Media reports suggest Senate Republicans have become a key focus of stimulus talks, an acknowledgement that they appear to hold the balance of power in that chamber despite having only 41 seats to the Democrats' 58. The Washington Post reports on the front page that Senate Democratic leaders "conceded yesterday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written and said that to gain bipartisan support, they will seek to cut provisions that would not provide an immediate boost to the economy." Moderate Republicans are "trying to trim the bill by as much as $200 billion."
The Hill reports President Obama is "lobbying Republican senators personally on his economic stimulus package, which failed to attract a single GOP vote in the House." Obama has "scheduled one-on-one meetings at the White House with a handful of GOP centrists" such as Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins.
The CBS Evening News reported, "All sides "now agree the President's stimulus bill won't survive its original form, passed last week by House Democrats. A bill that, depending on how you see it, would create three million jobs, or serve to fulfill a long wish list of a Democratic social agenda."
McClatchy reports the Senate "refused on Tuesday to pump an additional $25 billion into road, transit and water projects in its economic stimulus package." The Wall Street Journal reports the Senate "voted Tuesday to provide tax breaks to spur new auto purchases, but turned back a proposal that would have broadened President Barack Obama's economic-stimulus package to confer a one-time tax break on U.S. multinational corporations." The $11.5 billion auto amendment was "adopted 71-26."
Meanwhile, USA Today reports National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers said President Obama is "willing to change elements of his economic stimulus plan to meet objections in Congress, but he won't agree to increase its cost significantly or weaken its impact." Roll Call reports President Obama "continued a massive push to save his nearly $900 billion stimulus package on Tuesday, deploying his top advisers to the Senate, giving network interviews and personally wooing moderate Republicans and Republican governors."
Obama: Little Pork Spending In Bill On ABC World News, President Obama said, "The overwhelming bulk of the package is sound, is designed to put people back to work. ...Most of the programs that have been criticized, as part of this package amount to less than one percent of the overall package."
On the CBS Evening News, President Obama said, "What has happened, and this is what tends to happen in this town, is people have plucked out this program or that program that doesn't look particularly stimulative, the contraceptives issue being a primary example. If you add all that stuff up, it accounts for less than 1% of the overall package."
The Financial Times reports despite opponents' claims that the stimulus bill includes numerous boondoggles, "only $3bn to $5bn of the bill less than 1 per cent counts as special interest spending, according to White House estimates."
Obama Warns Against "Buy American" Clause AFP reports President Obama "warned on Tuesday that 'Buy American' provisions in Congress's version of his economic stimulus bill could ignite 'trade wars' and exacerbate slumping worldwide growth." On ABC World News, President Obama said, "Provisions that are going to be a violation of World Trade Organization agreements or, in other ways, signal protectionism...would be a mistake right now. That is a potential source of trade wars that we can't afford, at a time when trade is sinking all across the globe." The Wall Street Journal reports President Obama "risked a backlash within his own party by criticizing 'Buy American' provisions in the huge stimulus bill."
In a move that the Wall Street Journal called "a stumper," President Obama on Tuesday picked Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire to be his Commerce Secretary. ABC World News reported Gregg "once voted to abolish" the department. On NBC Nightly News, Chuck Todd said, "Judd Gregg is nobody's moderate Republican, he's a very conservative Republican."
The Union Leader notes that Obama "cited Gregg's knowledge, experience and political bipartisanship in nominating the New Hampshire Republican as his administration's Secretary of Commerce." The Financial Times sees the nomination as "a fresh" Obama "appeal for bipartisan support," made "amid mounting concern in the White House that Republicans are winning the battle for public opinion."
The New York Times reports Gregg "differs with his boss-to-be in favoring oil drilling on the coast of an Alaska wildlife refuge. He promotes a lighter touch with China than does the president. And he disagrees with him in backing private accounts for Social Security." The AP reports, "Democrats have complained that Republican Sen. Judd Gregg is too pro-business, but the former tax lawyer is also known as a cool-headed and stubborn negotiator willing to break ranks with his party if need be." The Politico similarly says that "Gregg's record -- in the House, as New Hampshire's governor, and for 16 years in the Senate -- has always been that of a fiscal conservative, albeit with more independence with time." The Washington Post notes "one other part of Gregg's reputation: a willingness to work across party lines." The Hill and Roll Call also report the story.
WSJournal Calls Gregg's Decision "A Stumper" The Wall Street Journal editorializes that "at first glance Judd Gregg's decision yesterday to leave the Senate to become Secretary of Commerce is a stumper." Gregg is "an influential Republican in a party that is a single Senate vote away from irrelevance on any given issue," while he "joins an Administration whose policies aren't exactly simpatico with his voting record."
Newman To Replace Gregg The Washington Post reports New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, announced that "he would appoint Republican J. Bonnie Newman, a veteran of politics and academia, to fill the seat of Sen. Judd Gregg (R)." The selection "drew praise even from Democrats." The AP reports, "If Gregg is confirmed, Newman would finish the last two years of his Senate term but has agreed not to run for the seat in 2010."
The Union Leader notes that Lynch "said Newman, a business owner and a former Gregg staffer, was his first choice when Gregg told him he would take the Commerce post only if a Republican were appointed to fill out his term." The Politico reports, "Andrew Smith, who heads the University of New Hampshire's polling center, described Newman as a Republican better known for her strong managerial skills than her ideology." Roll Call, and The Hill also report the story.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
During an interview yesterday with CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, President Barack Obama was asked for his view on the phrase "war on terror." Obama responded: "I think it is very important for us to recognize that we have a battle or a war against some terrorist organizations. But that those organizations aren't representative of a broader Arab community, Muslim community." Asked if he plans to use the term in the future, the President said, "I want to be sure I'm constantly talking about Al Qaeda and other affiliated organizations. Because we, I believe, can win over moderate Muslims to recognize that that kind of distribution and nihilism ultimately leads to a dead end and we should be working together to make sure everybody has a better life."
