NOT The Headlines Obama Was Looking For

A Look Back On The First Days of the 2012 General Election Campaign:

NBC News: “Team Obama’s Not-So-Good Week” (NBC News, 4/13/12)
“The Last Seven Days Have Been Rough For Obama.” “But the last seven days have been rough for Obama. There was last Friday’s disappointing jobs report (which led to a nervousness and recalibration on Wall Street and in the economic community in general), the rallying around Romney (due to Rick Santorum’s exit and the Hilary Rosen flap) … Even yesterday, one of Obama’s local TV interviews didn’t go so hot, with the RNC clipping this exchange.” (NBC’s “First Read,” 4/13/12)

Reuters: “Analysis: Obama's ‘Green Jobs’ Have Been Slow To Sprout” (Reuters, 4/13/12)
“The Millions Of ‘Green Jobs’ Obama Promised Have Been Slow To Sprout…” “But the millions of ‘green jobs’ Obama promised have been slow to sprout, disappointing many who had hoped that the $90 billion earmarked for clean-energy efforts in the recession-fighting federal stimulus package would ease unemployment – still above 8 percent in March.” (Andy Sullivan, “Analysis: Obama's ‘Green Jobs’ Have Been Slow To Sprout,” Reuters, 4/13/12)

Politico: “Obama Grilled By Local Media On Vacations, Rosen Comments” (Politico, 4/13/12)
“President Barack Obama Was Pressed For A Response On Controversial Comments By Democratic Strategist Hilary Rosen And Grilled On How Often He Takes Vacations.” “White House officials' strategy to bypass national news outlets in favor of local interviewers may not be panning out as well as they had hoped. … [I]n local TV interviews on Thursday, President Barack Obama was pressed for a response on controversial comments by Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen and grilled on how often he takes vacations.” (Leigh Munsil, “Obama Grilled By Local Media On Vacations, Rosen Comments,” Politico, 4/13/12)

The Hill: “Obama Campaign Moves To Distance Itself From Rosen Remarks” (The Hill, 4/12/12)
“The Obama Campaign On Thursday Moved To Quickly Distance Itself From Comments Made By A Democratic Strategist…” “The Obama campaign on Thursday moved to quickly distance itself from comments made by a Democratic strategist who said that Ann Romney, the wife of GOP front-runner Mitt, ‘never worked a day in her life.’” (Amie Parnes, “Obama Campaign Moves To Distance Itself From Rosen Remarks,” The Hill, 4/12/12)

Politico: “Dems On Defense In War Over Women” (Politico, 4/12/12)
“Democrats Played Defense Thursday, After An Unforced Error By Veteran Democratic Strategist Hilary Rosen Criticizing Stay-At-Home Mom Ann Romney Allowed Republicans To Turn The Tables…” (Maggie Haberman, “Dems On Defense In War Over Women,”Politico, 4/12/12)

The Wall Street Journal: “Inspector General Hits Obama Admin’s ‘Hardest Hit’ Housing Program” (The Wall Street Journal, 4/12/12)
The Obama Administration’s Efforts On Housing Have Been “Widely Criticized” And Are “Falling Short.” “A $7.6 billion Obama administration program that targets areas especially suffering from the housing crisis is falling short, with the government spending only about 3% of money set aside for ‘underwater’ mortgage borrowers and other problems, a watchdog report said. … [The] report is the first comprehensive examination of a newer piece of the administration’s foreclosure-prevention efforts, which have been widely criticized for not making a big dent in the country’s housing problems.” (Alan Zibel, “Inspector General Hits Obama Admin’s ‘Hardest Hit’ Housing Program,”The Wall Street Journal, 4/12/12)

Reuters: “Obama Healthcare Law Could Worsen US Deficits – Study” (Reuters, 4/10/12)
According To A New Study, Obamacare Could “Add Up To $530 Billion To The Federal Budget Deficit.” “President Barack Obama's healthcare law could sharply exceed its cost-savings targets and add up to $530 billion to the federal budget deficit, a leading authority on U.S. government benefit programs said on Tuesday.” (“Obama Healthcare Law Could Worsen US Deficits – Study,” Reuters, 4/10/12)

