Daily Democratic Wire 2-15-2010

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will be at Camp David - he will return to the White House late this afternoon. Camp David is the presidential retreat located in the Catoctin mountains near Thurmont, Maryland.

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Proposed 39% rate increase by California Health Insurer comes under fire - Anthem Blue Cross's proposed rate increase has provided more support for health care reform. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expressed her concern when she noticed the company reported 2.7 billion in profits in the 4th quarter alone. Congressional hearings have been scheduled and Anthem Blue Cross has agreed to delay the increases until May. TPM.com has more here.

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Republicans lead in defending open seats in the House races - while Democratic retirements have gained a lot of media attention, it is the Republicans who now have 18 open seats to defend and the Democrats have 13. CNN.com has more here.

Republicans will need to win a plus 40 seats in the House in the Fall Elections to gain a majority. Early indications are all of the incumbents may feel the voters wrath as their dissatisfaction with Congress is at a very high level.

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Attorney General Eric Holder and White House have a "meeting of the minds" - Holder has been under pressure after the decision to use the public courts to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Holder has agreed to work more closely with White House staff and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has agreed to give more media exposure to Holder.

Let's see how this arrangement works as the White House now has indicated the location of the KSM trial will be released within weeks. The NY Times has more here.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fears Iran is heading toward a "military dictatorship" - she made the remarks while speaking to students at the Carnegie Mellon's Doha campus in Qatar. Earlier, she had expressed her concern of Iran's lack of respect of Human Rights. Politico.com has more here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 7-12-2009

George Wenschhof

President Barack Obama and family are home from their overseas trip - Russia, Italy and then Ghana. Today, the President has an op-ed in the Washington Post on the economy. You can read it here.

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CIA Director Leon Panetta says former Vice President Dick Cheney ordered CIA to not disclose to Congress secret counter-terrorism program - the NY Times has the report of this story here. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) has to be saying "and you said what again?".

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Attorney General Eric Holder close to naming Special Prosecutor in Torture probe - many Democrats in Congress have been clamoring for this for some time. Now, with fresh disclosures from CIA Director Leon Panetta pertaining to concealment of counter terrorism programs, expect this to become a reality. You can read more here.

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Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearing begins tomorrow - Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.) warns his fellow Republicans on how they conduct themselves during the hearings. On "Fox New Sunday" today, Cornyn expresses concern about republicans alienating Hispanics. TheHill.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 2-19-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama to visit Canada today - he is expected to arrive mid-morning and meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the afternoon. ThePage.time.com has more here.

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Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke downgrades economic outlook for 2009 - in what should be no surprise by now, it appears the recession will continue throughout the year. Unemployment projections are as high as 8.8%. The concern remains falling prices and lack of spending. Reuters.com has more here.

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Last month's housing starts lowest on record - more economic bad news as town homes and multifamily starts dropped by 28%. The Northeast was particularly hard hit with a drop of 43%. The Midwest region experienced a drop of 29%. January has never been a big month for house starts, but a 28% drop was not expected. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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AP/Gfk poll shows 47% of Americans worry about losing their jobs - yikes! This is up from 28% in February 2008. Another 65% worry about paying their bills. 62% agree with what President Obama is doing to work with Republicans to aid the economy. The poll was conducted from February 12-17. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Clean Energy Summit to be held in D.C. next week - the invited guests will include former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and T. Boone Pickens. Although the just passed Stimulus bill included funding for clean energy, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Az.) intends to pass another energy bill within the next several weeks. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) who is chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee has been tasked with writing the legislation. Reid also says the Senate will be introducing by summer, legislation pertaining to climate control. The Washington Post has more here.

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Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius in line for Secretary of Health and Human services - this Cabinet position has been without a nominee since Tom Daschle withdrew due to tax issues. Sebelius was an early supporter of President Obama and at one time rumored as a candidate for Vice President. The HHS Secretary is very important in the Obama administration as they will be responsible for developing and shepherding through Congress his healthcare program for Americans. The vetting process is expected to continue for another week. The NY Times has more here.

