Despite the controversy over his finances, media commentators believe Tom Daschle's nomination to head HHS is not in serious trouble. USA Today reports the nominee "heads to Capitol Hill today to explain to his former colleagues how he made errors of more than $128,000 on his taxes, as he works to defend his nomination as the country's top health official." While "top Republicans expressed concern about the revelations Sunday, they did not say they were prepared to vote against Daschle." After citing GOP Senators' comments on the Sunday morning talk shows, USA Today notes Democratic spokeswoman Jenny Backus said, "The indications are that people are sticking with him and that they are taking him at his word. ... He's made a mistake, and he regrets it." On ABC's Good Morning America Weekend, ABC Washington bureau chief George Stephanopoulos said of the controversy, "I don't think it's going to imperil" Daschle's confirmation, adding that "so far, it looks like he does have united Democratic support. The key is those Republicans and of course, is this is the last of the bad news for Senator Daschle. If he gets some Republican support and this is the last of the bad news, I believe he will be confirmed." On NBC's Today Sunday, "Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory said, "These are bad tax problems," but they will amount to "another hiccup. Both the White House and Senators, including Senator Reid, Majority Leader," are "saying this is not going to be an issue for him in terms of derailing his nomination, but it certainly creates some new problems for the President."
The AP reports the "nearly a quarter of a million dollars in fees" Daschle earned over the last two years speaking to healthcare industry leaders "was just a portion of the more than $5.2 million" Daschle "earned as he advised insurers and hospitals and worked in other industries." The Politico notes Daschle made nearly $5.3 million in the last two years, records released Friday show, including $220,000 he received for giving speeches, many of them to outfits that stand to gain or lose millions of dollars from the work he would do once confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services." Over the weekend, additional stories in the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, AP, The Politico, New York Daily News and Bloomberg News detailed the revelations about Daschle.
Asked whether the issue of back taxes would disqualify Daschle on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos, GOP Sen. Jim DeMint said, "It may be. I want to find out more about it. It's disheartening, obviously. People are struggling to pay taxes on a very small amount of income, when he's got this huge amount, you know, I can see why liberals don't mind if the tax rate goes up because they're not going to pay it anyway." On Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl said he would reserve judgment on Daschle's confirmation and that "it is too early to tell" but added, "You have to be troubled by it." And on CBS' Face the Nation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "I think I'm going to just wait until" the Senate Finance Committee members "give me their opinion, but it was a surprise."
In a pre-Super Bowl interview with NBC's Matt Lauer, President Obama yesterday "repeated what his top aides and officials have been telling reporters in recent days, that the final package would be close to its objectives -- to save or create 3 to 4 million jobs -- and Republicans would be able to back it," the AP reports. Said Obama, "I am confident that by the time we have the final package on the floor that we are going to see substantial support. ... I've done extraordinary outreach, I think, to Republicans because they have some good ideas and I want to make sure those ideas are incorporated." The New York Times notes the president was not specific about what provisions he might remove from the stimulus package to entice Republicans to sign on."
ABC World News showed Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer saying of the stimulus plan, "This will pass with Republican votes because it's a good package and because we will make some changes around the edges." Sen. Richard Durbin, appearing on Fox News Sunday, said "We're very open, very open" to GOP suggestions, "for instance, some of the Republicans have been saying to us, 'Put more money in infrastructure.' ... You're going to see an amendment that does exactly that. And I think some of the Republicans who feel strongly about that aspect may be drawn to us, and we are open."
The comments came as GOP Senate leaders took to the airwaves to strongly criticize the plan. The Financial Times reports "Republican senators are flexing their muscles and exploiting concerns among some of their Democratic counterparts about the way that the economic stimulus bill is shaping up. ... Though he stopped short of explicitly threatening a filibuster, Mitch McConnell, Republican leader in the Senate, told CBS on Sunday that the stimulus bill was unlikely to survive in its current form and needed more tax cuts and help for homeowners and less wasteful spending." McConnell, was asked on CBS's Face The Nation (2/1, Schieffer) if the stimulus bill can pass the Senate "as it is now written," McConnell responded, "I would doubt it. ... There's a lot of unease among Senate Democrats about this package as well." The AP notes Sen. Jon Kyl, "the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said he was seeing an erosion of support for the bill and suggested that lawmakers should consider beginning anew. 'When I say start from scratch, what I mean is that the basic approach of this bill, we believe, is wrong,' Kyl said." The Wall Street Journal, McClatchy, AFP, The Politico, Washington Post and Washington Times run similar report on the GOP lawmakers' comments.
Democrats Worry Obama Will Make "Major Concessions" On its front page, the Washington Post reports, "The White House remains eager to broaden the consensus around the stimulus package," and "some Democrats worry that to prove his bipartisan credibility, Obama will make further major concessions in adding tax breaks or lowering the bill's spending to win 70 or 80 votes in the Senate instead of settling for a smaller majority made up almost entirely of members of his own party."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that the Obama Administration is "seeking to improve public perception of the $700 billion financial rescue." Before it announces its broad plan to bolster the financial sector, "the administration is trying to lay the groundwork with politicians and the public." To that end, the Administration "is expected to announce this week tougher executive-compensation restrictions for some firms that get government aid" as well as "tougher rules" for "banks that get a substantial amount of money" from the government. Also, officials may remove the Troubled Asset Relief Program from the Treasury and give it to a new independent entity, as "some within the department think such a move could help improve the perception of the bailout." The Wall Street Journal also says "the Treasury has nearly tripled the number of employees working on its $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program during the past two months, countering criticism that the effort was understaffed."
