Daily Democratic Wire 6-28-2009

George Wenschhof

President Barack Obama to meet with 250 Gay Leaders at the White House on Monday - in the East Room, they will be publicly commemorating the 40th anniversary of the modern gay rights movement. The president has come under fire recently from the gay and lesbian community for not doing enough in this area since his election. The NY Times has a good read here.

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David Axelrod says President Obama will not insist on public option as part of health care reform - in a major shift in policy, the White House Senior adviser said in an appearance on NBC "Meet The Press" today, there were no lines drawn in the sand when it came to health care reform. This is interesting as President Obama has attended town hall meetings and has publicly stated he insisted in a public option for Americans. Politico.com has more here.

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Supreme Court decision expected tomorrow on "hiring procedure" case previously ruled on by Sotomayor - Sonia Sotomayor, the nominee for the Supreme Court was one of three appeals court judges who ruled that officials in New Haven, Connecticut had had properly in regard to disallowing firefighter promotions based on racially skewered results. The lawsuit was filed by white firefighters. Expect Republicans to focus on this ruling as Sotomayor confirmation hearings begin in a week. You can read more here.

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Iran detains British Embassy staff - Supreme Leader Ayatollah ali Khamenei expressed his displeasure with statements from Britain he feels were meant to interfere with Iranian elections. Britain has demanded the immediate release of the Embassy staff. Stay Tuned. Reuters.com has more here.

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Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) call for limits of electronics sales to Iran - in the wake of the government restrictions imposed on communications after the recent Iran election. They are requesting action to be taken by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. TheHill.com has more here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 6-20-2009

George Wenschhof

Unease continues in Iran - a day after the U.S. House and Senate passed resolutions condemning the violence in Iran following the election, police were out in force to block planned demonstrations. Rallies had been planned in both Freedom Square and Revolution Square in Tehran. CNN.com has more here.

The Iranian Guardian Council said they were prepared to hold a recount of 10% of the vote chosen randomly and in the presence of representatives from the three defeated candidates for president. Reuters.com has more here.

While some Republican leaders have been quick to attack President Obama for not speaking out in a more forceful manner in regard to the Iran election, I believe he is handling it correctly. Remember, the U.S. had an election in 2000 many felt was stolen from the people by the supreme court. However, no American would have wanted interference from other countries on our vote.

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80 Billion deal in the works to fund medicare drugs and help pay for health care reform - in a major agreement with the pharmaceutical industry, medicare beneficiaries would receive better drug coverage and part of President Obama's health care legislation would be paid for in the agreement being negotiated. You can read more here.

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Sotomayor resigns from all woman's club - after continued questioning from Republican leaders, supreme court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor resigned from the organization. She sent a letter informing Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee of her decision and stating she did not feel it violated and judicial ethics. You can read more here.

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Last night, the President attended a Radio and TV Correspondents dinner - one of the requirements is a speech which includes a long list of hopefully funny one-liners for the crowd. In case you missed some of the television replays last evening, Politico.com has the video of Obama's speech and interviews with others who attended the dinner here.

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Hillary Clinton's Elbow surgery successful - she underwent the surgery yesterday at George Washington University hospital after suffering a fracture from a fall. Doctors say she is expected to recover fully without any lasting damage. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Obama names Ertharin Cousin as US Representative to UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture - she was a senior adviser during the campaign and is currently president of the Polk Street Group. Her past includes a stint as White House liaison to the state department and as a national leader in domestic hunger relief. Swamppolitics.com has more here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 6-19-2009

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will be busy attending many events across D.C. - beginning with a speech to the Esperanza National Conference during breakfast at the JW Marriot hotel. You can read more here. He is also promoting the importance of being a Father with Father's Day approaching. After visiting a non-profit which helps prepare young adults for their future, he will host males from local high schools at the White House. Tonight, he will attend the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner.

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Iran Supreme Leader says vote was not rigged - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke at a morning prayer service in Tehran this morning. He went on to call for peace and tranquility while praising the reported high (85%) turnout of voters. Time.com has more here.

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Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) threatens to demand a delay of the confirmation hearing of Sonia Sotomayor - in what has become a tired Republican refrain, he says they are lacking documents they had requested from the supreme court justice nominee, including 50 speeches. TheHill.com has more here.

