George Wenschhof Bio
Today, President Barack Obama will be in Newton, Iowa - Here. on Earth Day, Obama will talk about his Energy Plan. Newton is a small town which was hit hard with job losses by the closure of a Maytag plant a year ago. Trinity Structures Wind energy plant is now opening and plans to hire over 100 workers. The plant builds the structures for wind turbines. Time.com has more here.
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CFO of Freddie Mac dies from apparent suicide - David Kellerman was found dead in his home this morning. Freddie Mac is a government owned company that owns and guarantees home mortgages. They and Fannie Mae have both suffered huge losses due to mortgage defaults. Kellerman was named chief financial officer after the government took over the company in September of 2008. You can read more here.
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Government Stress-Test Reports on Banks due out Friday - reportedly the first round of the stress tests conducted by the government on the financial health of many Banks will be shared with them at the end of this week. The reports will be made public next week. The wall Street Journal has more here.
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Christopher Hill confirmed by Senate to be U.S. Ambassador to Iraq - Republicans had argues the career diplomat did not have direct experience in Iraq and did not speak Arabic. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) who is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee supported Hill saying his experience made him the right person for the job. the vote was 73-23 with all of the opposing votes being Republicans. CNN.com has more here.
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Kathleen Sebelius to receive confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary within the next week - finally, the Obama Cabinet will be complete. The Kansas Governor received a 15-8 vote from the senate Finance Committee yesterday with all eight who opposed her nomination being Republicans. Tom Daschle was originally nominated for the position by the President but withdrew due to tax issues. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Prosecution possible for those who ok'd harsh interrogation techniques - President Obama left open the possibility of prosecution when he recently replied to the question this would mostly be up to the Attorney General to decide. Rueters.com has more here.
Recently released memos point out the huge number of times waterboarding was used on various individuals, some over 100 times, leading even more to question the validity of any confession obtained under these circumstances. Today, the NY Times has an article that describes how those involved in approving the harsh methods knew little about the techniques they were approving. You can read this article here.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Democratic News Chatter 4-22-2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Democratic News Chatter 4-1-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President Barack Obama is making the rounds today in London - breakfast with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and meetings with Russia and Chinese Leaders. After a meeting with Russia President Dimitry Medvedev, it was announced Obama would travel to Moscow for nuclear arm reduction talks in July. Reuters.com has more here. Obama will also travel to China at the end of the year to meet with China President Hu Jintao to discuss enhanced U.S. - Chinese relations and strengthening economic and financial cooperation. You can read more here.
At a press briefing with PM Gordon Brown, Obama indicated they expected cooperation among world leaders at the G-20 economic crisis summit tomorrow.
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White House Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers to visit Michigan today - Dr. Ed Montgomery will meet with Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) and her economic staff to discuss efforts being made by the auto task force. Granholm was critical of the firing of GM CEO Richard Wagoner by the Obama administration. WhiteHouse.gov has more here.
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Congressional election in New York another close one! - Democrat Scott Murphy is leading by only 65 votes over Republican Jim Tedisco with all precincts reporting. However, there are still 4100 absentee ballots to be counted. Over 150,000 votes were cast in the 20th district in the special election to replace Kristen Gillibrand who was named to fill the vacant Hillary Clinton U.S. Senate seat. While this is a heavily registered republican district, conservative Democrat Gillibrand had won and Obama received 51% of the vote in his election last year. The NY Times has more here.
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Meanwhile, Minnesota is still waiting for a U.S. Senator to be named - in a ruling that appears to favor democrat Al Franken, the court ruled to review 400 absentee ballots instead of the 1300 requested by republican Norm Coleman. Franken currently leads by 225 votes so Coleman would need to win 80% of these 400 absentee ballots to overtake Franken. The absentee ballots will be opened and reviewed in court on April 7. However, the likelihood of a Senator heading to Washington to be sworn in is remote as the Coleman campaign has indicated they will appeal the decision. Stay Tuned. CNN.com has more here.
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So much for increased White House vetting as Sebelius reveals she also owed back taxes - The last Obama nominee for a cabinet position indicated she had recently paid around $8,000 in back taxes when questioned by a senate sub committee yesterday. It was back taxes that derailed the nomination of Tom Daschle for this position of Secretary of Health and Human Services. With all the attention on AIG bonuses, the firing of GM Richard Wagoner and the President overseas, this is likely to receive little media attention and Sebelius is expected to be confirmed. Politico.com has more here.
