George Wenschhof
Tonight, President Obama will give a prime time speech on the U.S. withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq - indications are he will not discuss the continued struggling U.S. economy. the speech begins at 8:00 PM ET and will be televised on most networks.
Today, the president travels to Fort Bliss in Texas to meet with soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The El Paso Times has more here.
Vice president Joe Biden is in Iraq where he met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and today will oversee the transfer of authority of U.S. troops from General Ray Ordierno to Lt. General Lloyd Austin. The Boston Globe has more here.
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Republicans jump to ten point lead in Congressional generic ballot preference - the largest lead ever recorded by Gallup in a mid term election. The 51%-41% lead by Republicans over Democrats was a result of polling from August 23-29. It also marks the fifth week in a row Republicans have led this poll. Not a good sign for Democrats with only two months left prior to the November 2 general Election. Gallup.com has more here.
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Alaska begins counting absentee ballots today - the Republican Senate nominee will be determined by the outcome of this tally. Joe Miller, backed by tea party activists is leading incumbent Lisa Murkowski by only 1667 votes.
An estimated 25,500 votes will be determined with 15,720 of them being absentee ballots. Another 9,117 are "questioned votes" and another 663 are early votes. CNN.com has more here.
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AFL-CIO to highlight support for Democrats over Labor Day weekend - President Richard Trumpka will appear with Governor ted Strickland (D) on Sunday and then will be joined by President Obama at a rally in Milwaukee on Monday. Over the weekend executive Vice president Arlene Holt Baker will attend campaign events in Florida. Also on Monday, Secretary Liz Schuler will appear with Democratic candidate for Governor; Jerry Brown. TheHill.com has more here.
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Democrat Frank Kratovil launches first campaign ad and attacks Democratic programs - the first term congressman who represents the 1st district in Maryland is highlighting his vote against the recently passed health care reform legislation. In addition, he makes a somewhat bogus claim of voting against the "bail out" bill which vote took place before he was sworn into office. The Baltimore Sun has more here.
Makes you wonder why the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), has given and pledged significant financial resources to Kratovil's campaign.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-31-2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-30-2010
George Wenschhof Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
President Obama and family back from vacation - yesterday, the president traveled to New Orleans on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. He sat down with Brian Williams of NBC "Nightly News" for an interview. Obama defended the federal response to the BP Gulf oil spill and said quick action and continued vigilance has prevented even more damage to the Gulf coast.
Brian Williams asked a broad array of questions including why twenty per cent of Americans still believe he is a Muslim and that he was not born in this country. See the video below to watch the entire interview.
Tomorrow, President Obama will address the nation from the Oval office at 8:00 PM ET. The speech is being billed as a speech on how he kept his promise of a military withdraw from Iraq.
In addition, he should focus on a continued sluggish economy and what his administration intends to do to stimulate economic growth and job creation.
Consumer spending up in July - 4% for the month, the largest increase since March. Unfortunately, incomes rose by only 2% which was less than was forecast. Also, the savings rate dropped to 5.9%, down from 6.2% in June. Bloomberg.com has more here.
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60% say Palin not Qualified to be President - the latest poll conducted by Vanity Fair and CBS Sixty Minutes give new credence to the old saying "have faith in the voters". CNN.com has more here.
Comedian Tina Fey does an outstanding impression of the former Republican vice presidential candidate who was unable to tell CBS Katie Couric what newspapers she read and her now famous one liner "I can see Russia from my house" when Palin was describing her foreign policy experience.
You can read more on the poll results here.
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Direct Israel-Palestine Peace talks to begin Thursday in D.C. - the shuttle diplomacy conducted by U.S. Middle East George Mitchell over the past year has resulted in direct talks between Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. You can read more here.
They will meet with President Obama on Wednesday before beginning their talks leading to a two state solution. Joining the talks will be Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan.
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Sunday, August 29, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-29-2010
George Wenschhof
Obama ends vacation and heads to New Orleans - on the day of the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. he will give a speech this afternoon at Xavier University. He will also interview with Brian Williams of NBC which will air tonight on NBC Nightly News. You can read more here.
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Governor Joe Manchin wins Democratic W. Virginia primary - in the Senate race to replace the late Robert Byrd. He will face Republican candidate John Raese.
In Louisiana, Senator David Vitter (D) easily won and will face Democratic candidate Charlie Melancon. Vitter was caught up in a prostitution sting when his name appeared in a D.C. call girl's phone index. Expect the sordid details to resurface prior to the November election.
The W. Virginia senate seat is leaning Democratic and the Louisiana Senate seat promises to be close. You can read more here.
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Al Sharpton led rally yesterday says "Don't Drink The Tea" - the rally made up of civil rights advocates recognizing the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech. It was held shortly after the Glen Beck led revival entitled "restoring America's honor". MSNBC.com has more here.
