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Blog Home Page --> White House June 03, 2010

Presser

White House Political Operation In The Crosshairs

Obama To Kagan: "Just Don't Trip" In Battleground States, Obama Job Rating Suffers Full Plate Crowding Out Jobs Bill? Sarkozy Visit Spotlights Obama's Diplomatic Style A Bill Signing Becomes A Pep Rally Biden In Demand For Vulnerable Democrats As Obama Visits Missouri, Senate Candidate Heads To DC

TOPICS Administration

With a record that includes losses in gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey and the Massachusetts Senate seat, the White House already faced doubts about whether the Obama political machine could still deliver. But the controversy over political horsetrading with primary challengers in Pennsylvania and Colorado have created new headaches for an administration that promised to change the way Washington does business. Early this morning, press secretary Robert Gibbs responded to Colorado Senate hopeful Andrew Romanoff's disclosure that he was presented with three potential administration posts should he decide to abandon his challenge to appointed Sen. Michael Bennet. Gibbs said White House deputy chief of staff Jim Messina simply was contacting Romanoff because he had applied for a job during the transition, and that he "wanted to determine if it was possible to avoid a costly battle between two supporters." Last week White House counsel Bob Bauer released a memo after an internal investigation of offers made to another candidate, Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak, in return for dropping out of the race against Sen. Arlen Specter. Bauer ultimately found that "allegations of improper conduct rest on factual errors and lack a basis in the law," adding that there "have been numerous, reported instances in the past when prior Administrations" acted in a similar manner.

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At today's briefing, Gibbs said President Obama himself was never personally involved in any discussions involving primary politics dealmaking. But, he added: "The president as the leader of the party has an interest in supporters not running against each other in contested primaries."

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Continue reading "White House Political Operation In The Crosshairs" »

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Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

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Gulf Disaster Response Competed For President's Attention

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Six weeks after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, the White House still finds itself on the defensive amid questions about the president's level of attention and focus on the unfolding crisis. In a press conference last week, President Obama emphatically stated that he took "full responsibility" for the government's response, while challenging that those who say "we were either slow on our response or lacked urgency don't know the facts."

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A review of the president's schedule since the rig sank finds that while the oil spill has been a regular part of the agenda, other priorities -- and some extended periods of R&R -- competed for time. April 22, the day the rig sank and two days after the first explosion, is indicative of this pattern. That morning, Obama traveled to New York City to deliver remarks on Wall Street reform. En route, press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked whether Obama had spoken with officials in the region about the rig explosion, responding, "I don't believe so." After returning to the White House, Obama held a reception to honor Earth Day and met with the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

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But he also held his first meeting on the rig explosion with a dozen officials in the Oval Office. The White House released this photo, along with a statement that, "the President and First Lady's thoughts and prayers are with the family members and loved ones facing the tragic situation in the Gulf of Mexico."

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The very next day, Obama and the first lady departed for a weekend getaway in Asheville, North Carolina. The trip would include visits to local eateries, a tour of the Vanderbilt's estate, and two golf outings. That Sunday, Obama also met with the Rev. Billy Graham and later spoke at a memorial service honoring coal miners who died in a West Virginia mine explosion.

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Continue reading "Gulf Disaster Response Competed For President's Attention" »

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May 27, 2010

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Obama's Buck-Stops-Here Presser

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In an effort to quell the growing stream of doubts about his administration's response to the Gulf oil spill, President Obama repeatedly said he takes full responsibility for the government response while seeking to dispel the notion that his team did not act aggressively enough.

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"Those who think that we were either slow on our response or lacked urgency don't know the facts. This has been our highest priority since this crisis occurred," Obama said in a rare extended Q-and-A session with White House reporters, which comes on the eve of a holiday weekend and his second trip to the Gulf since the late-April incident.

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The White House called for today's event in part to allow Obama to re-assert leadership in the face of doubts about whether the federal government or BP was calling the shots.

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"The American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort," he said. "Make no mistake: BP is operating at our direction."

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He later said he wanted the American people "to understand is that not a day goes by where the federal government is not constantly thinking about" resolving the crisis and minimizing its impact on Gulf residents. And he was Truman-esque in taking a "buck-stops-here" tone, particularly in his closing remarks.

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"In case you're wondering who's responsible, I take responsibility," he said. "It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down."

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Continue reading "Obama's Buck-Stops-Here Presser" »

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Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

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May 14, 2010

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Obama To Kagan: "Just Don't Trip"

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Some great behind-the-scenes video from the past week at the White House from the new media team there.

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Be sure to check at the 1:50 mark, where Obama jokes with Elena Kagan before heading out to announce her nomination. "Just don't trip," he says. "That'd be really embarrassing."

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Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink

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In Battleground States, Obama Job Rating Suffers

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After reaching the lowest levels of the administration thus far a month ago, there's quietly been something of a mini-resurgence in President Obama's job ratings. While approval is still below 50 percent, disapproval has fallen to a nearly four-month low in the RCP average, and net approval near its best mark in two months.

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The White House is beginning to highlight these statistics, pointing out to a friendly source Thursday that a "a trend seems to be emerging" with every new national poll. And if the trend continues, it is surely an auspicious factor for Democrats in the midst of an election year.

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But a look at Obama's numbers on a state-by-state basis reflects the party's precarious state in the midst of a critical string of primaries and special elections. RCP compiled state-specific public polling over the past three months, and found Obama's net job approval rating is in negative territory in 28 of the 44 states where figures are available, including nearly all the battleground states critical to his and the Democrats' future success.

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In Florida, the president's net approval rating is -1.7; in Colorado, it's -6.5; North Carolina, -2.7; Ohio, -7.8; Nevada, -5.0; and Pennsylvania, it's -3.0. These six states all feature critical Senate contests this year, with the Keystone State also home to a potential bellwether special Congressional race next Tuesday. And five of the six were red states that flipped into the Democratic column in the 2008 presidential election.

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Continue reading "In Battleground States, Obama Job Rating Suffers" »

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Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink

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May 13, 2010

Full Plate Crowding Out Jobs Bill?

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President Obama spoke in hard-hit Buffalo, New York, this afternoon, arguing that the steps his administration has taken are indeed boosting the economy.

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"We can say beyond a shadow of a doubt we are headed in the right direction," he said. "Despite all the naysayers who predicted failure a year ago, our economy's growing again."

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But he acknowledged that while a recession is technically over, Americans won't feel a recovery while so many struggle to find work. A billboard in the city timed for the visit declares, "Dear Mr. President, I need a freakin job. Period."

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A jobs bill is before the Congress, but is stalled at a time when lawmakers have so much else on their plate. A new Supreme Court nominee this week alone is set to occupy considerable time in the Senate, while climate change, immigration and financial reform legislation are also on the front burner.

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Continue reading "Full Plate Crowding Out Jobs Bill?" »

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Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

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March 30, 2010

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Sarkozy Visit Spotlights Obama's Diplomatic Style

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President Obama welcomes French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the White House today, a visit that includes dinner in the private residence with their spouses. Beyond the wide range of issues on the agenda, the meeting calls attention not just to a strained relationship between Paris and Washington, but broader questions about the American leader's diplomatic acumen.

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The treatment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House visit last week had the White House playing defense again. Senior adviser David Axelrod claimed "there was no snub intended" when the president left a meeting to have dinner with his family, leaving the prime minister and his staff alone for hours before Obama was called to return. Just over a year ago, the British press were frenzied over perceived protocol slights on a visit by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, ranging from the lack of a Rose Garden press conference to Obama's choice of a personal gift -- a set of DVDs.

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And Sarkozy himself reportedly felt snubbed last summer when Obama declined a personal invitation to dine together when the president visited France to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D Day. Analysts say Obama's seeming lack of a rapport with some of his overseas counterparts stands in stark contrast with the approach of his predecessor.

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"President Bush prided himself on these personal relationships that he had with key foreign leaders, and that those relationships would see them through difficult bilateral or multilateral issues," said Heather Conley, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I think particularly for Europe, as much as President Bush was divisive to Europe, so many of those leaders loved that relationship with him. They loved getting invited to Crawford or to Kennebunkport. And they're not finding that type of relationship with President Obama."

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Obama, she said, seems to be a more "workmanlike leader" who seems satisfied with a purely professional relationship.

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"He doesn't need the warm and fuzzy. He's about, 'Let's get the work done. I'm busy. I've got lots of things to do - if you can help me, great, if not, step aside,'" she said.

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The relationship with Sarkozy is a bit more complicated considering the French leader's outspoken criticism of Obama's leadership at times. At the United Nations last fall, Sarkozy implied that Obama was hopelessly naive in his quest for a world without nuclear weapons, saying, "We are living in a real world, not a virtual world."

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March 23, 2010

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A Bill Signing Becomes A Pep Rally

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At times today, the East Room of the White House had the air of a high school gymnasium, as President Obama ended a more than year-long fight to pass health care reform by signing the historic bill into law.

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The audience was primarily full of the Democratic lawmakers who have struggled with the sausage-making all year, and who may yet feel the wrath of voters. As the president and vice president made the walk from the Blue Room to the East Room, a campaign chant of, "Fired up! Ready to go!" picked up. Though Obama has said this effort was not about him, his campaign chant and the gushing praise of his vice president made it seem otherwise.

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"You want me to stop because I'm embarrassing you," Biden joked. "But I'm not going to stop for another minute, Mr. President, because you delivered on a promise -- a promise you made to all Americans when we moved into this building. Mr. President, you are -- to repeat myself -literally about to make history."

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He was so excited that as he embraced the president following his introductions, he was overheard telling Obama: "This is a big f------ deal." The White House later had fun with the open-mic gaffe, with Robert Gibbs tweeting: "Yes Mr. Vice President, you're right."

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Biden In Demand For Vulnerable Democrats

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Both President Obama and Vice President Biden were in Ohio Monday, a curious instance of the nation's top officeholders traveling on separate business to the same politically important state. While Obama was tending to his administration's battle for health care reform, Biden was making two political stops on behalf of two Democrats whose jobs may be on the line as a result of that battle - first-term Rep. Steve Driehaus and Gov. Ted Strickland.

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More than a year into the administration, Biden has been tasked with a disproportionate share of the political responsibilities, earning at one point the title of "patron saint of freshman Democrats." It's hardly unusual for a vice president to be more active in party-building activities this early. But with the president's approval rating stagnant and support for his agenda slipping, might Biden ultimately be the more sought-after surrogate as the midterms heat up?

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RCP POLL AVERAGES President Obama Job Approval RCP Average Approve

49.8

Disapprove

46.8 Spread +3.0

On the surface, that question seems rather silly. Even if Obama's numbers were to slip further below 50 percent, the benefits of a presidential visit, particularly as measured in dollars, cannot be surpassed. But the decision for Democrats on the ballot in 2010 is whether the potential harm outweighs the potential good. And some -- particularly the more than 40 remaining Congressmen running in districts won by John McCain in 2008 -- might prefer to keep their distance. Continue reading "Biden In Demand For Vulnerable Democrats" »

2016 Generic Congressional Vote

Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

RCP Average Democrat

45.2

Republican

43.2 Spread +2.0

Direction of Country RCP Average Right Direction

23.7

Wrong Track

69.1 Spread -45.4

Congressional Job Approval RCP Average Approve

14.3

Disapprove

77.8 Spread -63.5

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March 10, 2010

As Obama Visits Missouri, Senate Candidate Heads To DC In February, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the likely Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Kit Bond, released a statement strongly criticizing the Obama administration's proposed budget. She called it disappointing, and said it was "time Washington started making fiscal discipline and tackling the long-term budget deficit higher priorities." The next day, her campaign actually highlighted a series of articles that cast her statement as showing independence from the White House. Today, President Obama comes to Missouri to sell his health care plan, but Carnahan won't be there to welcome him. Coincidentally, as Obama heads west Carnahan has come east to Washington. Her campaign says she's there on long-scheduled official business, "meeting with financial regulators and policymakers to demand strong federal action to hold Wall Street bankers accountable and better protect consumers." While in Missouri, Obama is also set to attend a fundraiser benefiting the Show Me State's junior senator Claire McCaskill, a fierce advocate for Obama during the 2008 campaign. The event will also benefit the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, and both the White House and Carnahan's camp says those funds will indirectly support Carnahan's campaign. But Republicans are looking painting a different picture, saying the White House has "written off the Carnahan campaign." Continue reading "As Obama Visits Missouri, Senate Candidate Heads To DC" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 09, 2010

Obama Hits The Road As Internal Strife Threatens Reform So close to an important vote, President Obama might have been expected to be traveling Monday to the district of an undecided member of the House. Instead, Obama was outside Philadelphia, in a town shared by three Congressmen who voted for health care reform and show no signs of wavering. "If you look at where we're going, it doesn't really have an impact on a particular member," White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton told reporters on Air Force One en route to the event. "I wouldn't say that this is about any specific targeting in that sense." What the White House reportedly was hoping to do was create a sense of momentum behind his proposal, combining a supportive crowd with a particularly fiery speech from Obama. "I ask you to help us get us over the finish line these next few weeks," Obama shouted at the end of the event, described by many to be reminiscent of the 2008 campaign. "The need is great. The opportunity is here. Let's seize reform. It's within our grasp." In several interviews at the start of 2010, Obama said that if he were to point to one mistake in his first year, it would be that he and his administration were too focused on the inside game, making what were in some cases critical decisions, but overall failing to communicate with the public at large. "What they've ended up seeing is this feeling of remoteness and detachment," Obama told George Stephanopoulos just after Scott Brown won the Massachusetts Senate race. Events like Monday's, and another to come Wednesday in the St. Louis area, would seem to be part of the administration's answer. Sen. Arlen Specter (D), who joined Obama in his home state, said he was glad to see the passion from Obama, and that he wished he'd seen it sooner. Continue reading "Obama Hits The Road As Internal Strife Threatens Reform" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 03, 2010

Latest Health Care Pep Talk Takes Feisty Tone The lab coats were back. The East Room setting familiar. Even some of the rhetoric was the same. But President Obama's tone had a bit more edge to it today as he made yet another push to pass his health care reform plan -- one the White House hopes is among his last. Obama tried simplifying his plan, saying it would make three changes to the health care system: ending "the worst practices" of health insurance companies; opening an insurance exchange to give Americans more options; and lowering costs generally. It's a plan, he says, that "has been debated and changed and I believe improved over the last year," and incorporates many Republican ideas.

"I, therefore, ask leaders in both houses of Congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next few weeks," he demanded. "From now until then, I will do everything in my power to make the case for reform. And I urge every American who wants this reform to make their voice heard as well." Obama himself will hit the road with events in the purple states of Missouri and Pennsylvania. And he activated his former campaign organization to join "the final march for health reform." The political stakes are high, but Obama said he's not motivated by politics. In fact, he chastised the media for "a fascination, bordering on obsession" with the political ramifications of passing the bill. "I do not know how this plays politically, but I know it's right," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 01, 2010

Presidential Travel Favors Blue, Purple States President Obama's trip to Georgia tomorrow will be his first as president. According to data shared by the indispensable Mark Knoller of CBS News, it will mark the 31st state the president has traveled to since taking office last January. Looking more closely at those numbers, a pattern emerges that is hard to ignore. Obama has visited 23 of the 28 states he carried in November 2008, but only six of the 22 states carried by Republican John McCain. Broken into three broad categories: Obama has made 47 stops in the 19 states he carried by more than 10 points (including 16 in neighboring Maryland). Obama has made 44 stops in the 16 states where the final result was within 10 points (including 19 in neighboring Virginia). Obama has made 4 stops in the 15 states that McCain carried by more than 10 points.

And some of those visits to deep red states were more incidental. His only stop in Wyoming, for instance, was a family trip to Yellowstone National Park. He stopped in Alaska only briefly to speak with troops at Elmendorf Air Force Base, while Air Force One refueled for the remainder of his trip to Asia. It's the battleground states that have clearly gotten special notice. After Maryland, Virginia and New York, Ohio has seen the most visits with five. Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado have seen three presidential visits, while Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Indiana and Missouri have been visited twice. That's not to say all things are motivated by politics. Among the 20 states that have yet to see the president are the deep blue Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maine, just as the deeply red Oklahoma, Utah and Idaho are on his to-do list. But after tomorrow's stop in Georgia, there will be no state where the margin of victory for either candidate was 5 percent or less that he will have failed to visit. After the jump, a full list of the states Obama has visited, including the total number of visits. Thanks again to Mark Knoller for his data: Continue reading "Presidential Travel Favors Blue, Purple States" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 25, 2010

Durbin: Democrats Will "Press Forward" On Health Care Speaking to reporters during the lunch break at today's health care summit, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin hinted that Democrats are expecting to press ahead on health care through reconciliation, a tactic Republicans have decried for this legislation. "I'm glad the president is trying, the American people want him to try," he said, according to a pool report. "If nothing comes of this we're going to press forward. We just can't quit. This is a once in a political lifetime opportunity to deal with a health care system that is really unsustainable." The use of reconciliation was actually a flashpoint early on in today's summit, with Senate GOP Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander asking President Obama to renounce the use of the procedural tactic. "You can say that this process has been used before, and that would be right, but it's never been used for anything like this," he said. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid later responded. "No one has talked about reconciliation but that's what you folks have talked about ever since that came out, as if it's something that has never been done before," he said. "The Speaker and I have not talked about doing reconciliation as the only way out of all this. Of course it's not the only way out. But remember, since 1981 reconciliation has been used 21 times. Most of it has been used by Republicans, for major things, like much of the Contract for America, Medicare reform, the tax cuts for rich people in America. So reconciliation isn't something that's never been done before." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Recalling Obama's Health Care Messaging Republicans have been critical of today's health care summit as little more than a photo op. Well, it's just the latest in a long series of public events in which President Obama has tried to sell health reform to a skeptical nation and Congress. After the jump, take a walk down memory lane. Continue reading "Recalling Obama's Health Care Messaging" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 22, 2010

The Week Ahead: Health Care Summit Thirty years after the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid, Team USA wins another upset in Olympic hockey. Our side defeated the Canucks (Team Canada, that is) in Vancouver Sunday night 5-3, thanks in part to a solid performance in goal by Ryan Miller. Both teams move on to the elimination round, but the Americans get a bye. Here in Washington, it's another busy week. White House: At 10 am today, the Obama administration will officially post its latest health care proposal. Early reports on the draft call for the federal government getting new power to regulate excessive premium increases, on the heels of Anthem Blue Cross of California's announcement of a 25 percent hike. "The status quo is good for the insurance industry and bad for America," Obama said in his weekly video address. "And as bad as things are today, they'll only get worse if we fail to act." This all comes ahead of a planned bipartisan summit on Thursday where the president has promised to give Republicans a chance to pitch their ideas. Today, President Obama is set to speak to the National Governors Association at the White House (the governors enjoyed a state dinner there last night). Wednesday he'll speak to the Business Roundtable in Washington. Capitol Hill: House members never made it back to town two weeks ago as Washington was pummeled by snow, and last week was lost to the previously scheduled Presidents Day recess. So the House returns today -- a day early -- for a week in which health care heads back to the headlines. The president's health care summit is set for Thursday -- so far House Republicans haven't said whether they will attend, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday he and other Senate Republicans will be there. On the docket in the House this week could be a portion of the Democrats' comprehensive health care bill -- removing health insurers' antitrust exemption. The Senate picks up on some leftover business from two weeks ago as well with a cloture vote on a jobs bill scheduled for 5:30 pm tonight. Politics: This is the final full week of campaigning before the gubernatorial primaries in Texas on March 2. Gov. Rick Perry (R) seems to have a commanding lead in the Republican primary, but he's still short of the 50 percent threshold he needs to avoid a runoff, likely against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. We haven't seen polling since a third candidate, Debra Medina, drew criticism for comments about the 9/11 attacks on Glenn Beck's radio show. Speaking of Beck, his Saturday night speech capped off a busy weekend at CPAC. The biggest surprise was not Vice President Dick Cheney's unscheduled visit, but instead the victory of Ron Paul in a 2012 presidential primary straw poll. Expect that to lead to continued discussion of the role of the tea party movement as well as libertarians like Paul in the GOP ahead of elections this fall. Governors also made their mark this weekend at the NGA meeting, with considerable discussion on Sunday shows from both leaders in both parties about the political environment in Washington. Check back here for more from an interview with Gov. Jack Markell (D) and conversations with other state leaders this weekend. ** Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 47.1 / Disapprove 46.0 (+1.1) Congress Job Performance: Approve 20.4 / Disapprove 73.4 (-53.0) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +1.1 **In Case You Missed It: Speaking of governors, New York's David Paterson kicked off his reelection campaign Saturday. Judging by the headlines in the Big Apple, it didn't go well. Oddly enough, Paterson sat at a table with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel at Sunday night's state dinner, after the White House pushed him to announce he wouldn't run. Speaking of strange pairings, here's video of Michelle Obama talking about her obesity initiative with Mike Huckabee on his Fox News Channel show.

Medal Count: U.S., 24; Germany, 18; Norway 12; Canada, 9; Korea, 9; Austria, 8; Russia 8. --Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 15, 2010

The Week Ahead: Olympic Recess The Winter Olympics opened Friday evening under a somber cloud following the accidental death of a luger just hours earlier. The Vancouver-hosted games continued on, however, with an exciting first two days. Tops was the men's and women's freestyle skiing events. Canada's first gold medal on home soil was won last night in thrilling fashion by Alex Bilodeau -- who barely defeated Canadian-turned-Australian Dale Begg-Smith. America's Hannah Kearney turned in an equally awesome performance the night before to win gold ahead of Canadian favorite Jenn Heil. White House: The threat of snow shortened what was to have been a long weekend for President Obama at Camp David. He is back at the White House today with no events scheduled on the holiday. His schedule for the rest of the week includes a mix of domestic and foreign policy, as well as some politics. Tomorrow he'll have another event focused on jobs in the DC area. On Wednesday, Obama welcomes Spain's King Juan Carlos I to the White House, followed Thursday by a meeting with the Dalai Lama. Also Thursday, Obama will travel to Denver one year and one day after he signed the Recovery Act into law. This trip is about politics, though -- he'll be attending a fundraiser for Sen. Michael Bennet (D), appointed last year and facing a tough primary and general election this year. After the event, Obama travels to Las Vegas for a DNC fundraiser. Then on Friday, he'll have events to boost Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's re-election bid. Reid still faces an uphill climb, but he did get some good news with the decision of Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (R) not to run, and the qualification of a Tea Party candidate. Capitol Hill: Just before the weekend, Obama signed into law a bill raising the country's debt limit by nearly $2 trillion, as well as a requirement that any new spending or tax cuts by Congress must be offset by a corresponding spending reduction or revenue increase. Both chambers of Congress are on recess this week in celebration of Presidents Day. Due to snow, the House was out all last week as well. Senators and Representatives will return next Monday, Feb. 22. The Senate will open with a reading of George Washington's Farewell Address by Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), then take up a new jobs bill it was unable to compromise on last week. Politics: Two big conferences are on the schedule later this week. The annual CPAC gathering starts this Thursday in Washington, with Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio delivering the keynote in the morning. Also due to speak are Glenn Beck, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Then on Saturday the nation's governors descend on Washington for the annual NGA Meeting. NGA Chair Jim Douglas of Vermont had chosen health care as his policy focus for the year, so you can expect to hear the state leaders weighing in on the national debate. On Sunday night the governors have dinner at the White House. ** Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 47.6 / Disapprove 45.3 (+2.3) Congress Job Performance: Approve 20.4 / Disapprove 73.4 (-53.0) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.0 **In Case You Missed It: Today is Presidents Day, but Sunday was Vice Presidents Day on Sunday talk shows. RCP Video has clips from Joe Biden and Dick Cheney's dueling appearances, focused on the Obama administration's prosecution of the war on terrorism. This is a topic that will continue to be debated. Medal Count: U.S., 6; Germany, 4; France, 3; Canada, 3; Korea, 2; Italy, 2. --Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 09, 2010

Obama Says He's Open To GOP Ideas, Not Posturing President Obama outlined his vision for a bipartisan approach to health care today, saying that while he was open to considering new ideas from Republicans, he had little patience for a prolonged process where parties were more interested in scoring political points. "We can't afford grandstanding at the expense of actually getting something done," Obama said, arguing that Americans don't want "another year of partisan wrangling" and "posturing." Ahead of a scheduled February 25 summit on health care, the president said he would "start from scratch" only in the sense of giving a new airing to constructive proposals. "My hope is that we can find enough overlap that we can say, this is the right way to move forward even if I don't get every single thing that I want," Obama said. "Bipartisanship can't be that I agree to all of the things that they believe in or want, and they agree to none of the things that I believe in or want." Obama's comments came in a surprise visit to the press briefing room, which was emptier than usual as fewer reporters had made the trek to the White House through a snow-covered city. He said today's bipartisan, bicameral shows he's making a genuine outreach, though Republicans argue the White House is only reacting to a new political reality after a year in which they were shut out. "We're interested in a bipartisan conversation about health care. But a bipartisan conversation ought to be just that: bipartisan from the beginning," House Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters after emerging from today's meeting. "We've been asking to be involved in these health care conversations going back to a letter that we sent to the president last May, and we got no response to it." Continue reading "Obama Says He's Open To GOP Ideas, Not Posturing" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

White House Health Care Meeting Met With Skepticism On The Hill President Obama's recently proposed White House health care meeting was immediately met with skepticism on Capitol Hill -- Republicans are wary of the motives behind the move, while Democrats doubt the result will be any different than negotiations with the GOP over the past year. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, called it "a hollow PR blitz," adding, "Republicans welcome honest discussion, but this event reeks of political gamesmanship." GOP House leaders John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.) sent a lengthy letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel outlining their many concerns with the meeting. On the Senate side, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated a willingness to talk as long as the plans that passed the two chambers are scrapped and the two sides start from scratch, which Boehner and Cantor called for as well. "If we are to reach a bipartisan consensus, the White House can start by shelving the current health spending bill," said McConnell. Meanwhile, some liberal members aren't convinced Republicans are willing to negotiate and believe the opposing party has simply adopted an obstructionist political strategy -- and the event could provide a televised forum for political posturing. "If there is an earnest effort to come to some kind of understanding, then it's worth the effort," Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Monday in an interview with RealClearPolitics. "Personally, I'm not optimistic." President Obama announced the Feb. 25 meeting during an interview with CBS News just before the Super Bowl, hoping the televised effort will help bring transparency and solutions to the Democrats' stalled effort of reforming the health care system. Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate will be invited, though it's unclear which of the many factions in the debate are willing to compromise their priorities to solve the impasse. For instance, liberals are still pushing the public option, which was left out of the Senate bill after failing to receive enough support and assumed to be a nonstarter in bicameral negotiations. With weather permitting, Grijalva and other Progressive Caucus leaders will meet late this afternoon with several senators, including Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), to discuss the government-run insurance option, an insurance exchange and other reform measures. "We don't think they're dead," Grijalva said of the progressives' priorities. "I hate to be pessimistic about the White House meeting, but regardless of what happens with that we're still working to get something done." Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 08, 2010

The Week Ahead: Digging Out, Digging In We survived the Snowmageddon in Washington this weekend, but don't look now -- there's more coming this week. Meanwhile, what a weekend in New Orleans: a landslide mayoral win for Mitch Landrieu preceded a big win for the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV -- and Mardi Gras is just a week away. Laissez les bons temps rouler. ** White House: President Obama managed to sneak in some news during his pregame interview with Katie Couric last night. He's invited leadership from both parties for a health care summit at Blair House next week, all of which will be televised. The practical effect is a delaying tactic on health care legislation. The leadership was already scheduled to come to the White House this week for a session that is due to focus on other legislative priorities, a jobs bill in particular. Also on tap this week: the president hosts another White House concert, this one in honor of Black History Month. Also on Wednesday, Vice President Biden will give a broad speech on nuclear threats facing the nation. ** Capitol Hill:: Congress will likely be slowed this week by the District's massive snowstorm, with more snow expected Tuesday. The House wasn't expected back until Tuesday anyway, while the Senate delayed votes until tomorrow that had been scheduled for today. With jobs the No. 1 priority for Democrats this year, the Senate -- now with 59 Democratic votes -- is having trouble coming to a concensus on a jobs bill that was supposed to be voted on this week. Meanwhile, the House may vote this week on a piece of their comprehensive health care reform bill -- ending the antitrust exemption for insurance companies, titled, "Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act." ** Politics: Is New York Gov. David Paterson (D) resigning? During last night's Super Bowl, a report indicated that he would, with a coming bombshell in the New York Times being the trigger. Paterson's office quickly denied it. If Paterson did resign, it would elevate a man most New Yorkers would be hard-pressed to identify -- Richard Ravitch -- to the state's top job. Ravitch was only appointed lieutenant governor after a court fight this year over whether that position could be filled by the governor. If Paterson resigned, or at least announced that he won't run for election, it could speed up Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's entrance into the race. It's quite a saga in the Empire State that began with Eliot Spitzer's surprising resignation in 2008. Speaking of scandals, Illinois lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen officially announced Sunday night that he would withdraw his candidacy -- a move that spares state Democrats of a potentially disastrous situation this November. Though Cohen won the nomination last week on his own, state law calls for him to run jointly on a ticket with Gov. Pat Quinn this fall. Now, the state Democratic committee gets the luxury of picking a new candidate for that slot -- which could provide an opportunity to find someone more electorally potent for the entire slate. The Texas governor's race continues to heat up. Sarah Palin, fresh off her Tea Party Convention keynote address and Fox News Sunday appearance, joined Gov. Rick Perry yesterday for a rally. Meanwhile, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison paid for some Super Bowl ad space to air this attack on the incumbent. ** Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 48.4 / Disapprove 46.9 (+1.5) Congress Job Performance: Approve 22.4 / Disapprove 70.2 (-47.8) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.8 ** In Case You Missed It: It was a somewhat lackluster "SNL" this weekend, but this gem late in the show saved it. Andy Samberg's imitation of Rahm Emanuel wasn't great, but he nailed the White House chief of staff's attitude.

A bonus note: this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of the few good Super Bowl ads, the Oprah-Dave-Jay spot for "Late Show."

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 03, 2010

Obama, Giannoulias To Chat Today President Obama has not yet spoken with Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, now the Democratic nominee seeking the president's former Senate seat. A spokesman for the Giannoulias camp says that the White House did send its congratulations last night via a text message, and promised that the commander in chief would be calling today. A White House spokesman confirms that Obama will likely call Giannoulias today. Of course, Giannoulias was not the Chicago-heavy administration's preference to be the Senate nominee. Publicly they remained neutral, but state Attorney General Lisa Madigan was courted by administration officials. Here's what Robert Gibbs had to say last June: "The president has a very long relationship with the attorney general dating back to their time in the state Senate, and has enormous respect for what she accomplished there and as attorney general. I think she'd be a terrific candidate. But we're not going to get involved in picking that candidate." Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:40 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 01, 2010

White House Making The Case For Divided Government? Here's a sentiment you might expect to hear often in the midterm election campaign Republicans: Democrats alone can't be trusted to tackle the tough challenges facing the federal government. Oddly enough, though, it was White House press secretary Robert Gibbs who found himself making that argument today. Gibbs was discussing the president's plan to appoint a bipartisan deficit commission, which, as part of the budget rollout today, would be expected to find billions in savings to bring the deficit to within 3 points of GDP. Why, he was then asked, can't Democrats find those savings on their own, given their strong majorities in both chambers? Gibbs' exact response: "One party is not going to get -- one party is not going to be able to solve all these. The American people want both parties to work together to solve these. We can make those tough decisions if people are willing to work together to do that." NBC's Chuck Todd quickly jumped on that remark, pointing out that the remark seemed to be at odds with the political message before elections. "I'm going to vote for a Democrat in November," Gibbs responded. "But, Chuck, the American people want -- today is an election day, okay? Go back to what the President said: If every day is election day, then I can assure you we'll never solve any of the big problems." In response to a tweet from yours truly about this exchange, White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton took issue with the characterization that Gibbs was making Republicans' case for divided government. "[W]hat gibbs explained is that americans sent people of both parties here to do is actually govern," Burton responded via Twitter. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Week Ahead: Spotlight Illinois This week will be capped off Sunday with what should be an excellent Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints -- two teams with high-powered offenses and underrated defenses. Until then, our attention will be on Democrats' continued efforts at passing health care reform, a forthcoming jobs bill and President Obama's new budget blueprint. The most exciting moment, though, will be Tuesday night when Illinois primary election returns come in. ** White House: Today is budget day at the White House, and the administration's plan for fiscal 2011 will set the tone for the week. The $3.8 trillion budget is highlighted by the three-year discretionary spending freeze President Obama announced in last week's State of the Union address. Obama and administration officials will be highlighting the plan today. Also, Obama continues his State of the Union sales job with a "YouTube interview," where he takes questions submitted from users and selected by YouTube officials. Tuesday, Obama travels to New Hampshire for an event on the economy. Looking ahead, he'll meet with governors on Wednesday to talk energy policy, and speak at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday. ** Capitol Hill: The week on the Hill begins at 8 a.m. today, when the president's budget arrives. Meanwhile, health care remains the big question mark, as it's unclear if anyone knows what's going to happen -- if Democrats do attempt to pass a bill, how will they do it? Try reconciliation? Break it up in pieces? Or could House Democrats pass the Senate bill, even though Speaker Pelosi has said the votes aren't there? As the L.A. Times reports, conversations between Democratic leadership in both chambers is happening quietly, while the public focus is on creating jobs. We'll find out where unemployment is on Friday, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its January report. The House will also vote this week on statutory PAYGO legislation, which the Senate passed on a party-line vote last week. The bill requires any new spending to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere. ** Politics: Tuesday is Election Day in Illinois! It's the official start to the 2010 midterm elections, and it couldn't come any sooner. We were spoiled with the exciting Massachusetts special election two weeks ago, but the primaries for House, Senate, and governor in Illinois mark the beginning of what looks like it will be an eventful year. To see all the candidates running in Illinois, click here. Of the House primaries, there should be some drama in a few districts, including the 10th, which Republican Mark Kirk is vacating to run for Senate. In the 14th, former House speaker Dennis Hastert's son, Ethan, faces a GOP primary in his quest to win his father's seat, which has been held by Democrat Bill Foster for a term-and-a-half. Also up for grabs this year is Obama's former Senate seat and the governor's race, still stained from the memory of Rod Blagojevich -- with competitive primaries in both races. And don't forget, campaign finance reports were due last night. The latest reports will show how much money candidates have to begin the year, and will indicate which incumbents are vulnerable and which challengers have a chance. ** Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.3 / Disapprove 46.3 (+3.0) Congress Job Performance: Approve 26.3 / Disapprove 66.3 (-40.0) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +3.2 ** In Case You Missed It: Obama had two straight days of favorable national TV time. On Friday, Obama stood before the House GOP Conference at their annual retreat in Baltimore and answered questions for more than an hour. The Q-and-A was televised live and covered by all the nightly news programs. By Saturday, Organizing for America had emailed its millions-strong list of supporters with a link to the entire session, which can be found here. In a far less political appearance, Obama and Vice President Biden attended Saturday's Georgetown-Duke basketball game at Verizon Center in downtown D.C. (Georgetown won!) In the second half, Obama sat with the play-by-play announcers for a brief period of time and even analyzed one of the plays -- which drew rave reviews from the broadcasters. You can see video of that here. --Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 29, 2010

GOP To Obama: Pelosi's The Problem BALTIMORE, Md. -- President Obama and House Republicans had a rather candid, at times combative, but overall a fascinating and rare public exchange on the successes and failures of the administration's first year in office here today. Republicans came in determined to show that they in fact have been more than the "party of no" that Democrats portray them as, while Obama called on the opposition to tone down what he deemed as hyperbolic attacks. In the end, what emerged from the session was a clear sense of how Republicans could potentially frame this year's midterm elections. Multiple Congressmen rose to hail the president's promises and intentions but argued that he has been ill-served by an obstinate House Democratic leadership, and specifically Speaker Pelosi. That point was driven home most effectively, perhaps, by Rep. Pete Roskam (R-Ill.), a former colleague of Obama's in the Illinois state Senate. He said he had enjoyed collaborating on tough issues with Obama in Springfield, but wondered what had changed. "You've gotten the subtext of House Republicans that sincerely want to come and be a part of this national conversation toward solutions, but they've really been stiff-armed by Speaker Pelosi," Roskam said. "The obstacle is, frankly, the politics within the Democratic caucus." Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the GOP conference chairman, was more blunt, waving a compilation of his party's ideas, and saying to the president that the summary "is backed up by precisely the kind of detailed legislation that Speaker Pelosi and your administration have been busy ignoring for 12 months." Continue reading "GOP To Obama: Pelosi's The Problem" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Campaign Begins President Obama ended his state of the union address Wednesday by lamenting the state of affairs in Washington, where he said it seems that "every day is Election Day." "We can't wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about the other side -- a belief that if you lose, I win," he said. The irony is that the president's entire speech was perceived by some as a campaign speech more than a traditional state of the union message. It seemed tailored for independent voters, with a hodgepodge of policy announcements one might not have expected to hear from a liberal Democrat. Even the reaction inside the august House chamber - occasional hooting and hollering instead of simple applause -- added to that sense. Now, Obama has embarked on the traditional post-State of the Union road show. But if there was any doubt about the political nature of the president's travels, his early itinerary speaks volumes: a stop Thursday in the ultra-important I-4 corridor of central Florida, and next week a visit to the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire. "I seem to remember coming to Tampa two weeks before the election," Obama recalled at Thursday's town hall meeting. The St. Petersburg Times lead on the event said Obama had "returned to campaign mode," and was "revving up an adoring crowd." Vice President Biden joined him, the first time they were together in a setting like this since they traveled to Denver to sign the stimulus bill in Denver last February. Much has changed since then, particularly the political environment. Thursday's State of the Union was seen as a chance to hit the "reset" button and strike a new tone. But Obama bristled at the notion, lambasting press coverage that claimed he was. He recalled a quote from that October 2008 rally in Tampa: "I said, 'Change never comes without a fight.' That was true then. It's true now." If there is a change in approach, it's the belief on the part of the White House that the constraints of the White House itself has diminished the Obama brand, that he's less of an extra-Beltway change agent behind an East Room podium than he is at a town hall in Tampa. "It's always nice to get out of Washington ... and spend a little time with the people who sent me to Washington," Obama told the Florida audience. Today, rather than rolling out more details of a small business lending initiative from the West Wing, he's making a short trip to an actual small business inside the other Beltway in Baltimore. Obama is expected to make more such stops in the weeks ahead, as are members of his Cabinet. He's also dipping back into the new media playbook, with a plan to field questions submitted through YouTube next week. Alluding to the Massachusetts result in Wednesday's speech, Obama said that it's "clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual." Clearly. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 28, 2010

Obama Targets A Deadlocked Senate President Obama's first State of the Union had many messages for many audiences, and one of the ones he seemed to target Wednesday night was none other than his former home, the United States Senate. On at least four occasions, the president made specific mention of the Senate for its failure to act on a piece of legislation approved by the House. On jobs: "Now, the House has passed a jobs bill that includes some of these steps. As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same, and I know they will. They will. People are out of work. They're hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay. On cap and trade: And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America. I am grateful to the House for passing such a bill last year. And this year I'm eager to help advance the bipartisan effort in the Senate. On a deficit commission: Now, yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So I'll issue an executive order that will allow us to go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans. And on pay-go: And when the vote comes tomorrow, the Senate should restore the pay-as-yougo law that was a big reason for why we had record surpluses in the 1990s. In a speech where Obama conceded that he has come short thus far in his mission to change the nature of politics, he also targeted the Senate in particular for the kinds of delaying tactics that have stymied his agenda. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town -- a supermajority -- then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. Knowing full well that he faces hurdles in both chambers on health care, he instead made an appeal to his own part at large, making the argument his former campaign manager articulated in a weekend op-ed - no "bed-wetting" - with a bit more presidential gravitas. "To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town -- a supermajority -- then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. Continue reading "Obama Targets A Deadlocked Senate" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 27, 2010

The State of the Union The State of the Union address, as delivered by the president tonight, can be read in full after the jump. For the record, it ran about 7,500 words and took one hour and nine minutes to deliver, including applause. Continue reading "The State of the Union" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

SOTU Excerpts: Obama "Will Not Walk Away" From Health Reform The White House has released excerpts from tonight's State of the Union address. One of them signals how the President intends to frame health care. It's the shortest of the passages they've released, but in it, President Obama talks about the fact that more Americans will have lost insurance by the time he finishes his remarks. "I will not walk away from these Americans. And neither should the people in this chamber," he will say. More excerpts after the jump. Continue reading "SOTU Excerpts: Obama "Will Not Walk Away" From Health Reform" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Speech Tests Obama's Ability To Set Agenda With interest in the new president still high, more than 50 million Americans watched Barack Obama deliver his first speech to a joint session of Congress last February. That audience will likely slip some as he makes his first official State of the Union address tonight, but it still represents his best opportunity in some time to speak directly to a wide audience. The question is: for how long will Americans be listening? According to CBS News' Mark Knoller, President Obama delivered remarks of some length 411 times in his first 365 days in office, including not one but two speeches to joint sessions of Congress. He also was made available for 158 interviews, far more than his recent predecessors, and held four prime-time news conferences. It's part of a communication strategy based in the belief that Obama is the administration's best advocate, and that the press and the public would pay attention. The risk now is that as Americans grow more skeptical of the administration and its policies, they may start to tune out that messenger. A CNN poll released Tuesday found that six in 10 Americans believe Obama to be a strong leader, but only 45 percent say he has the right priorities. The State of the Union address is seen as an opportunity for the president to better communicate those priorities, something Obama has conceded recently he has failed to do. "We've been so focused on just getting things done that I think that we stopped giving voice to the frustrations that people have about the process here in Washington," Obama told ABC's Diane Sawyer Monday. Tonight may be the last chance Obama gets to set the agenda in a way that commands the attention of lawmakers, the press, and voters watching at home. Part of the rationale for the "big bang" approach of the first year was the recognition that the reality of politics sets in during the second. Sure enough, Democrats and Republicans have already spoken critically of new proposals that have been leaked before the speech, most notably a freeze on discretionary spending. How well Obama uses the bully pulpit tonight, and when he hits the road after, will test whether he can still convince the public at large. Obama's effectiveness in selling the message has indeed declined throughout the year. He saw only a modest bump on health care after his last address before Congress in September. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll out Tuesday night found that only 31 percent of those surveyed thought Obama's health care plan was a good idea, while 46 percent said a bad idea. In September, it was a closer 39/41 split. Forty-four percent also said Obama has paid too much attention to health care, while more than 50 percent say he hasn't focused enough on the economy, despite assurances of a "hard pivot" to the economy. On the stump, Obama has also failed to seal the deal. Thousands jammed venues to see the commander in chief, but each of the three Democrats he's campaigned for since October losing. Obama conceded to an audience in Ohio last Friday that he had hit a "buzz saw," particularly after a defeat in Massachusetts. He's expected to accept some responsibility for the missteps that led to leaving unfulfilled some of the promises he made for his first year. The challenge tonight is to give Americans reason to follow along to avoid an even worse outcome this fall. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink

State of the Political Landscape As President Obama prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address tonight, few Democrats expected the first year of his presidency to end with the party in such poor shape politically heading into this year's midterm elections. So before we hear about the overall state of the country, here is a quick rundown on the state of its politics: • House Democrats hold a 256-178 majority in the House, with one vacant seat (Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., resigned this month), while Senate Democrats hold a 59-41 seat advantage following the Massachusetts special Senate election of Scott Brown (R). • Nearly 20 percent of Democrat-held congressional districts (49) are listed as competitive races by the Cook Political Report; 5 percent of Republican seats (10) are competitive. • After losses in New Jersey and Virginia last November, Democrats' advantage in governors' offices is down to 26-24. In the 2010 elections, 11 Democrats are retiring or term-limited, as are 11 Republicans. Of 14 races rated as "toss-up" by the Cook Political Report, 10 are Republicanheld seats. • In 2008, John McCain won 49 congressional districts where a Democrat was elected to the House; one such Democrat, Parker Griffith, recently switched to the Republican Party. Barack Obama won 34 districts that elected a Republican. • Ten Democrat-held congressional districts are competitive open-seat races, where the incumbent is retiring. Republicans so far have two such seats. • Seven of Democrats' 18 Senate seats up for re-election this year are considered competitive, according to Cook; four of 18 Republican seats are competitive. • Democrats are in serious danger of losing both President Obama's and Vice President Biden's former Senate seats. In both cases, the appointed senator is not running for re-election (in Illinois, that's a good thing), and the party failed to recruit its top choice candidates -- Attorneys General Lisa Madigan of Illinois and Beau Biden of Delaware. • Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in deep electoral trouble, trailing two Republicans who may not even end up on the general election ballot. The GOP is reportedly still seeking a topflight candidate to take on the vulnerable Reid. • Arkansas is a microcosm of Democrats' troubles. Its congressional delegation currently stands at five Democrats and one Republican. With Reps. Marion Berry and Vic Snyder retiring and Sen. Blanche Lincoln facing a potential GOP knock-out, Republicans could hold four of the six seats in the 112th Congress. • Democrats' best news this year has been the retirement of five-term Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who was likely to lose in November. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal currently holds big leads over his potential GOP opponents. • Pennsylvania is one of the more awkward situations, as the White House and Democratic leadership promised Sen. Arlen Specter significant support if he switched parties. Now, he's up against Rep. Joe Sestak in a bitter Democratic primary and trailing Republican Pat Toomey in early polls. Plus, he no longer represents the 60th vote. • Democrats are looking at four GOP-held Senate races in particular as potential pick-up opportunities, all of which the Republican incumbent is retiring: Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio. • The national Democratic House and Senate campaign committees had great fundraising years, outpacing both Republican counterparts. This will certainly help in protecting its many incumbents in GOP-leaning districts, while some Republican challengers may not get significant monetary assistance from the national party. While the landscape looks rough for Democrats, party leaders say they were not caught by surprise as they were in 1994, when Republicans dominated the midterm elections two years after Bill Clinton won the White House. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, maintains that the party was expecting a tough political environment, as history shows the party that wins the White House often loses congressional seats in the following midterms. "Even as the president was being sworn in -- and we were all still celebrating the election of President Barack Obama and even bigger majorities in the Congress -- we told our members to prepare for a very challenging cycle," Van Hollen told reporters in December, adding, "This is not going to be 1994 all over again." Some Republicans, however, think it could be, and put the blame squarely on Democratic congressional leaders who "overreached" on their agenda last year. In a memo last month, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said the party expects "to make significant, if not historic, gains" in the House this year. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 26, 2010

Biden And The Supermajority You can take the man out of the Senate, but you can't take the Senate out of the man. Vice President Biden seems to be quite concerned with the state of his former stomping grounds of late, particularly the requirement of 60 votes to move most legislation of late. At a Florida fundraiser last week, Biden decried the supermajority requirement. "As long as I have served ... I've never seen, as my uncle once said, the constitution stood on its head as they've done. This is the first time every single solitary decisions has required 60 senators," he said. Biden took a somewhat different approach today at another event for the DNC. "I'm not so sure what a blessing 60 votes was," he said, with Democrats now having lost that margin. "When we had 60 votes there was the expectation left, right, and center that we could do everything we wanted to do, which was never realistic. Never." He also noted that the party only got to 60 midway through 2009, when Al Franken was finally seated after a protracted recount dispute. Before then, "no one though that somehow we were destined to fail ... Nobody thought we would not be able to get anything done." But with the party heading back to 59 seats as soon as Scott Brown is seated, he spun it as a positive, that now Republicans "are going to have to be accountable as well." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

In Speech, Obama May Set Reaganesque Path There's considerable theater surrounding President Obama's first State of the Union address tomorrow night, coming as polls reflect increasing skepticism about his presidency and the Democratically-controlled Congress. With a fresh rebuke from the voters of Massachusetts, Obama will enter the House chamber seemingly humbled, and also very much aware of the political stakes. "I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president," the president told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an interview Monday. Exactly what tone he'll set from the rostrum is yet to be seen. But there are two interesting parallels to be drawn with two of his predecessors with whom he's compared often. In 1995, President Clinton delivered his second State of the Union address before the first majority-Republican Congress in generations. He immediately set a conciliatory tone, with a line that bears striking similarity to the sentiment Obama expressed after Scott Brown's victory last week. "If we agree on nothing else tonight, we must agree that the American people certainly voted for change in 1992 and in 1994," he said. "As I look out at you, I know how some of you must have felt in 1992." Reflecting on a political climate that is often compared to today's, Clinton also said that the American people were not "singing," but "shouting. "And now all of us, Republicans and Democrats alike, must say, 'We hear you. We will work together to earn the jobs you have given us. For we are the keepers of a sacred trust, and we must be faithful to it in this new and very demanding era.'" Continue reading "In Speech, Obama May Set Reaganesque Path" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 25, 2010

The Week Ahead: State Of The Presidency Championship Sunday in the NFL gives way to a very busy week in the world of politics. Congratulations to the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts and the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints, who will face off in Miami in Super Bowl XLIV. Hard not to root for the Saints, whose first-ever Super Bowl appearance comes less than five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans. ** White House: The main event in Washington is on Wednesday, when President Obama delivers his first official State of the Union address. It's actually his third address to a joint session of Congress; a year ago he delivered a "budget address," and then a September speech on health care. Obama hunkered down at the White House this weekend working on drafts. We always tend to say these are critical moments, but in the wake of the Massachusetts Senate result and with health care in the balance, it's safe to say this is. The White House is clearly feeling the heat, as shown by the announcement this weekend that David Plouffe, campaign manager of Obama's successful 2008 campaign, is taking a more formal role in the White House's political operation. In Sunday's Washington Post he wrote: "If Democrats will show the country we can lead when it's hard, we may not have perfect election results, but November will be nothing like the nightmare that talking heads have forecast." Obama starts the week with a meeting with the Middle Class Task Force today. The hoopster-inchief will also meet with the NBA Champion Lakers this afternoon. After Wednesday's address, the president and vice president will have a rare joint event outside Washington, in the key swing state of Florida. Friday, Obama will head to Baltimore to join Republicans at their issues conference. ** Capitol Hill:: The House will only be in session two days this week, with Monday off and Republicans holding their issues conference Thursday and Friday. The Senate this week will continue work on raising the debt limit, and also is expected to vote on the confirmation of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who's four-year term is up at the end of the week. Both chambers will, of course, welcome the president on Wednesday evening. ** Politics:: Another busy week in politics. The RNC is meeting in Obama's home state of Hawaii starting today, where Michael Steele's leadership will be a hotly-debated topic. On Thursday, the House GOP's Issues Retreat kicks off in Baltimore, with the title of "Winning Back America." There will be considerable focus Obama's visit on Friday, but former House Majority Leader Dick Armey also gives a keynote on Thursday. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who delivers the GOP response to Obama's State of the Union address, will also speak at this retreat. Democrats are reeling with yet another retirement, this time Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry. It's the first such retirement since Brown's victory. Another potential sign of Democrats' midterm anxiety is in Delaware, where some in the party fret that Beau Biden may not seek his father's old Senate seat as expected. A Wilmington News Journal report quoted Joe Biden as saying he thought his son would not make the race, but the VP's office said the author misquoted him. And don't look now, but there's another election on the horizon. This is the final week of campaigning in Illinois, where voters head to the polls to choose nominees for the Senate and gubernatorial races on February 2. A Chicago Tribune poll out Sunday showed Alexi Giannoulias and Mark Kirk leading in the Senate primaries. ** Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.6 / Disapprove 44.9 (+4.7) Congress Job Performance: Approve 26.0 / Disapprove 66.2 (-40.2) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.5 ** In Case You Missed It: Is this the first time someone has ever used, "I'm giving the State of the Union address this week" as an excuse to get out of jury duty? AP reports that President Obama received a summons at his Chicago home to appear at a suburban courthouse Monday. "A White House official said Sunday that the president has alerted the court he won't be able to make it," the report says. --Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 22, 2010

Obama Meets The "Buzz Saw" During a town hall meeting in Ohio this afternoon, President Obama will acknowledge the new political challenges he faces in the wake of the Massachusetts Senate special election, but promise to keep "fighting" for those struggling in a tough economy. Framing his struggles in populist terms, he says the hurdles he's run into are a result of the strength of "special interests" and "their armies of lobbyists," as well as "partisan politics." "I have to admit, we've run into a bit of a buzz saw along the way," the president will say, according to prepared remarks released by the White House. "The longer it's taken, the uglier the process has looked." And while "folks in Washington" are in "a little bit of a frenzy" over the victory of Republican Scott Brown, Obama will downplay to some extent the impact of the race on his goal of health care reform. "I didn't take up this issue to boost my poll numbers or score political points - believe me, if I were, I would have picked something a lot easier than this," he will say. "No, I'm trying to solve the problems that folks here in Elyria and across this country face every day. And I am not going to walk away just because it's hard." The visit to Ohio is part of Obama's "White House to Main Street" tour. In his remarks, the president follows up on a point he made in an interview with ABC this week, that perhaps his administration has not communicated sufficiently its efforts to help Americans. "The truth is, being President is also a little confining," he'll say. "I can't just walk around and visit people like I used to. I can't just go to the barber shop or sit at a diner." To that end, Obama's trip included an unscheduled stop at a local diner, where he picked up the tab for one man's chili. A reminder of days on the campaign. -Follow the RCP on Twitter. Become a fan of RCP on Facebook. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 21, 2010

Obama Blasts Campaign Finance Decision A strong statement from President Obama on today's Supreme Court ruling that frees corporations to spend unlimited sums on political campaigns: With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics. It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans. This ruling gives the special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington--while undermining the influence of average Americans who make small contributions to support their preferred candidates. That's why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision. The public interest requires nothing less. It's worth noting, of course, that as a candidate Obama broke a pledge to stay within the matching funds program for presidential candidates. Sen. John McCain (R) had this warning when he made that decision: "Barack Obama is now the first presidential candidate since Watergate to run a campaign entirely on private funds. This decision will have far-reaching and extraordinary consequences that will weaken and undermine the public financing system." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 20, 2010

Obama's First Year By The Numbers CBS Radio White House correspondent Mark Knoller, considered the unofficial historian of the press corps, has a must-read story giving a detailed review of President Obama's first year in office. One number Knoller flags as "striking" is the number of interviews the president has done over the course of the year: 158 in total, including 90 televised Q-and-As. Knoller claims that this is "far more than any of his recent predecessors in their first year," and reflects a strategy of the White House that Obama "can best respond to questions in an interview setting." He also conducted 42 news conferences, compared to 21 in President Bush's first year. Some other notable stats: Obama attended 28 fundraisers this year, far more than the six Bush held in his first year. But Bush raised more money at those events: $48 million, versus just under $28 million for Obama. 52 of his 411 official remarks this year focused on health care, or about one of every eight. All this for a legislative initiative that hangs in the balance after Scott Brown's shocking win in Massachusetts yesterday. The TelePrompter was used for 178 of those statements. He's traveled to 58 cities in 30 states, covering less ground than Bush (38 states) but more than President Clinton (22) in their first years.

