Democratic Chatter 3-25-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Last night, President Barack Obama addressed the nation on the economy and answered questions from the press - his speech was short and confirmed his commitment to resolving the economic problems facing the country today. In the question and answer period, the president defended his budget and tied reform and funding for education, health care, and energy to his economic recovery plan. Politico.com has more here.

The president also supported the request by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to have more authority over non-bank financial institutions. A measure that is expected to receive Congressional support. TheHill.com has more here.

Today, the president will have lunch on the hill with Democratic Senators and also meet with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop to discuss plans for the 60th anniversary of NATO. A summit is planned in Germany and France April 3-4.

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Dow Jones up 150 as durable goods demand increases - after six straight months of loses in demand for orders of durable goods, February had a 3.4% gain based on reports from the Commerce Department. MarketWatch.com has more here.

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President Obama to meet with executives of largest U.S. Banks Friday - it will be a who's who among the elite Bankers as the president encourages them to get on board with his economic recovery plan. Twelve of the largest U.S. banks will be represented, including Goldman Sachs group Inc., Citigroup Inc, and JP Morgan Chase Co. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Obama plans Online Town Hall - he is taking your questions online here. You not only get to ask your questions, but you can also vote on which ones he should answer. if you have the software, you can provide a link to a video of you asking the question. The questions will be chosen by you and the president will answer them on Thursday. So far, 10,135 people have asked 11,488 questions. Great idea! - one, I intend to use with the local City of Frederick Democratic candidates in the election this year.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is off to Mexico today - she is showing support for the crack down on drug cartels by President Calderon. She will visit Mexico City and Monterrey over the next two days. Yesterday, the Obama administration announced they were sending more agents and supplies to help secure the border. You can read more here.

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