George Wenschhof
President Obama will deliver a statement this morning on the 3.2% GDP growth in the 1st Quarter - the commerce department issued the encouraging numbers which also show consumer spending is up. Bloomberg.com has more here.
Inflation grew only 0.6% after rising 1.8% in the 4th quarter. These are nice orderly signs the U.S. is beginning to emerge from the deepest recession since the 1930's.
Makes you question the actions by the Republican Party of No, who opposed the passing of the Stimulus bill and are presently battling the necessary reform measures on Wall Street, whose reckless investment strategies lead to the financial collapse.
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Crist makes it official - he is running as a Independent for Senate in Florida - yesterday, Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced what many already knew. He delivered a populist message, saying it should be the people who decide who is their Senator and not clubs. MSNBC.com has more here.
The reality of the situation is he had no chance of becoming the Republican Party nominee as he was trailing by double digits to tea party activist darling Marco Rubio. In a three way race including Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek, Crist leads by a narrow margin.
Should Crist win in November, which political party he would caucus with is important. The two presently serving Independents in the senate; Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.) caucus with the Democrats.
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Reid-Graham posturing continues on Immigration and Energy/Climate bills - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he is moving forward with both bills for consideration of this Congress. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is still threatening to withdraw his co-sponsorship of the Energy/Climate bill if immigration reform is put on the table. TPM.com has more here.
Meanwhile, yesterday President Obama issued a statement saying he was pleased with a recently released Senate proposal on immigration. He pointed out the need for reform and the importance of enforcing the law and securing our borders.
Both the Energy/Climate and Immigration bills will be contentious, but both are needed now. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is crucial. The Republican Party also realize that Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. and continued rhetoric or action that is perceived as anti-Hispanic would be detrimental to their future success as a political party. Stay tuned...
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New Off-Shore Oil Drilling suspended - Senior white house Adviser David Axelrod made the announcement yesterday. This comes after the disastrous Gulf coast rig disaster that is still pumping thousands of barrels of oil into the ocean. Axelrod said an analysis needs to be done to see what brought about the accident and how it can be avoided in the future. Politico.com has more here.
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-30-2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-29-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama will nominate three to the Federal Reserve Board - this would be the first time in four years the seven member board had operated at full strength. the three will be Maryland State Banking Regulator Sarah Bloom Raskin, MIT Economist Peter Diamond and Janet Yellen; President San Francisco Federal Reserve Board.
They will help Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke shape future U.S. monetary policy. Bloomber.com has more here.
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Debate to finally begin on Senate Financial Reform bill - the thirds failed vote in three days proved to be the charm to move the bill forward as Republicans agreed by unanimous consent to begin debate of the bill. CNN.com has more here.
It is expected there will be up to two weeks of debate and vote on various amendments sure to be offered. Unfortunately, due to procedural methods used to move this debate forward, Republicans will still have the opportunity to filibuster, prior to the final vote to approve.
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Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) set to introduce campaign finance legislation today in the House - this as a result of the narrow 5-4 "Citizen's United" Supreme Court decision that allows for unlimited corporate spending in political campaigns.
The New Disclosure Act would hopefully go into effect prior to this fall's mid term elections.The bill would ban contributions from corporations with 20% or more foreign ownership and force organization to inform donors how they were spending money on political campaigns.
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has indicated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will schedul his senate version of the bill prior to July 4. TheHill.com has more here.
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Obama signals Immigration bill may not happen this year - yesterday, the president indicated Congress may not be ready to move forward on Immigration reform. This statement coming after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham threatened to withdraw his support and co-sponsorship of an Energy bill set to come before the Senate. MSNBC.com has more here.
Immigration reform and the energy/climate bill can be considered by Congress at the same time. So far, this has been a lot of public posturing. Both bills are needed now. Stay Tuned...
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010
O'Malley-Brown Wow Frederick at Campaign Kickoff Announcement
George Wenschhof
Over 100 attended the late morning reelection announcement held at the C. Burr Artz Library 2nd floor patio in downtown Frederick.
Frederick County Board of Commissioners President Jan Gardner introduced Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. The attendees included a list of the who's who of local Democratic politicians. Some of the elected who were present were state delegates Galen Clagett and Sue Hecht, county commissioner Kai Hagen, Brunswick mayor Carroll Jones, former City of Frederick mayor Ron Young who is running for state senate in district 3, and City of Frederick alderwoman Carol Krimm.