You can read more from Knoller's accounting here. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 19, 2010

White House Playing The Expectations And Blame Games Gone are the optimistic pronouncements from White House aides that Martha Coakley will win. Instead, some subtle blame-shifting and no signal yet that the Obama administration plans to give up on health care despite an expected loss in Massachusetts tonight. As late as Sunday, as Air Force One returned from Boston, press secretary Robert Gibbs was predicting victory. Today at the daily press briefing, Gibbs did his best to push off any comment on the situation in Massachusetts until the results were in. But he acknowledged there is still "a tremendous amount of upset and anger" about the nation's economic situation, implying that said unease continues to be a motivating factor for voters. Still, Gibbs said that President Obama himself is "both surprised and frustrated" at the predicament the party finds itself in, trailing in the race for a Senate seat in the bluest of blue states. He declined to specify where that frustration was directed. But senior adviser David Axelrod was a bit more transparent in criticizing the Coakley camp for a lackluster effort. In a gathering with regional reporters today, he said the White House "did everything we were asked to do" to help Coakley, adding: "I think if we had been asked earlier, we would have responded earlier." Continue reading "White House Playing The Expectations And Blame Games" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Gets Official Invite to Congress Congress officially invited President Obama today to give the State of the Union address, which is scheduled for Jan. 27 at 9 p.m. ET. It's a traditional formality, but one we like to report anyway. Here it is: January 19, 2010 The Honorable Barack Obama The President of the United States The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: Over the past year, the Congress and your Administration have worked together to address the urgent needs of the American people. Many challenges remain in the weeks and months ahead to strengthen our national security and our economy, create jobs, and address other important priorities. We look forward to continuing to work with you toward these goals. We would like to invite you to deliver a State of the Union address to a Joint Session of the Congress on Wednesday, January 27 to share your vision for addressing the many critical challenges our country faces at home and internationally. Thank you for considering this invitation to speak to the Congress and the nation. We look forward to your reply. Sincerely,

NANCY PELOSI HARRY REID Speaker of the House Majority Leader of the Senate

-Follow RCP on Twitter. Become a fan of RCP on Facebook. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 18, 2010

State Of The Union Set For January 27 President Obama will deliver his first official State of the Union address on Jan. 27, White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton tweeted this afternoon. The timing had been in flux for some time, with some speculating that the White House had hoped to hold off the major address until after the health care reform package was a done deal. By setting it for next Wednesday, it would seem the administration believes that goal is no longer possible. Health reform itself could be in jeopardy, as Democrats face the very real possibility of losing their 60-vote supermajority tomorrow. With his signature legislative initiative unlikely to be accomplished at this milestone, the speech would only take on greater significance. Consider what former President Clinton had to say about this a few months ago: "We need to put a bill on the president's desk and he needs to sign it, so at the State of the Union he's not explaining why we haven't done health care." Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:34 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Week Ahead: Election En Mass. Martin Luther King Jr. was born 81 years ago. Today we celebrate all of his and other Civil Rights leaders' accomplishments, which were made even more obvious last year when Barack Obama was sworn in as president. As we look back to the past, it's impossible not to wonder what the future holds -- specifically tomorrow's special election in Massachusetts and its impact on comprehensive health care reform in Congress. ** Politics: Polls clearly show the momentum in the Massachusetts Senate special election race quickly moving toward Republican Scott Brown, who just a couple weeks ago was still considered a longshot. A palpable shift in the mood of the country is on display as the seat held by Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy since 1952 (except for two years and some change) is in danger of going Republican. The stakes are so high that President Obama himself went to Massachusetts Sunday. It's worth noting how health care seemed to be barely mentioned in his remarks, as instead he relied on the party's push on the so-called bank fee, which was just announced last week. Returning from the event, press secretary Robert Gibbs reaffirmed the belief of the White House that Coakley would win. "That was the theme of what this race has been, I think what the President will talk a lot about for the next year," he said. If Brown wins, look for one major topic to be how soon he's sworn in. We've written about the potential delay Democrats could seek to take advantage of, which would then raise the question of whether they can still muster 60 votes needed to pass the bill quickly. A defeat for Democrats in Massachusetts of all places certainly would raise the possibility that one of the wavering votes -Ben Nelson or Blanche Lincoln, perhaps -- feel pressure to change sides. It's a bad mojo weekend for Democrats leading up to the vote, as there are fresh reminders of other defeats. Bob McDonnell (R) was sworn in as Virginia's governor Saturday. And as Massachusetts voters go to the polls Tuesday, New Jersey will see its new Republican governor, Chris Christie, take office. ** White House: What could make a Coakley loss so damning for the White House is the timing -- on the eve of the one-year anniversary of President Obama's inauguration. Just think back to the president's 100th day in office -- it came just after Arlen Specter switched parties and handed Democrats what, pending the Al Franken result being made official, would be their 60th vote. Now, if Brown wins, they'll lose that supermajority on another milestone day. The White House is not marking the anniversary in any formal way. Monday, the president marks Martin Luther King Day with an event featuring African American seniors and their grandchildren. Thursday, a delegation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors will visit the White House. On Friday, Obama heads to Ohio for another stop on his "White House to Main Street Tour." ** Capitol Hill: The Senate returns to official business Wednesday after a much-needed break. It seems like a year ago, but less than a month ago the senators gathered on the chamber floor Christmas Eve to vote on health care reform. It passed, and negotiations between the House, Senate and White House on a compromise bill has been in the works ever since. A week ago, many Democrats in Congress still weren't taking the threat of a Republican win in Massachusetts seriously. Remember -- the big news last Monday was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's awkward comments about Obama's skin and speaking pattern. By the end of the week, however, the White House announced that the president would indeed be deployed to the Bay State, while Democratic leaders in Congress were trying to figure out a contingency plan in case they fell below 60 Democratic seats in the Senate. The Capitol awaits Tuesday's results. ** Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.1 / Disapprove 44.5 (+4.6) Congress Job Performance: Approve 26.3 / Disapprove 67.5 (-41.2) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.0 ** In Case You Missed It: Three of the top four top seeds in the NFL playoffs -- AFC's Colts (1), and the NFC's Saints (1) and Vikings (2) -- all advanced to this weekend's NFC and AFC championship games, which will decide the Super Bowl contenders. Missing from that list: the San Diego Chargers, who were upset in the only competitive game of the weekend by the New York J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets. Those Jets only got into the playoffs thanks to the Colts pulling their starters in the second half of their Week 16 matchup. Now they'll get a test of the team at full strength for four quarters. --Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 11, 2010

The Week Ahead: Game Changers Sunday made for a great day of TV -- the Arizona Cardinals topped Green Bay in overtime after combining to score nearly 100 points, and one of our favorite shows of all time turned 20. Now let's take a look at what Monday and beyond holds in store for us in The Week Ahead: The White House: What happened to the "hard pivot" back to the economy? The Christmas terror plot delayed that somewhat, but it is expected to be on display this week in the White House. At the same time, President Obama will make a visit to Capitol Hill midweek to meet with Democrats on health care. There is sure to be some increased pressure to move quickly, with the yet-to-bescheduled State of the Union address looming, and perhaps some nervousness about the potential for a Republican upset in the Massachusetts special election next week. The President's schedule for the week is light on details for the week, but today's rundown includes a meeting with labor leaders. Thursday, he'll speak at a forum on modernizing government. Also on tap: a Tuesday meeting between the president and female golfers. Vice President Biden remains in Wilmington, where services are scheduled Monday and Tuesday for his late mother, Jean Finnegan Biden. The Capitol: "Vacation" is officially over for representatives in the House, which opens for business again Tuesday at noon. Of course, Democratic leadership has been back for a week continuing the push for a health care reform compromise with the Senate, which doesn't return to session until next week. A few outside factors -- which we delve into in the next section -- have added increased incentive for Democrats to get something done quickly. As for the year ahead, no matter what happens with health care, the president and Congress have indicated that jobs will be a legislative priority in the second session of the 111th Congress. Another issue to watch for is immigration reform -- 80 House Dems introduced a new resolution in mid-December. Politics: So much to talk about -- where to begin. The fallout from "Game Change," a new book from Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, has rocked the political world with salacious details about the 2008 presidential campaign. Harry Reid is looking to put controversial comments about Obama's race behind him. Politico reported on a claim in the book over tension between running mates Obama and Biden. An excerpt about John Edwards will bring his scandal back to the forefront. And "60 Minutes" featured new-ish details about Sarah Palin's chaotic run as John McCain's vice presidential nominee. Michael Steele, plugging his own new book, will continue to be in the headlines as well. Reid's troubles made for a convenient distraction from increasingly public concerns from GOP types about his leadership. In the run-up to the RNC's winter meeting in Hawaii next week, look for more talk about his role. State of the races: by week's end, we should have an official accounting of the fundraising totals for all the candidates for Congress this fall. FEC reports for the final quarter of 2009 should be public by Friday. Open Secrets had a good post this week using some already public numbers outlining some of the races on the House side where challengers had outraised incumbents. Finally, this is the final week of campaigning in Massachusetts in the special election to finish Ted Kennedy's unexpired term. New polling this weekend showed very different results, but most Democrats will concede that it's closer than they'd like it to be. Make no mistake: if a Republican upset happens here with Scott Brown victorious, it will make the Democratic retirements this week look like the good old days. It also could mean health care never gets approved, at least in its current form. Bill Clinton headlines a Martha Coakley rally Friday. Perhaps Biden will be dispatched, or the president will record a TV ad. The candidates have one more debate tonight at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 48.8 / Disapprove 46.0 (+2.8) Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8 (-38.4) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.8 In Case You Missed It: Last night Fox marked the 20th anniversary of "The Simpsons," and the 450th episode. In honor of the great cartoon show we recall one of its great episodes, and what The Hotline (where both of us once worked) once called one of the greatest political satires ever: the season two show called "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish." That's when Mr. Burns runs for governor. No clips online, but here's a good summary. --Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 08, 2010

RIP, Jean Finnegan Biden In a statement this afternoon, Vice President Biden announces that his mother, Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan Biden, "passed away peacefully" today at her home in Wilmington today, "surrounded by her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren and many loved ones." At 92, she was the center of our family and taught all of her children that family is to be treasured, loyalty is paramount and faith will guide you through the tough times. She believed in us, and because of that, we believed in ourselves. Together with my father, her husband of 61 years who passed away in 2002, we learned the dignity of hard work and that you are defined by your sense of honor. Her strength, which was immeasurable, will live on in all of us." During his campaign for vice president, which I covered full time as a reporter for NBC, Biden spoke of his mother at almost every event. The whole Biden family is very close, and even after becoming vice president, Biden traveled home to Wilmington often to be with her, since she did not want to move to Washington. He also spoke movingly of the role she played in his life as he accepted the nomination for VP in Denver: I wish that my dad was here tonight, but I am so grateful that my mom, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden, is here. You know, she taught her children -- all the children who flocked to our house-that you are defined by your sense of honor, and you are redeemed by your loyalty. She believes bravery lives in every heart and her expectation is that it will be summoned. Failure at some point in everyone's life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable. As a child I stuttered, and she lovingly told me it was because I was so bright I couldn't get the thoughts out quickly enough. When I was not as well dressed as others, she told me how handsome she thought I was. When I got knocked down by guys bigger than me, she sent me back out and demanded that I bloody their nose so I could walk down that street the next day. After the accident, she told me, "Joey, God sends no cross you cannot bear." And when I triumphed, she was quick to remind me it was because of others. My mother's creed is the American creed: No one is better than you. You are everyone's equal, and everyone is equal to you. My parents taught us to live our faith, and treasure our family. We learned the dignity of work, and we were told that anyone can make it if they try. That was America's promise. For those of us who grew up in middle-class neighborhoods like Scranton and Wilmington, that was the American dream and we knew it.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Two Presidents Meet, With Campaign Clashes Behind Them We've come a long way from the days of the Obama "fairy tail." Two years to the day that Bill Clinton launched into one of the most infamous tirades of the 2008 campaign, the former president was sitting with his wife's formal rival in the Oval Office. Aides to both President Clinton and Obama claim it was just a courtesy call, with the 42nd president in town on other business. Clinton was also to greet Rahm Emanuel, a former aide in his White House and now the chief of staff. But undoubtedly Clinton's visit was an opportunity to buck up his successor; for the great tactician-in-chief to give some advice -- solicited or not -- about Obama's many predicaments as he approaches the one year mark in office. The situation Obama finds himself in is in many ways similar to the one Clinton's 16 years ago -in the polls especially. Gallup this week released numbers showing that Obama holds the secondlowest approval rating of any president entering his second year, just behind Clinton, and slightly better than Ronald Reagan. Obama took on the health care challenge earlier than did Clinton, who ran on the theme of, "It's the economy stupid." Just before the Christmas holiday, as the White House faced new criticism of their plan from their own left flank, led by Howard Dean, the administration appealed to the former president to issue a statement in support of the latest proposal. He complied. "Does this bill read exactly how I would write it? No. Does it contain everything everyone wants? Of course not. But America can't afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And this is a good bill," Clinton wrote. Make no mistake: there was bad blood between Clinton and Obama during the hotly-contested Democratic primary. It was at its fiercest in the weeks after the then-Illinois senator shocked many by winning the Iowa caucuses. On the eve of the New Hampshire primary that his wife would win, Clinton told an audience at Dartmouth College that the image Obama had cultivated, particularly as the anti-war candidate, was the "biggest fairy tale" he'd ever seen. As the campaign went on, Clinton would claim Obama's impending victory in South Carolina was based, as Jesse Jackson's was decades before, simply on race. He bristled at perceived slights of his record from Obama, particularly when he said that Clinton's presidency had not been "transformational" in the way Ronald Reagan's had. Various accounts since the campaign reveal that the wariness of Obama aides of Clinton was a leading factor in Hillary Clinton being ruled out as a serious vice presidential contender. But since Obama took the oath of office, Clinton has proved to be a loyal and understated ally, keeping mostly to the work of his foundation and doing some political events for his wife's biggest supporters. He has been called on by the White House several times, most famously when he flew to North Korea to personally arrange for the return of American journalists being held by the oppressive regime. The two presidents have met in person at least three times now, be it at the White House or at a New York restaurant. They've consulted by phone other times as well, developing a collegial relationship grounded in the unique status each holds as the elected leader of the free world. By close of business Thursday, neither the White House press office nor a Clinton aide had much to say about what the two leaders discussed in their latest meeting. As the current president readies his first State of the Union address, looks to close the deal on health care, and faces a new, unforeseen challenge in the war on terror, there was, of course, no shortage of material. Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 04, 2010

Aloha, Vacation; Aloha, Full Plate President Obama is now back at the White House, perhaps a bit jet lagged and regretful that his working vacation is officially over. Aides won't rule out a public appearance, but say it's unlikely we'll see him today. But he will jump right back to work with more briefings on the attempted Christmas Day airline attack and the threats from al Qaida in Yemen that are increasingly in public focus. He'll have a larger meeting with his security team tomorrow at the White House. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, was the public face for the administration today, calling instability in Yeman "a threat to regional stability and even global stability." The economy will also stay in focus, particularly with a jobs report due at week's end. Before Air Force One touched down in the Washington area, deputy press secretary Bill Burton talked about the full plate welcoming the president as he returns. "When you're President of the United States you've got to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, so you can anticipate there's going to be a very heavy push to get Americans back to work, to get the economy as strong as it can be, along with some of the other things that we left behind at the end of the year to get finished up here -- health care, financial regulatory reform," Burton said. "Then also along with what's happening on these counterterrorism measures and Yemen, we've also got issues to deal with with Iran and North Korea and Pakistan. And you can bet that the President and his principals and deputies will all be taking on their full plates of work with rested minds hopefully and we'll be able to make some good progress here right out of the starting gate." Continue reading "Aloha, Vacation; Aloha, Full Plate" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:11 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Week Ahead: Welcome To Election Year We love Washington and all, but -- no matter your political stripe -- one almost feels bad for President Obama's return home. It was nearly 80 degrees when he stepped on Air Force One in Honolulu Sunday night and likely will be in the high 20s when Marine One touches down on the White House lawn this morning. But all vacations must come to an end, so check out what to watch in RCP's Week Ahead: The White House: President Obama and the first family was due to officially return "to the Mainland," as Hawaiians put it, at 11:30 am when Air Force One lands at Andrews Air Force Base. The White House has not put out a full schedule for the week, but one issue is sure to have found its way on to the president's crowded desk in the Oval Office: terrorism. Obama's counterterrorism czar was on the Sunday shows talking about the new threats from al Qaida, including those that led to the closure of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen. The Capitol: The House and Senate remain on break this week, while Democratic leadership aides continue backroom negotiations on a compromise health care reform bill. As Reuters reports, the difficult task is highlighted in the two chambers' differences "over the use of federal funds for abortion, new taxes to pay for the plans, a government-run insurance option and the level of subsidies and penalties for the uninsured." Politico notes that, as it did during the August recess, the GOP has been trying to win the media war over the winter break as well. Politics: Welcome to midterm election year 2010, when history and polling now stand on the Republican Party's side. AP's Liz Sidoti broke down the landscape in a great piece published over the weekend: "But they face an incumbent-hostile electorate worried about a 10 percent unemployment rate, weary of wars and angry at politicians of all stripes. Many independents who backed Democrats in 2006 and 2008 have turned away. Republicans, meanwhile, are energized and united in opposing Obama's policies." The first election in 2010 happens in just over two weeks, when Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley compete for the Senate seat in Massachusetts once held by Ted Kennedy (and now being kept warm by Paul Kirk). There are two debates this week, with another scheduled for a week from today at the Kennedy Institute. The first regularly-scheduled primary is February 2, when the gubernatorial and Senate nominations will be decided in Illinois. For a full rundown of the primary calendar for the new year, check back to this post. Look for Democrats this week to focus on the growing number of open seats that Republicans will need to defend next year. There are now 14 Republican congressmen not seeking re-election -Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.) is expected to announce his retirement this afternoon, and Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.) announced his exit last week. Poll Watch: Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.8 / Disapprove 44.6 (+5.2) Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8 (-38.4) Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +1.7 In Case You Missed It: While most have focused on Democratic incumbents not seeking reelection next year, there is a growing number of Democratic recruits that have opted against running. This past week, freshman Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kans.) lost an opponent in state Sen. Laura Kelly (D), the fifth Dem challenger to drop out in recent weeks. --Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink December 28, 2009

The Week Ahead: Working Vacation Are you ready for the Eagle Bank Bowl? UCLA vs. Temple is about all that you can count on this week in the nation's capital. Here's the RCP Week Ahead. The White House: Mahalo! President Obama is enjoying a "working vacation" in the nation's 50th state this week. It's a week away that became less of an escape when a Delta flight was subject to an attempted terrorist attack. While the Obama family hit the beach on Sunday, Obama himself is on guard monitoring the new situation in airline travel. He'll make a statement to the press on camera this morning. Members of Congress are already talking about hearings to look into the new potential threat. From the administration, an unfortunate gaffe by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. "The system worked as it should," she said on CNN this Sunday, responding to the incident on a Detroit-bound flight. The Capitol: Members of Congress are at home this week, but the leadership of both chambers is hard at work negotiating differences in the House and Senate versions of health care legislation this week. Senators claimed Sunday that the final draft will more closely resemble the Senate's version of the complicated legislation. "If we are going to have a final law, it will look a lot more like the Senate version than the House version," Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said on "Fox News Sunday." "I'm sure there'll be some compromises, but at the end of the day, I would expect that it will look very much like the Senate version." Politics: As we mentioned last week, the pressure is on vulnerable incumbents and top GOP recruits to make a show of strength in their campaign fundraising for the period that ends this Thursday night. Don't be surprised to see a retirement or party switch this week, Rep. Parker Griffith's decision to become a Republican is likely the biggest blow for Democrats this month. On "Fox News Sunday," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Chris Van Hollen said Democrats are "not going to be surprised like in 1994." "We've been preparing from day one," he said. "Is this going to be a tough year? Yeah, and we're ready to fight. Is it going to be another 1994? No." ** Poll Watch Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.5 / Disapprove 45.1 Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8 Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.5 ** In Case You Missed It: For this final week of the decade (the '00s? the oughts?), our friends at "First Read" have a good round-up of "Best of" lists, including Best Speech, Biggest Risers, Biggest Downfalls, and Statewide Races. --Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink December 24, 2009

Obama Praises Senate Health Care Vote President Obama gave the following remarks this morning from the State Dining Room in the White House in response to the Senate passing health care reform: Continue reading "Obama Praises Senate Health Care Vote" » Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 09:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink December 22, 2009

Gibbs' Podium Playbook Keeps White House On Message Today's press briefing will likely be the last for Robert Gibbs in 2009, a long first year at the podium for the White House press secretary. As the year comes to a close 'tis the season for reflection, and after more than 130 jousting sessions from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, an informal survey of regular working members of the White House press corps provides a predictably mixed picture of the administration's chief spokesman. To be sure, reporters are often dissatisfied with the information flow of a new administration that promised historic transparency, and confrontations were common and at times tense in the cramped quarters of the press room. But there was also a grudging respect of Gibbs' performance at the end of his first calendar year behind the podium. Most of all, reporters credit Gibbs for having the one thing that is of perhaps most value to them: regular access to and the trust of the president himself. Gibbs has been at Obama's side throughout his rise in national politics, including most of the campaign. "I trust him completely," the president told the New York Times a year ago. Continue reading "Gibbs' Podium Playbook Keeps White House On Message" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink December 21, 2009

The Week Ahead: Snowy Capital, Chilly Partisanship The Senate worked through one of the biggest snow storms in D.C. history over the weekend, and it will continue cranking during this holiday week -- when members, staff and reporters all are wishing they could fly home. In the meantime, this is what to watch for this week in Washington: The White House: President Obama's only scheduled public event Monday focuses on government efficiency. He'll also meet with his National Economic Council. On Tuesday, Obama will again meet with bank CEOs, this time representing small and community banks, with an eye on the economy and loosening the credit markets. Obama is due to head out with his family to Hawaii for the holidays, as is their custom. He's expected to return after the New Year. What remains to be seen is whether health care legislation will be passed by the Senate before his departure. David Axelrod, senior White House strategist, did his best to spin the apparent compromise that should give Democrats 60 votes it needs to get there. "I think that we're going to have some work to do when we come back," he said of the conference committee process that will begin after the holidays. The Capitol: Should things fall in line and Republicans continue to filibuster, the Senate will take a final vote on health care reform Thursday, the evening of Christmas Eve. After a procedural vote early Monday morning -- 1 a.m. -- Democrats proved they had the necessary 60 votes to end the filibuster and bring the reform bill up for final adoption. The vote schedule this week is likely to look like this: a second cloture vote Tuesday morning at 7 a.m., a third Wednesday at 1 p.m., and voting on final passage of the bill Thursday at 7 p.m. The party-line debate and votes has put on display the level of partisanship that still exists in Congress. As a New York Times story put it this morning: "A year that began with hopes of new post-partisanship has indeed produced change: Things have gotten worse." After Christmas, the majority staffs from the House and Senate will begin negotiations on a conference report -- the next major hurdle for health care reform. Politics: In the final days of 2009, there may not be much activity on the surface but it's an important week behind the scenes. There's incredible pressure on candidates to keep raising big bucks for the fundraising quarter that ends December 31. And, with all the focus on the holidays, don't be surprised in the weeks ahead to see more retirement announcements from House and potentially even Senate Democrats. Michael Steele continues to bang the drum on his "Listen To Me" anti-health care campaign, with a conference call today with Dick Armey. And speaking of health care opposition, here's a reminder that one shouldn't make any snap judgments about anyone's political fate: Mike Huckabee drew 1,800 people in Omaha, just across the river from Iowa, for a rally on Sunday meant to pressure Sen. Ben Nelson to vote against the final health care bill. Also, its quotes like this, from an interview on "Hannity" Friday. Speaking of the president, Huckabee said: "I would almost venture to say he's broken more promises than Tiger Woods, and I'm not sure we can give him a mulligan." ** Poll Watch Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.3 / Disapprove 44.9 Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8 Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.3 ** In Case You Missed It: Depending upon where exactly in the Washington area you lived, you may have seen as much as 20 inches of snow this weekend in what was the worst December storm ever. How's this for a whopping stat: 25 million pounds of snow needs to be cleared from FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, before tonight's big Monday Night Football matchup between the Redskins and the Giants. The Redskins Blog has the story on getting the field ready. --Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink December 16, 2009

White House Takes Issue With Dean Criticism New White House communication director Dan Pfeiffer is responding directly to Howard Dean's critique of health care legislation, posting on the White House blog that the Senate bill is hardly a "dream for insurance companies." If that's the case, though, it must be news to them. The insurance industry has been leveraging its considerable resources in a ferocious effort to defeat this bill, including producing a report the day before the Senate Finance Committee vote that was so misleading the firm behind it had to walk away from it. And that's not surprising, because this bill will finally wrest power away from the insurance industry and put it in the hands of American consumers. ... It's also important to remember that, while none of us are shedding any tears for the insurance industry, the primary goal of health insurance reform isn't to punish insurers - it's to give every American the ability to find affordable coverage while controlling the unsustainable cost growth in our current health care system that is crushing families and businesses. On that front, this bill is hugely successful.

Press secretary Robert Gibbs has already taken a number of questions on Dean's comments as well. At one point in today's briefing, he argued that no "rational person" would claim that killing the bill now is a good idea. That prompted an immediate follow up to ask if Gibbs was charging that Dean is "irrational," which he said was not the case. Dean had been largely supportive of the legislation as it worked its way through Congress this year, even if he conceded it wasn't perfect. But of late it seems there have been one too many compromises for his taste. In April, Dean did say to RCP that Obama should not back down on the public option. "If it doesn't [have the public option] all we have is the same old stuff, and I don't think it's worth spending $634 billion on what we've already got," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink December 14, 2009

The Week Ahead: Crunch Time In The Capital It's the last full week of business before the holidays. Here's RCP's Weekly Planner with what to watch in politics. ** This Week At The White House: On Monday, President Obama meets with representatives from the financial industry, "to discuss economic recovery, small business lending, improving lending practices for homeowners and the Administration's plans for financial reform," the White House says. The gathering comes after Obama bluntly criticized Wall Street executives in a "60 Minutes" interview Sunday night. "The people on Wall Street still don't get it," Obama told Steve Kroft. "They're still puzzled, why is it that people are mad at the banks. Well, let's see. You guys are drawing down $10, $20 million bonuses after America went through the worst economic year that it's gone through in decades, and you guys caused the problem. And we've got ten percent unemployment. Why do you think people might be a little frustrated?" The other main item on Obama's schedule this week is a trip back to Europe Thursday night, where he'll take part in the Copenhagen summit on climate change as it wraps up. ** This Week On Capitol Hill: The Senate had a busy weekend, working overtime to pass a $446 billion omnibus spending bill that includes six of the 12 annual appropriations bills that will fund the federal government in fiscal year 2010. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Obama is expected to sign it this week. Congress had already passed five appropriations bills, leaving only the Defense Appropriations bill, which the House is scheduled to take up this week. The Senate went back to work on health care legislation on Sunday, and Democrats will push to complete a compromise this week. On "Face The Nation" yesterday, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell highlighted the trouble Democrats are having coming to terms. "It's noteworthy that you had to have three Democrats on to explain the Democratic position," he said, referring to previous guests Sens. Jay Rockefeller, Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman. "In fact, there are more Democratic positions than you'd find in a stack of newspapers, and therein lies the problem." Be sure to check out the RCP Video page for more highlights from the Sunday shows. **This Week In Politics: There was a noteworthy milestone in Texas this weekend, as the nation's fourth-largest city elected a lesbian as mayor. Annise Parker won Saturday's runoff with just under 53 percent of the vote. "Parker's name identification and experience as a candidate and elected official were too much for the well-connected Gene Locke," the Houston Chronicle reported. Expect that to get some national focus, coming as it did in a red state and at a time when gay marriage efforts have stalled in several states. Also worth watching this week: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) makes his first visit to New Hampshire as a potential 2012 candidate. He'll speak at a fundraiser in Concord for the state Senate Republican fundraising committee. Iowa has seen its share of Republican hopefuls in this very early going, but this is one of the first big forays in the home of the first-in-the-nation primary. ** Poll Watch Obama Job Performance: Approve 48.6 / Disapprove 45.2 Congress Job Performance: Approve 28.8 / Disapprove 63.3 Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +0.8 ** In Case You Missed It: Check out Sarah Palin's surprise appearance on "The Tonight Show," where she turned the tables on William Shatner by reading portions of his autobiography. --Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink December 10, 2009

Gingrich Praises Obama's "Historic" Nobel Speech Reaction is trickling in to President Obama's Nobel acceptance speech this morning in Oslo, and it appears the surprising tone -- focused on the idea of just war -- is drawing praise across the ideological spectrum. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich had this to say on WNYC radio's "The Takeaway" show: "I thought the speech was actually very good. And he clearly understood that he had been given the prize prematurely, but he used it as an occasion to remind people, first of all, as he said: that there is evil in the world. I think having a liberal president who goes to Oslo on behalf of a peace prize and reminds the committee that they would not be free, they wouldn't be able to have a peace prize, without having force... I thought in some ways it's a very historic speech. And the President, I think, did a very good job of representing the role of America which has been that of -- at the risk of lives of young Americans -creating the fabric of security within which you could have a Martin Luther King Jr. or you could have a Mahatma Gandhi."

Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:52 AM | Email Author | Permalink December 09, 2009

Obama To GOP: Stop Scaring American People Today's meeting with Congressional leadership at the White House was intended to be a demonstration of bipartisanship as officials look to stimulate the economy. To President Obama, bipartisanship came in the form of a request to GOP lawmakers to quit knocking what he feels is an economy that is in recovery. "One of the things he told my Republican friends, is stop trying to frighten the American people," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters after the meeting. "He said it would help a lot if people would talk more positively about what is going on." Republicans said that they came to the meeting with their own proposals for the White House to consider. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor said the meeting was actually "more in depth than usual," and that the president promised to consider them. But the party held firm to its view that any new jobs plan not include new spending. "He challenged us to bring an economist to make the case that we ought not to be spending right now. We think that we've spent enough," Cantor said. "We think that spending money we don't have brings uncertainty, and in fact small and large businesses have reacted to that and have a whole lot of hesitancy about job creation." To the point Obama made about scaring the public, House Minority Leader John Boehner said it's Obama's agenda that concerns business. "The president wants to blame us for informing the American people about what's happening here and how it will effect them. But it's not what we're doing," he said. "It's the policies that they're promoting here in Washington." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink December 07, 2009

No "Silver Bullet" In Obama Jobs Speech Though reluctant to "step on" his own speech President Obama today offered some hint of his planned remarks on the economy tomorrow, saying it'll focus on the need to ensure job growth "matches up with economic growth." "What we've seen is, is that companies shed jobs very quickly, partly induced by the panic of what was happening on Wall Street, and they are still tentative about hiring back all those people who were laid off," Obama told reporters after an Oval Office meeting with Turkey's prime minister. He also said companies may have become more efficient after doing more with less for so long "that they may feel that they can produce the same amount of goods or services without as many employees." Press secretary Robert Gibbs said that the president also intends to send a message to Main Street that "help is on the way." To that end, Obama is expected to call for using some funds originally allocated for the TARP program for new stimulus measures. "It sends the message that your economic vitality is just as important as anybody that lives or works or breathes on Wall Street. That's the message the President has hoped and wanted to send for his entire administration, and that's what he's done in the recovery plan; that's what he'll continue to do tomorrow in his speech," Gibbs said. Don't expect to hear any grand cure-all for the nation's persistent unemployment problem, however. "The President is not going to unveil the silver bullet idea ... [where] all the jobs that will be made up by the loss in the economic downturn and then some," Gibbs said. "If there was one idea to do this, I assume it would have been done sometime in the intervening 22 months." Gibbs also declined to call any new programs announced tomorrow a "second stimulus." Meanwhile, some have questioned whether Obama can and should use funds originally allocated for the TARP program for any new initiatives. Gibbs said that the White House "is looking at" that possibility, especially given the unexpected $200 billion coming back to the Treasury coffers as financial institutions repay their federal bailout. "The president again, and the team, as well as members of Capitol Hill are looking at these questions to see what are the important and necessary next steps, some of which, but not all of which, the president will discuss tomorrow," Gibbs said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:42 PM | Email Author | Permalink December 01, 2009

Excerpts of President Obama's Afghanistan Speech Fresh from the White House, here's what they want network news audiences and reporters to focus on in the 90 minutes before the full speech is delivered: "The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 - the fastest pace possible - so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers. They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans." ... "Because this is an international effort, I have asked that our commitment be joined by contributions from our allies. Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead. Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. Now, we must come together to end this war successfully. For what's at stake is not simply a test of NATO's credibility - what's at stake is the security of our Allies, and the common security of the world." ... "Taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground. We will continue to advise and assist Afghanistan's Security Forces to ensure that they can succeed over the long haul. But it will be clear to the Afghan government - and, more importantly, to the Afghan people - that they will ultimately be responsible for their own country." Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama and His Speechwriters Tackle Another High Stakes Address In both his campaign for the presidency and his first year in office, Barack Obama has made countless speeches billed as "major addresses." There is no doubting that tonight's speech outlining a long-awaited policy decision on America's engagement in Afghanistan rises to that level, and marks another test of his, and his speechwriting team's, reputation for rhetorical flourish. According to the White House, President Obama worked throughout the weekend on tonight's speech with Ben Rhodes, his top wordsmith on national security issues. Polishing the speech will continue throughout the day today -- something not necessarily uncommon for this kind of speech, veterans of presidential speechwriting say -- but particularly so for this president. "There aren't that many speeches in the course of a year that rise to the level of the speech that the president's going to give [Tuesday]," said one former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton. "There is a much more careful weighing of the words in a speech like this than in just about any other speech that a president will give." Tonight, Obama faces the pressure of not only announcing a complicated strategy to an increasingly skeptical public, but also explaining the decision, and most likely outlining an end game as well. "The president now not only needs to explain his case, but to try to rally public support and hold off criticisms in his own party," said Peter Wehner, a member of the speechwriting team for President George W. Bush as the Afghanistan war was launched in 2001. "It's politically complicated as well as morally important. When you take all of those things together, it's a pretty high stakes speech." Continue reading "Obama and His Speechwriters Tackle Another High Stakes Address" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink November 25, 2009

The Non-Decider Decides Three months after he took the McChrystal report with him to Camp David for a weekend read, and 10 months after taking office, President Obama said Tuesday that he is ready to announce a new strategy for the United States in Afghanistan. In confirming the news during an East Room gathering with India's prime minister, Obama immediately talked of how his administration's lengthy review of its options was "comprehensive and extremely useful," while taking a thinly veiled swipe the Bush administration for not always having a clear strategy. "It is my intention to finish the job," the president said. That line seemed a deliberate attempt to sound forceful in teasing his long-awaited announcement, which comes after nine meetings of his "war council." The public nature of his long deliberation, as illustrated through photo releases and press office readouts, has been portrayed by the White House as the commander in chief giving this solemn decision the careful consideration it deserves. But critics, most famously former Vice President Dick Cheney, have called it "dithering," and say the delay in reaching a conclusion not only undercuts the military leadership, but unnerves allies and shows some measure of weakness to enemies. Regardless of one's opinion, it's a notable departure from the frequent modus operandi President Bush, who famously called himself "The Decider" in 2006. Continue reading "The Non-Decider Decides" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink October 30, 2009

Gibbs: Election Defeats Would Not Hurt Obama Press secretary Robert Gibbs took a cautious approach when asked at today's White House briefing what the political repercussions would be for President Obama if Democrats are swept on Tuesday. "We'll have time to dissect whatever those results are on Tuesday, " he said. "Whatever the results are, I don't think they portend a lot in dealing with the future." He noted that Democrats won both governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey in 2001, in former President Bush's first year in office. "I don't think anybody thought that when they looked at the election results in 2002, they thought President Bush was significantly hampered by that." Polls point to a big Republican win in Virginia on Tuesday, while New Jersey's governorship is still a toss up. President Obama campaigns there on Sunday, with stops that will guarantee coverage in both the Philadelphia and New York media markets that reach New Jersey homes. When asked what he thought the impact would be, Gov. Jon Corzine (D) told RCP last week that a victory "would enhance the credibility of the party." "What I don't think is going to happen if the opposite would happen, I don't think it hurts them," he added. "People can look at what the polls were in July." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink October 29, 2009

Biden During Veepstakes: "Last Thing I Should Do" Time runs some fascinating excerpts from the forthcoming book by David Plouffe, President Obama's campaign manager in the 2008 race. There's much focus this morning on Plouffe's recollection of how seriously Hillary Clinton was considered by then-Senator Obama as a potential running mate. But worth noting are the views of the man he ultimately chose, Joe Biden. The then-Delaware Senator conceded in a meeting with Plouffe and David Axelrod last August that he initially "wasn't sure" about Obama, but had become convinced. He talked of how he would never have run for president himself if he "knew the steamroller you guys would put together" in Iowa. He also offered pros and cons for himself as the VP, at first saying the job was "the last thing I should do," but also arguing that he could "be a good soldier and could provide real value." The least surprising thing about this meeting: Plouffe writes, "Ax and I couldn't get a word in edgewise." But ultimately, Obama's top strategists concluded that "this dog could not be taught new tricks." Obama made the choice on August 17, just after his return from a week-long vacation in Hawaii. The full excerpt on the Biden meeting is after the jump. Continue reading "Biden During Veepstakes: "Last Thing I Should Do"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:28 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Romer Hails GDP Growth The White House has released this statement from Christina Romer, chair of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, reacting to news this morning that the GDP grew 3.5 percent in the third quarter. "Data released today by the Commerce Department show that real GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of the year. This is in stark contrast to the decline of 6.4 percent annual rate just two quarters ago. Indeed, the two-quarter swing in the rate of growth of 9.9 percentage points was the largest since 1980. Analysis by both the Council of Economic Advisers and a wide range of private and public-sector forecasters indicates that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 contributed between 3 and 4 percentage points to real GDP growth in the third quarter. This suggests that in the absence of the Recovery Act, real GDP would have risen little, if at all, this past quarter." "After four consecutive quarters of decline, positive GDP growth is an encouraging sign that the U.S. economy is moving in the right direction. However, this welcome milestone is just another step, and we still have a long road to travel until the economy is fully recovered. The turnaround in crucial labor market indicators, such as employment and the unemployment rate, typically occurs after the turnaround in GDP. And it will take sustained, robust GDP growth to bring the unemployment rate down substantially. Such a decline in unemployment is, of course, what we are all working to achieve."

Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:41 AM | Email Author | Permalink October 28, 2009

A Transparency Test For The White House Today's Washington Times story documenting how top donors to Barack Obama's campaign and the DNC received some serious presidential perks became the latest challenge on whether the administration living up to the fundamental campaign promise to change the culture of Washington. Robert Gibbs was asked repeatedly about the story at today's White House briefing. He denied that any quid-pro-quo is at play, while defending the administration's credentials on transparency by reminding reporters of a soon-to-be-released log of all White House visitors. "This President has [instituted] the very toughest ethics and transparency rules of any administration in history," he said. "I think the President has returned to a stance of transparency and ethics that hasn't been matched by any other White House." He did acknowledge that there is some degree of reward, stating that "contributing doesn't guarantee a visit to the White House, nor does it preclude it." At the same time, he pushed back on the RNC which has criticized the administration in the wake of the Times story. "There's two ... major political parties in this country. One party doesn't accept contributions from registered federal lobbyists. That same party doesn't accept contributions from political action committees," he said, referring to the DNC. Asked specifically if there was any quid pro quo, Gibbs said: "No, of course not." The White House had announced in early September that it would release a full list of White House visitors starting in mid December. But that first accounting will only include guests in the previous three to four months. You can be sure when that first list is disclosed, it will be crossreferenced with Obama and DNC donors. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink October 23, 2009

Biden: Cheney "Absolutely Wrong" On "Dithering" Charge In an interview with pool reporters accompanying him on a trip to Eastern Europe, Vice President Biden strongly disputes the view of his predecessor that the Obama administration is "dithering" as it considers a shift in military strategy on Afghanistan, calling Dick Cheney "absolutely wrong." "I think what the administration is doing is exactly what we said it would do, and what I think it warrants doing. And that is making an informed judgment based upon circumstances that have changed ... to come up with a sustainable policy that has more than one dimension," he said. At one point, a pool report notes, Biden seemed ready to dismiss Cheney's views altogether, starting to say, "Who cares what" he thinks. But he "stopped himself to find another way to put it," the report said. "I can see the headline now," he said. "I'm getting better, guys. I'm getting a little better, you know what I mean?" Biden also called an assessment left by the Bush administration "irrelevant." Biden's trip in part is meant to reassure Eastern European allies about the U.S. decision to scrap a missile defense arrangement there, something Cheney also criticized. The current VP admitted the decision could have been communicated better, but said that on this trip allies "have no doubt" about the American commitment to their security. The full pool report of Biden's comments is after the jump. Continue reading "Biden: Cheney "Absolutely Wrong" On "Dithering" Charge" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink October 20, 2009

Obama: Afghan Runoff Will Ensure Credible Process President Obama this morning praised the announcement by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that he will accept the certification of the nation's election commission requiring a runoff vote, calling it "an important step forward in ensuring a credible process for the Afghan people which results in a government that reflects their will." "While this election could have remained unresolved to the detriment of the country, President Karzai's constructive actions established an important precedent for Afghanistan's new democracy," Obama said. "The Afghan Constitution and laws are strengthened by President Karzai's decision, which is in the best interests of the Afghan people." The announcement comes as the White House was preparing to announce a new military strategy, following weeks of meetings the president held with his so-called war council. Any announcement now will likely be delayed until the runoff takes place. The rest of Obama's statement is after the jump. Continue reading "Obama: Afghan Runoff Will Ensure Credible Process" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:05 AM | Email Author | Permalink October 15, 2009

In Brief NOLA Stop, Obama Sells His Agenda President Obama was only scheduled to be on the ground for about four hours in New Orleans today. But in his only town hall meeting there, he used a sizable portion of his remarks to talk not just about recovery efforts, but his administration's agenda as well. "I know that, for a lot of you, the questions and concerns you have aren't limited to the Recovery Act and the efforts that are taking place here on the Gulf. You're also wondering about the recovery effort that's taking place throughout America," Obama told a very friendly audience at the University of New Orleans. "An economic storm hit about nine months ago, 10 months ago, caused this recession that is as bad as anything we've seen since the Great Depression. And obviously, it hasn't left behind the death and destruction that Katrina and Rita left behind. But it's caused incredible pain and hardship for communities all across this country." Alluding to the promising signs on Wall Street, Obama said he's working for an economy "where our stock market's not only rising again, but our businesses are hiring again and people's incomes are going up again." "If we want a recovery that lasts, if we want an economy that really grows again, we've got to rebuild stronger than before, just like you're doing here in New Orleans," he said. "We need to come together and meet the challenges that were with us before this recession hit." He mentioned efforts toward renewable energy, improving education and, of course, health care as key projects. Continue reading "In Brief NOLA Stop, Obama Sells His Agenda" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink October 13, 2009

Obama: Snowe Vote Shows "Political Courage" President Obama tonight praised the Finance Committee for voting out health care legislation, but signaled that a new fight is just beginning. "This bill is not perfect, and we have a lot of difficult work ahead of us," he said in a brief Rose Garden statement. "There's still significant details and disagreements to be worked out over the next several weeks as the five separate bills from the Senate and the House are merged into one proposal." Still, the Finance Committee's vote represents a "critical milestone" in his reform effort. He portrayed the Finance bill as a bipartisan one that includes Republican ideas, even though just one Republican voted for it. That Republican, Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, again drew special praise from the president. "I want to particularly thank Senator Olympia Snowe for both the political courage and the seriousness of purpose that she's demonstrated throughout this process," he said. For the celebrations in some corners today, Obama cautioned that now is "not the time to pat ourselves on the back," but instead "to dig in and work even harder to get this done." "In this final phase, I hope that we will continue to engage each other with the spirit of civility and seriousness that has brought us this far and this subject deserves," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

White House Hails 'Bipartisan' Finance Committee Bill There may have been only one Republican vote, but the White House is welcoming the Senate Finance Committee's action today as a bipartisan endorsement of health care reform. "[We] are pleased that the likely outcome appears that we'll be one step closer to reform; that all five committees that have and share jurisdiction over the important issue of health care will have reported a bill out which will be the first time that that's ever happened in -- in our history," Robert Gibbs said at his briefing today. "Obviously having the vote of Senator Snowe is important. [Obama] believes that she's worked constructively throughout this process to address a problem that Americans face and her constituents in Maine face." Gibbs said Obama last spoke with the Maine senator last week. The president himself praised Snowe for being "extraordinarily diligent" in her work. UPDATE: Obama will make a public statement on the Finance Committee vote from the Rose Garden after 5 pm. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:13 PM | Email Author | Permalink October 09, 2009

Obama Surprised, But Did Not Consider Refusing Nobel Robert Gibbs would not share much about President Obama's reaction this morning to the news he won the Nobel Peace Prize, other than to say he was surprised. He also said he was unaware of whether there was any consideration given to refusing the award, adding that the president does plan to travel to Oslo to accept it. Asked whether, in recognition of some of the reaction to the award, the White House was intentionally downplaying any internal celebration, Gibbs said the staff is obviously "enormously proud of the work we're trying to do every day." "He hopes that what comes of this is galvanized action on behalf of the entire world to make good on the ideas and the ideals that we've talked about," Gibbs said. "I think that's important going forward, and I think we'll continue to use avenues as a chance to do that." He would not react to the partisan response of some, and urged pundits who think this honor will worsen the partisan divide to spend some time outside of the Washington Beltway. "It's a good thing. It's an important thing. I don't think it's a partisan thing," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: Don't Think I Deserve Nobel President Obama's statement accepting the Nobel Peace Prize reflected the shock, even in the White House, that he won the award with so few tangible accomplishments on the world stage. "This is not how I expected to wake up this morning," Obama said in the Rose Garden, adding that his daughter told him not only about the Nobel win, but their dog's birthday. Obama said he was "surprised and humbled" by the decision of the committee, and views it not as a personal award but an "affirmation of American leadership." In a rare moment of modesty, he continued: "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace." The president will travel to Norway to accept the honor, "as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century." In his six-minute address, he also reflected difficult decisions ahead on Afghanistan, and also in confronting a global economic downturn. The RNC had earlier dissed the honor, saying Obama "won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation." Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink October 05, 2009

White House Unhappy With McChrystal "Campaign"? Robert Gibbs tried his best today to downplay talk that the White House is unhappy with General Stanley McChrystal making a very public case for particular Afghanistan strategy, chalking such speculation up to the standard Washington parlor game. "The general made an assessment and we're going through a series of decisions, including that assessment," the press secretary said. "That's what these meetings are about. That's the process that the president is going through in meetings three and four this week, to try to get this strategy right and to do it not based on the back-and-forth or rumors about this or that, but on what he thinks is best -- in the best national security advice and posture of the United States of America and how it can best protect us." National Security Adviser Jim Jones seemed to send something of a message in an interview yesterday, saying recommendations should typically work their way through the chain of command and not be made publicly. Tangling with CNN's Ed Henry today, Gibbs denied that the White House was unhappy with McChrystal "campaigning" for his recommendations. "I get that the Washington game is to do the back-and-forth," he said. Though Gibbs was not present for Obama's one-on-one meeting with McChrystal in Copenhagen last week, he said it was "very constructive" and focused on "what's going on in Afghanistan, not what's going on on cable television." He repeatedly stated that Obama is "comfortable with where the process and how it's moving forward." Continue reading "White House Unhappy With McChrystal "Campaign"?" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Leans On Doctors For Reform Push; No "Public Option" President Obama returned to the health care debate with a familiar set of talking points, but omitted one phrase in his remarks: public option. Standing in the Rose Garden flanked by a group of doctors from states represented by senators with swing votes, Obama talked about the health care debate that's stretched on "for months" now, including "crazy claims about death panels to misleading warnings about a government takeover of our health care system." He said what's "most telling" is that doctors and nurses who know the system best are among the "most supportive" of reform. "These men and women here would not be supporting health insurance reform if they really believed that it would lead to government bureaucrats making decisions that are best left to doctors. They wouldn't be here today if they believed that reform in any way would damage the very critical and sacred doctor-patient relationship," he said. Continue reading "Obama Leans On Doctors For Reform Push; No "Public Option"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:50 AM | Email Author | Permalink October 02, 2009

Obama: Always Worthwhile Endeavor To Boost U.S. President Obama congratulated Chicago for its Olympic effort, but conceded he was disappointed that his hometown would not host the 2016 Summer Games. He offered his congratulations to Brazil, and expressed no regret about his personal trip to Copenhagen. "I believe it's always a worthwhile endeavor to promote and boost the United States of America and invite the world to come see what we're all about," he said. "We obviously would have been eager to host these games, but, as I said, this nation and our athletes are still very much excited to compete in 2016." While Obama said little more about the politics of it, press secretary Robert Gibbs earlier did shoot back at Republicans who seemed to be reacting with a measure of delight at the bad news. "I want to know what was Michael Steele doing about 1:50 a.m. when we landed," he told reporters on Air Force One, arguing that his trip did not overly distract the president from the pressing business of state. "You know, there's people trying to solve problems and there's people playing games, and I think we know where a bunch of that is." Obama also addressed the new jobs report, calling it "a sobering reminder that progress comes in fits and starts and that we're going to need to grind out this recovery step by step." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:56 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Political Ops Split On Troop Increase Consequences Seven-in-ten Democratic political operatives believe sending additional troops to Afghanistan would be a political minus for President Obama, according to this week's National Journal Political Insiders Poll. Two Democratic ops quoted said it would hurt Democrats in the midterm elections, whether it is a necessary move or not. "The Democratic base doesn't want to see more troops. And, right now, it looks like we are about to go into a midterm with the Republican base energized while our base has nothing to rally around," said one Democratic political insider. "He's in a real box here. Expanding the war is probably the right thing to do militarily, but it will be very unpopular and will hurt Democrats in the midterms," said another Democrat. More than half of Republican insiders, meanwhile, said adding more troops would have a positive political impact for Obama. They say he should ignore the left wing of his party, as fulfilling campaign promises and showing a toughness in the war on terror would ultimately lead to more electoral success. "If he refrains from taking the advice of the military, he owns the outcome," said a GOP insider. "If he takes the advice of the military, then he is positioned to do whatever he wants at a later date. Stevie Wonder could see what to do here." For Democratic operatives, 27 percent said it would be a political plus and 70 percent said it would be a minus. Fifty-two percent of Republicans said it was a plus and 42 percent said a minus. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Politics Of Chicago's Olympic Failure To say that Chicago's elimination from the Olympic voting in the very first round was a stunner would be a significant understatement. The Windy City was the odds-on favorite in Vegas, with Rio de Janeiro a close second. But President Obama's last-minute decision to appeal to the International Olympic Committee in person makes today's loss a political issue for the White House. The RNC had already criticized Obama for leaving the country when the work of health care is unfinished and the economy still struggling. A win, as expected, would have muted those complaints. Here's how David Axelrod spun the loss, during an appearance on MSNBC. "Obviously it's a disappointment. It would have been great to have the Olympics in Chicago," he said. "The President of the United States will go anywhere to promote the interests of this country, to make the case for this country. I think it was worth the effort. And we move on." He went on to emphasize that it was a short trip on the president's part, and that he still thinks it was worth it. "It was well worth the effort. I'm not worried about the politics of it," he said. The reaction on Twitter from conservative pundits is an interesting case study. Newt Gingrich weighed in, noting the loss comes on the same day that new unemployment numbers were released. "President Eisenhower had a rule that Presidents of the United States went to the meetings after success had been assured," he also wrote. Scott Stanzel, a former Bush administration spokesperson, was more cautious, urging Republican consultants and officials to "resist the temptation to pile on about Chicago losing the Olympic bid just because Obama made the pitch." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink October 01, 2009

Obama To Democratic Governors: Tough Choices Still To Come At a fundraiser meant to boost the Democratic Party's chances in upcoming gubernatorial elections, President Obama acknowledged how the down economy has made it tough on state leaders, and warned that "the tough choices they'll have to make will not end anytime soon." But he praised the work of the 28 Democrats who hold governor's offices across the country, adding: "What I hope has made their job easier and will continue to make their job easier is knowing that they've got a full committed partner in the White House." He also said the stimulus program has cushioned the blow somewhat, while arguing that health care reform was "absolutely critical" in continuing on the road to recovery. As evidence, he cited a Robert Wood Johnson study that found that even in a best-case scenario, employers would see premiums rise 60 percent in the next decade. "That kind of future is bad for entrepreneurs, it's bad for businesses, it's bad for the United States of America," he said. "We can't afford a health insurance system that hampers America's economy in the 21st century. We need a health system that unleashes its potential." Continue reading "Obama To Democratic Governors: Tough Choices Still To Come" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 30, 2009

White House Jumps On Jindal Interview Press secretary Robert Gibbs, facing questions about the White House's outreach to Republicans on health care, cited a new interview with Bobby Jindal in proposing that the Republicans need to show greater comment to bipartisanship. "I saw one of the more popular governors, Republican governors, Bobby Jindal, say today that it was time for Republicans to offer what they're for, not just talk about what they're against," he said. "So, look, the president is happy to and will meet with Republicans." Gibbs noted that this was the same Jindal who the Republican National Committee put forward to deliver the response to the president's first joint session address to Congress, and said he hopes the House GOP leadership will listen to him now. Here's what Jindal actually told Politico in an interview: "I think now is the perfect time to pivot and to say, not only here's what we're against, and not only here's how we're going to contrast ourselves, but here's what we're for." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:04 PM | Email Author | Permalink

At NIH, A Brief Pitch For Health Care Quick quiz: when was the last time you heard President Obama trying to sell health reform? It hasn't come up at a presidential event since he visited upstate New York more than a week ago, followed by some discussion on the David Letterman "Late Show" couch. Since then he, has been preoccupied with international affairs, at the United Nations, the G-20 Summit, and behind the scenes talks about Afghanistan. Today the president visited the National Institutes of Health for an event that focused on money the facility will receive through the long-ago passed Recovery Act. He touted the job-creating potential of those funds for "conducting research in manufacturing and supplying medical equipment and building and modernizing laboratories and research facilities all across America." And yes, health reform did come up. "Decades of research make no difference to the family that is dropped from an insurance policy when a child gets sick, and breakthroughs with the potential to save lives don't matter when your insurance doesn't cover a preexisting condition," he said. "As costs rise and rise, that leaves less and less for the kinds of investments in health care and in basic research that will actually improve our well- being. That's why we're working so hard to pass long-overdue reform." Left unmentioned were yesterday's failed votes on the public option. The White House released just this statement. Obama did resist today the idea that reform would lead "to a takeover by the government of the health care sector." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 29, 2009

White House Statement On Public Option Votes Hours after the failure of two votes to include a public option in health care legislation from the Senate Finance Committee, a somewhat ambivalent statement from the White House: "As the President said in his Joint Session address, health insurance reform legislation must provide more choice and competition in the health insurance market in order to drive down costs and provide affordable options to Americans who are uninsured or forced to shop in the expensive private or small group market. He believes making a public option available on the insurance exchange is a good way to achieve those goals. He has said he is open to other constructive ideas of increasing choice and competition. He will work with Congress to ensure that under health insurance reform, Americans who cannot find affordable coverage will always have a choice." Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:51 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 28, 2009

Obama Being 'Very Deliberative' On Afghanistan Though much of today's White House briefing focused on the late announcement that President Obama will travel to Copenhagen to pitch Chicago's Olympic bid, Robert Gibbs addressed two major issues related to what was once called the "Global War on Terrorism." In both cases -- the planned closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and new policy on Afghanistan -- the White House is holding off on key decisions. Gibbs repeatedly used the word "deliberate" or some variation thereof in describing the president's mindset on Afghanistan after receiving an assessment from the top commander there. As some call for a stronger stand now, the spokesman played off what he implied were impulsive decisions made in the previous administration. "We have seen the movie before, where you put a bunch of resources in a place and then you decide your strategy," he said. "I don't think the output that we've seen in those decisions has all together been good for this country or for our military. Instead, I think the president wants to evaluate and assess where we are, what's changed in the past few months, what's needed and necessary as part of this strategy going forward, and then eventually we'll have a discussion about whether or not the resources that are there are adequate to the task of that strategy." On Guantanamo Bay, Gibbs essentially conceded that the White House would not be meeting its self-imposed deadline for closing the detention facility. Continue reading "Obama Being 'Very Deliberative' On Afghanistan" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 25, 2009

Nothing New: Biden's Words Used Against Him As he's been known to do, Vice President Joe Biden made a remark that the GOP has pounced on. Biden was touting the success of the economic recovery package in a conference call yesterday with governors from around the country, when he said this... "In my wildest dreams I never thought it would work this well." Biden was referring to the amount of money that's been dished out to the states -- "$150 billion bucks" -- so far, though House Republican leaders beg to differ with his metric for success. Here are a couple quotes from them: Minority Leader John Boehner: "Vice President is wildly out-of-touch if he thinks the trilliondollar 'stimulus' has worked when the nation's unemployment rate is the highest it's been in decades. ... Some 2.4 million jobs have been lost since the Democrats' plan was enacted. Now, Democrats in Washington are claiming it is working even while predicting an extended period of severe joblessness. They can't have it both ways." Conference Chair Mike Pence: "Unless the Vice President's measure of stimulus success is the highest unemployment rate in 26 years, then it is hard to fit his wildest dreams with reality. The reality is the Obama Administration promised that borrowing $787 billion would keep our nation's unemployment below 8 percent. Now, after eight months of stimulus spending, more than two million jobs have been lost and unemployment is quickly approaching 10 percent. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect the Administration's forecasts to be so far off." Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 23, 2009

Biden: Even My Mother Worried About Death Panels Vice President Joe Biden sought to reassure seniors about health care reform today, promising that Medicare will remain strong while rebutting scare tactics he said opponents are responsible for. Biden, speaking at the Leisure World retirement community in suburban Washington, said he saw the power of the talking points of his foes on a recent visit with his mother in Delaware. "I walk in, give her a kiss. She says, 'Joey, what about these death panels?' And I said, 'Mom, I'm trying to kill you,'" Biden related. "She said, 'I'm serious, Joey. What about these death panels?' I said, 'Mom, it's hokum. It's a bunch of malarkey." Speaking to the audience, he argued that "no one in the government, nobody anywhere, no panel is going to sit down and tell your doctor anything about how to care for you." Common sense should dictate that such a claim -- made often by his former vice presidential foe, Sarah Palin -- is false, Biden thought. "But my mother, it got through." Biden, who called himself "a simple guy from Delaware who speaks plane old English," spent more time countering Republican warnings that the Democratic plan would weaken Medicare. An interesting claim, Biden said, coming from a party that once opposed creating the program in the first place. Continue reading "Biden: Even My Mother Worried About Death Panels" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:14 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 22, 2009

Biden Steps Up Health Care Role With President Obama focused on foreign policy this week, Vice President Biden is carrying the torch on health care with several events in the Washington area this week. Today, he spoke to a conference of state insurance commissioners, armed with a new White House report outlining how the rise in health insurance premiums beyond wage growth has hurt American families. The vice president singled out the state with the largest gap between premium increases and wage growth: Alaska. And it's not just families who are suffering, he said. "The soaring premiums are not only hurting families and killing small businesses, they're also hurting our competitive position all around the world," Biden told the rather quiet audience at a hotel at Maryland's National Harbor. "They're hurting our whole free enterprise system, hurting the business of business - competing internationally. ... To state the obvious, this is simply an unsustainable position. Families, businesses, state budgets, our national economy, all demand a significant change." Biden said that if he asked the state officials for woeful tales of health care they could compile a "literal saga." The health care "crisis" extends even to those who have insurance. But, he sought to rebut claims that reforms the administration is pursuing would unduly harm the insurance industry. Continue reading "Biden Steps Up Health Care Role" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 21, 2009

Top 10 Reasons Obama Did Letterman From a pool report, here is David Letterman's Top 10 list tonight -- Reasons why President Obama agreed to do "Late Show." 10. Heard the lady with the heart shaped potato was gonna be here. (a reference to a woman in the audience). 9. Thought it would be fun to watch someone else get heckled. 8. Something to do with that whole cash for clunkers deal. 7. Every president since Teddy Roosevelt has done it. 6. Someone offers you 600 bucks you take it ladies and gentlemen. 5. We told him Megan Fox would be here. 4. Needed some time to hang out before check in time at his hotel. 3. I have no idea. 2. Said yes, without thinking, like Bush did with Iraq. 1. Wanted to congratulate Dave on the big Emmy win. During the interview with Obama, Letterman asked him about Jimmy Carter's race comments. Obama quipped, "It's important to realize that i was actually black before the election." Sidestepping it somewhat, he continued: "So the American people, I think, gave me this extraordinary honor. That tells you a lot, I think, about where the country is at." Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Biden: If Dems Can Hold GOP Seats, Bipartisan 'Dam' Breaks Raising money for a top GOP target in 2010, Vice President Biden predicted that if Democrats can hold on to traditionally Republican-leaning districts, Americans will see more bipartisanship in the nation's capital as "hidden" Republican votes emerge. "It's not that Republicans are bad guys. This is just the bet they've made," Biden told a few dozen people at a fundraiser for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) near his home in Delaware today. "They're going to put their chips on movement in the 35 seats in the House that have been traditionally Republican districts and trying to take them back. If they take them back, this the end of the road for what Barack and I are trying to do." Republicans are "moribund in terms of ideas," Biden said, and winning seats like Giffords' in the midterms is "their one shot." If they fail, "the dam is going to break" he said. "If they don't break the back of our effort in this upcoming election you're going to see the things we said we're for happen," he said. "All the hidden Republicans that don't have the courage to vote the way they want to vote because of pressure from the party ... it will break the dam and you will see bipartisanship." Continue reading "Biden: If Dems Can Hold GOP Seats, Bipartisan 'Dam' Breaks" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:31 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Pataki: Obama Wrong To Pressure Paterson George Pataki said today that the White House pressuring Gov. David Paterson to not to run for re-election further undermines his ability to right New York's economy in challenging times, and he suggested President Obama's time was better served focusing on policy and not politics. "I just think it's wrong," Pataki said when asked about reports that Obama aides are urging Paterson not to run for a full term in 2010. "New York state is facing very difficult times. We're going to have an extraordinarily difficult challenge in dealing with the state's financial situation. ... To weaken and undermine the governor beyond the weakness that already exists, at a time when he will be the governor for the next 15 months, to me just doesn't serve the interests of the state, doesn't serve the interests of our country." Pataki, who served as New York's governor for 12 years, said on a conference call hosted by the RNC to rebut Obama's visit to the Albany area that any officeholder or potential candidate's decision to run is a personal one, and should be made not just based on the likelihood of winning, but because a person has the "ideas" and "vision" to lead. "That's what this decision should be made on, not on poll numbers," said Pataki, who is a potential U.S. Senate candidate. Asked if he was, indeed, considering a bid, Pataki said he's been flattered by people urging him to run for office again, but would not say what if any office he might seek. He also indicated a decision won't come soon. Continue reading "Pataki: Obama Wrong To Pressure Paterson" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

In Speech On The Economy, A Health Care Plug It's become one of the White House's favorite new talking points on health care. Today, President Obama again posited that his reform effort is part of the cure for an ailing economy. Speaking at Hudson Valley Community College, Obama said that rising health care costs leave small and large businesses at a competitive disadvantage, particularly in a global economy. "We will never know the enormity of the costs of our economy to the countless Americans unable to become entrepreneurs or to start a small business, to follow their dreams, because they're afraid of losing their health insurance," he said. "So, to lead in the global economy, we must pass health insurance reform that brings down costs and provides more security for people who have insurance, and offers options to people who don't have health insurance." Obama, joined by Dr. Jill Biden, a community college professor in Virginia, also made a pitch for his elements of his education policy, and also pushed for an effort to end subsidies to banks who provide student loans. "If we just cut out the middle-man, the banks, and lent directly to the students, the federal government would save that money, and we could use it for what's actually important: helping students afford and succeed in college," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Paterson and Cuomo With Obama In Troy Word of President Obama delving into the New York governor race could not have come at a more awkward time, as he now speaks within miles of the state capital in Albany. Gov. David Paterson (D) met Obama at the airport when he arrived, and is now attending his event at Hudson Valley Community College. As he began his remarks, Obama did acknowledge Paterson, calling him a "wonderful man." He had a bit more to say about the man state and national Democrats might prefer to be on the ballot in 2010: Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The president jokingly called him "shy and retiring," and said he's doing great work as the A.G. When Paterson greeted Obama at the Albany airport, the two "had a brief exchange that looked cordial," according to a pool report. "The shook hands, Obama did a kind of half-embrace with his back to the press corps, and said something to Paterson, who listened for a moment and then said something back." En route to New York, Robert Gibbs addressed the reports that Obama has asked Paterson to step aside. "I think everybody understands the tough jobs that every elected official has right now in addressing many of the problems that we have, and I think people are aware of the tough situation that the governor of New York is in," he said. "I wouldn't add a lot to what you've read, except this is a decision that he's going to make." Gibbs would not say whether anyone has asked Paterson not to run. But he acknowledged that Obama, as head of the party, has been involved in politics. "To quote Paul Begala, not to be involved in politics would be like taking the math out of physics," he said. Also joining Obama at his event today is Rep. Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.), who won a special election to represent the region earlier this year. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:03 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama To Raise Money For Democratic Governors President Obama will do his part to assist the Democratic Party's efforts to hold its majority of the governorships when he headlines a fundraiser for the Democratic Governors Association next week. A DGA spokesperson said the organization expects to raise about $500,000 at the October 1 event at Washington's St. Regis Hotel. DGA chair Brian Schweitzer of Montana and DGA vice chair Martin O'Malley of Maryland will be joined by at least four other Democratic incumbents -- Delaware's Jack Markell, Missouri's Jay Nixon, Kansas' Mark Parkinson and Kentucky's Steve Beshear -- for the event. Of that group, only O'Malley is on the ballot in 2010. On Sunday, the New York Times reported that Obama aides last week asked New York Gov. David Paterson, who assumed the office after Eliot Spitzer's resignation in 2008, not to run for a full term in 2010. Paterson, who trails potential opponents in both the primary and general election in early polling, says he plans to run anyway, and recently hired Richard Fife to run his campaign. The DGA is maintaining policy to support all Democratic incumbents. DGA press secretary Emily DeRose said Paterson is welcome at the Obama fundraiser, as are any of his fellow officeholders. The DGA has raised record funds this year, though Republicans have as well. The party holds 28 of the 50 governorships, with 20 of its seats up for grabs in 2010 in addition to the party's defense of New Jersey and Virginia this year. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:09 AM | Email Author | Permalink September 16, 2009

