President-elect Barack Obama's visit to Capitol Hill to push for passage of his economic stimulus package is receiving generally positive media coverage, which remarks on Obama's outreach to the GOP and his active lobbying for the plan even before he is sworn in. The New York Times reports Obama met with leaders of both parties, in an effort "particularly aimed at encouraging Republicans to buy into the plan and help ease resistance over a $775 billion price tag." The President-elect "pledged to help advance the legislation in any way he could, participants said, including inviting skeptical members of Congress to meet with him at his transition headquarters or at his temporary residence, the Hay-Adams Hotel."
The story led all three network newscasts last night. The CBS Evening News noted that "in a development that pleased many Republicans, Mr. Obama wants more tax cuts than had been expected. Of the total stimulus now at about $775 billion, he wants 40% of that, about $300 billion, to go to tax cuts. About half of that for business. ... The focus on business tax cuts is sure to make some liberal Democrats unhappy." NBC Nightly News said there are "worries" about the tax cuts in the plan, "There's an estimated $300 billion as part of the new program meant to prod consumers to spend and businesses to invest. But some say it may deny the government income it needs, too." Keith Olbermann, on MSNBC's Countdown, said, "Tax breaks for the middle class might be the oldest thing in his playbook, but throw in new ones for business and the president-elect is proposing cuts that in total might make George Bush blush."
The Hill reports, "Democrats offered a number of defenses for Obama's tax cut proposal and overall stimulus plan, which could be viewed as a political maneuver to win over centrist Democrats and Republicans, a charge Obama himself denied Monday." But "at the heart of their defense, though, appears to be the specter of Clinton's abysmal beginning in office and the subsequent drubbing Democrats were dealt two years later."
McConnell: Obama "Listening" To GOP The Washington Times reports, "Top Republican leaders from the Senate and House emerged from their meeting with Mr. Obama to say they expected to pass the $800 billion plan within six weeks, though details of the stimulus were still being worked out." On its front page, the Los Angeles Times reports Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said after meeting with Obama, "I think he would like to have a large bipartisan vote in favor of this package. ... I think he's already been listening to the suggestions we've made."
Obama To Deliver Speech Thursday NBC Nightly News reported that while Obama's trek to Capitol Hill "was all about getting congressional leaders on board, Obama will take his campaign directly to the public with his speech on Thursday outlining why a massive stimulus package, which may cost close to a trillion dollars, is urgently needed."
Media commentators last night and this morning referred to Leon Panetta's apparent selection as the new CIA director as a surprise, with prominent lawmakers criticizing the former White House Chief of Staff as too inexperienced on intelligence matters to lead the agency. The nomination was not officially announced to the news media, but rather leaked by anonymous sources. On the CBS Evening News, Bob Schieffer called Panetta's selection "weird," because "he has no background in the intelligence field." He added that "it's going to be an uphill battle now to get him confirmed." The New York Times says "some intelligence experts called the selection underwhelming, given the important role the CIA plays in disrupting terrorist attacks against the United States," and the Wall Street Journal notes Panetta's "selection quickly ran into hurdles on Capitol Hill. Both the incoming and outgoing chairs of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which will vote on Mr. Panetta's confirmation, expressed concern Monday at the appointment of a person without hands-on intelligence experience."
The Los Angeles Times reports "Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who this week begins her tenure as the first female head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she was not consulted on the choice and indicated she might oppose it. " She said, "My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time." Meanwhile, a senior aide to Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), the outgoing chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the senator 'thinks very highly of Panetta' but 'would have concerns' about a Panetta nomination and is 'puzzled by the selection.'"
Move To Undo Bush's Anti-Terror Policies? Some analysts see a subtext in Obama's decision, casting it as a sign that he intends to dismantle President Bush's anti-terror policies. The AP, for example, says this morning that with his selection, "Obama is sending an unequivocal message that controversial administration policies approving harsh interrogations, waterboarding and extraordinary...and warrantless wiretapping are over, said several officials."
