Frederick Co. MD "Up and Coming" Young Democrats

Spencer Knoll Bio

President Obama's friendly interactions with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during the Summit of the Americas are a welcome change from the policies of the George W. Bush administration. But, the criticism that has arisen from those interactions are not wholly without merit. It is important that the President consider his position in relation to that of Venezuela's President and act accordingly.

Chavez has spent several years in the global public's eye lambasting not just President Obama's predecessor but America as a nation. It would be foolish, then, to assume that he just happens to like Barack Obama and will now fall in line. No, he expects something from America.

Granted, I do believe that what he wants more than anything is respect, and we should be more than willing to show him that. We should be willing to have normal relations and mutual respect with any country willing to extend to us that same courtesy. But, we cannot allow leaders like Hugo Chavez to dictate the terms of a relationship with America. While that may not actually happen, appearances matter. Photos of a smiling President Obama shaking hands with President Chavez and patting him on the back give the wrong impression to the rest of the world.

CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen said it best when he commented that the President may want to "shake hands, [but] hold the smiles." We should treat Venezuela's President with respect and diplomatic courtesy, but given his track record, it is not time to elevate him to our level on the global stage.

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Obama Continues to Project New U.S. Image

George Wenschhof Bio

The Summit of the Americas is ending with hope for new relations with the U.S. - the two day summit in the Port of Spain, Trinidad is ending with President Obama once again reaching out and providing a new image of the U.S. Even President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela sought out President Obama to give him a book. Later, Chavez informed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he would like to reestablish political ties. He now wants to bring back the the U.S. envoy which he had expelled last year. President Obama also discussed willingness to have discussions with Cuba which would follow the U.S. lessening of travel and monetary restrictions of relatives. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Democratic News Chatter 4-17-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Yesterday, President Obama was in Mexico meeting with President Calderon - they discussed a variety of issues including arms trafficking, cracking down on drug cartels and strengthening regional security. WhiteHouse.gov has more on the meeting here.

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Today, the President attends the Summit of the Americas - the two day conference with leaders of 33 countries in Trinidad and Tobago will cover a wide range of topics. It is expected President Obama will be asked to end the 47 year old trade embargo with Cuba and to support the inclusion of Cuba in future summits. Reuters.com has more here.

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Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke announces 1 billion in U.S. aid to Pakistan - at at international conference in Tokyo, japan also committed to 1 billion in aid to Pakistan. How the money would be spent would be determined by the International Monetary Fund. This comes after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari spoke out against any conditions being attached to the aid. TheHill.com has more here.

Meanwhile, diplomats and intelligence officials express increasing fear of Pakistan becoming an Islamic state - President Zardari has allowed Islamic law to prevail in various provinces within Pakistan, while Al Queda and the Taliban continue to operate freely within the country. McClatchydc.com has a good read here.

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Obama Car Czar may be under investigation by Security Exchange Commission - the NY Times is reporting the SEC has filed a complaint surrounding a payment of one million by a firm to secure NY state 122 billion pension fund. The firm was co-founded by Steven Rattner who was appointed by President Obama to oversee the restructuring of the auto companies. The NY Times has more here.

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CIA memos released justifying harsh interrogation techniques - four internal memos written during the George W. Bush administration provided the legal basis for the use of waterboarding and other interrogation techniques. The Obama administration has indicated they will not prosecute those CIA personnel who used these techniques. However, look to see those who provided the legal justification for the use of these techniques to come under scrutiny. McClatchydc.com has more here.

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NY District 20 special election update - most of the over 6000 absentee ballots have been counted and Democrat Scott Murphy has extended his lead over Republican Jim Tedisco to 178 votes. As of 4:00 PM ET yesterday, the state board of elections had the vote count at 79, 452 to 79,274. The remaining absentee ballots should be counted today. This is a Republican registered district where moderate Democrat Kirsten Hillibrand had served for one term prior to being named to fill the vacant Hillary Clinton Senate seat. The Republican National Committee had hoped for a victory here and had planned to spread the word that this was a anti-Obama message being sent by the voters. Regardless, of the outcome, it will be hard for Republicans to tout the outcome here.

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Democratic News Chatter 4-15-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

The First Family's new dog receives Presidential treatment - the new family dog promised to their daughters after Barack Obama had won the Democratic party nomination has finally arrived at the White House. The Portuguese water dog has been named "Bo". If you missed his appearance on television last night, CNN.com has a clip you can watch here. I must say, he handles all the attention very well.

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President Obama prepares for next international summit - this time it is the Summit of the America's hosted in Trinidad and Tobaga. He will leave Friday to attend the fifth annual meeting with the leaders of these countries. He will meet for the first time some Latin America Leaders who have not exactly been on the friendly side of the U.S. - among them Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, and Evo Morales of Bolivia. The Washington post has more here.

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Consumer Price Index falls 0.1% in March - good news for the consumer as the figures reported by the Labor Department show consumer prices have now fallen 0.4% over the last year. This is the first decline since 1955. Declines in the costs for food and fuel led the decrease in prices. Bloomberg.com has more here. This should not be surprising as people are spending less money. It is only logical that prices would be reduced during a recession.

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Napolitano to name "Border Czar" today - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is expected to name Alan Bersin to the post. A former prosecutor, he will oversee efforts dealing with the drug cartels and illegal immigration along the border of Mexico. You can read more here.

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NY District 20 special election update - all of the absentee ballots have not been counted but currently Democrat Scott Murphy has a 47 vote lead over Republican Jim Tedisco. Interestingly, the Tedisco campaign who is challenging many of the absentee ballots, has even challenged the vote of Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand is the Democrat who held the seat before being named by NY Governor David Paterson to fill the vacant Hillary Clinton U.S. Senate seat. Politico.com has more here.

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