George Wenschhof Bio
President Barack Obama to direct EPA to allow States environmental protection flexibility - in yet another reversal of positions taken by the George W. Bush administration, President Obama is expected to to sign an executive order this morning. The order would allow the Environmental Protection Agency to process and approve stricter tailpipe emissions regulations California and 13 other states want to enact. The NY Times has more here.
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Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) will introduce constitutional amendment to change the way vacant U.S. Senate seats are filled - recently, the method of having the Governor appoint vacant Senate seats has been exposed for scrutiny due to the many open seats resulting from appointments to the Obama administration. New York with the Caroline Kennedy media circus and of course Illinois with Governor Rod Blagojevich being arrested in an alleged "pay-to-play" scheme has brought tons of attention to this section in the constitution. Senator Feingold says it is time to begin holding special elections to replace Senators who leave prior to the end of their term. ThePage.time.com has his statement here.
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Meanwhile, the "Blago watch" continues - the impeachment trial is scheduled to begin today for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. He is refusing to take part, saying the state senate impeachment trial is unfair and he is not even being allowed to have witnesses testify. Instead, he has gone on a frenzied media tour, appearing on whatever show will have him. One of the more outlandish statements made so far is his admission he had considered appointing Oprah to the vacant Senate seat. Tonight, he appears on CNN Larry King Live at 9:00 PM ET. The Chicago Tribune has more here.
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Over in Minnesota, the Norm Coleman trial begins - the incumbent Republican Senator filed suit challenging the mandated recount results by the state canvassing board which certified Democrat Al Franken the winner by 225 votes. The argument will try to show errors in the recount. Hopefully, this drama will end soon with this Senate seat filled by Franken. CNN.com has more here.
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House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) says comprehensive heathcare reform will not happen this year - he was remembering the healthcare reform failure by Hillary Clinton back in 1994 when she tried to push it through in President Clinton's first year in office. However, his statement is at odds with Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) who has promised comprehensive healthcare reform in 2009. Kennedy is suffering from brain cancer. TheHill.com has more here.
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Monday, January 26, 2009
Democratic Chatter 1-26-2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Democratic Chatter 1-6-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President-elect Barack Obama to meet with his economic team today - it is now two weeks until Inauguration Day and today he will be discussing the budget, the economy and ways to reduce the spiraling budget deficit facing the national budget. ThePage.Time.com has more here.
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New Congress to be sworn in today - the perfunctory action has added drama this year as Roland Burris will show up to be sworn in as the new Senator from Illinois and Al Franken may show up as the new Senator from Minnesota. Senate Majority Leader has said neither one will be seated. For Burris, it is due to the cloud surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich who appointed him to fill the vacant Obama Senate seat. For Franken, it is due to the legal challenges to be filed by his opponent Norm Coleman. Franken was declared the winner by 225 votes yesterday by the state canvassing board after the recount of 2.9 million votes. Coleman has seven days to file a legal challenge before the vote can be certified.
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Obama announces Panetta for CIA and Blair for National Intelligence - Retired Admiral Dennis Blair was expected to be named as Director of National Intelligence. The surprise pick, which is already drawing fire from the Hill, was Leon Panetta as CIA Director. Panetta was former chief of staff for the Clinton administration and has little intelligence field background. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calf.) who will chair the Senate select Committee on intelligence said she was not consulted by the Obama administration and felt the position should be filled with someone with experience in the field. The Washington Post has more here.
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Xavier Becerra rumored to be a contender for Commerce Secretary - the eight term Democratic Representative from California had earlier been offered the position of U.S. Trade representative and he turned it down. With the withdrawal of Governor Richardson, Hispanic leaders have indicated they would like to see another Latino nominated for the position. You can read more here.
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NY Governor David Paterson sends questionnaire to contenders for Cinton's soon to be vacant Senate seat - Reportedly, the questionnaire was sent to Caroline Kennedy, Representatives Steve Israel, Carolyn Maloney, Kristen Gillibrand, and Jerrold Nadler. Also Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi. The NY Times has more here.
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Obama announces Justice Department picks - Dawn Johnson to head office of legal counsel, David Ogden for deputy attorney general, Elena Hagan for solicitor general, and Tom Perrelli as associate attorney general. They will be replacing those who provided the justification for the Bush administration use of harsh interrogation techniques, detention of terrorist suspects and more. McClatchydc.com has a good read here.
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