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More signs of corruption in Afghanistan - seems a senior prosecutor was fired by president Hamid Karzai for going after those involved in graft. Fazel Ahmed Faqiryar says he was fired and over two dozen cases of graft and corruption were blocked by the Afghanistan President. The NY Times has more here.
This underscores the problems associated with continued U.S. monetary and military support in Afghanistan.
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Democrats begin "Get out The Vote" effort - led by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), they aim to mobilize volunteers to knock on 400,000 doors in 75 of the more contested congressional districts. CNN.com has more here.
All 435 House seats are up for election in November. Political analysts are predicting a loss of anywhere between 28-45 seats in the for the Democrats this fall. If the Democrats lose 39 seats, Republicans will gain a majority in the House with John Boehner (R-Ohio) in line to become Speaker.
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Saturday, August 28, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-28-2010
George Wenschhof
President Obama will be guest tomorrow on NBC "Nightly News" - he will be interviewed by Brian Williams on the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. This interview with the president comes just days before Obama is to give his prime time speech on the U.S. withdraw of combat troops from Iraq. You can read more here.
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Glenn Beck et. al. to hold "Restore Honor" rally today in D.C. - what these wackos plan to accomplish is the question. Sarah Palin is the headline speaker planned to occur the same day and place as 47 years ago when the late Martin Luther king delivered his now famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Titling a rally as they have and planning it on this day gives rise to those who call the tea party activist movement racist. TPM.com has more here.
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Obama administration to announce new housing initiatives next week - HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan indicated one initiative will be a FHA refinancing program aimed at helping homeowners who are currently upside down with their mortgages. CNN.com has more here.
The other program will be a emergency loan program to help unemployed homeowners keep their homes. Donovan said they are also considering re instituting the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers.
This comes after a disappointing report showing existing home sales had fallen 27% in July, the largest decline in sales in a decade.
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Senate Vote to Ratify START Treaty to be delayed until after mid term elections - the agreement between Presidents Obama and Dimtri Medvedev agreed upon last spring to reduce nuclear arms.
Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) who chairs the senate Foreign Relations committee says the committee will vote favorably on the treaty in mid September and he expects ratification by the senate after the mid term elections. TheHill.com has more here.
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Obama Weekly Address 8-28-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, the president talks about the end of U.S. combat troops in Iraq. Since Obama became president, 90,000 troops have left Iraq.
By the end of next year, all of the remaining 50,000 non combat troops are scheduled to withdraw and return home.
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Republican Response 8-28-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, Florida Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio delivers the Republican weekly address. He calls the 787 billion Stimulus bill a failure and calls for the repeal of the recently passed health care reform legislation.
Rubio also wants to extend the former George W. Bush administration tax cuts for the wealthy set to expire at the end of this year.
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Sunday morning "Talking Heads" Lineup for 8-29-2010
George Wenschhof
It is a grab bag of topics to be discussed this Sunday morning with NBC "Meet The Press" devoting their entire show on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and her brother; New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will appear along with actor Brad Pitt. Pitt has started a foundation which is building energy efficient and affordable homes in the ninth district; an area devastated by the flooding five years ago.
On CBS "Face The Nation", two of the candidates in last week's primaries will be guests along with Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (R) and Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D). Republican senate candidate Joe Miller who is waiting for absentee ballots to be counted before he can be awarded the nomination in Alaska is one of the candidates and Kendrick Meek (D) who won the Senate Democratic nomination in Florida is the other.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be the guest on ABC "This Week" and sure to be discussed is the "Race To the Top" program being utilized as an incentive to improve education in states across the country. Federal grants are awarded to states who meet certain criteria. the program came under fire last week as complaints were lodged the program favors east coast states where 11 of the 12 states to receive funding to date are located. The other is Hawaii, the home state of President Obama.
Fox News Sunday highlights one of their own Sunday as their guest will be Glenn Beck. they will surely discuss the tea party rally scheduled Saturday. The rally being billed as "Restore Honor" rally will be held on the mall in Washington D.C. and Beck is expected to speak. This also happens to be the anniversary of the famous Martin Luther King "I have a Dream" speech. Expect a lot of right wing rhetoric from Beck.
CNN "State of the Union" will get back to some discussion on the upcoming mid term elections with Florida Governor Charlie Crist who is leading polls in a three way race for Senator. Also appearing will be Florida Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan is also a guest.
The morning shows appear to be light on any discussion on the economy. Sales of existing homes were down 27% last month. the lowest in a decade and the economic growth for the second quarter was only 1.6%. This would indicate the unemployment rate is expected to increase somewhat from the current 9.5% prior to the November elections which will not help Democrats. Look to see this issue and the U.S. withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq to receive more attention next Sunday after President Obama gives his prime time speech on Tuesday August 31.