Analyzing the Obama team's decision to pick Panetta, the Financial Times reports that "those close to Mr Obama say that he had no choice but to replace Mr Hayden, given the CIA director's association with controversial issues such as waterboarding and other 'enhanced interrogation techniques', the detention centre at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the secret rendition of prisoners overseas." The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, McClatchy, AP and San Francisco Chronicle offer similar assessments.
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The Washington Post, in a front-page article titled, "Richardson, Obama Teams Trade Blame," reports this morning that "the extent to which" Gov. Bill Richardson "underestimated the seriousness of the FBI investigation became obvious both to Obama's vetting team and to Richardson's own staff. Sources with the transition and the Justice Department said that Richardson had played down the importance of the probe and did not reveal that his office and staff could be at risk." However, Richardson's aides "defended his disclosures, noting that subjects under examination by a grand jury are rarely aware of its secret deliberations." According to the Post, an unnamed Justice Department source "also said Richardson neglected to include mention of the ongoing investigation on a background-check questionnaire he submitted to the FBI."
Daley, Tyson Seen As Top Contenders For Commerce In a story about President-elect Barack Obama's visit to Capitol Hill to promote his economic plans, the New York Times "the search intensified for a new commerce secretary, one day after...Richardson of New Mexico withdrew from consideration for the position." The Times adds "Democratic officials familiar with the search said prospective candidates include William Daley, who served as commerce secretary in the Clinton administration, and Laura Tyson, who has advised Mr. Obama on the economy."
Most media reports this morning indicate Senate Democrats have no plans to recognize Ronald Burris' credentials, setting up a potentially embarrassing confrontation as the new Congress opens. The New York Times reports that even as Senate leaders "continued to challenge his appointment," Burris "headed to Washington on Monday, setting the stage for a public showdown on Capitol Hill." In a news conference as he departed Chicago, a "defiant Mr. Burris told reporters that he was not concerned about the fact that the Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White, has rejected the paperwork that would officially send Mr. Burris to the Senate." A second New York Times story notes that after "reviewing the appointment letter presented by a representative of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, Nancy Erickson, the secretary of the Senate, found that the paperwork did not comply with Rule II of the Senate's standing rules, which requires signatures of both the governor and the secretary of state." Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White "has refused to sign, saying the appointment is invalid because of the federal corruption investigation surrounding the governor and what prosecutors describe as his efforts to sell the Senate seat, vacated by President-elect Barack Obama." The Wall Street Journal reports Burris "has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to force Mr. White's hand" and sign his certification, but "the court hasn't yet said if it will take that case." The Chicago Tribune, The Politico, Roll Call, AP and The Hill, among other media outlets, also report on Burris' DC misadventures.
Could A Deal Be In The Works? However, on ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos said there is "some talk of a possible compromise in the Senate now that would rely on three big ifs. Number one, Mr. Burris will say he won't run again in 2010. Number two, the Secretary of State of Illinois certifies his election. And number three, the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, says that Burris would be his choice for the seat as well. If all that happened, Burris could end up getting seated down the road."
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The Minnesota state Canvassing Board certified Democratic comedian Al Franken as winner of that state's Senate race, prompting an immediate challenge by incumbent Republican Norm Coleman. The CBS Evening News reported Franken was "finally declared the winner...by 225 votes out of three million cast. But Franken also won't be seated on Tuesday. Coleman is appealing to the State Supreme Court and Republicans don't want Franken sworn in with a lawsuit pending."
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the "lawsuit that Coleman's attorneys said they would file today is called an election contest. It will prevent Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, under state law, from officially certifying Franken's election until the legal process has run its course." The AP reports that Coleman "attorney Tony Trimble said the challenge will be filed within 24 hours." Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie "was careful to note Monday that the board was simply signing off on the numbers found by the recount: Franken, with 1,212,431 votes, and Coleman, with 1,212,206 votes."