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Health care reform continues to receive strong opposition - one could easily say that if health care reform measures are not implemented when a Democrat is president and Democrats have a majority in the House and Senate, then reform will never happen in America. The reported cost of 1 Trillion over ten years put out by the CBO has moderate Democrats questioning the health care proposals being circulated. Politico.com has a good read here.

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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner begins pitch to Congress of Obama's plan for Financial Regulatory Reform - like health care reform, expect this to receive plenty of criticism. However, it was due to years of deregulation that led to the financial collapse facing America today. The president's plan calls for more authority for the federal reserve, the creation of a consumer protection agency, and to also bring currently unregulated financial markets under government oversight. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Will U.S. - Cuba Talks resume? - the overblown discussion on this tends to be somewhat ridiculous. Why would you not want discussions is the better question. Twice a year discussions between the two countries have been going on for years until suspended by the George W. Bush administration in 2004. McClatchydc.com has more here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 6-13-2009

George Wenschhof

Representative Jack Spence (R-Ind.) gives Republican radio address - he attacked the climate change bill introduced by Representatives Henry Waxman (D-Calf.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) as adding to the cost of energy. He continued to spout the need for "drill baby drill" and the building of nuclear reactors across America. TheHill.com has more here.

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Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadineajad wins reelection in Iran - the leader who comedian Jay Leno pronounced his last name "I'm a nut job" won with 62% of the vote compared to challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi with 33%. Mousavi is claiming vote fraud. It is interesting the other two candidates; Moshen Razai and Mehdi Karoubi combined received less than 5% of the vote. Reuters.com has more here.

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Sotomayor receives favorable comments from former President George H.W. Bush - after making a sky dive celebrating his 85th birthday, Bush was critical of those Republicans who had labeled Sonia Sotomayor a racist. CNN.com has more here.

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Congress passes new regulations on sale of Tobacco - more authority was given to the food and Drug Administration over the marketing of tobacco. The House vote was 307-97 and the senate vote was 79-17. Politico.com has more here.

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North Korea remains a hot spot for international relations - the United Nations issued sanctions last week on N. Korea as a result of recent nuclear tests and ballistic missile tests. N. Korea has responded with how they intend to move forward to weaponize plutonium. It remains to be seen how these actions will effect the negotiations for the release of two US journalists sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. MSNBC.com has more here.

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US pledges 73 million in aid for Zimbabwe - after meeting yesterday with Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, President Obama made the announcement. The NY Times has a good read here on the challenges facing Zimbabwe.

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Daily Democratic Wire 6-9-2009

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will propose a new 'pay as you go" system for government spending - many are concerned with the size of the current estimated 1.8 trillion budget deficit. So the President, in an action to calm the anxious voters will be issuing new proposals designed to ensure money is there for new programs. The Washington Post has more here.

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Republican attacks on Sotomayor continue to fail - the historic nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has brought forth attacks primary from the extreme right who have questioned her ability and her past judicial decisions. As is the case in most of the strategy put forth by Republicans in a variety of areas today, these attacks will fail. Expect Sotomayor to receive confirmation in the Senate. Politico.com has more here.

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Obama's actions to save Chrysler and GM under scrutiny - yesterday, the Supreme Court ordered a delay in the sale of Chrysler to Fiat as they review complaints filed by local dealerships who are being closed as part of the bankruptcy action. In addition, in a bipartisan effort, over 100 House members have sent a letter to the president asking him to stop the plans to close hundreds of local dealerships. TheHill.com has more here.

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Ten largest U.S. Banks begin to pay government back Bail out funds - the Treasury announced ten Banks were given the approval to repay the government 68 Billion in loans received from the 700 Billion Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). The Washington Post has more here.

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Obama to head to Wisconsin on Thursday for town hall meeting on Health Care - the president is pushing reform in health care and various proposals are now circulating in capitol hill, the principle one being one drafted by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). Now the fun begins as the debate will heat up as lobbyists from the medical industry will surely join the discussion. President Obama, as he did with his Stimulus Plan. will take his case directly to the voters beginning with a town hall meeting at a high school in Green bay, Wisconsin on Thursday. The Chicago Tribune has more here.

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We will report the results of the Virginia Democratic primary for Governor as vote totals are known tonight - While Terry McAuliffe was once favored to win, state senator Creigh Deeds has surged as late. Former Virginia Representative Brian Moran is the third Democratic candidate in the race. the winner will face Republican Bob McDonnell.

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