Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Gun Violence Legislation On Fast Pace To Passage - in the wakle of the tregedy at Sandy Hook in Newtown, the Obama administration and Democratic Congressional leaders are pushing for legislation by next month.

Vice President Joe Biden, tasked with heading a commission to investigate gun violence, has been quietly meeting with experts, interest groups, and public officials and is expected to release a set of recommendations within weeks.

On Friday, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), chair of the newly created Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, announced the appointment of 12 vice chairs, including Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the body’s leading voice on gun control. According to a Democratic aide, the group plans to release its recommendations in early February and is already organizing public hearings on the issue.  TPM.com has more here.

---

Hagel Expected To Be Nominated This Week - Reports indicate President Obama will proceed with nominating former Republican senator Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary.  The early reactions from elected officials have been mixed with some Republican Senators expressing disatisfaction with Hagel's position in regard to Israel and the U.S. involvement in Iraq. Some Democratic Senators have expressed displeasure with derogatory comments from the past,  toward Gays, from Hagel.

The confirmation Senate hearings should be interesting.  TheHill.com has more here.

It appears Obama put himself in a box, after early negative feedback on the possible nomination of UN ambassador Susan Rice for Secretary of State resulting in him nominating Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.)  Allowing pressure to force him to change a second nomination may have been too much for him to bear.

---

More Cabinet Changes Coming - the departures of Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and the departure of CIA Director David Petraeus who resigned in November have led to speculation on the replacements. Politico.com has a rundown of the most likely nominees for the soon-to-be open posts here.

---

What's Next For Bruised and Battered GOP? - From Mitt Romney’s loss on Election Day through the recent tax fight that shattered party discipline in the House of Representatives, Republicans have seen the foundations of their political strategy called into question, stirring a newly urgent debate about how to reshape and redefine their party.  The NY Times has more here.

---

Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!