Daily Democratic Wire 3-7-2010

George Wenschhof

Iraq vote for members of Parliament unfolding amidst explosions - Iraqi insurgents are trying to disrupt the elections with mortar fire and road side bombs exploding across the country. The NY Times has more here.

It has now been seven years since the U.S. led invasion of Iraq. U.S. troops are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq by December if all goes well following this election. Leading up to the election, there were no sectarian or political blocks that appeared to be set to win a majority in the 325 member Parliament. How the various groups work together following the election, will largely determine the success of democracy in Iraq.

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Israeli - Palestine Talks on again? - Middle East Envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel yesterday accompanied by a full U.S. foreign policy team. He met with Israel Foreign Minister Ehud Barak and today will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Monday, Mitchell will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmood Abbas. Politico.com has more here.

It is expected the finishing touches will be made on the resumption of Israel-Palestinian talks prior to the arrival on Monday of Vice President Joe Biden. Biden will be giving a speech at Tel Aviv University. The hopes are he will be able to announce the resumption of talks.

Continued Israeli building of settlements on the West Bank have long hampered any serious discussion between Israel and Palestine.

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) continues to push forward on Financial regulatory Reform - the chair of the Senate Banking Committee has been locked in discussions with Republican Senators and committee members Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). The Republicans do not want a new Consumer Finance Protection Agency which was proposed by the Obama administration and passed by the House. TheHill.com has more here.

The two Republican Senators have suggested this agency be placed in the Federal Reserve to which Barney Frank (D-Mass.) chair of the House Financial Services Committee says he would be ok if it was placed in the Treasury Department.

For Dodd, the criteria is the head must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate, have an independent budget and the authority to write and enforce regulations. Dodd nails what is important. It is way past the time to pass this needed and expected legislation following the near collapse of the U.S. financial system.

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Is Senior White House Adviser David Axelrod suited for the Job? - he was the mastermind behind the message as the Obama campaign moved forward to victory in November 2008. He was credited along with David Plouffe as running a campaign that stayed on message.

Today, as President Obama struggles with health care reform and falling poll numbers, some are wondering if he is the right man to be handling the message coming out of the White House today. The NY Times has more here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 3-5-2010

George Wenschhof

President Barack Obama will visit a small business in Arlington, Virginia this morning - he will discuss clean energy and job creation. The new jobless report has unemployment remaining at 9.7% which is better than expected after the horrific snowstorms across the country during the past month. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Separate legislation may be solution to gain Stupak support for health care reform - Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) has opposed the current Senate version as he claims it provides for abortion payments and has threatened he has as many as 12 more democrats who will vote against the bill. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) believes passing another piece of legislation should satisfy Stupak. TheHill.com has more here.

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Representative William Delahunt (D-Mass.) becomes 17th House Democrat to announce retirement - he indicated he had informed the late Senator Ted Kennedy he wanted to retire prior to the last election but was talked out of it by Kennedy who said new president elect Obama was going to need him. Interestingly, his district was won by Scott Brown in the recent senate election. The Boston Globe has more here.

Chris Cillizza, in his Washington post Blog "The Fix" speculates on the Democrats who may run for his seat. You can read it here.

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Meanwhile, Representative Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) delays resignation from House - he will stay until the health care reform vote and cast his "no" vote. There are 3 vacancies in the House and with 432 members, Democrats will need 217 votes. The House Health Care Reform version passed last November with a 220-215 vote. The NY Times "The Caucus" Blog has more here.

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Representative Sander Levin (D-Mich.) takes helm of House Ways and Means Committee - yesterday, it was reported that Pete Stark (D-Calf.) the next in line in seniority to Charles Rangel (D-NY), had been named. Stark took himself out of the running after colleagues suggested he do so. Politico.com has more here.

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Senate deliberation continues on finance reform - you would think after a near collapse of the U.S. economy, a 700 billion bail out bill, government need to take ownership in auto maker companies and high unemployment that this bill would have received the most attention from Congress and quick passage.

But, that has not been the case as obstructionist Republicans in the senate have objected to the creation of a Consumer Finance Protection Agency. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chair of the senate banking committee and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) have been working on a compromise which would place the consumer finance protection agency inside the Federal Reserve. A bizarre compromise as the federal reserve deals with monetary policy only.

In case you have not seen this yet, below is a hilarious video produced by Ron Howard with past and present SNL actors portraying past and present Presidents who support the creation of the Consumer Finance Protection Agency.

