George Wenschhof
Yesterday, former President George H.W. Bush visited President Obama at the White House - his son Jeb was with him and according to reports, the meeting lasted about 35 minutes and was social in manner. Bush when caught on video leaving the White House, moving very slowly with the aid of a cane stated it was a very good meeting. MSNBC.com has more here.
Last night, the President accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden attended the Georgetown - Duke basketball game. he even took time to join the commentators at court side to add a few thoughts on the game.
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President Obama to present 3.8 Trillion Budget to Congress tomorrow - he gave strong hints at much of the budget during his state of the Union address last week with statements regarding a freeze on 447 billion on domestic spending and an increase in Education. The details of the 2011 budget which begins on October 1 will be examined and surely debated in the weeks and months to come. The NY Times has more here.
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DNC and RNC tied in fund raising Entering the 2010 mid term election year - the Democratic National Committee, when their outstanding debt is paid, has 8.5 million cash on hand. the Republican National Committee has 8.4 million cash on hand. Of, course the DNC does not accept contributions from lobbyists or corporations and the RNC does. CNN.com has more here.
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Republican "Dirty Tricks" find new life with James O'Keefe - the man who with questionable actions and film on his part, helped discredit ACORN, now faces prison time for actions taken in the office of Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.). Seems he has a history of questionable behavior dating back to his days at Rutgars. TPM.com has more here.
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White House Press secretary Robert Gibbs still optimistic on passage of health care reform - appearing on CNN John King's "State of the Union" show, Gibbs said the health care bill passage was still "inside the five yard line". That may be true, but gaining the last few yards to reach the end zone can be very tough. Gibbs hinted the House could still pass the Senate version of the bill. That is indeed a possibility but many House Democrats have already signaled they will not vote to pass unless there is agreement to use reconciliation to amend the Senate bill and there is a guarantee of the needed 51 votes in the Senate to do so. TheHill.com has more here.
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-31-2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-30-2010
George Wenschhof
Yesterday, President Barack Obama excelled as he addressed the Republican Retreat meeting in nearby Baltimore - Republicans are going to be wishing they never asked the President if the question and answer period following his address could also be televised. In a scene similar to British parliament but never seen here, President Obama took questions from the over 140 Republican members of Congress attending the retreat and more than held his own. It was clear he knew what he was talking about, regardless of the topic which was put before him.
The President again asked for bipartisan cooperation as we move forward to solve the problems facing Americans today. The Republican "party of no" would be well served to do just that. The Independent voters in Massachusetts were who elected Scott Brown to the Senate; not Republicans. Continuing to be obstructionists in Congress will not bode well for Republicans in the upcoming mid term elections.
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GOP trails Democrats significantly in campaign funds for House races - The National Republican Campaign Committee reported only 2.7 million cash on hand with no debt. Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported 17 million cash on hand with no debt. Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen chairs the DCCC and you can be sure they will field competitive races this Fall. CNN.com has more here.
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NY Trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed cancelled - after objections from NY City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the trial will be moved from a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan. it appears likely the trial will now take place on a military base. Politico.com has more here.
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Tea Party Convention scheduled for early February in Nashville losing interest and Speakers - Republican Representatives Michelle Bachman (Minn.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) have both cancelled their previously scheduled speaking engagements. The one who is still attending; former Governor Sarah Palin is doing so for $100,000, which has caused a split among activists aligned with the "tea party movement" - so much for fiscal responsibility. MSNBC.com has more here.
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This Sunday, the "Talking Heads" guests will include newly elected Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) - he will appear on ABC "This Week" with guest host Barbara Walters - yes, I said Barbara Walters - I guess they have been unable to find a replacement for George Stephanopoulos. White House senior adviser David Axelrod will be on NBC "Meet the Press". For a complete rundown of the guests, click here.
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Obama Weekly Address 1-30-2010
Today, President Barack Obama promised to rein in the federal deficit. He spoke of how he was pleased the Senate passed his "pay-as-you-go" plan and discussed his freeze on discretionary spending. In addition, he called for a bipartisan fiscal commission which would determine further steps that are needed to reduce the deficit.
