Chad’s Morning Brief: Is Obama Losing? Jeb Bush on VP and More

Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of June 7, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.

1. Is Obama Losing? (link)

MoveOn.org is trying to rally Democrats by saying that President Obama is losing to Mitt Romney.

In a new fundraising letter to members, the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org conceded Wednesday that it believes President “Obama’s losing.”

“Think Obama’s a shoo-in?,” the group writes in their letter. “Think again. Romney is ahead in a whole series of recent polls.”

MoveOn lamented that in 8 out of 16 national polls released last month, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is in the lead. The RealClearPolitics average currently has Obama leading Romney by three percentage points — 47.7 percent to 44.7 percent.

The liberal cheerleading group’s email, however, was more about fundraising than political prognosticating. It asked for donations toward a $200,000 fund to run social media campaigns in the months leading up to the November election.

To me, this is purely a fundraising tactic. Though I really hope Obama is losing and Democrats start freaking out.

2. Did Jeb Bush Miss Out? (link)

Was 2012 the year for Jeb Bush? Bush seems to think so. Oh yeah, and he doesn't want to be Vice President.

“This was probably my time,” Bush told “CBS This Morning,” referring to the ongoing presidential campaign. “There’s a window of opportunity, in life, and for all sorts of reasons.”

Bush also wondered whether he would have fared well in today’s Republican Party.

“Although I don’t know, given what I believe and how I believe it, I’m not sure I would have been successful as a candidate, either. These are different times than just six years ago, when I last ran, or even longer than that,” he said.

That said, the Florida Republican doesn’t know whether he ever wants to be president.

“Have you made a decision that you don’t want to be president?” asked CBS host Charlie Rose.

“I have not made that decision,” Bush responded.

One thing Bush did seem to be sure about: not being Mitt Romney’s running mate.

“I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to be asked. And it’s not going to happen.

What do you think? Personally, I don't believe that this would have been a good year for Jeb Bush. In many political circles the Bush name is still toxic.

3. Texting While Driving Isn't Good (link)

Interesting case out of Massachusetts where a driver will spend a year in jail after being involved in a car wreck that killed the other driver. the man going to jail was 17 when the accident occurred and was texting while driving.

Abany said from the bench that a criminal sentence is based on four principles — punishment, public safety, rehabilitation, and deterrence. Of those four issues, deterrence was his primary concern.

Deterrence “really seems to come to play in this case,’’ Abany said. “People really want to be safe on the highways.’’ People need to “keep their eyes on the road, keep their eyes on the road.’’

Before Abany imposed his sentence, he heard from Deveau and from relatives of Daniel Bowley Jr., the 55-year-old New Hampshire man who suffered massive injuries in the February 2011 crash, and lingered for 18 days at a Boston hospital before dying.

“We hope this sends a message that it’s not OK to text and drive,’’ Burleigh said.

Deveau, whose license was also suspended by the judge for 15 years, was prosecuted under a 2010 state law that makes it a crime to injure someone during a car crash due to texting while behind the wheel. Prosecutors had also argued that he was texting two minutes before the crash, and that his behavior qualified as negligence.

State Police spokesman David Procopio issued a statement, saying it was an important case and “the maximum penalty sought by the district attorney was a more appropriate punishment than the one year the defendant will serve.”

Thoughts?

4. L.A. High School and Planned Parenthood (link)

Planned Parenthood inside a High School? Yeah, I don't think anyone will have a problem with this...

Planned Parenthood and the Los Angeles Unified School District have teamed up in an unusual collaboration to reduce the number of unplanned teen pregnancies at Roosevelt High School.

Students can visit the on-campus health clinic to get free birth control, pregnancy tests, counseling and screening for sexually transmitted diseases – the first program of its kind in the country, according to the Los Angeles Times.

I am more and more convinced that Planned Parenthood doesn't care about good P.R..

5. Dumb Story of the Morning (link)

Stupid celebrities.

I wish this were a joke, but Amanda Bynes has just tweeted at Barack Obama to help her out with her recent DUI charge. Does Amanda Bynes a) know how Twitter works and b) know how America works?

Back in April, Amanda reminded us of her presence by getting into a hit and run with a cop car.

Yesterday, she was officially charged with a DUI and since she sideswiped a cop car, attempted to flee the scene, and refused to take a breathalyzer, she can face a maximum of up to 6 months in prison. But since she’s famous, I mean there is “jail overcrowding,” she’ll probably go to jail for a couple hours and then do some handiwork at the County Morgue. Probably.

Anyway, this scared the crap out of Bynes and so she turned to the only law enforcement figure she knew of: The President.

Tuesday evening, Amanda wrote on Twitter, “Hey @BarackObama…I don’t drink. Please fire the cop who arrested me. I also don’t hit and run. The end.”

Wait! We can tweet our complaints to Barack Obama and he’ll do something about it!?

Here goes, “Hey @BarackObama, there’s a pot hole on the street outside my apartment. Please fix it. The end.”

“Hey @BarackObama…My neighbors listen to really loud music after 10pm and I’m having trouble sleeping. Please arrest them. I also don’t hit and run. The end.”

Amanda asked the President to arrest the cop that arrested her, because she supposedly doesn’t drink!

Amanda Bynes apparently wants us to believe that a 26-year-old who parties in Hollywood and hits cars with her own car, is doing all that sober.

6. Good Brews Good News of the Day (link)

Texas woman camps on roof for donations.

A Kennedale, Texas, woman is camping out on top of a church roof until 50,000 pounds of food donations are raised for local pantries.

Robin Evans -- tent, sleeping bag and all -- has been perched in the middle part of First United Methodist Church's roof since early Friday morning.

The food raised will be donated to various food pantries across Tarrant County.

This is Evans' third year taking to the roof. The first year, she went up in August. The past two years, she went up in June. Evans said she picks June because it is when children are out of school and she feels for those who rely on breakfast and lunch programs at school.

When people donate, they can pick which food pantry the food goes to or have it allocated to the kids' backpack program.

"No, she's not crazy; she is doing good job," said Esta Dunham, Evans' friend.

Dunham said she applauds her friend's effort -- especially in Texas weather. It's been hot and stormy lately.

"Her tent kind of wobbled with the wind last night," she said.

Everyday, Good Brews Coffee & Tea Lounge brings you the Good News of the Day!

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These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.