George Wenschhof
Obama makes four recess appointments - a move made while Congress was on vacation. All four under level positions had been blocked by Republicans. Reuters.com has more here.
Many of the mid level administrative positions in government agencies are by presidential appointment, leading to the question as to why? Instead, they should be merit based and the thousands of these brown bag appointments discontinued.
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Today, Vice President Joe Biden will address the DNC - at their meeting in St. Louis at the Marriott Hotel. He will be rallying the troops prior to the mid term elections. The DNC sent out an email blast to supporters yesterday inviting them to tune in the watch Biden's speech beginning this morning at 10:50 AM ET by clicking on this link: http://my.democrats.org/VPSpeech.
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Israel-Palestine Peace Talks To Resume - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to make the announcement today. Both Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to arrive in Washington September 2 to begin the direct talks. The NY Times has more here.
Border issues, the status of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees, and the security of Israel are some of the many issues to be discussed. U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell has been the go between in the so-called "Proximity talks" between the two leaders and it was his efforts which led to the announcement of the direct talks.
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O'Malley-Ehrlich tied in Maryland Governor race - In a rematch of the close 2006 election won by Democrat Martin O'Malley. The latest Rasmussen poll has it O'Malley with 45% and Republican former governor Robert Ehrlich at 44%. Only 3% prefer another candidate and 8% remain undecided. Rasmussen.com has more here.
This poll reflects the uneasiness of voters today as registered Democrats in the state outnumber Republicans 2-1. The Independent voters unaffiliated with a political party may well determine the outcome of this race.
While the state has been spared the the nationwide 9.5% unemployment rate (Md. is at 7%), O'Malley has been hurt with the sloppy and ineffective roll out of slots which were suppose to help raise revenue for the state. Increased scrutiny of the less than effective Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development will also surely come as the campaign heats up.
However, Ehrlich has yet to detail any specifics on his proposals to help business and economic growth. Yesterday, he refused to acknowledge Maryland Democratic Party communications director Issac Salazar who had attended a Ehrlich event and tried to ask a question. The Baltimore Sun reported Salazar was trying to point out that it was during the Ehrlich administration that the fees for personal property returns required annually by small businesses, increased from $100 to $300. The Baltimore Sun has more here.
FirstRead.com has Maryland rated as leaning Democrat. In their top ten list of takeovers in Governors across the country, seven favored the Republican candidate. You can read more here.
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Obama criticizes Republicans for blocking aid to small business - he wants the senate to take up the proposal again when they reconvene. The bill which would increase lending to small business and reduce their taxes was unable to break a Republican filibuster - the vote was 58-42. TheHill.com has more here.
Unemployment which stands at 9.5% across the country, appears ready to jump as the summer is coming to an end and the mid term elections near - a difficult scenario for Democrats.
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Friday, August 20, 2010
Daily Political Wire 8-20-2010
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Democratic Chatter 3-1-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President Barack Obama addresses the annual State of the Black Union Forum - in a video message he talks about how difficult economic times often mean even tougher times for African Americans. He spoke about how the recently passed Stimulus bill and the Children's health care bill known as SCHIP along with his budget will make a big difference in the African American community. Travis Smiley organized the event and Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and RNC chair Michael Steele were scheduled to speak. TheHill.com has more here.
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President Obama to move to rescind Bush administration abortion rule - President George W. Bush signed a rule in the last days of his administration that supported Doctors who refused to perform abortions due to moral reasons. It is being reported the Obama administration will issue new rules soon to reverse the actions by President Bush. MSNBC.com has more here.
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CPAC Picks Mitt Romney for 2012 Republican candidate for President - the Conservative Political Action Conference voted Mitt Romney as the best choice. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal finished second. Romney has finished first three years in a row so doubtful this is any barometer of who the Republican nominee will be in 2012. In fact, with Rush Limbaugh as the headline speaker yesterday, it is a scary thought that anyone CPAC would choose as a candidate would ever become President. CNN.com has more here.
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Billionaire Warren Buffet sees more gloom for the economy throughout 2009 - in a letter to shareholders, he indicated he believed the economy would be bad even beyond 2009. The fourth quarter report for his company Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. showed net income fell 96% to 117 million. Bloomberg.com has more here.
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On the foreign policy front, Israel Prime Minister designate Benjamin Netanyahu is unable to reach agreement with Tzipi Livni - President Shimon Peres named Netanyahu as Prime Minister after a razor thin election with Livni. This is not good news for the region as Netanyahu is more a right wing hawk who does not support the U.S. sponsored two state vision with Palestine. Reuters.com has more here.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton off to Mideast on Monday - she will attend a international conference in Egypt where she will announce the U.S. pledge of 900 million to help rebuild the Gaza strip after the recent Israel incursion. She will then head to Israel to meet with PM Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni before meeting with Palestinian Authority Leaders including President Abbas. She will reaffirm the Obama administration commitment to the two state solution. On Friday she will be in Geneva to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. You can read more here.
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Friday, February 27, 2009
Democratic Chatter 2-27-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President Barack Obama's FY 2010 Budget to receive plenty of scrutiny - the summary for the fiscal year which begins October 1, 2009 was released yesterday. Full details of the budget will not be available until April. The total may reach 3.55 Trillion with the deficit near 1.75 Trillion. CNN.com has more here.
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President Obama proposes 1 Trillion in tax increases over the next decade on the wealthiest of Americans and companies - set to begin in 2011, this will reverse the Bush administration's policy and revert back to rates present during the Clinton administration. The highest rates of 33% and 35% would be increased to 36% and 39.6%. Capital gains tax would be increased from 15% to 20%. It is estimated this will affect 2.6 million taxpayers. The Republican trickle down theory has never proven to work. Bloomberg.com has more here.
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Vice president Joe Biden will be in Philadelphia today to chair the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force - the meeting will include many members of the Cabinet from Labor, Energy, Agriculture, HUD, Education and Transportation. The meeting will be held at the William B. Irwin Auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania. WhiteHouse.gov has more here.
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Washington D.C. close to receiving vote in Congress - the only city without a vote in Congress moved a little closer yesterday when the Senate voted 61-37 to add a floor vote to their Representative. Currently, their Representative could serve on House committees, but have no vote on the floor. The bill still needs to pass the House and is expected to do so easily. The strange part is a amendment attached to the senate bill repealing all of the gun control laws in the district. Expect this to be removed as the bill is reconciled. The Washington Post has more here.
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CPAC set to hold straw poll for Republican Presidential candidates tomorrow - The Conservative Political Action Conference will conclude their three day meeting with the announcement of the results of who won the straw poll. The contenders for the dubious honor are all former or current Governors. The usual suspects include Jindal, Palin, Huckabee, Romney, Sanford, and Pawlenty. First, I wonder who will win and second, I wonder if the winner will flaunt the honor - egaad! MSNBC.com has more here.
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Democratic Party Leaders not happy with Obama plan for withdrawal from Iraq - the issue is not the extension from 16 to 19 months but rather the change from all troops to two-thirds of the troops. The 50,000 Troops planned to remain in Iraq has angered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calf.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), and Senator Charles Schumer (NY). Stay Tuned. Politico.com has more here.
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Special envoy George Mitchell in Israel for talk with Leaders - Israel's recent election was extremely close resulting in the more hard liner Benjamin Netanyahu, who does not believe in Palestinian statehood, being designated as Prime Minister. The moderate Tzipi Livni who lost the close election has not agreed to work as part of the Netanyahu government. This is the second trip in the last month for Mitchell who met with both Livni and Netanyahu yesterday. You can read more here.
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Thursday, January 29, 2009
Democratic Chatter 1-29-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President Barack Obama will meet with Cabinet members today - back to business after members of Congress for cocktails last night at the White House. The President is expected to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and also Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
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Not one House Republican votes in favor of Stimulus bill - Eleven Democrats joined the Republicans in voting against the bill which passed with a 244-188 vote. Included in the Democrats who voted against the bill was first term Maryland Congressman, Frank Kratovil. A trip to the Hill by the president did not help as more and more questions are being asked as to what has been included in this massive 819 Billion plan. Originally sold to the public as a major infrastructure repair bill that would put Americans back to work, it now seems less than 5% of the funding goes toward infrastructure spending. The NY Times has a good read on how effective and how quickly this stimulus plan will be. You can read it here.
Expect even more scrutiny to be applied by members of the senate and expect more changes. However, in the end, the bill will pass. The House vote by the Republicans also sets up a possible major issue come the 2010 mid term Congressional elections. If this massive spending bill does not help in putting the U.S. economy back on track by the 2010 elections, the Republicans will be saying "we told you so". Politicians should remember it did not take one action or one bill to get the U.S. in this economic mess and it is extremely doubtful, it will take only one bill to get the U.S. out of the mess we are in. Politico has a good read here.
