New polls show the public increasingly concerned about the budget deficit, amid signs that the support for White House's economic policies may be slipping. During NBC Nightly News' lead story, Chuck Todd said an NBC/Walls Street Journal poll suggests "the honeymoon is coming to an end for President Obama, but it's not personal, it's professional, as now the public appears to be judging the President on some of his actions. And right now, there's a growing concern about the budget deficit, and some of this government interaction into the economy on things like GM."
The Wall Street Journal says that the public's "rising doubts threaten to overshadow the president's personal popularity and his agenda, in what may be a new phase of the Obama presidency." While "there's good news for the administration, too, including tentative support for Mr. Obama's health-care plan and approval of his nominee for the Supreme Court," the poll "suggests Mr. Obama faces challenges on multiple fronts, including growing concerns about government spending and the bailout of auto companies." Nearly seven in 10 "respondents said they had concerns about federal interventions into the economy." However, The Politico reports, "46 percent think the economy will get better in the next year the highest level of optimism in four years."
AFP reports the President's 56% overall approval rating in the NBC poll, but reports that "among independent voters, Obama fell from 60 percent approval versus 31 percent to 46 approving against 44 disapproving."
Meanwhile, the New York Times analyzes its own poll, reporting that "a substantial majority of Americans say...Obama has not developed a strategy to deal with the budget deficit." The poll "found a distinct gulf between Mr. Obama's overall standing and how some of his key initiatives are viewed, with fewer than half of Americans saying they approve of how he has handled health care and the effort to save General Motors and Chrysler."
Media reports last night and this morning describe the drive toward healthcare reform as having run into some trouble. ABC World News said that on Capitol Hill, President Obama's "call for healthcare reform hit some headwinds. A key committee's plan to write a bill by the end of the week was put on hold until after July 4," and the "very first hearing on the issue revealed a deep partisan divide." The New York Times says that "by day's end, lawmakers had settled in for a long, hard slog that may not fit with...Obama's goal of signing a bill within four months," while The Politico reports that Obama's "August deadline for passing a bill" is now "in doubt." The trouble for the reform effort "started Monday when the Congressional Budget Office returned a $1.3 trillion pricetag."
The Washington Times reports, "Committee leaders said Wednesday their bill won't be introduced until July -- later than anticipated -- in order to rework the financing in light of the CBO estimate." The Finance Committee's measure "appears to be more politically viable." The Washington Post, meanwhile, says that "despite the rancor and the delay, lawmakers in both parties said they remain hopeful that agreement can be reached to move the issue forward," and the Los Angeles Times reports that "some" Democrats yesterday "began to acknowledge that temporary delays may be unavoidable because of the initiative's gargantuan price tag." The Hill refers to "a double blow" for the President's "push for a bipartisan healthcare overhaul." Sen. Max Baucus "announced he would cut $600 billion from his measure while Republicans derided a Democratic markup of an alternative bill as a 'joke.'"
The AP, meanwhile, says that according to "numerous lobbyists," Democrats "running the Finance Committee have told lobbyists that their views will be taken into account as long as their groups don't mount public campaigns against the legislation." And "so far, health industry groups have not launched aggressive attacks against Democrats' emerging plans."
Daschle, Dole Say Public Option Must Be Scrapped ABC World News reported, "Former Senate leaders launched a bipartisan push for healthcare reform, but they took issue with a central feature of the President's plan, a public, government-run health insurance program." Bob Dole was shown saying, "If you want to stop this thing dead in its tracks, or dead on arrival, in my view, you put the public plan in it." ABC noted that even Tom Daschle, "once Obama's top healthcare adviser, said the public option probably needs to be scrapped." Daschle: "We've come too far and gained too much momentum for our efforts to fail over disagreement on one single issue."
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ABC World News reported President Obama signed an executive order "that will allow same sex partners of gay and lesbian federal workers to get some government benefits, like family leave and long-term nursing care. But Obama did not extend health coverage to same sex partners." The Washington Post notes that the President also "ordered the Office of Personnel Management to advise agencies within 90 days on how to comply with anti-discrimination regulations." The Post adds that "Obama's order, designed to be both incremental and pragmatic, typifies the cautious way he has approached gay and lesbian issues since taking office five months ago."
The AP similarly reports that Obama "signaled to gay-rights activists Wednesday that he's listening to their desire for greater equality in 'a more perfect union.' But he didn't give them even close to everything they want, bringing to the surface an anger that's been growing against the president." USA Today reports that Obama "left out the key benefits of health insurance and pensions. The move did little to quell frustration among gays who say he has reneged on campaign promises to champion their priorities." The New York Times also says "several of the nation's most prominent gay and lesbian political leaders quickly attacked the president for failing to extend full health care benefits," and "their outcry put the administration on the defensive for an action it had hoped would help address increasing complaints from gay activists."
The Wall Street Journal notes that "gay-rights groups were angered by a recent court brief filed by the Obama administration defending that law. The administration replied that it still supports repeal but was obligated to defend an existing statute." The Washington Times reports Obama is considering nominating William White, who is openly gay, to a "top civilian Pentagon post as he seeks to temper growing criticism from gay rights advocates that he has not been bold enough on their issues."
