Obama Weekly Address 11-20-2010

George Wenschhof

Today, President Obama speaks of the importance in ratifying the START Treaty with Russia. The treaty which further reduces nuclear arsenals, also provides for inspectors on the ground and is pivotal in maintaining nuclear security in the world.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear on three of the Sunday morning "Talking Heads" shows tomorrow, also making the case for the ratification of this treaty during the lame duck session of congress.



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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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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 3-1-2009

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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