Throughout his speech, the Governor did not disappoint the Democratic party faithful in attendance and was interrupted by applause on many occasions.
Only slight mention was given to former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich, by Governor O'Malley and that was to emphasize the need to continue to move Maryland forward and not backward.
Interestingly, a little over a week ago, an announcement event for Robert Ehrlich on nearby Carroll Creek drew only a dozen supporters. In 2002, Ehrlich carried Frederick county when he won and again in 2006 when he lost to O'Malley. However, in 2006 O'Malley narrowed the margin of loss and today the difference between Republican and Democratic registered voters is only a 5000 advantage to Republicans. Look to see O'Malley narrow the margin even more or possible win Frederick county in November.
O'Malley and Brown emphasized the efforts to keep unemployment down in the state, while continuing to improve our public education system and further restoration of the Chesapeake bay. Maryland continues to rank in the top five of all states with the lowest unemployment.
Governor O'Malley also mentioned the 21% increase in school construction funds they were able to send to Frederick county, while Lt. Governor Brown, who is the point man for "BRAC", also pointed out the over 4,000 jobs that will be coming to Frederick as a result of the expansion at Fort Detrick.
The Governor was in the middle of a 11 stop 3 day reelection campaign tour. He emphasized he was Governor for all Marylanders and that by working together we will continue to move Maryland forward.
Who's the guy below, behind those "Shades"? Yes, it is me, who forgot I was even wearing them!
---Photos by Jack Lynch ---
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Daily Political Wire 4-28-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama continues his midwest Main Street Tour - he will visit a biorefining plant and wind farm in Missouri before heading to Quincy, Illinois to speak about the need for Wall Street reform. CNN.com has more here.
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Obama approval rating at 54% - highest since mid-November 2009 - new Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted from 4-22 to 4-25. In many areas when registered voters were asked if they approved or disapproved of the president's handling of that issue, the result was almost a 50-50 result. That was the case for the overall handling of the economy and for health care and the trends on both were moving up. Only when it came to the handling of the federal deficit did the president receive a negative result and that was 40-55%. This is an interesting poll with a lot of trend analysis. You can read it here.
Maybe, the President had an advance copy of the poll, for he had a public announcement and photo-op Monday of his meeting with the co-chairs of the Deficit Commission he appointed.
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DNC comes out with 30 second ad slamming Republicans on Wall Street reform.
Republicans continue obstructionist ways - vote no for second day in a row for Finance Reform - the vote was an identical 57-41 from Monday, three votes short of moving the bill forward for debate and a final up or down vote. The NY Times has more here.
Republican leaders are spewing lots of rhetoric, but the fact is that not one Republican amendment was put forward during the months the Senate Banking Committee, chaired by Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) was considering the bill.
Democratic leaders have determined it to be wise to show the voters that Republicans are blocking much needed reform on Wall Street. This is probably true short term, however, what the voters want are results.
The three provisions that must be included in the bill are a limit on the size of banks to avoid the "too big to fail" syndrome, a consumer finance protection agency, and strong regulations on the trading of derivatives.
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Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) still acting childish - adding to an already obstructionist Republican Party, Graham is now saying he will filibuster his own bill unless plans to move forward on immigration reform are dropped - say what?
I applaud Graham for working with Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn,) to write a tri-partisan energy bill, but to threaten to filibuster your own bill if immigration reform is also considered is silly. TPM.com has more here.
First, Graham was upset because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced he may move immigration reform in front of the energy bill. Then after Reid indicated he could move on the energy bill first and then immigration, Graham says energy bill or nothing. huh? Is he saying the Senate can not take up consideration of two bills? How crazy is his behavior? This, when voters clearly want immigration reform from congress as well as a energy bill. I believe members of Congress can walk and chew gum at the same time. Stay tuned.....
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Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-27-2010
George Wenschhof
President Obama expresses disappointment with the Republican vote yesterday to block Financial reform from moving forward - in what has become standard operating procedures from the GOP members in Congress, the vote yesterday was 57-41, This was three votes short of moving the Dodd bill forward for discussion and vote. FirstRead.com has more here.
This "No" vote will hurt Republicans as two-thirds of Americans in a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll said they favored finance reform.
This morning the President will meet with his bipartisan committee on deficit reduction and later today, will fly to Iowa to tour a wind turbine plant.