NBC "Meet The Press" - Senator Mary Landrieu (D-la.), N.O. Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D), Brad Pitt.
CBS "Face The Nation" - Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R), Florida senate candidate Kendrick Meek (D), Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour (R), Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D).
ABC "This Week" - Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Randi Weingarten President American Foundation of Teachers.
CNN "State of The Union" - HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) and Florida Senate candidate Kendrick Meek (D).
Fox News Sunday - Glenn Beck
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Friday, August 27, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-27-2010
George Wenschhof
Second Quarter Growth only 1.6% - a significant down slide from the 5% reported for the last quarter of 2009 and the 3.7% reported for the first quarter this year. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke will be giving a speech at a conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming today. Economists and investors will be listening to what he has to say. The NY Times has more here.
Paul Krugman adds his commentary saying that the "recovery summer" has been a failure and the Obama administration has been avoiding saying the obvious. Which is, the Stimulus was not large enough due to Republican obstructionism.
The continued bad economic news will definitely impact the mid term elections as voters will want to see a change.
President Obama has a major prime time speech scheduled for Tuesday in which he will be discussing the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq. He would be better served giving a speech on what actions will be taken to stimulate the economy. While he may try to divert attention of the voters by discussing Iraq, it will not work.
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Democrats aim to energize base by warning of Tea Party take over of Republican Party - DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) will give a speech today and the DNC has a video (see below) warning of the possibility of far right extremists being elected this fall. TheFix.com has more here.
Tea Party activist supported Senate candidates Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sharon Angle (R-Nev.), Joe Miller (R-Ala.), along with Florida candidate for Governor Rick Scott (R) are highlighted.
The purpose is to motivate Democratic voters to get out to vote in the mid terms by showing the stark contrasts.
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Blagojevich Retrial Set for January 11, 2011 - yesterday, a federal judge set the new trial date for the former Illinois Governor. The previous trial resulted in only one guilty charge of lying to the FBI with 23 other corruption charges resulting in a hung jury. federal prosecutors also announced yesterday they were dropping charges against the governor's brother; Robert Blagojevich. Politico.com has more here.
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Former President Jimmy Carter says N. korea ready to resume denuclearization talks - he is returning to the U.S. today after securing the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes. Kim Yong Nam, the number two in North Korea indicated they were ready to resume the "six party" talks. Reuters.com has more here.
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Thursday, August 26, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-26-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, Vice President Joe Biden will be in Manchester, New Hampshire - he is continuing the "Recovery Summer" tour with a speech on the 787 billion Stimulus bill.
The planned tour has mostly fallen flat as unemployment has remained steady at 9.5%. Today. there was a little bright news with initial unemployment claims down 31,000 for the week.
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Bernanke to give policy speech tomorrow - with the U.S. economic outlook remaining gloomy, all eyes will be on Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke tomorrow to see what policy initiatives are being put forth. Fear is rising among economists that lower prices will lead to deflation and a even weaker economy. Stay Tuned... The Washington Post has more here.
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Absentee ballots to determine Alaska GOP Senate Race - incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski trailed Joe Miller by 1668 votes after all precincts had reported. There are 8000 absentee ballots remaining to be counted. It will take into next week to have the final results. Chris Cillizza has more here.
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Aide to Afghanistan President tied to corruption and C.I.A. - more bad news on the Afghan front as the Obama administration continues to struggle with an unpopular war. Now, revelations show a chief aide to President Hamid Karzai to be both directly involved in corruption schemes within the Afghan government and also working for the C.I.A. The NY Times is reporting Mohammed Zia Salehi was arrested by an anti corruption intelligence force and then released after an appeal to President Karzai. The NY Times has more here.
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Retrial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to be decided today - lawyers will meet in a federal court today in Chicago to decide the date of the new trial. Blagojevich was only found guilty of one charge of lying to the F.B.I. and the jury was unable to agree on conviction on 23 other counts of corruption. CNN.com has more here.
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Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-25-2010
George Wenschhof
Primary Results reveal a few surprises - Alaska has Republican Joe Miller beating incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski 51-49% with 98 precincts reporting. Murkowski would make it the second Republican Senator to be beat in the primaries joining Bennet in Colorado to be shown the door. Former republican, now Democrat; Arlen Specter was also beaten in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary.
In Arizona Senator John McCain easily won against tea party favorite J.D. Hayworth 56-32%. However, McCain may have damaged his ability to work to gain consensus across party lines in the Senate as he lurched far to the right, abandoning many of his career positions on issues.
Kendrick Meek, with backing from Labor, easily won against billionaire Jeff Greene for the Democratic nomination for Senate. It will be interesting to see if meek can now begin to battle the front runners Charlie Crist (I) and Marco Rubio (R).
In another upset, Republican Rick Scott beat favored Bill McCollum in the Republican primary for Governor. Scott will face Democrat Alex Sink. Chris Cillizza has some analysis here.
