Democratic Chatter 3-18-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, President Barack Obama will meet with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to discuss Immigration Reform - an issue that has been pushed to the back burner since before the Presidential campaign last year. Let's hope that some comprehensive reforms can be brought forward to help in resolving this difficult issue that has served to divide many Americans. TheHill.com has more here.

The president will then fly to long Beach, California to appear at a town hall meeting. He will also appear on ESPN SportsCenter at Noon ET where he is interviewed on the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

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National debt hits 11 Trillion, politicians express outrage on A.I.G. bonuses, White House expresses confidence in Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner - are not the headlines Democrats want to be reading. The national debt is expected to approach 14 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2010, the first budget under the Obama administration. Meanwhile, the 165 million in bonuses paid by A.I.G. to some who no longer work for them has voters across the country asking who is paying attention to the hundreds of billions being spent by the U.S. government. Which has led to the early vote of confidence for Geithner floated by the White House. The Obama administration will want to change these headlines and in a hurry.

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Senate to take up Gary Locke confirmation hearing today - the Senate Commerce Committee is expected to vote favorable for the third nominee by President Obama to be Commerce Secretary. The lone remaining cabinet member to be confirmed by the Senate is Kathleen Sebelius for Health and Human Services.

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President Obama makes first pick for Judge - He has nominated Judge David F. Hamilton for the vacant seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Hamilton is considered a moderate and was counsel to Indiana Senator Evan Bayh (D) when he was Governor. Indiana Senator Dick Lugar (R) has signaled his support of Hamilton. CNN.com has more here.

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White House may use legislative process to bypass Senate filibusters - Peter Orszag, director of White House Office of management and Budget said yesterday the President could use a budget "reconciliation" process to bypass filibuster rules in the Senate to pass future proposed bills. The Democrats currently have 56 senate seats and 2 Independent senators who vote with them for a total of 58. A vote of 60 is needed to end discussion on a bill and have it go to a floor vote. Mr. Orszag was pointing out the budget "reconciliation" process has been used before by both Republican and Democratic presidents and when used only requires a simple majority to pass a proposed bill. McClatchydc.com has more here.

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U.S. to support UN declaration calling for worldwide decriminalization of Homosexuality - AP is reporting the Obama administration has indicated they will sign the non-binding declaration. The former Republican George W. Bush administration had refused to sign the declaration. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 3-14-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, in his weekly address to the nation, President Barack Obama discusses food safety in the U.S. and announces several appointments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Margaret Hamburg will be Commissioner and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein will be deputy Commissioner for the FDA. You can watch his address by clicking on the video below. WhiteHouse.gov has the full text of his speech here.

download .mp3 or .mp4 also available here read transcript

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Lawrence Summers is the newest face from the Obama administration to discuss economic recovery plans - He is the chair of the national economic council and spoke yesterday to the Brookings Institute, a Washington D.C. think tank. He used phrases similar to what President Roosevelt used when he said "the excess of greed had lead to an excess of fear". FDR has said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". Tomorrow morning Mr. Summers will appear on "This Week" and "Face The Nation". If he fares well, look to see Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner moved out the the PR end of things. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Senate Commerce committee to hold confirmation hearing on Gary Locke next Wednesday - Locke is the third appointee of president Obama for the position and is expected to be easily confirmed as Commerce Secretary. Reuters.com has more here.

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Elizabeth King expected to be named by President Obama as head of legislative affairs for the Pentagon - she is the senior policy adviser to Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.). Senator Reed at one point was lloked upon as a possible running mate for Barack Obama. TheHill.com has more here.

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On the foreign policy front, former U.S. foreign policy officials believe U.S. should have dialogue with Hamas - Former national security advisers Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brezinski are among the group of nine former U.S. officials who believe discussions are needed with Hamas to encourage them to disarm and work within the Palestinian authority. They believe this is critical to future peace in the Middle East region. Under the George W. Bush administration, Hamas had been labeled a terrorist organization and communication had ceased. The Boston Globe has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 2-25-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama delivers powerful speech to Congress - Last night, in a "State of the Union" type speech, the President clearly outlined the economic problems facing Americans. He said as always Americans are up to the challenge and it was time for America to lead again. He explained the need for the recently passed 787 billion Stimulus bill and that the reduction of the deficit inherited from the previous administration would be reduced over the next four years.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted after the speech showed 68% of Americans had a very positive reaction, 24% somewhat positive and only 8% had a negative reaction to the president's speech. CNN.com has more here.

