Republican Weekly Address

George Wenschhof



House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Saturday previewed plans to crack down on the government’s reach after the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) actions came under heavy scrutiny.

In the weekly Republican address, Cantor laid out how House Republicans will advance a series of bills in their final week before the monthlong August recess, all aimed at curbing a government Republicans see as run amok.

All the measures face long odds of becoming law, given the Senate controlled by Democrats and President Obama in the White House.

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Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Guests 3-15-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Discussion of the ailing worldwide economy will be the focus of much of the discussion on Sunday morning and will continue to be so for some time. The Obama administration tried to give Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner some support as Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke and Lawrence Summers, the chair of the National Economic Council both gave public statements.

Geithner has been failing the public face test so look to see the Obama administration to continue to use others to be the public spokesman for the administration's efforts on reviving the economy. The good news is the Dow Jones gained over 700 points last week for the best weekly gain this year. The sobering news is the Dow is still at 50% of where it was 11/2 years ago.

Former Republican Vice President Richard Cheney will appear on CNN "State of the Union" with John King. Expect some discussion on allegations surfacing from NY Times reporter Seymour Hersch concerning "Hit Squads" operating out of the the Vice President's office during the George W. Bush administration.

Embattled chair of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele may receive some discussion. It appears with a two thirds vote of the members required to oust Mr. Steele, he will survive for a while longer in the position.

Below is the list of the Sunday morning "Talking Heads" political discussion shows with their scheduled guests. Remember to check your local listings for time and channel.

NBC "Meet The Press" - Dick Gregory will have Dr. Christina Romer who is chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Also appearing is Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) The roundtable discussion will include David Frum, Katty Kay, Travis Smiley and Steve Liesman.

ABC "This Week" - George Stephanopoulos will interview Lawrence Summers who is chair of the National Economic Council. Also appearing is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) The roundtable discussion will include George Will, Jim Ellis, Robert Kutter, and Frank Rich.

CBS "Face The Nation" - Bob Schieffer will also interview Lawrence Summers. NY Times Thomas Friedman is his other guest.

Fox News Sunday - Chris Wallace will have FDIC chairman Sheila Blair, Austan Goolsbee, Mark Zandi, Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Senator Bob Corker (R- Tenn.).

CNN "State of The Union" - John King will interview former Vice President Dick Cheney.

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Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Guests 3-8-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

You can now count on the economy being a major focus of the "Talking Heads" on Sunday morning. The recession is now teetering on the edge of a depression as unemployed has now reached a 25 year high at 8.1%. The Dow has lost over 50% in the last 18 months and there are no indications it will stabilize anytime soon.

The 787 billion Stimulus bill, the remaining portion of the 700 billion TARP bill, the newly announced 75 billion mortgage relief plan, and the stalled 410 billion Omnibus bill in Congress will all receive attention this morning. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitner is especially on the hot seat as he fumbled the roll out of the revised bail out plan and now the top two aides he was about to nominate have announced they are withdrawing from consideration.

On the foreign policy front, expect discussion on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent trip to the Middle East and Europe. While in the Middle East, Clinton pledged financial aid to Palestinians in war torn Gaza, reaffirmed the U.S. support of Israel, and renewed commitment to a two state solution. While in Geneva, Clinton laid the groundwork for a future NATO conference on Afghanistan and "Re-Set" U.S. relations with Russia. A very busy week.

Sure to be mentioned will be the leaked news the President will be reversing former President George W. Bush limits on stem cell research. On Monday morning President Obama will sign an executive order reversing a ban on federal funds for stem cell research.

Some discussion may also occur surrounding the announcement by Sanjay Gupta to withdraw from consideration for the position of U.S. Surgeon General. Early buzz is former DNC chair Howard Dean is now under serious consideration for the position. We recently reported Dean had returned to Democracy for America, the organization he founded after his failed presidential bid in 2004.

As always, it promises to be an informative morning so plan to have your coffee and tea prepared and settle in for some good political discussion. Remember to check your local listings for time and channel. Below is a list of the "Talking Heads" shows and their scheduled guests.

NBC "Meet The Press" - Host David Gregory will have Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The roundtable will include Newt Gingrich, Mort Zuckerman, Liaquat Ahamed and Erin Burnett.

ABC "This Week" - George Stephanopoulos will have Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Evan Bayh (D-IN). Also appearing will be US Chamber of Commerce Director Thomas Donohue.