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Friday, January 29, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-29-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Barack Obama will address House Republicans - as he said in his State of the Union address, the president is willing to reach out to Republicans. He will speak at the start of a three day House Republican Retreat being held in Baltimore, Maryland. TheHill.com has more here.
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Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke confirmed for second term - the vote was 70-30 with 12 Democrats joining 18 Republican Senators in opposition. After all the drama, the vote was not close. FirstRead has more here.
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Senate votes in increase national debt ceiling by 1.9 trillion - this action was necessary as the debt was approaching the current debt ceiling. Included was also a "pay-go" amendment for new proposed programs. The national debt ceiling is now 14.3 Trillion. The House is expected to pass the bill soon. Politico.com has more here.
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Good news on the economy as Commerce Department reports second straight quarter of economic growth - for the quarter; Oct. - Dec. 2009 the growth was a 5.7% annual increase which is the largest rate of growth in the U.S. since the third quarter in 2003. Hopefully, this is a sign the Stimulus program is working and the country is coming out of the severe recession. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Former Prime Minister Tony Blair faces grilling in official British inquiry on Iraq - how Britain became involved in the U.S. led invasion of Iraq is being investigated. Stay tuned for testimony here may impact some of the U.S. players who sold the U.S. on getting involved in this disastrous occupation of Iraq. The NY Times has more here.
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Thursday, January 28, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-28-2010
George Wenschhof
CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll show 71% of respondents who watched last night's State of the Union address feel Obama's policies will move country in right direction - only 21% had a negative reaction to the speech while 48% were very positive and another 30% somewhat positive. CNN.com has more here.
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Today, following his State of the Union address last night, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden head to Tampa, Florida - they will be touting the 8 billion from the Stimulus program which is going to upgrade the existing U.S. rail system. This action is way overdue in America as European nations and Japan are way ahead of the U.S. in rapid rail transit. On a side note, Tampa has one of the greatest Steak houses in the country called Berns Steak House. Politico.com has more here.
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Republican Congressional Leaders debate how much they should work with the Obama administration - this shows how silly their politics have become. In a rare moment of clarity, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has told his fellow Republicans the GOP cannot simply be the "party of no", but must work to provide solutions to the problems facing America. He realizes that simply being an obstructionist could easily backfire against Republicans in the fall mid term elections. TheHill.com has more here.
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Ford reports 2.7 Billion profit for 2009 - this comes after losing 14.8 billion in 2008. They did not take any government loans and did not declare bankruptcy as did General Motors and Chrysler. They also expect a profit this year, The NY Times has more here.
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World Leaders meet in London to discuss Afghanistan - British Prime minister Gordon Brown wants to set levels needed in armed forces and police for Afghanistan to meet next year as transition away from foreign support begins. Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai has said it will take many years for Afghanistan to be able to defend themselves. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Obama Optimistic on America's Future
George Wenschhof
"..Bipartisan cooperation is needed and Republicans just saying no is not leadership.." was one of the stronger lines delivered by the President tonight in his State of the Union address and came toward the end of his speech.
In a wide ranging address to the nation, the President acknowledged mistakes while pointing out the successes in his first year in office. More importantly, he connected with Americans who were frustrated with government bail outs of banks while unemployment stands at ten percent.
The main theme throughout his speech, regardless of the topic, was the need to come together to solve the problems facing Americans today. President Obama did not shy away from pushing legislation which has been passed by the House, only to be stymied by obstructionist Republicans in the Senate.
He began by focusing on the economy and giving a short, but well explained history lesson of how the country got into the mess it was in when he took office. The national deficit doubled in the two terms under the George W. Bush administration from 5.4 trillion to 11.3 trillion and the budget went from a surplus of 200 million in 2000, to a one Trillion deficit when Obama was sworn into office.
He admitted he was also angry at having to bail out the banks, but supported the proposal offered under the George W, Bush administration as he felt it was necessary to avoid a major financial meltdown.
Obama admitted to adding one trillion to the budget deficit, primarily through his Stimulus program, but pointed out the markets have now stabilized and that the banks have paid back most of the money lent to them. He also spoke of the new fee he has proposed for the larger banks to receive the remainder of the money even faster.
Here is where he proposed his spending freeze on domestic programs across the board and in a clever manner pointed out the money saved over these three years would pay for the Stimulus program he had initiated last year.
He spoke of the need for financial reform which would keep banks from becoming too big to fail and place limits on the size of their deposits and the ways in which they can invest those deposits. The House has passed and the Senate now needs to pass this bill.
He also spoke of a bipartisan commission he will establish by executive order which will be charged with submitting to him by the end of the year, recommendations to reduce the debt. He pointed out his action was needed after the Senate failed to pass proposed legislation creating this commission.
The first order of business is he wants a jobs bill which the House has already passed which includes a small business tax credit, a targeted jobs tax credit, the elimination of capitol gains on small businesses and putting Americans to work building the infrastructure of tomorrow such as rapid rail.
He added the need to pass the Climate Control bill already passed by the House and pushed his "Race to the Top" education program that rewards success.
He also did not leave out the need to finish health care reform and urged members of congress to reach consensus and encouraged them to submit to him any ideas they felt were better than those proposed.
A proposal popular with the average voter, was to create a single website where all members of Congress would list their proposed earmarks on legislation which would provide transparency for all Americans. This is a good idea and if passed would most likely result in many frivolous earmarks not being requested.
The President also addressed the controversial recent Supreme Court decision pertaining to corporate financing in elections and promised Congress will act to address concerns Americans have with corporations buying elections.
He even added the need to fix our broken immigration system. This action is desperately needed but it is doubtful Congress will take it on during an election year.
On the war front he continued his pledge to keep America safe. He spoke of the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, the need to stabilize Afghanistan and the ongoing war on terrorism. Most importantly he spoke of the need to support the troops when they return home and his efforts to strengthen the VA. He also called for the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law dealing with gays in the military.
He concluded by saying they were all elected to do what was right and what was needed and warned they should not worry about the upcoming elections. He was optimistic about America's future. He said "We don't quit, I don't quit.... let's move forward to strengthen the nation..."
All in all, a good speech. He did a good job early on at describing how we as a nation got into this budget mess and how little his administration has contributed to it. The budget freeze was a good move as he was also able to show how over the next three years the money saved would pay for the 787 billion Stimulus bill which was needed to stabilize the economy.
He showed many examples of bills being passed by the House and stopped by the Republican Party of "No", including the recent bill calling for a bipartisan committee to recommend actions to reduce the deficit.
I still would like more specifics from the President as to what he supports in health care reform and what action he supports from Congress to obtain this approval. As he said tonight, we are closer than we have ever been in a century in providing health care reform, we can not afford to let the legislation die.
However, his optimism is what carried the night. You may recall many of his speeches last year were sobering and honest speeches about the tough economy. Now, he is beginning to say the worst is behind us, the financial markets have stabilized and we are going to move forward.
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Daily Democratic Wire 1-27-2010
George Wenschhof
Tonight, at 9:00 PM ET, President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address - a speech that, in importance, will be ranked up there with Obama's speech on race he delivered in Philadelphia during the 2008 presidential campaign. In spite of large Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, the President has failed to deliver promises on health care reform. The NY Times is reporting Obama will acknowledge he has not delivered on some of his goals.
I will live Blog during the speech adding my comments along the way so visit the site and add you own comments if you wish.
I look to see him continue to pivot away from health care reform and concentrate on jobs and the economy. After the Senate failed to pass the creation of a bipartisan committee to examine ways to reduce the debt, the president will announce he is creating the committee through executive order.
He will throw the conservative Republicans a bone with his proposal to freeze 447 billion in domestic programs in his proposed budget and also give an update on Iraq and Afghanistan. Expect him to use the phrase; "the war on terrorism" to appease the Hawks in Congress.
Along the way, he will discuss his proposal for 4 Billion more for Education to fund a program he has entitled "Race to the top" which essentially replaces the former "No Child Left Behind' program initiative under the George W. Bush administration.
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Arlen Specter trailing in early Pennsylvania polls - perhaps in some sort of divine justice for the silliness in politics that the Specter defection to the Democratic party has exposed to the voters. Republican Pat Toomey is leading Specter 45-31 in early polls. In addition, don't count out Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak who is challenging Specter in the Democratic primary even after White House assurances to Specter he would have a clear field. You can read more here.
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NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows 70% unhappy with government - only 28% felt government was working well. However, the frustration is mostly directed at congress and not President Obama who received a 50% favorable rating. Interestingly, respondents to the polls preferred a Democratic controlled congress over a Republican Congress. This makes speculation on the mid term elections even more difficult. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke will receive Senate vote on cloture tomorrow - 60 votes are needed to end the filibuster and reports are he will receive the needed votes. His final confirmation vote will then be scheduled. Politico.com has more here.
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Conservative Film Maker James O'Keefe arrested after posing as telephone repairman in office of Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) - It just does not get any better than this as he was the guy who posed as a pimp and filmed interaction with ACORN employees which led to the scathing reports on ACORN. What in the world was he and three others doing posing as telephone repairmen trying to do in the Senator's office and were there others involved? Stay tuned as more is sure to come. The New Orleans Times-Picayune has more here.
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House majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says health care reform tactics need to be decided by next week - He's right, the longer time passes without a clear way to pass reform legislation, the more likely reform will die. The options at this point are really fairly simple. Either have the House pass the Senate bill and let it stand, have the House pass the Senate bill and then use reconciliation in the Senate to pass amendments to it sent by the House, or get bipartisan agreement on a handful of items and pass a severely paired down version of health care reform. Stay tuned for total defeat on this legislation would be a disaster for Democrats. TheHill.com has more here.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-26-2010
George Wenschhof
President Barack Obama intends to propose a spending freeze on domestic programs - he is expected to offer details in his State of the Union address tomorrow night. Indications are it would affect 477 billion of the overall budget and be for a three year period. it would not impact defense spending. Time.com has more here.
This proposal will look like what it is, an offer to appeal to Republican voters and Tea Bag activists in advance of the mid term election. Similar action taken by President Hoover during the Great Depression further exacerbated an already bad situation. Hardly the leadership many expected from Obama when they voted for him.
The estimated deficit for this year from the Congressional Budget Office is 1.35 Trillion with expectations this would drop to 480 billion in 2015. This shows clearly the problem facing the Obama administration as we enter the mid term elections year. MSNBC.com has more here.
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President to answer Questions from you pertaining to his State of the Union address - after his speech tomorrow night, you can submit questions via YouTube and one day next week President Obama will answer them live from the White House. WhiteHouse.gov has more details here.
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DSCC out raises NRSC in 2009 - the Senate Campaign Committees were close in total cash raised with the Democrats raising 43.6 million and the Republicans 41.2 million. Democrats reported 12.5 million cash on hand compared to 8.3 million for Republicans. CQ Politics has more here.
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Senate considers 80 billion Jobs bill - TheHill.com has more here. Differs somewhat from House bill, but neither bill contains any funding for temporary public service employment programs which I feel is necessary at this time. The House bill does include 30 billion for aid to states and local government to avoid layoffs. Presently, the idea is to use unspent money from the 700 billion bail out bill. The bill would have a better chance of passage if they instead diverted money from the cumbersome 787 billion Stimulus bill. The unspent bailout bill money could then be returned to the Treasury to pay down the debt.
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White House and Democratic Congressional Leaders look for ways to diminish last weeks Supreme Court ruling on Campaign financing - being discussed is requiring shareholders of corporations to vote to approve any money spent on elections. Another idea is to prohibit corporations who have contracts with government from spending money on elections. This is a hot topic and there will surely be more to this story so stay tuned... Politico.com has more here.
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Former U.S. Senator Mathias Passes Away
George Wenschhof
For some time, City of Frederick native, Charles McC. Mathias Jr. had been suffering from Parkinson's disease. Yet, it did not seem to keep him from visiting home as he was often asked to attend local events of note.
Much will be written locally, about the man who let his heart lead him as he served in office. The Baltimore Sun has a good read here.
I grew up with him first being elected as my Representative in Congress from the sixth district when I was seven in 1960, the same year John F. Kennedy was elected President. After serving four terms in the House, Mathias was elected to the Senate in 1969, where he would go on to serve three terms before retiring in 1987. He became a household name to many of us who grew up here.
While in office, he exhibited the traits we long for today in our elected officials. He would look at the issues as right or wrong and not what political party supported the issue. His actions in support of Civil Rights and opposition to the Viet Nam war came early in both of those issues.
While, as a lifelong Republican, Mathias sometimes bucked his own political party, his votes and action came about after careful deliberation led him to do what was right.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate could use more like Mac Mathias in office.
He was a true statesman with class.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-25-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama will meet with Vice President Joe Biden and his Middle Class Task Force - they will be discussing measures to put forward to help working families such as tax credits for day care services. The NY Times has more here.
I wrote about the need for this in my column "Women Leading the Charge for Workplace Changes" published in the business magazine 270inc. It is anticipated the President will include these initiatives aimed at helping the middle class in his State of The Union address on Wednesday.
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Another Democratic Congressman retires - Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry announced he would not be running for reelection to the House. TheHill.com has more here.
Before anyone starts getting excited, there have been more Republican Representatives (12) than Democrats (10) announce they are not running in the upcoming mid term election. The latest numbers I heard from a reliable source is there are 58 seats out of 435 that are vulnerable and that is a total from both sides of the aisle. Republicans need to pick up 40 seats in November to reach a one seat advantage in the 435 member House.
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So where does health care reform stand? - good question as President Obama attempts to pivot away from his signature bill to discuss jobs and the economy. Meanwhile, the sausage making on the Hill has left a unsavory bill for consideration. Politico.com takes a look at some of the options Democrats could pursue to salvage health care reform. You can read it here.
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Ambitious Obama Agenda encounters the Republican Party of "No" - MSNBC.com has more here.
While the much needed S-Chip children's health bill was passed, a stimulus bill that averted a economic meltdown was passed and equal pay for women act was passed, the Republican obstructionism has stalled health care reform and threatens the passage of a climate bill and most likely much needed discussion and action on immigration reforms will not be brought up this year. In the yet to be held mid terms in November, voters could easily say they are tired of incumbents; showing as many Republicans as Democrats the door.
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Supreme Court decision on campaign financing last week could open the door for foreign money in campaigns - I am still having a problem seeing how five members of the Supreme Court could rule a corporation has the same rights as an individual when it comes to freedom of speech issues. Corporations are a business entity and not an individual and as such, many have foreign investors. Did the Supreme court really want to allow foreign governments influence in U.S. elections? You can read more here.
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Sunday, January 24, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-24-2010
George Wenschhof
Continuing to pivot away from health care, yesterday President Barack Obama endorsed a bill to create a bipartisan commission to reduce the federal budget - the bill is scheduled to receive a vote in the Senate on Tuesday. The commission would be charged with suggesting ways to reduce the federal budget which would be heard and acted upon by Congress this year. The NY Times has more here.
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Obama calls for Senate to pass Jobs Bill - the House has already passed a 174 Billion Jobs Stimulus bill. MSNBC.com has more here. While a more specifically directed bill aimed at creating jobs is needed, voters are still questioning what was the 787 billion used for in the Stimulus bill passed early this year. recent CNN/opinion research poll show 56% of voters oppose the stimulus bill. CNN.com has more here.
I have been calling for a temporary public service employment funded program to put the unemployed back to work in jobs that would benefit the communities across the country. This program could also be used to fund positions which are being cut by local and state government. A targeted jobs tax credit should also be implemented in consultation with experts in the private sector as this also works to help spur new and young business.
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David Plouffe, the campaign manager for Obama writes an op-ed in Washington Post today on how Democrats should move forward as mid term elections near - he feels health care reform should be passed quickly and job creation should begin - "duh..." he also feels the Stimulus program need to be explained to voters - "what a surprise.. " Finally, he suggests candidates run strong campaigns - "how enlightening...". You can read his piece here.
I believe Mr. Plouffe needs to understand the difference between campaigning and in governing.
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Bernanke receives support from key Senators - Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) chair of the Senate Banking Committee and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) appeared together yesterday to announce their support for the nomination of Ben Bernanke. The chair of the Federal Reserve had been under fire recently with questions arising whether he would receive confirmation by the Senate. TheHill.com has more here.
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Saturday, January 23, 2010
Obama Weekly Address 1-23-2010
Today, President Barack Obama talks about the recent Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited corporate spending in political campaigns. He vowed to fight hard to make sure the strongest voice in Washington is from ordinary Americans like you.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-22-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Barack Obama returns to Elyria, Ohio, a town he visited while campaigning for President - an area hard hit by the recession, he will review impacts from his stimulus bill and hold a economic town hall meeting. The Washington Post has more here.
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The regrouping on health care reform begins - President Obama desperately wanted the bill passed by when he gave his State of The Union address next week and then he wanted to pivot White house attention on the economy and creating jobs. His only advise so far to congress was to focus on the areas in the bills where agreement exists. This leads to speculation as to what a pared down bill would look like. The NY Times takes a stab at what may be included in a smaller version of the health care bill. You can read it here.
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Yesterday's Supreme Court 5-4 ruling opens up unlimited spending by Corporations on elections - freedom of speech under the first amendment won the day narrowly for citizens united who sued when the FEC would not allow them to show an anti Hillary Clinton movie during the 2008 presidential election campaign. Along the way, the Supreme Court threw McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform under the bus. You can read more here.
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In what many believe should have been done the day Obama took office, yesterday the President introduced measures that would limit the size of banks and reduce the amount of risky investments they take - the too big to fail argument frustrated many Americans as they saw hundreds of billions spent to prop up large banks at the end of the George W. Bush administration. The other measure is intended to stop the practice of many banks who take depositor's money and invest it and in the recent debacle, they invested it in risky ventures accelerating the demise of the larger financial institutions. Politico.com has more here.
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Ben Bernanke Senate confirmation vote expected to be close - the vote to confirm a second term for the Federal Reserve Chair has been delayed and once a sure bet to be reconfirmed, he no longer is. A student of the U.S. Great Depression, Bernanke is credited by many as being responsible for the U.S. avoiding another huge depression. The Wall Street Journal has more here.
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Thursday, January 21, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-21-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Barack Obama is still regrouping from the ramifications of Republican Scott Brown's Senate victory in Massachusetts on Tuesday - the first statement the President made was that Congress should not act on health care until Brown was seated and the second was let's try to come together on the points in the health care legislation everyone agrees on. Hello? Mr. President, the leadership needs to be a little stronger than this. Even progressive Paul Krugman is questioning the lack of leadership by Obama. You can read his comments here.
A bit of trivia on voter registration in Massachusetts left unreported throughout this special election for the late Ted Kennedy Senate seat - 43% of the state's registered voters are "Uncommitted/Other", 42% are registered Democrats, and only 15% are registered Republicans. The final results were close with only 100,000 separating the two candidates with over 2.2 million votes cast. Doubtful another state has "Uncommitted/Other" leading in voter registration.
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The question hanging over President Obama at the end of his first year in office is "What went wrong?" - it is obvious that in spite of the many accomplishments which have transpired since he was sworn into office, the success stories are not being replayed in the media. Regrouping is necessary, especially in light of the continued 10% unemployment in spite of a 787 billion stimulus bill. Politico.com has a good read here and Time.com has an interview with the President discussing his first year here. Finally, Howard Fineman has some advise on how the President can turn things around. MSNBC.com has it here.
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Ruling by Supreme Court on Campaign Financing may come today - this has to do with corporate and pac financing relating to a video on then presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that was blocked from being aired by the FEC. The Washington post has more here.
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John Edwards admits he is Father to former mistress's child - the severe fall from grace is now complete for the former 2004 Democratic VP candidate. In a statement to NBC Today, he said he was the father of Quinn Hunter. TheHill.com has more here.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Kurtianyk to Announce for Frederick County, Md. Commissioner
George Wenschhof
Democrat Michael Kurtianyk will formally announce his candidacy for Frederick County, Maryland commissioner on Tuesday January 26. He filed his paperwork on January 13 and has named Republican Amanda Haddaway as his campaign manager. Ms. Haddaway ran for Alderman in the City of Frederick election last year and lost in the general election.
Kurtianyk has been rumored to be linked to a pro-growth slate of county commissioners being recruited by some local political and business leaders. He currently works for Tyler - Donegan Real Estate company and lives in Middletown with his wife and two children.
According to the press release sent by Haddaway, Kurtianyk will have a busy Tuesday introducing himself to the community starting with a 8:20 AM appearance with Bob Miller on WFMD 930 AM Radio.
He will make his formal announcement at the Library Community Room at 10:15 AM before having a private luncheon with invited community leaders.
At 3:00 PM he will again appear on WFMD 930 AM Radio, this time on the Blaine Young show, before attending a reception at Cafe Nola; located at 4 E. Patrick Street in Frederick, Maryland from 4:00 to 5:00 PM.
Five County Commissioners will be chosen by the voters in this election with the primary to be held on September 14 and the General Election on November 2.
The only other candidate to file to date is incumbent Democrat Kai Hagen who is known for his planned and sustainable growth position.
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Daily Democratic Wire 1-20-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, marks the one year anniversary of the inauguration of Barack Obama as President - he inherited leadership of a country on the verge of economic collapse and one that was fighting two wars. The wonderment of the first African American President has faded and the harsh realities of day to day governing with political bickering has taken over.
The 787 billion Stimulus program to save and create jobs is immense and confusing and we will never know it's impact on avoiding the economic collapse of our country. However, with unemployment remaining at 10%, voters are not happy.
While withdraw from Iraq is scheduled to begin this year, a buildup of conventional forces in Afghanistan has taken place under the Obama administration. The U.S. military approach to fighting terrorism reminds me of the British battalions marching in straight lines and formation through American cornfields while colonists hid behind trees and picked them off.
A build up of intelligence gathering and mobile special forces capability makes much more sense than conventional nation building in countries where this effort is destined to fail.
The loss of the Senate seat in Massachusetts yesterday to Republicans, will surely impact the passage of health care reform. An effort already botched, as voters never understood the convoluted and immense bill. Furthermore, they saw the crazy demands of hold out Senators which were granted by the Obama administration.
Nonetheless, the promise of hope and a new direction is still there with President Obama. Let's hope "Yes We Can!" becomes reality and not left behind as a campaign slogan.
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Erroll Southers Withdraws as TSA Administrator - his appointment had been held up in the Senate by Republican Senator Jim DeMint who was afraid he would allow employees of the Transportation Security Administration collective bargaining rights. ABC News has more here.
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6.1 level Aftershock Tremor hits Haiti - the center was about 35 miles from Port-Au-Prince but caused little additional damage as most buildings had already collapsed. The NY Times has more here.
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Vice President Joe Biden and senior Democrats on the Hill reach agreement on increase in debt ceiling - as part of the deal to increase the national debt ceiling, a fiscal commission will be created by executive order which will offer ways to reduce the national debt. in addition, the senate is expected to pass "pay-as-you-go" legislation similar to what the House has already passed. TheHill.com has more here.
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In case you missed them, some highlights from the late night shows last night.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Massachusetts Special Election Results and Musings
George Wenschhof
Democrats do not want to go 0-3 prior to mid term elections in November. While the Democratic party candidates have played a big part in the disappointing showings in the Governor races lost in Virginia and New Jersey and the closeness today in the U.S. senate race in Massachusetts, the Democratic party will take a big hit if Republican Scott Brown wins today.