ACORN Conduct 'Indefensible,' White House Says Asked for the first time today about the infamous ACORN footage, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called the conduct of some of the organization's employees "indefensible." "The administration takes accountability extremely seriously," he said. The U.S. Census Bureau's decision to sever ties to the group reflects that, he added, with their view that the group "could not meet the bureau's goal of achieving a fair and accurate count in 2010." Gibbs would not say, however, whether President Obama would, as the leader of the Democratic Party, urge the DNC and other campaign committees to sever ties to the group. The issue, after heavy coverage on Fox News and widespread conversation online, has only now broadened to other media outlets to the point that it was addressed at the daily White House briefing today. And it's not just the White House reacting to the criticism of the group. Today, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), a potential 2012 aspirant, issued this letter urging state officials to stop any payments to ACORN. "The recent reports of questionable behavior and potential illegal activity by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now are of great concern," he writes to the state commissioner of Management and Budget. "I am directing you to stop all state funding to ACORN unless the state is legally obligated to provide such funding." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:31 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Lukewarm White House Reaction To Baucus Bill White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called Sen. Max Baucus' (D) draft health care bill "an important building block and gets us closer to comprehensive health care reform." But it seems the White House was not rushing to embrace the legislation. "There will be a continued legislative process that will tweak and change legislation, as there always is," he said. "I don't think the president looks at today as the end." Gibbs even was sure to deny the premise of a question about whether, of the various bills passed by Congressional committees, this came closest to the legislation President Obama envisioned. "I don't think this is a mirror of what the president has talked about. ... I don't think that would be accurate," he said. With few, if any, Republicans embracing what was sold as a compromise piece of legislation, Gibbs was asked whether the White House regrets not simply starting out the process with its own draft and pushing it through early on the strength of Democrats' strong majorities in each chamber. "I don't think the president looks back and thinks we should have done things differently. This is all part of the long process," he said. "I don't think that Senator Baucus or President Obama or others asking Republicans to be involved, to give us their ideas is time poorly spent at all. I think the American people want to hear both sides' ideas on this." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:56 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Is Obama The Antichrist? 'Extremism' Tested In NJ The Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling included some charged questions in its latest survey of New Jersey voters, designed to strength of what the firm called "political extremism" in the state. The most outrageous question: do you believe Barack Obama is the anti-Christ? If you believe the poll, one in five New Jerseyans think there's a chance. Eight percent said no, while 13 percent said they're not sure. Only two-thirds of self-described conservatives flatly denied the notion that the president of the United States was, in fact, the anti-Christ. On the "birther" question: 64 percent of New Jerseyans say they think Obama was born in the United States, while 21 percent said no and 16 percent weren't sure. "Truthers": 19 percent of voters said they think former President George W. Bush had advanced knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, while 11 percent weren't sure. Forty percent of self-described liberal voters think he did. On a more serious note, 39 percent of Garden State voters say they support Obama's health care plan, while 50 percent oppose it. His approval rating in the state is at 45 percent, with 48 percent disapproving and 7 percent not sure. The survey of 500 likely New Jersey voters was conducted September 11-14, and had a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:13 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 15, 2009

Obama: Specter 'Even Better Senator' As Democrat President Obama followed through on his pledge to support the newly-Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter in his re-election bid, saying he's consistently put the interests of Pennsylvanians ahead of any particular ideology during his time in Washington. "He was a great senator when he was a Republican; he's going to be a even better senator now that he's a Democrat," Obama told supporters at a Philadelphia fundraiser that was attended by most of the state Democratic establishment. "That's why you are all going to work just as hard as you can to make sure that he gets reelected and is continuing to help me move this country forward." Obama praised Specter's "decisive" vote on the Recovery Act, a vote that preceded his party switch. "At the time, this was not an easy vote for Arlen to take. You can imagine the pressure he was under from the other side," Obama said. "But Arlen knew that it was more important to answer to the people who sent him to Washington than to the party he belonged to. That's why you should send him back to Washington for six more years -- because you know he's going to fight for you regardless of what the politics are." Noting his cancer battle, Obama said the health care fight is also not about politics, but was personal. "This is a man who has seen the health care system up close -- the good and the bad. This is a man who courageously battled cancer, and is here today because he was able to receive some of the best health care available in the world -- and also because he's a tough son of a gun," he said. Specter expected to raise more than $2 million at the event, which would help build a warchest already over $7 million. He raised $1.7 million in the most recent fundraising quarter, but has had to return donations he received before his party switch. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:59 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Again Makes Health Care Case To Labor Crowd President Obama gave a familiar speech at the AFL-CIO's conference this afternoon, rebutting critics he said have "selective" memories while touching on two of the union's priorities: a public health care option, and the Employee Free Choice Act. The speech focused more on health care, however, and Obama repeated many of the arguments he made before Congress. The tone, to paraphrase a White House line before the speech, was more labor hall than House chamber, however. "When are we going to say, enough is enough?" he said, to applause. "How many more workers have to lose their coverage? How many more families have to go into the red for a sick loved one?" In a new argument, the president cited a report out today from the Kaiser Family Foundation that showed health care premiums rising three times faster than wages. Reforming health care means rising wages, Obama claimed. "When you go in to negotiate, you can't even think about negotiating ... a wage increase because the whole negotiation is about trying to keep the benefits you already have," he said. "That's not just the fault of the employer, it's the fault of a broken health care system that's sucking up all the money." Though the Employee Free Choice Act is a labor priority Obama gave it much briefer attention, part of a string about why they are part of the solution. "That's why I stand behind the Employee Free Choice Act, because if a majority of workers want a union, they should get a union," he said. Continue reading "Obama Again Makes Health Care Case To Labor Crowd" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:08 PM | Email Author | Permalink

First Jay, Now Dave CBS' "The Late Show" has announced that President Obama will be David Letterman's guest next Monday. Obama will be in New York for the UN General Assembly. From CBS: President Obama's appearance will mark the first by a sitting U.S. President on the LATE SHOW and his first visit back to the show since his election. In total, this will be President Obama's sixth visit to the broadcast -- he last appeared on the LATE SHOW September 10, 2008 during the height of his 2008 Presidential election campaign. It's a comedic turn that comes the day after Obama's Sunday show blitz. And Letterman has been a friendly liberal-leaning voice in late night television, drawing attention in the campaign for his remarks critical of John McCain when he canceled a scheduled appearance last fall, and of course his more recent controversy over a joke about Sarah Palin's daughter. Obama became the first sitting president to appear on late night television earlier this year, when he appeared on "The Tonight Show" with then-host Jay Leno. He got into some trouble then, when he made what was later described as an "offhand remark" about the Special Olympics, which the White House had to clarify. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:12 PM | Email Author | Permalink

White House: Wilson Rebuke Is 'House Business' From a gaggle on Air Force One today with Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton: Q Actually, Bill, do you have a comment on the resolution on Joe Wilson -now on the floor today? MR. BURTON: I don't. That's House business. The President has already -Congressman Wilson called the White House to apologize. The President accepted his apology. And this is something that the House is doing.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Strickland Again Absent From Obama Event For the second straight week, Gov. Ted Strickland (D) was nowhere to be found as President Obama came to Ohio. Today, the president was meeting with auto workers at a GM plant in Warren, giving a pep-talk on the economy. "As long as I have the privilege of being your president, I'm going to keep fighting for a future that is brighter for this community, and brighter for Ohio, and brighter for the United States of America," Obama said, after highlighting the impact of the Recovery Act. Last week, Obama was in Cincinnati, giving a fiery speech on health care to a crowd full of union workers. Strickland wasn't there, either. So, with a potentially tough race ahead and Obama's numbers down in the Buckeye State, is the governor keeping his distance? Not so, his office said. An execution is scheduled in Ohio today, and Strickland's policy "is to remain in his office and available" to prison officials until the execution has occurred. "Had his schedule permitted, the governor definitely would have been with President Obama today," Strickland press secretary Amanda Wurst tells RCP. As for the Cincinnati event, Strickland chose to go ahead with previously-scheduled personal time that Labor Day weekend, coming at the end of a grueling budget process. "The governor appreciates that President Obama is highlighting the work being done at the state and federal level to pull Ohio's working families out of the recession that started one year ago today with the collapse of Lehman Brothers," Wurst said. Continue reading "Strickland Again Absent From Obama Event" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's 'Full Ginbsurg' An Effort To Control Debate The White House has confirmed that President Obama will appear on the Sunday shows for five networks -- ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Univision. It's a variation, sans Fox, of the fete referred to as the "Full Ginsburg," a reference to Monica Lewinsky attorney William Ginsburg, who was the first to do so. It comes as Obama's effort to sell health care becomes hindered by other items on his schedule -the upcoming G-20 Summit and UN General Assembly foremost among them. The full-court press, though rare for a president to do, gives him a direct line to those Americans who are most tuned-in to the health care debate, says Martha Joynt Kumar, an expert in presidential communications. "The audience for these shows tilts towards news junkies who are not worried about seeing too much of the president," she said. "Appearing on all of these shows assures that the administration has the best voice and image presenting their ideas." Also to the White House's benefit, Kumar adds, is that the president's interviews will dominate the shows, leaving less time for the opposition to present their views. The inclusion of Univision, rather than Fox, is the latest sign of this White House's outreach to Hispanics. "For the Obama White House, Univision is becoming the fifth television-radio network, not Fox," Kumar said. It's rare for presidents to appear on one Sunday show, let alone five. More common is a president granting interviews for each of the nightly network newscasts; Obama has done that twice this year already, on February 3 and July 7. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink September 14, 2009

Obama, Clinton Have "Strong Relationship," Gibbs Says Former President Bill Clinton often found himself in the headlines during the 2008 campaign for his comments about the candidacy of Barack Obama. Eight months into the Obama presidency, the two have huddled a handful of times now, most notably to discuss the situation in North Korea. Today, the two presidents had lunch in New York City after Obama's speech on the state of the financial industry. The two split the check, press secretary Robert Gibbs said. But what was on their minds? "He said most of the conversation was about the economy, particularly the global economy, and ways to transition where we are into something that works better for the American people in the 21st century," Gibbs told reporters on board Air Force One as they returned to Washington today. Health care did come up, but Obama didn't share the specifics with Gibbs, the spokesman said. So how is their relationship? "I think President Obama values the type of advice that President Clinton has," Gibbs said. "I think you saw the economy in a lot of ways transform during his administration, not unlike what the economy has to do to meet the demands of the 21st century, to create good paying jobs. So I think they have a very strong relationship and I know the President is -- President Obama is always happy to talk with President Clinton and hear his thoughts." Today's lunch came about after the two met at the White House last month on North Korea. Obama mentioned then that they should sit down together as soon as their schedules allowed to discuss a range of issues. Originally they planned to meet last week after both attended Walter Cronkite's funeral, but it was postponed once the president decided to speak to Congress that night. The White House announced that Obama will speak at the Clinton Global Initiative conference taking place around the UN General Assembly next week. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:47 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: Wall Street Owes A Debt To American People President Obama's "major speech" in New York this afternoon was less about unveiling new policies as is was about urging the financial sector to, one year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, act responsibly to avoid future crises. "The reforms I've laid out will pass and these changes will become law. But one of the most important ways to rebuild the system stronger than before is to rebuild trust stronger than before -and you do not have to wait for a new law to do that," Obama said, speaking at Federal Hall in the heart of New York's financial district. He said the economic crisis came about because of "a collective failure of responsibility in Washington, on Wall Street, and across America." But Wall Street owes a particular "debt" to the American people, the president argued, as some firms begin to show profits again. "Though they were not the cause of the crisis, American taxpayers through their government took extraordinary action to stabilize the financial industry," he said. "They shouldered the burden of the bailout and they are still bearing the burden of the fallout -- in lost jobs, lost homes and lost opportunities. It is neither right nor responsible after you've recovered with the help of your government to shirk your obligation to the goal of wider recovery, a more stable system, and a more broadly shared prosperity." Continue reading "Obama: Wall Street Owes A Debt To American People" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:57 PM | Email Author | Permalink

One Year Ago, A 'Fundamental' Turning Point President Obama will be speaking in the next hour about the road forward in restoring confidence in the nation's financial markets. He makes this speech as president in large part, one can argue, because of a single comment that his campaign rival, John McCain, made last year in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse. "The fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times," McCain said at a town hall meeting in Orlando on Sept. 15, 2008. McCain's remark, abridged simply to, "The fundamentals of our economy are strong," instantly became to the Obama campaign a symbol of his being "out of touch" with the realities of the crisis. "It's not that I think John McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of most Americans. I just think doesn't know," then-Sen. Obama said in Colorado that day. "He doesn't get what's happening between the mountain in Sedona where he lives and the corridors of Washington where he works." His running mate, Joe Biden, echoed that, saying in Michigan: "Ladies and gentlemen, I could walk from here to Lansing, and I wouldn't run into a single person who thought our economy was doing well, unless I ran into John McCain." RCP's polling average of the presidential race showed McCain at the downslope of a brief lead at this point in the 2008 campaign. It was at 1.6 points on Sept. 15, but in just a week, it was Obama who led, by 2.7 points. It was a lead that continued to grow right through Election Day. Continue reading "One Year Ago, A 'Fundamental' Turning Point" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:42 AM | Email Author | Permalink September 11, 2009

Coast Guard: Potomac Incident Was "Misconstrued" The U.S. Coast Guard released a statement on its training exercise on the Potomac River this morning, which caused a brief scare after media reports of shots being fired near the location of this morning's Pentagon memorial service. The statement says today's exercise was planned "in advance and was being conducted on a marine radio frequency reserved for Coast Guard training and operations." They are now "gathering information of how this training event might have been misconstrued as an actual incident," and promise a "thorough review." In addition, the statement seems to defend the timing of today's exercise, saying that "the best way that we in the Coast Guard can remember Sept. 11 and our security obligations to the nation is to be always ready and this requires constant training and exercise." But it also says that the decision to hold an exercise this morning "will be reviewed." Meanwhile, press secretary Robert Gibbs blamed some of the confusion on "erroneous reporting" by the media. Asked about the decision to hold a training exercise today, he told reporters that he would not question law enforcement decisions. You can read the full Coast Guard statement after the jump. Continue reading "Coast Guard: Potomac Incident Was "Misconstrued"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's Speech Provided Bump In Support Two new surveys released this morning find an increase in support for President Obama and comprehensive health care reform. A CBS News poll reports a 12-point leap in approval of Obama's handling of health care since last week. Forty percent of adults interviewed last week (Aug. 27-31) said they approved, while 47 percent disapproved. When the same sample was surveyed the day after Obama's speech (Sept. 10, 648 A, MoE +/- 4%), 52% now approve of the president's handling of health care while 38% disapprove, which CBS reports is "the best marks of his presidency." Also, more people now say that Obama has explained his health care reform than did last week. Just 33% felt the president had explained his proposals last week; 42% now say he has, though 43% still say he has not. A Rasmussen survey (Sept. 9-10, 1000 LV, MoE +/- 3%) finds support for the Democrats' health care reform proposal at 46% -- up 2 points since the two days prior to Obama's speech. The speech appears to have had more of an impact on Democrats, though, as Rasmussen reports that the boost comes "entirely from those in the president's own party." Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 10:50 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: "Let Us Renew" President Obama, in a pouring rain in Northern Virginia, made the following remarks at the Pentagon today: Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and members of the Armed Forces, fellow Americans, family and friends of those that we lost this day -- Michelle and I are deeply humbled to be with you. Eight Septembers have come and gone. Nearly 3,000 days have passed -almost one for each of those taken from us. But no turning of the seasons can diminish the pain and the loss of that day. No passage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment. So on this solemn day, at this sacred hour, once more we pause. Once more we pray -- as a nation and as a people; in city streets where our two towers were turned to ashes and dust; in a quiet field where a plane fell from the sky; and here, where a single stone of this building is still blackened by the fires. We remember with reverence the lives we lost. We read their names. We press their photos to our hearts. And on this day that marks their death, we recall the beauty and meaning of their lives; men and women and children of every color and every creed, from across our nation and from more than 100 others. They were innocent. Harming no one, they went about their daily lives. Gone in a horrible instant, they now "dwell in the House of the Lord forever."

Continue reading "Obama: "Let Us Renew"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:10 AM | Email Author | Permalink September 10, 2009

Scenes From The White House: Lord Stanley For the second time this year, President Obama found himself honoring a championship team from the Steel City at the White House. Today, it was the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins, who defeated the defending champion Detroit Red Wings this June.

"I guess it's a good time to be a sports fan in Pittsburgh," he said, drawing applause from the East Room audience full of team employees, family, as well as local youth groups. "I was complaining about this -- it's been a while since Chicago won anything," he added. Obama has shown plenty of love to pro football, basketball, and Major League Baseball this season -- but not so much to hockey. Still, he made an effort to show some knowledge of the sport. He said having team owner and hockey great Mario Lemieux at the White House was "a pretty big deal." He even gave a shout out to the hometown Washington Capitals, who lost a hardfought playoff series to the Penguins in this year's playoffs. Continue reading "Scenes From The White House: Lord Stanley" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:44 PM | Email Author | Permalink

After Apology, Questions Over Coverage For Illegal Immigrants With Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) apology accepted at the White House, questions at today's briefing turned to the basis of his quarrel with the president: whether illegal immigrants would benefit from health care through reforms, if passed. Press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about a figure President Obama used: that 30 million American citizens are uninsured. The U.S. Census says that 46 million are currently uninsured. "The proposal that the president outlined covers American citizens," Gibbs said. "His plan would not cover illegal immigrants. If you subtract a rough estimate from that 46.3 million, you get a number that's somewhat unknown, but in the 30s that represents American citizens, as the president pointed out." That would still leave tens of millions of Americans uninsured, presumably driving up medical costs if they still sought care from hospitals. Gibbs was also asked about the possibility an illegal immigrant would seek to purchase insurance through the proposed exchange. "I can't speak for somebody that's here illegally, but I would think it would be somewhat of a bad course of events if you're here illegally to alert people that you are here illegally and sign up for a government program," Gibbs said. As for Wilson's outburst, Gibbs said the president took him at his word that he was sorry. For his part, President Obama seemed ready to move on. Continue reading "After Apology, Questions Over Coverage For Illegal Immigrants" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:23 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 09, 2009

Kennedy's Letter To Obama It was the moving flourish that started President Obama's somber finish. Now, the White House has released the full text of the letter Sen. Ted Kennedy wrote to Obama, that was delivered after his passing. You can read it in full after the jump. Continue reading "Kennedy's Letter To Obama" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:12 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The President's Speech Remarks as prepared for delivery are after the jump. Read along. Continue reading "The President's Speech" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:14 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Speech Excerpts: "The Time For Bickering Is Over" The White House has released some excerpts of tonight's speech, which include some tough punches at his foes. He'll note the progress that has been made at the committee levels in passing reform bills, "putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been. But, he'll add: "We have also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have toward their own government. Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned. The excerpts don't include too many specific new details on his plan. But it closes with Obama pledging to work with any and all who still bring ideas to the table. He won't, however, "waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it." Read more excerpts after the jump. Continue reading "Speech Excerpts: "The Time For Bickering Is Over"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:18 PM | Email Author | Permalink

WH: Obama Hopes To Shift Focus From Public Option Previewing tonight's joint session address, a senior White House official said this afternoon that while President Obama will reiterate his support for the public option, he'll urge Congress to take a broader view of health care reform. The official said the "fascination" with the public option is understandable, but Obama "wants to make clear what the place of the public option in this debate is." "This is not a national debate about whether we have a public option for the tens of millions who are uninsured. It's about how we bring security and stability to hundreds of millions of Americans, most of whom won't ... be participating in this marketplace," the official said. "The public choice is a means to an end. It's not an end in and of itself. So he will make that clear." In discussing the president's address tonight, the official also took issue with the notion that the administration lost ground in the health care debate in the month of August. "Any downward movement frankly occurred in June and July," the official said, at the height of legislative activity prior to Congress' recess. "I think that was a consequence of the focus being very much on this legislative process, lots of committees doing work, a lot of focus on the trees and not the forest," the official said. "Tonight's the night when he can describe the forest in terms that people can understand, and bring some clarity to this process." Continue reading "WH: Obama Hopes To Shift Focus From Public Option" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:33 PM | Email Author | Permalink

What To Watch For Tonight On the main site I write about some things to look for tonight. For the sixth time since taking office, President Obama tonight appears in prime time to address the nation. This time, however, he'll be speaking directly to Congress in what is a rare, non-State of the Union speech by a commanderin-chief on Capitol Hill. It's only the 18th time in the last half century that a president has addressed a joint session of Congress for something other than a State of the Union address, according to the House historian. Coverage leading up to the address has included terms like "make-or-break," and some are even calling this Obama's most important speech as president. White House aides have declined to say too much about what the president will say, other than to promise that he will finally "answer many off the big questions" that have lingered months into this debate. Whether Obama lives up to that billing will be the headline. But there are a number of subplots we'll be monitoring as well.

You can read the rest here. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:25 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Still "Tinkering" With Speech President Obama is still working on tonight's speech, and will continue "tinkering" through the day press secretary Robert Gibbs said this morning. Work began in earnest when the president came back from Camp David Monday "with many handwritten pages of notes that he gave to the speechwriters," Gibbs said. He reviewed a draft last night, and met with speechwriters at the White House before he left for New York today. "My sense is this thing will be locked sometime this afternoon," Gibbs said. The spokesman would say little about new about the content of the speech, reiterating the broad overview he gave yesterday. "He President will talk tonight about the public option and about the necessity for choice and competition, but I don't want to make all his news now. Then what will we do later tonight?" Gibbs joked. He did say that Obama spoke with Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus yesterday, and hopes his committee "can get something done in a bipartisan way." Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:04 AM | Email Author | Permalink September 08, 2009

Toomey Praises Obama's School Speech One of the most conservative candidates for Senate this year released a statement of praise regarding the speech President Obama delivered to school children across the nation today. The White House felt a ton of heat last week from conservatives due to both the speech and follow-up materials distributed to school systems by the Department of Education. Pat Toomey, a former Republican congressman and former head of Club for Growth, is challenging Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) for the second election in a row. He said today that Obama's message is "exactly" what kids in this country should be hearing. "Education is the cornerstone of our country's future and it is important that we relay that message to our young students. The President's emphasis on responsibility and the personal stories about his own education are exactly the kind of inspiring messages our children need to hear from our country's leaders. "I know that I would not have had the opportunities I have today if not for the education I received as a young student. My parents and my teachers instilled in me the importance of hard work and education, and it is a message I try to instill in my own children. It is important that we make sure all students are similarly inspired." Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 07, 2009

Obama Gets "Fired Up" On Health Care President Obama, sounding more like he did in 2008 than he has for much of 2009, used a speech at a labor gathering in Ohio to kick off his latest health care offensive, saying that after months of debate, "it's time to decide." Though he signaled the reform effort was reaching a critical stage, there was not much in the way of new details from the president on what he wants. He, of course, teased his speech to Congress Wednesday night and said he will have more to say then. But he did reframe the discussion somewhat, using new language to describe his goal: "[Here is] what we're talking about: security and stability for folks who have health insurance. Help for those who don't -- the coverage they need at a price they can afford. Finally bringing costs under control." Speaking at the largest union gathering on this Labor Day, an AFL-CIO picnic in Cincinnati, Obama did include the words "public option" in his remarks. But it was no clearer today what the final outcome will be for what is considered by many on the left to be a critical, potentially dealbreaking component of reform. "I see reform where Americans and small businesses that are shut out of health insurance today will be able to purchase coverage at a price they can afford; where they'll be able to shop and compare in a new health insurance exchange," he said. "And I continue to believe that a public option within the basket of insurance choices would help improve quality and bring down costs." After two weeks vacation, Obama showed a greater passion in his speech today, even breaking from prepared remarks to recall the origin of his "Fired up, ready to go!" slogan. Before discussing health care, he also defended his record seven months into his term, saying in the battleground state: "Some people have already forgotten how bad it was just seven months ago. ... They've sort of got selective amnesia." Continue reading "Obama Gets "Fired Up" On Health Care" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

President Obama's Address To Students The White House has released prepared remarks for President Obama's televised address to America's students tomorrow. It appears to be focused mainly on encouraging students to work hard in order to reach their full potential. "I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education - and to do everything you can to meet them," he'll say. "Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. ... Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it." You can the full remarks after the jump. Continue reading "President Obama's Address To Students" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:42 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 04, 2009

Gibbs Chalks Up Education Protests To "Silly Season" President Obama's speech to school children next week is an opportunity to encourage them at the start of the new year, the White House says, calling objections "silly." "I think we've reached a little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can't tell kids in school to study hard and stay in school," Robert Gibbs told a group of reporters this morning. "I think both political parties agree that the dropout rate is something that threatens our long-term economic success." Obama's speech is being released a day early, and some of the content of suggested lesson plans has been changed in response to complaints. As for school districts boycotting the materials, Gibbs noted that "there are some school districts that won't let you read Huckleberry Finn." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:41 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Unemployment Rate Climbs To 9.7 Yesterday, Vice President Biden gave an upbeat assessment of the economy, saying the Recovery Act had exceeded expectations and created or saved between 500,000 and 750,000 jobs. This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the national unemployment rate, after a slight decline last month, had increased again, from 9.4 to 9.7. "Although job losses continued in many of the major industry sectors in August, the declines have moderated in recent months," a BLS release states. Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 216,000 in August; since December 2007, employment has fallen by nearly 7 million. The overall number of "unemployed persons" increased by 466,000, to 14.9 million nationwide. UPDATE: With President Obama still vacationing at Camp David, Biden will make a statement on the unemployment numbers at the start of a scheduled event on energy grants. Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:35 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Approval Dips Below 60 In Home State Illinoisans still generally support their senator-turned president, but are skeptical his policies, a new Tribune/WGN poll shows. The statewide poll puts Obama's approval rating at 59 percent, with 33 percent of voters disapproving. Obama carried his home state with 62 percent of the vote in November. But on the economy, just under half of voters think his economic policies have had little or no impact on employment, while 45 percent say they have helped some or a lot. Turning to health care, voters are even more divided: 42 percent approve of how he's handled the reform effort, 43 percent do not. A whopping 75 percent of those surveyed said that under Obama's proposed reform, their own health care would likely stay the same or get worse; only 16 percent say it would change for the better. Still, when asked which party voters sided with on health care, 48 percent said Obama and the Democrats, while 28 percent said Republicans in Congress. Sixteen percent said neither. The telephone survey of 700 voters was conducted by Market Shares Corp from August 27-31, and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:19 AM | Email Author | Permalink September 03, 2009

Biden: Prospects For Health Care Deal "Very High" Vice President Biden offered a bit of a preview of President Obama's message to a joint session of Congress next week, saying Americans can expect to hear "specifically" and in "understandable, clear terms what our administration wants to happen." He also sounded extremely confident that a reform bill will pass, while noting that similar legislation of this magnitude also passed only narrowly. "We're going to get something substantial. There's going to be an awful lot of screaming and hollering before we get there. But I believe we're going to get there," he said. Biden headed to the Brookings Institution to give what was billed as a major speech on the Recovery Act at the 200-day mark. When asked at the end of the event to comment on the status of health care reform, Biden was sheepish at first. "I do foreign policy. I don't do health care," he said. "The reason I choose foreign policy - it's a lot easier than health care. And a lot less complicated." After assuring the crowd he was joking, he said he didn't want to step on Obama's "major" speech next Wednesday. He did discuss investments made in modernizing medical records through the Recovery Act to transform an "absolutely archaic" system. "If we modernize health care recordkeeping, we will save tens of billions of dollars," he said. "That's what I meant by you've got to spend some money to save a lot more money." Continue reading "Biden: Prospects For Health Care Deal "Very High"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 02, 2009

Reid, Pelosi Invite Obama to Address Congress Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to the White House today inviting the president to address a joint session of Congress on Sept. 9. Here is the full text of the letter, as provided to reporters: September 2, 2009 President Barack Obama The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: Our nation is closer than ever to achieving health insurance reform that will lower costs, retain choice, improve quality and expand coverage. We are committed to reaching this goal. We would like to invite you to address a Joint Session of the Congress on Wednesday, September 9 on health insurance reform. Thank you for considering this invitation to speak to the Congress and the nation. Sincerely,

HARRY REID NANCY PELOSI Majority Leader of the Senate Speaker of the House

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Will Make His Case To Congress Multiple outlets now confirm that President Obama will use the bully pulpit of a joint session to Congress as part of his renewed push on health care. The prime time speech next will be next Wednesday, Sept. 9. An Oval Office address was also being discussed. But taking the fight directly to Congress may have been more impactful in the White House's mind; after more than a month of public debate, the final battle now is on Capitol Hill, after all. All this brings to mind President Clinton's health care speech, almost 16 years to the date, on September 22, 1993. "At long last, after decades of false starts, we must make this our most urgent priority, giving every American health security, health care that can never be taken away, heath care that is always there," he said that night. You can see a portion of that address here:

Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:17 PM | Email Author | Permalink September 01, 2009

Obama Marks Ramadan At The White House President Obama hosted a traditional Ramadan dinner at the White House tonight, celebrating the American Muslim community as one "of extraordinary dynamism and diversity." "Islam, as we know, is part of America," President Obama told guests in the State Dining Room tonight, which included the first two Muslim members of Congress, administration officials and members of the diplomatic corps. "Indeed, the contribution of Muslims to the United States are too long to catalog because Muslims are so interwoven into the fabric of our communities and our country." Obama made sure to note that tonight's event was continuing "a long tradition of hosting iftars here at the White House." President Clinton hosted the first dinner to mark the celebration of Ramadan. He highlighted the stories represented by several attendees as examples of "how much Muslims have enriched America and its culture." Among them, a soldier who was killed in Iraq, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetary. Kareem Khan, whose mother was at the dinner, was called a hero by the president. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 31, 2009

The Beginning Of The End Of Bipartisanship? White House press secretary Robert Gibbs seemed to lay the groundwork for a Democratic go-italone strategy today by seizing on what he said were "unfortunate" comments from Republican senators who had been part of health care talks. In particular, he cited the Republican weekly address delivered by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), who had been part of the Finance Committee team working on a bill. "It doesn't help to have Republicans who say they're for bipartisanship and say they're at the table to try to find a solution repeating Republican Party talking points about what they know is not true in the bill," he said. "It's tremendously unfortunate that it looks like Republicans are stepping away from seeking a bipartisan solution. I think it's bad for this town but it's much worse for this country." If the White House can successfully portray the Republicans as having been first to abandon a bipartisan bill, it could pave the way for President Obama to come in after months of Congressional sausage-making and push for a bill tailored more to his party's liking. But for now, Obama thinks a bipartisan outcome is still possible, Gibbs said. "It appears that, at least in Senator Enzi's case, he doesn't believe there's a pathway to get bipartisan support. The president thinks that's wrong," he said. "I think that Senator Enzi's clearly turned over his cards on bipartisanship and decided that it's time to walk away from the table. I think that what somebody has to ask Senator Enzi and ask others, every member of Congress, is: are you satisfied with the way the system is working right now?" Continue reading "The Beginning Of The End Of Bipartisanship?" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Blago: Rahm Wanted My Help Holding House Seat Consider the source, as they say. And as we see in the case of Tom Ridge, anyone promoting a new book needs to toss out a few attention-grabbing claims. But former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) claims in his forthcoming book that White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel sought his help in potentially orchestrating a return to the House of Representatives. AP reports: Blagojevich says Emanuel was interested in his own career because he had to give up his congressional seat to work in Obama's White House. Blagojevich writes that Emanuel dreamed of being speaker of the U.S. House and wanted to know if Blagojevich would work with him to name a successor to "hold" his seat until he wanted it back. Blagojevich says he told Emanuel he didn't think he could do that and the House vacancy would have to be filled by special election. But Emanuel reportedly told him "his lawyers thought there was a way." "As we have done for many months, we will continue to decline comment," Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Feinberg said in an e-mail Monday.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was also asked about this at today's briefing, but declined to comment on the claim of the "indicted former governor," as he put it. Meanwhile, it's safe to say that new Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) probably hopes to keep his seat for the foreseeable future. AP goes on to report that Blagojevich sought to appoint Attorney General Lisa Madigan to President Obama's former Senate seat "because he hoped to cut a deal on pet projects with her father, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:21 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Vicki Kennedy Says No? George Stephanopoulos reports this afternoon that Vicki Kennedy is out of the picture as far as replacing her husband on a short-term or long-term basis. The trial balloon launched yesterday by Kennedy friends Chris Dodd and Orrin Hatch isn't going anywhere. A solid source assures me that Vicki Kennedy won't run in a special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat. She's not interested in an interim appointment if it becomes available. Gov. Deval Patrick (D-Mass.) is set to make an announcement in about an hour about when a special election will be held. No word yet on whether the push for a temporary appointment will continue. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:51 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 27, 2009

Politics Is "The Last Thing" On Obama's Mind After Kennedy Death As some Democrats look to turn Sen. Ted Kennedy's death into a rallying point for health care reform, the White House is downplaying the potential political ramifications of the moment. Speaking to reporters in Martha's Vineyard, deputy press secretary Bill Burton said that politics is the last thing on President Obama's mind at this point. "We've all experienced a pretty big loss, and Americans are going to have different reactions and find different ways to memorialize his life," he said. "There'll be a time when it's appropriate to have discussions on different ramifications, but I don't think anybody thinks that now is that time." Asked specifically about groups using this moment to renew a call for health care reform, Burton said Obama "isn't in a place where he's looking to referee what everybody's saying." Obama will disrupt his vacation and travel to Boston tomorrow night to deliver the eulogy at Kennedy's funeral Saturday, with Burton saying Obama will deliver "a very personal statement." Weather permitting, he and the first lady will return to Martha's Vineyard Saturday night, and then to Washington on Sunday. But next week also looks to be a light one. There are no public events planned for Monday, Burton said, adding that the first family will spend Wednesday through Sunday at Camp David. Have the events of this week disrupted what was to have been a relaxing time? "The president when he ran for this office knew that there would be no days where he was completely down, and he's responded accordingly," Burton said. "I do think he's had a chance to spend some time with his family, play some tennis, play some basketball, dig in on his books a little bit, and actually do a little relaxing." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 26, 2009

James Jones Statement on Kennedy The White House released the following statement from National Security Adviser Jim Jones: As a young Senate Liaison officer during the early 1980's, I had the opportunity to get to know Senator Edward Kennedy who was then a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Kennedy and his staff were among some of the best supporters the Marine Corps ever had on Capitol Hill. Despite his many responsibilities, he always made time for me on issues of importance to Marines and their families. Always gracious and well informed, the Senator was instrumental in the passage of the landmark legislation known as Goldwater-Nichols and military pay reforms, which ushered in the most comprehensive reforms of our military and defense establishment since the end of World War II. Senator Kennedy, among the many things he will be remembered for, deserves to be honored for his genuine care and compassion for our men and women in uniform - his tireless work and his voting record clearly supports this distinction. While he never shied from challenging our senior military leadership during hundreds of committee hearings, he could always be counted on to be fair and open-minded in letting witnesses like me make our case to the committee and to the American people. He contributed a great deal to my "Washington education", and I'm sure he is most proud of the contributions many of his former staff members continue to make to our nation today.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Emotional Biden Remembers His 'Anchor' Vice President Biden, a colleague of Ted Kennedy for 36 years in the U.S. Senate, broke from planned remarks at the Department of Energy this morning to pay tribute to the man he said was an anchor for him. "He was never defeatist. He never was petty. Never was petty. He was never small. And in the process of his doing, he made everybody he worked with bigger -- both his adversaries as well as his allies," Biden said. Choking up at times, Biden called it remarkable that "one of the most partisan, liberal men in the last century" was embraced so by his foes. He also said that it was his life's privilege to sit next to him throughout his tenure. "I literally would not be standing here were it not for Teddy Kennedy. Not figuratively. It's not hyperbole. Literally," said Biden in his vintage style. "Every day I was with him ... he restored my sense of idealism and my faith in the possibilities of what this country can do." He said his whole family was "distressed" by his passing. He quoted Kennedy's widow, who said he "was ready to go." "But we were not ready to let him go," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:34 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama and Kennedy Last Spoke In July

White House photo: President Barack Obama and Senator Ted Kennedy walk on the grounds of the White House, before signing of the Kennedy Service Act at the SEED School in Washington D.C. 4/21/09. White House spokesperson Bill Burton said that President Obama last spoke with Sen. Kennedy on July 10. That was shortly after the president delivered to Pope Benedict XVI a letter from Kennedy. The pontiff and the president concluded their half-hour meeting at the Vatican that day with a discussion about Kennedy, whose brother was the first Catholic president. "The contents of the letter were not known to anybody that I know of except Senator Kennedy," press secretary Robert Gibbs said at the time. Kennedy's last trip to the White House came in April, when Obama was set to sign the service bill named in honor of the Massachusetts senator. He was also there for a public event on March 5 as Obama held a forum on health care. Continue reading "Obama and Kennedy Last Spoke In July" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: Kennedy Made It Possible For Me To Pursue Dreams President Obama called Ted Kennedy a "singular figure in American history" who allowed people like himself to pursue their dreams. He noted that Kennedy was often "the target of partisan campaign attacks," but was greatly respected by his colleagues in both parties. "His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth, and good cheer," Obama said. "He could passionately battle others and do so peerlessly on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintain warm friendships across party lines. And that's one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy." Obama, vacationing in Kennedy's home state of Massachusetts, said he spoke with Kennedy's wife this morning, and offered his thoughts to the entire family. Though his passing was not unexpected, there was "no small amount of dread" in awaiting it, he said. But on a positive note, he said the time since his diagnosis to this day has allowed for "the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you -and goodbye." Obama made no special mention of health care, which was the late senator's great passion. But his passing will no doubt color the discussion in the weeks ahead. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:46 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Statement On Passing Of Sen. Kennedy President Obama will speak at 8:30 am from Martha's Vineyard about the death overnight of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). Earlier, the White House released this statement: Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy. For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom. An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time. And the Kennedy family has lost their patriarch, a tower of strength and support through good times and bad. Our hearts and prayers go out to them today--to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:20 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 25, 2009

OMB Explains Growing Deficit Forecast The mid-session review released this morning by the Office of Management and Budget today is a case of good news bad news. As leaked previously, the forecast budget deficit for this fiscal year has dropped by $262 billion to $1.58 trillion, which represents a change of 1.7 percent of GDP. But the long-term forecasts show a markedly different picture. The new 10-year projected deficit is $9.05 trillion, up $2 trillion from OMB's original estimate. As Peter Orszag explains in a blog post: In line with the current consensus among professional forecasters, the Administration's economic projections show that we inherited a deeper recession than projected in February. These revisions are based on new data on the severity of the recession that weren't available last winter. As a result of a deeper-than-expected recession, certain spending programs (such as unemployment insurance and food stamps) are projected to automatically increase and revenues are projected to automatically decline, compared to our previous projection. Although these effects help to ameliorate the economic downturn by stimulating demand, they also lead to higher medium-term deficits both directly and indirectly (through higher interest costs on a higher level of public debt).

Orszag continues to say that in an economic downturn, "one wants to allow the deficit to increase." Steps toward future deficit reduction will be taken in the future, he said. But he concedes that the current forecast means that deficits "hover in the range of 4 percent of GDP, which is higher than desirable." He ends on a positive note, however: On inauguration day, the Administration inherited the greatest economic crisis and the largest deficits since the end of World War II. The economic freefall has been arrested, and, while too many people remain out of work, the consensus among private forecasters is that the economy will return to positive growth in the second half of this year. As the economy recovers, the Administration is committed to putting the nation on a fiscally sustainable path. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:02 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Stays The Course At The Fed Announcing that Ben Bernanke will stay at the helm, President Obama today also defended his economic policies just minutes before the Office and Management and Budget releases a midsession budget review that raises the projected deficit forecast to $9 trillion over 10 years. "The actions we have taken to stabilize our financial system, repair our credit markets, restructure our auto industry, and pass a recovery package have all been steps of necessity, not choice," he said. "They have faced plenty of critics, some of whom argued that we should stay the course or do nothing at all. But taken together, this 'bold, persistent experimentation' has brought our economy back from the brink. They are steps that are working." Obama noted that Bernanke was an expert in the Great Depression who probably "never imagined that he would be part of a team responsible for preventing another." "But because of his background, his temperament, his courage, and his creativity, that's exactly what he has helped to achieve. And that is why I am re-appointing him to another term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve," he continued. Obama interrupted his vacation to make the announcement, speaking to reporters in a suit but no tie at a local school on Martha's Vineyard. He did not take questions on any of the other stories that sprang up yesterday, especially the new interrogation practices. Though the president apologized for breaking a promised no-news week, it seems they may have anticipated he would speak to the press at some point. The White House brought with them to Martha's Vineyard the president's teleprompter. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:23 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 24, 2009

Another Term For Bernanke Remember when Bill Burton said this? "Nobody is looking to make any news, so he's hoping that you guys can enjoy Martha's Vineyard while we're there." So much for that. The White House says he'll make a statement tomorrow at 9 am from Martha's Vineyard. AP has details on what's to come: OAK BLUFFS, Mass. -- An Associated Press source says President Barack Obama plans to nominate Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second term. Obama is to make the announcement on Tuesday during a break from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The source is a senior administration official who discussed the announcement late Monday on the condition of anonymity. Obama was first named Fed chairman by former President George W. Bush. In his announcement, Obama plans to praise Bernanke as someone who led the country through a financial crisis. Obama plans to note Bernanke's expertise on the Great Depression of the 1930s and his efforts to prevent another crisis.

You can expect the release of the OMB's mid-session budget review tomorrow morning as well. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:44 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's Reading List This morning, White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton shared these selections from the president's reading list during his vacation this week. "The Way Home," by George Pelecanos "Hot, Flat and Crowded," by Tom Friedman "Lush Life," by Richard Price "Plainsong," by Kent Haruf "John Adams," by David McCullough Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 23, 2009

Let The Vacation Begin President Obama arrived in Martha's Vineyard this afternoon, starting a week-long vacation that the White House insists will be just that -- a vacation. En route to the island, he gave some marching orders to the press through deputy press secretary Bill Burton. "He wants you to relax and have a good time. Take some walks on the beaches," Burton told the reporters traveling with him on Air Force One. "Nobody is looking to make any news, so he's hoping that you guys can enjoy Martha's Vineyard while we're there." Burton also asked that the White House press corps "respect the privacy of the girls" during the vacation, in keeping with a longstanding request that the media leave the first daughters some space. Obama's sister, Maya, and her family are joining them at their vacation compound, as is first dog, Bo. Burton said that at this point Obama had no plans to visit Sen. Ted Kennedy at nearby Hyannis, though some still suspect he may. "There isn't a lot scheduled for this week. You can bet there's going to be some golf playing, maybe a little swimming, but a lot of time spent with his family," Burton said. He called talk that Tiger Woods would join the president on the golf course a "bad rumor." Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 21, 2009

Obama Praises Afghan Resolve After Elections In his final public appearance before a week-long vacation, President Obama called the elections in Afghanistan an "important step forward" for the people to reclaim their future. "We knew that the Taliban would try to derail this election," he acknowledged. "Yet even in the face of this brutality, millions of Afghans exercised the right to choose their leaders and determine their own destiny. And as I watched the election, I was struck by their courage in the face of intimidation, and their dignity in the face of disorder." Echoing a refrain from his inaugural address, he talked of the contrast between "those who seek to control their future at the ballot box, and those who kill to prevent that from happening." "I believe that the future belongs to those who want to build -- not those who want to destroy," he said. He sought to emphasize the United States' neutrality, saying our interests were in continuing to work with whoever emerges to "strengthen Afghan security, governance, and opportunity." As he stepped toward Marine One en route to Camp David, a reporter asked for his reaction to the "hero's welcome" that the Pan Am Bomber received in Libya yesterday. Obama called it "highly objectionable." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink

"Wee-Wee'd Up" Explained It had to be a first in presidential rhetoric, the president of the United States referring to people in Washington being "wee-wee'd up" in August. He was referring to a trend in which he's been counted out before in August, and still found his way to the White House. Today in the briefing room, press secretary Robert Gibbs explained just what that unique term means. "I think wee-weed up is when people just get all nervous for no particular reason," Gibbs said, repeating Obama's view that this is an "August pundit pattern." He agreed with a reporter that "bed wetting" would probably be "the more consumer friendly" term. Looking ahead, Gibbs said to expect the president to be out front in the health care debate when he returns from vacation, saying "we've made progress," in the past few weeks. The press secretary also disputed the CNN branding that August was a "make or break month." "My hunch is that another cable network will make September an even more important month," he said. "I think that much is always made of where things are at a certain point in the process. The president's viewpoint, as he said in here, no to worry too much about the 24-hour news cycle and focus more on the overall process and the overall policy." Gibbs continued to bat away questions about the precise status of legislative horsetrading, feigning a bit of ignorance about whether there are plans to "split" legislation to make passage easier for Democrats and saying the goal was still a bipartisan bill. But he did say that Obama would not just "print a banner and sign a bill just so somebody can say we reformed health care." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:59 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 20, 2009

On Conservative Talk Show, Obama Reassures A Supporter President Obama went on Michael Smerconish's radio show anticipating some tough questions from across the ideological divide. But one of the callers who got to pose a question to him was actually a supporter, who expressed concern that Obama was "buckling" to Republicans on health care when it was the Democrats who had the majority. "It's very frustrating to watch you try and compromise with a lot of these people who aren't willing to compromise with you," the caller, Joe, asked. Obama acknowledged the "hand-wringing," but said that passing a major bill like this is "always messy." "My attitude has always been let's see if we can get this done with some consensus," he explained. But, he claimed, there was "early on a decision was made by the Republican leadership" to deny him a victory, so that "maybe we can have a replay of 1993-94," as he put it, referring to President Clinton's failed health care effort. "I think there's some folks who are taking a page out of that playbook. But this shouldn't be a political issue," he said. "There are a bunch of Republicans out there who have been working very constructively. ... I want to give them a chance to work through these processes." He singled out Chuck Grassley, Mike Enzi, and Olympia Snow -- those working in the bipartisan group on the Senate Finance Committee. "We're happy to make sensible compromises. What we're not willing to do is give up on the core principle that Americans who don't have health insurance should get it," he said. Continue reading "On Conservative Talk Show, Obama Reassures A Supporter" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:53 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama "Deeply Regrets" Pan Am Bomber Release A statement from the White House on the announced release of the only Pan Am bomber to be tried and sentenced: The United States deeply regrets the decision by the Scottish Executive to release Abdel Basset Mohamed al-Megrahi. Megrahi was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which blew up over Scotland on December 21, 1988. As we have expressed repeatedly to officials of the government of the United Kingdom and to Scottish authorities, we continue to believe that Megrahi should serve out his sentence in Scotland. On this day, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families who live every day with the loss of their loved ones. We recognize the effects of such a loss weigh upon a family forever. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:14 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 19, 2009

Obama: Opponents "Bearing False Witness" In Health Care Debate President Obama made a faith-based pitch for his health care reform, urging religious groups to unite in this battle "between hope and fear" just as they did in the fight for civil rights. Obama joined a teleconference organized by a coalition of religious groups as part of their "Forty Minutes For Health Reform" campaign. He didn't take questions, but in his six-minute pitch he also worked to dispel some misinformation about the legislation, accusing opponents of "bearing false witness." He disputed that there would be "death panels," for instance, calling that an "extraordinary lie." He also denied that his plan would cover illegal immigrants. Lastly, he touched on a hot-button issue for religious groups: abortion. "You've heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortion. Not true," he said. "These are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation, and that is that we look out for one another. That I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper. And in the wealthiest nation on earth right now, we are neglecting to live up to that call." Before the president joined, participants on the call were encouraged to spend the next 40 days (an important biblical number) spreading the truth about reform and rallying support in their congregations. Obama said that faith groups have always worked "to promote justice," while others push to "preserve the status quo." Continue reading "Obama: Opponents "Bearing False Witness" In Health Care Debate" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Scenes From The White House: Taking The 48 For A Ride The White House went all out for a Red State pastime today, honoring the 2008 NASCAR champion, Jimmie Johnson. "NASCAR is a uniquely American sport," President Obama said, flanked by some of the sport's biggest names. "Since its humble beginnings, when moonshiners raced on the sands of Daytona Beach during prohibition, it's grown into a sport with tens of millions of fans here in America and around the world." Off to the president's left was Johnson's 48 car. "You know, it is not every day that we have a championship stock car parked out on the South Lawn," he joked. In exchange for free parking, he continued, Johnson should let him take it for a few laps. The punch line: "He said that was fine -- but Secret Service didn't think it was fine." Also on hand in addition to current drivers was "The King," Richard Petty. Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry (D) also made the trip; some Wounded Warriors from Walter Reed and Bethesda Medical Center sat in the crowd. Unlike previous sport champions events under Obama, a full grandstand for the press was set up. NASCAR reporters from various outlets were on hand for the event; one cable network was also broadcasting live from the South Lawn. Another pic from the affair after the jump. Continue reading "Scenes From The White House: Taking The 48 For A Ride" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Says He Hopes Reform Bill Is Bipartisan As President Obama headed back to the Oval Office following an event honoring NASCAR champions, I asked him if he was giving up on a bipartisan health care reform bill. Here's his quick response: "I am absolutely confident we are going to get a bill. And I hope it's bipartisan." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:39 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Playing Good Cop? Says WH Wants Bipartisan Bill Go ahead, just try to make sense of the conflicting messages coming out of the White House these days. This morning, some targeted leaks, anonymous and on-the-record, in the New York Times saying that the Obama administration is ready to "go it alone" and pass a health care reform bill with 50+1 votes if that's what it takes. Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said that "the Republican leadership has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama's health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day." Contrast that with press secretary Robert Gibbs' message at today's press briefing. "The president believes strongly in working with Republicans and Democrats, independents, any that seek to reform health care," he said before the television cameras. "The president strongly believes that we're making progress, [and] has had conversations with members of the Finance Committee. ... Our preference is to work through -- work through this process and hopefully come out with a bill that has agreement among both parties on that committee." He also downplayed the likelihood of ultimately using reconciliation to pass reform, saying again that they have not yet abandoned working with Republicans. After the press widely reported this weekend that the White House seemed ready to abandon the public option, Gibbs has argued the contrary -- that they've had a "boring consistency" to their health care message. But today it seems like there's a bit of good cop, bad cop going on. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:03 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 18, 2009

Secretary Clinton Comments On North Korea Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not join her husband for his meeting with President Obama this afternoon. But she did address the impact former President Clinton's visit to North Korea had on U.S. policy toward the nation. "The briefing that my husband and those who traveled with him have provided to us is extremely helpful because it gives us a window into what's going on in North Korea," she said. "But our policy remains the same. Our policy is consistent. We continue to offer to the North Koreans the opportunity to have a dialogue within the Six-Party Talk framework with the United States that we think could offer many benefits to the people of North Korea. But the choice is up to the North Koreans." She further said it is up to the United States "to us to determine whether there are some opportunities and some insights that can be used" to create a "positive atmosphere" for negotiations, but that ultimately North Korea must come to the table. The comments came during a scheduled availability between Clinton and Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez. The White House explained that this event prevented Clinton from joining her husband at the White House. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:44 PM | Email Author | Permalink

White House Saying Little About Clinton Meeting Former President Bill Clinton arrived at the White House just before 4 pm today for his meeting with President Obama, and left less than a half hour ago. The White House issued this readout to describe the conversation the two leaders had, first in the Situation Room and later in the Oval Office. President Obama today met in the Situation Room with former President Clinton for nearly forty minutes to thank him in person for undertaking the humanitarian mission to secure the release of two American citizens who had been detained by North Korea for over four months. Former President Clinton described the process, including a meeting with Kim Jong-il, that culminated in the North Korean leadership granting "special amnesty" to the two journalists and permitting them to return to the United States. President Obama said he was gratified that the Americans had been safely reunited with their families. After the meeting, President Obama invited President Clinton to the Oval Office to continue their conversation for another half hour. As you can see, the readout lists only North Korea as a topic of more than an hour of discussion. Earlier, Robert Gibbs could not say whether health care has come up between the two in the past, or might today. UPDATE: Vice President Biden's office says he sat in on the Sit Room meeting. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:08 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Holding Health Care Teleconference With Supporters Members of the Obama for America e-mail list have been invited to join the president this Thursday for a teleconference in which he will take questions about the health care reform legislation. From the e-mail sent out today: The President will update us on the fight to pass real health insurance reform -what's happening in D.C. and what's happening around the country. He'll lay out our strategy and message going forward and answer questions from supporters like you. And we'll unveil the next actions we'll organize together. Those who received the e-mail are invited to submit their questions in advance with their RSVP. No doubt those who supported his campaign might be among the most concerned about a shift away from the public option (which, of course, the White House is denying the case). The e-mail also contains a bit more media criticism as it thanks supporters for their grassroots efforts in support of reform. The D.C. media has been trumpeting coverage of town halls disrupted by angry opposition to reform. But the reality on the ground is very different. Organizing for America supporters are showing up in huge numbers at these meetings all across the country -- outnumbering opponents of reform, often by overwhelming margins. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:51 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Maintains No Shift On Public Option Today's White House press briefing was a nightmare for those seeking clarity on the administration's stance on the public option, as Robert Gibbs stuck to his guns in arguing that the media misinterpreted his and Kathleen Sebelius' comments this weekend as representing a shift. "We have a goal of fostering choice and competition in the private health insurance market. The president prefers a public option as a way of doing that," he said. "If others have ideas, we're open to those ideas and willing to listen to those details. That's what the president has said for months. Coincidentally that's what the secretary of Health and Human Services has said for months. It's what I've said for months." Near the end of the briefing, however, Gibbs himself made a statement of the sort that has so ired liberals lately. Asked at one point whether competition must come from the government, he said, "It doesn't have to." "The president's reform is built on a private insurance structure, where the vast majority of people receive their health care benefits through their employer from private entities," he said. Earlier, a number of reporters tried to find daylight between previous public statements from the president and what Secretary Sebelius and the president himself said this weekend, but Gibbs repeatedly denied it. "Any suggestion somehow that anything that was said Saturday or Sunday as being new administration policy is just not something that I would agree with," he said, challenging reporters at times to re-read transcripts. Asked why President Obama has not made any public statements since this weekend on health care, Gibbs noted it was mentioned yesterday during his VFW speech. Beyond that, "We don't think there's anything to clean up," Gibbs said. "What was said by the secretary on Sunday was completely consistent with what she said five weeks earlier. Why would I bring the president out today to clear up what she said five weeks ago?" Continue reading "Gibbs Maintains No Shift On Public Option" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 17, 2009

Gibbs Feigns Surprise About Public Option "Shift" Speaking with reporters on board Air Force One today, Robert Gibbs reacted with a bit of manufactured shock to questions about whether the White House is dropping the public option, calling today's chatter "the most curious things I've ever seen." "I was on a Sunday show, I said the same thing about a public option that I've said for I don't know how many weeks. The Secretary [of HHS, Kathleen Sebelius] reiterated what the President said the day before, and you'd think there was some new policy," he said. Gibbs said that if reporters compared the comments on Sunday shows that were interpreted as signaling a shift with others over the past months, they'd find a "boring consistency." Still, he continued to sound an indifferent note, saying it was a preference for President Obama to see one but not an indispensable one. "The goals are choice and competition. His preference is a public option. If there are other ideas, he's happy to look at them," Gibbs said. The fact that the White House let the meme that the public option was being dropped linger for so long yesterday indicates that it was at the very least testing the waters to gauge reaction from liberal allies. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:11 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Presidential Sit Room Summit Tomorrow Listed at the end of tomorrow's White House's tick-tock with little fanfare: a meeting between President Obama and former President Bill Clinton. The meeting has been anticipated since the 42nd president flew to North Korea to arrange for the release of two American journalists. It is now listed as closed to the press, in a venue that assures privacy: the White House situation room. Obama tomorrow also meets tomorrow with Clinton's wife, the Secretary of State. The main event on Tuesday's schedule, however, is a visit from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama, Biden On The Fundraising Circuit A White House spokesperson confirms that President Obama will head to Pennsylvania next month to raise money for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.). The Philadelphia Daily News reported this morning that invitations to the Sept. 15 event were sent out by Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen. The event that Mayor Nutter, Gov. Rendell and Specter will attend features a $1,000 cocktail reception, another VIP reception for those who raise at least $10,000, and a dinner for which "an individual must write (not raise) a minimum of $10,000 or raise $50,000" to attend, Cohen's note says. The missive asks guests to make checks payable to Pennsylvania Senate Victory 2010, and promises that all dinner guests will have a picture taken with Obama and Specter. Meanwhile, Vice President Biden is scheduled to visit Florida this week for an event to promote the Recovery Act. While in the state, he'll also be raising money for two potentially vulnerable Democrats, Reps. Alan Grayson and Suzanne Kosmas (D). On Thursday, he'll be in Chicago on Aug. 20 to headline a fundraiser for Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

In VFW Speech, More Health Reform Debunking From Obama In a somewhat subdued speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix today, President Obama reiterated his administration's commitment to support those who've worn the uniform, and his goal to end the war in Iraq this year. As expected, he also did a bit of stumping for his effort to reform the health care system, pledging that veterans would see no change in the benefits they're entitled to. "There's been so much misinformation out there," the president said as he made the aside to defend his plan. "One thing that reform won't change is veterans health care. No one is going to take away your benefits. That is the plain and simple truth." He said that even in tough budget times, his administration is actually "dramatically increasing funding for veterans health care." Several administration officials are also launching an effort to solicit ideas from employees of the VA system to further improve the system. Continue reading "In VFW Speech, More Health Reform Debunking From Obama" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:26 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 16, 2009

Blaming The Messenger? White House Ramps Up Media Critique One of the Obama administration's favorite punching bags, even dating back to the Obama campaign, has been what it calls the frivolous "cable chatter." But its media critique was stepped up significantly in the past week as the White House struggled to find an effective response to the town hall meetings dominating television news. Press secretary Robert Gibbs fired a warning shot Wednesday as he faced questions about what some felt was an overly friendly town hall meeting in New Hampshire, where President Obama spent considerable time dispelling rumors about his plan. Asked if the White House lost control of the message, Gibbs replied: "Do I think some of you were disappointed yesterday that the President didn't get yelled at? Sure. I don't think there's any doubt about that." In that briefing and in other interviews this week, Gibbs has also argued that the cable news culture means Americans are seeing only the angriest, most combative moments from the town hall meetings hosted by members of Congress. Some of the "misinformation" being repeated in these settings also proved, the White House argued, that the media had not done its job thoroughly reporting on the overall debate and fact-checking opponents' assertions. The president himself levied that criticism as he took to the stump in Montana Friday. "What you haven't seen on TV -- and what makes me proud -- are the many constructive meetings going on all over the country," he said. Continue reading "Blaming The Messenger? White House Ramps Up Media Critique" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 14, 2009

Move Over, Joe The Plumber: Meet Randy The Welder Get used to seeing Randy Rathie on your television, folks. The participant at today's town hall meeting with President Obama in Montana was right out of central casting as far as the kind of tough question the White House likely hoped he'd get. He said he was a member of the NRA, watched cable news and had a tough question about how the president would pay for his health care plan. No doubt a host of network producers have already approached him trying to book him. In fact, he's already been on MSNBC. Here's the transcript of Randy's question. You can read Obama's answer after the jump. RANDY: "I'm a proud NRA member. I believe in our Constitution, and it's a very important thing. I also get my news from the cable networks, because I don't like the spin that comes from them other places." OBAMA: "You gotta be careful about them cable networks. But that's okay." RANDY: "Max Baucus, our senator, has been locked up in a dark room for months now trying to come up with some money to pay for these programs. And we keep getting the bull. That's all we get, is bull. you can't tell us how we're going to pay for this. You're saving here, you're saving over there. You're going to take a little money here, you're going to take a little money there. But you have no money. The only way you're going to get that money is to raise our taxes. You said you wouldn't. Max Baucus says he doesn't want to put a bill out that will. But that's the only way you can do that."

Continue reading "Move Over, Joe The Plumber: Meet Randy The Welder" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

ICYMI: Obama's New Homeboy Some softballs, but a fun interview of the President by Damon Weaver, an 11-year-old student from Pahokee, Florida.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:24 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 13, 2009

White House Answers Grassley With Murkowski The White House chose to answer Sen. Chuck Grassley's comments echoing concern with end-oflife counseling issues by quoting one of his Republican colleagues. "I'd like to have him talk to Senator Murkowski," press secretary Robert Gibbs said today when asked about his comments in Iowa yesterday. He then quoted Murkowski, who was responding to former Gov. Sarah Palin's criticism of so-called "death panels, had said: "It does us no good to incite fear in people by saying that there's these end of life provisions, these death panels. Quite honestly, I'm so offended at this terminology because it absolutely isn't in the bill." But Grassley never used the term "death panel," which was the substance of Murkowski's critique, though he did talk about unplugging "grandma." Despite this rhetoric, Gibbs said President Obama "is continuing to talk to lawmakers and hopes the Finance Committee can come to some agreement." "I still think there is a possibility of getting bipartisan agreement," he said. At today's press briefing, Gibbs was also asked about the potential political impact if the president's health care effort fails. He said that the White House wasn't looking at political ramifications. He acknowledged that the outcome may eventually play a factor in elections, though he noted the midterms are quite a ways off. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama To Visit Singapore For a president with summit-itis, another summit on his schedule. Press secretary Robert Gibbs today confirmed that President Obama will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in mid-November. With such a long trip, you can expect he'll stop elsewhere in the region as well -- there's been some speculation about Indonesia. But Gibbs said there were no other stops confirmed at this point. Obama attends another meeting of the G-20 next month. But this time he plays host, as this summit is held in Pittsburgh. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 12, 2009

Scenes From The White House: Medals Of Freedom President Obama awarded 16 men and women with the Medal of Freedom, for a lifetime of work that has made them "an example of the difference we can make in the lives of others."