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

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Democratic News Chatter 4-2-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, President Barack Obama attends the G-20 economic summit - this comes after a busy day yesterday with major announcements pertaining to meetings with the leaders of Russia and China. Included in the day was a meeting ad press conference with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and of course, a meeting with the Queen.

The G-20 is expected to reach some agreements today. One area will be to increase funds to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF helps those countries who are struggling financially. You can read more on the areas of agreement expected here.

Early action on Wall Street is positive today with gains of 200 on the Dow Jones. Bloomberg.com has more here.

At the conclusion of the summit, the president is expected to hold a press conference today at 12:45 PM ET

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Meanwhile, unemployment figures in the U.S. are the highest in 26 years - the Labor Department released the increase in claims and indicated this was the highest since the 1982 recession. The Wall Street journal has more of their report here.

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Obama's 3.55 trillion budget should receive a positive vote in the House and Senate today - this would be to move it forward to a final vote expected later this month. You can read more here. Democratic Leaders have not ruled out using a parliamentary move called budget reconciliation which would allow them to by-pass any potential filibuster in the Senate over specifics in health care legislation.

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NY District 20 special election gets even closer - the 65 vote lead Democrat Scott Murphy had yesterday is now 25 votes over Republican Jim Tedisco. This is sure to change again as a final tally is made of the votes and close to 6000 absentee ballots are counted. Over 154,000 votes were cast. Politico.com has more here.

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) continues slide in popularity - it seemed just yesterday the chair of the Senate Banking committee was running for president. The revelations of favorable mortgages being provided to him did not help him in the early days of the financial meltdown. Recently, his actions to insert language in the stimulus bill to allow AIG to pay bonuses has only added to his downfall. His reelection in 2010 looks bleak at the moment and in recent polls, he is trailing every potential Republican candidate. TheHill.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 3-19-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, President Barack Obama remains in California - He will tour a electric vehicle research plant in the morning and in the afternoon he will be joined by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a town hall meeting at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center in L.A. Before heading home, the president will tape a show with NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno which will be broadcast tonight at 11:30 PM ET. ThePage.Time.com has more here.

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The Federal Reserve announced yesterday it will spend another 1 Trillion to help stabilize the economy - The NY Times has more here. the question is rapidly becoming how much national debt can the country withstand? The one trillion will be spent to purchase mortgage and securities interests. The Obama budget for fiscal year 2010 will have an additional 1.75 trillion in deficit spending and we have not added the recent 787 billion Stimulus bill. When added to the current 11 Trillion in national debt, the total could near 15 Trillion by the end of fiscal year 2010.

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) admits he added loophole allowing for A.I.G. to pay bonuses - CNN.com has more here. Reportedly, he first denied and then admitted to CNN, he added language to the Stimulus bill to allow for existing bonuses to be paid. He added Obama administration officials also pushed for the change over legal contractual concerns pertaining to the bonus agreements in place. These revelations will not help Dodd in his reelection bid in 2010 which is already shaky due to favorable mortgages he received previously on homes he owns. This news will not help the Obama administration either who claimed they were unaware of the planned bonus payments.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) threw gasoline on the fire yesterday when testifying before Congress saying it is unlikely A.I.G. will be able to repay the government the 170 billion in loans received. McClatchydc.com has more here.

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Not all Congressional Democrats supportive of President Obama's budget - elected Democrats have not been shy in denouncing various aspects of the president's proposed 3.55 Trillion budget. Expect this to heat up even more as the budget debate moves forward. TheHill.com has more here. Up until now, the president has been able to blame the economic woes on the previous Republican George W. Bush administration and rightfully so. However, at some point the voters will say this is your problem Mr. President. Stay Tuned.

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New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) signs repeal of the death penalty - this action was a reversal in thought by the Governor who indicated he is comfortable with his decision. Time.com has more here. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (D) was unsuccessful in his recent attempt to repeal the death penalty in his state, instead opting to support limitations.

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On the foreign policy front, North Korea detains two U.S. women journalists - an area where tensions are already high, two journalists who were filming on the frozen river Tumen on the border of China and were seized by North Korean security guards. Reuters.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 3-10-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, President Barack Obama will discuss his education plan - He will speak this morning at the annual legislative conference of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. One of the components of the education reform plan will include merit pay for teachers. ThePage.Time.com has the White House Fact Sheet on the President's Education proposal here.