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Attorney General addresses race during speech at Justice Department - during a celebration of Black history month, Eric Holder spoke of how race issues need to be openly discussed among Americans. Holder's use of the phrase we are "a nation of cowards" when referring to the need to discuss these issues will be debated by the pundits. CNN.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 2-3-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama remains confident of passage of his Stimulus Bill - the President began this process with a promise of "no pork" in the bill and that promise is receiving serious questions as review of the many provisions in the 819 Billion bill passed by the House continues. Already, 75 million for anti-smoking programs and another 400 million for STD and HIV programs have been removed.

Meanwhile, some Republican Senators have drafted their own 713 Billion version of a Stimulus bill saying the Democratic version is a spending bill not a stimulus bill. CNN.com has more here.

Obama will interview with all the major television networks today as he takes his case for the Stimulus bill to the voters. Look for the interviews to air tonight during prime time.

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How about that Bailout bill? Details are emerging of the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by financial institutions to lobby Congress prior to the first 350 Billion being passed out. TheHill.com has more here.

New Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is expected to spell out new rules for the remaining 350 Billion of the Bailout bill. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

An interesting note: the bill is entitled the "Troubled Assets Relief Plan" (TARP) and not one Homeowner who is facing foreclosure has received assistance to date. Bloomberg.com is reporting this will be part of the revamped procedures introduced by Geithner. You can read more here.

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Eric Holder confirmed as Attorney General - after several weeks of Republican grousing about his role in the pardon of Marc Rich and concern over possible prosecution of those involved in harsh interrogation techniques. The vote last night was 75-21 with the 21 against all being Republicans. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Tom Daschle still has the President's support - in spite of being another Cabinet nominee with tax problems. Daschle received another major voice of support when the Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus expressed his support of his nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Daschle also apologized to everyone possible last night. The NY Times has more here.

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President Obama will name Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) Commerce Secretary this morning - Reuters.com has more here. This should help in the bipartisan spirit. Despite the rumors this would help the Democrats reach the magic number of 60 in the Senate, the replacement for Gregg will be a Republican.

Governor John Lynch (D-NH) has publicly said he will not select a person who might tip the scales in the Senate to the Democrats. Early indications is the person to replace Gregg will be Bonnie Newman, a moderate Republican. Politico.com has more here.

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Vetting process for Obama administration comes under scrutiny - It was suppose to be a new administration with harsher ethics guidelines with a vetting process that originally was criticized for being too intrusive. But, then Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) withdrew from consideration for Commerce Secretary due to an ongoing "pay-to-play" investigation involving the state. The, more recently, it was learned both Tom Dashle for HHS Secretary and Timothy Geithner for Treasury Secretary had unpaid back taxes problems. In addition, deputy counsel for Economic Affairs Neal Wolin was discovered to have ethics problems due to his previous employment with the Hartford Group. McClatchydc.com has more here. 10:47 AM ET Update - add Obama appointee Nancy Killefer to those with tax problems. She withdrew from consideration for chief performance officer. CNN.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 1-28-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama will meet with business leaders this morning - He is expected to give a press announcement after the meeting around 11:00 AM ET. Later today he and the Vice President will meet with Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon to discuss withdrawal plan for Iraq. Time.com has more here.

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House to vote on 825 Billion Stimulus bill today - the vote comes after the President went to the Hill yesterday to meet with Republicans. The 825 Billion is made up of 275 Billion in tax cuts and 550 Billion in spending. In spite of the conversation, many Republicans were still questioning the many inclusions in the bill. Expect the bill to pass easily in the House where the Democrats have a 257 to 178 advantage. However, with the added scrutiny the bill will receive, expect changes in the Senate version. The Washington Post has more here.