The Hill: “Dem Senator: Buffett Rule ‘Isn’t Going To Balance The Budget’” (The Hill, 4/11/12)
Democratic Senator Chris Coons Acknowledged That The So-Called Buffett Rule “Isn’t Going To Balance The Budget.” “Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Wednesday acknowledged GOP criticisms that the Obama administration’s Buffett Rule ‘isn’t going to balance the budget,’ but he argued that the proposal was important as a matter of ‘values’ and ‘fairness.’” (Jonathan Easley, “Dem Senator: Buffett Rule ‘Isn’t Going To Balance The Budget’,” The Hill, 4/11/12)

Fox News: “Federal Employees Got Bonuses For Planning Agency's Lavish 2010 Event, Investigation Reveals” (Fox News, 4/11/12)
Fifty Employees At President Obama’s GSA “Were Given Cash Awards Of $500 And $1,000 For Their Work Arranging The Now-Infamous Conference.” “That appears to be incentive offered by the federal agency under fire for spending lavishly on a 2010 conference held near Las Vegas. The latest details from an inspector general report on the conference reveal 50 employees were given cash awards of $500 and $1,000 for their work arranging the now-infamous conference.” (“Federal Employees Got Bonuses For Planning Agency's Lavish 2010 Event, Investigation Reveals,” Fox News, 4/11/12)

Bloomberg: “U.S. Agency Employees Spent Week In Hawaii, Lawmaker Says” (Bloomberg, 4/12/12)
“Five U.S. General Services Administration Officials Spent About A Week In Hawaii At Government Expense As Part Of Attending A Brief Ceremony For A New Federal Office, A Lawmaker Said.” (James Rowley, “U.S. Agency Employees Spent Week In Hawaii, Lawmaker Says,” Bloomberg, 4/12/12)

New Hampshire Union Leader: “The Buffett Rule: A Total Sham” (New Hampshire Union Leader, 4/12/12)
“The Buffett Rule Is Not About Math Or Fairness Or Shared Sacrifice.” (Editorial, “The Buffett Rule: A Total Sham,” New Hampshire Union Leader, 4/12/12)

Washington Examiner: “Team Romney On Offense At Biden Event” (Washington Examiner, 4/12/12)
Vice President Biden Was Welcomed To New Hampshire By The Romney Campaign Bus And A Press Conference Call. “Biden traveled to Exeter, New Hampshire for a speech at the Town Hall denouncing Romney's economic plan and promoting the Buffett Rule. And what did Biden find outside Town Hall? The Romney campaign bus. … A few hours before Biden arrived, the Romney campaign also held a conference call, featuring former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, as well as some current Republican state officials, to knock down some of the points Biden had come to the state to make.” (Byron York, “Team Romney On Offense At Biden Event,” Washington Examiner, 4/12/12)

The Washington Post: “Rebuffing Obama’s Gimmicky ‘Buffett Rule’” (The Washington Post, 4/11/12)
“Actually, The Gimmick Was Apparent Even Without The President’s Acknowledgment.” “President Obama admits it: His proposed ‘Buffett Rule’ tax on millionaires is a gimmick. ‘There are others who are saying: “Well, this is just a gimmick. Just taxing millionaires and billionaires, just imposing the Buffett Rule, won’t do enough to close the deficit,”’ Obama declared Wednesday. ‘Well, I agree.’ Actually, the gimmick was apparent even without the president’s acknowledgment.” (Dana Milbank, “Rebuffing Obama’s Gimmicky ‘Buffett Rule,’” The Washington Post, 4/11/12)

The Hill: “Weak March Jobs Report Could Spell Trouble For Obama's Reelection Bid” (The Hill, 4/6/12)
“Weaker-Than-Expected Jobs Figures Released On Friday Could Spell Trouble For President Obama’s Reelection Bid.” “The weaker-than-expected jobs figures released on Friday could spell trouble for President Obama’s reelection bid. The Labor Department reported that the economy added 120,000 new jobs in March, falling well short of the more than 200,000 that had been expected. The unemployment rate dropped from 8.3 percent to 8.2 percent, but that decline came mostly from people giving up on their job searches.” (Vicki Needham, “Weak March Jobs Report Could Spell Trouble For Obama's Reelection Bid,” The Hill, 4/6/12)