language...

"Seen from Highway 60-70-84, 5 miles east of Clovis, New Mexico"...

(h/t: Moonbattery)

You've lost that tingling feeling...

MSNBC cheerleading squad co-captain Chris Matthews, interviewing Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) at her election victory party last night, experiences frustration and failure at the hands of his subject...

Bonus: Gotta love the guy with the sign behind Bachmann.

Super bonus clip: At the end of the MSNBC clip, Matthews says, "It's not a tingle. That's their word. I never used that word." That's true. Matthews actually referred to it as a "thrill," not a "tingle."

In Jerry's own words...

"I didn't have a plan."

The first time he was governor, Jerry Brown (by his own admission) didn't have a plan - but he did have a party. Here he gets his groove on with then-pop star Linda Ronstadt...

Former two-time California governor (and current Democratic gubernatorial candidate) Jerry Brown on "the differences between what he said to get elected and the realities of what happened when he was in office: 'You say you're going to lower taxes, you're going to put people to work, you're gonna improve the schools, you're going to stop crime... crime is up, schools are worse, taxes are higher.'"

He didn't have a plan, but he did lie.

(h/t: breitbart.tv - the clip is from CNN, circa 1992.)

Where did the love go?

Bad blood in the party's ranks?

Former President Bill Clinton stumping for Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio (D)...

According to the Washington Post, "In a year when some Democrats are keeping President Obama at arm's length, Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio went a provocative step further Monday."

When Caprio learned - not from Obama but, instead, from a reporter that the endorsement/seal of approval would not be coming from the president, the Democratic candidate replied (audio link): "He can take his endorsement and really shove it, as far as I'm concerned."

The Yeshiva World News also noted that, "Caprio, who is scheduled to appear with Obama at two events Monday, criticized the president for failing to visit Rhode Rhode Island after historic flooding devastated much of the state back in March. 'We had one of the worst floods in the history of the United States a few months back and President Obama didn’t even do a flyover of Rhode Island,' Caprio said during the radio interview. 'He ignored us and now he’s coming into Rhode Island and treating us like an ATM machine.'”

Where did the love go?

The ad that should have run...

...incessantly.

Ask most people in California - on either side of the political aisle - and they will tell you that Sen. Barbara Boxer's finest hour was not her infamous "Call Me Senator" rant.

While her GOP opponent in the Nov. 2 election, Carly Fiorina, did have one ad on the subject, it ran for just a short time and has since been forgotten.

The ad below, produced by a conservative group, is funny -- and to the point. (David Zucker, he of the "Airplane" and Naked Gun" movies...to name but a few, oversaw this ad.)

This is the ad her team should have run from the start. My guess, if they had, Fiorina vs. Boxer wouldn't be a dead heat right now...

Call Me Senator from RightChange on Vimeo.

Late add/bonus: Zucker explains why he made the video - "I thought an apology would have been appropriate, but to my knowledge, none has ever been made by Senator Boxer. This I find distressing, since apologies from public figures nowadays are the norm. I mean, it’s not as if she texted her junk to Brett Favre. This was just arrogantly insulting an army officer. But I guess that’s okay with her. In the debate with Carly Fiorina, the subject was brought up, but Boxer was quite adept at deflecting it — and still without an apology. Let this video be my apology. Every time I see the public record listing my campaign contribution to Boxer — I wince. I mean, we all have things we’ve done in the past that we’re embarrassed about, but I’d rather have my being restricted to 100 yards away from elementary schools be public knowledge than that $5,000 Boxer campaign contribution." (h/t: Hot Air)

Full of...

...himself.

Harry just can't help himself (in any way), can he?

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who looks like he's about to take an unplanned retirement, appeared on MSNBC today and said, "But for me, we would be in a world-wide depression."

I don't which is worse: that he said that with a straight face or that he might actually believe it...

Out of touch...

...out of time.

"Who's a Twitter?"

"What's a Facebook?"

These are questions, of course, we imagine U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Slot Machines) poses when the subjects of technology and social media arise. And while his office has established various accounts in his name with the usual venues, no one in their right mind believes the guy has ever "Tweeted" or posted a "status update."

Following his debate with Republican challenger Sharon Angle last night - where the GOPer called Reid out on his infamous, "...the Iraq War is lost" comments, the Silver State's senior senator posted this on his Twitter account:

@HarryReidSenator Harry Reid

Angle @ debate: Reid demoralized our troops when he said the war was lost. LIE! HERE’S PROOF http://bit.ly/aZjGWu#nvsen

He also posted this on his Facebook account:

Harr

Harry Reid Angle @ debate: Reid demoralized our troops when he said the war was lost. LIE! HERE’S PROOF

Setting The Record Straight: FACT CHECK | HarryReid.com

www.harryreid.com

(As you can see, Reid also posted his response on his "fact check" website.)

Unfortunately for Reid, audio and video that make their way to the Internet do not die. Watch and learn:

From the venerable blog, Hot Air: "This comment came on April 19, 2007, more than a month after the comment Reid claims Angle is misrepresenting. In it, one can get the impression that Reid wants people to think that the war in Iraq had already been lost, because he says:

'Now I believe, myself, that the secretary of state, the secretary of defense and you have to make your own decision as to what the president knows:that this war is lost, that the surge is not accomplishing anything.'"

Poor old Harry - he's out of touch...and out of time.

Which party does he belong to?

Oh, that's right...Democratic.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (right) has a problem (left)...(photo: Charleston Gazette)

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D), who looked like a cinch to capture the U.S. Senate seat that used to be part of the living fossil that was Robert Byrd, is now in for the political fight of his life.

While he is overwhelmingly beloved as governor, President Barack Obama seems to be moving toward a nearly impossible-to-believe single-digit approval ratings among West Virginia voters. And therein lies the problem.

West Virginians want Joe to stay with them. They feel like he's doing a fine job as the state's chief executive. "If Joe goes to Washington and gets sucked into the Obama mess, he and the state could be screwed," his constituents seem to be saying.

GOP challenger John Raese has managed to come on strong, shaking off a double-digit deficit to move to a lead in the polls which now have him beyond the margin of error.

You've got to hand it to Manchin: he's no quitter. During the last week, he's filed suit against the Obama Administration's EPA for its efforts to quash certain coal mining techniques (which really irks the coal mining-dependent state's citizens). And to top it off, Manchin goes over the top with the ad (below), which is designed to further distance him from the leader of his own party.

Another omen of things to come this November 2.

Bonus: In one campaign ad, the candidate shoots down Cap and Trade, ObamaCare, the EPA - and he does it with a rifle (and the NRA's endorsement). Can you imagine what would have happened if a Republican did all that?

Late add: John Batchelor also blogs on the West Virginia coal mine canary...

The political meaning of the National League's All Star Game win?

What are the political ramifications of last night's All Star Game victory by the National League over the American League, 3-1?

"National League victory has preceded each of the nine election cycles with double-digit GOP gains in U.S. House since 1950; All-Star classic also prescient of big partisan swings in U.S. Senate"...this according to Smart Politics (the blog of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs).

(h/t: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

Bumpersticker (sorta) politics...

Seen on the street...

Be afraid, incumbents - be very afraid...