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Goldman Sachs Executives will face Senate questioning today - Lloyd Blankfein and others will be asked about the wheeling and dealing that took place and in particular; the trading of derivatives. Hopefully, the Finance Reform bill, when passed, will contain legislation which creates stronger regulations on the trading of derivatives as currently, there are little to no regulations surrounding the investment in derivatives. TPM.com has more here.
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Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) explains his hard stand on the Energy bill being considered prior to a Immigration bill - he has taken his lumps from the GOP back home for forging a tri-partisan bill along with Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). He also doubts an Immigration bill would pass this year. So, he is continuing with his demand to have the energy bill next in line and in front of Immigration as a bill to be considered by Congress. Otherwise, he will withdraw his support of the Energy bill. Politico.com has more here.
What has not been written about is the effort by former Vice President Al Gore to move the energy bill forward. Stay tuned....
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Illinois Senate race now leaning Republican - in the race to fill the Obama Senate seat to be vacated by appointed Roland Burris this Fall. The Cook Report moved the category to "Leaning GOP" from "Toss-Up". This, a result after the Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias's family owned Bank failed recently. The question now is whether there will be an effort by Democratic leadership to replace Giannoulias. TheFix.com has more here.
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Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) to make decision on Senate race this week - he is behind by double digits in the Republican primary to Marco Rubio according to recent polls. However, as an Independent, he wins a three way race with Democrat Kendrick Meeks and Republican candidate Marco Rubio. Senator Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) showed switching to Independent can lead to a win. Stay tuned... TheHill.com has more here.
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Monday, April 26, 2010
O'Malley Statewide Kick-Off Campaign Tour includes Stop in Frederick
George Wenschhof
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will be in the City of Frederick on Wednesday April 28 as part of their three day and 11 stop reelection campaign announcement tour.
They will be at the C. Burr Artz Public Library patio (2nd Floor) at 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM. The Library is located downtown at 110 E. Patrick Street with ample public parking garages nearby. Admission to the event is free, but I recommend you register to receive your free ticket here.
It will be a busy week for the two as they visit 11 locations across the state in a three day period. Here is a complete schedule so you can see when they will be visiting you.
To attend, please click one of the links to reserve a free ticket:
Baltimore City - April 27th 11:15 AM
Prince George's County - April 27th 1:45 PM
Montgomery County - April 27th 6:30 PM
Southern Maryland - April 27th 4:00 PM
Western MD - April 28th 8:00 AM
Frederick County - April 28th 11:30 AM
Howard County - April 28th - 4:00 PM
Eastern Shore - April 28th - 6:30 PM
Harford County - April 29th - 11:30 AM
Baltimore County - April 29th - 4:00 PM
Anne Arundel County - April 29th - 6:30 PM (Paid dinner event)
In case of rain, there are contingency plans for other locations so plan to visit their campaign website at http://www.martinomalley.com/
The deadline for candidates to register is July 6. While Governor Martin O'Malley (D) and former Governor Robert Ehrlich (R) will each have challenges in the September 14 primary, the November 2 General Election will be a rematch between the two candidates who faced each other in 2006.
Stay tuned...
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-25-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Barack Obama will meet with evangelist Billy Graham - the president and his family have been vacationing in Asheville, North Carolina which is very close to to the home of the 91 year old preacher. Time.com has more here.
Then, on the way home today, the president will stop in Beckley, West Virginia to deliver the eulogy at the memorial services for the miners who lost their lives at the Upper Big Branch mine recently due to an explosion.
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The scheduled tri-partisan announcement of an Energy bill scheduled for tomorrow has been delayed - Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) were to announce the bill but Graham is upset action on the bill could be pushed behind a yet to be announced Immigration bill. Graham is now withdrawing his support for the Energy bill due to what he feels is unfair scheduling. The NY Times has more here.
Egaaad, and you wonder why Congress moves so slowly? Both bills are important and are due action from Congress this year - let's hope they can do so!
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McConnell still saying No to financial reform - the Senate Minority Leader says he still intends to block discussion and vote of the Finance reform bill introduced by Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Dodd, the chair of the Senate Banking Committee, has spent months working with Republican members of the committee to draft this bill. McConnell made these remarks while appearing on "Fox New Sunday" today. TheHill.com has more here.
