Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama Approval Rating at 52% - the latest poll of polls by CNN shows only 43% disapprove of the job President Obama is doing in the White House.  You can read more here.

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59% of Republicans Want GOP Leaders To Strike a Deal - in a poll released by The Wall Street Journal/NBC News.  The poll shows Republicans want their leaders in the House and Senate to compromise on deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.  You can read more here.

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Boehner Wants More Cuts - in his weekly address to the press this morning, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), used charts prepared by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to illustrate the need to cut entitlements and not just make tax hikes.  Boehner also referenced President Obama's desire to raise the debt limit without any cuts in spending.

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Fed Announces It Will Keep Rates Low - Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke announced yesterday the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates near zero until unemployment rates dropped to 6.5%.  In addition, the Fed will begin buying $45 Billion in Ttesury Bonds per month to spur economic growth.  TheHill.com has more here.

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Crowded Field for Jesse Jackson Jr. Seat in Illionois - The Democratic field is:Alderman Anthony Beale, former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, former NFL linebacker Napoleon Harris, state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, Cook County Chief Administrative Officer Robin Kelly, former Rep. Mel Reynolds and Trotter.
 
Former Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr.’s resignation last month forced a special election for his district on the Windy City’s southern end. The Feb. 26 primary should decide the next member in his heavily Democratic district.  RollCall.com has more here.
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Russia Sees Assad Losing Control in Syria - for the first time, the most important ally to the Assad regime, said it is possible the rebels would win.

While Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov gave no immediate signal that Russia would change its stance and agree to impose international sanctions on Assad’s regime, his remarks will likely be seen as a betrayal in Damascus and could persuade many Syrians to shift their loyalties and abandon support for the government.  The Washington Post has more here.

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Clinton To Testify to Congress on Benghazi - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to speak before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on December 20.  Clinton will present a State Department report of how to prevent future attacks and protect officials.  This comes after the terrorist attacks in Bengahzi resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans during an attack on the U.S. Embassy.  You can read more here.

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