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Is Gingrich on the way back? - after a miscommunication with the staff of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich was named to be the keynote speaker for a major Republican fundraising dinner in June. The Republican House and Senate fundraising committees are holding the fundraiser. You can read more here.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Democratic News Chatter 3-31-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
Today, President Barack Obama and the First Lady head to London on the first day of an eight day overseas trip - He will meet with American workers today at the American School in London. Thursday is the G-20 Summit on the world economy. The G-20 is made up of leading industrial and emerging market nations. Together, they represent 80% of world trade and two-thirds of the world population. Time.com has more here.
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Obama's ouster of GM CEO Richard Wagoner has many talking - the removal of the CEO of GM by the President has many questioning as to if this was a proper move to be made by the government. The Dow Jones dropped 250 points yesterday after the announcement by the president. It also has many wondering why this was done for the auto industry, but not the financial industry. Bank executives are now taking notice. The Washington Post has more here.
However, there is no question the auto industry needed to change course. I was in those long gas lines in the early seventies when I was attending undergraduate school and often wondered how long the auto industry would push low mileage Vans and then SUVs to the American consumer. A free market system is great, as long as it does not act in a irresponsible manner that endangers future generations.
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Home prices continue to drop - it has now been 30 straight months of declines and the rate over the last year was 19%. CNN.com has more here. A little over three years ago when local home prices almost doubled overnight, I remember saying this was phony money. Unfortunately, I was right. Sustained low and adjustable interest rates had led sellers to raise the sales prices as they realized the buyer could afford twice as much with such low rates.
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Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) signs legislation to allow sale of "Choose Life" specialty license plates - since Michael Steele has become RNC chair he has continuously made gaffes. Now it is Kaine's turn as DNC chair to take heat from some party members. Supporters of a woman's right to choose are upset the Governor approved this legislation. Politico.com has more here.
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Eyes are on Congressional special election in NY today - voters will elect their congressman in the 20th district today as Democrat Scott Murphy faces Republican Jim Tedisco. This special election was necessary after Kirsten Gillibrand (D) who held the seat was named to fill the vacant Hillary Clinton U.S. Senate seat. Polls are showing it is too close to call. You can count on whoever the winner is, their party touting this victory nationwide. TheHill.com has more here.
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Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to testify before Senate today - the last of the Obama administration cabinet members will face questions from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee. Senator Ted Kennedy who is chair of the committee is expected to preside over the meeting. Sebelius is expected to stress the importance of health reform now. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Friday, March 27, 2009
Democratic Chatter 3-27-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
Today, President Barack Obama will meet with Bank Executives - about a dozen executives of the largest U.S. banks will gather at the White House. They will discuss regulatory reform, executive bonuses and other ways to stabilize the financial system. reuters.com has more here.
Tonight, the president and his family will head to Camp David for the weekend. The presidential retreat located near Thurmont, Maryland is fast becoming a favorite spot for the new president.
On Sunday, the president will appear on CBS "Face The Nation" in an interview with Bob Schieffer.
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Obama announces more troops to go to Afghanistan - an additional 4,000 troops will be sent in addition to the 17,000 he already ordered to the country since taking office. He also announced he wants to triple aid to Pakistan to 1.5 billion a year for the next five years. The NY Times has more here.
The pundits are all quickly saying this is now Obama's war and they are right. The "surge" strategy that appears to have helped in Iraq may not be as successful in Afghanistan. Also, increasing financial aid to Pakistan when the government is presently labeled as "fragile' at best, may not be a good idea. The billions sent by the former Bush administration to prop up President Musharraf did little to help in the battle against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
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Vice President Joe Biden will visit Chile and Costa Rica over the weekend - accompanied by his wife Jill, he will attend a Progressive Governance Conference in Chile. he is scheduled to meet with many of the South American Leaders over the next several days. The Washington post has more here.
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Keep an eye on NY special election to fill vacant Congressional seat - On Tuesday, the voters in the 20th district of New york will vote on a replacement for Kirsten Hillabrand (D) who was picked to replace the Hillary Clinton vacant U.S. senate seat. Some polls are showing the race between Democrat Scott Murphy and Republican Jim Tedisco as a toss up. MSNBC.com has more here. If Tedisco wins, what is a heavily registered Republican district, expect the Republican party to widely publicize this as an attempt to show dissatisfaction with the Obama administration.
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Kathleen Sebelius Confirmation Hearings to be held next week - she is the last Cabinet member to be confirmed of the Obama administration. The former nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle withdrew after revelations pertaining to unpaid taxes. On Tuesday she will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee and on Thursday, the Senate Financial committee. Politico.com has more here.
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Thursday, March 5, 2009
Democratic Chatter 3-5-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President Barack Obama will convene a Health Care Summit at the White House today - over 120 are expected to attend to discuss health care reforms. The president will make opening remarks and then break out groups will be formed to discuss different areas of needed health care reform for the country. Kathleen Sebelius who has been nominated for HHS Secretary is not expected to be there today. Reuters.com has more here.