Up in Vermont, the Democratic primary for Governor is as close as it gets with 90% of precincts reporting Peter Schumin was ahead of Doug Racine by only 121 votes. A state mandated recount will probably take place. Politico.com has more here.
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CBO report shows Stimulus bill has helped the economy, yet real estate sales plummet - the CBO report touted by Vice President Joe Biden yesterday showed the 787 billion Stimulus bill may have created up to 3 million jobs and boosted the economy by 4.5% in the last quarter. TheHill.com has more here.
Unfortunately, unemployment remains at 9.5% and the National Association of Realtors just announced existing home sales were down 27.2% in July, the lowest figure in a decade. You can read more here.
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Justice Department will appeal Judge's Ban on stem cell research - as expected the Obama administration is appealing the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Judge Royce Lamberth had placed a temporary ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Reuters.com has more here.
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Maryland is latest state to receive federal funds for education - Maryland is the 12th state to be awarded funds in the "Race To The Top" competition for portions of the 3.4 billion being doled out by the Education Department.
Detractors of the program point out the program favors heavier populated states as 11 of the 12 states to be awarded funds all are located on the east coast. The other state is Hawaii. The NY Times has more here.
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Obama to deliver Prime Time Speech on Iraq next Tuesday - air time has been requested from the television networks for next Tuesday. The president will be back from vacation and will deliver a major speech outlining the end of military troops in Iraq. CNN.com has more here.
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Wikileaks.org to release more Pentagon Papers tomorrow - another up to 15,000 documents relating to the U.S. war in Afghanistan may be released following the already 76,000 documents previously posted on the website. You can read more here.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-24-2010
George Wenschhof
Stem Cell Research Banned by Judge's ruling - in a ruling yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth issued a temporary ban on federal funding of stem cell research. Politico.com has more here.
In effect, it says the executive order expanding federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells signed by President Obama last year violates the intent of the Dickey-Wicker amendment approved by Congress in 1996.
Expect the government to appeal to a higher court.
This decision could easily be ratcheted up and made a campaign issue in the upcoming mid term elections.
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Today, Vice President Joe Biden will give an update on the "787 billion Stimulus" bill - he will be joined by Energy Secretary Steve Chu and will talk about investments in science and technology. Politico.com has more here.
The Obama administration attempted to highlight the success of the bill with planned announcements across the country entitled "Recovery Summer". Unfortunately, the planned effort to highlight the successes of the bill has fallen flat as unemployment has remained steady at 9.5%.
In addition to the lack of a jobs program, the Stimulus bill was so varied and diverse, the resulting effects of reduced spending on a particular area of the economy has had little positive outcome.
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House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) to call for Firing of Obama's Economic Team - Budget Director Peter Orzag already saw the handwriting on the wall and left as has Christina Romer.
Boehner, citing continued high unemployment, will call for the ouster of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and White House Economic Adviser Larry Summers today at a speech in Cleveland, Ohio. The Washington Post has more here.
Democrats are already responding to the planned speech saying the Republicans will continue to criticize but offer no solutions. TheHill.com has more here.
The main reason Democrats remain competitive going into the mid term elections is the fact the Republican leadership of Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority leader John Boehner is so weak and ineffective.
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O'Malley widens lead against Ehrlich in latest poll - in a OpinionWorks survey released today by Center Maryland Maryland Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley leads former Governor Robert Ehrlich 47% to 41%.
In the Republican primary newcomer Brian Murphy, in spite of an endorsement from Sarah Palin, is only receiving 15% with Ehrlich receiving 75%.
However, the Baltimore Sun points out that many of the owners of the company conducting the polling have contributed to Democrats. In addition, two of the founding members; Steve Kearney was former communications director for O'Malley and Damian O'Doherty was a former aide to Baltimore County Executive James Smith. The Baltimore Sun has more here.
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Shirley Sherrod to Meet with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today - Ms. Sherrod was forced to resign after portions of a speech racist she had previously given which made her appear racist appeared on a conservative Blog. Subsequent airings of the entire speech proved the opposite. MSNBC.com has more here.
Let's see what job she is offered and whether she accepts.
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Former President Jimmy Carter heads to North Korea to help win release of American - Aijalon Mahli Gomes was recently sentenced to 8 years of hard labor for illegally entering the country.
Former President Bill Clinton was successful, less than a year ago, in gaining the release of two women journalists who had been jailed for illegal entry into N. Korea.
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Monday, August 23, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-23-2010
George Wenschhof Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Vice President Joe Biden hits the road while President is on vacation - he will speak at the 111th VFW anniversary convention in Indianapolis before traveling to Ohio.
In Toledo, Ohio, Biden will tour a Chrysler plant. CNN.com has more here.
