One American thinks this, the other four disagree

As the Obama inauguration drifts closer, President Bush’s approval ratings stand at 27 per cent, according to the most recent CNN poll – it’s a familiar statistic, and about average for the year. Approval in ’08 has edged as high as 39 per cent and as low as 22, which still means that more than one in five Americans supported the President at his lowest ebb, just under half of those that voted for him in ’04.

For much of its concluding 110th sitting, the House of Representatives has been evenly split between Democrats and Republicans – and it fares far worse than Bush, with an rating of just 20 per cent according to a recent Fox poll. For the year, this is pretty good – amid the economic turmoil of October it sunk to 12 per cent, and has climbed above 30 only once in ’08. While much of the ire is aimed at Republicans, this bitch-slapping, stuttering Congress is more indicative of the ‘old politics’ Obama promised to change than the outgoing administration (the 111th has a Democratic majority of 55-41).

For Obama, the honeymoon period continues – it would be odd if it didn’t, as the man isn’t even President yet – with a creep upward of three per cent across December, an ‘approval’ of 82 per cent (so that’s what the other four Americans think). This approval presumably stems from Joe Sixpack’s delight at his appointment of a basketball-crazy cabinet, and that new, less ‘scrawny‘ figure.

Anti-Bush Penn, and a Baldwin / Bon Jovi dream ticket

Beware the actors; ageing thespian firebrand Alec Baldwin is mulling a move to politics, leading us to wonder whether he and aspiring governor Jon Bon Jovi could form the Democratic dream ticket in 2012 if Obama falls apart. Baldwin once branded the Bush administration: ‘thieving, whoring liars’, and claimed of Schwarzenegger’s election:

“If the largest, most economically significant state in America could elect a man who is totally unqualified for the job, then they can elect anyone.”

Enter Senator Baldwin, stage left. The contest could be quite entertaining. Imagine it, banners with ‘Baldwin / Bon Jovi’ stamped across them. Imagine the ranting speeches. Imagine the sweaty-browed publicists. Imagine the skeletons tumbling out of the closet. ‘Do we really want a man as President who leaves abusive messages on his daughter’s voicemail?’ Imagine the pundits. Imagine the fundraising concerts. Dare to dream.

Back in the real world – if that’s what you can call the Cannes Film Festival – Sean Penn launched into another of his toothless rants against the evils of George Bush. Conjuring images of a rogue university professor about to get the boot, as he did in 2007, Penn performed his usual tricks. (Although surprisingly, he found some time to Obama Obama; Penn’s man of choice was Dennis Kucinich, the outsider with the British wife half his age, also favoured by serious-minded thesp Viggo Mortensen. So some credit for variety, then.) It’s Bush’s last year, for heaven’s sake. He’s going, Sean. He won’t be there any more. Morgan Spurlock even managed to look past the outgoing President in placing blame for America’s image in his frat-boy travelogue, Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?

The problem News Hour has with this (despite our admitted right-leaning disposition, insofar as that means anything concrete these days) is that it’s a band wagon, and a tedious one. He’s an actor; why isn’t he entertaining us? Why is he saying the same thing over and over? The sense of déjà vu may even have affected Penn himself, as the actor seemed to forget what year it was; lighting up in the press conference during which he delivered his bile-driven sermon.

One has to admit a sneaking admiration for the person that flouts such a ban, were it not for the fact that it is more likely the venue will face a fine rather than Penn, as was the case before, in Toronto. It’s more defensible when an institution takes a stand, even admirable, but when all it does is convey a ‘F*** you’ attitude it just looks like being mean. And when will we hear Penn rail against the evil of the tobacco companies, whose products he tacitly promotes to the undiscerning? (To others, he may seem more like a disincentive.)

ELECTION 08: Clinton a possible ‘white Oprah’

The employees of News Hour were squirming in their seats at Larry King’s recent interview with Laura and Jenna Bush. The mother and soon-to-be-married daughter were promoting their co-written children’s book when Larry strayed, not unpredictably, onto the subject of politics.

“My favourite is the Republican”, said the First Lady, when the thin-shouldered interviewer asked her which Democrat she favoured, her face an unpierceable picture of loyalty. Jollied along by her wilful evasiveness, Larry offered an easy get out to Jenna: “Yours too, I would imagine.”

“I don’t know,” replied Jenna to peals of nervous laughter. “Who isn’t open to learning about the candidates,” she continued anxiously, before glancing at her mother and, finding no solace with Laura’s unflinching gaze, swallowed hard and make apologetic eye contact with the camera. The same trick was repeated later on when she was asked to give her verdict on the Pope’s character (he’s a nice bloke, since you ask). One can only imagine what terrible, mischievous things go through your head when asked a question like that by Larry King.

Still, President Bush seems to be in relaxed mood of late, punctuating his last year in office with performances as a stand-up comedian. He certainly has a rich future on the lecture circuit, should that be his bag. We wonder what Hillary Clinton will get up to when the Democratic nomination is locked up. Barring acts of God, scandal or a superdelegate rebellion, Obama will be the one facing John McCain this November 4; but the manner in which Clinton has conducted herself has lead many in the office to wonder whether there would be a market in learning her secrets. Who hasn’t looked at her tireless campaigning in West Virginia and beyond, and thought, I want some of what she’s having? Clinton campaigns with astonishing force, confidence and energy, if not always the best turn of phrase; this dynamism and “yes we will” attitude could be a precursor to Hillary emerging as the ‘White Oprah’. Or perhaps it is a little more downspun than that; her conversion to whiskey-chugging, common sense man of the people may cast her as the bastard child of Jerry Springer and Dr Phil.

Or, with story-of-my-life phrases such as…

“Fly against the wind, you’ll get there eventually if you just keep going.”

…perhaps a sideline in management philosophy? Is all this extended campaigning simply empire-building? She could start small when it’s all over, running a local TV programme in New York as an open surgery for the problems of the natives. From there, the sky’s the limit; whatever happens, it would have to be better than this.