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Karl Rove and Harriet Miers will testify before Congress - a federal judge recent ruled they could not use executive privilege as a reason not to testify. The House judiciary committee chaired by John Conyers (D-NY) have been investigating the firing of U.S. attorneys for political reasons during the George W. Bush administration. Rove was a White house political adviser and Miers was White House counsel. CNN.com has more here.
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California Supreme Court to hear arguments on ban of same-sex marriages - Proposition 8 was recently passed which banned same-sex marriages in the state. Questions surround if this action was constitutional and what to do in regard to the estimated 19,000 same-sex marriages which took place prior to the ban. McClatchydc.com has more here.
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Is Michael Steele on the way out as RNC Chair? - he was selected as chair after six rounds of balloting about one month ago. Ever since then, he has been stumbling as the newly elected chair of the Republican National Committee. Whether it has been his boisterous comments of "either work with us or get out of the way..." or his recent public spat with Republican talk show host Rush Limbaugh, republicans are wondering if they made the right choice. Politico.com has more here.
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On the economic front, the Dow Jones is down 100 today in early trading - GM announced it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy and China indicated they will not be adding to their current stimulus plan. Bloomberg.com has more here.
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On the foreign policy front, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been busy in meetings with NATO - she proposed NATO resume formal relations with Russia which had been suspended after the Georgia republic-Russia flare up. NATO voted to resume relations with Russia today. In a smart move, Clinton also proposed a international meeting on Afghanistan. It will take more than just the U.S. involvement to stabilize Afghanistan. Tomorrow, she travels to Geneva to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. You can read more here.
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Monday, March 2, 2009
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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Saturday, February 28, 2009
Democratic Chatter 2-28-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
Today, in his weekly address to the nation, President Barack Obama discusses his budget he submitted to Congress. He speaks on how his budget will fulfill his campaign promises in regard to a fair tax code, energy, health care, and education. WhiteHouse.gov has the full transcript of the speech and the video you can watch here.
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Health and Human Services Secretary to be announced next week - White house Press secretary Robert Gibbs says it is likely the president will announce his pick. This is the last Cabinet position and has been without a nominee since Tom Daschle withdrew due to embarrassing tax issues. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is said to be the front runner. TheHill.com has more here.
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Appeals Court allows warrantless wiretapping case can continue - in a case involving a Islamic charity in Oregon and the U.S. - the Bush administration and now the Obama administration had argued the case would jeopardize national security. McClatchydc.com has more here.
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Education Secretary Arne Duncan favor longer school year for students - this is one of the suggestions he is considering as a way to improve their academic achievements. He argues China and India have longer school years than the U.S. CNN.com has more here. I do not see the logic in this argument at all. if the current educational system is not working as well as we want, extending the length will not do a thing to improve what is presently broken.
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
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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Sunday, February 8, 2009
Democratic Chatter 2-8-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
President Barack Obama continues to sell his Stimulus Plan - Yesterday morning, it was the focus of his weekly address to the nation and later in the day a email with a video from him was sent to his multi-million supporter list.
In an effort to get back on track with his message on the Stimulus Plan, he will travel to cities in several states this week and talk directly with voters. The schedule has him in Elkhart, Indiana on Monday, Ft. Myers, Florida on Tuesday and Springfield, Illinois on Thursday.
The Senate vote is expected on Tuesday with the reconciliation bill between the House and the Senate expected to take about a week before the bill is presented to the President for signature. The NY Times has a good read on the difference in the House and Senate versions here.
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Stabilizing the U.S. banking system is still a major priority - in addition, to the stimulus bill, the remaining 350 Billion of the (TARP) Troubled Assets Relief Plan must restore confidence in banks across the country. Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner was set to detail his plans tomorrow, but has not delayed his speech until Tuesday. The Washington Post has a good read on the options available to help the banking system here.
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Vice-President Joe Biden continues European trip - after delivering his speech yesterday in Munich, Germany, the Vice-President met privately with Russia deputy prime minister Sergie Ivanov and the President of Georgia. Ivanov signaled the Russians were pleased with the new tone from Washington and what was said by Biden in his speech. At issue, is the U.S. missile defense shield the Bush administration had intended to deploy in Poland and other European countries. CNN.com has more here.
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Governor Kathlees Sebelius (D-Kan.) is being considered for Secretary of HHS - she was an early supporter of Barack Obama. Also, under consideration for the position left vacant when Tom Daschle withdrew, is Governor Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.). You can read more here.
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