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Republican Leaders continue to fumble on how to pay for continuing former Bush administration tax cuts for the wealthy - This time, it was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who had no answer when appearing on NBC "Meet The Press".
Last week it was House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.) who looked like the "deer caught in the headlights" when mild mannered moderator David Gregory repeatedly asked them how they were going to pay for the extension of these tax cuts for the wealthy.
The Republicans have become the "Party of No", except for when it comes to benefiting the wealthiest of Americans. Below is a clip from yesterday's "Meet The Press" segment with Senator McConnell.
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In case you missed them, below are highlights from the Sunday morning "Talking Heads" courtesy of Politico.com
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More Primaries tomorrow - In Arizona expect incumbent Republican Senator John McCain to easily turn back the challenge from tea party activist supported J.D. Hayworth.
In Hawaii, former representative Neil Abercrombie is expected to win the Democratic nomination for Governor against Mufi Hanneman.
While in Florida, the Republican nomination for Governor promises to be close between Rick Scott and Bill McCollum.
The Democratic Senate nominee appears to be Kendrick Meek who was leading in recent polls against Jeff Green.
In Alsaska, the Senate Republican race is between Lisa Muskowski and and Joe Miller.
Chris Cillizza and TheFix.com has more here.
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Sunday, August 22, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-22-2010
George Wenschhof
Congressional budget office Gives Mixed Report of Extension of Bush administration tax cuts - these cuts for those making more than $250,000 per year were enacted while George W. Bush was president and are scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Whether or not to extend them has developed into a mid term election campaign issue.
The CBO did not help to put an end to the argument. Their report said a short term extension could help reduce unemployment and boost the GDP. However, they also reported that if the cuts were extended for too long, they would be harmful to the economy. TheHill.com has more here.
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Mortgage relief program initiated by the Obama administration falls short of goal - in more bad news for the Obama administration efforts in regard to the struggling U.S. economy. Only an estimated 1 out of 6 of the planned 3 million homeowners who were intended to benefit for the program have actually completed the paperwork. The NY Times has more here.
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Rape Charges against Assange dropped - Sweden authorities announced the rape charge against Wikileaks.org founder Julian Assange were dropped, less then 24 hours after the charge had become public. Differing news reports are out pertaining to charges of molestation and whether they have also been dropped. Politico.com more here.
WikiLeaks.org is set to release another 15,000 military documents pertaining to the war in Afghanistan.
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Saturday, August 21, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-21-2010
George Wenschhof
Yesterday, the Democratic National Committee voted on the 2012 presidential primary calendar - Iowa will keep it's first in the nation date as they can set their caucus to February 6. The next three states in February will be New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. The rest of the states can set their primaries no earlier than March 1. You can read more here.
The broader problematic issues of Superdelgates and the awarding of delegates to candidates by state highlighted during the 2008 Democratic primary went largely unaddressed.
Vice President Joe Biden also spoke yesterday at the DNC convention meeting in St. Louis firing up the crowd by saying Democrats will still control Congress after the mid term elections this fall. The NY Times has more here.
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Republican National Committee Short on Cash - embattled chair Michael Steele has the misfortune of reporting only 5 million cash on hand prior to the mid term elections while also reporting a debt of 2 million. Politico.com has more here.
The DNC reported having 10.8 million cash on hand with a debt of 3.5 million.
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Talks with Taliban in Afghanistan Underway - without giving specifics, said Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) who is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is back from a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan. You can read more here.
Presumably, the agreement would be for Taliban reintegration into Afghanistan society. This will be a difficult negotiation as the Taliban is a group of independent tribes across Afghanistan and into Pakistan who control various territory across those countries.
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Iran announces fueling of first nuclear power plant - designed for peaceful purposes and to produce electricity. It will take several months before the plant is operational. Iran has received UN sanctions for not being open with it's nuclear development programs. Reuters.com has more here.
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Arrest Warrant for Rape/Molestation issued for WikiLeaks.org founder Julian Assange - a Swedish tabloid is reporting the warrant has been issued and Assange is denying the charges on his "Twitter" page. MSNBC.com has more here.
Wikileaks.or recently released thousand of U.S. documents online pertaining to the Afghanistan conflict. They had announced plans to release another 15,000 documents within the next few weeks.
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Obama Weekly Address 8-21-2010
Today, the president talks about the bill blocked in the Senate by Republicans that would reign in corporate spending in elections. The campaign finance reform bill narrowly passed the House after revisions were made allowing exemptions for the NRA and other large interest groups.
Senate Republicans has been successful in blocking the bill from coming to a vote in the Senate. The bill pushed by Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Senator Chuck Shumer (D-NY) s in response to the 5-4 Supreme Court "Citizens United" decision which open the floodgates to corporate spending in political elections.
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Republican Response 8-21-2010
Representative Charles Djou (R-Hawaii) give the Republican response this week. He continues the Republican refrain of too much spending, borrowing and taxing by Democrats in Congress.