In what has become a game of who will flinch first in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has scheduled a vote for cloture (to end a filibuster) tomorrow. Will Republicans go on the record they oppose financial reform? - We'll know tomorrow.
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Saturday, April 24, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-24-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, the President and his family begin a much needed family vacation in Asheville, North Carolina - Time.com has some press pool reports here.
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Expect the next big legislation to be pushed by the Obama administration to be Immigration reform - a long needed reform made even more necessary after Arizona Governor Jan Brewer yesterday signed into law a state wide measure dealing with undocumented workers. Look to see the bipartisan Energy bill to be introduced Monday to be pushed behind Immigration reform.
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The Sunday morning "Talking Heads" Lineup - this Sunday the discussion will be all about financial reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a vote to proceed on Monday, so we will soon see if one Republican or more will vote to move forward to discussion and a up or down final vote. How the Republican guests respond during discussion Sunday morning will give an indication of how the vote will go on Monday.
NBC "Meet the Press" will have Senators Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
ABC "This Week" has White House chief economist Austin Goolsbee along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).
CBS "Face the Nation" has chair of the National Economic Council Larry Summers.
CNN "State of The Union" will feature Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.) along with Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
"Fox News Sunday" will have Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the co-chairs of the budget and debt reduction commission appointed by President Obama; former Senator Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) and former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles.
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Democratic Senate candidates debate as Arkansas primary nears - last night no clear winner emerged from the three candidates: incumbent Blanche Lincoln and challengers; Lt. Governor Bill Halter and businessman D.C. Morrison. Arkansasonline.com has more here.
A recent poll by "Talk Business" showed Lincoln leading with 38% followed by Halter with 31% and Morrison with 10%. Expect former President Bill Clinton to show up to campaign on behalf of Senator Blanche Lincoln in the days preceding the primary and look to see her survive the Democratic challengers.
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FDIC takeover of bank bad new for Illinois Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias - already engaged in a tight race with Republican candidate Mark Kirk. The news of the takeover of the Giannoulias family owned Broadway Bank will not help the Democratic candidate. The estimated cost to the FDIC is 394.3 million. Politico.com has more here.
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Obama Weekly Address 4-24-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama talks about how the financial markets and the auto industry are beginning to stabilize with less need for government intervention. He points out now is the time for Wall Street and financial reform.
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Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-22-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama heads to New York to deliver speech on financial reform - with Republicans currently expressing optimism about passing a bill, expect the President to take a more conciliatory tone at Cooper Union.
The need for financial reform was a concern for Obama dating back three years. The NY Times has more here.
Shortly after returning to D.C., President Obama will also give remarks pertaining to the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. It is hard to believe 40 years have passed since the first Earth Day celebration.
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) gets boost in Nevada Senate race from GOP candidate - Republican senate candidate Sue Lowden who had been leading in the early polls, made a ridiculous statement concerning health care that could come back to bite her. TPM.com has more here.
She was speaking on how people could keep heath costs down by bartering with their doctors - and gave the example of giving their doctor a chicken for health care services. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee already has a web page up "Chickens For Health Care".
Reid is hardly the most charismatic or dynamic speaker and leader, but he has served in a dignified manner as Senate Majority Leader during one of the more difficult periods in Congressional history. He deserves to be reelected.
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GM early repayment of 6.7 billion loan sign that government intervention is working - the huge bail out bill, followed by government ownership of auto manufacturers had some nay sayer's going a year ago. Today, GM is moving toward a public offering of stock as early as the end of this year, at which time the overall 50 billion investment by the government would be repaid. Perhaps, this will show how government intervention can help in the restructure and saving of a failing large business. TheHill.com has more here.
In addition, 12 federal reserve banks reported a 2009 income of 53.4 billion, up 17.9 billion from the previous year. This, primarily due to mortgage backed securities held as a result of the bailout bill (TARP). CNN.com has more here.
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Initial Unemployment claims drop 24,000 - for the week ending April 17. Bloomberg.com has more here. Keep an eye on these figures as the drop in initial claims should continue from this date through the summer as seasonal employment opportunities become available to job seekers.
A drop in the overall 9.7% unemployment rate by September would be an added boost for the Obama administration and Democratic candidates in the mid term elections this Fall.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-21-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama meets with senate leaders to discuss Supreme Court nominee - in less than two years, the president will have nominated replacements to almost one third of the Supreme Court.
President Obama is already talking with potential nominees and the list includes judges and politicians - Diane Wood, Merrick Garland, Sidney Thomas, Leah Ward Sears, Elena Hagan, Jennifer Granholm, Janet Napolitano, and Martha Minow. You can read more here.
President Obama intends to name nominee by May 26 - that is the date he nominated Sonia Sotomayor a year ago which allowed time for the senate to confirm prior to their August recess. TheHill.com has more here.
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Democratic Party committees out raise Republican counterparts in First Quarter - the following figures are in millions and are the all important cash on hand: DNC - 14.7, RNC - 11..4, DSCC - 17, NRSC - 15, DCCC - 26, NRCC - 10
Take note in the in the House races where republicans are hoping to gain over 40 seats to retake the majority, the DCCC chaired by Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen has almost a 3-1 money advantage over the Republican committee.
The Washington Post has a must read out today on how both political party committees spend almost two-thirds of the money raised on administrative costs and not the candidates - an eye popping statistic and one more reason serious campaign finance reform needs to move forward in America. You can read the article here.
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Republican Leaders begin to backpedal on finance reform - after President Obama continues to use his bully pulpit to outline the need for reform and what is actually in the bill as opposed to the latest myths put forward by the Republican Party. Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) also gave perhaps one of his best speeches on the floor of the senate yesterday and expressed how Republicans have failed to negotiate in good faith. TPM.com has more here.
Now, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is saying we are close to an agreement. Stay tuned....
Meanwhile, get ready for more major legislation on the way - on Monday, Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will finally introduce a energy bill to the senate.
Next month, President Obama hopes to see a immigration reform bill be introduced in the senate by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Obama reportedly recently discussed the immigration bill will Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.). The Wall Street Journal has more here.
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After health care reform bill passes, another bill is being introduced to limit premium increases - seems this important aspect was not covered by the massive legislation on health care which was just passed. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calf.) has presented a bill to the Senate Health Committee chaired by Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Ironic, this was not included in the bill which was passed, as it was the 21-45% premium increases which were being reported that fueled support for passage of health care reform legislation. The NY Times has more here.
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Florida GOP and Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio being investigated by IRS on use of GOP issued credit cards - this can't help Republicans at this point in the mid term elections. At issue, is the possible use of credit cards issued by the Republican Party for personal use. TheHill.com has more here.
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-20-2010
George Wenschhof
Last night, President Obama spoke at two fundraisers in California - one for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calf.) and the other a DNC event. Republican Carly Fiorina who is running against Boxer criticized the president for using taxpayers funds to fly out to California to attend fundraisers. However, the DNC and Boxer campaign issued statements that they were paying for the cost of the traveling by the president. The LA Times has more here.
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Pennsylvania Congressional special election deadlocked - the special election to be held on May 18 is basically tied according to recent polling data. The race to replace the late John Murtha in the 12th district is between Mark Critz (D) and Tim Burns (R). The RNC has poured $247,000 into the campaign and the DNC has contributed $136,000. The latest poll has Crist ahead 40-39%, which means it is any one's race to win. TheFix.com has more here.
Interestingly, with all the negative attacks on Democrats transpiring, they have won the last five Congressional special elections. Stay Tuned...
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Senate Republicans continue to say no to Financial Reform - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has become a master of spreading misinformation on pending legislation. this time, after attending a private meeting with wall street executives. The Senate bill presented by Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is a result of months of negotiations with Republicans in the Senate Banking Committee. Dodd has also never been accused of being in the liberal left wing of the Democratic Party, which makes the opposition by the Republican Party even more odd.
The 50 billion fund proposed is a liquidation fund to assist in the closing of a firm which fails and is totally funded by Banks and not the government. It is not to be used for bailouts. Why the Republicans would also oppose the creation of a consumer finance protection agency is also mind boggling. The third area of Republican opposition pertains to new regulations on derivatives which the lack of regulations, in part, led to the financial collapse of two years ago. This led to the current law suit by the SEC against Goldman Sachs. Politico.com has more here.
The two Republican Senators from Maine; Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe met with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner yesterday as Democrats continue to search for one Republican vote to end a filibuster. Collins was noncommittal following the meeting and Snowe was still a no.
President Obama will travel to New York on Thursday and speak on the need for immediate financial reform at New York Cooper Union.