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RNC Chair to be selected tomorrow - more than a handful of candidates exist for the chair of the Republican National Committee who meet tomorrow in Washington D.C. to have a final vote on the choice. The early favorite was current chair, Mike Duncan. Other contenders include African-Americans Michael Steele who was a former Lt. Governor of Maryland and Ken Blackwell who was a former Secretary of State in Ohio. Another notable contender for the chair is Chip Saltsman, former campaign manager for the Mike Huckabee, who sent the CD entitled "Barack, the Magic Negro" out to friends over the holiday season. Let's see what direction the RNC intends to take with their choice for chair tomorrow. CNN.com has more here.
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Ethics questions surround new White House deputy counsel for economic affairs - just yesterday, the President announced Neal Wolin in this new position. Already, he is coming under scrutiny with concerns pertaining to his recent position as executive of The Hartford Financial Services Group. Seems, after some maneuvering, Hartford qualified for some of the bailout bill funds. It is being said Mr. Wolin would need to recuse himself from future actions pertaining to his former employer. McClatchydc.com has more here.
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"Blago Watch" Update - Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will appear at his impeachment proceedings in the state senate. His appearance come after the senate president, John Cullerton asked him to speak. He will be given ninety minutes beginning at 12:00 PM ET with no questions being allowed. The prosecutor will then have thirty minutes, followed with a vote. You can count on Lt. Governor Quinn to be nearby following the vote. The Chicago Tribune has more here.
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Obama's choice for national intelligence confirmed by senate - In a unanimous voice vote, retired admiral Dennis Blair was confirmed last night. he replaces former director Michael McConnell who resigned shortly before Blair was confirmed. CNN.com has more here.
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On the foreign policy front, newly appointed Middle East envoy is on the job and busy - wasting no time after being appointed by President Obama, George Mitchell arrived yesterday in Israel and after meeting with officials will be in the West bank today. He will meet with Palestinian President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad. This is part of a seven day tour of the region. So far, no meetings with Hamas have been scheduled. The Washington Post has more here.
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Friday, January 2, 2009
Democratic Chatter 1-2-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President-elect Barack Obama and family will move to D.C. this weekend - In the first of two moves prior to occupying the White House, they will stay at the Hays-Adams Hotel. Due to prior commitments they were unable to move into the government owned Blair House until January 15. The reason for the earlier move is the daughters begin school next week. CNN.com has more here.
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Obama to meet with Congressional leaders today to discuss his stimulus bill - He is meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) He will also meet with Republican Congressional Leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. Reuters .com has more here.
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Israel continues attack on Gaza - determined to defuse Hamas, Israel continued air strikes for the seventh day and were poised for a ground invasion. The NY Times has more here. Some reports have indicated the Israeli military favor a short term ground attack aimed at further rooting out Hamas supporters. Meanwhile, the Arab states in the region are condemning the air strikes and the French continue to negotiate a cease fire.
The last time this military action took place under the same circumstances, Hamas was able to gain favor with the innocent civilians by offering aid. Hopefully, that will be remembered and humanitarian aid is provided by Israel and the UN as soon as possible.
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Can Democrats stop Roland Burris from being seated as Senator? - embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) continues to cause problems for Democrats at a time when there is a lot to cheer about. His recent appointment of Roland Burris to the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama is sure to generate more angst among Democratic leaders who are saying they will not seat Burris if he shows up next week.
It promises to be a awkward situation for Democrats who would prefer to be putting their best foot forward after decisive victories on Election Day. A referral of the appointment to the senate credentials committee could take place, but that would involve up to a ninety day review, resulting in more testimony and attention. Failing to seat the only African-American Senator would also cause heartburn for many. The best move may be to seat him. Politico.com has more here.
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Another Illinois seat now open with Rahm Emanuel's resignation - he sent his letter of resignation to Governor Blagojevich effective today. The state Constitution requires the Governor to set a election date within 115 days. Interestingly, vacant Senate seats receive immediate appointment, while vacant seats of Representatives in Congress are filled by special election. TheHill.com speculates on who may run and you can read their take on the possible candidates here.
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