The AP reports Obama's stance is "in contrast to its repeated use by the Bush Administration in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks."
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, President Obama said that one of the problems that has come to light since the first round of funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program were disbursed is that "we have now learned that people are still getting huge bonuses despite the fact they're getting taxpayer money, which I think infuriates the public. So we also have to set in place some rules of the road. Tomorrow I'm going to be talking about executive compensation and changes we're going to be making there." In the second segment of the interview Obama added, "I think there are mechanisms in place to make sure that institutions that are taking taxpayer money are not using that money for excessive executive compensation."
The AP reports that a senior administration official said President Obama, with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, plans to "limit pay to $500,000 a year for executives of government-assisted financial institutions in a new get-tough approach to bankers and Wall Street." Any further compensation would have to be "stock that could not be sold or liquidated until they pay back the government funds."
According to an article on the front page of the business section of the Washington Post, "Dividend payments would be restricted to a penny. These institutions would also be banned from using federal aid to buy other firms." In a front-page story, the New York Times reports that the limits "could force executives to accept deep reductions in their current pay." The Wall Street Journal calls the plan "one of the most aggressive efforts to limit executive pay." The CBS Evening News reported, "Congress is already working on a plan that would cap executive salaries at $400,000 a year." CNBC's John Harwood reported that the executive pay limits are "a variant of an idea that John McCain and others talked about. It was deemed unworkable by many on Wall Street but it looks as if the administration is going to go there tomorrow."
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, appearing on Fox News' On The Record, complained that during his impeachment he was barred from calling as witnesses "every single person I ever talked to about who the next U.S. Senator should be. Unfortunately, that was denied me by [the] legislature." Asked if he plans to call White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel as a witness for his trial, Blagojevich replied, "I think he is busy right now, and it's probably a telephone call he prefers not to have to take." However, Blagojevich reiterated that he "will call anybody and everybody I talked to about the Senate seat" as witnesses at his trial, including Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Dick Durbin and Emanuel -- "everybody and anybody I ever talked to about the Senate seat." Blagojevich added that he is not ruling out calling President Obama as a witness, describing that as "a possibility."
The AP notes Blagojevich appeared on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman." According to the Chicago Tribune, Blagojevich "mentioned that federal authorities have 'been scrutinizing Mayor [Richard] Daley,' a shout-out undoubtedly unwelcome at City Hall."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, "In a ruling that keeps alive" Norm Coleman's (R) "chances of overturning Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount, a three-judge panel on Tuesday allowed him to bring evidence to trial that as many as 4,800 absentee ballots were wrongly rejected and should now be counted," though the AP says it "wasn't a total victory" for Coleman, "who had wanted the judges to look at about 11,000 such ballots."
The AP reports that Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D) became the first candidate to officially announce for the seat of retiring Sen. Kit Bond (R), giving the Democrats what The Hill calls "a top-tier recruit that they all but endorsed immediately." The St. Joseph (MO) News-Press adds, "The Carnahan name proves dependable on most Missouri ballots. The secretary of state's grandfather, A.S.J. Carnahan, served seven terms in the U.S. House beginning in 1945. Her father, Mel, earned statewide election as treasurer, lieutenant governor, twice as governor and posthumously as a U.S. senator. Mel's wife, Jean, served two years of her late husband's Senate term. Robin's brother, Russ, now serves as a congressman from St. Louis." The Springfield (MO) News-Leader adds that former Rep. Roy Blunt (R) is the top prospect on the GOP side.
In the latest in a series of articles critical of New York Gov. David Patterson's (D) handling of Caroline Kennedy's aborted campaign to be appointed to the US Senate, the New York Times reports, "A review of public comments and interviews with more than a dozen people involved in the process make clear that Gov. David A. Paterson's administration released confidential information about Ms. Kennedy and misled reporters about its significance as part of an orchestrated effort to discredit her after she withdrew."
Long Island Newsday reports that newly-minted New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) began the year with only $203k in her campaign account, barely more than the $189k of potential primary challenger Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D) and far less than the $1.08 million of likely general election opponent Rep. Peter King (R).
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
The AP reports that Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin (R) announced yesterday that he will run for governor in 2010, setting up a potential primary battle with former GOP Rep. John Kasich, who is actively exploring a bid.
The Hill reports that Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D), "who announced Monday he will seek a sixth term, is mulling a challenge against" Sen. Joe Lieberman (I) in 2012.
The AP reports that Virginia Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell (R) "said Tuesday he will resign later this month to focus on his" bid for governor, which "frees up the presumptive GOP nominee to campaign for months while three Democrats battle to a June primary in what is expected to be a closely watched election."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Jay Leno: "Today, Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for secretary of health and human services after being forced to pay $128,000 in back taxes." Daschle "was extremely upset because now it looks like he paid his taxes for nothin'!"
Jay Leno: "And tax problems for another Obama nominee. Nancy Killefer has withdrawn her nomination as White House chief performance officer. Not only did she not pay her taxes, she had a tax lien put on her house by the government. Where is Obama getting these nominees? Old episodes of 'Cops'?"
David Letterman: "Tom Daschle has withdrawn his cabinet nomination because he had some tax problems. Forgot about $150,000. ... Remember the old days," when "politicians got in trouble for having sex with pages." Those days seem "pretty sweet now, don't they?"
Conan O'Brien: "Earlier today," Tom Daschle "withdrew his nomination to be the health and human services secretary after it was revealed he didn't pay back taxes. Yeah. So, President Obama says now it's down to his second and third choices, Willie Nelson and Wesley Snipes."
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.