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Sunday morning "Talking Heads" Lineup for 8-22-2010
George Wenschhof
Some foreign policy discussion will join domestic issues on the Sunday morning "Talking Heads" this weekend. The withdrawal of all combat troops from Iraq took place this past week while the struggle in Afghanistan continues.
The announcement Friday by Secretary of state Hillary Clinton of Israel/Palestine direct peace talks to take place in Washington D.C. beginning September 2 does not appear to be receiving a lot of discussion this coming Sunday.
U.S. General Ray Odierno will appear on both CNN "State of The Union" and CBS "Face The Nation" and share his thoughts on the future of Iraq and the mission of the remaining 56,000 U.S. troops within Iraq.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will be a guest on ABC "This Week" - look to see if some hard questions are ask of him; such as what is he doing to rid the wide spread corruption in his government. Expect Karzai to be critical of the u.S. use of Drones to launch missile attacks which have resulted in civilian deaths.
NBC "Meet the Press" gets back to speculation of the mid term elections with guests Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Tea Party founder Dick Armey, and Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.)
The construction of a Mosque near ground zero in New York City receives some continued scrutiny on ABC "This Week" with the executive director of American Society of Muslim Advancement Daisy Khan and Jewish Community Center Rabbi Joy Levitt.
President Obama's statement pertaining to the importance of freedom of religious belief within the U.S. has become a lightening rod for those who oppose the building of the Mosque at this location.
Former DNC chair Howard Dean who has publicly disagreed with the president on the building of the Mosque, will also be on CNN "State of The Union". Dean has also angered members of Democracy for America (DFA) with his position on this issue. DFA was started by Dean after his loss in the Democratic primary for president in the 2004 election.
The failure of the government prosecutors to obtain a conviction on 22 of the 23 counts of corruption against former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will be the topic of discussion on Fox New Sunday who will have Blagojevich as their guest. Look to see Blago continue his colorful comments with claims of persecution against him and his family.
NBC "Meet The Press" - House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Tex.) and Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.)
ABC "This Week" - Hamid Karzai, Joy Levitt, and Daisy Khan.
Roundtable discussion with Al Hunt, Robert Reich, Judy Woodruff, and George Will.
CBS "Face The Nation" - General Ray Ordierno and Senator Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.)
CNN "State of The Union" - General Ray Ordierno and Howard Dean
Fox News Sunday - former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
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Friday, August 20, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-20-2010
George Wenschhof
Obama makes four recess appointments - a move made while Congress was on vacation. All four under level positions had been blocked by Republicans. Reuters.com has more here.
Many of the mid level administrative positions in government agencies are by presidential appointment, leading to the question as to why? Instead, they should be merit based and the thousands of these brown bag appointments discontinued.
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Today, Vice President Joe Biden will address the DNC - at their meeting in St. Louis at the Marriott Hotel. He will be rallying the troops prior to the mid term elections. The DNC sent out an email blast to supporters yesterday inviting them to tune in the watch Biden's speech beginning this morning at 10:50 AM ET by clicking on this link: http://my.democrats.org/VPSpeech.
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Israel-Palestine Peace Talks To Resume - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to make the announcement today. Both Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to arrive in Washington September 2 to begin the direct talks. The NY Times has more here.
Border issues, the status of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees, and the security of Israel are some of the many issues to be discussed. U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell has been the go between in the so-called "Proximity talks" between the two leaders and it was his efforts which led to the announcement of the direct talks.
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O'Malley-Ehrlich tied in Maryland Governor race - In a rematch of the close 2006 election won by Democrat Martin O'Malley. The latest Rasmussen poll has it O'Malley with 45% and Republican former governor Robert Ehrlich at 44%. Only 3% prefer another candidate and 8% remain undecided. Rasmussen.com has more here.
This poll reflects the uneasiness of voters today as registered Democrats in the state outnumber Republicans 2-1. The Independent voters unaffiliated with a political party may well determine the outcome of this race.
While the state has been spared the the nationwide 9.5% unemployment rate (Md. is at 7%), O'Malley has been hurt with the sloppy and ineffective roll out of slots which were suppose to help raise revenue for the state. Increased scrutiny of the less than effective Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development will also surely come as the campaign heats up.
However, Ehrlich has yet to detail any specifics on his proposals to help business and economic growth. Yesterday, he refused to acknowledge Maryland Democratic Party communications director Issac Salazar who had attended a Ehrlich event and tried to ask a question. The Baltimore Sun reported Salazar was trying to point out that it was during the Ehrlich administration that the fees for personal property returns required annually by small businesses, increased from $100 to $300. The Baltimore Sun has more here.
FirstRead.com has Maryland rated as leaning Democrat. In their top ten list of takeovers in Governors across the country, seven favored the Republican candidate. You can read more here.
