Entries for May 2009

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

I wrote about the Sotomayor nomination in today's U.S.News Weekly edition and thought I'd add to it by sharing with you the two best things I've read this week on the Supreme Court nomination. Here's Peggy Noonan's advice to the GOP in the Wall Street Journal:

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Let's take a look at the president's schedule over the last two days:

President Obama flew to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas and gave "one of the shortest speeches of his political career," according to the New York Times's coverage, to mark the 100 days since the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—otherwise known as the $787 billion stimulus package. In his official remarks, which were only four paragraphs long, he actually said this:

You know, it's always a pleasure to get out of Washington a little bit. Washington is okay, but it's nice taking some time to talk to Americans of every walk of life outside of the nation's capital.

For the rest of his trip, there was no time for "talking to Americans of every walk of life" because there were no other public events. The president left the military base and attended a multimillion-dollar fundraiser Tuesday night for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at Caesar's Palace—where he shared with the crowd his delight in getting an "upgrade" to the luxurious Presidential Suite.

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Yesterday, my friends in politics were E-mailing me about the president's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor hours before the announcement. But minutes after his speech, I got another slew of E-mails from a different set of friends: fellow parents of kids with type 1 diabetes. Here's the part of President Obama's speech that was so important to them, no matter what their politics:

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street Blog

As I write this, the President is about to name a Supreme Court nominee. Looking ahead to the next few days of marathon coverage, I'd give one piece of advice:

The Republicans would be wise to view this as an opportunity to expand their base, rather than engage in the kind of "shrill" outrage to which Tom Ridge referred recently on MSNBC. No matter whom the president chooses the Republicans should keep their powder dry—especially when it comes to divisive issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and gun control—for several reasons.

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

The most striking statement in the president's speech on national security yesterday at the National Archives:

I will never hide the truth because it is uncomfortable.

But here's former Vice President Cheney on the memos that President Obama refuses to release:

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street Blog

Here's a speechwriter's idea of a good time: Don't watch the video of yesterday's speeches by the President and former Vice President on national security. Instead, read both speeches—free from any audience, the staged backdrop, even the sound of their voices.

It's kind of like the 1960 Presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Those who watched on TV thought Kennedy won. Those who listened on radio thought Nixon did.

Chances are, if you watch the video of yesterday's speeches, you'll think President Obama won. But if you read the transcripts online, you might think Vice President Cheney won, as I did.

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street Blog

Why did eveningwear designer Carmen Marc Valvo attend an AARP convention recently? The answer lies in a very interesting piece in today's Wall Street Journal by Christina Binkley discussing online apparel sales to older women: