Daily Democratic Wire 1-12-2010

George Wenschhof

President Obama and First Lady will travel to Wilmington, Delaware today to attend the funeral mass for Jean Biden - the Vice President's mother was 92. CBS News has more here.

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The Federal Reserve reports record profits - they reported 45 billion in profits which were returned to the Treasury. This is the highest amount earned ever in the 96 year history of the central bank. The Federal Reserve, unlike other government agencies funds itself and returns profits each year to the Treasury. This is good news among the dire daily economic news. The Washington Post has more here.

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African Americans for Harry Reid event scheduled for Thursday - the event in Nevada was scheduled prior to the recent firestorm surround the Senate Majority Leader's use of words in describing President Obama. The event to help kick off his Senate reelection campaign will go on as scheduled. NBC First Read Blog has more here.

In February, President Barack Obama will travel with Senator Reid to Nevada to show his support. The NY Times Caucus Blog has more here.

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A bipartisan commission proposed to cut federal deficit going nowhere in the Senate - the proposal put forward by Senators Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) has the support of 33 centrist Senators. Opponents are fearful of likely proposed tax increases during an election year. The deficit was 1.4 Trillion last year. TheHill.com has more here.

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Both Clintons receive poor portrayal in "Game Change" - the book written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin has so far received the most press in regard to a statement made by Senate Majority Leader Reid during the 2008 presidential campaign. But there is plenty of gossip on the behavior of both Hillary and Bill Clinton during the hard fought 2008 Democratic primary. Politico.com has a good read here.

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New Jersey approves medical marijuana bill - 14 states now have some sort of legislation pertaining to the use of marijuana to help those with chronic illnesses. Outgoing Governor Jon Corzine will sign the bill next Tuesday. The NY Times has more here.

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Harold Ford may challenge Kristen Gillibrand for NY Senate seat - the former five term congressman from Tennessee has been a frequent guest on political talk shows since being defeated in a close race in 2006. A nasty ad that caught attention during that race was one that had a sexy white woman saying "call me", a reference to Mr. Ford's personal life.

Gillibrand is who was selected to replace Hillary Clinton and the White House has been trying to scare off challengers. However, Mr. Ford, now a resident of New York is seriously considering a run. CNN.com has more here.

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