Daily Political Wire 8-8-2010

George Wenschhof

Tomorrow, President Obama is off to Texas - he will be the speaker at two major Democratic Party fundraisers in Austin and Houston. One to benefit the DNC and the other is for the DSCC. Interestingly, Bill White, the Democratic candidate for Governor is not expected at either event. You can read more here.

The president will also host the Super Bowl champs; the New Orleans Saints at the White House.

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Kagan makes it Three - women who now serve on the Supreme Court, the first time in history. Chief Justice John Roberts performed the swearing in ceremonies yesterday so Elena Kagan can begin deliberating on cases. She will be officially installed on October 1 when the court reconvenes. TheHill.com has more here.

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Rangel says Republicans blocked plea deal - seems the embattled long term representative had agreed to a deal with the House Ethics committee and had even signed his name to it. He made the statement at a recent meeting in Harlem. Reportedly, the republicans on the committee would not agree to the terms, leading to the public trial. Politico.com has more here.

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The Overall effect of the Stimulus bill Remains Elusive - the results of the 787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act proposed by the Obama administration and passed by Congress is hard to get your hands around. McClatchy and Medill News Service has a good read here.

The bill was passed due to the horrible economic situation with the intent to spur job growth. However, it remains difficult to verify the Obama administration claim of an estimated 3 million jobs created. In addition, much money remain unspent as the program has been slow in awarding grants.

The lack of a public service jobs program for the unemployed and failure to focus on just a few major infrastructure projects, such as, rapid rail and highway construction has also led to limited to negligible results.

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