Desmond Tutu Foremost among them was Sen. Ted Kennedy, who was unable to attend the ceremony but warmly praised by the president as someone whose life "has made a difference for us all." Referring to a story Kennedy tells about a man who throws starfish into the sea, he said: "For nearly half a century, Ted Kennedy has been walking that beach, making a difference for that soldier fighting for freedom, that refugee looking for a way home, that senior searching for dignity, that worker striving for opportunity, that student aspiring to college, that family reaching for the American Dream. Some more photos after the jump. Continue reading "Scenes From The White House: Medals Of Freedom" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:17 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs: Media "Disappointed" Obama Wasn't Heckled It seems that the White House has shifted its target. Rather than targeting conservative interest groups for an Astroturf campaign to disrupt town hall meetings, press secretary Robert Gibbs is ramping up a critique of the media, which he argued today was not doing enough to debunk false information out there. "Let's be honest. You all, the media, tend to cover, 'X said this, Y said this,'" he said today. "Some of you -- but not everyone -- does an investigation about whether what X said is actually true." But it's more than that. He went so far as to claim that the media was actually "disappointed yesterday that the president didn't get yelled at." "I don't think there's any doubt about that," he said, referring to stories about yesterday's town hall meeting that he said dealt more with the "sideshow" than the substance of the debate. Yesterday, the DNC, too, urged the media to show greater scrutiny of Republican attacks. The party's press secretary, Hari Sevugan, issued a "Memorandum Regarding Coverage of Republican Misinformation Campaign." "There is no question as to the lack of credibility in these claims," Sevugan wrote. "The only question that remains is whether the media will challenge and hold accountable Republican leaders and the GOP echo chamber for the scare-tactics and lies they are passing off as truths." But what about Obama's misstatements, particularly claiming that the AARP had endorsed the health care plan. Gibbs admitted that the president was "conflating" support generally for health care reform with an endorsement of his specific plan. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink

TOTUS 2.0? At today's East Room event honoring Justice Sonia Sotomayor today, something was different. President Obama was speaking from a script, but the famous "TOTUS," or "Teleprompter of the United States," was nowhere to be seen. Rather than the familiar glass panel setup that frames the presidential podium, the White House staff positioned two large LCD screens at the edges of the seating areas for him to read from. The difference is significant. The traditional teleprompter is very conspicuous, especially to the audience in the room. It also makes things difficult for photographers, who can find few positions to take pictures that are un-obstructed. Consider these photos, first the traditional teleprompter used for much of his administration, and secondly the newer setup, with one of the television monitors positioned far across the room.

The White House has used the LCD screen before -- just one screen positioned directly in front of the president -- at his prime time press conferences. Using two screens on opposite sides of the room allows Obama to continue "oscillating," turning from one side to the other, as he's apparently more comfortable with. One of the criticisms of the traditional teleprompter is that it can make Obama look as if he's not really engaged with his audience, in addition to feeding the derision from some that he is overly dependent on a script. Using this less conspicuous setup eliminates to some extent that perception problem. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:53 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Honors Justice Sotomayor The East Room was filled to capacity this morning as President Obama took a victory lap with his first Supreme Court choice, celebrating what he said was "an extraordinary moment for our nation." "We celebrate the impact Justice Sotomayor has already had on people across America who have been inspired by her exceptional life story," he said. "And we celebrate how, with their overwhelming vote to confirm Justice Sotomayor, the United States Senate -- Republicans and Democrats -- tore down yet one more barrier and affirmed our belief that in America, the doors of opportunity must be open to all."

Justice Sotomayor, in very personal remarks, said she was "deeply humbled by the sacred responsibility" she now has, and asked Americans to "wish me divine guidance and wisdom in administering my new office." She also spoke of her background, the source of such debate during the confirmation process. "I am most grateful to this country," she said, adding that her confirmation "would never have been possible without the opportunities presented to me by this nation." She drew an extended standing ovation as she invoked the Constitution, saying it "draws together people of all races, faiths, and backgrounds from all across this country who carry its words and values in our heart. It is this nation's faith in a more perfect union that allows a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx to stand here now." The room was full of family and friends, as well as members of Congress who supported her nomination and home-state officials like Gov. David Paterson. Also on hand, two of the justices who may be next to step down from the Supreme Court: John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:21 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 11, 2009

Winning The Message War? Just where does the White House think it stands in the message war on health care today? Press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about messaging problems several times during a gaggle on Air Force One en route to Portsmouth today. Here's one of his answers. I think we are continually trying to let people know what this means to them. ... Is there a constant struggle because you guys would rather cover Sarah Palin saying something that Johnny Isakson says is nuts? Sure, there's always a struggle in that. But for 40 years this has been tough going because there are a group of people -- we hear them, we seem them now -- that are for the same status quo; they're for the special interests that are making billions and billions and trillions of dollars on a system that works well for them, but not for millions and millions of Americans -- they want to keep that. Our challenge each and every day is to go out and make sure people understand that doing nothing costs the American people more in health care -- more in health care spending; it makes our budgetary problems worse; it causes people to lose their coverage and lose their doctor. And we can change all that.

But really, you can sense how much President Obama is playing defense just by listening to his comments at the town hall itself. Even before a friendly audience, he was offering, sometimes preemptively, clarifications of his positions. Consider these phrases, just a quick selection from the transcript: "Let me just start by setting the record straight on a few things I've been hearing out here ... "Let me just be specific about some things that I've been hearing lately that we just need to dispose of here ... "The rumor that's been circulating a lot lately ... "Well, first of all, another myth that we've been hearing about is this notion that somehow ... "I don't want anybody saying somehow that I'm pulling the bait- and-switch here ... "Can I just say this is another example of how the media ends up just completing distorting what's taken place ... Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Before Friendly Crowd, Obama Urges Civility President Obama just wrapped up a town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., on his health care plan. It seems that the president found a pretty friendly crowd, and despite his exhortations for tough questions from skeptical citizens, handled mostly softballs. As he finished his opening remarks, Obama addressed the rowdy scenes across the country by praising the "vigorous debate" but calling for greater civility in that discussion. "That's what America's about, is we have a vigorous debate. That's why we have a democracy," he said. "But i do hope that we will talk with each other and not over each other. Because one of the objectives of democracy and debate is that we start refining our own views because maybe other people have different perspectives, things we didn't think of. Where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real -- not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed." The statement was met by huge applause from the high school crowd. Later, a campaign "Yes we can!" chant. "I remember that," he said. Launching into a Q-and-A, the president appealed for tough questions. "If i hear only from people who agree with me, I'm going to actively ask some folks who are concerned about health care, give them a chance to ask their questions." When he wasn't facing any, he openly admitted concern that viewers will think the town hall was full of "plants." Based on some of the Twitter reaction, it seems many conservatives think that's just what happened. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Previewing Obama's Health Care Message President Obama will be introduced in New Hampshire today by a woman who, the White House explains, was "discriminated" against when she tried to purchase health care because of a preexisting medical condition. At the White House's blog, there's more on this new talking point. 12.6 million people. That's how many non-elderly adults (36% of those who tried to purchase health insurance in the individual insurance market) were discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the past three years. You can read more alarming facts about the number of Americans being denied coverage at healthreform.gov. The status quo that allows for discrimination based on pre-existing conditions has real consequences: millions of Americans do not have access to adequate health care. We've all heard the horror stories about people behind denied the care they need because of pre-existing conditions, which is why the President recently unveiled the Health Insurance Consumer Protections. These protections show how health insurance reform will provide security for you and your family, and guarantee you will never be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. You've probably heard the rumors out there that the health reform will lead to "rationing" of care, or will cut funding for our seniors. These stories simply aren't true.

You can read more here. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:05 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Mourns Eunice Shriver The White House released this statement from President Obama on the passing of Eunice Shriver, sister of former President John F. Kennedy and founder of the Special Olympics. Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Eunice was many things to many people: a mother who inspired her children to serve others; a wife who supported her husband Sargent in the Peace Corps and in politics; and a sister to her siblings, including brothers John, Robert, and Edward. But above all, she will be remembered as the founder of the Special Olympics, as a champion for people with intellectual disabilities, and as an extraordinary woman who, as much as anyone, taught our nation - and our world - that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the power of the human spirit. Her leadership greatly enriched the lives of Special Olympians throughout the world, who have experienced the pride and joy of competition and achievement thanks to her vision. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sargent; their children Robert, Maria, Timothy, Mark, and Anthony; and the entire Kennedy family. Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:14 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 10, 2009

White House Softens Tone On Health Care Town Halls President Obama heads tomorrow to a state that values its town hall meetings as much as any -New Hampshire. And leading up to to the Portsmouth event, the White House seems to be dialing back somewhat its attack on the "manufactured" outrage taking place around the country. Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, filling in for Robert Gibbs on Air Force One today, echoed Obama's own words today in taking a more positive spin on the interest in these forums, in contrast to the new criticism from Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer today. "I think there's actually a pretty long tradition of people shouting at politicians in America," Gibbs said when asked about their op-ed. "The President thinks that if people want to come and have a spirited debate about health care, a real vigorous conversation about it, that's a part of the American tradition and he encourages that." He did draw the line at truly disruptive behavior, saying the president "doesn't think that that's productive." As for the motivations of those who come, Burton again stepped back somewhat from comments last week in which Gibbs directly targeted conservative groups who were driving people to events. "I think less important than the motivations or the organizations or who's putting it together is that there's a lot of energy out there on this issue, on either side," Burton said today. "The President views his role as getting health care reform done for the American people and in order to do that, that means going out there and being prepared to have a robust and vigorous discussion." For the presidential town hall, 1,800 are expected and tickets were distributed through the offices of the local officials and some outside groups, Burton said. Obama's message will again meld the economy and health care. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:08 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Calls "Vigorous" Health Care Debate "A Healthy Thing" It was a Canadian reporter, believe it or not, who injected the debate over health care in the United States into a press conference following the trilateral summit of North American leaders today. The reason? The fact that the Canadian system has been used as a "political football" in that domestic debate, as the reporter described it. And as the White House launches an offensive to counter what they say has been a flood of misinformation about the Democratic health care plan, President Obama offered a measured tone. "We are having a vigorous debate in the United States, and I think that's a healthy thing," he said in Guadalajara today, while also praising the progress that's been made. He later added: "I suspect that once we get into the fall and people look at the actual legislation that's being proposed, that more sensible and reasoned arguments will emerge. And we're going to get this passed. He said that the Canadian model "would not work for the United States" because of how the two nations' systems have evolved -- with the U.S. having an employer based system. "We've got to develop a uniquely American approach to this problem," he said. Continue reading "Obama Calls "Vigorous" Health Care Debate "A Healthy Thing"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 06, 2009

At Deeds Rally, Obama Knocks GOP Critics McLEAN, Va. -- President Obama again used a campaign rally to lob some partisan firebombs in defense of his handling of the economy, challenging Republicans to quit complaining about a fiscal situation they helped create.

"I expect to be held responsible for these issues because I'm the president," he said. "But I don't want the folks who created the mess doing a lot of talking. I want them to just get out of the way so we can clean up the mess." Preaching to the choir at a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds, he repeated: "I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking. Am I wrong, Virginia?" Obama tied his discussion of fiscal policy to the "prudent" example of Democratic governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, saying Deeds would continue that. "When I walked in, we had a $1.3 trillion deficit," Obama said within hours of the CBO announcing that the deficit had, in fact, reached $1.3 trillion. He claimed, actually, that "without my policies, we'd have an even higher deficit going forward," though he excepted the stimulus bill which he said "we had to do in order to get this economy moving again." "You can't go out there and charge up the credit card, go on ... shopping sprees that didn't grow the economy, hand over the bill to us and say why haven't you paid it off yet. I got that bill from you!" he said. Continue reading "At Deeds Rally, Obama Knocks GOP Critics" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Brennan Outlines Terror Strategy, Rebutting Critics John Brennan, the so-called White House counterterrorism czar, gave a broad overview of the Obama administration's strategy for combating what he said is a persistent extremist threat, and explaining a shift from the "Global War On Terror" to a strategy heavy on both a muscular offense and deep engagement with the Muslim world. Brennan also directly targeted from the very beginning what he said were failed policies from the previous administration, noting that he was speaking eight years to the day when a Presidential Daily Brief warned of that Osama bin Laden was "determined to strike" the United States. "We all have seen how our fight against terrorists sometimes led us to stray from our ideals as a nation," he said, singling out tactics like waterboarding that he said have "actually set back our efforts." "They are a recruitment bonanza for terrorists, increase the determination of our enemies, and decrease the willingness of other nations to cooperate with us. In short, they undermine our national security." Brennan said he has been "deeply troubled by the inflammatory rhetoric, hyperbole, and intellectual narrowness" in the debate over the new administration's strategy. "Some like to claim that the President's policies somehow represent a wholesale dismantling of counterterrorism policies and practices adopted by his predecessor. Others claim that the President's policies constitute a wholesale retention of his predecessor's policies. Well, they can't both be right," he said. Continue reading "Brennan Outlines Terror Strategy, Rebutting Critics" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Romer Defends Stimulus Ahead Of Unemployment Report Council of Economic Advisers chair Christina Romer said that despite another round of grim unemployment news expected tomorrow, the stimulus program is indisputably working and has likely saved a half-million jobs. Romer said she had no sneak peak at tomorrow's unemployment report, with some predicting that for the first time the jobless rate will top 10 percent. "Market experts are telling us is that we will lose hundreds of thousands of jobs," she said at a breakfast hosted by the Economic Club of Washington today. "It does emphasize the economy is still in a recession. We do think we are improving the trajectory, but there is just no denying the fact that we are still in tough times for the American people." Romer gave a vigorous defense of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, likening the plan to treatment one would receive for strep throat. To critics who point to continued increases in the jobless rate, she furthered the analogy. "Sometime after you get the prescription, and maybe even after you take the first pill, your fever spikes. Do you decide that the medicine was useless? Do you conclude the antibiotic caused the infection to get worse? Surely not," she said. "You probably conclude that the illness was more serious than you and the doctor thought, and are very glad you saw the doctor and started taking the medicine when you did." Romer cited several estimates that indicated that without the stimulus, the GDP decrease in the second quarter might have been several points higher. In fact, it improved from a more than 6point decline to just 1 percent. To put it another way, as Romer did: "The rise in GDP growth from the first quarter to the second was the largest in almost a decade, and the second largest in the past quarter century." Continue reading "Romer Defends Stimulus Ahead Of Unemployment Report" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:10 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 05, 2009

Obama Pushes Economic Message At Indiana Factory President Obama returned to the Elkhart area not for a town hall meeting, but for an announcement related to the Recovery Act on investing in renewable energy, specifically advanced battery technology. The president broadly defended his economic strategy, while also promising to pass health care reform "by the end of this year." Acknowledging the tough fight ahead, he played up a message that was successful in his campaign for the office, attacking the culture of Washington. "There are those who want to seek political advantage, they want to oppose these efforts. Some of them caused the problems that we got now in the first place, and then suddenly they're blaming other folks for them," he said. "They don't want to be constructive. They just want to get in the usual political fights back and forth. And sometimes that's fed by all the cable chatter on the media." He also said it is easy to be cynical "when you see politicians say one thing and then do another. or say one thing and then do nothing. When you've seen decades of broken promises from broken politics," he continued. "But this is a rare moment in wheh we're called upon to rise above the failures of the past. this is the chance to restore that spirit of optimism and opportunity which has always been central to our success." As the Democrats target the so-called "manufactured outrage" at town hall meetings, Obama simply spoke from a podium to workers at the RV factory. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said earlier that Obama simply wanted "to share that news with a county in Indiana that's been hit tremendously hard." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:48 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Praises Clinton For N. Korea Role Before leaving Washington, President Obama spoke for the first time about former President Clinton's trip to North Korea. He said he was "extraordinarily relieved" at the release of the two U.S. journalists, and has spoken with their families. He's also spoken with Clinton, he said. "I want to thank President Bill Clinton ... for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists," he said. "I think that not only is this White House obviously extraordinarily happy, but all Americans should be grateful to both former President Clinton and Vice President Gore for their extraordinary work. And my hope is, is that the families that have been reunited can enjoy the next several days and weeks, understanding that because of the efforts of President Clinton and Gore, they are able to be with each other once again." Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:18 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Statement from Bill Clinton Former President Bill Clinton landed in L.A. this morning with the two journalists he helped free in North Korea. Clinton's office just released the following statement from him: "I am very happy that after this long ordeal, Laura Ling and Euna Lee are now home and reunited with their loved ones. When their families, Vice President Gore and the White House asked that I undertake this humanitarian mission, I agreed. I share a deep sense of relief with Laura and Euna and their families that they are safely home."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 09:20 AM | Email Author | Permalink August 04, 2009

Scenes From The White House: Happy Birthdays As has been pointed out endlessly, today is President Obama's 48th birthday. Coincidentally Helen Thomas, the dean of the White House press corps, celebrates her 89th birthday on this August 4th as well. To mark the occasion, Obama made a rare cameo in the press briefing room to personally deliver cupcakes to Thomas, and lead the press corps in singing "Happy Birthday."

Despite the tough questions she often lobs from her front row perch, the president had nothing but praise for the veteran reporter, even giving her a kiss on the cheek and sitting down next to her to pose for photos. "Helen wished for world peace, no prejudice," Obama said. "But she and I also had a common birthday wish. She said she hopes for a real health care reform bill." He then said it was up to Thomas to decide how to distribute the other cupcakes. He didn't take any questions and quickly exited. Thomas had also been feted earlier outside press secretary Robert Gibbs' office with cupcakes brought by a member of the press crops. Obama had his own birthday cake as he marked the occasion during a luncheon with Senate Democrats. You can see a picture of the presidential birthday cake, obtained by NBC's Savannah Guthrie, after the jump. Continue reading "Scenes From The White House: Happy Birthdays" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Democrats Target "Orchestrated" Town Hall Opposition Senate Democrats left a White House meeting singing President Obama's praises while echoing the latest party talking points by portraying rowdy town hall meetings as the result of an astroturf campaign by the leading opponents of health care reform. "In spite of the loud, shrill voices trying to interrupt town hall meetings to throw a monkey wrench into everything, we're going to continue to be positive and work hard," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters after a luncheon with the president today. "The American people do not like partisanship. But the American people also don't like groups of people trying to kill something that should be done," Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus said. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) listed potential positive outcomes from health care reform, then added: "We'll match that against their message of negativity." Continue reading "Democrats Target "Orchestrated" Town Hall Opposition" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Won't Say If Obama Will Read Entire Health Care Bill At one of his recent town hall meetings, President Obama said he would gladly welcome members of Congress to the White House to read through health care legislation "line-by-line." Today, however, Robert Gibbs was less than clear on whether Obama would in fact read through a final bill in its entirety on his own. "I assume the president will study the details of the proposal," the press secretary said. "He's a highly-informed individual." He also joked that he didn't know what the president's "vacation plans are." After moving to take another question he -- perhaps realizing the potential pitfall -- backtracked quickly to challenge the reporter if he planned to read the entire bill, as well. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:09 PM | Email Author | Permalink August 03, 2009

White House Luncheon: Health Care, Clunkers, And Cake? Most of the 60-member Senate Democratic caucus will head to the White House tomorrow for their weekly luncheon, with plans to discuss a range of issues with President Obama on what happens to be his 48th birthday. "Chuck E. Cheese was booked," press secretary Robert Gibbs joked today. It's also in part a continuation of the White House's mid-year review. The president huddled with his Cabinet this weekend. Gibbs said he expected health care and the economy to be a focus, with Obama also likely pushing the upper chamber to act on legislation to continue the Cash for Clunkers program. "Without some help from the Senate ... the program will have to be stopped by the end of the week," he warned. Obama marked his birthday over the weekend by having some friends at Camp David for dinner, and to play basketball and bowl. Gibbs said Obama tallied 144 in the latter, including three strikes and a 9-of-10 in his final four frames. "I told the president, if you had done this in Pennsylvania my life would have been a little easier last spring," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Says Obama Sticking To Commitment On Taxes Robert Gibbs walked back the comments of top economic advisers that suggested the administration was open to broad-based tax increases, saying at his daily press briefing today that President Obama stands by promises he made in the campaign. "The president was clear during the campaign about his commitment on not raising taxes on middle class families," he told reporters. "I don't think any economist would believe that in the environment we're in, raising taxes on middle class families would make any sense, and the president agrees." Asked about Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's and National Economic Council chief Larry Summers' seeming refusal to rule out such tax increases, Gibbs said that while he hadn't seen the comments, he thinks based on transcripts that "they allowed themselves to get into a little bit of a hypothetical back-and-forth." "The president has made a very clear commitment to not raise taxes on middle class families, period," he repeated. Continue reading "Gibbs Says Obama Sticking To Commitment On Taxes" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 31, 2009

Back To The Economy Today I wrote on the main site about how President Obama's once-effective sales pitches are facing greater skepticism as his second hundred days come to an end. Even Obama advocates would concede that the administration needs a game changer. But heading into the dog days of August, a time that has bedeviled past administrations, it's unclear if that's possible. What's especially troubling for the White House is that the current down patch comes after a sustained public relations push by the president himself, a tactic it had used successfully to navigate out of trouble even as far back as the campaign.

I also related the argument from some that part of the skepticism over his health care push is rooted in sense that the stimulus bill, pushed through with similar force from the president, has not produced results as advertised. Well today, President Obama took to the cameras to respond to a slight drop in the nation's GDP, calling it "better than expected." "As many economists will tell you, that part of the progress is directly attributable to the Recovery Act," he said. "This and other difficult but important steps that we've taken over the last six months have helped us put the brakes on the recession." As further proof of a renewed focus on the economy, Obama next week will return to Elkhart, Ind., where he made his first trip outside of Washington as president last February. The town had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Robert Gibbs said today that he'll again speak on the economy there, while also making an announcement on Recovery Act funds. "I think there is absolutely no doubt that the recovery plan ... cushioned that downturn," the press secretary said today. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:01 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 30, 2009

White House Happy Hour: The Photo Op The White House press pool has just returned after only a minute or so in the Rose Garden, where they found President Obama and Vice President Biden -- both in shirt-sleeves -- seated with Sergent James Crowley and Professor Skip Gates -- each still in full suits. An aide brought a frosty mug to the table for one of the participants, who also reached occasionally from bowls of pretzels and peanuts. According to one of the pool reporters who was outside, it Gates seemed to be doing most of the talking at the time. No one made any statement to the press. The White House will likely issue a brief readout on the conversation when it breaks up. Gates' and Crowley's families were invited, and were going to be given West Wing tours, Robert Gibbs told reporters earlier. Representatives of the Fraternal Order of Police were also reportedly going to come to the White House. That may explain Biden's presence -- during his career, he has developed close relationships with police officers and other first responders. UPDATED: Here's a pool photo showing how far the press was positioned from the beer-drinkers.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:33 PM | Email Author | Permalink

16 "Teachable" Moments I mentioned how the beer summit was the main topic today at the White House press briefing. Now that the transcript is out, we have a final count. 16 references to "teachable" and/or "teachable moments." 3 references to "beer"

By comparison, the words "health care" were used 22 times by either Gibbs or a reporter, while the word "economy" came up four times. Only two references apiece for Iraq or Afghanistan. Read the full transcript after the jump. Continue reading "16 "Teachable" Moments" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

One Beer Won't Change "The Force Of Human History" Today's White House press briefing was dominated by questions about the impending "beer summit" between President Obama, Cambridge Police Sergeant Crowley and Harvard University Professor Skip Gates. One bone of contention that fits in the category of media process were repeated quibbles with the accessibility of the gathering to the press. Right now, it's only open to the small pool and not the entire press corps, and even that group will be present for a few moments, with no planned comments. "If they want to go to the stakeout they're certainly welcome to," Gibbs said, meaning Crowley and Gates are free to speak to reporters after if they want. Beyond that, the phrase "teachable moment" was used seemingly dozens of times by reporters and Gibbs trying to understand what the encounter will produce. "I don't think the president has outsized expectations that one cold beer at one table here is going to change massively the force of human history by any sense of the imagination," Gibbs said. "He and the two individuals ... can hopefully provide a far different picture than what we've seen to date of this situation." He said that only a week ago, it would have been hard to imagine Gates and Crowley sitting down together this way. This sort of meeting is representative, Gibbs said, of Obama's larger goal when it comes to changing the level of dialogue. "I think all of us are participants in a moment we hope can teach all in this country that dialogue and communication can always improve a situation," he said. Obama doesn't see himself as the "teacher" in this situation. UPDATED: President Obama weighed in during a quick Q-and-A during his meeting with the president of the Philippines. Excerpt from the pool report after the jump. Continue reading "One Beer Won't Change "The Force Of Human History"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Kennedy, Kemp Among Medal Of Freedom Winners The White House has released the list of the Medal of Freedom honorees for 2009. It's a bipartisan list that also includes a number bold-faced names from the world of science, sports, and culture. They'll be honored at the White House on August 12. "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds," President Obama says in a White House statement. "Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way. Here's the list: Nancy Goodman Brinker, Founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., physician Stephen Hawking, theoretically physicist Jack Kemp, former HUD Secretary, Congressman and VP nominee Sen. Edward Kennedy Billie Jean King, tennis star Rev. Joseph Lowery, civil rights leader Joe Medicine Crow, Native American author Harvey Milk, first openly-gay public elected official Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court justice Sidney Poitier, actor Chita Rivera, entertainer Janet Davison Rowley, geneticist Desmond Tutu, former Anglican Archbishop Muhammad Yunus, anti-poverty activist Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 29, 2009

At Health Care Event, Obama Defends Stimulus President Obama went to North Carolina to sell health care, but spent nearly 20 minutes at a town hall meeting there defending his first major legislative effort, the economic stimulus plan. Obama referred skeptically to the Newsweek cover story declaring that the recession is over, but did argue: "We've stopped the freefall. The market is up and the financial system is no longer on the verge of collapse. We're losing jobs at nearly half the rate we were when I took office six months ago." He defended efforts to stabilize financial and housing markets, and the auto industry. He then went through a detailed explanation of what the Recovery Act was intended to do, answering what the "misinformation out there." The first two thirds of the plan went into tax relief, the extension of COBRA and unemployment benefits, and direct aid to the states. The final third, he conceded, has been controversial: the "short-term and long-term investments." "This money is not being wasted," he said, citing specific projects around the Raleigh area. To those who say the pace of implementation, he said it would have been impossible to break ground immediately. "It will take time to achieve a complete recovery. We're not gonna rest until anyone who's looking for work can find a job. But there is little debate that these steps, taken together, have helped stop our economic freefall," he said. And to those who have criticized his spending, he again called hypocrisy. "We shouldn't have a selective memory," he said. "You're handing me a $1.3 trillion bill, and then you're complaining six months later that we haven't paid it all back?" Continue reading "At Health Care Event, Obama Defends Stimulus" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:38 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 28, 2009

As Gates Controversy Lingers, Biden Praises Cops Vice President Biden seemingly had two goals today as he visited Philadelphia for a Recovery Act event. First, to continue defending the administration's economic plan as even he conceded some "have a lot of reason" to criticize the pace of recovery. But perhaps more importantly, to utilize his strong ties with the law enforcement community as President Obama continues to face criticism for his criticism of the actions of Cambridge police. "We know the bravery you display simply by pinning on that badge, by doing nothing more than going to work," Biden said, surrounded by uniformed police officers. "We can't achieve the goal of a stronger community without a stronger police force." Biden, along with Attorney General Eric Holder, were highlighting $1 billion that will go to cities through the COPS program, created by Biden himself as a senator. "We're investing deeply in all of you, not only because you deserve it but because we need you," he said. He offered some simple math to explain how this provides an economic boost: "Cops plus roads plus teachers equals a community, and equals a better future." "Ladies and gentlemen, the Recovery Act is making a difference," he argued. "Yes we still have a long, long way to go. But we are moving in the right direction. Our critics who have a lot of reason to go out and say in four months we haven't remade the world and corrected this recession which was eight years in the making, or maybe longer. I ask them, what would you do?" That pitch comes with another request for patience, saying the administration "would be fairly judged" in about two years "when this act has run its course." "Did it keep us from falling deeper in the hole? Did it save people's lives? Did it save people's sanity?" he said. "I think it will. I'm absolutely confident. In the meantime, notwithstanding the criticism, President Obama and I are not going to relent." Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:50 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 27, 2009

Scenes From The White House: WNBA Champs Honored President Obama hosted the WNBA champion Detroit Shock today at the South Portico, paying special praise to the 12-year old women's professional sports league. "It's hard to believe," the president said of the WNBA life span. "That means that my daughters have never known a time when women couldn't play professional sports. They look at the TV and they see me watching SportsCenter and they see young women who look like them on the screen."

Obama, a Chicago Bulls fan, joked as he also welcomed former Detroit Piston Bill Laimbeer, now the Shock head coach. "I never imagined that I'd be saying: Congratulations, Bill Laimbeer. Or, congratulations, Rick Mahorn," he said. "If I knew I was President then, to think that I'd be inviting them to the White House is hard to take. But let's face it, these guys are winners." Continue reading "Scenes From The White House: WNBA Champs Honored" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:33 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Biden A Distraction? Once Sarah Palin was named to the Republican ticket last fall, it was very hard for Joe Biden to get any attention. His press plane had more empty rows than reporters, and only a handful of perceived gaffes got any widespread mention. Now the vice president, however, it seems that the former Delaware senator is garnering more headlines for alleged conflicts with the rest of the Obama administration. At today's White House press briefing, Robert Gibbs was asked point blank if Biden was becoming a distraction. "No," was his initial one-word answer. "He's an enormous asset to the administration," he later added when pressed specifically on whether he was "freelancing" with comments about Russia during his trip to Ukraine and Georgia last week. Gibbs cited his work on the stimulus plan to his counsel on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq as examples of work he's done. A new Washington Post poll out today puts Biden's job approval rating at 55 percent, with 33 percent disapproving -- similar, it points out, to a 2001 reading on Cheney. Looking closer, the Post notes: Among those who are confident the president's plan will improve the economy, 80 percent approve of Biden, dubbed the stimulus' watchdog by the president, who said, "Nobody messes with Joe". But among those with doubts about the economic package, just 25 percent approve of Biden's work thus far. A Gallup survey last week showed Biden's numbers a bit lower, at 48 percent. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 24, 2009

Obama Talks With Crowley, Gates President Obama made a surprise appearance at the White House daily press briefing today and discussed a conversation he had with Cambridge, Mass., police officer James Crowley. Shortly after, he called Harvard Prof. Louis Gates. Here is a statement from the White House on that call: The President called and connected with Professor Gates at 3:15 this afternoon. They had a positive discussion during which the President told Gates about his call with Sgt. Crowley and statement to the media. The President also invited Gates to join him with Sgt. Crowley at the White House in the near future Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Discusses Race Relations at Daily Press Briefing President Obama addressed reporters at the daily White House press briefing today to discuss the controversy surrounding his comments regarding Harvard Professor Louis Gates being arrested at his home in Cambridge, Mass. Here is the transcript of the president's remarks. He did not take questions. I wanted to address you guys directly because over the last day and a half obviously there's been all sorts of controversy around the incident that happened in Cambridge with Professor Gates and the police department there. I actually just had a conversation with Sergeant Jim Crowley, the officer involved. And I have to tell you that as I said yesterday, my impression of him was that he was a outstanding police officer and a good man, and that was confirmed in the phone conversation -- and I told him that. And because this has been ratcheting up -- and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up -- I want to make clear that in my choice of words I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically -- and I could have calibrated those words differently. And I told this to Sergeant Crowley.

Continue reading "Obama Discusses Race Relations at Daily Press Briefing" » Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 23, 2009

Obama Takes Credit For Buerhle No-No President Obama learned en route to Air Force One today that Mark Buerhle of his beloved Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game today. Here's Robert Gibbs during a gaggle on Air Force One today: The President called Buehrle. They pulled the pitcher out of the media room and into Jerry Reinsdorf's -- into his office. The President congratulated him, said it was an unbelievable achievement, something that everyone will always remember. The President told him, maybe it was because he wore the White Sox jacket at the All-Star Game. (Laughter.) Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:56 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 22, 2009

Presidential Presser: First Take I'm not sure that President Obama said much tonight about health care that he hasn't already said in the past week during his public events and multiple network interviews. But, as NBC's Chuck Todd pointed out, the remarks coming as they did in a prime time, widely-broadcast event reached a much wider audience. But what was notable was how in his opening statement, and especially later during the Q&A, the president did make a more forceful case about that reforming the health care system is fiscally responsible, while defending other budgetary decisions. "The American people are understandably queasy about the huge deficits and deficits we're facing right now," he said. "Legitimately, people are saying, 'Look. We're in a recession. I'm cutting back. I'm having to do other things. And yet all I see is government spending more and more money.'" That argument, he conceded, "has been used effectively by people who don't want to change health care." But after reiterating past comments about the significant deficit he inherited, he said that the debt and the deficit "are deep concerns of mine." "Everybody who's out there who has been ginned up by this idea that the Obama administration wants to spend and spend and spend, the fact of the matter is that we inherited an enormous deficit, enormous long-term debt projections," he said. "We have not reduced it as much as we need to or as I'd like to, but health care reform is not going to add to that deficit. It's designed to lower it." Continue reading "Presidential Presser: First Take" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

GOP Leaders Pre-empt Obama Newser With President Obama set for a primetime news conference tonight on health care, Congressional Republican leaders have announced their own news conference for mid-afternoon. In a rare joint appearance, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner will meet the press at 3:30 p.m. in the Capitol "to discuss the need for health care reform," according to a press release. The move comes a day after Obama blasted Republicans who "openly declare their intention to block reform." "These opponents of reform would rather score political points than offer relief to Americans who've seen premiums double and costs grow three times faster than wages," he said. At the daily briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs followed up Obama's point that Republicans are politicizing the debate. "I think there are some Republicans that have decided that this isn't about health care, it's about politics and it's about scoring political points and it's about perpetuating the political games that have dominated Washington for far longer than even the debates on health care reform," Gibbs said McConnell took to the Senate floor this morning, previewing what he may say later. "All of us recognize the need for reform," he said. "That's not in question. And that's why day after day, I have come to the floor of the Senate and proposed concrete, common-sense reforms that all of us can agree on, reforms that would increase access, decrease costs, and guarantee that no one in this country would be forced to give up the care they currently have." While the president and Congress go back and forth on the details of a health care reform bill, Gallup reported today that 16 percent of American adults do not have health insurance. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 10:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 21, 2009

Blue Dogs Talk Health Cost With Obama President Obama spent an hour meeting with Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, talks a key conservative Democrat called productive, though no final decisions on a key concern -- cost containment. "There's a number of potential cost-cutting measures which I think the American people expect before we consider any kind of new revenue," Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), head of the Blue Dog Democrats' health care task force, told reporters after the meeting today. "They want us to squeeze every ounce of savings we can out of the current system. That's what we're demanding." Ross said the entire meeting focused "specifically on cost containment," and said there are "a lot of ideas out there." But he and his colleagues want to see another CBO score that factors in projected savings before agreeing to any specific terms. Energy and Commerce Committee chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said that Obama "expressed to us his great, strong, firm commitment that the legislation that he signed will have to be deficit neutral and will hold down the cost in the future." Meanwhile, the White House hinted today that it may be open to taxing a portion of health insurance benefits, on so-called "Cadillac" plans. Press secretary Robert Gibbs echoed comments the president made last night in an interview with Jim Lehrer, differentiating Obama's opposition to ending the deductibility of health insurance benefits altogether with such a limited exclusion being lifted on the most expensive plans. "He doesn't support what Senator McCain proposed in the campaign, which, as you know, wasn't a tax on a certain level of the exclusion but instead to remove the entire tax deductibility," Gibbs said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Day After "Waterloo," Obama Highlights Health Care Consensus After a politically charged statement Monday, President Obama shifted tone today as he sought to highlight what he said was "substantial common ground" that has been reached on health care. Speaking in the Rose Garden, he did still criticize those who have "openly declared their intention to block reform," reading from a "familiar Washington script." But he said there "are many others who are working hard" to tackle the "crisis" of rising health care costs. "There is a tendency in Washington to accentuate the differences instead of underscoring common ground," he said. "But make no mistake: we are closer than ever before to the reform that the American people need, and we're going to get the job done." He outlined common principles in the bills working through Congress, and said the collaboration goes beyond Congress, including stakeholders like pharmaceutical companies, doctors and nurses. And the American people as well "understand that the status quo is unacceptable." "They don't care who's up or who's down politically in Washington," he said. "They don't care about the latest line of political attack. They care about whether their families will be crushed by rising premiums." Yesterday, it was White House trying to focus the country on the Republicans' line of attack -Sen. Jim DeMint's "Waterloo" comment especially. But today, the president said that ultimately, when a reform plan is passed, history will focus not on the political fight but instead "the hard work done" to get it through. Obama opened his remarks by praising the Senate for rejecting an appropriation for F-22 jets, which he called an "inexcusable waste" of taxpayer money. Among those he praised for leading the charge against them was John McCain. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:22 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 20, 2009

Obama Third Least Popular President Since World War II A new USA Today/Gallup poll puts President Obama's approval rating at 55 percent, which ranks him 10th among 12 post-World War II presidents at the same point in the survey. His approval is down from 61 percent in late May. As he seeks to regain momentum on the health care front, the survey finds that only 44 percent approve of his handling of the issue, with 50 percent disapproving. Also, 59 percent say his proposal would lead to too much government spending, and 52 percent say it would "call for too much expansion of government power." During his briefing, Robert Gibbs referred the 59 percent approval rating in the Washington Post/ABC poll as a "pretty darn good number for six months in." The poll of 1,006 adults was conducted July 17-19 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:42 PM | Email Author | Permalink

President Softening On Health Care Deadline? Speaking at a children's hospital in Washington today, President Obama again took a forceful tone in his push for health legislation, saying "the need for reform is urgent and it is indisputable." And he gladly used a comment by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) -- suggesting failed legislation would be the president's "Waterloo" -- as a foil as he sought to portray opposition to bills working through Congress as solely based on politics. "This isn't about me. This isn't about politics," he said. "This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses, and breaking America's economy. And we can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time. Not now." Obama has repeatedly called for lawmakers to pass legislation before the August recess, with a final draft potentially reaching his desk by September. But today, he did not issue a specific deadline, calling for legislation only by the end of this year. "There's just a tendency towards inertia in this town, I understand that as well as anybody," he said. "But we're a country that chooses the harder right over the easier wrong. ... So let's fight our way through the politics of the moment. Let's pass reform by the end of this year." Asked if the president was indeed softening on an August deadline, press secretary Robert Gibbs said at his briefing, "I think Peter was pretty clear about this over the weekend," referring to OMB Director Peter Orszag. Gibbs also addressed DeMint's Waterloo comment, saying that bipartisanship must be a two way street. "We want to work with people that want to work with us," Gibbs said. Comments like DeMint's, and conservative commentator William Kristol, "perpetuate the same old Washington games." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 17, 2009

Obama: Without Reform, No One's Insurance Secure In a late afternoon statement on his top legislative priority, President Obama tried to regain control of the health care debate by raising the stakes for lawmakers and the public. "We're going to have to get this done," he said in the Diplomatic Reception Room in a statement delayed nearly an hour. "If we don't get health care reform done now, then no one's health insurance is going to be secure." Without reform, he said premiums will continue to rise, out of pocket costs will go up astronomically, and anyone who changes jobs may be unable to get insured. "That's not a future that I accept for the United States of America. That's why those who are betting against this happening this year are badly mistaken," he said. Missing from the statement was any new specific commitment on financing the health care overhaul, which is the main issue right now. He did say that his plan to "cut hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary spending and unwarranted giveaways to insurance companies in Medicare and Medicaid" should cover two-thirds of the cost. And despite yesterday's testimony by the CBO director, he sounded confident that a reform effort could actually "bend the curve" of long term costs. "Make no mistake: if we step back from this challenge at this moment, we are consigning our children to future of skyrocketing premiums and crushing deficits. There's no argument about that," he said. Obama met today with a number of lawmakers, including freshmen members of Congress as he tried to keep lawmakers on a timetable to pass legislation before the August recess. He ignored a reporter's question about perhaps extending the deadline, but did say earlier that there would be some long days and nights ahead. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

State Unemployment Grows As Summers Hails "Remarkable" Progress In a speech this morning, National Economic Council director Lawrence Summers will say: "We were at the brink of catastrophe at the beginning of the year but we have walked some substantial distance back from the abyss. ... Substantial progress has been made in rescuing the economy from the risk of economic collapse that looked all too real 6 months ago." He'll also say that the distance traveled since January on the economy is "remarkable." That administration spin comes as new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployment rates increased in 38 states in June, while only five states saw declines. In Michigan, the unemployment rate now tops 15, after increasing 1.1 points in the last month. There are now 15 states where unemployment is in double digits. Meanwhile Mississippi, whose governor, Haley Barbour (R), declined some stimulus dollars, saw the biggest drop, 0.6 points. After the jump, more White House excerpts of Summers' speech today. Continue reading "State Unemployment Grows As Summers Hails "Remarkable" Progress" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:12 AM | Email Author | Permalink

President Obama Reacts To Indonesia Bombings The White House just issued this statement from the president on the bombing of two hotels in Jakarta: I strongly condemn the attacks that occurred this morning in Jakarta, and extend my deepest condolences to all of the victims and their loved ones. The American people stand by the Indonesian people in this difficult time, and the U.S. government stands ready to help the Indonesian government respond to and recover from these outrageous attacks as a friend and partner. Indonesia has been steadfast in combating violent extremism, and has successfully curbed terrorist activity within its borders. However, these attacks make it clear that extremists remain committed to murdering innocent men, women and children of any faith in all countries. We will continue to partner with Indonesia to eliminate the threat from these violent extremists, and we will be unwavering in supporting a future of security and opportunity for the Indonesian people.

There had been reports that Obama would visit the nation this year, though the White House has yet to confirm that. Obama, of course, spent some of his youth there. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:22 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 16, 2009

Stumping For Corzine, Obama Also Sells Health Care In his first official campaign event since his own election, President Obama urged New Jerseyans to return Jon Corzine to the governor's office this fall, calling him "a leader who's been called to govern in some extraordinary times." But Obama spent as much, if not more time at the event pushing his own agenda, especially health care. "We have talked and talked and talked about fixing health care for decades. And we have finally reached a point where inaction is no longer an option -- where the choice to defer reform is nothing more than a decision to defend the status quo," he told tens of thousands at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. "I will not defend the status quo." He conceded the effort is not easy, and his fiery speech reflected increasing skepticism that a deal can be reached on the timetable he originally sought. "You're going to hear the same scare tactics from special interest groups that have been used to kill health care reform for decades," he said. "You're going to hear a lot of nonsense." So he tried to sell his plan to an audience he conceded might already be "satisfied with their health care right now." To critics, he said people need to ask what their plan is. Corzine wasn't entirely overshadowed, standing behind the president throughout the speech and applauding throughout. Obama rattled off a number of accomplishments, saying he "has provided more property tax relief than any other governor in New Jersey history," and was "the first governor in 60 years who has reduced the size of government," among other things. But he acknowledged what's at the root of Corzine's challenge: a faltering economy. "He's been tested by the worst recession in half a century -- a recession that was caused by years of recklessness and irresponsibility and a do-nothing attitude," Obama said. "It was caused by the same small thinking that has plagued our politics for decades -- the kind of thinking that says we can afford to just tinker around with our problems, we can put off the tough decisions, defer the big challenges. We can just tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear." Corzine's re-election strategy relies in part on him convincing voters in the increasingly Democratic state to again vote against the Republican, and Obama's rhetoric amplified that. But polls show that not only are voters more concerned with state issues, but that even presidential support won't tip the scales. Obama also helped raise $1 million for Garden State Democrats earlier. Tonight, he'll raise money for the DNC after speaking at the NAACP Convention. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:24 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Pressure Building On White House Over Health Care Exclusion On several fronts today, the White House is facing pressure to abandon its resistance to taxing employer-based health insurance plans to finance a reform plan. That was a major campaign issue in 2008, and then-Sen. Obama's campaign harshly criticized John McCain for proposing to eliminate the exclusion that health insurance received. A TV ad said health care would "unravel" under McCain's plan. When the White House has been asked about any specific proposals with regard to financing health care it has generally declined to comment, with the exception of the exclusion. Today, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chair of the Finance Committee, told reporters today that Obama "is not helping us" by holding firm to his opposition to taxing benefits. "That is making it difficult," he said. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who met with Obama at the White House today, said she understands Obama's concern about eliminating the exclusion, and said they'd have to "draw a very high line to make sure the average worker wasn't effected" by such a change. But, in an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell, she suggested that he may have to change course. "The president would obviously have to come out and express support or endorse that because obviously he was opposed to that during the presidential campaign," she said. But the most damaging blow to the White House came from Doug Elmendorf, head of the Congressional Budget Office. Testifying in the Senate today, he warned that rather than "bending the curve" of government health care spending, as the White House has repeatedly argued reform would, the proposals currently under consideration "significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs." "The way I would put it is that the curve is being raised, so there is a justifiable focus on growth rates because of course it is the compounding of growth rates faster than the economy that leads to these unsustainable paths," he said. Asked what would "bend the curve," Elmendorf suggested -- you guessed it -- eliminating the health care exclusion. "We have a subsidy for larger health insurance policies in our tax code, and that like other subsidies encourages more of that activity. Reducing that subsidy would reduce that," he said. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:53 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 15, 2009

Rift? What Rift Robert Gibbs today discounted speculation of a frosty relationship between President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, calling such reports old news. "The Secretary of State is somebody who the president relies on greatly," he said. "She has an enormously important role in the development of, the execution of a foreign policy that changes our image in the world. ... The notion that there's some rift or disagreement is nothing more than silly Washington games." The president did not watch her speech today at the Council of Foreign Relations, but Gibbs said that the White House signed off on her remarks. Clinton "outlined very forcefully the concept for a framework of changing our foreign policy in the world," Gibbs said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Tries To "Buck Up" Health Care Effort With discernible progress being made in both the House and Senate, President Obama said that the goal of health care reform is within reach. Joined by nurses and key lawmakers, the president said that action on the Hill makes him "hopeful - but it shouldn't make us complacent." "It should instead provide the urgency for both the House and the Senate to finish their critical work on health reform before the August recess," he said. He said the Senate and House proposals both meet his general principles, specifying provisions for a health insurance exchange and "a public health insurance option that would make health care more affordable by increasing competition." And in a stern message to Republicans, Obama also chose to point out that legislation moved by the Senate HELP Committee included 160 Republican amendments, "a hopeful sign of bipartisan support for the final product," if Republicans are "serious about bipartisanship." "It's time to buck up Congress, this administration, the entire federal government" to pass health care now, he said. Among the lawmakers with Obama was Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who is moving health care legislation on the HELP committee in Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-Mass.) absence. It was just the latest significant boost for the embattled Democrat as he heads toward a re-election year. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Talkin' Baseball: Ozzie vs. Rahm During yesterday's All-Star Game trip, President Obama also sat down with Bob Costas for an interview to air on the MLB Network.

Obama talks about his first time at a Major League Game, as an 11-year-old watching the Royals play in Kansas City. He also jokes about similarities between the Chicago White Sox's manager and his chief of staff. "We were trying to figure out who curses more, Ozzie Guillen or Rahm Emanuel." He said he thinks Guillen "takes the prize." Talking about his beloved Sox, Costas asks Obama if he can prove he wasn't on hand for the infamous "Disco Demolition Night." "Is this Hannity?" Obama jokingly asks of the tough question. He wasn't there, for the record. Costas also pointed out that Obama's predecessor was a great first-pitch thrower. The president concedes he probably doesn't measure up, but points out that President Bush probably had plenty of practice during his days as owner of the Texas Rangers. But Obama says he has improved at another sport: bowling. He plays "every once and a while" at Camp David, recently posting a score of 161 Per the White House Web site, the interview will air throughout the week on MLB Network. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:05 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 14, 2009

Obama's All-Star Joke: "We're Out Of Money" Credit Fox's Joe Buck for this observation: the last time the National League won baseball's AllStar Game, Barack Obama was just running for election to the Illinois State Senate. The play-by-play man pointed that out to the president himself as he joined Buck and Tim McCarver in the broadcast booth tonight. Obama asked the announcers why that was, and as he gave his thoughts, Buck joked that there was "no bailout plan in place" for the senior circuit. "No man, we're out of money," Obama quickly replied, drawing a huge laugh from McCarver. A funny one-liner, to be sure. But perhaps not the smartest thing for a president to say in tough economic times, or on the same day he praised the House of Representatives for a health care bill that costs $1 trillion. Obama has gotten himself in trouble before for other one-liners, most recently a crack about the Special Olympics on "The Tonight Show," and an odd comment seeming to mock Nancy Reagan for astrology. Otherwise, it was a good visit by Obama to the All-Star Game, even despite a less-than-inspired first pitch. Sporting a White Sox jacket and jeans, he tossed a looper to Albert Pujols that bounced just in front of home plate. "I did not play organized baseball when I was a kid. And so I think some of these natural moves aren't so natural to me," Obama explained after. Talking baseball with the announcers, he declined to pick a favorite in the World Series, saying he preferred to wait til he had more information. He singled out Dodgers for playing great ball, but otherwise said it was great to see parity, giving fans everywhere hope. Oh, except for the lowly Washington Nationals -- they're "still young," said Obama, who has yet to visit the hometown team. Buck pointed out that they just fired their manager, Manny Acta. Just another unemployed American for Obama to worry about. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

First Fan Donning Sox Stripes Tonight When President Obama takes to the mound at Busch Stadium in about an hour, he'll be sporting the logo of his favorite club -- the Chicago White Sox.

If Obama was a fan of the North Siders, he probably wouldn't be so bold in the stadium of the Cubs' biggest rivals, the Cardinals, especially in a red state he narrowly lost. But the good fans of the Gateway City are likely to be more accommodating of the Sox logo. So the real pressure is on that first pitch. Here's what the President said about it this morning. "I think it's fair to say that I wanted to loosen up my arm a little bit. You know, my general strategy the last time I threw a pitch was at the American League Championship Series and I just wanted to keep it high. Now, there was no clock on it, I don't know how fast it went -- but if it exceeded 30 miles per hour, I'd be surprised. But it did clear the plate." Robert Gibbs later told reporters on Air Force One that Obama practiced a bit with his personal aide, Reggie Love. Gibbs also noted that the last first pitch Obama threw preceded eight straight wins for the Sox, en route to their first championship in nearly a century. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Army Major: Obama Not Commander In Chief At Monday's press briefing, the one and only Les Kingsolving asked Robert Gibbs for at least the second time in recent weeks about what for some is the unresolved question of whether President Obama was, as the Constitution requires, born in the United States of America. Gibbs used the occasion for quite a bit of lighthearted sparring, while stating again unequivocally that Obama was the legitimate president. "Do all of your listeners and the listeners throughout this country the service to which any journalist owes those listeners, and that is the pursuit of the noble truth," Gibbs told Kingsolving. "And the noble truth is that the President was born in Hawaii, a state of the United States of America. And all of this incredible back-and-forth -- I get e-mails today from people who inexplicably can figure out very easily the White House e-mail address, and want proof of where the President was born." Now, courtesy of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, comes an example of one such person who believes Obama is not the president, and therefore not commander in chief. U.S. Army Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, set to deploy to Afghanistan, says he shouldn't have to go. His reason? Barack Obama was never eligible to be president because he wasn't born in the United States. Cook's lawyer, Orly Taitz, who has also challenged the legitimacy of Obama's presidency in other courts, filed a request last week in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order and status as a conscientious objector for his client.

More here. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 13, 2009

RIP, TOTUS In what was an otherwise dry speech by the president about urban issues in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building today, a bit of levity. One of the two panels of President Obama's teleprompter (sometimes referred to jokingly as "TOTUS") came crashing down mid-speech. Here's the shattered remains:

"I'm sorry about that, guys," Obama said after the impact made a loud noise. He continued on with the speech, relying on the one remaining panel to his right, and the draft of his speech that was placed on his podium. He occasionally did glance to his left where the panel once stood, but managed to finish without any noticeable issues. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Mixed Messages On Health Care From White House For those trying to get a sense of why the health care reform effort seems to be stuck in the mud, today's White House press briefing was instructive. Robert Gibbs faced a number of questions on the subject, and at times offered seemingly conflicting messages about the progress on legislation. Notably, the press secretary conceded that "maybe" the president's goal of having legislation on the floor by August could not be met. "Obviously there's a lot of legislative nitty gritty that's got to be hammered out in the next three or four weeks, but I think the president sees progress," he said. When Gibbs was asked where the president stood on specific proposals currently under consideration to pay for any overhaul, he repeated a long-standing policy not to comment. "The president is going to watch what plays out on Capitol Hill and see what happens," he said. Later, he added that the president "has outlined very strongly his principles," but that: "It's July 13, guys. We're not gonna get into drawing all these lines this early." And yet, when asked about what seems to be a hands-off role from the president, Gibbs pointed to a meeting taking place at the White House today with key lawmakers, including Speaker Pelosi. And he also pointed to the vigorous effort of his team. "Given the amount of time that staff spends on Capitol Hill, I'm not entirely sure that's the case," he said. After reacting somewhat indifferently to the idea that an August deadline might not be met, Gibbs later sounded greater urgency, hinting that the president would consider asking Congress to stay in session to finalize legislation. "I think the president feels we can't afford to wait," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama On Health Care: Don't Bet Against Us Back on duty at the White House after a week-long trip, President Obama used the announcement of his pick for surgeon general to send a message on health care reform, warning his critics: "Don't bet against us." The president praised the work of House and Senate committees thus far, and said he has no illusions about the challenge of getting a final bill over the finish line. But the cost of inaction is too high, he said, calling the current system "unsustainable." "I understand that people are a little nervous and a little scared about making change," he said during the Rose Garden announcement. "The muscles in this town to bring about big changes are a little atrophied. But we're whipping folks back into shape. We are going to get this done." Dr. Regina Benjamin, an Alabama family doctor, is Obama's choice for surgeon general, a longdelayed nomination for the nation's top doctor. He said Benjamin, because of her background, understand the need for reform "in a powerful and personal way." Benjamin called the selection "a physician's dream." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:14 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 10, 2009

Keeping Track Of Obama's Czars Much has been written about the number of so-called czars in the Obama administration. And some have questioned the constitutionality of such officials playing significant roles in policymaking when, unlike Cabinet secretaries and agency chiefs, they do not require Senate confirmation. A prominent critic has been Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), long a guardian of Senate prerogatives and critic of executive overreaching. In a longer look at the Obama czars, I note a the approval Thursday by a Senate committee of language requested by Byrd meant to encourage greater accountability of the Obama czars. Here's the full provision: "The Committee expects officials employed in whole or in part by the Executive Office of the President, and designated by the President to coordinate policy agendas across executive departments and agencies, to keep Congress fully and currently informed of such activities." It's no explicit requirement that these czars do anything -- only expressing a wish that they testify regularly about their activities. But it does represent a gentle prodding of the executive branch to provide greater accountability. You can read my full piece here. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Domestic Agenda Faltering, Obama Admits Summit-itis Near the end of a week-long foreign trip, President Obama signaled that he might rather be back in the United States tending to his domestic agenda at what has shown to be a critical stage for the health care reform effort, in particular. During a press conference at the conclusion of the G-8 Summit in L'Aquila, Obama was asked about the future of these international bodies. He said leaders should consider refreshing and renewing institutions like the G8 and even the United Nations. "A lot of energy is going into these various summits and organizations in part because there's a sense that when it comes to big, tough problems, the UN General Assembly is not always working as effectively and rapidly as it needs to," he said. He continued by noting that in six months as president, he's already attended a handful of these international summits. "There have been a lot of these. I think there's a possibility of streamlining them and making them more effective," he said. "We need to I think make sure that there as productive as possible." He was asked somewhat in jest whether these diplomatic negotiations are tougher than dealing with Congress. "It's not even close -- Congress is always tougher," he said. And indeed, the health care reform effort seems bogged down as Democrats seem unable to reach consensus on funding methods and whether to include a public option. Asked when he would jump fully into these debates, Obama said he's already "jumped in with both feet," and called it his "highest legislative priority." "I think it's important juts to recognize, we are closer to achieving serious health care reform ... than at any time in recent history," he said. "That doesn't make it easy -- it's hard." He reiterated the parameters of any final bill: lowering costs, emphasizing prevention, and deficit neutrality, while gently chiding reporters for focusing too much on "the game." He also addressed the chorus of criticism from Republicans who are increasingly hammering him over growing deficits. After an initial reminder that he inherited "the worst recession since the Great Depression" with a $1.3 trillion -- he mistakenly said billion -- deficit, he conceded: "Fair enough. This is happening on my watch." But: "What cannot be denied is that the only way to get a handle on our medium- and long-term budget deficits is if we corral and contain health care costs," he added. He did not say the reform is "do or die" by the August recess, but said he "really wants" it done by then. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:20 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 09, 2009

Obama Approval Remains Strong In New Hampshire We've noted polls in Ohio and Virginia this week where President Obama's approval rating has slipped. But a University of New Hampshire survey finds that he's maintained strong numbers in the Granite State, perhaps the only true battleground state left in the Northeast. Obama Job Approval (Overall / Dems / Rep / Ind ) Approve 61 / 93 / 26 / 63 Disapprove 33/ 6 / 67 / 25 His approval has dropped just two points overall since an April survey by UNH, but has actually increased by one point among independents. That contrasts significantly with this week's Quinnipiac poll in Ohio, which showed major slippage in both categories. UNH pollster Andy Smith told RCP that a major reason why could be that New Hampshire's economy comparatively strong. The state's unemployment rate in June was 6.5, compared to Ohio's 10.5. A majority of New Hampshire voters approve of how he's handling the economy, though he does score higher on foreign affairs. Obama Handling Of ... Economy 57 / 39 Foreign Affairs 63 / 29 Iraq 65 / 24 The telephone survey of 558 New Hampshire adults was conducted June 24-July 1, and had a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percent. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:49 PM | Email Author | Permalink

RNC Uses Biden To Rebut Obama The Web videos regularly produced by the campaign committees tend to be just more fodder for the echo chamber, viewed mostly by the reporters who receive them and the partisans who will seek them out. So the impact of this new RNC video probably is minimal. But what is so striking about it is how easy it was for the GOP to use Vice President Biden's words as a foil for President Obama's seeming stubbornness over his economic plan.