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Obama criticizes Republicans for blocking aid to small business - he wants the senate to take up the proposal again when they reconvene. The bill which would increase lending to small business and reduce their taxes was unable to break a Republican filibuster - the vote was 58-42. TheHill.com has more here.
Unemployment which stands at 9.5% across the country, appears ready to jump as the summer is coming to an end and the mid term elections near - a difficult scenario for Democrats.
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Thursday, August 19, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-19-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama and family head north for vacation - they will spend the next ten days at Martha's Vineyard, Mass., the same place they vacationed last year. AP has more here. What a difference a year makes - last year, Senator Ted Kennedy died while the president was on vacation and since then Health care and financial reforms have been passed by Congress.
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Unemployment Claims highest level since November - at a time when unemployment claims should be reducing due to seasonal summer employment, claims have increased 4 of the last 5 weeks. The Labor department just reduced the figures for the week ending August 14. Bloomberg.com has more here.
More bad news for the Obama administration, his 787 billion Stimulus bill, and Democrats facing election in November.
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Will Mosque Debate hurt Democrats? - the latest statement by President Obama on supporting religious freedom in regard to the building of a Mosque near ground zero in New York city is the latest issue to capture the attention of voters. The NY Times has more here.
Democratic Leaders have been quick to state opposing views to the President or in the case of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.), punt on the issue. She said it was a local zoning issue.
Others, like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and former DNC chair Howard Dean have said the idea to build it there was insensitive and opposed the building of a Mosque near ground zero in New York City.
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Last Combat brigade leaves Iraq - yesterday, meeting the deadline of the agreed upon withdrawal schedule.
However, 56,000 troops remain in Iraq to assist in training and support missions. CNN.com has more here.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-18-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama is in Columbus, Ohio - where he will meet with a family in their home and also meet with families in a roundtable discussion. Later, he will speak at a fundraiser for Democratic Governor Ted Strickland. The president then travels to Florida where he will speak at a fundraiser for the state Democratic Party.
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Blagojevich found guilty on only one of 24 charges - after two weeks of deliberations, the jury could only agree on guilt relating to one charge of lying to the FBI by the former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The prosecutor has vowed to retry the case and Blagojevich's attorneys have said they will appeal the guilty verdict on the single charge. The Washington Post has more here.
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Gore Shows frustrations with lack of action on Climate/Energy bill - in a recent Blog post, the former Vice President spoke of how activists need to protest and take to the streets. he was speaking in regard to the lack of action by the senate on a comprehensive Climate/Energy bill. TheHill.com has more here.
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Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) calls for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to be abolished - the chair of the House Financial Services Committee says they should be replaced by a single mechanism to help subsidize housing.
The two huge mortgage corporations were private with government assistance until taken over entirely by the government toward the end of the George W. Bush administration. Together, the two companies have receive 150 billion in bail out funds. Reuters.com has more here.
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Robert Murdoch's News Corporation donates 1 million to Republican Governors Association - among the news outlets owned by Murdoch are Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
So much for "Fair and Balanced" reporting. MediaMatters.com has more here.
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Murray to face Rossi for U.S. Senate in Washington - the open primary held yesterday had the two top moving on to the general election. No surprises as Democratic candidate Patty Murray was the top vote getter with 46%, followed by Republican Dino Rossi with 34%. Clint Didier, a former tight end with the Washington Redskins who also received an endorsement by Sarah Palin, received on 12% of the vote and will not move on to the general election in November. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-17-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama is in Seattle, Washington - he will hold a roundtable discussion with small business owners. Later, he speaks at a fundraiser before heading to Ohio. Last night, the president attended and spoke at a fundraiser in California which raised over 1 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Tomorrow, the president will visit with a family in Columbus at their home and hold a discussion with families from the area. Later, he will attend a fundraiser for Governor Ted Strickland (D) who is facing Republican John Kasich. Ohio was a swing state in the last two presidential elections and promises to be so again in 2012. You can read more here.
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Gallup polls bring bad news for Democrats - President Obama's job approval ratings fell to 44%, the lowest since he assume office, per polling conducted from August 9-15. While 80% of Democrats still support the president, Independents have fallen to 39%. Gallup.com has more here.
Another Gallup poll taken over the same period shows voters supporting Republican candidates over democratic candidates in their district by a margin of 50% to 43%. Gallup.com has more here.
Republicans need a net gain of 39 seats to regain control of the House and 10 seats to regain control of the Senate in the fall mid term elections.
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Gay Marriage ban to remain in effect in California - as expected, the stay by Judge Vaughn Walker on his own decision to overturn the ban has now been extended to at least December. The U.S. Court of appeals for the 9th District extended to stay until they hear an appeal scheduled for early December. The Washington Post has more here.