CBS "Face The Nation" - Bob Schieffer will interview Peter Orszag, the White House Director of Office and Budget Management and Representative John Boehner (R-Oh). Also appearing will be Kathleen Parker and Michael Fletcher.

Fox News Sunday - Chris Wallace will have Senator John McCain (R-Az.) and Governor Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Kaine is also the newly elected chair of the Democratic National Committee.

CNN "State of The Union" - John King will also have White House Budget Director Peter Orszag. Also appearing will be Minority Whip representative Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

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Democratic Chatter 3-2-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama to nominate Kathleen Sebelius to be HHS Secretary today - as we reported several days ago, this afternoon the President makes it official for the Kansas Governor. As Health and Human Services Secretary she will be responsible for moving Obama's health care legislation forward. She is the second pick for this position by the president. Tom Daschle had been chosen due to his experience on capitol hill but withdrew when some embarrassing tax issues came to light during the confirmation process. Time.com has more here.

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American International Group, Inc. (AIG) to receive another 30 billion in bailout funds - their fourth quarter reported loss was 61.7 billion. AIG insures 100,000 companies, municipalities and retirement plan which affect 100 million Americans. Bloomberg.com has more here.

With this additional bad news, the Dow Jones dropped below 7000 in early trading today.

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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to meet with President Obama tomorrow to discuss the global economic crisis - Brown will be calling for a "global new deal" to rescue the world from depression. These talks come before the G-20 economic summit scheduled in London April 2. Brown will also address a joint session of congress on Wednesday. TheHill.com has more here.

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Limbaugh says he wants Obama to fail - this came as he spoke to the Conservative Political Action Conference. So much for the Republican mantra of "putting country first". White House Chief of Staff was quick to pounce on these remarks saying conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was the face of the Republican party. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the House Minority Whip, said he disagreed with Limbaugh's comments. CNN.com has more here.

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Tomorrow, the Democratic primary will be held to select the Democrat to replace Rahm Emanuel's old seat in the House - There are 12 Democrats running and three are considered the front-runners. They are state representatives Sara Feigenholtz and John Fritchey and Cook County commissioner Mike Quigley. Voter turnout is expected to be low. The special election will be held April 7. Politico.com has more here.

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Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Guests 3-1-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

This is only the fifth Sunday since Barack Obama was sworn in as President. He continues to operate at a frenzied pace putting the finishing touches on his Cabinet as well as addressing pressing domestic and international issues. Expect all to be discussed this morning along with reaction to his address to congress and the nation last Tuesday..

As to his Cabinet, the President has to be hoping Gary Locke will secure nomination as Commerce Secretary after the two previous nominations did not pan out. The remaining Cabinet position is Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Plenty of discussion will surround the budget summary President Obama released on Thursday for fiscal year 2010. The projected deficit for that year alone is 1.75 trillion with the budget total being 3.55 trillion. Also the 787 billion Stimulus bill will continue to be examined along with analysis of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's Republic response to Obama's speech. A speech which fell flat for the Republican Party.

The timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and the increase of troops in Afghanistan announced by the President is sure to be discussed this morning.

Other topics which may receive some discussion is Senator Robert Byrd's (D-WV) letter to the President asking for him to define executive privilege and Senator Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) naming a committee to investigate wrong doings in the George W. Bush administration.

As always, the Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" and Guests promise to be fun to watch. Remember to check your local listings for time and channel. Below is the list of the morning shows and their guests.

NBC "Meet The Press" - Dick Gregory will interview Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The roundtable discussion will include Harold Ford Jr., Mike Murphy, Dee Dee Myers, and Joe Scarborough.

ABC "This Week" - George Stephanopoulos will interview Peter Ozag, Director Office of Management and Budget and Representative Eric Cantor (R-Va.). The roundtable discussion will include Karl Rove, Stan Greenberg, Katrina vanden Heuvel, and George Will.

CBS "Face The Nation" - Bob Schieffer will have as his guest, White house chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Fox News Sunday - Chris Wallace will have Joint Chief of Staffs chair Mike Mullen, Senator Jon Kyl (R-Az.) and Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wi.)

CNN "State of The Union" - John King also interviews Mike Mullen. Other guests include Hawaii Representative Neil Abercombie (D), personal finance expert Suze Orman, and former NY Post gossip columnist Liz Smith.

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