The common refrain of the video is Obama saying, "There's nothing that we would have done differently," taken from an interview with ABC News this week. Compare that to Biden's now infamous "misread" comment in another ABC interview, and this comment from last month when he bluntly stated, "Some people are being scammed already." One can just imagine what the campaign ads might look like in three years, to say nothing of during the midterms. Here is Obama's full quote from that ABC interview, where he continues to express faith in his recovery plan: We needed a stimulus and we needed a substantial stimulus. Some of the money in the short term just to help stop the freefall and then some other dollars that were going to be designed to put people to back to work and we'll have more ripple effects in the economy, that money is in place and I think is going to make a big difference. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:18 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 08, 2009

A Second Stimulus? The Atlantic is reporting that amid growing chatter of a potential second economic recovery package, "the White House is holding firm against the idea of a second major stimulus intervention" and will wait at least six months before deciding to move forward with another one. Whether they sustain this position will test Obama's ironclad commitment to hold steady in the face of regular congressional (and even public) panics. And lest you wonder, White House officials are very much watching the new statewide polling data showing a drop in support among independent voters. Republicans have been jumping on Vice President Biden's statement over the weekend that the administration had "misread" how bad the economy was, and it's criticizing Democrats for how relatively slow the money from the first stimulus is being spent. At his weekly off-camera briefing with reporters yesterday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he would remain open to a second stimulus package, though he'd like to see how the first one turns out first: To the extent that we are, as I said, just 130 days out on the adoption of a very, very major effort to get the economy moving, certainly I don't think we can make a determination as to whether or not that's been successful, and certainly as successful as we want it to be or certainly not as quickly as we want it to be. We would all like to have plus numbers in terms of the growing employment rather than a loss of jobs. But I think we need to be open to whether or not we need additional action. Politico highlighted a difference of opinion on this among congressional Democrats. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Has Obama Lost His Sway? First, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper opted out of challenging Republican Sen. Richard Burr, despite a White House sit-down with President Obama. Now, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has decided not to run for Senate, even after her own private White House visit. This begs an obvious question: Has Obama lost his sway? Obama seemed able to snag almost anyone he wanted to join his administration -- he tapped a potential 2012 rival in Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) to serve as ambassador to China, and even Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) hopped on board for a day or two before declining the nomination for Commerce Secretary. The president appeared equally adept at getting candidates to drop bids against incumbents he wants to protect -- a quick phone call was all it took to get Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) to drop any plans for a challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). However, along with his inability to sway Cooper and Madigan, the White House hasn't had any luck keeping Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) from challenging Gillibrand or Rep. Joe Sestak (DPa.) from taking on the second-newest Democrat in the Senate, Arlen Specter (Pa.). Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Biden: Health Care Reform "On Track" The White House is trying to show more progress on the health care reform front even as it appears shaky on the critical details, with Vice President Biden announcing this morning a "major" deal with the hospital industry to lower costs. "Folks, reform is coming," Biden said in the EEOB today. "It is on track, it is coming." He said that a deal on reform has never been this close in his whole career. Hospitals, Biden says, are "cracking under the weight" of the cost of providing care for the uninsured, and will thus benefit from expanded coverage. Under the announced agreement, hospitals will contribute $155 billion in savings that will be applied to the total cost of health care reform. This after other deals with pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies to find additional savings represents real momentum, Biden argued. And, 'We have the American public behind us," he said. "We must and we will enact reform by the end of August," Biden pledged. "We can't wait." Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:20 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 07, 2009

Obama Reaffirms Support For Public Option That didn't take long. As we noted in the Strategy Memo this morning, the Wall Street Journal ran a story based on an interview with Rahm Emanuel, in which the chief of staff seemed to indicate the White House was willing to compromise on the public option in a health care plan. "The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest. The goal is non-negotiable; the path is," he said. That comment is fairly consistent with what has been said in the past. But the White House has just released a statement in the president's name reiterating his view that a public option is an important mechanism for keeping down costs. "I am pleased by the progress we're making on health care reform and still believe, as I've said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is a public option that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest. I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals." The statement notably does not say a public option is the only way to bring down costs, just "one of the best ways." But the White House evidently does not want to seem too eager to compromise on that component, and perhaps Emanuel went too far in that regard. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:25 AM | Email Author | Permalink July 06, 2009

Biden Speaks, Markets Move? That, according to the Associated Press, is just what happened. Sectors of the market are reacting negatively, with Vice President Biden's statement that the Obama administration "misread" the economy as the main factor. Shares of major metal manufacturers traded sharply lower Monday, a day after Vice President Joe Biden said the White House "misread" the economy, prompting concerns that an economic recovery could be slower than expected. In an interview with ABC's "This Week" broadcast Sunday, Biden said the administration "misread how bad the economy was," but stood by its stimulus efforts. Those comments will likely dampen investor confidence, said David Silver, an analyst with Wall Street Strategies.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:47 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: I Trust Medvedev Whenever President Obama has taken questions with a visiting head of state at the White House, inevitably a news outlet from the foreign delegation will ask him about his feelings toward that leader individually or their country as a whole. Rarely is anything useful gained from that discussion from the perspective of the American press. A similar question came from an American reporter today as Obama spoke with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin, but in this case the discussion was significant. Ben Feller of the Associated Press asked Obama not only whether he trusts his Russian counterpart, but whether he believes he's truly in charge. Obama tread carefully. First, he spoke of how productive their interactions have been, both in bilateral meetings and in multiple phone calls. "I've found him to be straightforward, professional," Obama said, saying they have found an ability to "work together extremely effectively. "So yes, I trust President Medvedev to not only listen and to negotiate constructively, but also to follow through on the agreements that are contained here today." On the matter of whether Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Putin is really calling the shots, Obama was even more diplomatic. He'll meet with Putin for the first time tomorrow, he noted. "My understanding is that President Medvedev is the president. Prime Minister Putin is the prime minister. And they allocate power in accordance with Russia's form of government, in the same way that we allocate power in the United States," he said. Obama primarily is interested in working "directly" with Medvedev, but said he'll reach out to Putin and others to "get a full picture" of Russians' true needs. "My strong impression is that President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin are working very effectively together, and our interest is in dealing with the Russian government as a whole in order to achieve the improved bilateral relationship that I think can be accomplished," he concluded. Continue reading "Obama: I Trust Medvedev" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink July 01, 2009

The White House's $172,000 Men (And Women) The White House has submitted to Congress its annual list of staff salaries, which shows more of President Obama's top lieutenants earning top dollar. The information lists salary information for 455 White House employees, with the average salary clocking in at $77,320. The median wage is $62,000, which means that as many employees earn more than that as earn less. Fifty-one staffers earn the minimum, $36,000, while 22 earn the maximum: $172,200. That list includes the marquee names of the Obama West Wing, including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, press secretary Robert Gibbs, senior adviser David Axelrod, and 28year-old head of speechwriting Jon Favreau (full list after the jump). All told 123 employees, about one in four, earned six-figures. For comparison sake, 447 staffers in the Bush administration in 2008 earned an average of $74,257, with the median wage being $55,400. A White House official said that unlike past years, the Obama administration is including the salary information for members of the National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council. Continue reading "The White House's $172,000 Men (And Women)" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 29, 2009

Obama Promises To Do More For GLBT Community At a reception in the East Room this afternoon, President Obama acknowledged some dissatisfaction in the GLBT community over his administration's record so far. "I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough," he told about 300 guests, according to a pool report. "We have made progress, and we will make more." Obama asked the audience to judge him by the promises his administration keeps, and said that by the time he leaves office, he thinks they will have "pretty good feelings about the Obama administration." He also listed what he said were his accomplishments so far, including the recent order extending benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. He also listed urging Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, though the administration has come under fire for the language in a DOMA brief filed by the Justice Department. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:06 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Has Obama Found A Church? Time reported this morning that President Obama would be following the example of former President George W. Bush and not select a church in Washington, DC, but instead worship in private at Evergreen Chapel at Camp David. A number of reasons were given, including this: White House aides say that security measures required by the Secret Service have become stricter since 9/11 and would cause significant delays for parishioners -- and at significant cost to taxpayers -- on Sunday mornings. Given Obama's popularity within the African-American community, the President also worried that if he chose a local black congregation, church members would find themselves competing with sightseers for space in the pews. But CBN's David Brody quotes deputy press secretary Jen Psaki in reporting that Time may have been premature. "The President and First Family continue to look for a church home. They have enjoyed worshipping at Camp David and several other congregations over the months, and will choose a church at the time that is best for their family." Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:04 AM | Email Author | Permalink June 26, 2009

White House Mum On Sanford Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) was one of the most high-profile critics of the stimulus bill, leading a charge among Republican governors to reject funds allocated to state governments. So I asked today whether President Obama has been following the developments this week, after his "disappearance" and then admission of an extramarital affair. "I'm sure he's read it in the paper but he's not given me any particular reaction to it," press secretary Robert Gibbs said at today's briefing. Gibbs did face several questions about the death of pop icon Michael Jackson -- a topic his spokesperson said he was surprised reporters did not bring up personally at today's press availability with Obama. The president told him that he thought Jackson "was a spectacular performer and a music icon." "I think everybody remembers hearing his songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown's 25th anniversary," Gibbs said. "But the president also said, look, he had aspects of his life that were sad and tragic. And his condolences went out to the Jackson family and to the fans that mourned his loss." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Remember Iraq? President Obama was also asked today about a recent uptick in violence in Iraq, ahead of a June 30 deadline for U.S. forces to withdraw from major cities there. The issue has been largely under the radar as the administration and press have focused on Iran and major domestic policy battles. Obama said that any attacks on American forces is of concern, but pointed to what he said was a positive "overall trend" toward decreasing violence. "Despite some of these high-profile bombings, Iraq's security situation has continued to dramatically improve," he said. Still, he said there is "still some work to do," particularly by Iraq's own government in strengthening its own security and making progress on political disputes. "I haven't seen as much political progress in Iraq, negotiations between the Sunni, the Shia, and the Kurds, as I would like to see," he said. The president caught himself as he at first said there "are always going to be" incidents of violence in Iraq, quickly changing to say there "will continue to be" violence there for some time. The greatest challenges ahead will not be from al Qaida, he added, but in brokering agreements among the three ethnic groups in Iraq. "If those issues get resolved, then I think you will see a further normalization of the security atmosphere inside of Iraq," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama And Merkel Talk Iran, Energy Bill It's rare that a foreign leader would weigh in on legislation before Congress, but that's just what happened as German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered support for progress the United States is making on combating climate change. Speaking to reporters in the East Room with President Obama after the two held private meetings, Merkel said the cap and trade provisions of the energy bill represent a "sea change" from the United States. "That this really points to the fact that the United States is very serious on climate," she said. "The fact that with the United States we stand where we stand today is an enormous success, which I would not have thought possible a year ago," she later added, alluding to differences between the Obama and Bush administrations on this issue. Obama looked ahead, saying if passed the legislation "indicates enormous progress from where we have been," but that there is more to be done globally to reduce greenhouse emissions. "I'm the first one to acknowledge that the United States, over the last several years, has not been where we need to be," he said. "We're not going to get there all in one fell swoop, but I'm very proud of the progress that's being made, and I think that the energy bill that's being debated in the House is an example of that progress." Continue reading "Obama And Merkel Talk Iran, Energy Bill" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:44 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 25, 2009

If A Tree Falls ... Poor Ratings For Health Care Special A sign of Obama fatigue? Or maybe a case of bad promotion, a late time slot, and people preferring a warm summer night to the boob tube. Whatever the reason, ABC News' prime time health care town hall forum with President Obama fared poorly in the ratings. The Hollywood Reporter: The one-hour ABC News special "Primetime: Questions for the President: Prescription for America" (4.7 million viewers, 1.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) had the fewest viewers in the 10 p.m. hour. The special tied some 8 p.m. comedy repeats as the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network. (h/t Ben Smith). Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:41 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Pushes Congress On "Jobs" Bill Since the passage of the stimulus bill in February, we haven't seen President Obama make the kind of last-minute pitch for a piece of legislation that he just made today for an energy bill on the docket in Congress. "I can't stress enough the importance of this vote," Obama said in a brief Rose Garden statement. He said he expects it to be close, "in part because of the misinformation that's out there that suggests there's somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and our economic growth." He said the energy bill is a jobs bill. "This legislation will finally make green energy the profitable kind of energy," he said, which will spur new industries that will create new jobs that can't be outsourced. "My call to those members of Congress who are still on the fence, as well as to the American people, is this: We cannot be afraid of the future. And we can't be prisoners of the past." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:23 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 23, 2009

Obama's First First Pitch: MLB All Star Game President Obama will throw out the first pitch at the Mid-Summer Classic, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 14, the White House has just announced. It will be the first time Obama has thrown out the first pitch at a baseball game as president. And it should be noted that this year's All-Star Game is in St. Louis in the politically significant state of Missouri. The White House press release notes that Major League Baseball "is focused on community service during All-Star Week and throughout the summer in conjunction with the President's call to service through United We Serve." Before heading to Busch Stadium, Obama will hold a town hall meeting in the Detroit area. You can be sure the topic will be the auto industry. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

News Conference Reflects Obama's Tentative Style At the end of today's press conference, the White House wanted Americans, it seems, to have the impression that President Obama had toughened his rhetoric regarding Iran. But don't dare ask the president whether he's shifted his tone. "We've been entirely consistent," he said. Obama opened today's afternoon press conference, the fourth solo affair in just over five months, by highlighting "powerful images and poignant words" Americans have witnessed in Iran, paying special tribute to the "courageous women stand[ing] up to the brutality and threats." "The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost," Obama said. Many, particularly Republicans, had criticized the president for a timid response. And even with stronger language, Obama did continue to walk a fine line by saying that the U.S. "respects the sovereignty" of Iran and is "not at all interfering" in its internal affairs. Asked bluntly by Fox's Major Garrett why it took so long to take a stronger stand, Obama bristled. "I don't think that's accurate. Track what I've been saying," he said. "My role has been to say the United States is not going to be a foil for the Iranian government to try to blame what's happening on the streets of Tehran on the CIA or on the White House, that this is an issue that is led by and given voice to the frustrations of the Iranian people." Simply making these points in the high-profile forum of a presidential news conference gives his views more weight, it should be noted. And in what has to be a first for a presidential news conference, Obama called on the Huffington Post to relay a question directly from an Iranian citizen, who asked under what circumstances the U.S. might accept the result of an election there. Continue reading "News Conference Reflects Obama's Tentative Style" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 22, 2009

FIFA Head Says Obama To Attend World Cup President Obama will attend the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has announced. Reuters reports: President Obama, whose late father was Kenyan, has indicated he will attend the event on June 11 next year when the first World Cup to be staged on African soil begins. Blatter told a media briefing: "The World Cup in Africa will go well, there is no doubt. And the man who said, 'Yes we can do it,' will be there. President Obama has accepted an invitation to the opening ceremony. Of course the schedule of heads of state can change, but he has said he will be there if he can."

Obama will make his second trip to Africa as president next month when he visits Ghana. The announcement comes as the United States national team surprisingly advanced in to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, also in South Africa, with a 3-0 win over Egypt yesterday. UPDATE: Press secretary Robert Gibbs, a former goalie, says that the president has committed to meet with Blatter, but had not definitively scheduled a trip to South Africa just yet. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:51 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama On Health Care: "Yes We Can" After a weekend when lawmakers from both parties expressed doubts about the health care reform effort, President Obama returned to a tried and true slogan to cast away doubts. "To those in Washington who have grown accustomed to sky is falling prognoses and the certainties that we cannot get this done, I have to revive an old saying we had from the campaign: Yes we can," Obama proclaimed this morning. "We are going to get this done." The White House is eager this week to recapture momentum on the health care front at a time when the American people, not just lawmakers, are expressing skepticism. Returning to another successful tactic, Obama will also hold an extended press conference in the Rose Garden tomorrow afternoon, the first such session since a prime time event on his 100th day in office. Obama's statement of confidence came during an announcement of a deal with pharmaceutical companies to cut costs of prescription drugs in the Medicare program, closing the so-called "donut hole." The president said the deal, endorsed by AARP, was a "significant breakthrough on the road to health care reform." He also praised members of the House who introduced a preliminary health care bill last week, and said he would continue to work closely with the relevant committee chairman, as well as (notably) Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Ct.), "and members of both parties who are willing to commit themselves to this critical task." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 19, 2009

Tip Your Waitresses The White House is teasing some of the president's comedy routine at tonight's Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner. Targets: Rahm, the state of the journalism industry, and of course, a fly. Enjoy: I want to thank you for this opportunity to tell all the jokes that weren't funny enough for me to use when we did this five weeks ago. ... In Egypt, we had the opportunity to tour the pyramids. And by now I'm sure you've all seen the pictures of Rahm on that camel. I admit, I was a little nervous about the whole situation. I said at the time, "This is a wild animal known to bite, kick, and spit. And who knows what the camel could do?" ... Of course, most of my attention has been focused back home. As you know, we've been working around the clock on to repair our major financial institutions and our auto companies. But you probably wouldn't understand the concept of troubled industries, working as you do in radio and television. ... One problem we're trying to solve is the high cost of health care in America. And I'm pleased that in our quest to reform the health care system, I have gained the support of the American Medical Association. It proves true the old expression that it's easier to catch flies with honey. And if honey doesn't work, feel free to use an open palm and a swift, downward wrist motion.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

White House Message Unchanged On Iran Even in the wake of the Supreme Leader's comments this morning shutting down hope of a revote in Iran, the White House is sticking to its restrained message. Press secretary Robert Gibbs just said moments ago that the U.S. won't be lured into Iran's political debate. "The president has been clear on what he believes, that he believes strongly that people should have their voices heard," he said. "We're not going to be used as political foils and political footballs in a debate that's happening by Iranians in Iran. There are many people in the leadership that would love us to get involved, and love to trot out the same old foils that they have for years. that's not what we're going to do." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:28 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 18, 2009

Woodward At The White House As yours truly was leaving the White House a short time ago, I spotted famed Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward at the Northwest Gate making his way on to the grounds. "I'm Bob Woodward, and I have an appointment," he politely told the Secret Service agent, before being buzzed into the security shed. The New Republic reported just yesterday that administration officials were concerned about Woodward's plans to write a book about the inner workings of the new West Wing team, and that White House counsel Greg Craig has circulated memos dictating protocol for dealing with writers "researching books and articles on the White House." Officially, the White House says it is not adopting a press strategy to respond to Woodward. Ben LaBolt, an Obama spokesman, wrote in an e-mail that the Craig memo "was not issued in relation to any inquiry related to a specific reporter or author." Still, there is reason to think that Woodward might make the administration particularly anxious. One reason: "Obama's White House is known to hate process stories, exactly the sort of exhaustive, in-the-room descriptions of high-level debates at which Woodward excels," TNR notes. No word on who Woodward was meeting with. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:17 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs: WH Not Picking Candidate In Illinois Senate Race At today's White House briefing, the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet followed up on her report that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan came to the White House to discuss a potential candidacy for the state's Senate seat. Sweet reported that the White House "is pushing to have" Madigan run, and that she offered some conditions she would want before making a decision, including a clear primary field. Today, Gibbs tried to make clear that the administration wants no part in primary politics, though his answer lead many to believe otherwise. "The president is not going to pick a candidate in the Illinois Senate race," Gibbs said. "The president has a very long relationship with the attorney general dating back to their time in the state Senate, and has enormous respect for what she accomplished there and as attorney general. I think she'd be a terrific candidate. But we're not going to get involved in picking that candidate." Why then praise her in that way, if the White House truly did not plan to get involved? "We're not picking a candidate. We're not going to endorse in this race," he repeated. "Does the president have enormous respect for the attorney general? Absolutely." But are administration officials working to facilitate a Madigan run? "The staff assistants aren't going to pick a candidate, the assistants to the president aren't going to pick a candidate, and the president's not going to pick a candidate," Gibbs said. He later said that the "president enjoyed meeting" with Madigan, and that if any other potential candidate wanted to meet with him, "The address is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 17, 2009

NBC/WSJ Poll: Indies Souring On Obama? Few polls can sway conventional wisdom like the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll does. So be on the lookout for a host of stories that question whether the Obama shine has begun to wear off, and the host of tough decisions he's made start taking their toll. The new poll out tonight shows that President Obama still has a strong approval rating, 56 percent. But it's down from the previous survey, just before his 100th day. Obama Job Performance Approve 56 (-5) Disapprove 34 (+4) Not Sure 10 (+1) The real warning sign seems to be the president's drop in support from independent voters. In April, these respondents backed Obama 60-31 percent. Now, that margin is much closer: 46-44 percent. Still, 60 percent say Obama is focused in taking on many different issues, while 37 percent think he has too much on his plate. On some of those issues, 46 percent say they are confident in the policies he's pursuing on the economy, while 53 percent say they're only somewhat or not at all confident. 48 percent support his decision to eliminate waterboarding, compared to 41 who oppose. By a 52-39 percent margin, voters oppose his decision to close Guantanamo Bay, and 56 percent of voters also oppose the General Motors bailout, compared to 35 percent who support it. Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

White House Reacts To Former Senate Leaders' Health Care Plan Today, former Senate Majority Leaders Daschle, Dole and Baker released their own draft of a health care plan. As noted in the Strategy Memo this morning, the plan calls for a mandate that individuals have insurance, fees for companies that do not provide coverage for employers, and taxing benefits. The White House released this fairly neutral statement on the plan from Robert Gibbs: "The Bipartisan Policy Center, led by three distinguished former Senate Majority Leaders, has produced a serious and detailed proposal for health reform that reinforces the importance of the President's core principles: lowering costs for families, businesses and governments; guaranteeing choice of doctors and plans; ensuring quality and affordable health care for all Americans, and adhering to fiscal discipline that does not add to the deficit. "This group of extraordinarily experienced legislators agree with the President that health reform must be enacted this year because the status quo -skyrocketing health care costs, rising premiums, swelling deficits - is unsustainable. With this report, they have demonstrated what can be achieved with bipartisan effort. The Bipartisan Policy Center has produced a significant report, and the White House applauds their efforts."

Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:17 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 16, 2009

White House: Coburn Stimulus Report "Flat Out Wrong" The White House responded to Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-Okla.) critical look at the stimulus program, calling the conservative senator's report "flat out wrong." The administration has released a point-by-point rebuttal to the 100 so-called wasteful projects that Coburn sited. In some cases, it outlines a claim as "FALSE," or more often, there is a detailed response defending the project or explaining how errors were corrected. On some of the more controversial expenditures, like the $800,000 allocated for repaving a backup runway at John Murtha Airport, the report says simply that the project is "still under review." "This President has taken historic steps to ensure that there is adequate transparency, and that this money is spent the way it's intended to be used," press secretary Robert Gibbs said today. "I think the report appears to be, in many, many cases, just flat out wrong." Ed DeSeve, a senior advisor to the president for Recovery Act Implementation, concedes in a statement that among 20,000 projects approved, "there are bound to be some mistakes." "When we find them, we have been transparent about it, and worked on a bipartisan basis to shut them down immediately," he said. DeSeve adds that if there are "problematic projects" in Coburn's report, they will be addressed "immediately." "But much of this seems to be little more than an objection to the Recovery Act itself, which Sen. Coburn opposed. As state officials in Sen. Coburn's own home state have noted, 'We have people working today who would not have jobs if the stimulus package hadn't passed,'" he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:58 PM | Email Author | Permalink

President Sends Fundraising Pitch For Health Care For what may be the first time in his presidency, Barack Obama has sent an e-mail fundraising appeal to members of the Organizing for America database seeking financial help in promoting his health care effort. He compares the push for reform to his own uphill battle for the presidency. "The campaign to pass real health care reform in 2009 is the biggest test of our movement since the election," he writes. "Once again, victory is far from certain. Our opposition will be fierce, and they have been down this road before. To prevail, we must once more build a coast-to-coast operation ready to knock on doors, deploy volunteers, get out the facts, and show the world how real change happens in America." There's no specific dollar amount requested, just "whatever you can afford." Full e-mail is after the jump. Continue reading "President Sends Fundraising Pitch For Health Care" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Defends Muted Iran Response President Obama held his first Rose Garden press conference today, a "two-and-two" with the president of South Korea. As expected, most questions focused on tensions with North Korea. But as the president prepared to leave, reporters shouted after him to discuss Iran. At first, he joked that he had just spoke about it "seven or eight hours ago." But perhaps aware of high-profile calls for the president to make a stronger statement of support for those protesting what many believe is a flawed outcome, Obama explained his caution at saying more. "It's not productive, given the history of U.S.-Iranian relations, to be seen as meddling -- the U.S. president meddling in Iranian elections," he said. "What I will repeat and what I said yesterday is that when I see violence directed at peaceful protesters, when I see peaceful dissent being suppressed, wherever that takes place, it is of concern to me and it is of concern to the American people." He added that he hopes the Iranian government will take "the right steps" to allow demonstrators to continue expressing their views, and again praised what he sees as a growing push for openness there. "I do believe that something has happened in Iran where there is a questioning of the kinds of antagonistic postures toward the international community," he said. "How that plays out over the next several days and several weeks is something ultimately for the Iranian people to decide. But I stand strongly with the universal principle that people's voices should be heard and not suppressed." On the issue of North Korea, Obama explained the rationale for new, tougher sanctions. "There has been a pattern in the past where North Korea behaves in a belligerent fashion, and if it waits long enough is then rewarded," he said. "The message we're sending - and when I say we, not simply the United States and Republic of Korea, but I think the international community - is we are going to break that pattern." The goal is to welcome North Korea back to the international community, he said. "But belligerent provocative behavior that threatens neighbors will be met with significant, serious enforcement of sanctions that are in place." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 15, 2009

Obama: Troubled By Violence At Iran Protests, Inspired By Turnout President Obama has finally commented publicly on the Iranian elections, saying that Americans are "rightfully troubled" by the violence that has occurred at protests since disputed results were announced. Speaking in the Oval Office, Obama did not himself question results, noting that there were no U.S. or international observers monitoring the vote. "But what I can say is that there appears to be a sense on the part of people who were so hopeful and so engaged and so committed to democracy who now feel betrayed. And I now think it's important that moving forward, whatever investigations take place are done in a way that is not resulting in bloodshed and is not resulting in people being stifled in expressing their views," he said. Obama also sent this message to the Iranian people: "I would say to them that the world is watching and inspired by their participation, regardless of what the ultimate outcome of the election was. They should know that the world is watching. And particularly to the youth of Iran, I want them to know that we in the United States do not want to make any decisions for the Iranians, but we do think the Iranian people and their voices should be heard and respected." The president signaled that he's prepared to continue pursuing "tough, hard-headed diplomacy" whoever is in power. "Specifically, making sure that we are not seeing a nuclear arms race in the middle east triggered by Iran obtaining a nuclear weapons, [and] making sure that Iran is not exporting terrorist activity," he said. "Those are core interests not just to the United States but I think to a peaceful world in general." Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:03 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Fox News Poll: Obama Not Tough Enough On Iran As protests over the Iranian elections continue, the White House continues to take a cautious approach. "Obviously we continue to have concern about what we've seen," Robert Gibbs told reporters earlier today on Air Force One. "Obviously the Iranians are looking into this, as well. We continue to be heartened by the enthusiasm of young people in Iran. But I think what's important is the concerns that we have about their nuclear weapons program, and the concern we have about their support for terror isn't any different than it was on Friday." President Obama himself is expected to make a statement shortly when he meets with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the Oval Office. A new Fox News poll finds that most Americans think he needs to take a tougher line, with 66 percent saying he has not been tough enough. Only 5 percent say he's been to tough, while 17 percent say his approach is "about right." A similar majority feels Obama needs to be tougher on North Korea as well. The poll does find that a solid majority -- 55 percent of Americans feel that Obama's speech in Cairo was "necessary to build a bridge with Muslims." About one third, 36 percent, say it was an "inappropriate apology to the Muslim World." The poll was conducted June 9-10 surveying 900 registered voters, and had a margin of error +/- 3 percent Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Raising Health Care Stakes, Obama Defends Public Option President Obama made the case for significant health care reform before a skeptical organization of physicians today, balancing assurances to the American people with dire warnings about what could happen without reform. "The cost of our health care is a threat to our economy," he said. "It's an escalating burden on our families and businesses. It's a ticking time bomb for the federal budget. And it is unsustainable for the United States of America." When the president was selling his stimulus plan months ago, he offered a similarly gloomy picture of what could happen if the bill didn't pass, saying once that the economy might never recover. Today he said the United States could go the way of General Motors: "paying more, getting less, and going broke." "When it comes to the cost of our health care, then, the status quo is unsustainable," he said at the Chicago gathering in what was the longest speech of his presidency to date. Continue reading "Raising Health Care Stakes, Obama Defends Public Option" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 10, 2009

In Iowa, Huckabee Calls For "Clarity Of Conservative Principles" On his third visit to Iowa since winning the caucuses last year, Mike Huckabee sounded an optimistic note during an interview with Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson. "A lot of people are wringing their hands and acting like it's the end of the world. I see things quite differently," he said. "I think there's a lot of excitement. People are reminded that when we stand for something, we win. It's when we get mushy and squishy -- that's when we lose and people are beginning to realize that." Huckabee said there needs to be "a clarity of conservative principles," and said he was "stunned when I saw many people who pretended to be conservative who went out there and supported everything from the TARP bill to the bailouts." "There's nothing conservative about that," he said. Asked about his organization in Iowa for a potential 2012 run, Huckabee said there's nothing formal yet. He's focused now on helping individual candidates like Bob Vander Plaats, who's seeking the governorship in the Hawkeye State. "We'll certainly see many of the people who helped us get back into the fray for him, and I'm certainly hoping for that," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 09, 2009

From Stimulus To Paygo One day after announcing a ramping up of spending, President Obama today focused on efforts in his administration and by the Democrats in Congress to reinstitute fiscal discipline through the use of "paygo" rules. "It is no coincidence that this rule was in place when we moved from record deficits to record surpluses in the 1990s - and that when this rule was abandoned, we returned to record deficits that doubled the national debt," he said in the East Room, speaking to an audience of Blue Dog Democrats. When advised, the event was said to be focused on the role of paygo rules in entitlement reform. But the president only mentioned it briefly in that context: "Entitlement increases and tax cuts need to be paid for," he said. "Paying for what you spend is basic common sense. Perhaps that's why, here in Washington, it has been so elusive." Instead, Obama used the event to rattle off a series of initiatives already announced that the White House has said will put a dent in the nation's deficit. He repeated that within four years, the deficit will be halved - though he did not address longer-term projections that show it increasing beyond one term. He also announced that in the first round of TARP fund repayments, the government will turn a slight profit and the debt will drop $68 billion. He cautioned that there may be "some losses to the taxpayers" as other financial institutions repay government funds, however. Continue reading "From Stimulus To Paygo" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:59 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 08, 2009

Obama: Building On "Modest" Recovery Efforts, Time To "Accelerate" The White House is in relaunch mode today, arguing at the same time that the stimulus program is working but that more needs to be done. President Obama, in a meeting with the Cabinet today, said that unemployment figures released last Friday were actually promising, coming below expectations and continuing a downward trend in monthly job losses. Obama called it "modest progress" that he wants to build upon during the summer months. "I'm not satisfied. We've got more work to do," he said. Thanking the secretaries for their initial efforts in their own departments, he added: "Now we're in a position to really accelerate." As had been widely reported, the White House wants to "create or save" 600,000 jobs this summer. Obama also repeated the goal of ensuring a transparent program, "so that taxpayers know this money is not being wasted on a bunch of boondoggles," he said, tapping his pencil on the table. "I think that sometimes good news comes in what you don't hear about, and you haven't heard a bunch of scandals -- knock on wood so far." Of course, Biden said last week: "Some people are being scammed already." Seated next to Obama today, he announced new efforts to ensure a successful program. "We want them knowing that what we're doing is fully transparent, we're fully accountable, and we want them to watch us closely, and we want their input. We want them to tell us whether they think it's working or not working and how it's affecting them," he said. Republicans are reacting on today's event by saying it's an acknowledgment that the White House's economic efforts have failed. "Today, the White House confirmed that the Democrat economic stimulus bill is simply not creating the jobs President Obama promised. Simply put, the White House spin doesn't square with reality," chairman Michael Steele said in an RNC release. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:46 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 04, 2009

Obama Transcript: A New Beginning Here's the full transcript of President Obama's speech in Cairo today, with our emphasis in bold. For the record, the speech was over 6,000 words, and ran 55 minutes long. The transcript reflects it was interrupted for applause 42 times. Continue reading "Obama Transcript: A New Beginning" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:01 AM | Email Author | Permalink June 03, 2009

Long Meeting, Short Statement The White House statement on President Obama's meeting with King Abdullah is all of 77 words, even though the meeting reportedly went much longer than expected. Here it is: Readout of The President's Meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia President Obama and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met today and discussed a wide range of issues including Middle East peace, the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, energy, Iran and other matters affecting the region. The President and the King also discussed the President's upcoming speech to the Muslim world. The President and King pledged to remain in close contact in order to continue to make progress on these and other issues central to the US-Saudi relationship.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:56 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Leach, A Republican Obama Backer, Gets Admin Post For the second day in a row, President Obama is appointing a Republican to a plum administration post. The White House just announced that former Rep. Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican who lost his seat in an upset in 2006, will be appointed chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Leach endorsed Obama in the 2008 campaign, heading up the "Republicans for Obama" committee. He also spoke at the convention in Denver. Some thought Leach would be tapped as the ambassador to China, a post that went to another Republican, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. "I am confident that with Jim as its head, the National Endowment for the Humanities will continue on its vital mission of supporting the humanities and giving the American public access to the rich resources of our culture. Jim is a valued and dedicated public servant and I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead," Obama says in a statement. The NEH is "an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink June 02, 2009

Biden Watch: Freelancing, And Waste Today at a roundtable in New York City, Vice President Biden admitted that some stimulus money is being wasted. "There are going to be mistakes made," said Biden, referred to as "The Sheriff" at the White House. "Some people are being scammed already." The remarks, reported by Reuters, were not included in a transcript provided by the White House. Transcripts of all of the president's public statements are sent to reporters, but the Vice President's office only sent Biden's opening remarks at the event. He did spend considerable time on the positive impact of the stimulus plan, however, noting that 14,000 teachers in New York City were still employed because of Recovery Act Dollars. "It's a big deal," he said. In other Biden news, the veep spoke at a fundraiser for the DNC in New York last night. According to a pool report, Biden had great praise for embattled Gov. David Paterson, calling him the "once and future" governor of New York. Today, Robert Gibbs was asked if the statement constituted an endorsement, or if he was "freelancing." "I have not seen the remarks, but let me go see if I can find that, and see what the context is," Gibbs said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:01 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs: WH Wouldn't Stop GM From Outsourcing Yesterday, reporters could not get a straight answer when they pressed Robert Gibbs to explain who the White House might act if a new General Motors board wanted to act in a way that might be contrary to the administration's goals. Today, the press secretary was posed with such a hypothetical: what if GM could save money by outsourcing jobs to China? Would President Obama, who promised the company would make more cars in the United States, allow that as the company's majority shareholder? "Yes," Gibbs answered simply. He had said that the administration would be involved with choosing the new board. "But business decisions are going to be made by General Motors - I don't want to get involved with making those business decisions for them." Again, he explained, the ultimate goal was to put the company on sound footing as soon as possible, so that the government can get out of the car business. "They'll be free to make a series of decisions as a new car company in a new auto world," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:13 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gallup: 54% Approve of Sotomayor Nomination A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds Americans' initial support for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor "similar to what Gallup initially found for past nominees who were confirmed by the Senate, including Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Samuel Alito. Americans were slightly more positive toward John Roberts' nomination." For Sotomayor, 54% approve of her nomination, while 24% are not in favor of it and 19% have no opinion.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

NBC Goes "Inside The Obama White House" NBC has released several sneak peaks of tonight's "Inside The White House" special, including this look at President Obama interacting with his new puppy, Bo.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Meanwhile, former RNC press secretary Alex Conant wonders why the press isn't scrutinizing this prime-time series the same way it did when the Bush administration welcomed NBC cameras inside the White House. "After that show, other media heavily criticized the network for producing what resulted in a very positive portrayal of a wartime President," Conant writes, linking to articles questioning whether administration officials artificially beefed up the president's schedule. "To be clear, the Obama White House similarly 'pumped up' the Obamas' schedule last Friday, when NBC filmed the latest special. To wit: Michelle Obama visited an elementary school, while the President met with his National Economic Council staff (in addition to his daily economic briefing), delivered remarks on cyber security, visited FEMA for a briefing, and found time to stop by Five Guys to get burgers." Robert Gibbs denied on Friday that the burger trip, at least, was planned for the benefit of the peacock crews. Check out more clips from the special after the jump: Continue reading "NBC Goes "Inside The Obama White House"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:56 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Another Republican Joins Obama Administration The White House just announced some updates on today's schedule, giving the day an additional bipartisan flair. President Obama will announce his choice to be Secretary of the Army. A White House spokesperson confirms that it will be Rep. John McHugh, one of three remaining Republican Congressmen from New York. McHugh is currently the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee First elected in 1992, McHugh now represents the 23rd Congressional District, covering much of Northern New York. The district leans slightly Republican, meaning Democrats could potentially pick up another seat in a special election. Also, the White House has announced that former first lady Nancy Reagan will join Obama as he signs the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink June 01, 2009

Tiller, Abortion Not Addressed In Daily Press Briefing Today's press briefing with Robert Gibbs was dominated by questions about General Motors. And as exasperated as the press secretary seemed at times, he may have preferred that topic to the hotbutton social issue of abortion, propelled into the headlines by yesterday's murder of late-term abortion provider George Tiller. A quick count of the questions today finds that 52 were focused on the GM bankruptcy, while no other topic was asked about more than a handful of times. There were two on the president's "date night" trip to New York on Saturday, two more on his visit to Saudi Arabia, and four questions on a suspicious package that resulted in a lockdown of the White House grounds, among other topics (the exact count may vary depending on how you count follow ups and quick back-and-forths). But not a single question about Tiller specifically, or abortion more broadly. The specter of social issues returning to the forefront -- especially as the administration seeks a smooth confirmation for Judge Sotomayor on the Supreme Court -- was a hot topic this morning, making it that much more puzzling as to why it didn't come up. Continue reading "Tiller, Abortion Not Addressed In Daily Press Briefing" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

White House Officially Nominates Sotomayor The White House officially sent the Senate today the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The administration also released a list of senators Sotomayor will meet with tomorrow in her first official trip to Capitol Hill. From the White House press release: On Tuesday June 2nd, Judge Sotomayor will visit Capitol Hill to meet with the following Senators: Majority Leader Reid Republican Leader McConnell Senator Leahy Senator Sessions Assistant Majority Leader Durbin Assistant Republican Leader Kyl Senator Schumer Senator Hatch Senator Feinstein Senator Gillibrand Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 05:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Defends Government Role In GM Calling the federal government a "reluctant stakeholder" in General Motors, President Obama said he's confident that by taking the right steps, bankruptcy could be just a minor bump in the road for the iconic American brand. "It's not just any company we're talking about," Obama said after attempting to justify the dramatic steps being taken. "If well managed, a new GM will emerge that can provide a new generation of Americans with a chance to live out their dreams, that can out-compete automakers around the world, and that can once again be an integral part of America's economic future. And when that happens, we can truly say that what is good for General Motors and all who work there is good for the United States of America." Obama, speaking in the Grand Foyer surrounded by members of the Cabinet and top economic advisers, actually said that the quick bankruptcy of Chrysler shows that government action can be successful. "[Some experts] predicted that Chrysler's decision to enter bankruptcy would lead to an immediate collapse in consumer confidence that would send car sales over a cliff. They were wrong," he said. "Chrysler sold more cars in May than it did in April, in part because consumers were comforted by our extraordinary commitment." The president repeatedly spoke of his administration's reluctance in taking what he said would be a 60 percent ownership stake in the company, requiring the commitment of billions of additional dollars. And despite that majority stake, he said the government would largely let a new board call the shots, while also promising the company would be making more fuel efficient cars. "There are a number of principles that are going to govern our behavior as a shareholder in this company and others, one of which is no involvement in day-to-day business matters," a senior administration official told reporters last night. "That will be a continuing principle for us." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:17 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 29, 2009

Gibbs: Sotomayor's Word Choice "Poor" At the tail end of a more than hour-long press briefing White House press secretary made a stunning admission about the administration's Supreme Court pick while discussing her controversial 2001 speech. "I think she'd say that her word choice in 2001 was poor," Gibbs said of Sonia Sotomayor's argument that a "wise Latina woman" would reach better conclusions than white men. "She was simply making the point that personal experiences are relevant to the process of judgment, that your personal experiences have a tendency to make you more aware of certain facts in certain cases, that your experiences impact your understanding. I think we'd all agree with that." Gibbs then tried to compare her comment to remarks from now-Justice Samuel Alito during his confirmation hearing, when he said that while hearing cases involving immigrants, "I can't help but think of my own ancestors, because it wasn't long ago that they were in that position." "I think if she had the speech to do it all over again, I think she'd change that word," Gibbs said. Asked how he came to that conclusion, Gibbs said he has been told as much from people Sotomayor has spoken with. A moment earlier, Gibbs had responded to a new attack from Rush Limbaugh, who compared Sotomayor to David Duke. "I don't think you have to be the nominee to find what was said today offensive," he said, pointing as well to other Republicans who have recently condemned Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich's claims that she's a racist. "It's sort of hard to completely quantify the outrage I think almost anybody would feel at the notion that you're being compared to somebody who used to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Man Likes His Burgers With Mustard President Obama again headed outside of the White House grounds for a cheeseburger lunch, this time heading to a Five Guys near the Nationals Ballpark in Southeast DC. Joining him was the usual protective pool of reporters, as well as an NBC television crew filming the president's every movement today for a prime-time special next week. "I need one cheeseburger and one fries for me. Jalapeno, tomato, mustard. That's it for me," Obama said at the counter, later adding a request for lettuce. Full pool report, from USA Today's David Jackson, is after the jump. Continue reading "The Man Likes His Burgers With Mustard" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:18 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 28, 2009

Obama: Now Or Never On Healthcare On a conference call organized through Organizing For America, the president lays down the marker on health care reform. Per the Associated Press: WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says that if Congress doesn't deliver health care legislation this year, it will never happen. Obama on Thursday told his re-election campaign-in-waiting that volunteers must pressure lawmakers to support the White House's goal on health care -- or else the opportunity would be forever lost. He says delay is unacceptable. Obama's political organization, Organizing for America, plans a nationwide June 6 kickoff to pressure lawmakers and demonstrate support.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 27, 2009

RNC Bashes WH Stimulus Report Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele issued a statement of rebuke a mere 20 minutes after the White House released its "100 Days, 100 Projects" report on the 100th day since President Obama signed the economic stimulus package. "In the Obama administration the word 'report' must be code for 'PR,' " Steele said. "One hundred days after spending $787 billion of the taxpayers' money, President Obama is touting a second progress 'report' on the stimulus bill to convince voters his reckless spending plan is working. Let's be clear: 100 projects, nearly $1 trillion spent, and 1 million jobs lost doesn't sound like progress to me. The Obama administration may believe its own spin, but American families want jobs and to keep more of what they earn, not another 'report.' " According to the report, "In the first 100 days since President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, we have obligated more than $112 billion, created more than 150,000 jobs." Republicans, though, would like to keep the focus on the current job numbers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported at the beginning of the month that 539,000 jobs were lost in April, increasing the unemployment rate from 8.5 percent to 8.9 percent. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 26, 2009

Obama To Announce SCOTUS Pick Today A White House official confirms that President Obama will announce his choice to replace Justice David Souter this morning at 10:15 am. UPDATE: AP reports that the choice is Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The White House now announces that the pick will be made in the East Room. Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:10 AM | Email Author | Permalink May 22, 2009

Obama Reinforces Security Message At Annapolis President Obama again made his case that closing Guantanamo Bay is the right move, saying that Americans "reject the false choice between our security and our ideals." "As our national debate on how to deal with the security challenge that we face proceeds, we must remember this enduring truth: The values and ideals in those documents are not simply words written into aging parchment, they are the bedrock of our liberty and our security," Obama told the graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. "We uphold our fundamental principles and values not just because we choose to, but because we swear to; not because they feel good, but because they help keep us safe and keep us true to who we are." Obama's third and final commencement speech was, by tradition, at one of the military service academies. And there, the commander in chief also promised only to send these men and women into battle "when it is absolutely necessary, and with the strategy and the well-defined goals, the equipment and the support that you need to get the job done." He also payed special tribute to the work of Navy SEALs in last month's high-risk rescue of Captain Phillips, held hostage by pirates off the Somali coast. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 21, 2009

Obama's Speech: Restoring American Values To Keep U.S. Safe From my perch at the National Archives, President Obama's national security speech actually felt like two speeches. For the first 20 minutes, Obama outlined the situation he inherited, the immediate steps he took to reverse what he considered the failed approach of his predecessor. This section was at times defensive, but delivered with a bit more passion than Americans have seen from the president recently. The second section was at times a wonky, legalistic outline of the next steps he plans to take. He conceded the difficulty his administration has had living up to the goals he stated on the campaign trail, but made it clear he still intended to fulfill them. The dominant theme of the first portion was values. Continue reading "Obama's Speech: Restoring American Values To Keep U.S. Safe" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Stands Up for Banning Torture Speaking now at the National Archives, home of the Constitution and located on Constitution Ave., President Obama explained his opposition to torture. "I know some have argued that brutal methods like water-boarding were necessary to keep us safe," Obama said. "I could not disagree more. "As Commander-in-Chief, I see the intelligence, I bear responsibility for keeping this country safe, and I categorically reject the assertion that these are the most effective means of interrogation. What's more, they undermine the rule of law. They alienate us in the world. They serve as a recruitment tool for terrorists, and increase the will of our enemies to fight us, while decreasing the will of others to work with America. "They risk the lives of our troops by making it less likely that others will surrender to them in battle, and more likely that Americans will be mistreated if they are captured. In short, they did not advance our war and counter-terrorism efforts - they undermined them, and that is why I ended them once and for all." Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 10:40 AM | Email Author | Permalink May 19, 2009

Emissions Accord Reached, Parties Highlight Historic Cooperation Whatever the environmental impact may be, the sense at the White House today as President Obama announced new fuel emissions standards for automobiles was at how significant the agreement was among the disparate factions. "This is an extraordinary gathering," Obama said as he opened his remarks in the Rose Garden this afternoon. "It's no secret that these are folks who've occasionally been at odds for years, even decades. In fact, some of the groups here have been embroiled in lawsuits against one another. So that gives you a sense of how impressive and significant it is that these leaders from across the country are willing to set aside the past for the sake of the future." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) was on hand because of the role California has played in the emissions debate, having long battled for a waiver to set its own emissions standard. He praised Obama for finally bringing auto manufacturers, government entities, unions and environmental groups together. "California was the David, and having all those giants fighting us and taking us to court. ... The president has pulled everyone together and now we're marching forward all in the same direction," he said. Schwarzenegger echoed a phrase often attributed to chief of staff Rahm Emanuel as well, suggesting that a major catalyst for the agreement was the dependence of GM and Chrysler -- long opponents of tougher emissions standards -- on government funds. "It's all about timing," he said. "I'm sure that President Obama said to them, okay we're going to give you that help. But here's what you need to do. So I think certain things changed very quickly because of that." Press secretary Robert Gibbs denied that, however. "The notion that two of the 10 companies here are receiving assistance played a role in the other eight agreeing one something that they have generally been on the opposite side of for the better part of 20 years - I just don't think that makes sense," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 18, 2009

Obama, Netanyahu Talk Iran, Peace Process President Obama's meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went well beyond their scheduled time today as the White House looks to jump start the Mideast peace process. But speaking with the press pool after an expanded meeting, the potential nuclear threat of Iran seemed to dominate the discussion. Obama said he has "deepening concern" about the pursuit of nuclear weapons by Iran. He noted that his administration has worked to reach out to Iran, but said he told Netanyahu today that "we are not foreclosing a range of steps, including much stronger international sanctions, in assuring that Iran understands that we are serious." He noted that with elections being held there next month, any significant progress may have to wait. On the critical issue of a two-state solution, Obama said that such a resolution is "in the interests not only of the Palestinians but also the Israelis and the United States and the international community." Netanyahu said he wants to hold talks with the Palestinians, adding that Israel does not want to govern them. "The goal has to be an end to conflict," he said. "There'll have to be compromises by Israelis and Palestinians alike. We're ready to do our share. We hope the Palestinians will do their share as well." Specifically, he said he wants Palestinians to "recognize Israel as a Jewish state." Obama was asked at one point whether his "out-stretched hand" toward the Iranians was being seen as a sign of weakness. Obama started by saying that no one should expect that "30 years of antagonism and suspicion between Iran and the United States would be resolved in four months." "We think it's very important for us to give this a chance," he said. "Part of the reason that it's so important for us to take a diplomatic approach is that the approach that we've been taking, which is no diplomacy, obviously has not worked." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:34 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 13, 2009

Obama, Pelosi Promise Health Care Bill By July President Obama emerged from what he said was an "extremely productive meeting" with the House Democratic leadership this morning with a commitment to pass health care reform this year. "We've got to get it done this year, both in the House and in the Senate. And we don't have any excuses. The stars are aligned," he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she's "quite certain" that legislation will be on the floor in July, before the August recess. Obama said that's "the kind of urgency and determination that we need to achieve what I will be historic legislation." The president again argued that health care reform is a necessary step in bringing America's deficit and debt under control. He cited new forecasts for Medicare that show the system becoming unsustainable sooner than previously predicted, a fact that "only underscores the need for reform," Obama said. "If we don't reform how health care is delivered in this country, then we are not going to be able to get a handle on that," he said. Obama closed by saying previous reform efforts have "too often" failed because of "special interest lobbying and petty politics," but claimed that there is "a shift in these patterns" underway. "We're seeing now that traditional opponents of health care reform are embracing these ideas," he said. "They recognize that the time is now. And so I am just deeply encouraged and I want the message to go out all across America - we are not going to rest until we've delivered the kind of health care reform that's going to bring down costs for families and improve quality, affordability, accessibility for all Americans." Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:55 AM | Email Author | Permalink May 12, 2009

From White House Ally To Senate Foe? Just three months after the president shared a stage with Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in Florida, the White House today signaled that Obama would likely support his Democratic opponent in the Senate race. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said it was too early to speculate about whether Obama would campaign in Florida against Crist. But when asked if Obama would support the Democratic nominee, Gibbs said that the president "generally support[s] Democratic nominees." "I think you have a sense of where the president's party allegiance lies," he added. During a town hall meeting in Fort Myers this February, Obama thanked Crist for his strong public backing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "Governor Crist shares my conviction that creating jobs and turning this economy around is a mission that transcends party," he said. "When the town is burning, we don't check party labels. Everyone needs to grab a hose! Governor Crist and governors across the country understand that." These words could be very helpful to Crist in a general election campaign. But of course, Crist needs to get through a Republican primary first, and today he was asked if his support for the stimulus package could backfire amongst a conservative electorate. "I think what's important to bear in mind is that we do things a little bit differently here in Florida and that's another reason that I run for the United States Senate. We work together to solve problems and do what's right for the people of our state," Crist said, according to CNN. "The people are the boss. And I think, regardless of party, we have to work together to get things done. And that's what I'd like to take to Washington, D.C." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Mideast Leaders To The White House The White House just announced the dates of planned meetings this month with the leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will come to Washington on May 18. Egypt President Hosni Mubarak will meet with President Obama on May 26, and finally Mahmoud Abbas will visit on May 28. "With each of them, the President will discuss ways the United States can strengthen and deepen our partnerships, as well as the steps all parties should take to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab states," press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement. Obama is to visit Egypt in early June for a speech to the greater Muslim world. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink May 11, 2009

Gibbs Says "20th Hijacker" Joke In Poor Taste At today's White House press briefing, Robert Gibbs was asked how the president felt about comedian Wanda Sykes' joke calling Rush Limbaugh the 20th hijacker -- one the comedian herself conceded may have been "too much." The press secretary began by saying he hadn't spoken with President Obama specifically about it, and stressed that the choice of the entertainment is made by the White House Correspondents Association. He even referred to the WHCA president, Associated Press reporter Jennifer Loven, seated in the front row as he addressed the topic. "My guess is that I think there are a lot of topics that are better left for serious reflection rather than comedy. I think there is no doubt that 9/11 is part of that," said Gibbs. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:31 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 08, 2009

Caldera Loses WH Job Over AF1 Photo in NY

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs released the following statement and photo late this afternoon: The President has accepted the resignation of Louis Caldera as Director of the White House Military Office. Attached is Mr. Caldera's resignation letter. Also attached is a report sought by the President and conducted by Jim Messina, deputy chief of staff, and a photo. The President has asked his Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina and Defense Secretary Gates or his designee to jointly review the organizational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again.

The "resignation" comes after a White House internal report regarding the April 27 "photo shoot" of Air Force One flying over New York found that "structural and organizational ambiguities exist within WHMO that at times affect the organization's ability to operate effectively" -- which ulitmately led to many people within the White House unsure of who was at fault. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Proposes Shift On Unemployment Compensation President Obama said it is "somewhat encouraging" that new unemployment figures were lower than in past months. But the 539,000 lost jobs is a "sobering toll," and with unemployment at its highest point in a quarter-century, the administration wants to change "senseless" state compensation rules. "The idea here is to fundamentally change our approach to unemployment in this country, so that it's no longer just a time to look for a new job, but to prepare yourself for a better job," he said. "That's what our unemployment system should be - not a safety net, but a stepping stone to a new future." He cited a program in Maine as an example. It lets those who collect unemployment to continue doing so as they pursue further education, paid for with a Pell Grant. He said all Americans should pursue education beyond high school, and said community colleges are "underappreciated assets." Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, has been tasked with leading a national effort to "raise awareness about what we're doing to open the doors to our community colleges." "We're moving forward because now is not a time for small plans," the president said. "It's not a time to pause, to be passive, or to wait around for our problems to fix themselves." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 07, 2009

Cutting Costs: Admin Promotes Reductions An administration that was first defined by a massive spending program to stimulate the economy is now highlighting cuts made in the FY'10 budget released today. President Obama just spoke about the line-by-line effort to find savings, which up to now has netted $17 billion. "Even by Washington standards, that should be considered real money," Obama said. That figure, he added, could fund a tuition tax credit, larger Pell Grants and security at national parks. "Today we have taken an important step, albeit just a first step." He acknowledged that some cuts are "painful," but urged lawmakers to sustain them. Defense cuts account for half of the $17 billion -- but Obama said the administration is eliminating only unnecessary spending that could "prevent us from spending money on what does keep us safe." OMB Director Peter Orszag, who regularly blogged when he lead the Congressional Budget Office, posts today on the White House Web site about the administration's efforts. "The steps we are detailing in Terminations, Reductions, and Savings are part of the Administration's larger effort to change how Washington does business and put the nation's fiscal house in order. Today represents a significant installment in our commitment to review the federal budget line by line," Orszag writes. One problem, though: the link to the full list of terminations, reductions and savings is dead as of this posting, giving visitors a "File Not Found" message instead. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink May 06, 2009

Obama Reaffirms Commitment To Afghan, Pakistani Governments Standing with his counterparts from Afghanistan and Pakistan, President Obama said the three leaders had "reaffirmed their commitment" to confronting the threat of terrorism, and move forward with "unprecedented cooperation." "We meet today as three sovereign nations joined by a common goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their ability to operate in either country in the future," Obama said in the Grand Foyer of the White House. He said that in addition to military efforts that he announced last month, there must also be an effort toward a "positive program of growth and opportunity" to support the fragile governments there. He said the United States will support national elections later this year in Afghanistan and seek new economic alternatives to the poppy trade. In Pakistan, he called for "sustained funding" from Congress to support infrastructure as well. "The United States has made a lasting commitment to defeat al Qaeda, but also to support the democratically elected sovereign governments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan," Obama said. "That commitment will not waiver. And that support will be sustained." Speaking to reporters later, National Security Adviser Jim Jones said that with regard to Pakistan in particular that "miracles do not happen, so this will not happen quickly." But he said it was a "very warm meeting" between the three. "They have embraced common themes, an intent to work together, and I think was a very good start," Jones said. Additional meetings among delegations from the three nations will continue this week. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Secretary Clinton Heralds "Breakthrough" AfPak Meetings Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a cameo in the press briefing room this afternoon to give a readout on today's meetings with delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Leading up to the get-togethers were notes of skepticism on the part of U.S. officials about the ability on the part of the two nations' leadership to address security threats. But Clinton seemed determined to downplay those sentiments, calling today's discussions "very significant," and "in some ways a breakthrough." "This process is producing some very promising early signs," she said, standing behind the White House podium. "The level of cooperation between the governments of the two countries is increasing. The confidence building that is necessary for this relationship to turn into tangible cooperation is moving forward. And I think today's series of meetings are another step along that road." She was especially insistent that the U.S. has "strong support" for the government of Pakistan, talking about her personal relationship with President Zardari and calling for greater understanding of the situation he is in. "He inherited a very difficult and unmanageable situation," she said. "We have a pretty well functioning government that changed direction policy-wise. But we didn't' have to start from scratch. ... I think if we can be more understanding about the history and the conditions, not only can [we] perhaps empathize with him a little bit, but be smarter in those suggestions, understanding what the consequences can be. That's what we're trying to do in this process." She said that her meeting with President Karzai was a "future oriented one." And she said the U.S. strategy of dealing with the two nations in tandem was the right one, referring to them as "conjoined twins." "I think seeing the two countries as connected geographically, as they are, and in a common struggle against al Qaida and the Taliban and their allies has given us the flexibility to move more agilely than we did before," she said. Presidents Karzai and Zardari are meeting jointly with President Obama now; he's expected to make his own statement on today's events in an hour. When Clinton entered the briefing room, reporters did not stand as they did when Obama made a surprise visit last week. She joked as she began speaking that she "successfully avoided this room for eight years." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:38 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 04, 2009

Gibbs: No "A List" Yet For Supreme Court Pick Robert Gibbs said today that the Obama administration has been making preparations for a Supreme Court choice since before inauguration day, but at this point said he is unaware of whether there's an "A, B or C list" for the high court. "The transition began identifying a long time ago candidates for what we assumed might be a pick for the Supreme Court," he said today. "Right now there's a collection underway for a pool of very qualified candidates." At the daily press briefing, Gibbs was asked an array of questions from reporters looking for clues about what direction the president might go in making his pick. Would it be a woman or minority? Will he choose a younger individual who'd likely have a longer tenure? And how quickly can he expect to get a candidate confirmed? On the latter point, Gibbs acknowledged that the process will need to be well under way before the Congress heads out for summer recess. In addition, given the other items on the legislative agenda, the administration knows September is "going to be a busy time." So to meet the goal of having a new justice by the Supreme Court's new term in October, "obviously this process has to be a decent ways down the field," he said. Obama has already spoken today with Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), more senior members of the Judiciary Committee. Gibbs repeated that the president is going to choose someone "who respects precedent, tradition and rule of law," and also someone who "understands that decisions have to be made using common sense and understanding people's every day lives." "I'm sure he will look at candidates with diversity in their background," he said, but that whether the person is a "he or a she," that will be his primary mindset. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama, Geithner Outline Tax Haven Crackdown Acknowledging that no one likes to pay taxes, President Obama announced proposals aimed at companies and individuals that use tax havens and offshore accounts to avoid doing so. Obama made the announcement with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who was confirmed despite not paying Social Security and Medicare taxes for several years while working overseas. Geithner described the changes being announced today as ending "indefensible tax breaks and loopholes which allow some companies and some well-off citizens to evade the rules that the rest of the America lives by." "We will no longer provide tax incentives that disadvantage American innovation and American workers," Geithner said at this morning's announcement. "These are common sense changes designed to restore balance to our tax code." Obama said the proposals are a "down payment" on his administration's larger effort to reform the tax code, changes meant to make taxes "simpler, fairer and more efficient." "Let's begin with a simple premise: nobody likes paying taxes - particularly in times of economic stress" the president said. "But, most Americans meet their responsibilities because they understand that its an obligation of citizenship." He repeated a line from the campaign, talking about a building in the Cayman Islands that 12,000 businesses claimed as its headquarters. He called it the "kind of tax scam that we need to end." "The way to make American business competitive is not to let some citizens and businesses dodge their responsibilities while ordinary Americans pick up the slack. Unfortunately that's exactly what we're doing," he said. The White House said that combined, the measures would bring $210 billion in revenue back to the federal treasury over 10 years. Obama said that money would be used to reduce the deficit, cut taxes "for American businesses that are playing by the rules," and provide "meaningful relief for hardworking families." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink May 01, 2009

Obama Letter to Pelosi on 'Swine' Flu President Obama sent the following letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday asking that Congress provide the $1.5 billion he asked for to combat the swine flu "with maximum flexibility." TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 30, 2009 Dear Madam Speaker: This week, as reports of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak around the world were made public, my Administration has been carefully monitoring the situation, coordinating State and local responses, assessing the risks here in the United States, and cooperating with international organizations and health officials around the globe. Out of an abundance of caution, I asked the Congress earlier this week to consider a proposal to provide $1.5 billion to enhance our Nation's capability to respond to the potential spread of this outbreak. As the attached detailed request reflects, these funds should be provided with maximum flexibility to allow us to address this emerging situation. Among the uses of these funds could be: supplementing anti-viral stockpiles; developing a vaccine; supporting monitoring, diagnostic, and public health response capabilities; assisting international efforts to stem this outbreak and to address related international needs. Already, Federal, State, and local public health officials are working day and night to respond quickly and effectively wherever cases of this flu may be found and to prepare the entire country for any potential progression of this outbreak. I urge the Congress to act expeditiously in considering this important request, the details of which are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Sincerely, BARACK OBAMA

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 29, 2009

100 Days Stories There have been plenty of articles today looking at President Obama's first 100 days in office. Well, Mike and I wrote some as well. You can read Mike's story that looks at Obama's past and future 100 days here. And you can read my look at Congress and Republicans' difficult transition during Obama's first 100 days here. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 28, 2009

Obama: Welcome To The (D) Team

The White House has released this photo of President Obama speaking with Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) earlier today. "He said he was thrilled to welcome him to the party, and told him he has his full support," a White House spokesperson said. Specter's party switch potentially represents a political win for Democrats as the new president prepares to mark his 100th day in office. In 2001, Sen. Jim Jeffords (VT) switched parties in late May. The White House wouldn't say yet whether the president used his conversation to seek specific commitments from Specter on upcoming legislation. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:48 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 27, 2009

WH Official Apologizes Over Air Force's NYC Photo Op The White House has released a statement from Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, on today's Air Force One flight over New York City that caused concern in the city today.

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:43 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Admin Says HHS Vacancy Not Hindering Swine Flu Response Press secretary Robert Gibbs today said that the continuing vacancies at the Department of Health and Human Services have not in any way impacted the administration's response to the swine flu outbreak. Gibbs this afternoon repeated that President Obama is getting regular briefings on the crisis, and explained that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has taken a lead role because of a presidential directive that "denotes that interagency coordination" be handled by DHS. "Our response is in no way hindered or hampered by not having a permanent secretary at HHS," he said when asked about Kathleen Sebelius' still-pending confirmation. "There are professional staff over there as we speak helping to coordinate this. ... Having said that, we're certainly hopeful that Secretary - soon to be Secretary Sebelius will be joining them without delay tomorrow." The SEIU is using the crisis to rally support for Sebelius' nomination, criticizing Republicans who have held up a final vote. Earlier today, Obama himself said that the crisis is "obviously a cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert. But it's not a cause for alarm." Speaking at the National Academy of Sciences, he promised regular updates from various government agencies "so that they know what steps are being taken and what steps they may need to take." "One thing is clear -- our capacity to deal with a public health challenge of this sort rests heavily on the work of our scientific and medical community. And this is one more example of why we can't allow our nation to fall behind," he said, pivoting to planned remarks promoting further efforts in support of the sciences that his administration is making. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 24, 2009

Obama: NY-20 A Win For Economic Plans As the political world is taking stock of his administration thus far, President Obama congratulates Scott Murphy for his win in the NY-20 special election, noting that the Democrat "courageously championed the economic plans we need." Here's his full statement: "I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Congressman-elect Scott Murphy for his victory in New York's 20th Congressional District. With this hard fought win, Scott has shown he is willing to fight the tough battles on behalf of the people in his district. "As a candidate, Scott courageously championed the economic plans we need to lift our nation and put it on a better path, and he will continue to do so in Congress. With his proven record of creating high paying jobs and standing up for Upstate New York, Scott will bring to the nation's capitol the change New Yorkers need."

Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:07 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Another First Before The 100th Day For the first time, President Obama and Vice President Biden were "relocated" today during a lockdown at the White House, out of "an abundance of caution," press secretary Robert Gibbs said. The security scare was spurred by an aircraft flying into restricted airspace over the nation's capital. It occurred before 1 pm, as Obama and Biden were scheduled to hold their weekly lunch. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:43 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Todd on Obama's "Old Guy Game" Be sure to check out RealClearSports' interview with NBC Chief White House correspondent and Political Director Chuck Todd. It mostly covers the world of sports -- Todd worked early on for the Sports Business Daily. But it includes this answer about whether he'd play President Obama one-on-one. Oh man, I don't know. He's got a secret that is very difficult. I haven't been able to play with him yet. He said he wants to. We're just trying to figure out how we can do it so it's off the record -- this feeling that you can't do anything with the president anymore. He's got a left-handed jumper and he goes left and when you don't play against a lot of lefties on the basketball court it's tough. I'm sure a lot of people out there agree. He's got old guy game and I mean that as a compliment. Old guy game. How many people have gone out there, like some of the 20-something's that are going to read this -- they go out there and see the guy with grey hair on the court and think, Oh, I'm going to get him. Then they realize the guy passes smarter, gets someplace A to B faster, and then has that annoying set shot that can't miss. Then, throw in the fact that he's left handed... forget it. So, I don't know. I don't know if I could risk the goatee. Plus, are you really allowed to beat the President? Does that work? I think only Reggie Love is allowed to beat the President. Because he would get too much crap from Coach K if he lost to the President.

Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:56 AM | Email Author | Permalink April 23, 2009

Obama Honors BCS Champs, Repeats Call For Playoff This morning we speculated about whether President Obama might make mention his call for a college football playoff even as he honored the Florida Gators, winners of the BCS title game. Sure enough, he did: Now, last point I would make. I don't want to stir up controversy. You guys are the national champions -- I'm not backing off the fact we need a playoff system. But I have every confidence that you guys could have beat anybody else. And so we'll see how that plays itself out. He then joked about the East Room getting quiet. "But you know, I'm one of those politicians -- I don't just tell you what you want to hear, I tell you what you need to hear," he added. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:59 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Two Major Addresses On "Arbitrary" 100th Day President Obama will hold his third prime-time presidential press conference next Wednesday, the White House announced this afternoon. That day he's also scheduled to give what administration officials had called "progress report" during a visit to the St. Louis area, all on what just happens to be his 100th day in office. Robert Gibbs called it an "arbitrary" milestone, but acknowledged that the White House is "playing along." "The administration and president are very proud of the accomplishments and the achievements that we've seen over the course of the 100 days. But the president isn't focused on the 100th anymore than the 99th or the 101st," Gibbs said at his daily briefing. He rattled off what he said were significant accomplishments in the days since January 20 -including efforts to restore the economy, help Americans effected by the housing crisis, end the war in Iraq, and "returning science to the scientists." These are ways in which Obama has attempted to "address many of the problems that, for many years, we didn't address." "The president isn't focused on any one day. He's focused on what he has to do each and every day to give some hope and some opportunity to the American people." In 2001, President Bush marked his 100th day in office by inviting all members of Congress to a luncheon, an attempt to highlight what his administration called bipartisan achievements. Democrats called it a stunt, and many skipped the event. His 100th day fell on a Sunday. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:19 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs: Torture Itself, Not Release Of Memos, Makes Nation Less Safe As a debate continues over memos outlining methods of terrorist interrogations, the White House is seeking to rebut critics who say their release has made the nation less safe. "The problem isn't the existence of a paragraph or a term in a memo that was released," Gibbs said. "It is the very existence of their use that in some ways has done that." Gibbs was asked about Defense Secretary Robert Gates' statement today that he supported the release of the memos, but only because in his view they would become public at some point anyway. Gibbs also claimed that some of the details about harsh interrogation methods were already declassified by the Bush administration. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:01 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Summers Sleepy At Credit Card Meeting Per a White House pool report, Larry Summers "appeared to be nodding off" as President Obama addressed reporters during a meeting with credit card industry executives. "Then he DID nod off, doing the head on the hand and then head falling off the hand thing," Roll Call's Keith Koffler wrote, noting that the photographers were "having a field day." "All other officials in the room appeared fully awake," Koffler added. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 21, 2009

Obama Signals Openness To Panel On Torture In his strongest public statement to date, President Obama Tuesday indicated his openness to a formal inquiry into his predecessor's administration in regard to harsh interrogation techniques used with terrorist suspects. After a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, Obama was asked about potential prosecution of those who authored the so-called torture memos released by the Justice Department last week. Obama repeated his belief that those who carried out orders should not be prosecuted, and said that the fate of those who authored the policies would be determined by the Attorney General as the chief law enforcement officer of the country. Obama then said as a general rule, "I think that we should be looking forward and not backwards," and that he wanted to avoid over-politicizing the case. Because of that, he a "typical" Congressional hearing process would not be ideal. "To the extent that there are independent participants who are above reproach and have credibility, that would probably be a more sensible approach to take," he said. He quickly said that he's not calling for such an independent commission, but that given a choice between that or a process lead by current lawmakers, he'd rather see an independent process so the American people see it as "being done in order to learn some lessons so that we move forward in an effective way," rather than achieve a political end. During his press briefing later, press secretary Robert Gibbs said that the president had in mind an independent panel in the mold of the 9-11 Commission. "I think that the President would see a 9/11 Commission ... to be, in all honesty, a model for how any investigation or commission might be set up," he said. "I think we can all understand that the 9/11 Commission was comprised of very respected members that, despite being Democrats or Republicans, put their party identification away in order to answer some very serious questions." Gibbs also denied that the president was reacting to pressure from liberal interest groups or others in his party's left flank, saying there was no shift in policy. "I doubt the President has been on moveon.org in the last 24 hours," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 20, 2009

Obama Says He'll Vigorously Defend Work Of CIA As he spoke at the CIA this afternoon, there was a noticeable crowd reaction when President Obama said that the employees "get credit when things go good, but you sure get some blame when you don't." "I got an Amen corner over there," he joked after hearing the reaction. Looming over today's visit was the release last week of so-called "torture memos," which outlined specifically the measures American forces have taken with enemy combatants. The president acknowledged that the days since the release "have been difficult" for the CIA, and repeated his reluctance to make the information public. "I have fought to protect the integrity of classified information in the past, and I will do so in the future. And there is nothing more important than protecting the identities of CIA officers," he said. "So I need everybody to be clear - we will protect your identities and your security as you vigorously pursue your missions. I will be as vigorous in protecting you as you are vigorous in protecting the American people." Notably, the Justice Department said it would not prosecute individuals who engaged in harsh interrogation tactics. Obama today also addressed his decision to rescind those practices, saying he believes the United States "is stronger and more secure when we deploy the full measure of both our power and the power of our values, including the rule of law." "I know I can count on you to do exactly that," he said, even as he acknowledged how difficult it might be against an enemy that has "no scruples and would willingly and gladly kill innocents." "I'm sure that sometimes it seems as if that means we're operating with one hand tied behind our back," he said. "I watch the cable shows once in a while. [But] what makes the United States special, and what makes you special, is precisely the fact that we are willing to uphold our values and our ideals even when its hard. Not just when it's easy. Even when we are afraid and under threat. Not just when it's expedient to do so." It wasn't clear what type of reception Obama would receive today, but according to a White House pool report, the event today "felt and sounded a lot like a campaign rally." CIA Director Leon Panetta joked about the greeting: "This is a very loud welcome from a group that's supposed to be silent warriors." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:51 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's First Cabinet Meeting: Trimming The Fat President Obama used his first Cabinet meeting as an opportunity to highlight his administration's efforts to trim the fat of government spending. He acknowledged that some of the savings found by departments and agencies represent just a drop in the bucket compared to the budget gap, but said it's an important gesture because of a "confidence gap" from the American people. "None of these savings by themselves are going to solve our long term fiscal problems, but taken together they can make a difference and they can send a signal that we are serious about changing how government operates," Obama said. "As well as you have already done, you are going to have to do more," he told the assembled Cabinet members. In addition to certain cuts already made, Obama asked them to identify $100 million more to trim from their administrative budgets. This would augment an ongoing "line by line" review by the Office of Management and Budget that aims to eliminate 100 government programs, and "free up" money to use "for critical areas" like health care, education and energy. "$100 million here, $100 million there, pretty soon even in Washington, it adds up to real money," the president said. The White House released a list of examples of the steps certain agencies have taken - like saving $52 million at the Department of Homeland Security by purchasing office supplies in bulk (more after the jump). During his press briefing, though, Robert Gibbs was asked if the cuts would really have an impact. "Only in Washington DC is $100 million not a lot of money. It is where I'm from," Gibbs said. Today's Cabinet meeting was only one member short. Kathleen Sebelius is expected to be confirmed tomorrow as Health and Human Service Secretary. Obama, seated between Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said he was "extraordinarily proud of the talent, the diversity and the work ethic" of the team so far. "In an unprecedented situation where we had to hit the ground running and get an enormous amount done in the first three months, everybody here has performed I think at the highest level. And I am extraordinarily proud of the quality of this Cabinet," he said. Continue reading "Obama's First Cabinet Meeting: Trimming The Fat" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 17, 2009

Obama Meets Chavez A photo of a smiling President Obama greeting Hugo Chavez is on the Web site of the Venezuelan president, under the headline, "Historic greeting between Presidents Obama and Chavez." The two are attending the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend.

The White House had said there were no plans for a one-on-one meeting. That appears to still be the case, but it was unlikely that the two leaders would not run into one another. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Will Help Dodd Through "Rough Patch" In an interview with the Boston Globe, President Obama voices strong support for Chris Dodd, who might now be the most vulnerable incumbent Democrat seeking re-election in 2010. "I can't say it any clearer: I will be helping Chris Dodd because he deserves the help," Obama said. "Chris is going through a rough patch. He just has an extraordinary record of accomplishment, and I think the people in Connecticut will come to recognize that. ... He always has his constituencies at heart, and he's somebody I'm going to be relying on and working very closely with to shepherd through the types of regulatory reforms we need." Dodd was the first presidential candidate to drop out of the race, and quickly endorsed Obama. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:21 AM | Email Author | Permalink April 16, 2009

Administration Releases Torture Memos Funny how these things seem to happen when the president leaves the country. President Obama issued a statement on the pending release of memos outlining so-called "enhanced interrogation" techniques used with terrorism suspects from 2002 to 2005. This comes as the AP is reporting that CIA employees who engaged in these techniques won't face prosecution. The president walks a fine line, saying his opposition to torture "is a matter of public record," but that "in a dangerous world, the United States must sometimes carry out intelligence operations and protect information that is classified for purposes of national security." The administration, like its predecessor, fought legal efforts to make these memos public. "However, after consulting with the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, and others, I believe that exceptional circumstances surround these memos and require their release," he says. Obama's full statement after the jump. Continue reading "Administration Releases Torture Memos" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:07 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 15, 2009

President, Vice President Release Tax Returns The White House has just released federal and state income tax filings from President Obama and Vice President Biden. Obama's federal returns can be seen online here and here. His Illinois return is here. Biden's federal and state returns are here and here (all PDFs). From the White House releases: He and the First Lady filed their income tax returns jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $2,656,902. The vast majority of the family's 2008 income is the proceeds from the sale of the President's books. The Obamas paid $855,323 in federal income tax. The President and First Lady also reported donating $172,050 - or about 6.5% of their adjusted gross income - to 37 different charities. The largest reported gifts to charity were $25,000 contributions to Catholic Relief Services and the United Negro College Fund. The President and First Lady also released their Illinois income tax return and reported paying $77,883 in state income taxes. On Biden: He and Dr. Biden filed their income tax returns jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $269,256 and an after-tax income of $183,315. The family's primary sources of income were salaries from the United States Senate, Widener University, Delaware Technical & Community College, as well as royalties from the audio rights to the Vice President's book. The Bidens paid $46,952 in federal income taxes; $11,164 in Delaware state income taxes; and donated $1,885 to charity. The charitable donations claimed by the Bidens on their tax returns are not the sum of their annual contributions to charity. They donate to their church, and they contribute to their favorite causes with their time, as well as their checkbooks. When Biden released copies of his returns from a 10-year period during the campaign, it was noted how little he donated to charity. The release notes here that the Bidens contribute "with their time, as well as their checkbooks." He often took pride in being one of the poorest members of the U.S. Senate. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:09 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Says His Tax Policy Favors Middle Class One of today's Tea Parties is happening just north of the White House in Lafayette Park. In the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, meanwhile, President Obama acknowledged that Tax Day is one of "dread" for many Americans, but said that his policies are softening the blow. Obama invited a group of Americans as success stories for how provisions of the Recovery Act have made a real impact for the middle class. In particular, he promoted the Making Work Pay tax cut, calling it "the most progressive tax cut in American history." "Make no mistake: this tax cut will reach 120 million families and put $120 billion directly into their pockets, and it includes the most American workers ever to get a tax cut," he said. "The Congressional Budget Office has found that tax cuts like these for American workers are more than three times more effective in stimulating recovery than tax breaks for the very wealthiest Americans." He also highlighted new credits for first-time homebuyers, small businesses and those paying college tuition. He compared them to tax cuts his predecessor sought for "the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans," promising to end them and other incentives that go to corporations who "stash profits or ship jobs overseas." "For too long, we've seen taxes used as a wedge to scare people into supporting policies that increased the burden on working people instead of helping them live their dreams," he said, emphasizing his promise that those who earn less than $250,000 will not see a tax increase. The president said ultimately he would like to see a simplification of the tax code to put "your interests over any special interest," and make it "quicker, easier, and less expensive for you to file a return." "On this April 15, we are reminded of the enormous responsibility that comes with handling the peoples' tax dollars. And we are renewing our commitment to a simpler tax code that rewards work and the pursuit of the American dream," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:48 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 14, 2009

The First Puppy Rolled Out To An Eager Press Corps During his speech on the economy today, President Obama criticized Washington for "an attention span that has only grown shorter with the 24-hour news cycle." Four hours later, at least 50 reporters and photographers were clamoring for a view of the president and the first family parading around the South Lawn with their new dog, Bo. The White House intentionally left Bo's rollout off the public schedule to avoid the afternoon photo op from being more chaotic than it was. At about 4 pm, the PA system in the press briefing room carried an announcement that there would be an "event" open to all press, and to meet at 4:40. Just before 4:30, another announcement abruptly declared that if you wanted to cover said "event," to get to the meeting place now. Outside under a dreary gray sky, still photographers and camera men weren't quite sure where to position themselves, because press aides themselves weren't sure where the dog. And then from behind the mob, this reporter heard the president's voice, and before you could say "Bo," there was the whole family walking the new Portuguese Water Dog past our ropeline. A few ooh and awws could be heard, with an occasional question directed at the president. Continue reading "The First Puppy Rolled Out To An Eager Press Corps" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

During Tea Parties, President To Highlight Tax Cuts Tomorrow is Tax Day, and conservatives across the country are planning "Tea Parties," intended to be grass-roots "revolts" against the Obama administration's economic policies thus far. Though organized independent of the Republican Party, a number of officeholders and candidates are planning to attend local events. At the White House, Robert Gibbs said that he's not sure if President Obama is aware of the planned demonstrations. He will, however, mark the day with a White House event "to signal the important steps in the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment plan that cut taxes for 95 percent of working families in America," Gibbs said. "We'll use tomorrow to highlight individual instances and families that have seen their taxes cut," he said. "Americans will see more money into their pockets as a direct result of the making work pay tax cut that the president both campaigned on and passed through Congress." The press secretary said he did not believe the White House would be monitoring the events tomorrow. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:28 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 13, 2009

With Projects Under Budget, Obama Ups Ante On Recovery Act Today, President Obama touted the early success of the Recovery Act, saying that a number of transportation projects being funded with stimulus dollars are "ahead of schedule and under budget." "And because these projects are proceeding so efficiently, we now have more recovery dollars to go around," Obama said during a speech at the Transportation Department. "That means we can fund more projects, revitalize more of our infrastructure, put more people back to work, and ensure that taxpayers get more value for their dollars." The White House included a specific list of road projects from a number of states that were less expensive than originally budgeted for, largely because of extraordinarily competitive bidding processes. Despite the concerns many, particularly Republicans, had about the overall cost of the Recovery Act, the White House said there was no discussion of returning these funds to the Treasury, rather than being spent elsewhere. "If a state is able to stretch their dollars further and fund additional highway projects by coming in under-budget, that also means they are able to create or save more jobs and do more to stimulate the economy - exactly the intended effect of the Recovery Act," said Elizabeth Oxhorn, Recovery Act press secretary. The administration does not have an exact estimate of the amount transportation projects are under budget as a whole, and Oxhorn said it's too early to speculate whether the additional projects that will be made possible would significantly alter the goal of creating or saving 3 million new jobs through the project. Today's event was intended to mark the approval of the 2000th transportation project made possible because of stimulus dollars. Vice President Biden will travel to Michigan in June when the project -- widening an interstate and rebuilding an overpass in Portage -- breaks ground. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Briefing Notes: Pirates, And The Caribbean Today's White House press briefing started with a twist -- a briefing within the briefing on new U.S. policies regarding Cuba. Dan Restrepo, senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, joined Gibbs to announce the policies in Spanish (the briefing room today included a cluster of Spanish-language media) and also answer questions on some of the finer points. *NBC's Chuck Todd asked an interesting question about why such a major shift in policy was being announced in this forum, and not by the president himself. Gibbs first joked about not taking offense, while deflecting somewhat the sentiment that there was a political consideration to keeping the president out of this. He later took a second swing at the question to say having a bilingual briefing was a high-profile way of communicating the message. "I don't know Spanish. The president knows a few words of Spanish. But I think what's important today is we're doing this in a way that is not just going to be heard by a few people. We're doing this so that Cuban Americans can hear loud and clear the steps that the president is undertaking." *A Bilingual First?: It was later asked if this was a first to have a White House briefing in Spanish and English. To the best of the press office's knowledge and that of some long-time White House reporters, it was. "We didn't do it on accident, we weren't trying to set a record, but it's neat that we did." *After about a half-hour of discussion the questions turned to pirates. At least a few reporters in the room seemed to chuckle at every utterance of the term. But CBS Radio's Mark Knoller asked an important question on terminology: why call them pirates and not terrorists? "Whatever label you put on them, there was a lawlessness, pervasive lawlessness that threatened the life of an American. And the President and this administration, working with some very brave men and women in the military, acted accordingly," Gibbs said. Though Obama did not comment publicly until the conflict was resolved, Gibbs said he "was actively engaged" throughout the process," even if he was "reticent to speak." Continue reading "Briefing Notes: Pirates, And The Caribbean" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:08 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama On Privacy -- Er, Piracy President Obama prefaced remarks on the progress of Recovery Act-funded transportation projects this morning by briefly addressing the successful resolution of the pirate hostage incident yesterday. "I'm very proud of the efforts of the U.S. military, and many other departments and agencies that worked tirelessly to resolve this situation. I share our nation's admiration for Captain Philips courage and leadership and selfless concern for his crew," he said. Obama, reading from the teleprompter, then said: "I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of privacy in that region." It's unclear if there was a typo on the prompter, or if he simply misspoke when he meant to say "piracy." "To achieve that goal," he continued, "we're going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, we have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise, and we have to ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 11, 2009

The Wait Is Over -- Obamas Have A Puppy Our long national nightmare is over: No more stories about when the First Puppy will arrive. The Washington Post actually sent this story out in breaking news alert e-mail tonight: Who let the dog out? That's the Washington mystery du jour. The identity of the first puppy -- the one that the Washington press corps has been yelping about for months, the one President Obama has seemed to delight in dropping hints about -- leaked out yesterday. This despite White House efforts to delay the news until the big debut planned for Tuesday afternoon. The little guy is a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog given to the Obama girls as a gift by that Portuguese water dog-lovin' senator himself, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. The girls named it Bo -- and let it be noted that you learned that here first. Malia and Sasha chose the name, because their cousins have a cat named Bo and because first lady Michelle Obama's father was nicknamed Diddley, a source said. (Get it? Bo . . . Diddley?)

The full story is here. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 10, 2009

Obama: "Glimmers Of Hope" After an update on the state of the economy, President Obama told reporters that there are "glimmers of hope" that steps his administration has taken are starting to take hold. "Now, we have always been very cautious about prognosticating and that's not going to change just because it's Easter," he added, however. "The economy is still under severe stress and obviously during these holidays we have to keep in mind that whatever we do ultimately has to translate into economic growth and jobs and rising incomes for the American people." Obama said to expect more actions by the administration will come in the weeks ahead. "What I just wanted to emphasize today, and I think that Ben Bernanke and Sheila Bair and our economic team as a whole would agree, we're starting to see progress," he concluded. "If we stick with it, if we don't flinch in the face of some difficulties, then I feel absolutely convinced that we are going to get this economy back on track." As he tried to usher the press pool out, the president was asked if the recession is "abating." "I'm saying we're seeing progress," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:21 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 09, 2009

Briefing Notes: When Is A Bow Not A Bow Today's White House press briefing was the first in more than a week, owing of course to the President's overseas travel. It will also be the only one this week. *First question: AP asks about the ongoing situation with pirates off the coast of Africa. Press secretary Robert Gibbs says that Obama "has followed the situation closely," and that his main concern "is for the safety of the captain and the rest of the crew on the ship." Mentions that the White House has an interagency task force focused on maritime safety. *Immigration: Following up on a New York Times story, Gibbs says that any immigration proposal will closely mirror what he talked about on the campaign trail, when he promised a new immigration push in his first year. "Obviously there are a lot of things on his plate, a lot of pressing issues relating to the economy. I don't think he expects that it will be done this year," he said. He added that he would pursue a comprehensive approach that includes increased border security, and requiring immigrants "going to be back of the line, learning English, paying a fine." *Supplemental War Funding: Gibbs explains the president's request for a supplemental appropriation to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan only have funding through half the fiscal year. So the budget and appropriations process, the honest budget and appropriations process that the president has talked about, falls somewhat victim to the fact that this is the way the wars had been funded previously," he said. *Dodge of the day: Robert Gibbs denies that the president bowed to Saudi leaders at the G-20 conference, explaining that he simply bent down "to shake his hand." As CNN's Dan Lothian followed up, Gibbs sarcastically adds: "I can only imagine that this is a great cause and concern for many people struggling with the economy." Continue reading "Briefing Notes: When Is A Bow Not A Bow" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

DNC Reacts To Karl Rove In this morning's Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove cites a Pew study and argues that the Obama administration has accelerated a growing partisanship in this country. For a person who promised hope and civility in politics, Mr. Obama has shown a borderline obsessiveness in blaming Mr. Bush. Starting with his inaugural address and continuing through this week's overseas trip, the new president's jabs at Mr. Bush have been unceasing, unfair and unhelpful. They have also diminished Mr. Obama by showing him to be another conventional politician. Rather than ending "the blame game," he is personifying it. The DNC reacts, citing a Pew analyst's previous argument that conclusions like the one Rove was making are "unfair." From spokesperson Hari Sevugan: Notwithstanding the fact that the very pollsters he cites say his interpretation is false, it's comical that Karl Rove, whose political strategy was founded on pitting parts of the country against one another, would call anyone else divisive. What isn't at all surprising is that Karl Rove would manipulate and contort the meaning of data to achieve his own political ends. Ironically, it's that tendency that led to his administration being one of the most polarizing in history. Rove's criticism is the type that has drawn strong reactions from press secretary Robert Gibbs. We'll see if he's game today. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:49 AM | Email Author | Permalink April 08, 2009

White House E-Mail Gaffe Shows Internal Schedule Discussion We've all been there -- whether it's hitting "reply" instead of "forward," or typing the wrong name in the "To:" box. Well, tonight's edition of the White House daily schedule had a lot more information than usual, as it appears someone inadvertently forwarded Thursday's tick-tock without deleting the internal comments made by the staff. Though no sensitive information appears to have been released, one message in the e-mail chain addresses complaints the White House has apparently received from members of the local Jewish community about a planned Passover Seder the president will hold with staff. "Apparently Jewish here and in neighboring states are now calling wondering why they have not been invited," one staffer wrote in an e-mail that seems to have been sent to more than 20 other colleagues, mostly members of the Communications Office. The staffer asked if they could leave the dinner off the schedule, but another noted that it had already been announced publicly. Another version of the schedule was e-mailed to reporters two minutes later, this time without the internal comments. UPDATE: Insult to injury, they say it's for "Wednesday, April 9, 2009." Tomorrow is Thursday. Full e-mail chain, with names redacted, after the jump. Continue reading "White House E-Mail Gaffe Shows Internal Schedule Discussion" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Signals Start Of Health Care Reform Effort President Obama signed an executive order establishing the White House Office of Health Reform today, the administration has announced. According to the text of the order, the office will "will provide leadership to the executive branch in establishing policies, priorities, and objectives for the Federal Government's comprehensive effort to improve access to health care, the quality of such care, and the sustainability of the health care system." The announcement is largely a formality -- Nancy Ann DeParle was selected to lead the office last month. But it does, one day after the president returned from an extended foreign trip, signal that the administration is putting the wheels in motion on one of its top domestic priorities. Full text of the order after the jump Continue reading "Obama Signals Start Of Health Care Reform Effort" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink April 07, 2009

Obama In Iraq Even before this trip, some had surmised that Turkey may not be President Obama's final stop. And indeed, he is now in Baghdad for a "surprise visit," one that will apparently be brief. Reports indicate that plans to helicopter from the Baghdad airport to center city to meet with Iraqi leaders was scrapped because of weather. Obama will, however, meet with General Ray Odierno, the commanding general of multi-national forces in Iraq, and present 10 medals of valor to U.S. troops. Obama last visited Iraq, along with Afghanistan, during the 2008 campaign, before he visited Israel and moved on to Europe. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:24 AM | Email Author | Permalink April 06, 2009

Now Pitching, Number Two ... BALTIMORE -- With the president overseas on this Opening Day in Major League Baseball, Vice President Joe Biden took on the role of baseball fan-in-chief as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Camden Yards this afternoon. Biden was met with a mix of cheers and jeers as he took the field before the Orioles home opener. Maybe they were Republicans, or were upset not to see the top dog. Or maybe the Bronx cheers were the result of so many New York fans invading Baltimore to see the Yankees play. Heck, they might have just been cheering, "Jooooooe." Either way, the reception was by many accounts warmer than the one his predecessor, Dick Cheney, received at RFK Stadium in 2006, or the boos that greeted Mark Teixeira when he was introduced today in his home state wearing Yankee pinstripes. The vice president did get more kudos as he threw a respectable looper from the mound, received smoothly by catcher Chad Moeller. He was joined on the field by his grandchildren as well as representatives from Major League Baseball's RBI program. During the 2008 campaign, then-Senator Biden was a vocal supporter of the Philadephia Phillies; his wife, Jill, was on hand for the Series clinching Game 5. His final event of the campaign was an Election-eve rally in Philadelphia, which featured Jimmy Rollins as the city was still basking in a World Series title. "If Barack Obama's the Jimmy Rollins of the ticket I feel like Jamie Moyer," he said that night. During his own campaign for president, Biden occasionally came on stage to John Fogarty's "Center Field." And just after being tapped as Barack Obama's running mate, he took the stage at a joint rally at a minor league ballpark in Michigan and announced: "Folks, my name is Joe Biden. I used to play center field. Not as well as I wanted to." Though he did play baseball as a child, he was a better football player, and suited up as a freshman at the University of Delaware. The vice president will take in at least a few innings of the Yankees-Orioles game, splitting time between some seats and the owner's box (Peter Angelos is a long-time Democratic donor). "He wants to stay for the entire game, but may leave a bit before the end so he doesn't tie up traffic," Biden spokesperson Jay Carney said. The VP is also spending some time in the broadcast booth, telling the announcers on the local Mid Atlantic Sports Network that the Obama administration "got out of the box pretty quick." Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:48 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: U.S. "Will Never Be At War With Islam" President Obama used his personal story as a means of reaching out to the Muslim world today, saying during a speech at the Turkish Parliament that the United States "is not and will never be at war with Islam." Speaking in a country that bridges East and West, Obama sought to bridge a divide that had grown between the United States and the Muslim world, a relationship he hopes to expand to one of "broad engagement based on mutual interests and respect." "We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground," he said. "We will be respectful, even when we do not agree. We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world." It was here that he noted that many Americans have Muslims in their families or lived in Muslimmajority nations. "I know, because I am one of them." Continue reading "Obama: U.S. "Will Never Be At War With Islam"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:58 AM | Email Author | Permalink April 05, 2009

Obama Gets SNL Treatment

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink April 03, 2009

Obama Signals New Attitude Toward Europe President Obama struck a new tone in relations between the United States and Europe, one based both on a change of administration in Washington but also what he characterized as a generational change. Obama told a youthful crowd in Strasbourg at a campaign-style town hall meeting that this generation is at a crossroads and "cannot stand still." "We must renew our institutions, our alliances. We must seek the solutions to the challenges to this young century," he said. "This is our generation. This is our time. And I am confident that we can meet any challenge as long as we're together." He acknowledged differences between Europeans and Americans, saying that "honest disagreements" are partially to blame, but that each bore a greater fault. "Instead of celebrating your dynamic union, and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America's shown arrogance, and been dismissive, even derisive," he said in a clear rebuke of the Bush administration, members of which once derided "Old Europe." "But in Europe," he continued, "there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what's bad." He said these two attitudes "are not wise," and leave both more isolated. "They fail to acknowledge the fundamental truth, that America cannot confront the challenges of this century alone. But that Europe cannot confront them without America," he said. Continue reading "Obama Signals New Attitude Toward Europe" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:55 AM | Email Author | Permalink April 02, 2009

Biden Praises 'Badass' Firefighters What else can you say - the Vice President is plainspoken. Not a few weeks after he was overheard using the F-word near a live microphone, Joe Biden nearly uttered another colorful word while describing the grit of the firefighters he was addressing. "I want to thank you for your unyielding humanity. ... As gruff as you all act, as bad--" he said, stopping just short of adding a three-letter word that could also be the icon of the Democratic Party. "I gotta watch myself," he quickly added. "I keep forgetting, I'm not back in my firehall." Instead of "badass," he shifted to a more polite term of art, "rugged," saying that firefighters put up a tough front, but are really "suckers" with big hearts, who risk their lives just to help others. The whole episode was met with roaring laughter and applause at the Hilton ballroom in Washington where the Congressional Fire Services Institute held its annual dinner. And Biden was not exaggerating as he talked again tonight of his long-standing affection for firefighters. "Friends are those who you can count on when you need them most, and by that definition, every one of you in this room is my friend," he said. "Everybody seemed surprise backstage - 'You came this year.' Why wouldn't I come?" Biden citied studies that showed that understaffing at fire departments is a key cause of deaths. "I promise you this: this is about to change," he said, adding that $210 million in the Recovery Act will help staff and equip fire departments. "I get blamed for that, but I tell you what: I'm happy to take credit for that." He said President Obama was as committed to supporting firefighters, and challenged the group to judge them by their actions in four years. "We recognize your valor in those moments where its so obvious like 9/11. But it's amazing how quickly memory fades," he said. "This is your new government taking bolder action that the community of firefighters needs." Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:59 PM | Email Author | Permalink

After G-20, Obama Says America's Fate Tied To Global Economy President Obama chided those who "confused honest and open debate with irreconcilable differences," saying that the G-20 Summit had produced an "unprecedented set of comprehensive and coordinated actions" to restore the global economy. Brushing aside rifts that hovered around the summit, Obama spoke of significant, albeit general commitments to help struggling nations and provide greater transparency to the global economy, while acknowledging that more may still need to be done. "In life, there are no guarantees. And in economics, there are no guarantees. The people who thought they could provide guarantees, many of them worked at AIG," he said at a late afternoon press conference. But he said that the "right medicine" has been applied to the "sick patient" of the economy. "I think the patient is stabilized. There's still wounds that have to heal. And there's still emergencies that could arise. But I think you've got some pretty good care being applied." The president spoke for 40 minutes at the conclusion of the London summit, taking questions from American and international press at his first major international forum. He said one of his main goals as president is convincing his own constituents that their fortunes are increasingly tied to those of others around the world, likely pleasing his foreign counterparts by warning against overly protectionist sentiments. He cited the example of Caterpillar, a company in his own state that had been profitable, but fell victim to an international downturn. "If I'm effective as America's president right now, part of that effectiveness involves holding providing Americans inside into how their self-interest is tied up with yours. And that's an ongoing project, because that's not always obvious. And there are going to be times where shortterm interests are going to differ." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:56 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 31, 2009

White House On NY-20: Wait And See Make no mistake: if Scott Murphy wins in the NY-20 special election tonight, the White House will have plenty to say. But hours before the polls close and half an ocean away, press secretary Robert Gibbs was hesitant to say much, while making sure to call it a "very conservative" district where Republicans hold a registration advantage. "Let's wait and see the result," Gibbs said when asked about domestic politics during Air Force One's journey to the United Kingdom. "You know, public polling and even Republican polling that showed the Democratic candidate down 30 points only several weeks ago. So regardless of the outcome, this is a district where, by all accounts -- particularly in a special election which largely, as you know, drives out the partisans -- the real partisans on each side -- to even be competitive in a district like that I think demonstrates quite a bit." The White House did step up its role in the race, with a late endorsement from President Obama, a cash infusion from the DNC, and a radio ad voiced by Vice President Biden. It's been said repeatedly that the race is a referendum on Obama's stimulus package, if not his administration in general. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:07 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Special Relationship, Take Two Even with all the pressing issues facing the U.S. and U.K. ahead of the G-20 Summit, some in the British press are still focused on the perceived snub British PM Gordon Brown suffered during his visit to recent visit to Washington. It started when White House press secretary Robert Gibbs referred to a "special partnership" between the two trans-Atlantic allies, instead of the usual "special relationship" monicker. Then, the Brits were shocked to learn that President Obama and Brown would not hold a full-fledged Rose Garden press conference, but rather a more informal Q&A in the Oval Office. Then, there was the issue of gifts. Brown presented Obama with a pen set made with timbers of a sister ship to the HMS Resolute, of which the president's desk was fashioned. Obama in return gave Brown a set of DVDs that were not even the proper version to play back in the U.K. To see how this is all looming over the visit, look no further than Saturday's conference call the White House held to preview the trip. Here are the questions that came from British reporters: Given the importance in international diplomacy of symbolism, I was just wondering if you could throw any light on the gift that the Obamas are likely to be giving the Queen. As you know, the presentation of the DVD box set raised some eyebrows in Britain. I wondered if there had been a sort of special thought going into this gift process. Did we just hear Mike Froman restore the "special relationship" to its place in the lexicon, the special relationship with Britain, instead of the "special partnership"? He spoke about the value of it. On this special relationship, there was a lot of stuff in the -- comment in Britain about -- Robert Gibbs, your talk about the "special partnership." But I did hear Mike Froman earlier talk about how he was coming to Britain to -how President Obama was going to reaffirm the value of the "special relationship" with Britain. So I just wondered whether the "special relationship" was the phrase back in vogue as opposed to the "special partnership." On the latter question, Gibbs said: "I continue to be mystified about the difference between the two words." Still, it was covered the next day as big news. "The story of the snub was just too good for Fleet Street," Reginald Dale, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told me last week. "The British media will of course be watching Obama in London, where Brown is chairing the meeting, to see if there's any further attempt to patch things up." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 30, 2009

Another "Five Day" Exception As Obama Signs Lands Bill President Obama today signed the Public Lands Management Act of 2009, an omnibus package of 150 individual bills dedicating public lands for conservation. Obama called the legislation "among the most important in decades to protect, preserve, and pass down our nation's most treasured landscapes to future generations." "This legislation guarantees that we will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments, and wilderness areas for granted; but rather we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share," he said during an East Room ceremony that included the bill's top supporters in Congress. "That's something all Americans can support." Again, however, Obama was signing legislation that had not been posted on the White House Web site for public comment for five days, as was promised during the campaign. Robert Gibbs was asked about this at today's briefing, and said Obama is still "committed to and has brought greater transparency" in office. "There are obviously situations that come up, especially when the president's going to go overseas for a certain period of time while a bill is there," he said - alluding to Obama's pending departure for Europe. "Although not perfect, I think the president has made a greater step forward in transparency and feels like we're making progress on making sure the American people can see and read what the president is going to sign into law." Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:01 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Outlines Strategy For Auto Industry President Obama today said that America's auto industry must endure some short-term pain to ensure its future, saying bankruptcy is a very real option for two of the largest automakers rather than making them "wards of the state." The president's announcement came after GM and Chrysler submitted plans for restructuring under the terms of last year's bailout. Obama said those plans did not go far enough, and gave each a period to work with stakeholder groups to "justify an investment of additional taxpayer dollars." The auto industry has been moving in the right direction, but Obama said there needs to be new leadership, and said GM CEO Rick Wagoner is stepping down in recognition of the fact "that it will take new vision and new direction to create the GM of the future." The company will receive funds to keep it operating for 60 days while it comes up with a "credible model for how to not only survive, but succeed." Chrysler, however, got a more sober prescription, saying funds will be cut off unless the company closes an agreement with Italy's Fiat to merge operations. Obama then said bankruptcy may be a final option, but cautioned that it was not a death sentence. And he urged Americans to continue buying cars and hold on to the ones they had, with all warrantees guaranteed by the federal government. He said the government will take other steps as well to support the auto industry, speeding up the purchase of cars for its fleet, and working to adjust the stimulus program to create a program where Americans can exchange gas guzzlers for newer, more fuel efficient cars. That is what Obama saw as the ultimate cure for the auto industry, saying it needs to build on current successes and speed up efforts to build cars that will end the nation's addiction to oil. "The path I am laying out today is our best chance to make sure the cars of the future are built where they've always been built - in Detroit and across the Midwest; to make America's auto industry in the 21st century what it was in the 20th century - unsurpassed around the world," he said. And speaking directly to auto workers, he pledged that he would fight for them. "You are the reason I am here today," he added. "I got my start fighting for working families in the shadows of a shuttered steel plant and I wake up every single day asking myself what I can do to give you and working people all across this country a fair shot at the American dream. Obama was flanked during the announcement by members of his economic team, including Treasury Secretary Geithner, as well as the secretaries of Energy, Commerce and Transportation. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 27, 2009

Obama Announces New Way Forward In "Campaign Against Extremism" American personnel will seek to stabilize governments in Afghanistan and Pakistan while targeting the extremists who pose a continuing threat to global security, President Obama announced this morning. The commander in chief spoke of what he called a "stronger, smarter and comprehensive strategy" for the two nations, the result of a review he called for upon taking office. He said that U.S. policy will be dictated by "a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future." "That is the goal that must be achieved. That is a cause that could not be more just," Obama said. Then, looking straight into the television cameras instead of at his teleprompter, he said: "To the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: we will defeat you." Though today's announcement had been advertised as an Afghanistan policy, the role of Pakistan in fighting terrorism was paramount, and in fact, Obama spent the first half of his speech focusing on that nation. He said al Qaida and its "extremist allies" have left Afghanistan for Pakistan, a group that "almost certainly includes" Osama bin Laden, and is responsible for 9/11 and the death of thousands of Pakistanis since then. "They have blown up buildings, derailed foreign investment, and threatened the stability of the state. So make no mistake: al Qaida and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within," he said. He signaled a stronger role for America there, saying "we will not and cannot provide a blank check," and that the government "must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al Qaida." And alluding to a high profile promise from early in his campaign, he said that the U.S. "will insist that action bet taken - one way or another - when we have intelligence about high-level terrorist targets." Moving away from the "war on terror" branding used by the previous administration, Obama spoke of a "campaign against extremism" that won't be fought "with bullets or bombs alone." He urged support for two pieces of legislation that would direct aid to the Pakistani people and encourage economic development. Continue reading "Obama Announces New Way Forward In "Campaign Against Extremism"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:17 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 26, 2009

Obama Warns About Job Losses Still To Come Yes, there was a question about marijuana. But there were some bits of real news at today's "Open For Questions" town hall meeting at the White House today. President Obama found another quick use for his "persistence" motto while answering a question about job creation, warning that while there have been some positive signals more could still lose their jobs. "We're going to have to be patient and persistent about job creation because I don't think that we've lost all the jobs we're going to lose in this recession," he said. "We're still going to be in a difficult time for much of this year." Obama explained that employment tends to be a "lagging indicator," as businesses tend to wait until well after a recovery has taken hold before adding to their payroll. "The reason I point that out is, I don't want people to think that in one or two months suddenly we're going to see net job increases. It's going to take some time for the steps that we've taken to filter in." Earlier today, Vice President Biden said he thought that the economic stimulus package was starting to have a "mild impact," but he, too, said there's more to be done as recovery funds just start getting paid out. Obama also again defended the scope of his budget plan, while pointing a finger at his predecessor. "A lot of the critics out there are saying, 'How is it that you're going to be spending all this money? We've got to worry about the deficit,' et cetera. I just want to remind you that the money that we are spending on education, on health care, and on energy -- if you added up all that increased money that we're spending, it still is not what's driving our long-term deficits," he said. "What's driving it is Medicare, Medicaid, a structural gap that we have because of the Bush tax cuts over the last several years that left us spending a lot more than we were saving." The "investments" that will be made through his plan will address that gap, he said. "I don't want us to constrict and reduce our ambitions, and set our sights lower for our kids and the next generation, because we weren't willing to make those investments now," he said. The White House called today's experiment in a "virtual" town hall a success, and said that more than 67,000 people logged on to watch on the White House Web site. It was also carried live in part by most of the cable networks. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:39 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Geithner On "Meet The Press" This Sunday Just about every top member of President Obama's economic team has made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows in recent weeks -- except for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. That will change this Sunday when he appears on NBC's "Meet The Press." Word of the sought-after booking came from the show's executive producer, Betsy Fischer, on her Twitter feed. Sunday's show will also feature Sen. John McCain. Geithner appears to have weathered the storm of criticism he faced on a number of fronts, particularly his handling of the AIG bonuses. The fact that he's booked on what is still the highestrated of the Sunday shows could be seen as another sign of confidence in him on the part of the administration. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:54 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Slams GOP's "Windmill" Budget White House press secretary Robert Gibbs mocked Congressional Republicans' "alternative budget," making note of the fact that it contains "one more picture of a windmill than there is a chart of numbers." "Just for your knowledge - there's exactly one picture of a windmill," he quickly added. Gibbs said that a budget proposal that has no numbers is par for the course for the "Party of No," which he says is now the "Party of No New Ideas." "To extend trillions and trillions of dollars of tax cuts for the wealthy, continue subsidies for big oil -- I think it takes us back to where we've been and why we're in this problem," Gibbs said. "I think the administration is glad that Republicans heard the president's call to submit an alternative. We just hoped that next time it will contain actual numbers so somebody can evaluate what it means." Gibbs was then asked if his scathing response was in line with President Obama's promises as a candidate to "change the tone of Washington." He thought for a moment, and then said: "Yeah." "I don't think that's a whole lot to ask," Gibbs said of having an alternative budget with real dollars attached. "I guess it's no wonder that over the course of many years, budget deficits in this town and debts ballooned because a group of individuals think that you can have a budget that doesn't contain numbers. No wonder we have an inherited budget deficit of 1.3 trillion dollars, and a debt that's out of control." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:41 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 25, 2009

Gibbs: Politics Goes On Despite Economic Challenges Robert Gibbs defended President Obama's plans to attend two fundraisers tonight for the DNC, saying that "we haven't seen politics by either party stop" despite the economic crisis. "I hope he's not placid and unsmiling," Gibbs joked, adding: "I think you'll see in the remarks he makes tonight ... that he wholly understands the hardships and struggles that the American people are undergoing in their lives each day. I think it's also safe to assume that the president wants to see a strong party system in this country." Not only is Obama attending fundraisers tonight, but the announced earlier today his endorsement of Scott Murphy in the NY-20 special election. That race has in part been focused on Obama's stimulus plan, and so the White House understandably sees some political gain to be had by winning what is still a GOP-leaning district. Today, the DNC also mobilized the strength of the Obama campaign e-mail database with an appeal from chairman Tim Kaine asking Democrats to donate to Murphy's campaign. "This race is important to President Obama and to our party because it again gives us the opportunity to make a big impact on our efforts to bring about a lasting economic recovery," Kaine writes. "To restore our economy and build a foundation for lasting prosperity, the President needs Scott's help. This week, Scott needs yours." The DNC says the email was sent to 50,000 party activists "in and around" the 20th district. The party has also donated $10,000, split between the New York Democratic Party and the Murphy campaign. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Biden, Pelosi Stress Harmony On Budget The message of the day seems to be Democratic harmony, displayed just now between Vice President Biden and Speaker Pelosi as they prepared to have lunch at the Capitol. The Democrats both expressed strong confidence that lawmakers will produce a budget that meets the administration's goals, with Pelosi saying the House is "intent to deliver for the president." "I know at the end of the day, we will have a strong budget supportive of the president's principles," Pelosi said. She also sent a message to Republicans, saying that while she hoped a budget would pass with bipartisan support, "I know the bill will pass." Biden, saying he was happy to be back "home" in the Congress, said he is confident in the leadership of Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "We're in a position where in order to rebuild this economy, it can't be built on a false bubble," the former senator said. "We have to get down to rebuilding an economy that produces a solid foundation for the better part of the beginning of this century. And that requires us to deal with education, with health care, and it requires us to deal with energy, and also budget discipline built in." The White House announced today that the Economic Recovery Advisory Board headed by Paul Volcker will work to come up with other revenue streams through the tax code that would pay for Obama's plan, since lawmakers have objected to some of the initial revenue generators like the adjustment in charity deductibility. OMB Director Peter Orszag said the Congressional budget resolutions were "98 percent the same" as the White House's budget. And Biden repeated the view that they are on the same page. "I feel very confident that we're going to get a budget that is totally consistent with and reflective of all we've asked for," Biden said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:38 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Ain't Nothin' But A Family Thing OMB Director Peter Orszag downplayed differences between the White House and Democratic budget writers on the Hill over key planks of Obama's fiscal plan, saying that while some changes have been made, "the vast bulk" of the resolution as it stands is "aligned with the key priorities of the president. "I think it's very clear that if you look at the budget resolutions that are being adopted by both the House and Senate, they are from the same family as the president's budget," Orszag said on a conference call this morning. "The resolutions may not be identical twins to what the president submitted, but they are certainly brothers that look an awful lot alike." Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:06 AM | Email Author | Permalink

An End To The "War On Terror"? OMB Says No UPDATE: Press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about this at today's press briefing, saying there is "no language I know [of], certainly that I've seen or that has been passed around." He added, though, that President Obama is less concerned with "the phraseology" than he is about the "steps that he's taken and that we need to take as a country to protect our citizens." EARLIER: The Washington Post reported online yesterday that "speechwriters and other staff were notified" via e-mail that the Obama administration "prefers to avoid using the term 'Long War' or 'Global War on Terror,'" and said that the Office of Management and Budget wanted to use the phrase "Overseas Contingency Operation." OMB Director Peter Orszag was asked about this during a conference call this morning to discuss the administration's ongoing budget negotiations with Capitol Hill; he denied that there was a coordinated administration directive on the phrase. "I am not aware of any communication that I've had on that topic," said Orszag, who said he had read the report. OMB spokesperson Kenny Baer then jumped in to say that the memo was written "by a career, mid-level civil servant," and that "there was no official memo or guidance given out by OMB." The term "war on terror" has been the source of some controversy, and Obama has avoided using it in his public statements. Press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked on January 23 whether the administration would still use that term, and he said only: "I would point you to the words that the President said in his inaugural address about the challenges that we face." A day earlier, Gibbs said he was not aware of any decision to drop the "war" branding. Obama spoke about terrorism yesterday during his meeting with the Australian Prime Minister, saying that the "threat of terrorist attacks from al Qaeda and their affiliates is not a threat that's going away." "It's important for us to stay on the offensive and to dismantle these terrorist organizations wherever they are," he said. But later he added that "we will not just solve these problems militarily, but we're also going to have to be much more effective diplomatically; we're going to have to be much more effective on the development front." Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 24, 2009

Obama Presser: "Philosophy of Persistence" RCP literally had a front row seat for tonight's presidential news conference. We'll have an extended analysis tomorrow, but here are some early thoughts and tidbits from the East Room. AP, NBC, ABC, CBS, Univision, Stars & Stripes, CNN, Fox, Politico, ABC Radio, Washington Times, Agence France, and one other outlet got called on for questions, and several did ask follow up questions. But most notably, he did not call on the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal - just to name a few major newspapers. Biggest moments at first glance: defense of budget amid questions about debt; his talk of his "philosophy of persistence"; tough question about handling of AIG, and why there was a delay before he expressed outrage publicly; and a thoughtful discussion of his moral views on issues like stem cell research. President Obama was not quite as forceful on the budget as might have been expected. He did promote it in his opening statement, and he stressed his view that his budget is making critical investments that will set the table for long term growth. But he was put on the defensive at times, specifically when asked about the national debt potentially doubling again as a result of his plan. Two notes on style: first, the president did not use a standard teleprompter as he did for the first press conference. Instead, he read from a large TV monitor at the back of the room, instead of having a the two panels at his left and right on the podium. Second, the president was noticeably more concise with his answers this time. At the his first presser, some answers were seven or eight minutes long, but this time most seemed to be in the four to five minute range. I believe the longest extended exchange was the one on the morality of stem cell research. The only news in the opening statement came from a line that was not included in the excerpts. Without naming the company, he said that the AIG bonus mess was "another symptom of the culture that led us to this point." But he walked a fine line, criticizing specific culprits but saying that we can't "demonize" all investors who are trying to make a profit. CNN's Ed Henry had probably the toughest question for the president, asking why it seemed that New York Atty. Gen Andrew Cuomo seemed to be getting more results on the AIG bonus mess than the White House, and furthermore why it took him days to express public outrage. Obama reacted sternly, saying: "It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." Some of the questions from niche or targeted media: defense spending and procurement; homelessness problem; and the rising threat of violence because of the drug trade. Also, an interesting question about whether Obama felt his race has played a role in his administration thus far. It spurred his only real joke: that all the feelings of euphoria and history from the inauguration were gone after just one day. After press secretary Robert Gibbs had announced "last question," it was clear that Obama took a bit more of a final lap as he answered a question about how a new Israeli government might factor into the peace process. He spoke more generally about how he is "a big believer in persistence," and listed some specific examples of instances in his early administration where some have second guessed his decisions. And notably, after not facing any questions about Geithner's fate or his handling of the job so far, Obama brought him up specifically. He said some questioned whether he'd ever come up with a plan to fix the financial markets weeks ago, but that he did this week. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:58 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: Budget Plan Attacks Economic Crisis On "All Fronts" The White House has sent out excerpts of the president's opening remarks tonight. As expected, he'll lead off with the budget, saying his plan will lead to "broad economic growth" by investing in key priorities. And in a rebuttal to those who argue he's taking on too many challenges at once, Obama will paint his approach as "attack[ing] this crisis on all fronts." "The budget I submitted to Congress will build our economic recovery on a stronger foundation, so that we do not face another crisis like this ten or twenty years from now," he will say. " We invest in the renewable sources of energy that will lead to new jobs, new businesses, and less dependence on foreign oil. We invest in our schools and our teachers so that our children have the skills they need to compete with any workers in the world. We invest in reform that will bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and our government. And in this budget, we have made the tough choices necessary to cut our deficit in half by the end of my first term - even under the most pessimistic estimates." That hints at what will likely be one area of discussion tonight -- the figures released by the Congressional Budget Office last week painting a much gloomier outlook for the federal deficit than the administration had put forth when it released the budget last month. It's also worth noting that though Obama's budget shows the deficit being cut in half by 2013, it then starts increasing again. No reference, at least in the excerpts, to the AIG bonus scandal. Full excerpts after the jump. Continue reading "Obama: Budget Plan Attacks Economic Crisis On "All Fronts"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Before Taking Questions, Obama Takes Questions Hours before his prime-time press conference, President Obama held a "two-and-two" with Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the Oval Office this afternoon, touching on the financial rescue plan and his plan for Afghanistan. Obama said he and Rudd spent "the bulk of our time talking about the global financial crisis," and said it was a "great meeting of the minds" before next week's G20 summit. Asked about Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's comments on the Hill today, Obama supported his call for Congressional action so that the federal government could get authority to intervene with nonbank financial institutions. "In the absence of that capacity, you end up with the situation that we've been in," Obama said, referring to situations like AIG posing "systemic risks to the system." "We will work in consultation with members of Congress. That will be just one phase of a broader regulatory framework that we're going to have to put in place to prevent these kinds of crises from happening again." He also called for cooperation among other nations to "be able to hammer out a better approach than we've been taking recently." Obama was also asked about specific plans for Afghanistan, with some reports indicating he may roll out details later this week. Obama said the 90-day strategic review was still under way. He did address terrorism more broadly, citing the 9/11 attacks but also the bombing in Bali, which he said Australians remember. "It's important for us to stay on the offensive and to dismantle these terrorist organizations wherever they are," he said. "It is a difficult task. It's one that requires us to stay focused. It requires effective coordinated action. It requires a recognition that we will not just solve these problems militarily, but we're also going to have to be much more effective diplomatically; we're going to have to be much more effective on the development front. And my expectation would be that over the next several years you are going to see a more comprehensive strategy, a more focused strategy, a more disciplined strategy to achieve our common goals." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:47 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 20, 2009

Obama's No Good Very Bad Week President Obama is making his third visit to Camp David this weekend. And after the week he's had, never has the presidential retreat been more enticing. Today was a fitting end to a difficult week for the president, with the Congressional Budget Office releasing much bigger deficit projections than the administration had issued, and continued questions being raised about when and what exactly Treasury Secretary Geithner knew about the AIG bonuses. Press secretary Robert Gibbs naturally didn't agree with the sentiment that Obama faced possibly his toughest week in office, returning to his standby of being critical of "cable chatter." He bluntly added today: "We've been called idiots before." "The president isn't focused on the ups and downs and day-to-day scorekeeping, he's focused on looking ahead," he said. Gibbs downplayed the CBO deficit numbers, likening the idea of the long-term forecasts to filling out an NCAA bracket now for a tournament years down the road. He was more guarded on news that Geithner was asked about the AIG bonuses at a Congressional hearing before March 10, the date the administration had initially given as they day he first learned of the issue. He repeatedly referred reporters to Geithner's interview with CNN yesterday, and to a tick-tock that appeared in today's New York Times. Obama himself spent today with state and local officials, announcing before the National Conference of State Legislatures an initiative at the federal level to ensure transparency in any lobbying for stimulus dollars. He later met with Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ed Rendell, and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, to discuss infrastructure investments. After that meeting, Bloomberg did give Obama a rousing endorsement as others are increasingly questioning his leadership. "He's been in office only a couple of months, and yet he's doing exactly what he should be doing," said Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent who is running for his third term this year. "He's tackling all of those tough problems that nobody's been willing or able to find a solution to. ... This is a president that's not ducking responsibility. He was elected to change things, and he's actually trying to do that. And he's doing it in a nonpartisan way just like he promised he would." Not a bad way to end the week. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:46 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Schwarzenegger and Shriver On "Special Olympics" Two interesting statements from the first couple of California about President Obama's "Special Olympics" gaffe. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was asked about it at the White House in the last hour, where he was meeting with the president, Gov. Ed Rendell and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He cut Obama quite a bit of slack: "I didn't see it, but I heard about it. ... I know where his heart is at. He loves Special Olympics. He would do everything he can to help special Olympics. And every one of us sometimes makes a mistake, when something comes out of your mouth, you say, 'Oops, I wish I wouldn't have said that.' I have many of those." First lady Maria Shriver, whose mother, Eunice, founded games, was a bit more critical, even as she gave Obama the benefit of the doubt. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, here's Shriver's statement: "While I am confident that President Obama never intended to offend anyone, the response that his comments have caused, coupled with the reaction of a primetime audience, demonstrate the need to continue to educate the nondisabled community on the issues that confront those with a developmental disability. My mother has dedicated her life to fighting stereotypes and ridicule for this community, and there is still much work to be done. "The President's apology for his comments and his commitment to bringing the Special Olympics to the White House are important first steps in shedding light on this important issue. Often times we don't realize that when we laugh at comments like this it hurts millions of people throughout the world. People with special needs are great athletes and productive citizens, and I look forward to working with the President to knock down myths and stereotypes about this community.'' Robert Gibbs did offer a more contrite statement on Obama's comment, saying at today's press briefing: "I know that the president believes that the Special Olympics are a triumph of the human spirit. And I think he understands that they deserve a lot better than the thoughtless joke that he made last night, and he apologizes for that." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:22 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's Direct Appeal To Iran The White House has posted a video message from the president to those celebrating Nowruz, which is celebrated in Iran as the beginning of a new year. Buried in the message is this direct appeal, on camera, from the president of the United States to the Iranian government: "We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community. This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect. "You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right -but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization. And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create. "So on the occasion of your New Year, I want you, the people and leaders of Iran, to understand the future that we seek. It's a future with renewed exchanges among our people, and greater opportunities for partnership and commerce. It's a future where the old divisions are overcome, where you and all of your neighbors and the wider world can live in greater security and greater peace. "I know that this won't be reached easily. There are those who insist that we be defined by our differences. But let us remember the words that were written by the poet Saadi, so many years ago: 'The children of Adam are limbs to each other, having been created of one essence.'" Video after the jump: Continue reading "Obama's Direct Appeal To Iran" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:16 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 19, 2009

Obama's "Special" Mistake(?) Maybe this is why sitting presidents don't go on late night talk shows. President Obama, joking with Jay Leno about his bowling scores: THE PRESIDENT: "I bowled a 129." (Laughter and applause.) LENO: "No, that's very good. Yes. That's very good, Mr. President." THE PRESIDENT: "It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something." (Laughter.) Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, speaking to reporters on the flight back to DC: The President made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics. He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world. It's worth noting that Vice President Biden had just attended the Special Olympics in Idaho last month. UPDATE: Having now viewed the segment on air, this seems a bit less controversial than we may have thought. Obama appears not to be likening his performance to one from the Special Olympics, but rather he's playing off of Leno's rather sarcastic, or perhaps overly cheery praise of the measly 129. He's even gesturing to Leno as he makes the comment. Still, any joking reference to the Special Olympics is probably not PC for anyone, let alone the president of the United States. And the fact that the White House pre-emptively addressed the line confirms as much. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Asks For Patience, And A Campaign-Like Focus From Californians President Obama got a bit of a softball toward the end of his town hall meeting in Los Angeles this afternoon, when a supporter asked what he and others could do to help him. His answer: "Patience." "I'm serious about this, because look. There was a lot of excitement during the campaign, and we were talking about the importance of bringing about change," he said. "We are moving systematically to bring about change. But change is hard. Change doesn't happen overnight." He said that change has to be pursued with "responsibility," and said his administration is working methodically to address all its challenges, including the economy. "I understand how mad everybody is about this AIG bonus business. ... As I said before, I'm mad," he said. "Even though I didn't draw up these AIG contracts, [and] my White House didn't, it's my responsibility to fix the system. ... But the fact of the matter is, we have to work through the huge mess that was made in the financial system. It's going to cost some money. It's not going to be pretty. People are going to be frustrated. And we are going to get it done." Additionally, he said that he needs supporters to focus on the budget debate as closely as the followed the campaign. "Because, again, we're going to have some tough choices to make," he said. "I can't print money." On the energy issue, for instance, he said interest groups for "dirty" energy will likely run ads criticizing his agenda. "And you've got to pay attention and educate your coworkers, and educate your friends and your family." Obama then made a blunt gurantee. "We are not always going to be right. And I don't want everybody disappointed if we make a mistake here or there." What's more important, he said, is that people see his administration working for them. "That's one thing I can assure you of, is that four years from now you are going to be able to look back and you're going to say, 'A, the guy worked hard on what he said he was going to work hard during the campaign. And he may not have gotten everything perfect but we are moving in the right direction." Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:54 PM | Email Author | Permalink

3,000 Miles Away, Obama Plugs Electric Cars AIG continues to be the talk of the town in Washington. But in California, President Obama just spoke about his administration's efforts to boost production of hybrid and electric cars. Tellingly, Obama joked at one point about the frustrations he is feeling in Washington, as the AIG mess threatens to derail his agenda. "I know it's not easy," he told workers at an electrical vehicle plant. "There are days, I'm sure, when progress seems fleeting, and days when it feels like you're making no progress at all. That's how it feels in the White House sometimes, too." The advances being made at plants like this one are key not only to greening the planet, but to spurring a new green economy. "We have a choice to make," he said. "We can remain one of the world's leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments that will allow us to become the world's leading exporter of renewable energy. We can let climate change continue to go unchecked, or we can help stop it. We can let the jobs of tomorrow be created abroad, or we can create those jobs right here in America and lay the foundation for our lasting prosperity." Obama announced a $2 billion grant program through the stimulus plan that will encourage automakers and engineers to develop new battery technology and boost production of hybrid vehicles. His focus on energy today comes as he is facing more direct personal criticism in Washington. In the opening weeks of his term, Republicans had preferred to target the Democratic leaders of Congress rather than attack Obama. But today, House Minority Leader targeted an "out of touch" White House for its unfailing support of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. Obama will speak later at a town hall meeting, when he'll likely be faced with new questions about the AIG controversy in DC. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:29 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 18, 2009