In a wide ranging speech, he spoke of initiatives regarding health care, energy, education and foreign policy. Whether it was his statement saying education begins at home and the responsibility parents have, or his statement that the U.S. does not torture, he had members of Congress from both sides of the aisle standing and applauding. Even when Obama spoke of withdrawing from Iraq, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) was standing and clapping. ThePage.time.com has the full text of his speech here.

The Republican response was delivered by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. While Obama hit a home run with his speech, Jindal clearly struck out. He delivered his speech in a monotone manner and it was obvious he was reading from a teleprompter. It is hard to find anything of substance to write about pertaining to what he said. If you want to read his prepared remarks, ThePage.time.com has them here.

The three current stars of the Republican party are Governors Jindal and Sarah Palin from Alaska along with Michael Steele as the chair of the Republican National Committee. With these three leading the way, the Republicans can count on being the minority party for some time to come.

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President Obama will announce withdrawal plan from Iraq on Friday - yesterday, it was leaked prior to his speech to congress and the nation, the president will be announcing his plan. It is said to cover a period of 19 months and involve a reduction of two-thirds of the present troops in Iraq. After discussing with military advisers this plan differs somewhat from his campaign commitment of a complete withdraw from Iraq within 16 months of when he took office. The NY Times has more here.

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Hilda Solis confirmed as Labor Secretary - finally, after a lengthy delay by some Republicans who did not like her pro labor positions. When the President's Cabinet was introduced last night, she was present. The vote yesterday was 80-17 and came after Republicans dropped a demand for a procedural vote which would have required 60 votes, thus ending a filibuster. A big issue for Republicans is the Employees Free Choice Act which allows employees to join unions easier. The bill is expected to be taken up this summer. TheCaucus has more here.

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Today, Gary Locke will be announced as Commerce Secretary - as we reported yesterday, the president has to be hoping the third time is the charm. The former two term Governor of Washington has extensive experience with China and has promoted expanding trade. The NY Times has more here.

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Stevie Wonder to receive award tonight from President Obama at the White House - the award is the Gershwin prize for popular song. Tomorrow, PBS will show the concert on their show "In Performance at the White House". It will air at 8:00 PM ET. USAToday.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 2-24-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Tonight, President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Congress - his speech is being billed as similar to a "State of the Union" speech and will last about one hour beginning at 9:00 PM ET. It will be carried by all the major television networks. Obviously, the president will address the economy, but also expect him to touch on foreign policy, education health care, and energy. CNN.com has more here.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will deliver the Republican response following the President's speech.

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Yesterday, President Obama held a White House fiscal summit - included were members of Congress, union and business leaders. In what I found to be a first, Obama answered questions from participants behind a podium at the end of the summit. It was similar to a White House press briefing except the questioners were members of Congress. The President did a good job answering the questions, including one from Senator John McCain (R-AZ) who asked about the need for a new fleet of Presidential Helicopters. MSNBC.com has more here.

Next week, the President will be holding a health care summit.

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Dow Jones drops to lowest point in a decade - yesterday, the Dow Jones dropped another 250 points to close at 7114.78. This is the lowest close since 1997. It will be important for President Obama to include some hope and optimism in his speech tonight as the overwhelming majority of Americans are in fear of the economy. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Gary Locke to be named Commerce Secretary - is the third time the charm? The former two term Governor of Washington is expected to be named this week. He will follow the nominations by the President of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH). Politico.com has more here.

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Hilda Solis inches toward confirmation for Labor Secretary - her confirmation has been delayed by Republican concerns with her support of organized Labor. If a filibuster does not transpire by the Republicans, it is being reported she will be confirmed by the senate this week. Time.com has more here.

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Meanwhile, the Minnesota trial surrounding the Senate election continues - it has been almost three months since the November 2008 elections and Minnesota is still short one U.S. Senator. Arguments from the Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (D) campaigns continue before a three judge panel over previously rejected absentee ballots. After a state required recount, Franken was declared the winner by a margin of 225 votes. The StarTribune has more here.

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