In a front-page story, the New York Times reports that Treasury secretary Timothy F. Geithner "is expected to announce details of the new plan within weeks" that Administration and Congressional officials say "will give the government flexibility to buy some bad assets and guarantee others." According to investors and policy makers, it also "should provide more and clearer information about the health of banks and the risks that the government is taking."
Banks Sought Foreign Workers During Meltdown The AP reports that an analysis of visa applications found that the dozen banks now receiving the biggest rescue packages requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers "for high-paying jobs even as the system was melting down last year and Americans were getting laid off." The banks "also enlisted uncounted foreign workers, often in technology jobs, through intermediary companies known as 'body shops.'" Companies have found ways to pay foreign workers less than American workers. While "It is unclear how many foreign workers the banks actually hired," it "angers" Sen. Chuck Grassley, who said, "In this time of very, very high unemployment ... and considering the help these banks are getting from the taxpayers, they're playing the American taxpayer for a sucker."
ABC World News reported, "President Obama's potential appointment of Republican Senator Judd Gregg as Commerce Secretary could give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. But Republicans are saying today that Gregg has made a deal to ensure that New Hampshire's Democratic Governor does not replace him in the Senate with a Democrat." The Wall Street Journal says that according to "an Obama administration official and lawmakers...an announcement coming as soon as Monday." The Journal adds that "an administration official, trying to tamp down talk that a deal was being hatched, said, 'The president will choose the best person for the job, and if it's Sen. Gregg, Gov. [John] Lynch will have sole responsibility in choosing his replacement.'" Colin Manning, spokesman for Lynch, "declined to say whether the governor had struck a deal to appoint a Republican. 'This is something that is between [the White House and Sen. Gregg] at this point,' he said."
The AP says "officials expect...Lynch to fill Gregg's Senate seat with another Republican." The move "would allow Gregg to join the Cabinet without giving Democrats' unchecked power in Congress. It also would spare him a difficult re-election bid." The Los Angeles Times says Gregg "has assured fellow Republicans that he won't take the job unless he's certain his replacement will line up with the GOP caucus." AFP runs a similar report.
Who might get tapped for the Senate seat? At least one media report suggests Gregg's replacement could be a Republican who endorsed Lynch in 2004. The Politico reports, "Bonnie Newman, a moderate Republican who endorsed...Lynch, a Democrat, in 2004, has emerged as the leading contender to replace" Gregg. The Politico adds "conservative New Hampshire Republicans fret that she would vote less like the conservative Gregg and his former colleague John Sununu and more like Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
USA Today reports today that new RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who became the first black head of the GOP on Friday, signaled that the Republicans should go on the offensive, saying yesterday that the GOP "should put the brakes on Democratic initiatives, from the economic stimulus bill to President Obama's plans for his Cabinet." In a phone interview, Steele also said that Republicans "should oppose former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle's nomination to be secretary of Health and Human Services" after revelations that he did not pay more than $100,000 in taxes.
The Politico reports that FL12 Rep. Adam Putnam (R) "will give up his House seat to pursue a bid as the next agriculture commissioner of Florida," a post "most Floridians view" as "a stepping stone to the governor's office." In another report, The Politico adds that Putnam, "once a rising star in the House GOP leadership," says "his decision to leave Congress to run for agriculture commissioner back home isn't a sign that he's 'throwing in the towel on House Republicans.'"
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
The Chicago Tribune reports today that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel "is interested in potentially returning to Chicago someday to reclaim the congressional seat he held until a month ago," according to state Rep. John Fritchey (D), who is running to replace him in the IL5 special election.
The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that California 1970s governor Jerry Brown (D), currently the state Attorney General, "is remaking himself yet again" in a quest to again be the governor of California, but his association with the state's past could "bedevil him" and he does not have a clear shot at the Democratic nod, as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) "has emerged as Brown's nemesis."
The AP reports that former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) "is pinning his hopes of staying out of prison on a father-and-son duo of defense attorneys," Sam Adam and his son Samuel E. Adam, "one of whom grabbed the limelight at R&B superstar R. Kelly's sex tape trial." A local law professor calls them "the most flamboyant attorneys in town." Meanwhile, a separate AP (2/2) story says that Blagojevich is slated to "appear on the 'Late Show with David Letterman' on Tuesday."
Roll Call reports this morning that the Democrats' may have successfully expanded their majorities in the House and Senate in 2008, but their party committees are deep in debt and have little cash on hand, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee owing $16 million and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee owing $11 million. On the GOP side, Roll Call says the National Republicans Senatorial Committee had about $4.9 million in debt and about $800k in cash, while the National Republican Congressional Committee had $6.5 million in debt but $760k in cash. The Hill reports that the DSCC was in even worse shape before December, when they raised $7 million.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Jay Leno: "How about this? Just a couple of hours ago, the Republican Party elected Michael Steele as the first African-American chairman of the GOP. So that shows you, the Republican Party isn't just for stuffy old white guys anymore. There's plenty of room for stuffy old black guys too now. As long as you're stuffy, you're in."
Jay Leno: "Happy TGIF! You know what TGIF stands for? The Governor Is Fired, that's what it stands for."
Jay Leno: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is now "out of a job. He's disgraced. He's unpopular. In fact, today, he got a note from President Bush saying, 'Hey, welcome to the club.'"
David Letterman: "I'm very excited" and "I think everybody is about the Obama Administration. I mean they get in there, they're doing stuff. They're...active. They're not reactive. They're actually out there doing stuff, as opposed to being squirrelly and defensive all the time. I mean, we had eight years of defensive squirrels."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5advertisement
Get your POLITICALBULLETIN
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5Embed exclusive U.S. News headlines, rankings, columns, and blog postings to your Web site, blog, or social network.
advertisement
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