Before Obama Visit, Schwarzenegger Touts Stimulus As the president travels to his state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) laid out the welcome mat by touting the impact that the stimulus plan is having in California. Schwarzenegger held an event in Merced to tout one of the 57 infrastructure projects that he said will create 11,000 jobs in the Golden State. "President Obama was absolutely right to invest federal economic stimulus funding in our nation's ailing infrastructure -- and I made sure California was prepared to jump on this opportunity because we know first-hand it's an effective way to provide a shot to the arm for our economy and put thousands of Californians back to work," Schwarzenegger said in a statement from his office. Schwarzenegger, who mocked Obama during the campaign, was one of two high-profile Republicans supporting him in the stimulus effort. The president had already traveled to Florida to appear with Charlie Crist (R) while the plan was before Congress. Schwarzenegger, who is term limited, is expected to join Obama at one of his town hall meetings. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:34 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Defends Geithner, Targets Executive Compensation Before taking off on a cross country flight, President Obama talked with reporters for 15 minutes about the AIG mess, renewing his call that Wall Street act more responsibly while defending his administration's role. Obama also stood by his embattled Treasury Secretary, saying that Timothy Geithner has inherited a more complicated set of challenges than anyone in the job since Alexander Hamilton. "I have complete confidence in Tim Geithner and my entire economic team," Obama said. "Nobody is working harder than this guy. He is making all the right moves in terms of playing a bad hand." Obama said that as president, he accepts responsibility for the current controversy over AIG bonuses, but also said he didn't want to engage in talk of who knew what when, and what they did about it. And even as he said he accepted responsibility, he said that nobody in his administration drafted the contracts. "Nobody here was responsible for supervising AIG and allowing themselves to put the economy at risk by some of the outrageous behavior that they were engaged in," he added. "We are responsible, though. The buck stops with me. And my goal is to make sure that we never put ourselves in this kind of position again." Obama ignored a question about reports that he received campaign contributions from AIG. He did address the growing public anger over the bonuses, and said he did not want to "quell" that anger, but "channel our anger in a constructive way." "The most important thing we can do right now is stabilize the financial system, get flowing -credit flowing again to businesses and consumers, and make sure that we change how these businesses operate so that they don't put us in a situation in which, when things go bad, the taxpayers have to foot the bill, and when things go good, folks are getting not just $6-million bonuses, but $30- or $40-million bonuses." He also took a shot at some of the lawmakers who have reacted strongly to the situation and criticized his handling of the controversy. "There are a whole bunch of folks now who are feigning outrage about these bonuses that a year ago, or two years ago, or three years ago, said, well, we should never meddle in these compensation plans; these are the best and the brightest; they know what they're doing; that's part of the market -- and now, suddenly they're outraged," he said. "The point that I've been trying to make consistently has been that we believe in the free market, we believe in capitalism, we believe in people getting rich, but we believe in people getting rich based on performance and what they add in terms of value and the products and services that they create." This was a rare Q-and-A session with Obama, and came just before a Capitol Hill hearing on AIG was set to begin. By addressing the situation personally, the president hoped to begin to shift the focus back to his budget plan, which he will be selling to "voters" as he called them during his California trip. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:29 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 17, 2009

Gibbs: Obama "New Sheriff In Town" On Executive Compensation The luck of the Irish was not with Robert Gibbs today. He faced more than a dozen questions today about the administration's handling of the AIG mess. One reporter gave him an "F" on an answer before he could even finish. It got so bad he even claimed reporters could be accused of torturing him. "I would posit that the CIA should look at the process which I'm undergoing," he said. Much of the difficulty came because the White House press secretary avoided direct answers to many questions by saying he wasn't a contract lawyer, and that he did not have an exact timeline yet of when key members of the administration learned of the executive bonuses and how they reacted. But when told about questions from some Republicans about the sincerity of President Obama's outrage over the situation, Gibbs put up a vigorous defense. "Barack Obama came in and there was a new sheriff in town on executive compensation," Gibbs argued, referring to some of his very first executive orders. "I think it would bear some going back to any of the critics of the president's genuine outrage and ask them what they did or didn't do to change the way executives are compensated before Barack Obama got to town as president of the United States." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Shamrock, Steeler, And "Just Say No" Before events to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, President Obama began his public schedule with remarks on his budget plan this morning. Appearing with the chairmen of the House and Senate Banking Committees -- Democrats John Spratt and Kent Conrad, respectively -- Obama renewed his call on Republicans to do more than "just say no." That "is the right advice to give your teenagers about drugs," he said. "It is not an acceptable response to whatever economic policy is proposed by the other party. The American people sent us here to get things done. And in this moment of enormous challenge, they are watching and waiting for us to lead." Obama returned focus to the budget after recent events on small businesses and the stimulus package. He again defended the scope of the plan, by saying "that the challenges we face are too large to ignore," and that just as Americans are facing multiple challenges at once, so should their government. "To kick these problems down the road for another four years or another eight years would be to continue the same irresponsibility that led us to this point," he said. That's a message he'll take on the road tomorrow in a trip to California. But before that, he will spend the rest of his day marking the St. Patrick's Day holiday, as he did with the annual Shamrock Ceremony with the Irish prime minister, or Taoiseach. He used the event to announce Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney as his next ambassador to Ireland. Rooney, in addition to owning the reigning Super Bowl Champions, was an early supporter of Obama. "The bond between our countries could not be stronger," Obama said. " As somebody who comes from Chicago, I know a little bit about Ireland, and the warmth, the good humor, and the fierce passion and intelligence of the Irish people is something that has informed our own culture, as well. And so that's why this day and this celebration is so important." He even joked that he and Taoiseach Brian Cowen may be related, with Obama's great-great-great grandfather hailing from County Offaly, which Cowen represents. "I have checked, and unfortunately, there are no Kearneys on the electoral register anymore in my electoral district," Cowen later said. "But if there were, I assure you, I'd have them on my campaign team." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:07 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 16, 2009

WH Links Cheney To Limbaugh In Republican "Cabal" Robert Gibbs had more than 24 hours to come up with a response to former Vice President Dick Cheney's comments about new administration policies on terror suspects. So when asked about them at today's briefing, the White House press secretary had a glib answer ready. "I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy, so they trotted out the next most popular member of the Republican cabal," Gibbs said with a devious grin. Shifting to a more serious tone, he went on to portray the new policies not as releasing suspected terrorists from custody, but as bringing them to justice long delayed under the Bush administration. "I think the president saw over the past seven plus years the delay in bringing the very people to justice that committed terrorist acts on this soil and on foreign soil. That delay, in seeking swift and certain justice, is what he decided to change through his executive order," Gibbs said. The White House was criticized in some quarters for picking a political fight with Limbaugh, and Gibbs acknowledged that he may not have always been constructive with some of his remarks. Today, when Gibbs first invoked the Republican "cabal," some reporters reacted with surprise at the strong language. When he was asked later in the briefing if the Cheney response was "sanctioned" by the White House, Gibbs backtracked ever so slightly. "Sometimes I ask forgiveness rather than for permission," he said. "I hope my sarcasm didn't mask the seriousness of the answer." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:23 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama "Choked With Anger" Over AIG Bonuses President Obama said that his administration is exploring "every legal avenue" to try and block bonuses to be paid to executives from AIG, asking how they could justify the "outrage" to taxpayers who now own most of the company. "This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed. Under these circumstances, it's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay," Obama said to a crowd of small business owners this morning. Obama said that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner hopes to use the leverage that the Treasury has because of its ownership stake in AIG to resolve the controversy. Geithner is working with AIG CEO Edward Liddy, who Obama made sure to mention took the job "after the contracts that led to these bonuses were agreed to." Obama interrupted his remarks at one point to cough, then joked that he was "choked up with anger" over the bonuses. "I think Mr. Liddy and certainly everybody involved need to understand, this isn't just a matter of dollars and cents. It's about our fundamental values," he said. "All across the country, there are people who work hard and meet their responsibilities every day, without the benefit of government bailouts or multi-million dollar bonuses. ... All they ask is that everyone, from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, play by the same rules." Geithner, who joined Obama for the announcement in the East Room, had a stern message of his own, but for U.S. banks, as he urged them to loosen up credit to help small businesses. "Many banks in this country took too much risk, but the risk now to the economy is that you will take too little risk," he said. "You need - you banks - need to make the extra effort to make sure that good loans are getting to credit-worthy small businesses in order to serve the larger public good of moving this nation to recovery. And given the role that many banks played in causing this crisis, you bear a special responsibility for helping America get out of it." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:33 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 13, 2009

Biden, The Amtrak VP, Praises Rail Funds In Stimulus UPDATE: Here's the audio. Vice President Joe Biden was in his element this afternoon as he joined former Congressional colleagues to trumpet funding for passenger rail in the stimulus funding. Saying he's in the top five of Amtrak riders of all time, the former Delaware senator said the system has been "left out much too long" in the nation's transportation plans, despite claims that it is over-subsidized. "Every, every, every, every passenger rail service system in the world relies on subsidies. We subsidize our highways and airports more than we subsidize Amtrak," he said at Union Station this morning. "So let's get something straight here: Amtrak is not bent at the trough. Amtrak has been left out. ... I'm tired of apologizing for help for Amtrak." Biden used to ride the train to and from Wilmington most days when he served as the state's senator for six full terms. One of the projects in the stimulus plan is a $21 million renovation of that station, and another $105 million will be spent on renovating Amtrak facilities nationwide. Also included: $82 million to fix damaged rail cars, $63 million to upgrade the electricity pathways, and $10.5 million for a new station in Sanford, Fla. Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla) was among those on hand thanking the veep for his role in securing the funds. "If you have any problems in the stimulus, call the po-po. That's Joe Biden!" she said, declaring the group part of "Team Amtrak." A number of the senators who spoke made light of their former colleague's promotion to Vice President, with his former longtime aide Ted Kaufman, now serving in his old seat, joking that he has to think twice before he addresses Biden. Biden himself joked that for the first time, his senators have no choice but to listen to him speak. "My speech will take no longer than 60 minutes," he promised. So comfortable with the group was Biden that he was heard using the f-word a little too close to the open mic as he greeted them. Of course, his predecessor was caught doing the same, but in a more negative context. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:29 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 12, 2009

Biden: Current Crisis "More Complicated" Than Great Depression Vice President Joe Biden said this morning that government officials at all levels have an obligation to implement the program effectively, claiming that the current economic crisis is more "complicated" than the Great Depression. "Sounds ridiculous," he quickly acknowledged, "but it was not as complicated as this is." Biden was speaking to a room full of state officials who are charged with administering federal stimulus dollars in their states. He said that transparency is a must, and that if the money is spent wisely, citizens will support the program. "It's important ... that citizens know in your state what long-term investments are being made and that there's a prospect, in their view, that it will pay off," he said. "People will support us." He also urged officials to contact him directly with questions. And he pressed for patience, noting that the Obama administration has been in power just 52 days, and that the stimulus proposal is younger still. "We're moving as fast as we can. And that's why we're so thankful you're here to help us -- help us figure out how to move this so everybody knows what the rules of the road are." President Obama echoed that message when he addressed the group later. "If the money is being spent as it needs to be spent ... then I think all of us will benefit and our voters and our constituents, the people we work for, are going to be extraordinarily grateful," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:34 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 11, 2009

Obama Defends Earmarks, But Calls For Reforms President Obama today actually defended the right of members of Congress to insert earmarks into legislation, but announced some reforms he'd like to see to avoid further waste, fraud and abuse with the process. Obama called the omnibus bill "imperfect," and suggested he would not veto it because Congress should not be "bogged down" when it has more urgent priorities. But he said earmarks account for only 1 percent of the total bill, and criticized those who "railed most loudly" against it while inserting their own earmarks. "There are times where earmarks may be good on their own, but in the context of a tight budget, might not be our highest priority," he said. His proposed reforms would do the following: • Require members to post all earmark request in advance on their Web sites. • Require earmarks to be "open to scrutiny at public hearings." • Require earmarks to for-profit private companies be subject to competitive bidding requirements. • Forbid earmarks to be traded for political favors. He also said that in the future, if his administration finds an earmark that has no "legitimate public purpose," they'd seek "to eliminate it, and we'll work with Congress to do so." An easier method might be the line-item veto. When asked about it a few weeks ago, press secretary Robert Gibbs suggested Obama would use it if the authority was given to him, but he did not seem to be pushing for it himself. "We're happy to have Congress pass such an effort," Gibbs said today. Obama has not yet signed the omnibus bill, but must do so before day's end to keep the government running. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 10, 2009

Obama Defends Education Push, Links Plan To Economy President Obama's education speech opened on a defensive note, answering criticism that he should be bringing a singular focus on the economy. "I know there's some who believe we can only handle one challenge at a time," he said. They forget, he quickly added, that Lincoln "helped lay down the transcontinental railroad and passed the Homestead Act and created the National Academy of Sciences in the midst of civil war." FDR fought a war and a depression. And Kennedy "didn't have the luxury of choosing between civil rights and sending us to the moon." "And we don't have the luxury of choosing between getting our economy moving now and rebuilding it over the long term," he concluded. Fifty days into his administration, he called education a critical area because "the future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens." "Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we've let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us," he said. "The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, it's unsustainable for our democracy, it's unacceptable for our children -- and we can't afford to let it continue." Notably, Obama's remarks largely ignored the No Child Left Behind policies of his predecessor. Instead, he proposed incentives for good teachers, grants to schools who raise standards, and a greater investment in early childhood education. Funding for some of his proposals was already tucked into the stimulus bill, though he also asked Congress to act on Early Learning Challenge Grants. Obama closed by saying that as important a role government can play in improving education, parents can play the most important role. He followed with a familiar story about the role his mother played in his education, waking him up early for additional lessons before school. "It's because she did this day after day, week after week, because of all the other opportunities and breaks that I got along the way, all the sacrifices that my grandmother and my grandfather made along the way, that I can stand here today as President of the United States," he said. "I want every child in this country to have the same chance that my mother gave me, that my teachers gave me, that my college professors gave me, that America gave me." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:23 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 09, 2009

Still Walking And Chewing Gum ... President Obama is set to speak about education tomorrow, after an executive order signing today on stem cell research. The White House has said a president must be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, but questions mounted today about why it is devoting time to so many other policy areas when both Wall Street and Main Street are looking for more reassurance about the economic crisis. No less an authority on the economy than Warren Buffet hinted at the unease during an interview with CNBC, when he said consumers are still holding back on spending in part because of a "muddled" message from Washington. Robert Gibbs defended the administration's broad policy agenda at the daily press briefing. "[Obama] would love the opportunity to only have to focus on one of those challenges at a time. I think given the many challenges that we face, that's a little bit of a flight of fancy," he said. "Washington has for many, many years, postponed or put off dealing with the problems that we're now facing." He later justified the science and education events specifically, saying today's students need to be better trained to "meet the jobs of the future." "Tell me which business is going to borrow money to expand, to add jobs, to do stem cell research, that can't find the people either coming out of college today or graduate school to do those jobs," he asked. He ended the discussion with a somewhat tortured extrapolation of a reporter's analogy about a house on fire. "Which room are you going to put out first? Or are you going to call the fire department and ask them to put all of it out? Or are you going to say, you know what, we love the living room; start over there," he said. "We could do that. And maybe by the time they get to the kitchen or the den the whole house is in ashes." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:07 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Invokes Faith During Stem Cell Announcement President Obama used religious language as he made the case for his decision to lift a ban on federal funding for stem cell research. Calling himself a "person of faith," Obama said he believes we "are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering," and that this research could make that possible. "I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research - and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly," Obama said at an East Room event this morning. He acknowledged that "thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about, or strongly oppose, this research." While Obama "respects their point of view," he sided with "the majority of Americans from across the political spectrum and of all backgrounds and beliefs" who want to see federally funded research to go forward. He did draw the line at human cloning, saying it is an abuse, "dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society." "We will ensure that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction," he said. Obama also signed an order to ensure that scientists can do their work free of government interference. "Promoting science isn't just about providing resources - it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those who are here today do their jobs free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it's inconvenient especially when it's inconvenient," he said. A number of lawmakers -- mostly Democrats -- joined physicians, scientists and disabled individuals for the event. The Republicans on hand included Rep. Mike Castle, a moderate Republican from Delaware, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, a more conservative member from Utah, but one who supports research. Hatch has said he studied the issue for years, but came to the conclusion that it facilitates life. Additional limits remain on research, but Obama signaled he'd let Congress play a role "to provide further support." Sen. Tom Harkin and Arlen Specter have sponsored legislation that would do so. Harkin, a Democrat, was on hand for today's event but Specter, a Republican, was not. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 07, 2009

Is Obama A Socialist? He Says No The New York Times has posted a transcript of its interview with President Obama this week. The session aboard Air Force One covered a wide range of topics, but there was only one that required a follow-up conversation after: whether the president was a "socialist," as has been suggested. Obama first responded by saying: "You know, let's take a look at the budget -- the answer would be no." He repeated his contention that his budget would reduce non-discretionary spending "to the lowest levels in decades," as a percentage of GDP. "So if you look at our budget, what you have is a very disciplined, fiscally responsible budget, along with an effort to deal with some very serious problems that have been put off for a very long time," he said. Asked if he was more liberal than he suggested during the campaign, Obama said "it would be hard to argue" that he is. "If you look at spending, what we said during the campaign was, is that we were going to raise taxes on the top five percent. That's what our budget does. We said that we'd give a tax cut to 95 percent of working Americans. That's exactly what we have done. That's the right thing to do," he said. "It provides relief to families that basically saw no growth in wages and incomes over the last decade. It asks for a little bit more for people like myself who benefited greatly over the last decade and took a disproportionate share of a growing economy. I actually don't think that anybody who examines our budget can come away with the conclusion that somehow this is a that this is in any way different than what we proposed during the campaign." So the president was asked, if he does not consider himself socialist, what is he? Liberal? Progressive? "I'm not going to engage in that," he said. The interview ended as Air Force One landed. But the Times notes that Obama called to follow up later, saying, "It was hard for me to believe that you were entirely serious about that socialist question." He then responded with some pointed criticisms of his predecessor. "I did think it might be useful to point out that it wasn't under me that we started buying a bunch of shares of banks. It wasn't on my watch. And it wasn't on my watch that we passed a massive new entitlement - the prescription drug plan without a source of funding. And so I think it's important just to note when you start hearing folks through these words around that we've actually been operating in a way that has been entirely consistent with free-market principles and that some of the same folks who are throwing the word socialist around can't say the same," he said. The full interview is available here. The entire section about the "socialist" question is after the jump. Continue reading "Is Obama A Socialist? He Says No" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:02 PM | Email Author | Permalink March 05, 2009

Kennedy, Obama Say Now Is The Time For Health Care Reform Sen. Ted Kennedy - or is it Sir Edward Kennedy? - stole a bit of the president's spotlight at the closing session of his health care summit this afternoon. The Lion of the Senate, returning to Washington after some time in Florida for cancer treatment, received a raucous welcome as he accompanied President Obama into the East Room. "That's the kind of greeting a knight deserves," Obama said. Kennedy spoke briefly, praising the president's effort to finally achieve what has been one of his major goals, while vowing to be "a foot soldier" in that fight. "I join with all of those that feel that this is the time - now is the time for action," he said. "I think most of us who have been in this room before have seen other times when the House and the Senate have made efforts, but they haven't been the kind of serious effort that I think that we're seeing right now. ... This time we will not fail." Obama fielded a number of friendly comments and guarded questions, primarily from members of Congress but also some medical experts and representatives of the business community. There were some lighter moments, though a similar exercise last month at the end of the fiscal summit provided more highlights, including the aback and forth between Obama and John McCain. As he closed the session, Obama assured lawmakers that while he has some "very strong ideas" about how a final health care reform should look, he didn't want to "get in the way" of the Congress as they played their part. "But the one thing that I've got to say here," he added. "There's been some talk about the notion that maybe we're taking on too much. That we're in the midst of an economic crisis, and that the system is overloaded, and so we should put this off for another day." Health care efforts failed "when times were good," and during other recessions, when the nation was at war and in peace time, he said. "It strikes me that now is exactly the time for us to deal with this problem," he said. "For all of you who've been elected to office, or those of you who are heading up major associations, I would just say, what better time than now. And what better cause for us to take up." Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Says Health Care Reform Essential To Economy As the White House health care summit got underway, President Obama tied the need for reform to the nation's economic woes, calling it not just a "moral imperative; it's a fiscal imperative." "If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy, and get our federal budget under control, then we have to address the crushing cost of health care this year, in this Administration," Obama told lawmakers and so-called "stakeholders" gathered in the East Room. "Making investments in reform now, investments that will dramatically lower costs, won't add to our budget deficits in the long-term - rather, it is one of the best ways, in fact maybe the only way, to reduce those long term costs." Acknowledging that past efforts have failed, Obama said that the time is ripe for action now because "the call for reform is coming from the bottom up," and from "all across the spectrum." He said that those involved in this discussion won't always "see eye to eye," but he outlined several areas where he said there is agreement, most notably the idea that those who have insurance they are happy with should keep it. "Every voice has to be heard. Every idea must be considered. Every option must be on the table -there should be no sacred cows," he said. The one option off the table is the "status quo." "Those who seek to block any reform at any cost will not prevail this time around," he added. "I didn't come here to Washington to work for those interests. I came to work for the American people - the folks I met on the campaign trail, the people I hear from every day in the White House." Participants in the summit are now in five separate breakout sessions to discuss finer details of any potential reform effort. Obama will then reconvene the groups in the East Room for a Q&A session. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:52 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Strategy Memo: Second Summit Good morning, Washington. Today at the White House, President Obama hosts a health care summit, which will be similar in format to the recent fiscal responsibility summit. He'll delivery opening remarks to the diverse group of stakeholders before they head into breakout sessions. Obama will then field questions at a closing session in the East Room. Elsewhere in the administration, Vice President Biden is in Florida to speak to the AFL-CIO. The Senate will continue consideration today of the omnibus appropriations bill. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee holds a hearing on how the federal government plans to account for the expected $501 billion that will be spent over the next two years as a result of the economic stimulus package. The House will vote today on Obama's housing legislation, which will help struggling homeowners lower their monthly mortgage payments in bankruptcy court. Speaker Nancy Pelosi will meet this afternoon with actor Brad Pitt on a project to construct affordable and environmentally-sustainable housing for low-income residents of the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. Continue reading "Strategy Memo: Second Summit" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 08:40 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 04, 2009

White House Coy Despite Growing Calls For Omnibus Veto As the White House continues to promote initiatives it says are cutting wasteful spending, questions are mounting about why President Obama will not take a stronger line on the omnibus spending bill in Congress, which has been derided as full of pork and irresponsible spending increases. Today, Robert Gibbs invited to his press briefing Secretaries Janet Napolitano and Tom Vilsack, who outlined specific steps they've undertaken to find savings in the budgets of the Homeland Security and Agriculture Departments, respectively. This after Obama himself said he would save $40 billion by reforming the Pentagon procurement process. But when he was asked again why they won't take a stronger line on the omnibus bill, Gibbs simply repeated what has become the company line. "This is the culmination of the legislative business from the previous fiscal year from the previous Congress," he said, adding again that the president is "concerned" and that his record has shown his commitment to earmark reform. "The president believes that we can work with Congress to reduce wasteful spending in the future." Pressed about the fact that the omnibus legislation is still pending and could be changed, Gibbs promised that Obama will soon "lay out some very clear objectives" about handling earmarks in the future. A cynic might argue that allowing the omnibus bill to move forward is simply acquiescing to business as usual in Washington, a clear break with the president's rhetoric. Further questions were raised when Gibbs could not give a clear answer about whether Obama would support a new effort to have a line item veto. "If they want to send it down, the president will use it," Gibbs eventually said when asked if Obama wants the power. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:07 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Defends Budget, Announces Procurement Reforms Defending his budget plan, President Obama maintained that discretionary spending would actually drop over time, something he said hasn't been clear in "the chatter on the cable stations." "It reduces discretionary spending for non-defense programs as a share of the economy by more than 10 percent over the next decade, to the lowest level in nearly half a century," he said. "I want to repeat that. I want to make sure everybody catches this." The statement comes as lawmakers begin delving into the outsized plan, released last week to skeptical reviews. The president, standing with Sen. John McCain, said he is "cutting what we don't need to make room for what we do." Obama also announced plans to reform the procurement process, which he said has been "plagued by massive cost overruns, outright fraud, and the absence of oversight and accountability." "The American people's money must be spent to advance their priorities, not to line the pockets of contractors or to maintain projects that don't work," he said. "As commander in chief, I will do whatever it takes to defend the American people. ... But I reject the false choice between securing this nation and wasting billions of taxpayer dollars." Reforming the procurement process was a topic raised by McCain at last week's fiscal responsibility summit. Obama praised his former rival, and Sen. Carl Levin, for leading a separate effort on Capitol Hill to reform the process, saying he would work to incorporate their ideas. "What's encouraging is there's broad, bipartisan consensus on behalf of reform, and we are committed to take swift action that changes our system of contracting to save taxpayers' money," he said. The executive order signed today, Obama said, would "stop outsourcing services that should be performed by the government, and open up the contracting process to small businesses," as well as "strengthen oversight to maximize transparency and accountability." He said these reforms would save $40 billion each year. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:25 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 03, 2009

Gibbs Versus CNBC, Round 2 Robert Gibbs again took issue with the commentary of a CNBC personality, today suggesting that Jim Cramer's claim that President Obama is pursuing a "radical agenda" is unfounded. "I'm not entirely sure what he's pointing to to make some of the statements," Gibbs said at his daily press briefing. "You can go back and look at any number of statements he's made in the past about the economy and wonder where some of the back-up for those are too." On "Mad Money" last night, Cramer said Obama's agenda "is destroying the life savings of millions of Americans." "I just want some sign that Obama realizes the market is totally falling apart. And that his agenda has a big hand in that happening," he said. On the "Today" show this morning, he went on to say Obama's budget "basically put a level of fear in this country that I have not seen ever in my life," and represents "the greatest wealth destruction I've seen by a president." "Some people are on TV every day to comment on the tracking poll," Gibbs said, picking up on an analogy from his boss. "There are other people that were elected to try to fix the problem." He added that the cable hosts are tailoring their message "to a very small audience," while President Obama "has to look out for the broader economy and the broader population." The question about Cramer's comments came from NBC's Tom Costello (here's betting this exchange ends up on "Nightly News" tonight). The latest flare-up comes 11 days after Gibbs slammed CNBC's Rick Santelli for comments about Obama's housing plan. Gibbs' response was markedly tamer today, though. "There are very few days that I've had more fun," Gibbs said of the Santelli response. "I was afraid I was going to have too much more fun." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:13 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Stock Market As A Tracking Poll It's worked before. President Obama urged Americans not to read too much into the day-to-day fluctuations of the stock market, comparing it to a daily tracking poll and saying a broader view is needed before jumping to conclusions about his economic plans. "I'm looking at is not the day-to-day gyrations of the stock market, but the long-term ability for the United States and the entire world economy to regain its footing," Obama said in the Oval Office after a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "The stock market is sort of like a tracking poll in politics. It bobs up and down day to day, and if you spend all your time worrying about that, then you're probably going to get the long-term strategy wrong." The media has come lately to using the Dow Jones Industrial Average as a barometer of Obama administration policies. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's announcement of principles of a financial system reform effort was panned when the Dow plummeted. It took another dip when the market feared nationalization of banks. Press secretary Robert Gibbs even jokingly took credit for a rally the next day when he downplayed those fears, noting an uptick of more than a hundred points during his briefing. Obama did concede, however, that the banking system "has been dealt a heavy blow," and said there are a number of factors "working their way through the system." "As people absorb the depths of the problem that existed in the banking system, as well as the international ramifications of it, that there's going to be a natural reaction," he said. Coordinating with other G20 countries, as Brown has suggested, could be a step toward rebuilding confidence in the global economy, Obama added. The meeting of Brown and Obama, the first between the new president and a European leader at the White House, comes one month before a meeting of global leaders next month in London. Obama reinforced the notion of a "special relationship" between the two countries, calling a question by a British journalist about whether he has less of a Euro-centric view than his predecessors "misguided." "Great Britain is one of our closest, strongest allies and there is a link, a bond there that will not break," he said. Brown, eager to use the photo op to boost sagging popularity across the pond, tried his best to be chummy with the president. "I've enjoyed every conversation that we've had, both on the telephone and when we've met. I don't think I could ever compete with you at basketball -- perhaps tennis," he suggested. "I hear you got a game," Obama responded. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Still Selling Stimulus Plan The stimulus bill has been law for two weeks now, but President Obama is still selling it. At an event at the Transportation Department this morning Obama sought to demonstrate progress, saying the first highway construction contract has been awarded, and 200 more will break ground in coming weeks. These projects, Obama said, are "fueling growth in an industry that's been hard hit by our economic crisis." He estimated that projects like highway repairs will create or save 150,000 jobs by the end of 2010 - more jobs than were cut by GM, Ford and Chrysler. According to a White House release, one third of those jobs are created secondarily, through increased spending by those who are directly employed through the construction jobs. The president announced that each project made possible by recovery funds will include special signage indicating as such. "Let it be a reminder that our government, your government is doing its part to put the economy back on the road to recovery," he told department employees. Obama was joined by Vice President Biden, who he said is called "The Sheriff" around the White House for his oversight role of recovery funds. "If you're misusing taxpayer money, you'll have to answer to him," Obama said. As the stock market continues to drop and his economic team works to sell his massive budget plan, Obama sought to reassure Americans that his philosophy was the right one for this crisis. "There are those out there who say this can't be done, it can't be done efficiently, it can't be done effectively. We've gone through a lot of years where we're told what government cannot do," he said. "Government can't do anything by itself, we've got to have the private sector involved. But there are critical things that government can do." Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink March 02, 2009

Sebelius' State Of The Union Response With all the chatter about Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R-La.) response to Pres. Obama's address to Congress last week, do you remember who gave last year's? It was none other than Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan.), now the HHS Secretary-designate. The next day, she endorsed then-candidate Barack Obama during what were then critical days leading up to Super Tuesday. Also worth noting, given her new status, is how health care was only a small part of her response. She urged then-Pres. Bush to move on SCHIP legislation; Pres. Obama signed it into law last month. Here's what she said then: We know that we are stronger as a nation when our people have access to the highest-quality, most-affordable health care. When our businesses can compete in the global marketplace without the burden of rising health care costs here at home. We know that caring for our children, so they have a healthy and better start in life, is what grownups do. Governors in both parties, and a large majority of the Congress are ready, right now, to provide health care to 10 million American children, as a first step in overhauling our health care system. Join us, Mr. President, sign the bill and let's get to work.

As he left this afternoon's announcement with Sebelius, Obama said: "We're going to go get to work." Sebelius' full speech after the jump. Continue reading "Sebelius' State Of The Union Response" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:22 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Taps Sebelius, Acknowledges Health Care Challenge President Obama today announced the appointment of two women, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (DKan.) and Nancy Ann DeParle, to lead what may be the toughest fight of his presidency as he seeks to implement national health care. "Health care reform that reduces costs while expanding coverage is no longer just a dream we hope to achieve, it's a necessity we have to achieve," Obama said at a rather Spartan ceremony in the East Room this afternoon Sebelius and DeParle will fill separate rolls that were to have been handled by Tom Daschle before he withdrew his nomination last month. Obama said that in Sebelius, the nation will have a person of "remarkable intellect" and "unquestioned integrity" leading the Department of Health and Human Services. He also noted shared roots in saying she has the "kind of pragmatic wisdom you'll tend to find in a Kansan." Her status as a Democratic governor in a ruby-red state was also key to the decision, as Obama said that any movement toward health care reform requires a "that focuses not on Democratic ideas or Republican ideas, but on ideas that work to rein in costs, expand access, and improve the quality of health care for the American people." Obama closed his remarks by acknowledging the daunting challenge ahead, but played up the outsider rhetoric that was key to his success. "I realize that there are those that simply don't believe Washington can bring about this change, and the odds are long," he said. "It's failed too many times. There are too many special interests and entrenched lobbyists invested in the status quo. ... But I also know this - I didn't come to Washington to take the easy route, or work for the powerful and the well-connected interest who have run this city for too long. I came to work for the American people. I came here to deliver the sweeping change that they demanded when they went to the polls in November." Though not likely to be confirmed, Sebelius will likely participate in a health care summit at the White House this Thursday as the administration expands focus on its domestic agenda beyond the economy. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 26, 2009

From One OMB Director To Another Today's release of a budget overview from the Obama administration puts Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, in the spotlight. He spoke with reporters for 45 minutes this morning, saying the plan "fulfills the President's campaign promises to be honest and responsible, to reorient the federal budget towards programs that work and away from those that don't, and to invest in education, promote clean energy, and reduce health care costs." Last weekend, I spoke with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, President Bush's first OMB director, and asked him if he had any advice for Orszag. "He doesn't need any advice from me. I really wish him well," said Daniels, who served in the post from 2001-2003. "He's got a hard situation here. It's astonishing." The budget proposal released today calls for halving the budget deficit by 2013, based on what some say are overly optimistic projections for economic recovery. Daniels said that people should focus on the immediate figures. "These multi-year budget goals are never met. Never, never met, unless by total accident," he said. Even if the administration is successful, Daniels adds, the goal that they have set, $533 billion, is still "a deficit bigger than any in American history, including Bush's." "[That] tells you that we're on a different planet than the one I inhabited," Daniels said. "I remember how hard we worked to save a half a billion here, or, oh my gosh, a billion! And now it's just lost in the rounding." In previewing the budget, the administration had advertised that theirs would be an "honest" one, free of gimmicks used by the past administration. "For too long, our budget has not told the whole truth about how precious tax dollars are spent," Obama said today. "Large sums have been left off the books, including the true cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And that kind of dishonest accounting is not how you run your family budgets at home; it's not how your government should run its budgets, either." Daniels on Sunday conceded that there were "sometimes" flaws in the budget system, but said that during his tenure they made "the same effort" that the current administration is. "Congress is the great author of gimmicks, though," he added. "You want to see some gimmicks. I would say gimmickry is less an executive than a legislative art." The Obama budget overview, which in print is 134 pages long, can be found online here [PDF]. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:11 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's "Earmark" Explained Following up on yesterday's post about the president's commitment to earmark reform, I asked press secretary Robert Gibbs at today's briefing about a CQ report that claimed to have found an earmark request from then-Senator Obama. Gibbs had said yesterday that Obama's sincerity in opposing earmarks was shown in the fact that he had not requested any special projects in the bill. Today, he insisted that was still the case, and provided copies of a letter signed by Obama and 36 other senators asking the relevant subcommittee chairs to consider an increase in funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Program. "For some people [that] constitutes that earmark," Gibbs said. "There's no funding level in here. The president as a senator did not request an earmark for the final two years [of his Senate term]." Aides point out that the Perkins program is an existing program through the Department of Education, and that when Obama signed the letter supporting increased funding, he was not doing so with an eye to helping any particular institutions in his home state. The funding increase aided institutions in North Dakota and New Mexico. A White House spokesperson also indicated that Obama's name would be removed from the legislation, which Rob Blumenthal, an Appropriations Committee spokesperson confirmed. The Committee released this statement on the issue: "When then-Senator Obama signed a letter (dated April 2, 2008) advocating for the Perkins Act, the Tribally Controlled program was not an earmark. The program did not identify particular institutions. It identified a set of criteria and awarded funding to any eligible entity. "On August 14th (after the reporting of the Senate LHHS bill), the Higher Education Opportunity Act became law, which changed the authorization of the Tribally Controlled program. The new authorization identifies particular schools, making the program an earmark. However, the new authorization also moves the program out of the Perkins Act and into the Higher Education Act. Since then-Senator Obama requested funding for the Perkins Act, he did not request the earmark. The record will be corrected to reflect these facts." Gibbs was also asked about whether the president indicated any concern about the current omnibus bill with Democratic leaders when they met at the White House yesterday. Various reports indicated that the president had urged the leadership to address criticism from Republicans about earmarks and increases in rates of spending. But Gibbs said he would not address any private conversations the president had. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:06 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 25, 2009

White House Punts On Omnibus Earmarks In his address to Congress last night, President Obama said he was "proud that we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks," adding that next year, he wants to pass a budget "that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities. Left out was any mention of the pending omnibus legislation before Congress, which most would concede is not free of earmarks, and contains appropriations that could not be considered the most important national priorities. And at a time when the president is calling for tough choices in the face of a trillion dollar deficit, the bill would increase government spending at a rate of more than 8 percent, according to some estimates. Today, press secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama "remains concerned" about earmarks, and defended what he said were his strong anti-pork bona fides. But "without having looked specifically at a piece of legislation," Gibbs said he was "hesitant to throw out that four-letter word veto." "We saw over a period of years the great expansion of the number of earmarks that were considered and improved by Congress. There has been in the past few years a downward trend that line," Gibbs said. "The president hopes to continue that downward trend." Not addressing what is widely considered a pork-laden omnibus bill has left the White House open to charges of hypocrisy. Minority Leader John Boehner urged Obama to veto the bill today on the House floor. "I think all of my colleagues know that American families and small businesses, they're struggling. They're tightening their belt. And what are we doing here?" he asked. "We're bringing nine appropriation bills to the floor all wrapped into one big bill eight percent over the amount spent last year, including some 9,000 earmarks. I just think this is out of control." Spokesmen for the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have not responded to questions about whether the subject came up during a meeting between the president and Democratic leaders today. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Three's Commerce: Obama Taps Locke President Obama this morning made his third -- and he hopes final -- choice for Commerce secretary, nominating former Washington Governor Gary Locke for the post. "Now I'm sure it's not lost on anyone that we've tried this a couple of times," Obama acknowledged. "But I'm big believer in keeping at something until you get it right. And Gary is the right man for this job." The president played up Locke's family's immigrant story, saying he's a man who understands the American dream. "He's lived it. And that's why he shares my commitment to do whatever it takes to keep it alive in our time," he said. Locke, saying he was "humbled and honored" to take the post, talked about flying across the country from one Washington to another yesterday and said he thought of all those who are suffering during these trying times. "You eloquently outlined your strategies last night on how America will rebuild, recover and emerge stronger," he said to the president. "I'm committed to making the department an active and integral part of advancing your economic policies and restoring the American dream." The announcement was made in the Indian Treaty Room on the fifth floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:39 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 24, 2009

Obama To Announce Commerce Pick Tomorrow The announcement will be made at 11 am tomorrow from the Indian Treaty Room in the White House. It's expected to be former Gov. Gary Locke of Washington. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Liveblogging The Speech 10:37: Now go enjoy Mardi Gras, Gov. Jindal. 10:35: Interesting, Jindal concedes that Republicans failed to live up to the promises that got them elected in 1994, and 2000. "Republicans lost your trust, and rightly so. ... Our party is determined to regain your trust." 10:33: Half of Louisiana under water, the other half indictment. Not anymore, Jindal says. A subtle dig at Democratic scandals right now? 10:32: Repeating again and again, America can do anything. "Yes we can"? 10:28: Given that Obama did not mention Katrina, noteworthy that it is a focus of the Republican response. 10:28: "The strength of America is not in our government." 10:27: "Where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid." 10:25: Jindal starts with praise for Obama's personal story -- and relates it to his own. 10:14: Quick reax via Twitter from RNC spokesperson Alex Conant: "What didn't make Obama's speech: Iran, North Korea, trade, lobbyists, unions, Katrina, farmers... What else?" 10:09: As promised, just about 50 minutes. Now we wait for Gov. Jindal. 10:07: The big finish: "I know that we haven't agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground." 10:05: More hope: a story he has referred to so often. "And I think about Ty'Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina - a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom. ... We are not quitters." 10:02: HOPE! "But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary." 10:00: Defending Gitmo decision, and strong message to the world: "There is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. ... [We] will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists, because living our values doesn't make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture." 9:57: Foreign policy: "And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away." Long standing ovation after statement of support for the troops. 9:56: Putting the war in the budget: "For seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price." 9:55: Trying to soften the blow: "I know you'll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime." Continue reading "Liveblogging The Speech" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:18 PM | Email Author | Permalink

"We Are Not Quitters" Read along with the president tonight, remarks as prepared for delivery: Continue reading ""We Are Not Quitters"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:08 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 23, 2009

Stimulus Finished, White House Turns Focus To Deficit After spending the first month in office trying to pass a massive spending bill, the White House today launched a new public push on fiscal responsibility, with President Obama promising a new budget plan that will cut the deficit in half by 2012. "This will not be easy. It will require us to make difficult decisions and face challenges we've long neglected. But I refuse to leave our children with a debt that they cannot repay," Obama said in launching a summit on fiscal responsibility this afternoon. That starts, he added, by ending the "gimmicks" often employed by other administrations (read: President Bush) to understate the true gap between income and expenditure, what he called an "exercise in deception." "We do ourselves no favors by hiding the truth about what we spend," he said. "In order to address our fiscal crisis, we're going to have to be candid about its scope. And that's why the budget I will introduce later this week will look ahead 10 years, and will include a full and honest accounting of the money we plan to spend and the deficits we will likely incur." He said his administration has already begun inspecting its own budget "line by line to root out waste and inefficiency," and urged the rest of Washington to join him in this "new era of responsibility." "If we want to rebuild our economy and restore discipline and honesty to our budget, we will need to change the way we do business here in Washington," he said. "We're not going to be able to fall back into the same old habits, and make the same inexcusable mistakes." Today's generic remarks set the table for tomorrow's more detailed address to Congress, press secretary Robert Gibbs said later. He said to expect the president to begin outlining some of the "hard choices" and "specific cuts" he's proposing. Asked about an omnibus spending bill on the docket in Congress right now that includes thousands of earmarks, Gibbs said there "is concern." "Everybody has to be involved in the sharing of pain in this," he said. "When you're at $1.2 or $1.3 trillion deficit, an economy where we are, I think it's everybody's responsibility to act accordingly." Gibbs would not promise a veto, however, saying he has not spoken with the president or seen a final draft from Congress. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:41 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Warns Governors About Politicization Of Stimulus The nation's governors wrapped up a visit to Washington with meetings at the White House this morning, which included some strong words from President Obama about the decision by some to publicly reject some of the stimulus funds directed at the states. A group of Republican governors has raised specific concerns about allocations for unemployment insurance that they believe would place long-term burdens on the states in return for some shortterm assistance for their citizens. Their views ended up dominating the conversation around this weekend's winter meeting of the National Governors Association, with some Democrats also reacting by tagging those opposed as on the "fringe." Obama told the group this morning that there are "some very legitimate concerns" about the unemployment insurance provisions, but noted that they were only a small part, less than 10 percent, of the overall package. "I just want to make sure that we're having an honest debate and presenting to the American people a fulsome accounting of what is going on in this program," he said. "If we agree on 90 percent of the stuff, and we're spending all our time on television arguing about 1, 2, 3 percent of the spending in this thing and somehow it's being characterized in broad brush as wasteful spending, that starts sounding more like politics -- and that's what right now we don't have time to do." Asked about the president's comments, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.) criticized the media for "shoddy" coverage, saying it focused too intently on what are fairly typical actions on the part of governors as it relates to federal funding. "What he didn't like, and I agree with him, is the portrayal that states weren't going to take any of the stimulus money. There's nobody that said that," Barbour told RCP this morning. "His concern, which is a good concern, has been portrayed by the news media as if Republican governors were saying have a stimulus package is bad. ... We're for a stimulus package. We would have done it differently, but now we're down to how should it be implemented, and there are some provisions that as a practical matter may be against the states interests." Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) also struck a more conciliatory tone even as he reiterated his concerns with the stimulus bill. He thanked Obama for acknowledging those concerns, and praised his commitment to providing transparency to the process. "We absolutely -- Republican and Democratic governors -- want our president to succeed," Jindal told reporters after today's meetings. "When we disagree with him we will certainly offer alternative ideas and solutions. But we face serious challenges as a country. ... We're going to look for every opportunity to reach across the party line and work with him. We absolutely want him to succeed." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 20, 2009

An HHS Appointment, With A Sebelius Connection The White House this afternoon announced the appointment of Mary Wakefield to the post of Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Wakefield is currently the director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota. The HRSA, which is charged with "improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable," is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, a Cabinet agency that still has no leader. Though the White House has not named a new HHS secretary, it's worth noting that Wakefield does have a passing connection with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan.), who is rumored to be the administration's leading candidate for the job. In 1997, President Clinton appointed both Wakefield and Sebelius to the Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. There were 25 other members of the panel, though, and a White House spokesperson downplayed the significance of the link. At the time, Sebelius was the Kansas Insurance Commissioner. Sebelius is expected to be in Washington this weekend for the National Governors Association conference. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:44 PM | Email Author | Permalink

An Oscar-Worthy Press Briefing In the spirit of this weekend's Academy Awards, today Robert Gibbs tossed his hat in the ring for Best Choreographed Response To A Cable News Personality. At his afternoon briefing, the White House press secretary was asked about the viral "rant" by CNBC's Rick Santelli on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, criticizing the president's home foreclosure plan and calling for another "tea party." Gibbs was clearly prepared for the question, and responded with heavy sarcasm - at one point charging that Santelli didn't know what he was talking about. "Every day when I come out here, I spend a little time reading, studying on the issues, asking people who are smarter than I am questions about those issues. I would encourage him to read the president's plan," Gibbs said. "I'd be more than happy to have him come here and read it. I'd be happy to buy him a cup of coffee - decaf." After then moving on to another question, Gibbs seemed to soon realize he left out an important part of his planned response -- the prop. He interrupted the questioner, and held up for the cameras a printed copy of Obama's foreclosure plan. "This is a copy of the president's home affordability plan. It's available on the White House web site, and I would encourage him: download it, hit print, and begin to read it," Gibbs said sternly. It didn't stop there, either. He would pick up the line of attack several more times in the briefing. "[I] think it's tremendously important that, for people who rant on cable television, to be responsible and understand what it is they're talking about," he said in response to a question from NBC's Chuck Todd. "I feel assured that Mr. Santelli doesn't know what he's talking about." Today wasn't the first time that Gibbs has criticized the tone of cable chatter at odds with the president's views. But today was perhaps the most aggressive he's been in responding to specific criticism. "An open debate is something that's obviously important," he said, repeating the quote that people are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. "I don't think anybody could sit in front of the TV and listen for an hour and not hear somebody that's making a case that ... they know just isn't true." Gibbs did also include a subtle dig at lawmakers who voted against the stimulus bill, but have since publicly praised individual projects that the plan will fund, calling it "amusing" to see their press releases "and Twitter comments." "I think that the American people readily understand when this town gets dominated by games-playing rather than problem-solving," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Suggests Burris "Think Of What Lays In His Future" It was not explicitly a call for his resignation, but perhaps just short of one. At his briefing today, Robert Gibbs suggested that Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) should "take some time this weekend" to correct testimony he gave before the Blagojevich impeachment committee, and also "think of what lays in his future." "The appointment of Senator Burris was -- and his taking the Senate seat -- was based largely on the representations that he made, factual representations that he made to the people of Illinois through interviews and through his testimony to the impeachment committee," Gibbs said. "We know that, and it has been reported extensively that ... some of those stories seem to be at variance with what's happened." Gibbs shrugged when reporters suggested that his comments sounded like a call for resignation, and only repeated that various outlets have documented the discrepancies between Burris' testimony before the impeachment committee and subsequent affidavits and public comments. Today, Gov. Pat Quinn said that Burris should resign, and that his seat should be filled through a special election. Gibbs has denied speaking with President Obama about the issue. But given the close relationship between the two, one wonders whether Gibbs intentionally does not discuss it with the president to allow for plausible deniability, or whether they have their own "off the record" sessions. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:13 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Mayors Promise Accountability With Stimulus Funds President Obama welcomed a group of mayors to the White House today, praising them as nonideological problem solvers who deserve a federal partner, but warning that any assistance will be closely monitored. "If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it and put a stop to it. And I want everybody here to be on notice that if a local government does the same, I will call them out on it," Obama said. With the recovery plan now law, the White House wants to prove wrong those who have criticized it as a "spending" plan and not a "stimulus" plan, and who will be looking to magnify the misuse of any funds. Today's message is also one that will also be related to governors when they come to the White House in a few days. It's also a message that the city leaders say comes with the territory. "We get called out every day at the local level," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, head of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "We have plenty of constituents who will be doing that before the president does." Speaking as a group to reporters after their White House visit, some mayors were asked about situations where governors are considering rejecting federal stimulus money. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin praised Rep. James Clyburn for inserting a provision that would allow state legislatures to vote whether to accept the funds if governors, like Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, refuse them. "He's been tapped as the up and coming Republican to potentially run for president the next time it goes around, so he has a certain vernacular and a certain way he needs to talk right now," Nagin said. 'I told the governor personally, any dollars he does not want we will take them gladly." Pat McCrory, the Republican mayor of Charlotte who lost a tight race for North Carolina governor last fall, said that he like others in his party opposed provisions of the stimulus but looks forward to using the funds. "Now that the bill has passed I want it to work the best way it can," he said. "I was very pleased with President Obama's comment regarding accountability, that he'll be watching the governors, which is very important to all of these mayors, and that he'll be watching the mayors to make sure that the money is not seen as pork or not spent wisely." Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:29 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 19, 2009

Obama Treads Carefully In First Foreign Visit President Obama chose his words carefully at a joint press conference with his Canadian counterpart this afternoon, saying on the sensitive issue of trade that the United States has to "be very careful about any signals of protectionism." "As one of the largest economies in the world, its important for us to show leadership in the belief that trade ultimately is beneficial to all countries," Obama said. But he then diplomatically reiterated his desire to see environmental and labor provisions incorporated into NAFTA rather than just as side agreements, saying if they are to be legitimate, "they might as well be incorporated in the main body of the agreement so they can effectively be enforced." Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, said he is "perfectly willing to look at ways we can address some of these concerns," but cautioned reopening the entire trade agreement and "what is a very complex agreement." The comments came after a "working lunch" between the two leaders on President Obama's first trip outside of the United States - though at one point he said he was happy to be in "Iowa" rather than Ottawa (campaign still on the mind?). Obama and Harper exchanged pleasentries, with the president saying that the nations' proximity to one another sometimes leads to them taking "each other for granted." On the other main topic of discussion, Afghanistan, Obama again said he did not want to comment at length before his administration completed a complete review of its policy. He said that new troop deployments were announced to "stabilize the situation there in advance of the elections that are coming up. "I certainly did not press the prime minister on any additional commitments beyond the ones that have already been made," Obama said. Canada had announced a gradual drawdown of its forces there. And Harper today indicated what Obama would not, that he believes any commitment should have a definite end-date. "I'm strongly of the view ... that we are not in the long term, through our own efforts, going to establish peace and security in Afghanistan," Harper said. "That job ultimately can be done only by the Afghans themselves. So I would hope that all strategies that come forward have the idea of an end date, of a transition to Afghan responsibility for security, and to greater western partnership for economic development." Obama was also to meet with the leader of the opposition party before returning to Washington tonight. Tomorrow the president will meet with the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the White House. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 18, 2009

Obama Calls For Responsibility In Housing Plan Calling on lenders and homeowners alike to "step back and take responsibility," President Obama announced some specific steps to address the nation's foreclosure crisis, a $75 billion plan that he said is "a price well worth paying." "All of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis, and all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to continue to deepen," he said at a Phoenix-area high school this morning. "If we act boldly and swiftly to arrest this downward spiral, every American will benefit." A core part of the plan is rebuilding confidence in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Obama said that, at a minimal cost to taxpayers, his plan would start by removing a restriction on the two giants to allow them to refinance mortgages they already own or guarantee. Using money already approved through the TARP program, Obama also said the Treasury would infuse $200 billion in capital to allow Fannie and Freddie to "continue to stabilize markets and hold mortgage rates down." Other provisions would give bankruptcy judges more leeway to modify mortgages in court, as well as giving new incentives to lenders to modify the terms of subprime loans at risk of default. The president, speaking in a city where housing prices have dropped 43 percent, said his plan would help up to nine million families avoid foreclosure. But he was sure to also explain its limits, saying he did not seek to rescue "unscrupulous or irresponsible" lenders, speculators "who took risky bets," or those who borrowed more than they could afford. "Solving this crisis will require more than resources - it will require all of us to step back and take responsibility," he said. "Government must take responsibility for setting rules of the road that are fair and fairly enforced. Banks and lenders must be held accountable for ending the practices that got us into this crisis in the first place. And each of us as individuals must take responsibility for their own actions. That means all of us must learn to live within our means again." Obama was under pressure to offer more details than were made public by his Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, last week. When Geithner's remarks were released, the stock market dropped several hundred points. Today, by contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained largely steady. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 17, 2009

White House Announces Afghanistan Reinforcements The White House is now announcing that President Obama has ordered two additional brigades to be deployed Afghanistan, with the increase in forces taking effect by summer. In a statement, Obama says the additional troops are "necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation." At the same time, Obama says the administration is still conducting a review of Afghanistan policy, and will eventually put forth a "comprehensive strategy" in consultation with "friends and allies." "This troop increase does not pre-determine the outcome of that strategic review," he says in the statement. Full statement after the jump: Continue reading "White House Announces Afghanistan Reinforcements" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:01 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Signs Stimulus Plan, Marks "Beginning Of The End" President Obama signed the stimulus bill today, playing up what he said were historic investments in the nation's critical needs while promising that today marked the "beginning of the first steps to set our economy on a firmer foundation." "We have begun the essential work of keeping the American dream alive in our time," Obama said at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The president, joined by Vice President Biden, members of Colorado's Congressional delegation and other local officials, said the plan will create three and half million jobs by "putting Americans to work doing the work that America needs done in critical areas that have been neglected for too long," which he said will "bring real and lasting change for generations to come." He then ran through specific areas of these "investments," or spending measures, using a number of historical superlatives and invoking some of his predecessors in the process: "The largest new investment in our nation's infrastructure since Eisenhower built an interstate highway system in the 1950s." "The largest investment in education in our nation's history." "The most meaningful steps in years towards modernizing our health care system." "We have done more in 30 days to advance the cause of health reform than this country has done in an entire decade." "Create a newer, smarter electric grid that will allow for the broader use of alternative energy," instead of lines that date back to Thomas Edison. "The biggest increase in basic research funding in the long history of America's noble endeavor to better understand our world," akin to Kennedy's call to reach the moon. "The most progressive [tax cuts] in our history." "Help[ing] poor and working Americans pull themselves into the middle class in a way we haven't seen in nearly fifty years.

He also emphasized the lack of earmarks in the bill, and what he said were unprecedented steps to provide transparency, including the launch today of Recovery.gov. "With a recovery package of this size comes a responsibility to assure every taxpayer that we are being careful with the money they work so hard to earn," he said. But still, Obama said it will take more than the recovery bill, which he said "represents only the first part of the broad strategy we need to address our economic crisis." Tomorrow, he will announce a more detailed plan to deal with foreclosures. Press secretary Robert Gibbs also talked with reporters en route to Colorado about the possibility of future stimulus measures in the future - saying it was unlikely, but not ruling it out. "The President is going to do whatever he thinks is necessary to get our economy moving again," Gibbs said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:29 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 13, 2009

With A Thumbs Up For Congress, Obama Departs For Chicago President Obama offered a quick thumbs up, but had no other comment about the House stimulus vote as he walked toward Marine One with his family before leaving for a weekend in Chicago. White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs, meanwhile, shrugged at his afternoon briefing when a reporter told him of the final vote total: 246-183 in favor, but again without any Republican "yea" votes. "That's 3.5 million jobs that we look forward to saving or creating," he said. President Obama is due to return to Washington Monday afternoon, meaning the bill, if passed by the Senate as well, would be signed no sooner. Gibbs explained that the paperwork likely won't travel down Pennsylvania Avenue until then, anyway. After signing the stimulus bill, Obama will again hit the road, starting Tuesday with a trip to Denver for an event focused on the plan. Wednesday, he'll roll out a plan to address the foreclosure crisis. And Thursday, he'll make his first trip abroad -- just north to Canada, which ended up being the butt of more than a few jokes at the briefing. Earlier today Obama spoke to members of the Business Council, an organization of business leaders that was formed, he said without hesitation, when President Roosevelt's Commerce Secretary invited executives from the top corporations to help craft New Deal policies. Obama made no reference to his own search for a Commerce Secretary, after joking last night about during a speech about President Lincoln. "One of the reasons we've come so far is because so many of you have recognized the urgency and necessity of taking action," the president said, referring to the stimulus bill. There were relatively few questions asked of Gibbs about yesterday's abrupt withdrawal by Judd Gregg. The press secretary said Obama was "quite comfortable" with the selection when he made it, and believed he would be a good addition to the Cabinet. "[Obama and Gregg] had a discussion about the agenda moving forward, and obviously the agenda that's going to move forward is the president's agenda," he said. "Whether or not, what role that played in Senator Gregg's ultimate decision making in the last few days, I'll let him address. But it won't preclude him from looking at other Republicans or other people who may disagree with certain aspects of his agenda." Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 12, 2009

Gregg: "Probably" Won't Run In 2010 Sen. Judd Gregg just told reporters that he withdrew his nomination after coming to the realization that he could not be a true team player in the Obama Cabinet, while downplaying somewhat his policy differences with the administration. "You can't have a blocking back who only pulls it out for every second or third play," the New Hampshire Republican said. Gregg said Obama has been "incredibly gracious" to him, and conceded that it was "really unfair" for him to withdraw at this time. "But to go forward and take this position and then find myself sitting there and not be able to do the job the way it should be done on behalf of the president, it would have been an even bigger mistake," he said. He did contradict a statement from the White House, however, saying that "the president asked me" to consider the appointment. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said that Gregg had approached the president with interest in the position. "It was my mistake obviously, to say yes because it wasn't my personality," he said. "After 30 years of being myself, it would have been hard to assume another role where I couldn't have been 100 percent all the time the team player that he needed." He said that the issue of the Census "only a slight catalyzing issue," and he offered some praise for the "extraordinary job" the administration has undertaken to address the financial crisis. Asked if he'd run for re-election in 2010, he first said, "Probably not." Later, he gave a more emphatic "no." Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) has already declared his intention to run for the seat. Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:38 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Updated: Gregg Withdraws Commerce Sec Nomination ** UPDATE II: A White House spokesperson is dismissing the quickly-developing notion that the administration was caught off guard by Gregg's announcement, saying, "We knew in advance." The official did not dispute that it was a "tight hold." ** UPDATE: Here's the White House's statement, from press secretary Robert Gibbs: "Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President's agenda. Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama's key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways. We regret that he has had a change of heart." ** EARLIER: The White House has no comment yet, as their second nominee for Secretary of Commerce has withdrawn. The New Hampshire Republican cites "irresolvable conflicts" over the stimulus plan and the Census. The White House had moved to take more direct control over the process, which in recent years has become a more political endeavor. Here's the statement from Judd Gregg, who will now remain the senior senator from New Hampshire: "I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle. "However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy. "Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives. "I greatly admire President Obama and know our country will benefit from his leadership, but at this time I must withdraw my name from consideration for this position. "As we move forward, I expect there will be many issues and initiatives where I can and will work to assure the success of the President's proposals. This will certainly be a goal of mine. "Kathy and I also want to specifically thank Governor Lynch and Bonnie Newman for their friendship and assistance during this period. In addition we wish to thank all the people, especially in New Hampshire, who have been so kind and generous in their supportive comments. "As a further matter of clarification, nothing about the vetting process played any role in this decision. I will continue to represent the people of New Hampshire in the United States Senate."