Coverage of President Obama's proposed financial regulatory changes mainly focuses on the skeptical reaction from the financial community. ABC World News reported that Obama "proposed the biggest changes in the nation's financial system since the Depression. The reforms could affect every bank, every insurance company, and every American with a mortgage or a credit card." The CBS Evening News also said the proposals would "usher in the most sweeping changes to financial regulations since the New Deal 75 years ago." NBC Nightly News reported the President "wants to act now to change the way the financial system is regulated, while the memory of the current economic crisis is still fresh."
The AP reports, "From simple home loans to Wall Street's most exotic schemes, the government would impose and enforce sweeping new 'rules of the road' for the nation's battered financial system" under the President's "overhaul." The Wall Street Journal reports on its front page that the White House "hopes Congress can complete work on the plan by year's end," but is "sure to face opposition both from some on the right who say it threatens to throttle free markets and others on the left who say it doesn't go far enough."
The Financial Times says "Wall Street's reaction" was "relief mixed with apprehension at the planned new powers to be assumed" by the Federal Reserve. But other reports show greater financial sector skepticism. The Los Angeles Times headlines its report "Wall Street Isn't Buying Obama's Reform Plan," and leads by saying, "At its core, President Obama's overhaul of regulations for the financial industry seeks a fundamental change: Make the federal bureaucracy work for consumers, not just Wall Street. And Wall Street, not surprisingly, doesn't like it." The Washington Times says the "triggered immediate criticism Wednesday from both the political left and right."
The Hill reports House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank "intends to pass legislation through his committee by the August recess" and Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd "said he envisions holding hearings in the fall to mark up legislation." The Wall Street Journal observes that Dodd's "dual roles on two major presidential-agenda items" -- the regulatory overhaul and healthcare reform -- could determine the fate of the former, which "comes second on the Dodd list." The New York Times reports that even Dodd and Frank "vowed to complete legislation...only on Congress's terms."
Ten Banks Pay Back $68 Billion In TARP Funds The AP reports "10 large banks said they had repaid a total of $68 billion" in Troubled Asset Relief Program funds. The Wall Street Journal says American Express, Bank of New York Mellon, BB&T, Capital One Financial, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Northern Trust, State Street, and US Bancorp paid back the bailout funds.
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The AP says Nevada Sen. John Ensign's (R) "infidelity admission" was "just about the last thing the beleaguered Republican Party needed: a Christian conservative with national aspirations admitting to an extramarital affair with an ex-staffer." The Los Angeles Times says Ensign's "national ambitions fizzled and his beleaguered party was nursing yet another headache." Ensign "will probably remain popular with Nevada's forgiving voters, who typically prize shrinking government and lowering taxes above all else," but for the GOP, "Ensign's admission is the equivalent of punching a reeling boxer in the gut." On CNN's The Situation Room, senior political correspondent Candy Crowley said the Ensign scandal is "a distraction that a party that still has a lot of work to do getting its act together can't really afford at this particular point. And they don't need any more of this sort of scandal." The Washington Times adds Ensign "said Wednesday that he was stepping down from his Senate leadership post but would remain in the chamber." Ensign was "chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, considered the fourth-ranking spot in the Senate Republican chain of command."
The AP reports that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) "met with President Barack Obama in Washington last week...about the seat now held by fellow Democrat Roland Burris." A spokesperson "said Wednesday that Madigan is 'carefully weighing' the option of running for the seat and 'talking to the president is an important part of that process.'" Another AP report, meanwhile, says that Burris met with Illinois state's attorney John Schmidt Monday as part of "an investigation into his testimony before a state committee looking into his appointment by Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich." Investigators are probing "whether Mr. Burris committed perjury when he told the committee that neither he nor any of his representatives had spoken with Mr. Blagojevich, also a Democrat, or his representatives before Dec. 26 about securing the Senate seat vacated by President Obama. Mr. Burris subsequently changed his story."
In a 2,300 word article, the Washington Post reports John Edwards (D), tarnished by an affair with a campaign staffer, said he "has no plans to make a push to restore his name...but he did not rule out a return to politics." Edwards "can't help but fret about how Washington and the country are getting on in his absence. He worries about the concessions that may be made on health-care reform, which he was promoting more aggressively than anyone on the presidential campaign trail. He worries about who will speak out for the country's neediest at a time when most attention is focused on the suddenly imperiled middle class."
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Conan O'Brien: "People are suspecting that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election may have been a sham because he's claiming he won by a 2-1 margin. ... They're also suspicious of Ahmadinejad's claim that he's dating Megan Fox."
Conan O'Brien: "The bad economy is affecting the numbers of available jobs. So, many new college graduates are choosing to spend a year volunteering at a nonprofit organization. ... These nonprofit organizations include Chrysler and GM."
Conan O'Brien: President Obama's "new healthcare bill proposal is so expensive, Democrats are looking for ways to trim it back. ... One plan is so drastic, it will only offer coverage for Jon and Kate plus three."
David Letterman: In the Iranian election, "it's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi. If Ahmadinejad wins the election he gets a crate of figs. If Mousavi wins the election, he gets brutally slain."
David Letterman: "They're recounting the ballots cast in the Iranian elections, and today they found 14 more votes for Norm Coleman."
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