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Treasury Conference Meets to discuss future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - the two huge government controlled mortgage companies were seized by the former George W. Bush administration in 2008. To date, they have receive 150 billion of the bail out funds.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called the process to restructure the companies "consequential and complicated". Reuters.com has more here.
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Direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine set to begin soon - U.S. Middle east Envoy has had his hands full with "proximity talks" between the leaders of both nations. Now, it appears direct talks will begin in early September. At issue has been continued West bank settlement construction by Israel and the blockade around the Gaza Strip preventing even humanitarian supplies from entering. Politico.com has more here.
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O'Malley Visits Frederick - Talks Jobs
George Wenschhof
Maryland Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley will combine campaigning with raising money as he spends the greater part of the day in Frederick County, Maryland today.
He begins his visit by attending a Frederick County Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting at the Ceresville Mansion. As part of a "Jobs Across Maryland" Tour, the Governor will speak about efforts to create and save jobs. You can read the text of Governor O'Malley's prepared remarks here.
Afterward, the Governor will tour Thermo-Fisher Scientific which is the world's largest Biorepository facility in the world. Over 200 million biological specimens used for disease research and drug development are stored in this facility. The company employs over 250 people in facilities across the state.
O'Malley will also attend two fundraisers held at Restaurants located in the City of Frederick Historic District. The first, a high end ticket fundraiser from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Volt Restaurant and then beginning at 8:00 PM, a low dollar event at Patrick's Irish Restaurant.
Prior to attending the fundraisers, the Governor will meet with the Editorial Board of the Frederick News Post.
Due to efforts by the O'Malley administration such as the $5,000 tax credit to businesses that provide full time employment for an unemployed individual, the unemployment rate in Maryland has fared much better than the nationwide rate of 9.5%.
Maryland's current unemployment rate is 7%. Frederick County's unemployment rate as of the end of July was even lower at 6.5%.
While the overall unemployment numbers in Maryland compare favorably to other states across the country, some counties within Maryland have experienced higher unemployment rates, than the rest of the state with Washington County falling between 10-12%.
When looking at the end of June 2010 unemployment figures by county in Maryland, you can see pockets where unemployment is similar to what Washington county is experiencing. Somerset, Cecil and Dorchester counties are also at 10% and Baltimore City is at 11%.
After the September 14 primary election, O'Malley is expected to face former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich in a rematch of the 2006 election won by O'Malley.
Brian Murphy, another Republican candidate for Governor, recently received the endorsement of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Yesterday, the Murphy campaign announced they would be conducting a statewide tour with Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins to discuss illegal immigration.
Their first meeting, open to the public, will be held Thursday August 19 at 7:00 PM at the American Legion in Frederick.
In spite of the endorsement of Sarah Palin and the help of Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, Ehrlich is expected to win the Republican primary.
The first Public Policy Polling survey released on July 13 showed Governor Martin O'Malley leading Ehrlich 45-42%.
In the finance reports just filed by both candidates, each reported raising 3 million over the last quarter. However, in the all important cash on hand figure, O'Malley has a huge advantage with 6.7 million compared to 2.1 million for the Ehrlich campaign.
This contest for Governor promises to remain close with the vote in Baltimore County being pivotal.
Stay Tuned...
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-16-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama heads to Milwaukee, Wisconsin - he will be touting the success of ZBB Energy Corp. which makes batteries and fuel cells. Afterward, he will attend a fundraiser for Milwaukee Mayor and Democratic Governor candidate Tom Barrett. The Boston Herald has more here. Back in 1980, when I was Employment and Training Director for the National Association of Counties, I had the fortune of traveling to this wonderful city.
The president is then off to Los Angeles, where he will speak at a fundraiser for the DCCC.
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In case you missed them, here are highlights of the Sunday morning "Talking Heads".
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Crist Ahead in Florida Senate Race - The new Independent has a slight lead according to a Ipsos Public Affairs poll. Charlie Crist had 32% and Republican Marco Rubio had 30%. Democratic candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene are also running close. Reuters.com has more here.
Look to see Crist prevail in the fall with the major question being which political party does he caucus with while serving in Congress? A hint - he showed up when President Obama visited Florida over the weekend and gave his support of the president's statement on religious freedom.
Former President Bill Clinton will be campaign for Kendrick Meek today and while Clinton still has star power, he will not be enough to propel Meek to victory. You can read more here.
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Bloomberg helping Sestak in Pennsylvania Senate Race - the Mayor of New York will be helping Democratic candidate for Senate Joe Sestak who is in a close battle with Republican Pat Toomey. The winner will take the seat currently held by Senator Arlen Specter (D). Politico.com has more here.
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Defense secretary Robert Gates plans to leave next year - a left over from the former George W. Bush administration, he recently stated he plans to step down next year after the U.S. review of Afghanistan policy is complete. ForeignPolicy.com has more here.
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