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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Friday, January 16, 2009
Democratic Chatter 1-16-2009
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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