Democratic Chatter 3-4-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama expresses need for engagement with Russia - this statement came yesterday during a photo-op with British prime minister Gordon Brown. At issue was a planned missile shield deployment in Poland and other countries by the George W. Bush administration that has been fiercely opposed by Russia. The concern is over future nuclear missile development by Iran. MSNBC.com has more here.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will address a joint session of Congress this morning.

Tonight, the President and First Lady will host a Dinner at the White House for chairs of congressional committees.

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Vice president Joe Biden will head to Brussels, Belgium next week to meet with NATO officials - the vice president will be discussing Afghanistan and Pakistan with allies. This is part of the strategic review ordered by President Obama. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be there this week in preparation for the NATO conference planned in April. CNN.com has more here.

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WSJ/NBC Poll shows Americans believe Democrats better to get U.S. out of the economic mess we find ourselves in - Answering who was best suited to lead the country out of the recession, participants in the poll responded: Democrats - 48%, Republicans - 20%, Neither - 16%, Both - 8%. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

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As auto sales drop steeply, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm asks President Obama for help for the industry - The decline is sales from February 2008 were across the board as reported losses for the last year were : GM - 53%, Ford - 48%, and Chrysler - 44%. The NY Times has more here.

Michigan Governor Granholm met with the Obama administration auto industry task force and requested help for the industry. GM and Chrysler have requested an additional 21.6 billion in government loans and the auto suppliers have requested 25.5 billion. You can read more here.

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Mike Quigley leads in Democratic primary in race to replace Rahm Emanuel vacant Illinois House seat - the special election Democratic primary had 12 candidates. Cook County commission Mike Quigley was leading with 22% of the vote and around a 2300 vote lead over his nearest competitor. This with 80% of the precincts reporting. It is estimated 50,000 votes were cast. The Democratic party nominee is heavily favored in this Democratic district to beat Republican Rosanna Pulido on April 7. TheHill.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 3-3-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

This morning, President Barack Obama will speak at the Departments of Transportation and Interior - he will be discussing his Stimulus bill and how it affects them. He will be accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden. Later, the President will meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. ThePage.Time.com has more here.

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Yesterday, the Dow Jones lost 300 to close below 7000 - at 6,763.29, this is the lowest close since 1997 and has investors wondering what is the bottom? The news that the government was going to be in for another 30 billion for AIG along with Warren Buffet's dire comments on the prospects for this year's economy helped to spur the selling yesterday. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Steele - Limbaugh battle as Republican party infighting grows - the conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh and the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Michael Steele are attacking each other as the Republican party continues it's meltdown. After losing the House, the Senate and the Presidency, Republicans are struggling to find a message and a leader. TheHill.com has more here.

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CIA acknowledges it destroyed close to 100 interrogation tapes, Obama releases Bush administration Justice Department memos on warrantless search and seizure - Wow! a double whammy for the George W. Bush administration that gives support for Democratic leaders who are calling for investigations. Seems close to 100 tapes of terrorists being interrogated were destroyed. You can read more here.

In addition, it was revealed today a total of nine memos were released by the Justice Department with one dated back in 2001 in which the Bush administration claimed the military could search and seizure without warrants. You can read more here.

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Oops! another Obama nominee with back tax issues - this time it is Ron Kirk, the nominee for U.S. Trade Representative. The Senate finance committee discovered the $10,000 in owed backed taxes during the confirmation process. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) chair of the committee still called Kirk the right man for the job. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Howard Dean returns to Democracy for America (DFA) - he sent a email to supporters last night informing them he was back with the organization he founded. After his failed bid for the Democratic party nomination for president in 2004, he founded DFA to promote Democratic candidates across the country. He was then elected chair of the Democratic National Committee and his brother took over at DFA. Today, with one million members, DFA provides grassroots training, training for candidates, and fundraising for candidates.

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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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