Below The Beltway

Colbert covers Sarah Palin’s Tea Party speech and much, much more:

Someone in Minnesota is running the billboard pictured above.

Umm, I think it’s pretty clear the answer is no.

This is the same guy who increased non-defense discretionary spending at a faster pace than Lyndon Johnson, gave us the biggest increase in the welfare state in 40 years, increased federal intrusion into local decision making, and bailed out two auto companies that eventually went bankrupt against the will of Congress and the American people.

And that’s just the start:

The president who

* expanded federal spending by more than a trillion dollars a year, before his disastrous last hundred days
* federalized education
* laid out “a smorgasbord of handouts and subsidies for virtually every energy lobby in Washington.”
* protected the steel, agriculture, and textile industries from foreign competition
* backed farm bills with lavish subsidies for producers
* created the biggest new entitlement since Lyndon Johnson
* bailed out Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, and dozens of other banks
* provided government support for mortgages, credit cards, auto loans and other consumer debt, and
* bailed out Chrysler and General Motors in direct defiance of Congress’s refusal to do so

You’re asking us if we miss that guy ?

Not only no, but hell no.

Apparently, even the most libertarian Member of Congress isn’t immune from attack by the populist Tea Party movement:

WASHINGTON – Even anti-government icon Ron Paul can’t escape the conservative “Tea Party” fervor stretching across the county.

Paul, the Gulf Coast congressman whose 2008 presidential run excited libertarians nationwide, even though he didn’t get much traction overall, is considered by many to be the “father of the Tea Parties.” But he has three opponents in the March Republican primary – more than he has faced in his past six primary campaigns combined.

All three have ties to the anti-tax Tea Party movement. And while Paul remains the odds-on favorite to win re-election in his district, the crowded primary highlights the potential conflict between Tea Party activists and a GOP hoping to ride their wave to electoral success this fall.

This may seem strange given the fact that there seems to be a direct correlation between Paul’s 2008 campaign for President and the “Tea Party” movement, but clearly the Congressman can’t control this populist beast:

[T]he movement has clearly moved beyond Paul’s dedicated core of supporters, a fact the congressman has seemingly acknowledged. He plans to attend a Tea Party-sponsored candidate forum in Katy this month, but he has distanced himself from the Tea Parties in recent interviews because of the antagonistic tone of some rallies.

“He has a very good relationship with the Tea Parties,” Benton said. “But it is very important that these rallies maintain a certain level of decorum and respect.”

Apparently, that’s asking too much.

Rachael Maddow covered this story last night:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

ABC’s Jake Tapper reports that the Obama Administration is striking a very familiar theme:

In an oped in USA Today, John Brennan — Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism — responds to critics of the Obama administration’s counterterrorism policies by saying “Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda.”

Gee, where have I heard that before.

Oh yea:

Not only did the New Orleans Saints win their first Super Bowl last night, they apparently also helped break a record that many thought would stand forever:

NEW YORK – The New Orleans Saints’ victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of “M-A-S-H” to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.

Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season.

“It was one of those magical moments that you don’t often see in sports,” said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday’s Super Bowl. The “M-A-S-H” record was 105.97 million.

The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl — last year’s game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said.

The “M-A-S-H” record has proven as durable and meaningful in television as Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs was in baseball until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell which program was really watched by more people. There’s a margin for error in such numbers, and Nielsen’s Monday estimate was preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due Tuesday.

Even if the record stands, however, the M*A*S*H numbers do win out in one respect:

There are more American homes with television sets now (114.9 million) than there were in 1983 (83.3 million). An estimated 77 percent of homes with TVs on were watching “M-A-S-H” in 1983, compared with the audience share of 68 for the Super Bowl.

And the Saints and Colts did have some help from Mother Nature:

The Mid-Atlantic blizzard also helped CBS. After New Orleans, the highest-rated market was snowbound Washington, Nielsen said. More people watched the game from their homes in that area instead of going to parties or bars, and Nielsen does a much better job counting viewers in homes than outside of them.  “Bad weather in the Northeast and good weather in Florida was a good combination for us,” McManus said.

Indeed

H/T: James Joyner

The latest Gallup poll has more bad news for the President:

PRINCETON, NJ — At 36%, Americans give President Barack Obama his lowest job approval rating yet on his handling of the economy. By contrast, the president’s 51% approval rating on handling foreign affairs is up slightly from last month.

Gallup measured Americans’ ratings of the president on nine issues in its Feb. 1-3 survey. Obama’s rating on foreign affairs is second only to education at the top of the list; these two constitute the only issues on which Obama receives a majority approval rating. Obama’s rating on his handling of the economy is second only to the federal budget deficit as the lowest of the issues measured.

Here are the numbers on all nine issue areas:

Also, the American public continues to be pessimistic on the right track/wrong track question:

All of which explains why President Obama’s approval numbers continue to drop precipitously:

Absent a major economic turnaround, which seems unlikely in the near future, things are only going to get worse for the President.

Someone up there doesn’t like the Washington, D.C. area very much:

WASHINGTON – If this weekend’s record-breaking blizzard hasn’t left you wishing for summer, you probably will be by the end of the week.

Another storm is on the way. This time around, it could bring 10 to 20 inches of snow.

Although it’s sunny and temperatures are in the 30s, don’t expect too much melting as the region digs out from as much as 40 inches of snow.

Thousands of people are still without power and some neighborhoods haven’t been touched by plows. Many school systems have already canceled classes for the next few days.

ABC 7 Meteorologist Chris Naille says don’t expect the snow to go away anytime soon.

“We’re not going to get rid of it completely, not by a long shot before another system impacts us.”

A Winter Storm Warning has been posted from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service says accumulations of 10 to 20 inches are possible.

Frak.

Chuck DeVore, who’s running for the GOP nomination out in California to challenge Barbara Boxer, started running this ad recently:

It’s a perfect ad for California and, it appeals to my inner geek.

H/T: Vodkapundit

Well, I could have told you this was coming:

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin did not discount a 2012 presidential campaign on Sunday.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee said she would run, “if I believed that that is the right thing to do for our country and for the Palin family. Certainly, I would do so.” She said it would be “absurd” to rule it out

The only thing that’s absurd, Sarah, is the idea of you in the White House.