At stake today is the shaky 60 vote filibuster proof Senate and passage of the major platform put forward by the Obama administration; health care reform.
I will add some tidbits here as the day goes on as well as the results after the polls close at 8:00 PM ET.
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David Axelrod, senior adviser to Obama said they would have done more for Coakley and sooner, if they had been asked. - ouch! to the Coakley campaign. You can read more here.
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This is in addition to the fund raising appeal the Obama campaign made on her behalf and his personal appearance yesterday. Today, they sent out an appeal to call Mass. voters to urge them to vote. Click here to help make calls.
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USA today says to watch how the towns: Gardner, Fitchburg and Peabody vote. All three went for Ted Kennedy over Republican Kenneth Chase in the last election by 69-31. If Brown wins these today, it may be over for Coakley.
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TPM has House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) saying that the House passing the Senate version of the health care bill is better then nothing.
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Politico.com has five things to watch as the returns come in from Mass. today. You can read them here.
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3:50 PM - David shuster says no news organizationa are doing exit polls in Mass. today. Folks will have to wait until after polls close at 8:00 PM.
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TPM says Ted Kennedy was seated the day after he won 1962 special election. Will Republicans demand the same if Brown wins today? Most likely seating will be 10-15 days after election which is when the vote is certified.
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Voter turnout in Boston as of noon was 55,309 - only 3,000 lower than 2006 mid term election. State officials still calling for a turnout in the 1.6 to 2.2 million range.
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With no exit polls being conducted the earliest vote totals are expected around 9:30 PM.
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Democrat Coakley sent out a media advisory at 5:30 PM concerning ballot irregularities - alleging some ballots were given out that already had Republican Brown marked. Stay tuned - this is most likely preemptive if Coakley loses.
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8:00 PM ET - polls are now closed - will post results as they become available.
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9:00 PM ET - 52% reporting, Brown - 52% 587,389, Coakley - 47%, 520,311. Does not look good for Coakley with total turnout looking like it will meet early expectations of 1.6-2.2 million.
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9:15 PM ET - 60% reporting, Brown-53%, 694,897, Coakley-46%, 607,073
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9:25 PM ET - 71% precincts reporting, Brown-53%, 822,901 and Coakley - 46%, 720,460. The possible votes for Coakley are diminishing - will be hard for her to pick up 200,000 votes at this point. Look to see the race called soon.
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9:33 PM ET - Coakley concedes, AP calls it for Brown. 79% precincts reporting-Brown - 53%, 907,421. Coakley - 47%, 811,036.
Well that's it! Republicans and Tea Party activists will be rejoicing across the country tonight. Democrats and the Obama administration will need to regroup, in particular in regard to health care reform. President Obama will need to demonstrate strong leadership skills at this point to keep Democrats together and focused and away from the finger pointing and blame game.
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9:44 PM ET - 87% Precincts reporting. Brown - 52%, 996,990. Coakley - 47%, 887,754.
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9:55 PM ET - 93% precincts reporting. Brown - 52%, 1,075,385. Coakley - 47%, 962,837.
Massachusetts Secretary of State William Gavin says he will immediately send a letter to Brown saying he has won the race, referencing the unofficial results. Gavin indicated the seating of members of the House were not delayed based on this type of letter. However, it is likely the Senate will require certification by Gavin which he will not be able to do for ten days per state constitution pertaining to the counting of all ballots - that means absentee, military and overseas which are not done for ten days following the election. Pay attention to this reasoning for the passage of health care reform may hinge on the seating date of Scott Brown in the Senate.
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10:18 PM ET - 97% Precincts reporting. Brown - 52%, 1,127,561. Coakley - 47%, 1,013,451. The cold, snow and rain did not stop the strong voter turnout earlier today. Coakley did narrow the 200,000 vote difference, but not enough.
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10:50 PM ET - 99% Precincts reporting. Brown - 52%, 1,153,808. Coakley - 47%, 1,052,391.
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