Democratic News Chatter 4-7-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama is on his way home after a very successful overseas trip - On the last day of his trip, the president attended a town hall meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. He spoke of building new bridges instead of new walls as he discussed future relationships with Turkey. ThePage.Time.com has his entire remarks and a video clip here.

Earlier, Obama met with Religious Leaders in Istanbul and also visited several Mosques. The president is expected to arrive in Washington D.C. at 5:30 PM ET.

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Obama makes unannounced stop in Baghdad - on his way home, he stops in Baghdad, Iraq to meet with General Odierno and troops. He is expected to personally award medals of honor to about a dozen soldiers. He will also call the Iraq President and Prime Minister as it is reported the visibility is too tough for Helicopter travel. Reuters.com has more here. The surprise visit is also most likely due to security concerns.

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Congressional delegation meets with Raul Castro in Havana - they were there to discuss future U.S - Cuba relations. You can read more here. Recently, a bill was introduced in the senate to allow for easier travel for U.S. citizens to Cuba. It is expected to pass by the time President Obama attends the Summit of Americas in Trinidad on April 17. CNN.com has more here. The current U.S. embargo of Cuba has been a failure for over 50 years and it is time to revisit U.S. policy in this area.

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On the home front, the federal budget deficit for the first six months of fiscal year '09 hits 953 Billion - for the same period in '08, it was 313 Billion. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. The deficit for fiscal year '09 will probably double over the next six months as the Stimulus bill and more TARP funds are spent. Reuters.com has more here.

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Tedisco ahead in NY special election - the latest tally by the NY Board of elections shows Republican Jim Tedisco ahead by 97 votes with 76,914 to Democrat Scott Murphy with 76,817. The state supreme court ruled yesterday the election officials must begin counting the 6,780 absentee ballots tomorrow. Politico.com has more here.

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In another special election, Democrat Mike Quiqley is expected to win easily the Illinois 5th District Congressional seat - this is the seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel when he became White House Chief of Staff. The 5th district is heavily registered Democrat so Republican challenger Rosanna Pulido is not expected to win. You can read more here.

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In Minnesota, the Senate vote count continues today - five months after the election another 387 absentee ballots will be counted today as a result of a resent court decision. Democrat Al Franken has a 225 vote lead over republican Norm Coleman. It is doubtful, Coleman can pick up enough votes with these absentee ballots to take the lead. However, Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty has said he will not certify the election until the appellate process is complete. This indicates future appeals by the Coleman campaign. You can read more here.

As I have commented before, this has become ridiculous as there remains a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate. If need be, legislation should be passed to ensure certification of a election be complete within sixty days from the date the election is held.

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