Also today, the president will meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

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Yesterday, the President ordered the review of past Presidential Signing Statements - Presidential signing statements have been in use for some time as previous administrations while signing a bill into law, wanted to note questions pertaining to certain aspects of the bill. President George W. Bush is reported to use this practice more than any other president. Obama has sent a memo to all Agency heads informing them to refer previous signing statements to the Attorney General's office for guidance before relying on them. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner meets with House Democratic Caucus - last night for nearly two hours Geithner described the administration's plan to end the economic crisis and answered questions from Representatives. Apprehension continues as to exact measures being taken and questions were asked as to when he intends to have his Department fully staffed. House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank (D-Mass.) spoke in defense of Geithner. Politico.com has more here. It may not happen for another 6-12 months but the odds remain high that Geithner will become the first Obama Cabinet member to be replaced.

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Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke says financial system regulation needed - in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations he spoke of how the financial regulatory system must be overhauled. Not a big surprise to many as we watch what deregulation of the financial institutions under the previous George W. Bush administration has done. You can read more here.

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) to face stiff challenge in 2010? - Dodd is the current Senate Banking committee chair and was also a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for president last year. He has faced criticism for receiving favorable refinancing on homes he owns. A new Quinnipiac poll shows him trailing a former Republican Representative Bob Simmons by 1 point, 43-42. Still way early, but an interesting development. Stay tuned.. TheHill.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 2-15-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama and family are spending the long weekend at home in Chicago, Illinois - last night he went out to dinner with the First Lady on Valentine's Day. Today, a video he taped promoting community service will be shown at halftime of the NBA All-Star game. CNN.com has a clip of his message here.

It is now expected the President will sign the 1,100 page, 787 billion Stimulus bill on Tuesday while in Denver, Colorado.

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Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner addressed members of the G-7 on U.S. efforts on the global economic crisis - the 6 hour meeting in Rome was attended by officials from major European countries, Canada, Japan and Russia. Geithner's initial roll out of his plan was not received very well in the U.S. last week as many felt it was too vague and lacked specifics. He explained to world leaders the plan was detailed and stressed the importance of acting now and not later. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Some industry executives complaining about pay restrictions included in the Stimulus bill - Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) included the pay limitations in the bill which is now scheduled to be signed on Tuesday by the President. Although this is a reasonable restriction on executives of companies receiving public funding, expect a constitutional challenge in the future. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Blagojevich's brother solicited funds from Roland Burris - seems the former Illinois Governor continues to torment the Obama administration and the Democratic Party. The newly sworn in Senator filed an amendment to his statement to the Illinois House Impeachment panel. In the amendment, Burris says the former Governor's brother Rob called three times and solicited $10,000 in campaign contributions from Burris. Expect Republicans to jump on this revelation. It would also appear Senator Burris may have some explaining to do. Stay tuned. TheHill.com has more here.

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Remember the Immigration debate? - it continues to simmer as it received very little attention during the Presidential campaign and little to no attention since President Obama has taken office. The debate over the building of the multi-billion border fence begins to heat up as 8 Democrats recently wrote a letter to the President asking him to halt the construction of the fence. In 2006, Congress with then Senator Obama voting in favor, funded 3 billion for 670 miles of the fence. You can read more here.

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Democratic Chatter 1-19-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Yesterday, the excitement continued to build toward the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President with huge crowds and a concert at the Lincoln Memorial - The President elect talked about hope and how the American dream lives on. He also warned the economic problems we face as a nation will not be fixed overnight. TheHill.com has more here. One more day until Inauguration Day.

One of our Columnists, Ann-Marie Luciano will be at the Inauguration managing some volunteers and she also attended the Maryland Inaugural Ball Sunday night. She will speak of her experiences in her column this Friday.

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Today, celebrations for Martin Luther King and a Call to Service abound - People across the country will join in the national call to service day. Time.com has more here. The President and Vice President-elects with their families are expected to also join in with other volunteers today. Martin Luther king III has a good article in The Washington Post you can read here.

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Obama invites Pilot and crew of plane that landed safely in the NY Hudson River to Inauguration - Captain Chesley Sullenberger and his family along with the other members of the crew have been invited. MSNBC.com has more here.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants tax cuts for the wealthy repealed now and investigations into some of the actions of the Bush administration - this rhetoric comes even with the President-elect saying he doesn't anticipate investigations into the Bush administration. CNN.com has more here.

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) may receive competition - Many Democrats have often complained about the tactics employed by Senator Reid as Majority Leader. The recent fiasco surrounding the seating of Roland Burris is another more recent example. Dan Rather told Chris Matthews on his morning show yesterday that Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) may mount a challenge for the Senate Majority Leader position as early as this summer.

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