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Senate Republicans also say no to campaign finance reform - after the Supreme court 5-4 Citizens United decision allowed corporations unlimited spending in political campaigns, Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) vowed to pass legislation to curb corporation financial influence in elections. To date, Shumer has been unable to secure a Republican co-sponsor in the Senate, while Van Hollen has secured Republican co-sponsors in the House. Further delay by Senate Republicans will impact whether a bill can be passed in time to help in the upcoming elections. TheHill.com has more here.
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Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-18-2010
George Wenschhof Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Yesterday, President Obama canceled his trip to Poland to attend funeral of President Kaczynski and his wife - this was due to the volcanic ash cloud that lingers in Europe after a volcano erupted in Iceland. Reuters.com has more here.
It will be interesting to follow the emergence of the new government and military leadership in Poland resulting from the horrific plane crash which killed many of the top leaders in Poland. The U.S. had a good relationship with the former leaders, who had agreed to allow the U.S. to deploy missiles within Poland as part of a planned missile shield. Russia has been totally against the deployment of U.S. missiles in Poland, even though they were for defensive purposes. Stay Tuned...
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Former President Clinton responds to conservative talk show host Russ Limbaugh - in an interview with ABC reporter Jake Tapper on "This Week". Clinton recently warned that the overly heated debate in politics today could incite violence when he attended the anniversary of the Oklahoma city bombing. Limbaugh responded that "any future acts of violence would be on Clinton's shoulders". ABCNews.com has more and a short video from the show here.
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Obama administration weighs options for future U.S./Iran policy - global decisions are nearing concerning sanctions against Iran until they open up to the world their nuclear program for inspection. The NY Times is reporting that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has sent a memo to General James Jones who is National Security Adviser which discusses future U.S. options should the sanctions be unsuccessful in curbing Iran's development of nuclear weapons. The NY Times has more here.
Meanwhile, Iran convened on Saturday, their own nuclear summit held in Tehran with representatives from 60 countries attending. Some who also attended the recent nuclear summit held by the U.S. were Russia, China, Pakistan, Turkey and France. TheHill.com has more here.
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Climate and Energy bill expected to be introduced this week - long discussed but held up in the Senate due to the rancorous debate on health care reform. Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) are expected to introduce a bipartisan bill. Politico.com has more here.
Also, 16 nations are expected to attend an international forum on energy and climate hosted by the U.S. this week.
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Saturday, April 17, 2010
Daily Political Wire 4-17-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama travels to Poland to attend funeral of the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife - Kaczynski, his wife and 94 other military and government leaders perished in a horrific plane crash in Russia. CNN.com has more here.
The volcanic ash cloud resulting from the eruption in Iceland is causing some world leaders to cancel their trip to Poland to attend the funeral due to unsafe flying conditions.
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Sunday morning "Talking Heads" lineup - NBC "Meet the Press" will have Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Governor Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) and Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
ABC "This Week" will have former President Bill Clinton. Clinton just spoke at the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and warned of the parallels coming from the current right wing extremists. Politico.com has more here.
CBS "Face The Nation" will have Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) who has already broken with the Republican Party and voted to end filibusters on unemployment benefit extensions.
CNN "State of The Union" will have Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who once again is using the filibuster rule to stop legislation from moving forward - only this time it is Financial Reform.
Will Republican misinformation used once again as it was in the case of health care reform succeed in watering down the bill is the question. Or, will this strategy backfire on the Republican Party?
Democrats are touting the lawsuit the SEC has brought against Goldman Sachs Group Inc.on derivatives based fraud as another clear reason for the need for financial reform. Bloomberg.com has more here. Also appearing will be Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.).
Fox News Sunday will have Senator John McCain (R-Az.) and General Ray Ordierno.
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Questions remain as to whether Immigration Reform will be addressed by Congress this year - Senate Majority Leader has indicated he will move a bill forward this summer in the Senate. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) have proposed a bipartisan bill and have had discussions with President Obama.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has indicated the house would take up discussion after the Senate passed a bill. TheHill.com has more here.
This issue continues to be a hot potato and the passage of a Immigration Reform bill would surely equal, if not surpass, the political drama resulting from the passage of health care reform and the current discussion surrounding financial reform.
A pathway to citizenship for the 11+ million undocumented workers, strengthening the U.S. borders, and needed revisions to current immigration procedures is way past due.
For the major political parties to avoid addressing this issue based upon concern for the upcoming mid term elections would be simply irresponsible.
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