The Networks Snubbed Bush, Too

The White House ceremony Tuesday with the President and Vice-President was originally supposed to be a primetime address, but apparently told the White House to piss off instead. Evan McMorris-Santoro:

White House officials sought valuable primetime air for a rare, impromptu Tuesday night address to tout the accomplishment of signing up more than 7 million people under the Affordable Care Act.

But network officials refused to make the kind of accommodation they did previously for the announcement that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, for instance, and Obama was left instead cutting into the much smaller audiences ofEllen and other daytime shows.

Three sources familiar with the request confirmed the White House asked for the primetime slot in their effort both to emphasize a bright moment following the challenging roll out and, more important, to try to reintroduce the country to a law that remains unpopular. One top White House official referred BuzzFeed to another top official for comment on the conversation with networks, but the second official did not respond to a request for comment.

People familiar with the request declined to reveal which network blocked the primetime address, but broadcast networks have traditionally been much more reluctant than cable networks to provide the White House with evening air time.

Million dollar question:  when's the last time a President was flatly turned down by all the networks for an Oval Office address? 

Steve M. has the answer: it happened to Bush in October 2002.  He gave a primetime speech outlining his case for Iraq but only the cable networks carried it.

And then it happened again in May 2004 when Bush was speaking at the US Army War College.  Same thing, the cable networks carried it, but even FOX stuck to May sweeps programming.

So yes, it's disrespectful, but it happened to Dubya first.

Another Milepost On The Road To Oblivion

Billionaire Charles Koch is tired of you people, so he got himself an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal to let you guys know that he's tired of you people.

Conservative billionaire Charles Koch hit back against Democrats' attacks calling him "un-American" in the pages of the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, citing his corporate record and denouncing political cronyism.

"The more government tries to control, the greater the disaster, as shown by the current health-care debacle," he wrote in an op-ed. "Collectivists (those who stand for government control of the means of production and how people live their lives) promise heaven but deliver hell."

"Instead of encouraging free and open debate, collectivists strive to discredit and intimidate opponents. They engage in character assassination," he added, saying he was the target of "almost daily" attacks.

To recap, guy who uses his nearly unparalleled wealth and power from that most American of sources (inheritance and government largesse) to found his own super PAC dedicated to political attacks and character assassination of political enemies wants you to know there's nothing more un-American than saying bad things about him.

If you believe that government can ever be used to benefit a nation's people, then you're a "collectivist" and not a SUPER RICH AMERIPATRIOT like Chuck Koch here, so shut up because he's rich enough to buy an op-ed in the WSJ for crying out loud, who the hell do you think you are, hippie?

Fleeing The Scene

Continue to expect Senate Democrats up for re-election this year to run scared from Obamacare and immigration reform rather than defend their votes, with results like this Quinnipiac University survey.

American voters oppose the Affordable Care Act 55 - 41 percent and 40 percent are less likely to vote for a candidate who supports Obamacare, while 27 percent are more likely and 31 percent say this will not affect their vote.

Immigration also is a possible pitfall for candidates, as 39 percent of voters say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who supports a path to citizenship for illegal aliens, while 29 percent are more likely and 29 percent say it won't make a difference in their vote. 

But, there's good news for Dems too.

Reversing a slight shift to the Republican column, 40 percent of American voters now say they would vote for a Democrat for Congress this year, while 38 percent go Republican. Independent voters would vote Republican 35 - 27 percent.

And raising the minimum wage continues to be a big win in the D column with voters.

Raising the minimum wage is more popular as 50 percent say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports raising the minimum wage, with 25 percent less likely and 24 percent saying it won't affect their vote.

So no, immigration is not happening until the Dems get the House back.  But not raising the minimum wage is going to really hurt the Republicans, and the longer they hold out, the more it's going to haunt them.

StupidiNews!

• Army officials say four are dead and sixteen injured after a shooting incident at Fort Hood, Texas, including the shooter who took his own life.
• Another powerful earthquake rocked Northern Chile for the second day in a row, this one measuring 7.8 as Chilean officials once again evacuated coastal areas.
• The Obama administration says for the first time that it will allow the public to see just how doctors are paid for Medicare services and procedures.
• Brazil's central bank has raised the country's prime interest rate to 11% in an effort to control inflation, but bankers finally believe that further tightening may not be necessary.
• The crisis in Ukraine has now spread to end the partnership between NASA and Russia's space agency, however International Space Station operations will continue as normal.