Daily Political Wire 8-16-2010

George Wenschhof

Today, President Obama heads to Milwaukee, Wisconsin - he will be touting the success of ZBB Energy Corp. which makes batteries and fuel cells. Afterward, he will attend a fundraiser for Milwaukee Mayor and Democratic Governor candidate Tom Barrett. The Boston Herald has more here. Back in 1980, when I was Employment and Training Director for the National Association of Counties, I had the fortune of traveling to this wonderful city.

The president is then off to Los Angeles, where he will speak at a fundraiser for the DCCC.

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In case you missed them, here are highlights of the Sunday morning "Talking Heads".



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Crist Ahead in Florida Senate Race - The new Independent has a slight lead according to a Ipsos Public Affairs poll. Charlie Crist had 32% and Republican Marco Rubio had 30%. Democratic candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene are also running close. Reuters.com has more here.

Look to see Crist prevail in the fall with the major question being which political party does he caucus with while serving in Congress? A hint - he showed up when President Obama visited Florida over the weekend and gave his support of the president's statement on religious freedom.

Former President Bill Clinton will be campaign for Kendrick Meek today and while Clinton still has star power, he will not be enough to propel Meek to victory. You can read more here.

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Bloomberg helping Sestak in Pennsylvania Senate Race - the Mayor of New York will be helping Democratic candidate for Senate Joe Sestak who is in a close battle with Republican Pat Toomey. The winner will take the seat currently held by Senator Arlen Specter (D). Politico.com has more here.

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Defense secretary Robert Gates plans to leave next year - a left over from the former George W. Bush administration, he recently stated he plans to step down next year after the U.S. review of Afghanistan policy is complete. ForeignPolicy.com has more here.

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Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Guests 1-25-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

This is the first Sunday morning the pundits will be referring to Barack Obama as Mr. President. The newly sworn in President has had a busy first several days on the job so expect lots of analysis and discussion Sunday morning.

Sure to be mentioned is the do-over swearing in performed by Chief Justice John Roberts at the White House. One aspiring CNN reporter tried to make a deal out of the fact media cameras were not invited to the do-over, taking a swipe at the transparency promised by the President. Hard to buy into that attempted "gotcha" moment by that reporter, when the Obama administration informed the press of the do-over, provided a photo and a audio of the swearing in, part two.

The real news was the signing of executive orders by President Obama to close Guantanamo Bay, ban waterboarding and all harsh interrogation techniques not allowed in the Army Field Manual, and the identification and closing of secret U.S. prisons located around the world. This was a clear and loud signal to the world that the U.S. was going to end the questionable actions undertaken under the George W. Bush administration.

Other executive orders signed by the President, included pay freezes for White House staffers making over $100,000, new ethics rules to be followed by staff, and a reversal of a Bush order, allowing U.S. funds for family planning organizations overseas..

The first round of confirmations of the incoming cabinet were finalized, including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Holdup on confirmations for Eric Holder for Attorney General and Timothy Geithner for Treasury Secretary will also receive scrutiny this morning.

Expect some discussion this Sunday morning on the appointments of George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke as special envoys to the Middle East and Pakistan/Afghanistan respectfully. Some pundits may say this is an immediate erosion of Clinton's power as Secretary of State. However, it only makes sense to have experts in certain foreign policy issues devoting full time toward resolution to problems in those areas.

The status of the President's Economic Stimulus bill will also be discussed. The President indicated he expected to have it on his desk for signature by mid February.

Of course all the gossip surrounding the withdraw by Caroline Kennedy from consideration for the vacant New York senate seat will receive attention. Also, the tongues will be wagging pertaining to Kristen Hillibrand, the new Senator picked by NY Governor David Paterson.

So plan to have your favorite coffee or tea nearby and tune in to enjoy this Sunday's "Talking Heads". The following is a list of the scheduled guests on the shows. As always, check your local listings for time and channel.

NBC "Meet The Press" - David Gregory scores with new Director of Economic Council, Lawrence Summers. Also appearing is House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Oh.). The roundtable includes Michelle Norris, Thomas Friedman, and Stephen Hayes.

ABC "This Week" - George Stephanopolous will interview House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.). The roundtable will include Carly Fiorina, George Will, Cokie Roberts, and Sam Donaldson.

CBS "Face The Nation" - Bob Schieffer will have as his guest, Vice President Joe Biden.

Fox News Sunday - Chris Wallace will have Senators John McCain (R-Az.) and Charles Schumer (D-NY).

CNN "State of The Union" - John King will have NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Representative Mike Pence (R-IN.)

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