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Former Vice President Al Gore presses Congress to pass Stimulus bill - one of the many components in the bill includes many "green" jobs and technology. Gore is also expected to urge Congress today to take additional measures in regard to climate control. I received a email from him last night urging supporters to contact their Congressmen in support of the bill. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Holder confirmation expected soon - after a short delay with some Republican Senators who are members of the Judiciary Committee expressing concern in regard to prosecution of those in the previous administration who may have been involved in the harsh interrogation techniques that were authorized. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) publicly announced his support of Eric Holder for Attorney General yesterday. CNN.com has more here.

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"Blago watch" update - the Illinois state senate is expected to vote on the impeachment of Governor Rod Blagojevich by tomorrow. Yesterday, the governor continued the circus atmosphere surrounding his impeachment by boycotting the trial and appearing on as many television shows as possible. Meanwhile, Illinois Lt. Governor Quinn prepares to be sworn in as Governor. The Chicago Sun-Times has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 1-22-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Obama has busy first day as President as he sets a new tone in the White House - let's see - where do I begin? Meetings with economic advisers and Joint Chiefs of Staff, executive orders on pay freezes and ethics guidelines for staff, phone calls to middle east leaders, putting a hold on Gitmo trials, and oh yeah, he and Michelle greeted several hundred visitors at the White House. On top of all that, Obama retook the oath of office after Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed it the first time. Joan Walsh of Salon.com has a good read on the first day here.

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Obama set to issue orders today to close Gitmo, ban torture, and review detention policies - the executive orders would close Gitmo prison at Guantanamo Bay within one year, require the use of the Army Field manual for interrogation techniques, and also review current detention procedures. The Army field manual bans waterboarding, and reviewing current detention procedures would involve identifying and closing overseas secret detention centers currently in use. CNN.com has more here.

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Hillary Clinton confirmed as Secretary of State - the roll call vote was 94-2. The Wednesday vote was forced after Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.) would not agree with a voice vote that was to be held for her on Tuesday. TheHill.com has more here.

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Caroline Kennedy withdraws from consideration for NY Senate Seat - NY Governor David Paterson's job just got a whole lot easier as he planned to announce Saturday his pick to replace the vacant seat previously held by Hillary Clinton. One reason given by Ms. Kennedy is her Uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy's health. However, speculation also surrounds a theory she was not going to be picked and this was a way for her to save face. The clear frontrunner now is NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The NY Times has more here.

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Meanwhile, Republicans delay the confirmation of Eric Holder as Attorney General - Republicans were able to use some parliamentary moves to delay the vote Senator Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) was set to call for yesterday. Some Republicans are expressing concern in regard to potential prosecution of intelligence agents for using harsh interrogation methods. Holder is expected to be confirmed next week. MSNBC.com has more here.

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George Mitchell may be named special envoy to the middle east - Mitchell served a similar role for the George W. Bush administration in the early 2000's. Mitchell also helped to broker the Northern Ireland peace under the Clinton administration. The former Senator also prepared the steroid and drug use report for Major League Baseball. CNN.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 1-16-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President-elect Barack Obama receives Senate approval on remaining 350 Billion of the Bailout funds - the Senate vote was 52-42, the close vote reflecting the disappointment in lack of accountability on how the first 350 Billion was spent. However, the President-elect was able to persuade enough Democrats to vote for the release of the funds. The way the bill was written does not require a House vote - the only way to have blocked the additional funds would have been for both the House and the Senate to vote to deny. The funds will be available shortly after the Inauguration next week. The NY Times has more here.

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House Democrats present 825 Billion Stimulus Bill - yesterday, the first version of the stimulus bill called for by Obama was released. TheHill.com has more here. The President-elect issued a statement supporting the bill. Thepage.time.com has his full statement here.

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Bank of America reports first losses since 1991 - they will be among the financial institutions receiving funds from the remaining 350 Billion just released by the senate. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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President George W. Bush says good-bye - last night at 8:00 PM ET, the President gave a fifteen minute farewell speech. Unfortunately for him, Americans across the country were focused on the incredible emergency plane landing in the NY Hudson River and the miraculous survival of all on board the flight. If you missed his speech, MSNBC.com has it and you can watch it here.

