Media reports are casting President Obama's first budget plan as a clear break with past US policies on a variety of issues, but some reports take the Administration to task for "rosy" predictions on US economic growth and the federal budget deficit. The story led all three network newscasts and garners major coverage on newspaper front pages this morning. Under the headline "Rosy Assumptions Hold Down Deficit," for example, the Wall Street Journal says "the White House is relying on a set of optimistic economic assumptions in its budget that allows the Obama administration to claim a steeper drop in the deficit in coming years than many mainstream forecasters expect." The Washington Times surveys similar arguments in a piece titled "Deficit Decline Based On Rosy Scenario." NBC Nightly News says the budget "assumes the economy will begin to turn around this year, and grow robustly by 2011 -- a forecast advisers say is not too rosy." Similarly, the AP reports to "narrow the budget gap, Obama relies on rosier predictions of economic growth -- including a 3.2 percent boost in the economy next year -- than most private sector economists foresee." And even under these supposedly "rosy numbers," USA Today reports, the federal debt would soar "to $23 trillion by 2019."
The Washington Post reports, "This year's budget deficit, swollen by spending to combat a severe recession, would hit a record $1.75 trillion, or 12.3 percent of the overall economy, under the president's plan, the highest since 1945." Next year's "deficit would approach $1.2 trillion. But Obama proposes to cut that figure roughly in half by the end of his first term, in large part by levying nearly $1 trillion in new taxes."
With the spending blueprint praised by most Democrats and panned by Republicans, some analysts believe the stark reaction on the Hill may actually force the Administration to revise some of its policy priorities. The Wall Street Journal reports that "even some Democrats expressed unease with some of the president's sweeping proposals, which include calls for higher taxes on affluent Americans and businesses, a new form of energy tax and big cuts to some long-favored programs." On ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos also said that "even some Democrats" are "resistant to some of those tax increases."
The AP adds that Obama's proposed tax hikes "quickly provoked cries of class warfare in Congress." The Politico reports the story under the headline "Class Warfare Returns To Washington." the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and AP also run pieces focusing on the tax burden shift to the wealthy. On that issue, Gerald F. Seib writes in the Wall Street Journal that "one of the intriguing surprises of the 2008 election was that a majority of the wealthiest Americans went against type to support the Democrat...even though he told them, clearly and explicitly, that he would raise their taxes." Additional reports can be found at USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, The Politico, the Washington Times, Roll Call, the Los Angeles Times, The Politico, The Hill, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Detroit News, McClatchy, the New York Times, the New York Times, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune.
No Tax Hikes Until Economy Recovers? The New York Times notes that "administration officials" said "none of the new taxes and other sources of revenue, however, would take effect until the economy recovers." The Times also says Obama is "departing from the free market orthodoxy of his predecessor, George W. Bush," by using "the government's powers of spending and taxation to push the private market in new directions."
President Obama's meeting with key members of Congress about his plans for the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq generated coverage in major newspapers today, with some reports focusing on apparent differences between Obama and some fellow Democrats over the number of troops to be left in country. In closed-door talks with lawmakers on Thursday, the AP reports, Obama said he "plans to withdraw most American troops from Iraq by August 2010, but leave tens of thousands behind to advise Iraqi forces and protect US interests." He told Republican and Democratic leaders -- including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Harry Reid -- that an estimated "35,000 to 50,000 troops would remain" after that date. The President is expected to formally announce the plans today during a trip to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina "
Obama, the New York Times reports, also "won crucial backing" for his plan "from leading Congressional Republicans, including Senator John McCain." Republicans "emerged" from yesterday's White House meeting "more supportive than several key Democrats, who complained earlier in the day that the president was still leaving behind too many American forces." While GOP members expressed support for the plan, the Washington Post reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "complained that the level of troops -- 50,000 -- who would remain in Iraq is too high," and "other senior Democrats voiced similar concerns."
Under the headline "Dems Say Iraq Troop Cutbacks Not Enough," The Hill reports that congressional Democrats began "questioning" Obama's plan "about the same time the White House indicated it will soon ask Congress for an additional $75.5 billion this year to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." USA Today reports that according to military experts, Obama's withdrawal of troops from Iraq "free up more forces for the worsening fight in Afghanistan and help the Army end a policy that holds soldiers past enlistment periods." "Some prominent Democrats," the AFP adds, "criticized the president's plan, saying that the 50,000 or so troops to be left in the country after the withdrawal leave too large a garrison."
The New York Times reports that on Thursday at the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee "suggested that if Republicans were looking for anyone to blame for the electoral losses that swept Barack Obama into the White House and gave Democrats more power in Congress, they should look in the mirror." If the reception "accorded Mr. Huckabee...was any indication, his words found a receptive audience."
Fox News' Special Report reported, "Despite admitted blunders in recent years, conservatives' self-confidence has begun to return as they watch congressional Democrats and the new president propose unprecedented levels of big government spending." Roll Call reports that on Thursday, "conservatives attending the" CPAC confab "celebrated a return to their roots, as speaker after speaker promised to wrest power from Democrats masquerading as conservatives - once they again gained the public trust."
