He’s very humble about being the President of the United States, especially in comparison to some presidents we’ve had who come across like they don’t need anybody’s help. I think he knows he’s in over his head. Anybody with any sense who takes that job and thinks they can handle it must be an idiot.

— Merle Haggard, in an interview with Rolling Stone, on meeting President Obama.

Oh no, come on, say it ain’t so, Joe!
The ballots are counted and the winner you know, Joe.
We realize you feel lousy,
That your new senator’s Murkowski,
But just let it go and get on with the show, Joe.

The economy really sucks. Now I hate to point fingers at anybody, but the present administration probably had a lot to do with that. And the way I see it, they’re not going to quit doing it until they bring this country to its knees. So I think we should all rise up and we should stop this administration from what they’re doing because they’re destroying this country. They’re driving us into bankruptcy so that they can impose socialism on us…

– GEICO ad man R. Lee Ermey, commenting at a U.S. Marines Toys for Tots rally. If you think GEICO should can this asshat, let them know. Suggested subject line: “Can the Asshat.”

-26

The Gallup Economic Confidence Index average during the week ending Dec. 26. That marked an improvement from -29 earlier in the month, but not enough to bring the month’s average up to the -24 recorded in November 2010.

26%

Of American adults used their cell phone to learn about or participate in the 2010 mid-term election campaign, according to Pew Research. The mobile political user group is more male than female, young than old, better off financially than less well-off, and better educated than less well-educated. African-Americans also are more likely than whites or Hispanics to be in this group.

In preparing for the coming elections of 2012, Politics Daily’s Walter Shapiro says we should clean house on worn-out and meaningless political terms that crop up with lamentable regularity in speeches, columns and news stories:
Already, I am braced for the linguistic assault from 2011 trench warfare in Washington and the verbal pyrotechnics from the 2012 [...]

I believe she’s done more for the Republican Party than anyone since Ronald Reagan.

— Sen. James DeMint (R-SC), quoted by Politico, on Sarah Palin.

72%

Of Republicans in Florida want Jeb Bush to run against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida’s senior senator and the last Democrat standing in a prominent statewide post.

I think we’ve become wussies … We’ve become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything. If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down.

— Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D), in a radio interview, still upset that the NFL postponed the Philadelphia Eagles-Minnesota Vikings football game due to snow.

ot content with having possession of real marijuana against the law in the state of Florida, the bright lights in the Florida senate and house are considering two bills that would make fake Mary Jane illegal, too, according to the Florida Times-Union. Makes you wonder what they are smoking ….
Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, and state [...]