The New York Times quotes Ritchie, a Democrat, as saying of the recount, "It was as accurate as humanly possible within Minnesota law. I believe all lawful votes were counted." However, Coleman's attorneys "said the lawsuit would focus much more narrowly on batches of absentee votes that the campaign believed were either not recounted or recounted incorrectly." Bloomberg News reports, "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters in Washington, 'The race in Minnesota is over.'" However, NRSC Chairman Sen. John Cornyn "vowed to fight Reid's decision to seat Franken before the legal case is settled."
Six candidates for the RNC chairmanship squared off in a televised debate in Washington, D.C. on Monday that aired on C-SPAN. At the forum, which The Politico notes was "hosted by the conservative group Americans for Tax Reform and moderated by ATR President Grover Norquist," the RNC chair hopefuls "predicted...that the Obama administration would outspend its political capital and spark a ballot box backlash." South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson said, "I think they're going to give us the gift of an overreaching, overpowering government that will limit our freedom." The Politico adds former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell "warned that the outgoing administration had paved the way for ambitious Democratic spending plans."
In a story headlined "Republicans seeking to lead party blame Bush for woes," McClatchy reports that the candidates for the RNC post "criticized President George W. Bush for spending too much, mismanaging the Iraq war and bungling the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina." The Washington Times reports that Blackwell and ex-Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, the only African-Americans seeking the RNC leadership post, "each repeatedly drew sustained applause and appreciative laughter during" yesterday's forum.
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On its website, WCBS-TV 2 of New York reported Caroline Kennedy "appears to be losing momentum in her bid for" Sen. Hillary Clinton's seat, with a new poll "conducted by Public Policy Polling" showing "58 percent of [New York] voters would prefer to see Gov. David Paterson appoint state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to the seat. That's compared to Kennedy's 27 percent. Among Democratic voters, Cuomo leads by about 20 points." However, the AP reports Kennedy's "missteps and halting speech patterns have been replayed endlessly since she announced her bid to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate. ... None of it may matter. That's because she's playing to just one voter," Gov. David Paterson, "who has plenty of reasons to pick" Kennedy.
The Los Angeles Times reports that former eBay Inc. CEO Meg Whitman "has resigned from the board of directors of the online auction company and two other corporations, fueling speculation that she is preparing for a 2010 run for California governor. The resignations, which were effective Wednesday, from EBay, Procter & Gamble Co. and DreamWorks SKG were made for personal reasons," according to Whitman spokesman Henry Gomez. The Wall Street Journal reports, "A person close to" Whitman "said she could announce her candidacy for governor in the next four to six weeks." And a California GOP "official" said that Whitman "will have a team assembled by the end of the month, and is bringing in people from the campaign of" ex-Gov. Mitt Romney, "who lost to" Sen. John McCain in the GOP presidential primaries. The Politico reports, "The billionaire businesswoman [Whitman] has not yet committed to running, but she began generating buzz as a potential candidate during the 2008 campaign while serving as a top surrogate on economic issues for" Sen. McCain."
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David Letterman: "Here in New York City, guess what, we have an acorn shortage.," and it is "so serious, this acorn shortage, squirrels are asking for a government bailout."
Jay Leno: "Barack Obama spent his first fill day in Washington since coming back from" his vacation in Hawaii, but "no matter where this guy is, he always manages to work out. ... Like, today, he spent most of the afternoon running from Bill Richardson."
Jay Leno: "Hey, congratulations to Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol," who "had her baby. They named the baby Tripp," which "is better than the name Sarah Palin suggested. She wanted to call the kid Joe the baby."
David Letterman: Top Ten Signs You Are Watching Too Much Football: "2. Laura has to keep reminding you you're still President for two more weeks."
Conan O'Brien: "President-elect Barack Obama said he got a little choked up as he left his house in Chicago and headed for Washington, DC. ... It was especially painful because as soon as he left," Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich "sold Obama's house."
Conan O'Brien: "George Bush Sr. recently said he'd like his son Jeb to be president, but that right now is a bad time for him to run. ... When asked what a good time would be, Bush Sr. said, 'Eight years ago.'"
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