CQ Politics reports that "Republicans at the conference Thursday argued that the 2008 election was a referendum on moderates. 'There is no bigger reason we lost this election than our own hypocrisy,'" stated ex-Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis, who "said the blame for election losses rests squarely on conservatives who were elected to office 'and then they went to Washington and lost their way.'"
CNN reported on its 'Political Ticker' blog that RNC Chairman Michael Steele, "addressing CPAC's Presidential Banquet" Thursday night, "attacked the Obama administration's recently-passed stimulus package, calling it 'nothing short of frightening.'"
On MSNBC's Countdown, Howard Fineman of Newsweek said, "I think the undercurrent of anger about all the Republican leadership, including George Bush, was one of the most interesting things about CPAC today. They are angry at George Bush and at the Republican leadership in the Congress, for among other things, the unbelievable profligate spending of the Bush years."
Huckabee Needles MSNBC, Matthews The Politico reports that in his CPAC speech, "Huckabee mocked MSNBC Thursday as the network of 'MSBS.' 'It's not MSNBC, but the MSBS channel,' Huckabee said." Huckabee, who hosts a talk show on Fox News, "chided 'Hardball' host Chris Matthews for saying 'oh god' as he watched Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) walk out to respond to President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday."
"Joe The Plumber" Gets "Rock-Star Treatment" The Politico reports that while the CPAC gathering "may not have A-list Govs. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) or Bobby Jindal (R-La.) this year," it does have Samuel Wurzelbacher, "better known as 'Joe the Plumber.'" Wurzelbacher "is getting the rock-star treatment at CPAC."
Poker Industry Courts CPAC Attendees The Washington Times reports, "The poker industry played a game of chance Thursday when venturing into the backyard of some of its harshest critics - conservatives - to fend off the assault on their 'sport.' Stressing that poker is a game of skill, like golf, and not chance, like roulette, slots or other forms of gambling, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) set up a table at the" CPAC gathering "to lobby against local, state and federal encroachments on both online and offline versions of the card game."
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There were several more pieces of bad news for Illinois' embattled junior senator this morning. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the son of "embattled" Illinois Sen. Roland Burris (D) "is a federal tax deadbeat who landed a $75,000-a-year state job under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich five months ago," and the AP adds Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) said his office is reviewing the hire to "make sure everything is right and proper." Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune reports that Gov. Quinn "said Thursday if" Sen. Burris "doesn't step down within the next two weeks, he wants lawmakers to approve a special election that could effectively remove Burris from office." But the Chicago Sun-Times reported on its website that the Chicago City Council's Black Caucus "on Thursday demanded an end to the 'feeding frenzy' surrounding" Sen. Burris "and threatened to retaliate against the parade of elected officials who continue to demand Burris' resignation."
In Washington, Roll Call reports that Sen. Burris "was a no-show at the Congressional Black Caucus' first sit-down Thursday afternoon with President Barack Obama, hanging back in the Senate to cast a vote in favor of the bill to give the District of Columbia a voting representative in the House." The AP reports that "Obama reassured members of the" CBC "that he's on their side and will do what he can to support the group's left-leaning agenda, lawmakers said Thursday after an hour-long session at the White House."
The AP reports Norm Coleman (R) "caught a break" yesterday in the Minnesota Senate election trial "when the three judges in the case reversed their ruling from a day earlier that had excluded a poll worker's testimony," while the Minneapolis Star Tribune adds Coleman's "luck improved a bit" when the judges also "ordered an inspection of about 1,500 rejected absentee ballot envelopes," which "could lead to counting more votes, something Coleman needs." However, the Washington Times reports this morning that top Senate Democrats said that Al Franken (D) could be seated "in a little more than a month," because Coleman's legal challenges "would soon be defeated."
Roll Call reports this morning that a Siena Research Institute poll of 710 likely NY20 special election voters taken February 18-10 shows state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R) leading venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) 46%-34% in the open seat contest to replace now-Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
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The AP reports the Senate voted 61-37 to give DC a seat in the US House, though the Washington Post reports on the front page that an amendment removing many of DC's gun restrictions, which also passed, "complicates the DC vote bill's passage into law, because the legislation will have to be reconciled with a companion bill in the House with no gun provisions."
The Dallas Morning News reports, "A political operative working for" Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) "has asked Dallas City Hall for numerous documents concerning" Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), "a signal" that the GOP gubernatorial primary "could include personal attacks." An aide to Perry "confirmed that the campaign was fishing for information about Hutchison's husband, prominent bond attorney Ray Hutchison."
The Columbus Dispatch reports that state Rep. Tyrone Yates (D) of Cincinnati announced yesterday that he was entering the open-seat Senate race to succeed retiring Republican George V. Voinovich in 2010, joining Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher "in a Democratic field that soon could get a fourth candidate -- Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune."
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Jimmy Kimmel: "George W. Bush is doing pretty well for a retiree. Our former president will hit the lecture circuit next month for a reported $150,000 per speech," which "seems like a lot to pay to hear someone who can't speak give a speech."
Jimmy Kimmel: "Actually, it's a $150,000 for" Bush's "speech and an extra 25 grand if you want to throw shoes at him."
The rest of the late night shows were in reruns.
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