UPDATE: Here is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's statement on Gregg returning to the Senate: "Sen. Gregg made a principled decision to return and we're glad to have him. He is among the smartest, most effective legislators to serve in the Senate -Democrat or Republican -- and a key advisor to me and to the Republican Conference. It's great to have him back." UPDATE: Here is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's statement: "I applaud President Obama for asking Sen. Judd Gregg to guide our nation's commerce at a critical time for our economy and for reaching across the aisle to include another Republican in his Cabinet. Senator Gregg has been a personal friend of mine for a long time, and I respect his decision. I look forward to continuing to work with him in the U.S. Senate to develop bipartisan solutions to the serious economic problems facing our nation." Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Suggests Stimulus Impact May Surpass Jobs Goal Obama held a roundtable discussion with regional reporters at the White House yesterday, aiming to spread the White House's message about the stimulus plan through local media. The Q&A garnered big headlines in most of the target cities, as Obama talked not just about his recovery plan but a host of local issues. Interestingly, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he thinks he may actually selling the impact of his proposal short, saying the ripple effect of some job-creating measures may lead to an undercounting of the final result. "You're probably not counting the fact that that teacher is still going to the dry cleaner down the street," Obama said. "I think the ripple effects of this package won't be entirely documentable, but I think it will be significant." With the Columbus Dispatch and Dayton Daily News, Obama "sympathized" with the decisions being made by governors at the state level. Obama said the final legislation would save Ohio from draconian budget cuts. Obama: "Given what Gov. (Ted) Strickland is going through in Ohio ... we need to provide ample relief to the states. Obama praised the role Maine's senators played in the Portland Press Herald, and said he's confident in getting more Republican support. Obama: "I think Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe are outstanding legislators who care about their state but who also care about this country. There are going to be times when Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe disagree with me, but they've been consistently thoughtful and I very much appreciate the efforts that they've put in." He did the same with the Omaha World-Herald, saying that Ben Nelson has "been a very constructive partner in this process." Obama: "Without Ben, I'm not sure we get other votes." He also said some of the "scrubbing" done in the Senate made sense. "My bottom line has always been: Is it creating jobs? And this bill creates jobs. Is it providing relief to states? It's providing relief to states. Is it laying the foundation for long-term economic growth? It is." Obama told Detroit's Free Press that he's waiting for commitments from auto industry executives before offering "serious help." "My message is, get me a plan," he said. "You know, if a plan is presented to us on 20 million [in] sales when we just know that's not going to happen, then we're going to have to ask them to go back to the drawing board," he said." Obama told the Anchorage Daily News he would discuss the state's natural gas pipeline with Canada at his Feb. 19 meeting. "It's a project of great potential and something I'm very interested in," Obama said. On drilling, Obama "said it would be short-sighted to rely on offshore oil and gas development to solve the nation's energy problems or stimulate the flagging U.S. economy." Offshore resources are "not going to come online quickly enough," he said, according to the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. Obama "promised unprecedented oversight and transparency" of the plan, as the Indianapolis Star asked about funding for local projects. "I don't want to offer an opinion on various projects that I have not seen, haven't heard about. I suspect if you look on the lists of whatever mayors have put out, you can always find something that sounds like it might not make sense. But overall, what I've seen from mayors and governors is a great deal of seriousness about the kinds of projects that are going to be funded." He joked with the Raleigh News & Observer about the Duke-North Carolina game, refusing to take sides on account of his personal aide, Duke alum Reggie Love. But on military matters, he thanked Marines at Camp Lejeune. "They've been carrying a big load and doing extraordinary work on behalf of the country. ... I'm going to have to make some decisions fairly soon about Afghanistan deployments." And then there was this nugget that the Detroit News led with. "What, exactly, was the brick-size wooden box with the red button on top, on the table in front of President Barack Obama?" Obama: "If any of you really got me mad, I would press it," he joked. The box is actually an alarm to call Secret Service agents to his defense. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:39 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 11, 2009

Obama On Stimulus Deal: Undoing Layoffs At Caterpillar The White House's statement on the apparent stimulus deal in Congress:

"I want to thank the Democrats and Republicans in Congress who came together around a hard-fought compromise that will save or create more than 3.5 million jobs and get our economy back on track. Just today, the CEO of Caterpillar said that if this American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan is passed, his company would be able to rehire some of the employees they've been forced to lay off. It's also a plan that will provide immediate tax relief to families and businesses, while investing in priorities like health care, education, energy, and infrastructure that will grow our economy once more. I'm grateful to the House Democrats for starting this process, and for members in the House and Senate for moving it along with the urgency that this moment demands," said President Obama. Obama will visit the Caterpillar plant in Peoria, Ill., tomorrow during a visit to his former home state, where he'll also attend ceremonies honoring the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

LaHood Confident More Republicans Will Vote For Stimulus Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said this afternoon that he's confident the final stimulus bill will see more support from House Republicans than it did in the initial round of voting. "They know the importance of this," said LaHood, a former Republican congressman and one of three Republicans in Obama's Cabinet. "They're concerned about the process, the way the bill was put together. But I've not heard one criticism from my friends on the Republican side that this piece of it - they all like it." He was referring to funding for infrastructure projects, which he said both Democrats and Republicans see as guaranteed job-creators. The secretary was joined by several state directors of transportation who are very eager to see an influx of cash to help jumpstart various projects, many of which have been shelved in tough economic times. "We are very anxious and very thankful for those kinds of dollars," said Allen Biehler, Pennsylvania's transportation secretary. He expects a billion dollars in federal funds, which he said represents a 75 percent increase in the department's yearly budget. LaHood and the state officials said they were confident the funds would be spent wisely; a national association of state transportation officials will work with the White House to ensure transparency, they said. As for the final vote, LaHood doesn't see himself lobbying his former colleagues. "If I was selected by the president to help them get votes, my job will probably not last very long. I haven't been too successful so far," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:19 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Shifts Focus From Passage To Implementation Of Stimulus With Congress nearing final approval of the stimulus bill, President Obama began looking ahead to its implementation, promising unprecedented oversight and transparency of the "enormous" plan, while also taking personal responsibility for the results. "There are those who express the opinion that we won't be able to do it, who say that this plan's too big to be implemented effectively and efficiently," Obama said in Springfield this morning. "I understand these concerns, but I'm confident that we can do things differently and better. As president I expect to be judged, and should be judged by the results of this program." The president left Washington again in his public sales job, today heading to a construction sight in nearby Springfield Virginia. After focusing on unemployment and home foreclosures in Indiana and Florida, respectively, Obama joined Gov. Tim Kaine, his new DNC chairman, to promote the importance of infrastructure in his plan. Infrastructure funding would provide not just short-term construction jobs, but make it easier for a growing population to expand business development. "We're surrounded by unmet needs and unfinished business in our schools, in our roads, in the systems we employ to treat the sick, and the energy we use to power our homes. And that's the core of my plan, putting people to work doing the work that America needs done," he said. He also talked about the consequences of not acting - recalling the Minneapolis bridge collapse and flooding of New Orleans, but also talking about the daily struggles of longer commutes, stunted growth, and even "money wasted on fuel that's burned in worsening traffic." Gone, though, was talk of inheriting the current crisis and warnings about potential catastrophe. Instead he promised that "every tax dollar is spent wisely and on its intended purpose." "We're going to hold the federal government to new standards of accountability," he said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 10, 2009

An Overlooked Anniversary It was two years ago today that Barack Obama stood in front of the Old Statehouse in Springfield, Ill., to announce his candidacy for president of the United States. Yet you wouldn't know it at the White House, where aides say the anniversary is going without any significant recognition. "The celebration was in Fort Myers, where the president was fighting for a stimulus package," said deputy press secretary Bill Burton. Several of the Obama staffers who were part of the small team freezing outside on that February day now find themselves in the White House - a tribute to the rare continuity that the campaign enjoyed. "Two years ago the Internet didn't work. Not much has changed," joked Jen Psaki, part of the initial campaign communication staff and now also a deputy White House press secretary today (the White House e-mail system has had the occasional glitch). Considering how the economy is dominating his administration in the early going, it's notable that he used the word "economy" just three times in that announcement speech. Of course, the Dow was at above 12,500 at the time. But the first reference to it came during a portion of the speech about personal responsibility, which was a major theme of his inaugural address. "Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility - for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice," he said then. Obama will return to Springfield on Thursday to mark a more significant milestone - the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Obama's announcement speech is after the jump. Continue reading "An Overlooked Anniversary" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:46 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's Praise For Crist President Obama offered strong praise for Florida's ambitious Republican governor today, as he thanked Charlie Crist for supporting his recovery plan. "The thing about governors is, they understand our economic crisis in a way that maybe sometimes folks a little more removed don't understand," Obama said. "Governor Crist shares my conviction that creating jobs and turning this economy around is a mission that transcends party. And when the town is burning, you don't check party labels. Everyone needs to grab a hose." Crist, introducing the president, said the debate over the stimulus was "not about partisan politics" but "rising above that, helping America, and reigniting our economy." His support is noteworthy at a time when most Republicans in Washington and beyond have roundly criticized the plan, including John McCain, who Crist strongly supported in the 2008 primary and general election. Crist, who is apparently taking a second look at the U.S. Senate race (at the urging of Washington Republicans) but at the very least will seek a second term, could use Obama's words to help him in two years. But a Democratic operative in the state isn't concerned. "If Crist wants to give political cover to every Democrat across the country on this, who am I to stand in the way?" Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:43 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Subtly Reverses His Reversal At his town hall meeting in Fort Myers today, President Obama tweaked a line in his opening remarks that had raised some eyebrows yesterday, in which he said that without action the economy could reach a crisis point that we "may be unable to reverse." "Economists from across the spectrum have warned that if we don't act immediately, that millions more jobs will disappear," he said today. "National unemployment rates will approach double digits. More people will lose their homes and their health care. And our nation will sink into a crisis that, at some point, is going to be that much tougher to reverse." The initial statement, from the town hall in Elkhart, Ind., suggested that the economy could reach a tipping point from which it could not overcome. It was the subject of the very first question he faced at last night's press conference, when the president was asked if he risked "losing some credibility or even talking down the economy by using dire language like that." Obama's new language today was not quite as severe, and suggested only that the crisis would be prolonged, not permanent. But otherwise Obama's message was just as urgent to Congress, which will now work to bridge the divide between House and Senate versions of the stimulus bill. "We've got a little more work to do," Obama said after announcing during the event that the Senate had approved the bill. And reinforcing his new tack to bring public pressure to bear, he joked that it only passed "because they knew I was coming down to Fort Myers, they didn't want to mess with the people of Fort Myers." Even as Obama has been trying to raise the stakes for lawmakers to act, he also acknowledged his own political fortunes would depend on the success or failure of the plan. "If it turns out that a few years from now people don't feel like the ecomomy's turned around ... then you guys won't applaud me next time I come down here," Obama said. "I'm not going to make any excuses. If stuff hasn't worked, if people don't feel like I've led the country in the right direction, then you'll have a new president." The crowd, though, seemed largely supportive. And Obama made a very personal connection at one point, reaching in to embrace a woman who appealed to the president for help. "We're going to do everything we can to help you," he said to the woman, who identified herself as Henrietta Hughes. "There are a lot of people like you." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:33 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Meets the Press Much has been made about President Obama's initial displays of bipartisanship, and his subsequent return to the rhetoric of the campaign trail. In his first press conference last night, it seemed clearer that in his view, the two approaches are not contradictory - that two different philosophies of government should not preclude the nation's leaders from quick action. Obama's own philosophy was made clear in his opening statement, as he declared that "it is only government that can break the vicious cycle" the nation finds itself in, and furthermore that "tax cuts alone can't solve all of our economic problems." His recovery plan is not perfect, he said, but it's "of sufficient size and scope" to have the kind of impact he desires. "That wasn't just some random number that I plucked out of a hat," he said of the $800 billion price tag. He reminded Americans of the "series of overtures" that he made to the Republican parties, including his "unprecedented" appointment of three Cabinet members. These moves "were not designed simply to get some short-term votes," but "to build up some trust," the president said. Continue reading "Obama Meets the Press" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:46 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 09, 2009

Obama Press Conference -- First Thoughts Some quick thoughts after leaving the East Room tonight after President Obama's first prime-time news conference: The president took questions for more than 50 minutes after his opening statement. It's probably the longest extended Q&A he's had. During the transition he would take only three or four questions at press conferences, and during the campaign few more. He called on the following news orgs: AP, Reuters, CBS, NBC, Bloomberg, ABC, CNN, the New York Times, Fox, the Washington Post, Helen Thomas, Huffington Post, and NPR - 13 questions. The questions were aimed mostly at the stimulus or TARP (5 questions), foreign policy (3), bipartisanship and lessons learned (2), Joe Biden (1), Alex Rodriguez (1), investigating the Bush administration (1). His early answers tended to be quite long, speeding things up as the press conference went on. Theme: After spending the first two weeks of his presidency in Washington, DC, Obama clearly is seeking new momentum in the stimulus fight by returning to his Washington outsider roots. He mentioned the town of Elkhart at least a half dozen times to reinforce the idea that while Washington and the media focus on the Congressional sausage-making, ordinary Americans just want quick action. Notable Quotes: Called this no "run of the mill recession." Says he did not come into office just to be able to spend a trillion dollars. Criticized Republicans who have even argued - as Mitch McConnell did on the Senate floor - that the New Deal policies did not work, saying they seem to be fighting battles "I thought were resolved a long time ago." Balanced some of his attacks on Republicans by noting the "unprecedented" number of Republicans in his Cabinet, and said he hopes his overtures toward the GOP "will be reciprocated." Joked that perhaps he should have called for no tax cuts just to let Republicans take credit for them. Even hits fellow Democrats who have been "resistant to reform." Obama said his benchmark for judging whether the stimulus plan was working would be whether it has created or saved 4 million jobs. That would seem an easy one for Republicans to use as ammunition if he fails to reach that target in two or four years, but it's also difficult to determine whether you have "saved" a job. Is it just me or did he really throw his vice president under the bus? He claimed not to remember Biden saying there was a 30 percent chance the plan could fail, and couldn't say he knew what he meant. Even laughed as he answered the question.

In short, no major mistakes. He was able to stick largely on message, and wasn't thrown off his game. Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:41 PM | Email Author | Permalink

On Houses And Hannity Returning to a city that he had visited during the campaign, President Obama made reference, seemingly unintentionally, to what was once a hot topic in the 2008 race - his opponent's multiple homes. Asked a question about mortgage foreclosures, Obama promised that his administration would unveil "a series of plans" to help homeowners. "We're going to be doing a lot on this," he said. One potential provision he supports, he said, would end a plan that helps people who go into bankruptcy, even if they have "a second home or a third home or a fourth home or a fifth home." The crowd laughed at the notion. Someone with one house who goes into bankruptcy could not see their mortgage terms modified, however. "Now that makes no sense," Obama said, saying he includes himself in the latter category. "Keep in mind, the house I'm in in DC, I'm just borrowing that - that's the people's house," he said. "I'm a guest in Washington in the people's house. My house is on the South Side of Chicago, that I own." The issue of John McCain's multiple homes became a popular talking point in late August when the Arizona senator could not immediately identify just how many he owned. "If you're like me, and you got one house, or you are like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so they don't lose their home, then you might have a different perspective," Obama said at one event in Virginia after the story broke. Another light moment came when President Obama was asked about having a beer with conservative talk show host Sean Hannity. The president said he was unaware of the offer, but would "take it under advisement. "Generally his opinion of me does not seem to be very high," he said. "But I'm always good for a beer." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:22 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: Without Action Soon, America May Not Reverse Crisis Admitting that the stimulus bill is not perfect, President Obama made an urgent appeal for the passage of the plan at a town hall meeting in Indiana this afternoon and said that if not addressed soon, the economic crisis may be irreversible. Obama took to the stage in Elkhart six months after visiting the town during the presidential campaign, returning, he said, to show that he intended to keep his promises. And he argued that through the election, Americans had sided with him in supporting the kinds of ideas the recovery plan would put to action. "We can't posture and bicker and resort to the same failed ideas that got us into this mess in the first place - that was what this election was all about," he said. "The American people rejected those ideas because they hadn't worked. You didn't send us to Washington because you were hoping for more of the same. You sent us there to change things. The expectation that we would act quickly and boldly to carry out change - and that is exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States of America." In his opening remarks, Obama tried to change what he said were some misconceptions about the plan by listing specific provisions of the bill. He flatly denied a claim that the legislation would boost government and not private-sector employment, and also repeated his contention that there were no earmarks. And he offered another stark warning about what would happen if lawmakers failed to act, saying that the nation could "sink into a crisis that, at some point, we may be unable to reverse." "Now let me be clear: I'm not going to tell you that this bill is perfect," he said. After all, it is "coming out of Washington." But he said it is the "right size" and "scope" and would set the stage for future growth. "I can't tell you with a hundred percent certainty that every single item in this plan will work exactly as we hope. But what I can tell you is, I can tell you with complete confidence that endless delay or paralysis in Washington in the face of this crisis will only bring deepening disaster." During the Q&A session, Obama was put on the defensive when asked about the tax problems of some administration appointees. Some in the crowd booed the questioner, but the president defended it as a legitimate criticism. He did say that he thought the problems were "honest mistakes," and sought credit for admitting his own mistake, something he said you "sometimes don't hear from politicians." "One of the things I've discovered is, if you're not going to appoint anybody who's ever made a mistake in you life, then you're not going to have anybody taking their jobs," he said. He also pointed to the "very high bar" he has set in terms of ethics rules for his administration. Obama returns now to the White House, where he'll hold his first prime-time press conference. Tomorrow he'll hold a similar event in Fort Myers, Fla., and then another in Peoria, Ill., on Thursday. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Crist Joining Obama In Florida Tomorrow An interesting announcement from the White House: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican who was considered a top candidate to be John McCain's running mate last year, will join President Obama for a town hall meeting in Fort Myers tomorrow. Crist remains very popular in the Sunshine State despite the poor economy, with a recent survey pegging his approval rating at 73 percent. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, also a Republican, is not with the president today in Elkhart, and Republican Sen. Lugar declined in invitation to fly on Air Force One to the event. Crist is reportedly considering a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2010, though it's considered more likely he'll seek a second term instead (and perhaps keep his options open for 2012). Here's Crist's statement from the White House release: Florida has taken prudent steps to cut taxes for our people and balance our budget in these increasingly difficult times. Any attempts at federal stimulus must prioritize job creation and targeted tax relief for small business owners. I am eager to welcome President Obama to the Sunshine State as he continues to work hard to reignite the US economy. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Advisers Claim Strong Support For Stimulus Some insight from Air Force One as President Obama is set to take his economic stimulus plan on the road in Indiana. Press secretary Robert Gibbs did not indicate any preference on the part of the White House for the Senate or House version of the stimulus bill, saying he'd leave it to members of Congress to hash out final details. Meanwhile, senior adviser David Axelrod told reporters on the flight that the administration was confident that there's still "strong support" for the plans, citing a new Gallup poll. "One thing that we learned over two years is that there's a whole different conversation in Washington than there is out here," Axelrod said. "If I had listened to the conversation in Washington during the campaign for president, I would have jumped off a building about a year and a half ago." Gibbs also pointed to a disconnect between Main Street and the "myopic view in Washington" and the chatter on cable news. "There's a conventional wisdom to what's going on in America via Washington, and there's the reality of what's happening in America," he said. Obama also briefly stopped in the press cabin, but did not take any policy questions, according to a pool report. He did say that the Obama family had a "great time" at Camp David this weekend, and that he "hit a few golf balls" and played basketball at the presidential retreat. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:01 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 06, 2009

Using The Press Room To Send A Message Robert Gibbs used his podium today to indirectly target some lawmakers who could provide crucial votes on the president's stimulus plan. At his afternoon briefing, the press secretary rattled off a list of facts and figures to highlight the severity of the economic crisis, saying that the numbers signal "quite clearly that our economy is getting more sick, that the job market is getting worse, and it is accelerating quickly." He then might as well have singled out the senators by name, as he explained the "numbers behind those numbers." To Senators Olympia Snow and Susan Collins: "Last month the economy lost 598,000 jobs. That is the equivalent of losing every job in the state of Maine." To Senators Arlen Specter and George Voinovich: "In the past two months, the economy lost 1.2 million jobs. That's basically losing every job in Pittsburgh or Cleveland." To Senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham: "In the past three months, the economy has lost 1.8 million jobs, as I said. That's the equivalent of losing every job in Connecticut or South Carolina." And to Senators David Vitter and Mary Landrieu: "In the past four months the economy has lost 2.2 million jobs, which is basically losing every job in the state of Louisiana." Gibbs also announced that the president tends to use his own bully pulpit to take his message "directly to the American people about what he thinks is at stake." He'll stop in Elkart, Ind., and Fort Myers, Fla. But these locations were likely chosen more because of their economic straits than to sway any specific lawmaker. "I think going directly to where the problems seem even more acute are important to the president and important in his effort to convince Congress to move swiftly," Gibbs said. It's just the latest example of how the White House has taken even more to a campaign-style posture in an effort to regain momentum in the stimulus battle. "Sounds like the good old days, doesn't it?" Gibbs joked. More on the president's stepped up travel plans later. Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gallup: Obama Weathering Appointment Issues President Obama appears to be weathering several early setbacks in his administration, with a majority of Americans saying they actually have more confidence in his ability to manage the economy and government today than they did upon taking office, a new Gallup survey shows. Americans also seem to be cutting the new president some slack despite high-profile problems with administration appointments this week, most notably Tom Daschle withdrawing his nomination as HHS Secretary. By a nearly two-to-one margin, Americans say that the issues were just a normal part of a new administration's transition, as compared to those who say there have been more problems than are typical with this president. The survey was conducted on Wednesday, the day after the Daschle news broke. The survey included 1,012 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points. Thinking back to the way you felt before Barack Obama took office, would you say how you now have more confidence, has there been no change, or do you know have less confidence in the Obama administration's ... (More confidence/No Change/Less Confidence/No Opinion) Ability to improve economy 55 / 25 / 17 / 2 Ability to manage fed govt 51 / 27 / 18 / 3 Ethical standards 50 / 29 / 19 / 3 As you may know, in addition to Tom Daschle, some of Obama's other nominees have generated controversy. Which comes closer to your view: these controversies are just a normal part of the process of filling high level government positions in any new administration, or the Obama administration appears to be having more problems filling high government positions than is typical for new administrations? (Normal Part / More Than Typical / No Opinion) 58 / 29 / 12 Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:47 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: New Job Numbers Demand Action On Recovery Plan President Obama said today that new unemployment figures "demand action" by Congress on his economic recovery plan, and he called it "inexcusable and irresponsible for any of us to get bogged down in distraction, delay and politics" while Americans lose their jobs. "We have to remember that we're here to work for the American people," he said, repeating a message he brought to fellow Democrats last night at the House retreat in Virginia. "If we drag our feet and fail to act, this crisis could turn into a catastrophe. We'll continue to get devastating job reports like today's - month after month, year after year." Referring again to last fall's election, he said Americans "did not send us to Washington to get stuck in partisan posturing, to try to score political points." Instead, he said, they "sent us here to make change, with the expectation we would act." Interestingly, the president's prepared remarks called for him to say that he was sent "with a mandate for change." Though it could have been unintended - he ad libbed occasionally during the speech - the deviation was noteworthy since he has never used the word mandate since his election. Obama spoke from the East Room as he rolled out members of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board, which he said was called to bring together "voices that come from beyond the Washington echo chamber to ensure that no stone is unturned" in trying to turn around the economy. To avoid "groupthink," he emphasized the diverse nature of the group, which includes labor leaders and corporate executives, Democrats and a Bush SEC commissioner. "We're also going to count on these men and women to serve as additional eyes and ears for me as we work to reverse this downturn. Many of them have ground-level views of the changes that are taking place, as they work across different sectors of the economy and different regions of the country," Obama said. That notion is consistent with the president's desire to not be insulated from outside opinion, a reason he stated for keeping a Blackberry. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 05, 2009

Obama Preaches To The Choir "Fired up and ready to go." President Obama appropriately uttered one of his campaign catch phrases just after finishing a speech that sounded more like the ones he delivered on the campaign trail than ones he's given at the White House. Deviating often from his prepared remarks, the Democrat-in-chief mocked Republican critiques of his plan, at times sounding frustrated by the nitpicking and "cable chatter" from opponents of the economic recovery plan. "Aren't you all tired of that stuff?" he asked at the House Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, Va. Obama alluded to the fact that Republicans once praised the balance of tax cuts and spending when the plan was first proposed, and responded to complaints about both the size of the plan and the pace of its approval. "We're not moving quickly because we're trying to jam something down people's throats," he said. "We're moving quickly because we're told that if we don't move quickly, that the economy is going to keep on getting worse." He maintained that there were no earmarks in the plan, saying that upon closer inspection even some of Republicans' favorite targets can be shown to create jobs. "This package is not going to be absolutely perfect. And you get nit and you can pick," he said. "What I'm saying is, now we can't afford to play that game. We've got to pull together. There are going to be some things that don't get included that each of us would like see included. All of us are going to have to make some sacrifices. And we have to accommodate the interests of a range of people." Just like the campaign, the president criticized his predecessor's administration, saying again that he inherited a deficit and a growing debt. He targeted his former rival John McCain, and his claim that the bill is not a stimulus plan, but a spending plan. "What do you think a stimulus is? That's the whole point!" he said. He even made a passing reference to Sarah Palin, joking that he's campaigned in every state but Alaska. "We're going to get there," he said to laughter. But as he reached the conclusion, Obama took a more lofty tone, speaking idealistically about the looks he saw in the eyes of voters across the country. "I know that people are hurting," he said. "I've looked in their eyes. I've heard their stories, and I've sensed their deep frustration. They're just hoping that we're working for them." To the lawmakers in the room, he said, "We hold within our hands the capacity to do great things on their behalf." But he urged his fellow Democrats not to think about themselves. "We're going to have to just think about how are we delivering for them," he said. "We won't approach these challenges just as Democrats because we remember the look in the eyes of our constituents. We know - even though they've been cynical, that they're thinking maybe this time is going to be different. They know we must overcome them as Americans." Obama will continue to focus on the economy tomorrow as he introduces members of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:31 PM | Email Author | Permalink

And He's Off ...

Marine One takes off from the South Lawn of the White House for the first time with President Obama on board. Among those joining him for the short flight were chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and press secretary Robert Gibbs. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:12 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Leaving The District For The First Time Within the hour, President Obama will take off from the South Lawn of the White House in Marine One for the first time, making the short trip to Andrews Air Force Base to take Air Force One to Williamsburg, Va. It's the trip outside of Washington, D.C., of his presidency. But it's not to sell his stimulus package. Instead, he'll speak to fellow Democrats at the Kingsmill Resort for the House retreat. Yesterday, a reporter pointed out during Robert Gibbs' press briefing that the two previous presidents used their first trip to "say something" -- Clinton at a town hall meeting in Detroit, and Bush to visit a military base. What should people read from the purpose of Obama's four-and-ahalf hour excursion from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave? "I think what he is saying to, whether it's this trip to Williamsburg, or whether it's a trip to Capitol Hill to meet with Democrats or Republicans, that he's willing to go anywhere and talk to anybody in order to get a financial -- to get a recovery and reinvestment plan that moves this economy forward," Gibbs said. Today, Gibbs was asked why he hasn't taken his stimulus plan on the road yet as president, choosing instead to publish an op-ed and speak with network anchors. "A lot of this stuff is going on in Washington," Gibbs said. "He does events, obviously, that are covered all over the country. And we're confident that the message of this stimulus package is getting through, and that it's important. ... You know, I mean, obviously there's a million ways you can do this. But I think the President feels comfortable -- very comfortable with the process." Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:23 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's Energetic Push President Obama continued his more aggressive tone on the stimulus plan during a speech at the Energy Department this afternoon, saying that "inaction is not an option." As the Senate appears ready to vote, Obama said that such legislation "deserves the scrutiny it has received." But seeming to acknowledge how Republicans have set the terms of the debate, he again reminded them that it was the Democrats who were victorious. "Those ideas have been tested, and they have failed. They've taken us from surpluses to an annual deficit of over a trillion dollars, and they've brought our economy to a halt. And that's precisely what the election we just had was all about," he said. "The American people have rendered their judgment. And now is the time to move forward, not back. Now is the time for action." Obama specifically pushed for the clean energy aspects of the plan, and joked that despite advancements in technology -- even blackberries -- the American power grid has stayed the same. These efforts can create jobs, he stressed. "These jobs and these investments will double our capacity to generate renewable energy over the next few years," he said. Obama also announced a new presidential memorandum to set new efficiency standards for household appliances, which he said will save consumers money and conserve energy. Also today, Vice President Biden held an event with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in Maryland to push for improving America's infrastructure, specifically rail. "Over 400,000 jobs nationally will be created by the infrastructure investments that the Congress, God willing, is going to pass and the President is going to sign into law very shortly," the frequent Amtrak passenger said at a train station in Laurel. He also showed some stronger rhetoric. "The economic policies of the past eight years are proven failures. The nation's economy is hurting. It needs action now. And we can't think small," Biden said. Posted by Mike Memoli at 01:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink February 04, 2009

Obama Signs SCHIP, Boosts Recovery Plan President Obama continued to show a more aggressive tone as he sold his economic recovery plan during a bill-signing ceremony this afternoon. He repeated his claim that Americans rejected failed economic notions when they "voted resoundingly for change" last fall, while tying the new SCHIP law to the stimulus. "The way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children through CHIP is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American," he said. "If Congress passes this recovery plan, in just one month, we'll have done more to modernize our health care system than we've done in the past decade." His speaking style was noticeably more passionate, reminiscent of the campaign even. It was a mostly partisan crowd as well, though Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Richard Lugar, Rep. Mike Castle and Gov. Jim Douglas were on hand. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, rumored already as a possible HHS pick, was also present. She chatted briefly with Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett before the event started. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, also being mentioned for HHS, joined her Senate colleagues in the East Room. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Snowe: Obama Agrees To "Scrub" Economic Plan Sen. Olympia Snowe said that President Obama has agreed to re-evaluate spending measures in the economic recovery plan, to "scrub" from it items that may not have an immediate stimulative impact. The moderate Republican said that of $366 billion in discretionary spending contained in the bill, only 12 percent would be spent within a year - and that 12 percent is giving the president "100 percent heartburn." Snowe, one of the "Gang of 14" who is now part of a group of centrist lawmakers who met with Obama at the White House this afternoon, told reporters afterward that he agreed to a process in which a bipartisan group would more closely vet the overall bill. "He said he understands that it needs to be scrubbed," she said. "He's prepared to be receptive to the ideas and to reevaluating some of the spending measures that were included that are raising questions about whether they are stimulative." Snowe also said Obama emphasized the need to move on the plan quickly said it's also important to get it right. "Those aren't mutually exclusive goals," she said. "I think it's going to require some bipartisan cooperation." Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Recalls Electoral Win To Sell Stimulus President Obama has rarely invoked his strong electoral victory last November in public. But with his stimulus plan at a critical juncture and his administration reeling from the Daschle withdrawal, Obama did just that this morning at an event called to announce new limits on executive pay. Obama defended his proposal as more than just "a prescription for short-term spending," calling it a "strategy for long-term economic growth in areas like renewable energy, health care and education." And he said criticisms of the plan "echo the very same failed economic theories that lead us into this crisis in the first place," like "the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems." "I reject those theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change," he said. The rare attempt to assert a mandate comes as he works to "strengthen" the plan now being deliberated in the Senate. Warning that a failure to act could turn crisis into "catastrophe," he urged lawmakers not to "make the perfect the enemy of the essential." "Let's show people all over our country who are looking for leadership in this difficult time that we are equal to the task," he said. Proposed limitations on executive compensation would cap salaries of executives whose firms receive government funds at $500,000. Obama also said companies would have to disclose "the perks and luxuries bestowed on senior executives," and take the "air out of golden parachutes" by limiting "massive severance packages." "This is America. We don't disparage wealth," he said. "We don't begrudge anybody for achieving success. And we believe that success should be rewarded. But what gets people upset - and rightfully so - are executives being rewarded for failure." Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:54 AM | Email Author | Permalink February 03, 2009

Obama Okay With Gregg Deal? The White House denied today that President Obama had any discussions with New Hampshire leaders regarding a deal that Sen. Judd Gregg sought before accepting an appointment to be his Commerce secretary. But left unanswered is why Obama would be willing to appoint Gregg in light of such a deal, given the uproar over other Senate appointments in recent months. At his daily briefing today, press secretary Robert Gibbs said that Gov. John Lynch (D-N.H.) did call the White House to voice his support for Gregg's nomination. But the White House did not "have anything to do" with talk of his replacement, he added. "I don't know of any more calls," Gibbs said. "I want to be clear that the person - the sole responsibility and the sole person for selecting the next U.S. senator from the state of New Hampshire is the governor. There may have been conversations between senators and governors from the state of New Hampshire, and I would direct those questions to them." Standing beside the president today, Gregg thanked Lynch "for his courtesy and courage in being willing to make this [appointment] possible through the agreement that we have relative to my successor in the Senate." And yesterday, before his selection was announced, Gregg issued a statement saying he had "made it clear" to Senate leaders "that I would not leave the Senate if I felt my departure would cause a change in the makeup of the Senate." One could argue, therefore, that by going ahead with the Gregg appointment, Obama was tacitly supporting the deal. Asked if the president was comfortable with the idea that his choice to lead the Commerce Department was only willing to accept the nomination conditionally, Gibbs has yet to comment. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Defends Vetting Process, Denies Setbacks In the wake of two ill-fated appointments, press secretary Robert Gibbs struggled to answer questions about the Obama administration's ethical standards and vetting process, while saying that President Obama remains confident in his White House team. "I'm not going to spend a lot of time up here today looking through the rear view mirror, or playing Monday morning quarterback on all of this," Gibbs said at one point, after multiple questions on the failed nomination of Tom Daschle for HHS. "The president understands that each of these individuals has served this country with distinction, appreciates that service. Each asked to withdraw their nomination, and the president on each occasion accepted their withdrawals." Asked repeatedly if there was a breakdown in the administration's vetting of appointees, Gibbs said that Obama "has confidence in the process." Gibbs said there was no contradiction in the president's call for high ethical standards with problems like Daschle's, while at the same time disputing that anyone in the administration pushed for him to withdraw. "Each ... decided they couldn't distract from the agenda that the president was pursuing, that the agenda that he was pursuing was bigger than them, it's bigger than me," Gibbs said. He also emphasized that Obama "didn't believe we were going to change the way Washington has worked the last three decades in the first two weeks of his administration. Thankfully we've got more years to try." When asked why Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should be allowed to remain in office given that he was guilty of similar offenses to Daschle and Nancy Killefer, Gibbs could only say that Geithner had "gone through a process" in the Senate and was approved with bipartisan support. Daschle was initially touted as someone with the clout needed to pass something as daunting as a healthcare plan, but Gibbs said his withdrawal will not set the administration back. "The issue of affordable health care for every American is bigger than any one person; and the job of ensuring health care reform will outlast any person nominated for the secretary of HHS and likely anybody that serves in this administration," he said. Gibbs also said the controversies have not distracted the administration, adding that they are "not losing sight of what's important." But in a sign of just how much this matter is distracting the White House, Gibbs faced only a couple questions on the economic recovery plan, and the president himself will likely be on defense during round-robin network interviews this afternoon. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Daschle Withdraws Nomination, Obama Accepts "With Sadness" Tom Daschle is withdrawing his name from consideration to head HHS, saying he does not want to be a distraction. "If 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction. Right now, I am not that leader," Daschle says in a statement just issued by the White House. President Obama says in the statement that Daschle "made a mistake, which he has openly acknowledged. He has not excused it, nor do I. But that mistake, and this decision, cannot diminish the many contributions Tom has made to this country." UPDATE: Full statements after the jump. Continue reading "Daschle Withdraws Nomination, Obama Accepts "With Sadness"" » Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:51 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 30, 2009

Obama: Economy A "Continuing Disaster" For Working Families President Obama called new GDP figures evidence of a "continuing disaster for America's working families" as he took steps to strengthen the middle class and the labor movement - entities he said are indelibly linked. "I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem. For me it's part of the solution," Obama said to applause at an event in the East Room this morning. "We need to level the playing field, for workers and the unions that represent their interests. Because we know that you cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement." Obama signed executive orders that will make it easier for labor unions to promote themselves in the workplace, and favor contractors who employ union members. He also promoted a Middle Class Working Families Task Force, led by Vice President Joe Biden, that will be "targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America," according to a White House release. Biden, stepping up his profile in the second week of the administration, said that previous administrations have "failed to put the American middle class at the front and center of our economic policies," and excitedly said to an audience that included labor leaders, "Welcome back to the White House." He also added yet another dig at his predecessor, promising the activities of his task force will be "fully transparent." "Which coming out of the Vice President's Office will be a bit unique," he said, as Obama grinned but nervously rubbed his hands beside him. Noticeably absent from the announcement today was Hilda Solis, whose nomination to be Labor secretary is being blocked by Senate Republicans. A White House spokesperson said rules limit the activities of Cabinet designees in the White House, but said she would be part of Biden's task force when she's confirmed. That task force will hold its first public meeting next month in Philadelphia, Biden announced, and will focus on "green jobs." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:34 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 29, 2009

Obama On Blago: End of a "Painful Episode" The White House issues a statement from President Obama on Rod Blagojevich's removal from office: "Today ends a painful episode for Illinois. For months, the state had been crippled by a crisis of leadership. Now that cloud has lifted. I wish Governor Quinn the best and pledge my full cooperation as he undertakes his new responsibilities." Posted by Mike Memoli at 09:41 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama: "Now Is Not The Time" For Excessive Bonuses President Obama, who called for a new era of responsibility in his inaugural address, spoke out strongly today about reports of excessive bonuses by the CEOs of companies who have received bailout funds and despite huge fiscal losses. "That is the height of irresponsibility. It is shameful," the president said this afternoon after an Oval Office meeting with his economic team. He said his administration will be "having conversations" with business leaders to underscore his desire to see them "start acting in a more responsible fashion." "There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses -now is not that time. And that's a message that I intend to send directly to them," he said. He noted that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has already acted in the case of Citicorp, which had intended to purchase a corporate jet priced at about $50 million, despite receiving billions in TARP funds. "We shouldn't have to do that because they should know better. And we will continue to send that message loud and clear," he said. The president only briefly mentioned the stimulus vote, but did not comment at length about the lack of GOP support. He was, however, asked about the Super Bowl, indicating a preference for the Steelers on Sunday Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:12 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 28, 2009

Gibbs' Pitch: When Cornered, Play Ball After just five briefings, the White House press corps has begun to pick up on some of Robert Gibbs' colloquialisms, cliches and go-to analogies. For instance, he's fond of saying he doesn't want to "prejudge" an ongoing process, or "get ahead" of an announcement to come from other White House officials. Today, the press secretary was pressed on several elements of the recovery plan, mostly on the anticipated lack of Republican support. And he answered by stretching to the limits what he eventually admitted was a tortured baseball analogy. Here's the scorecard: On allocations for programs like cessation programs, which some say aren't stimulative: "There's a great tendency, and we've done this over the last few days in this room, to try to figure out what the score of the baseball game is after the third inning, okay? My team would probably be great if we stopped doing that." On whether it's disappointing for President Obama that few Republicans were expected to vote for the bill despite his efforts to reach out: "Again, I hesitate to call the game after the third inning. I hate to declare the winner. I hate to declare that -- I know we'll have analysis to write, but let's not stop after the third inning and tell us who won in the ninth." On whether certain allocations might be cut back during the legislative process: "I think this largely proves my somewhat maybe possibly weak baseball analogy that, again, this is a -- if the vote is happening in the third inning, we've still got six more innings to go." At this point, the press took the pitch and swung back, reminding Gibbs that, "They keep score each inning." Here's where the analogy gets ugly: "They do. They do. But they don't declare winners -- you get up and stretch at one point during the game and there's a man that says you can't buy beer after a certain time. But the umpire doesn't declare the game over except for one point in the game. (Laughter.) So I guess I would stress that even if you get up to stretch and buy beer, they only call one winner. So let's hope that that one winner is the American people because both teams have worked together." But it wasn't over just yet. Toward the end of the briefing, Gibbs was asked for his reaction to the removal of funding for the DC Mall, after he strongly defended it yesterday. A lesson learned, Gibbs said: "I think it demonstrates the perils of playing umpire in the third inning." We'll see how long this plays out. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:55 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Praises Stimulus Vote, Hopes To "Strengthen" Bill Further Just out from the White House. No explicit reference to the lack of Republican support, but he does say: "But what we can't do is drag our feet or allow the same partisan differences to get in our way." Full statement: "Last year, America lost 2.6 million jobs. On Monday alone, we learned that some of our biggest employers plan to cut another 55,000. This is a wakeup call to Washington that the American people need us to act and act immediately. That is why I am grateful to the House of Representatives for moving the American Recovery and Reinvestment plan forward today. There are many numbers in this plan. It will double our capacity to generate renewable energy. It will lower the cost of health care by billions and improve its quality. It will modernize thousands of classrooms and send more kids to college. And it will put billions of dollars in immediate tax relief into the pockets of working families. But out of all these numbers, there is one that matters most to me: this recovery plan will save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years. I can also promise that my administration will administer this recovery plan with a level of transparency and accountability never before seen in Washington. Once it is passed, every American will be able to go the website recovery.gov and see how and where their money is being spent. The plan now moves to the Senate, and I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk. But what we can't do is drag our feet or allow the same partisan differences to get in our way. We must move swiftly and boldly to put Americans back to work, and that is exactly what this plan begins to do."

Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Confident Ahead Of Stimulus Vote There was no major last-second arm-twisting by the president this morning as he spoke in the East Room following a meeting with the CEOs of large, national companies. Instead, Obama promised that should his recovery plan pass, there would be a "sweeping effort" on the part of his administration to make information public about how funds will be spent. "I firmly believe what Justice Louis Brandeis once said, that sunlight is the best disinfectant," he said. "I know that restoring transparency is not only the surest way to achieve results, but also to earn back that trust in government without which we cannot deliver the changes the American people sent us here to make." He said that information would be posted on www.recovery.gov, part of an initiative to "root out waste, inefficiency and unnecessary spending." The web site now simply urges visitors to "check back after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to see how and where your tax dollars are spent." "Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made public, on the Internet, and will be informed by independent experts whenever possible," Obama said. Speaking before the president, Honeywell CEO David Cote said the group of executives supported Obama's plan, and told Congress not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The White House will, of course, be closely monitoring today's vote, though the president himself will likely be at the Pentagon when it gets underway. Tonight, however, he has invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers to the White House for a cocktail reception, which aides say is a further demonstration of efforts to reach out to the legislative branch. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

"Chicago Toughness" The House of Representatives casts the first votes today on his stimulus bill, and he's about to meet with leaders of some of the nation's biggest companies to discuss the faltering economy. But it's the District's poor relationship with frozen precipitation that seemed to be most troubling to President Obama this morning. "My children's school was canceled today, because of what? Some ice," Obama joked this morning in the Roosevelt Room, just before a meeting with the CEOs of Motorola, Google, IBM and other companies. "As my children pointed out, in Chicago school is never canceled." The president said he's going to have to instill some "some flinty Chicago toughness" into Washingtonians, who today are grappling with a perilous mix of snow, sleet and ice. Obama did briefly comment on today's recovery plan vote, saying he is "confident we're going to get it passed." He's due to comment at greater length after the meeting. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:22 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Inside Last Night's WH Meeting White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel invited a group of Republicans to the White House last night. "It was a friendly get-together," said Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), who was present at the meeting. "Clearly Rahm Emanuel is trying to keep in contact with his friends in Congress." Although the House is scheduled to vote on the controversial economic recovery package today, Ehlers told RealClearPolitics that the vote was not the center of the meeting's agenda. "We talked about it. But we talked about other things as well," Ehlers said. "There was no arm twisting. Very little discussion on it. He just wanted our opinion on it. What the chances were." "We did talk about the stimulus," he said, "but only in terms of where the money is going." Ehlers is an eight-term moderate Republican representing one of the most Republican districts in the Midwest. It's members like Ehlers whom Democrats -- in Congress and the White House -hope to keep an open dialogue with and possibly win their votes. Emanuel told the group that he wished to make their meeting a regular occurrence, "and that was our hope as well," Ehlers said. Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 10:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 27, 2009

GOP Leaders Meet With Obama President Obama and GOP House leadership just emerged from a more-than one hour meeting at the Capitol to discuss their differences on the economic stimulus package. In brief remarks after the meeting, both Obama and the GOP leaders said they appreciated each other's efforts at bipartisanship while recognizing no deal could ever make everyone on both sides happy. "I continue to be optimistic," Obama said. "I recognize that we're not going to get 100 percent support. But I think everybody there felt good about that I was willing to explain how we put the package together, how we were thinking about it, and that we continued to welcome some good ideas." House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said they would continue to work on their ideas in regards to the bill, despite the fact that the House Democrats' version is coming to a vote tomorrow. "The most encouraging statement that I think the president made today was the fact that he had no pride of authorship in this bill," Cantor said. "We take that to mean that tomorrow's vote is only the first step in the process." Conference chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) lashed out at House Democrats for not including Republicans in the formulation of the package. "As grateful as we are for the president's spirit, as I told him personally, House Democrats have completely ignored the president's call for bipartisan cooperation," Pence said. "The bill that is scheduled to come to the floor this week will come to the floor without any consultation among House Republicans, and with categorical opposition to the kind of Republican solutions that we believe are necessary to truly get this economy moving again." Speaking to reporters at the same time Obama was meeting with Republican leaders, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) responded to questions regarding Republicans calling out the Democrats for not including them. "It's hard to take the advice and counsel on policies from people who put us deep in debt," Hoyer said. "Being bipartisan does not mean you lay down and say you can have whatever you want." Asked if he expects any Republican votes tomorrow, Hoyer said: "I hope. Expect would be too strong." Before entering his meeting with Senate Republican leadership just after his meeting on the House side, Obama spoke briefly with reporters again. "The key right now is to make sure that we keep politics to a minimum," he said. "There are some legitimate philosophical differences with parts of my plan that the Republicans have, and I respect that." --Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 26, 2009

Obama: We Can't Afford Stimulus Delays President Obama this morning couched his announcement on environmental policy as an economic initiative, saying that higher fuel efficiency standards will help the struggling automobile industry. He also led his announcement by noting the most recent layoff announcements by some of America's top employers, using the news to push his economic package. "We owe it to each of them and to every single American to act with a sense of urgency and common purpose," he said at an East Room event. "We can't afford distractions and we can't afford delays, and that is why I look forward to signing an American Recovery and Reinvestment plan that will put millions of Americans to work and lay the foundation to stable growth that our economy needs and that our people demand." He said the stimulus plan "places a down payment" on a new economy, and that its clean energy components would create 460,000 jobs while saving taxpayer money by making federal buildings more energy efficient. "This is the boost that our economy needs and the new beginning that our future demands," he said. The executive orders signed by the president would grant a waiver to the state of California and others who seek to raise fuel efficiency standards on automobiles beyond the mandate of the Clean Air Act. "Our goal is not to further burden an already struggling industry. It is to help America's automakers to prepare for the future," he said. Today's event was the latest in a series of actions by Obama through executive order, as he begins to reverse policies of the Bush administration quickly and without the delay of legislation. Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 23, 2009

Smoke In The White House Press Room This can't be a good omen. Just after 4 pm today, deputy press secretary Bill Burton was attempting to open the door to the James Brady Briefing Room at the White House today, but it wouldn't budge. A reporter attempting to leave the room at the same time couldn't get it to open either. And seconds later, smoke started coming from the panel above the door. It's created quite a stir amongst the omni-present press corps, but doesn't appear to be serious. Apparently the motor that operates the automatic door overheated. Nonetheless, smoke anywhere in the White House is a concern, and building maintenance is on the scene. Press had been waiting for a photo opportunity with President Obama, which was later canceled. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:42 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Gibbs Won't Address Pakistan Strike It's one of the first military actions of the Obama administration, but press secretary Robert Gibbs wouldn't say a word about it at today's briefing. Reports indicate that a U.S. Predator drone fired three missiles in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. When the subject came up, Gibbs said, "As you know, I'm not going to comment on those matters." He moved quickly on to the second part of the reporter's question, prompting some laughter, but then serious questions from the room: would he really not comment on any military action ever? "I'm not going to speak about these matters today," Gibbs clarified. When told later that some U.S. officials had commented on the strikes, the press secretary simply repeated his intention not to comment. "I think there are many things that you should be justifiably curious about, but I'm not going to get into -- talk to you about these things," he said. Very early in his candidacy, Barack Obama gave a policy speech in which he said that if the U.S. had actionable intelligence "about high-value terrorist targets" in Pakistan, and then-President Musharraf would not act, the U.S. would. Whether today's action was a signal that he's carrying through on that promise -- we won't know from asking Gibbs. Q: What do you mean by that? I'm not going to speak about these matters today. I gave you my answer. My answer was I'm not going to talk about it. Q: Other US officials have confirmed predator drone airstrikes. I'm not going to get into these matters. I think there are many things that you should be justifiably curious about, but I'm not going to get into, talk to you about these things. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:21 PM | Email Author | Permalink

As Negotiations Continue, Leaders Optimistic On Stimulus Timing President Obama and the leadership of both parties expressed optimism today that an economic stimulus package will be through the Congress by President's Day. Still, despite the usual statements about bipartisanship during and after a White House meeting this morning, Republicans raised concerns about the size and the substance of the stimulus. "We believe that spending nearly a trillion dollars is really more than what we ought to be putting on the backs of our kids and their kids," House Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters as he left the White House this morning. "We've got ideas that lowering tax rates and allowing people to keep more of what they earn will allow them to spend that money, invest that money, or save it, all of which will be good for the economy." He questioned, somewhat suggestively, how spending "hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives" would "stimulate the economy." "You can go through a whole host of issues in this bill that have nothing to do with growing jobs in America and helping people keep their jobs," he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Republicans today made some "constructive suggestions" which they would review, and claimed that many of their ideas have already been incorporated in the House bill, like tax cuts. "They have had their voices heard and their provisions in the legislation. So this isn't starting from scratch," she said. "There are some additional suggestions that will be reviewed, as to their ability to help our economy turn around, create jobs or save jobs." A Republican leadership aide disagreed, and said the Democrats have failed to even meet Obama's ideas on tax cuts. Asked about concerns among economists that the bill, already estimated to be around $825 billion, may still be insufficient to rejuvenate the economy, Pelosi even seemed to suggest it is large enough. "It's not just about how big the package is, it's about how fast jobs are created and how those initiatives that are added in the spending will contribute to the long term stabilization of our economy," she said, adding that the deficit should also be a factor. Obama did not address the specifics of the pending legislation, but only thanked the leaders for "moving forward very diligently" in the process. And he said there is more to be done after the bill is signed. "The recovery package that we're passing is only going to be one leg in a -- at least a three-legged stool," he said. He referred to reports of abuse by some recipients of buyout funds, and also waste in the government. "Those all have to be part and parcel of a reform package if we're going to be responsible in dealing with this economic crisis." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 22, 2009

Gibbs' First Briefing Marked By Gitmo, Transparency Questions Determined to hold the new president to his promise of an open administration, reporters peppered Robert Gibbs with questions about transparency on a host of subjects at the new press secretary's first briefing this afternoon. Gibbs stood under the bright lights of the jam-packed James S. Brady Press Briefing Room for about 50 minutes, taking at least 20 questions. Some were deflected with humor (the transcript reflected "laughter" 22 times), others with a hint of frustration - and he even answered a few of them outright. On the biggest news of the day -- Obama's executive orders on the handling of terrorism suspects - Gibbs managed to wiggle out of some tough questions by saying that he did not want to "prejudge" (a word he used five times) the result of an ongoing process. "The president believes that what he did today will enhance the security of the American people," Gibbs said when discussing the plan. He added that there was a "real palpable pride" about the decision among retired military officers Obama met with this morning, a belief that Obama "made America safer, made America stronger, lived up to our values," and protected servicemen. Asked how Obama's new policies would play if the nation's most-wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, were captured, Gibbs wasn't afraid to punt, saying he'd check with the National Security Council. "It's fair for you to conclude that I want to make sure I don't make a mistake," he explained. Gibbs was pressed at various points about the second swearing-in ceremony last night. The subject produced the first bit of contention at today's briefing, as NBC's Chuck Todd pressed Gibbs on the decision to have Obama re-take his oath of office. If it was out of an "abundance of caution" that they did the oath twice, Todd asked, would Obama then out of the same sense of caution re-sign any executive orders he had previously issued? "Because the counsel's office continues to believe that the president was sworn in appropriately and effectively," Gibbs said. Unsatisfied, Todd pushed back, with an exchange that lasted until Gibbs tried to diffuse the situation: "You know lawyers," he said, saying again they were confident there was no problem with the first oath. Todd again followed up to ask, and the subject was raised again later, about the decision not to allow a non-White House photographer or video camera capture the second oath (whether anyone outside of the journalistic community shares the same concern is rather unlikely). Reporters thought it insufficient for such a significant event to be documented only by a reporter's "crackly" audio recording. Gibbs' glib responses, about getting a bigger room or that it was easier to get tickets for this than the inaugural, proved unsatisfactory, until he finally moved on. There was some news that came from the affair. Gibbs began the press briefing by announcing that President Obama would now each morning hold an "Economic Daily Briefing" in addition to the customary daily intelligence briefing, signaling again the administration's focus on the nation's troubled economy. It will be led by Larry Summers, head of the National Economic Council. Gibbs also made it known that in the battle of the Blackberry, President Obama has proven victorious. The 44th president would be the first with the hand-held device attached at the hip, but that the parameters of its had been carefully planned. Only some members of the senior staff and a small circle of personal friends will be able to e-mail the most powerful man in the world. His device will be "security enhanced." Most interestingly, Gibbs said that the presumption will be that the messages he sends and receives will be subject to the Presidential Records Act - though he noted the provision exempting "purely personal" communication." And how is the president settling in, Gibbs was asked. It was here that he made reference to one of the unique factors in his appointment as press secretary -- a close relationship to the principal. "I've known the President a long time, and he looked very comfortable in his surroundings yesterday," Gibbs said. "I do think he enjoys, to use a phrase, living above the company store." So much so that yesterday, he even was able to have dinner with his family. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 21, 2009

"Abundance Of Caution" President Barack Obama, who yesterday swore to execute the office of President of the United States faithfully, today swore to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States. The re-do occurred at 7:35 pm in the White House's map room, administered again by Chief Justice John Roberts. A statement from White House counsel Greg Craig: "We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the President was sworn in appropriately yesterday. But the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time." It's a rather serious issue for some, but Obama tried to make light of it tonight, hours after his vice president did the same. When Roberts asked him if he was ready to take the oath, he answered: "I am, and we're going to do it very slowly." Twenty-five seconds later, Roberts smiled and said, "Congratulations, again." "All right," Obama said. And referring to the small group of reporters who was present, he joked again: "The bad news for the pool is there's 12 more balls." Not true, though there is one last celebratory ball tonight for members of the campaign staff. Posted by Mike Memoli at 07:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Tells Advisers To Plan Iraq "Drawdown" The White House just issued this statement from President Obama on Iraq: "This afternoon, I met with our Ambassador to Iraq, the commander in Iraq, and the overall theater commander in the region in order to get a full update on the situation in Iraq. Key members of my cabinet and senior national security officials also participated in this meeting. "The meeting was productive and I very much appreciated receiving assessments from these experienced and dedicated individuals. During the discussion, I asked the military leadership to engage in additional planning necessary to execute a responsible military drawdown from Iraq. "In the coming days and weeks, I will also visit the Department of Defense to consult with the Joint Chiefs on these issues, and we will undertake a full review of the situation in Afghanistan in order to develop a comprehensive policy for the entire region."

Hillary Clinton, whose confirmation as secretary of State came this only afternoon, did not attend the meeting; a representative from the department was on hand. Posted by Mike Memoli at 06:59 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The More Things Change ... It's day one (or is it two?) for the Obama administration, which means there are probably more than a few wide-eyed, nervous and/or confused faces milling about the White House. Even the president himself seemed a bit unsure of how to proceed at times during an event to announce new executive orders and swear in staff, and he joked that he's still getting used to seeing everyone stand up upon his entering a room. In the White House briefing room, things were busier for the incoming president than they had been for the lame duck. With space more limited, reporters sat arbitrarily around the room. In the staff offices adjacent to the briefing room, familiar faces from the campaign - Bill Burton, Reid Cherlin Josh Earnest, Ben LaBolt, Jen Psaki, Nick Shapiro and Tommy Vietor -- got settled at their government posts, sitting where helpfullylabeled, though possibly misspelled, nametags indicate. Everyone, some press included, was simply getting his or her bearings. The staff is still using Gmail as their official accounts get activated. Used to dealing with campaign reporters that were a safe distance from Chicago, they now had a steady stream of reporters popping in the lower press offices with questions. Unfortunately for Cherlin, his desk is right at the entrance, meaning he was often the first one to be asked any of the hundreds of mundane questions. A pen and blank sheet of paper were close by to list questions and contact info. Accustomed to the workings of the Bush White House, veterans of the White House beat tried to be patient when information was not flowing at the usual pace. One joked that this is the time when they know more about the job of the communication staff then they themselves do. Press secretary Robert Gibbs chose not to give his maiden briefing as press secretary today -- word came this morning that he'd put it off another day as everyone settled in. Suspicions were aroused at one point when a staffer began tinkering with the rotating panels behind the podium, producing a screen that signaled he might just brief. Before people get too caught up in over-analyzing the first-day glitches, a cautionary note from one of the more experienced bodies in the press corps: "This is the third time I've done this and it's exactly the same." Posted by Mike Memoli at 05:58 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama Orders Pay Freeze, Ethics Regs He has a number of promises to follow through on, but President Obama led off with ethics today, enacting with a simple signature initiatives meant to reduce the influence of lobbyists on the administration. Obama also offered a token gesture in light of the economic crisis, announcing before his senior staff that he was instituting a freeze on their pay, at least those who earn more than $100,000. "During this period of economic emergency, families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," he said. "Some of the people in this room will be affected by the pay freeze, and I want you to know that I appreciate your willingness to agree to it." The freeze will last "until further notice," the text of the memorandum to executive department heads states. But since the senior staff is barely on payroll yet, the impact would appear to be minimal unless it remains in effect for a period of years. Obama opened his remarks by saying how "inspired" he was yesterday "by the sight of Americans as far as the eye could see." To ensure that his administration keeps faith with those who came to his inaugural, Obama signed an executive order that would affect three areas of lobbying. First, it prohibits current employees from accepting lobbyists' gifts. Secondly, it would bar former employees from lobbying the administration. And finally, he'd require that government hiring "be based upon qualifications, competence and experience, not political connections." "We are here as public servants and public service is a privilege," he said. "It's not about advantaging yourself. It's not about advancing your friends or your corporate clients. It's not about advancing an ideological agenda or the special interests of any organization. Public service is, simply and absolutely, about advancing the interests of Americans." At the EEOB press conference, Obama also announced that "transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency." To that end, issued directives on how to interpret the Freedom of Information Act, which he said is the "most powerful instrument we have for making our government honest and transparent." "I will also hold myself as President to a new standard of openness," he said. He did not, take questions from the pool reporters present. But he did later welcome into his home several hundred ticket-winners for an "Open House." "Roam around. Don't break anything," the president told one guest. "This is even better than we expected," another guest told him. Posted by Mike Memoli at 04:51 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The First Biden Moment As VP President Obama's inaugural address was noted for the strong contrasts he drew with his predecessor. Today, Joe Biden gave us a reminder that there is significant change in the office of Vice President as well. Of course, Dick Cheney and Biden have major differences when it comes to policy -- some of which were aired during what was otherwise a friendly transition. Today, though, it was all about style, as the new Number Two joined Obama for the swearing-in of senior staff. When Obama turned the program over to Biden, there was an interlude as they waited for the script of the oath. And then it came... the first Vice Presidential Bidenism: "My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts," he said, referring to yesterday's bungled oath of office. An honorable mention came last night, however. Before taking his wife's hand to dance at the Neighborhood Ball, he confessed that he was more of a talker than a dancer. "I may not be able to dance, but I sure like holdin' her!" he added. Posted by Mike Memoli at 02:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Now President, Obama Engages On Mideast During the transition, then-President-elect Obama was extremely cautious when asked about the conflict in Gaza, citing the one-president-at-a-time mantra. Well, now he is that president, and on his first day he has initiated contacts with the relevant parties. The White House announced this morning that Obama spoke by phone with both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Mubarak. "He used this opportunity on his first day in office to communicate his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term, and to express his hope for their continued cooperation and leadership," press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Without getting into details, the statement said that Obama "appreciated the spirit of partnership and warm nature of these calls." Posted by Mike Memoli at 12:09 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Obama's Day This morning's prayer service marked the final event under the inaugural umbrella, and so President Obama now sets off to the business of state. Below is his schedule for the day: 1:15 pm: Obama will attend the swearing in of his Cabinet, and sign an executive order on ethics. 2:30 pm: The president and Mrs. Obama will welcome citizens to their new home at a "White House Open House." 3:15 pm: Obama will meet with his economic advisers in the Roosevelt Room. 4:15 pm: Obama meets with Iraq military commanders. Posted by Mike Memoli at 11:20 AM | Email Author | Permalink January 15, 2009

Bush: I Never Forgot 9/11 The White House has just released some excerpts of President Bush's farewell address to the nation, scheduled to be delivered from the East Room at 8 pm. It's being described as an "optimistic and future-oriented" speech, and it will begin with the president paying tribute to the "vitality of American democracy." Barack Obama's story "reflects the enduring promise of our land," and his inauguration "is a moment of hope and pride for our whole nation," the president will say. Bush will also thank the country for its trust, the "prayers that have lifted my spirits," and for "countless acts of courage, generosity and grace." It appears that Bush intends to continue focusing on the aftermath of 9/11, which he said earlier this week is what defined his presidency. "As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did," he will say. Subsequent decisions have sparked what he said is "legitimate debate." "But there can be little debate about the results. America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil." On domestic policy, he will cite higher education standards, a Medicare prescription drug benefit and lower taxes, among other things. And despite controversies, he will say he always acted out of conviction. "Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks," he will say. "There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right." You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions. He will conclude by citing the "promise of America," saying that the nation "will never tire, never falter and never fail." Posted by Mike Memoli at 03:32 PM | Email Author | Permalink January 12, 2009

Bush: "Not My Nature" to Avoid Tough Decisions President Bush defended his legacy as a leader who was not afraid to make difficult, potentially unpopular decisions, but also admitted some missteps as he held what is likely to be his final press conference in office this morning. Lightly sparring with reporters who he said sometimes "misunderestimated" him, Bush also predicted that the Republican Party will rebound, and that his successor will soon feel the responsibilities of the presidency "land squarely on his shoulders." But Bush made only limited remarks on current events, devoting more time to sometimes somber, but also some passionate defenses of his time in the Oval Office. "Presidents can try to avoid hard decisions and therefore avoid controversy. That's just not my nature," he said when asked about criticism he has faced. "I'm the kind of person that is willing to take on hard tasks. ... [I] never really spent that much time frankly worrying about the loud voices. I of course hear [them]. But they didn't affect my policy. Nor did they affect how I make decisions. President-elect Obama will find this too." He emphasized that there is "no such thing as short-term history," repeating his belief that the passage of time will bring a more positive outlook on his tenure. "I don't think you can possibly get the full breadth of an administration until time has passed," he said. He did concede that his rhetoric has often "been a mistake," singling out the "Mission Accomplished" banner that was displayed when he declared major combat operations in Iraq had ended in 2003. He also said that pursuing reform of Social Security right after his re-election was a mistake, and that he should have argued for immigration reform first. But he became most animated as he discussed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, considered by many to be the major turning point in his fortunes. First, the president said he has thought "long and hard" about his actions in the immediate days, and whether he should have landed Air Force One in Louisiana sooner. Later, however, he bristled at the suggestion of inaction. "Don't tell me the federal response was slow, when there were 30,000 people pulled up off roofs," Bush said. "That's a pretty quick response." Bush, as he did in a televised interview this weekend, warned his party to change its tone on immigration, even as he predicted the GOP would rebound if it is "compassionate and broadminded." "This party will come back. But the party's message has to be that different points of view are welcomed in the party," he said. "The problem with the outcome of the initial round of the [immigration] debate was that some people said, 'Well Republicans don't like immigrants.' Now that may be fair or unfair, but that's the image that came out. And, you know, if the image is we don't like immigrants then there's probably somebody else out there saying, 'Well if they don't like immigrants, they probably don't like me as well.'" The president said he hoped that the tone in Washington for Obama is different than it was for him. And he assured him that he would not be carping from the sidelines, but would get off the stage on Jan. 20. Still, he won't be an idle former president. "I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach. Particularly since I quit drinking," he joked. Posted by Mike Memoli at 10:22 AM | Email Author | Permalink About Us | RSS | Contact | Advertise | Privacy Policy © RealClearPolitics 2010