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Eric Holder holds his own in his confirmation hearing for Attorney General - facing tough questioning, Mr. holder stated he believed waterboarding to be torture, that gun control options had been limited after the recent Supreme Court ruling on the D.C. handgun ban, said the White House should work within the guidelines of FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, admitted some mistakes in his role in the pardon of Marc Rich, and said the Gitmo prison at Guantanamo Bay would be closed although it will take time. It appears Mr. Holder is on line to become the next Attorney General. CNN.com has more here.

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Yesterday, Vice-President elect Joe Biden and Secretary of State designate Hillary Clinton said their good-byes to their fellow Senators - Ted Kaufman who was Biden's chief of staff will be sworn in to replace him and he has stated he will only serve until 2010. It is anticipated Joe Biden's son Beau will then run for the seat. Beau is currently serving in Iraq and has received leave to head home to attend the inauguration. Politico.com has more here.

The top contenders for the NY Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton are Caroline Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo. Expect the appointment from NY Governor David Paterson to come soon.

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Democratic Chatter 1-15-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President-elect Barack Obama and family move into the Blair House today - this move comes after spending the last ten days at the Hays-Adams Hotel. The next move is into the White House. Inauguration Day is now only five days away. The NY Times Caucus Blog has more here.

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President George W. Bush to give his farewell address to the nation tonight - it will be broadcast on all the major TV networks beginning at 8:00 PM ET. Time.com has more here.

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Confirmation Hearing for Attorney General nominee Eric Holder scheduled for this morning - the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Senator Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) is expected to have some tough questions for Mr. Holder from Republicans. One will be his involvement in the President Clinton pardon of Marc Rich. The NY Times has more here.

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Senate Foreign relations committee votes overwhelmingly in favor of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State - the vote was 16-1 in favor with a full senate vote to confirm her nomination expected to take place shortly after Barack Obama is sworn in as President. Reuters.com has more here.

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Senate expected to vote today on releasing remaining 350 Billion of the Bailout funds - Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) expects the vote to pass. This, in spite of elected officials questioning how the first 350 Billion of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) was spent with no accountability by the financial institutions who received the money. CNN.com has more here.

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Roland Burris will become Senator from Illinois today - Vice-President Dick Cheney will perform the ceremony making the appointment by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich official at 2:00 PM ET

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Democratic Chatter 1-11-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President-elect Barack Obama appears on ABC "This Week" airing this morning - make sure you check it out. He discusses the economy, tax cuts, and how all Americans must sacrifice. He says his stimulus bill should be introduced in Congress tomorrow. If you miss the show, ABC News has some video clips of segments of the show you can watch here.

Yesterday, Obama was busy getting around his new home town. In the afternoon, accompanied by D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, he stopped by Ben's Chili Bowl for some good eats. In the evening, his family visited the Lincoln Memorial.

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Confirmation Hearings for Eric Holder for Attorney General to begin Thursday - this may not be smooth sailing as republicans have been bringing up his role in the pardon of Marc Rich at the end of the Clinton administration. The more recent scrutiny has been on his private sector consulting business and his client list. The NY Times has more here.

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Will Roland Burris return to D.C. and demand his Illinois Senate seat? - the Governor Blagojevich saga continues.... After the Supreme Court ruled the Burris appointment was legitimate, secretary of state Jesse White certified the appointment, removing the obstacle that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said prevented him from seating Burris in the Senate. Democratic leadership has not handle this situation well to date and another refusal of seating Burris in the Senate will likely result in a lawsuit which will further exacerbate a bad situation. Politico.com has more here.

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Israel continues ground offensive in Gaza - over two weeks of fighting now has Israeli tanks and troops entering the Gaza Strip's largest town, Gaza city. Repeated calls for a cease-fire has been rejected and there is no indication as to when Israel would begin to withdraw it's troops from Gaza. Reuters.com has more here.

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