Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama Leading Romney in Electoral Votes - President Obama has a projected 242 electoral votes to 188 for Mitt Romney.  270 are needed to win.  There are a little over 100 electoral votes up for grabs among nine states.  The battleground states are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.  Politico.com has more here.

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Obama campaign Raises $53 Million in March - a staggering amount and is eight million more than the $45 million raised in February.  The average contribution was $50 and the Obama campaign had an estimated $85 million cash on hand.  The Washington Post has more here.

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Senate To Vote on "Buffet Rule" Today - the bill pushed by President Obama would impose a minimum 30% tax rate on those earning more than $2 million and also increase the tax rate for those earning more than one million.  Senate Republicans are expected to block the vote.

House Republicans will vote Thursday on a bill that would reduce business tax by 20% for those employing fewer than 500 employees.  The bill is expected to pass the House and fail in the Senate.  You can read more here.

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U.S. - Colombia Free Trade Agreement to be Signed May 15 - the announcement was hailed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, while the AFL-CIO expressed disappointment due to Colombia not doing enough to protect worker's rights.  TheHill.com has more here.

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Taliban Still a Force in Afghanistan - targeted attacks inside Kabul, including NATO HG, parliament and foreign embassies were intended to show the world the Taliban remain a force.  The BBC has more here.

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Candidates Barred From Egypt Election Causes More Turmoil - the move from a military to civilan run government has not been smooth for Egypt.  The latest obstacle in the move to democracy has been the disqualification of a former member of the Mubarak regieme, an ultra-conservative Islamic, and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.  The NY Times has more here.

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First UN Cease-Fire Observers Arrive in Syria - a half dozen of what is planned to be a total of 250 unarmed soldiers have arrived in Syria, even as shells continued to be fired.  Optimism runs high, the cease fire can result in an end to the year long violence.  Reuters.com has more here.

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