Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

President Obama to Host President Felipe Calderon Today - discussions on illegal immigration from Mexico into the U.S. will be discussed along with efforts to stem the illegal drug trade. The Washington Post has more here.

Obama will hold a press conference at 1:00 PM ET Today.

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Hawks in Congress Sound Off in Regard to Libya - as rebels continue their effort to oust Muammar Ghadaffi, members in Congress are calling for the U.S. to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said instituting a no-fly zone would involve military air strikes within Libya. Stay Tuned.... The NY Times has more here.

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Poll Shows Difficulties in Cutting Budget - a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows less than twenty-five percent favor cuts in the major entitlement programs of social security and medicare. However, a majority favored reducing benefits to wealthy Americans and extending the retirement age to the age of sixty-nine. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

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Biden to Lead White House Effort to Reach Budget Agreement - President Obama has asked the vice president to negotiate with republicans leaders to reach an agreement for the budget for the remainder of the year. The continuing resolution until March 18 was passed by the house and senate and signed by the president yesterday. TheHill.com has more here.

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Ohio Senate Passes Law limiting Collective Bargaining - for public service employees on a 17-16 vote. The law will need to be passed by the House and then sign by the governor to become law. Politico.com has more here.

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Senator Daniel Akaka (Hawaii) Makes Fifth Democratic to Announce Retirement - a total of seven senators have announced so far that they will not seek reelection in 2012. Democrats hold a slim 53-47 majority in the Senate. You can read more here.

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Will He or Won't He Run For President? - Former Republican Speaker of the House has stumbled getting out of the gate with mixed messages on whether he will be setting up a campaign committee today. If, the committee was formed, he would be able to legally raise money for the campaign. The latest statement from Newt Gingrich is he will announce today he is seriously considering a run, but will stop short of filing a committee. You can read more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

House Passes Two Week Funding Bill - yesterday, on a 335-91 vote. A handful of Republicans led by tea party favorite Michele Bachman (R-Minn.) voted against the continuing resolution. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) and 85 of the more liberal Democrats in the House made up the remainder of the negative votes.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said the Senate will vote to pass the bill, avoiding a government shutdown. The Washington Post has more here.

The looming question is whether two weeks is long enough for Congress to reach agreement on a funding bill for the remainder of the fiscal year.

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Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley on States Facing Budget Deficits - the chair of the Democratic Governors Association appeared yesterday on MSNBC. On Adrea Mitchell Reports, she asked him about Wisconsin Republican Governors attempt to break public service unions in Wisconsin. O'Malley, ever more achieving a national spot light, held his own. Mitchell, knowing O'Malley is term limited in Maryland, asked O'Malley about a possible presidential match up between him and Republican Governor Chris Christie in 2016. You can watch the entire interview below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Press Secretary Fired By Darrell Issa - the Republican Representative let Kurt Bardella go due to inappropriate handling of e-mails. An interesting case in the age of the Internet. More information is forthcoming, but it appears Bardella was sharing e-mails he had received from other reporters with a NY Times reporter who was writing a story. Politico.com has more here.

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Pennsylvania Republican Governor Tom Corbett Cuts Health Insurance for Working Poor - due to shortage of state funds, over 41,000 will be without health insurance. This is one of many examples of states facing cash shortages. The NY Times has more here.

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Gadaffi Moves to Quell Rebellion - the Leader of Libya launched an offensive to retake land from rebels as the world contemplates additional measures which could be taken against Muammar Gaddafi. The UN voted to dispel Libya from it's membership yesterday and the U.S. has frozen assets. The talk of instituting a no-fly zone has died down somewhat as the pentagon has made it clear to do so would involve the destruction (Bombing) of the infrastructure in Libya. Reuters.com has more here.

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O'Connor Brings Moderation to Board of Aldermen

George Wenschhof

Perhaps, it is his experience as a former host of a local weekly political discussion show and news broadcaster, which has helped shape Michael O'Connor as he considers the issues that come before him.

In a recent sit down conversation, I found him to be very reasonable and willing to look at various sides of an issue.

An opinion shared by the other aldermen I have interviewed recently. A common statement I heard from other board members was Michael was very good at making sure everyone expressed their thoughts when the board debated an issue. While, the current board does not always agree, discussion on issues have been amiable, helped in part, by Michael's demeanor.

The lone male and one of four Democrats elected to the all new five member board of aldermen, he never once mentioned the make of of the board during our conversation.

Balancing the budget continues to be the main emphasis for elected officials across the country in all levels of government and The City of Frederick is no exception.

After facing budget cuts in their first year in office, a projected 9.9 million deficit needs to be addressed when Republican Mayor Randy McClement unveils his budget.

O'Connor is ready to examine thoroughly the proposed budget and add his input. Workshops and public meetings will be scheduled over the next couple of months as the budget must be approved prior to July 1.

The purchase of land (Hargett farm) for a city park under the previous city administration has added to the financial burden. The bonded funding mechanism continues to strap the city coffers and also limits uses of the property.

With money scarce to build out the park, suggestions are plentiful as to what else could be done with the property. O'Connor believes a cost analysis on allowable uses would be helpful in this regard - I agree.

Moving on past a discussion of the budget, Aldermen O'Connor is excited about the staff and committee work underway in a number of areas, including, but not limited to sustainability, a shared use pathway, and area plans for the west end and east side of Frederick.

The failure of the city to reach agreement on the renewal of the stadium lease with the Baltimore Oriole single-a minor league team "The Keys" is the issue that he has received the most feedback from residents; many of them who have said they do not want to lose the Keys baseball team.

The mayor recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the lease of the stadium and O'Connor is looking forward to reviewing the proposals. While, he is not anxious to lose the Keys baseball team, he would not commit to a position on the issue until he has the opportunity to review the proposals submitted to the city.

The alderman's approach to this contentious issue is another example of how O'Connor brings moderation to the board of aldermen.

When I asked him if he ever thought about running for mayor, he answered with "I am happy being an alderman, for now".

Keep an eye on Michael O'Connor; a thoughtful man, who takes his elected position seriously.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

60% of Americans Do Not Want Public Service Worker Collective Bargaining Rights Taken Away - an issue playing out in Wisconsin that is sure to be an issue in the 2012 presidential election. The CBS News poll showed only 33% wanted their rights to be taken away. You can read more of the results here.

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House to Vote Today on Two Week Budget Extension - in what is rapidly becoming comical, the House will vote today to fund government for two weeks cutting 4 Billion. The Senate will then need to pass prior to march 4 to avoid a budget shutdown. Bloomberg.com has more here.

What the voters want to know is what comes next? Does the continuing resolution process continue every two weeks or will an agreement be reached to fund government through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year.

Still to come is the debate over the 2012 budget and, oh yeah, what about the raising of the debt ceiling?

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House to Defend DOMA - Republican House Leaders say the Defense of Marriage Act which the Justice Department recently announced it would no longer defend in court action, should be defended. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) says if the Obama administration will not do it, they will appoint a special counsel to do so. The NY Times caucus blog has more here.

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