Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Presidency and the Media
THE BIG IDEA - "How Obama plays media like a fiddle," by John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei: "He is doing it by exploiting some of the most longstanding traits among reporters who cover politics and government-their favoritism for politicians perceived as ideologically centrist and willing to profess devotion to Washington's oft-honored, rarely practiced civic religion of bipartisanship. ... Polls suggest that many independents have many of the same easily aroused erogenous zones as reporters-and improved poll numbers lead to more coverage of the Obama-gets-his-groove-back narrative. Sustaining an effective governing center over the long term would be a formidable achievement by Obama. Riding a short-term wave of centrism fever, by contrast, has proven surprisingly simple. ... Obama is taking advantage of the press's bias for bipartisan process, a preference that often transcends the substance of any bipartisan policy. ... Most political reporters live in Washington. So it's not really surprising that they tend to respect presidents who show respect for Washington culture, Washington rituals, and above all Washington operatives. ... The media love stories about the internal wars in both parties. Obama, in his new determination to hold the center, now loves them, too." http://bit.ly/hplnrp
Presidency and Foreign Affairs
JOHN HEILEMANN, in New York magazine, 'Realpolitiktian: Obama's handling of the Egyptian uprising reveals that in foreign policy, too, he is a pragmatic centrist to the core.' http://bit.ly/eo6C3b
Gov Snyder already on VP list
2012 -- GOP VEEP POSSIBLES OVERSHADOW TOP OF TICKET - Alexander Burns: "It's almost as if there is more excitement over the deep pool of vice presidential prospects than over the emerging roster of presidential candidates, which is largely composed of white, male, former and soon-to-be-former governors, none of them from the biggest battleground states. ... Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who isn't even 40. There are three Latinos in the group, two Indian-Americans, numerous women and candidates from almost every swing state in the country. ... A candidate light on federal experience could tap Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, perhaps the best-credentialed Republican in the country as a former congressman, budget director and trade representative. A nominee who's viewed as too conservative could pick a governor from a state Obama won in 2009, like New Jersey's Chris Christie, Virginia's Bob McDonnell or Michigan's Rick Snyder. For a candidate who struggles to connect with women voters, Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire or Govs. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Susana Martinez of New Mexico might help broaden the GOP's reach. Martinez, along with Rubio and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, could help a nominee who's unappealing to Hispanics. And if the nominee has trouble firing up conservatives, nearly all of the above names would likely do the trick, as would a prominent state leader such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry." http://bit.ly/hOW8P7
foreign affairs
TOP STORY - L.A. Times, 2-col. lead, "U.S. backs off call for swift Egypt reform: The strategy aims to show loyalty to other Mideast allies, but leaves the protesters' demands unmet," by Paul Richter and David S. Cloud: "The Obama administration has reconciled itself to gradual political reform in Egypt, an approach that reflects its goal of maintaining stability in the Middle East but is at odds with demands of the protest movement in Cairo that President Hosni Mubarak relinquish power immediately. A week after the Obama administration demanded a swift transition to a post-Mubarak era, it has dampened the sense of urgency and aligned itself with power-brokers such as new Vice President Omar Suleiman, who are urging a more stable, if much slower, move to real democracy." http://lat.ms/htf86o
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Foreign Affairs: Congress and the Presidency
--The (London) Sunday Times p. 1, "Afghan to hang for being Christian," by Miles Amoore: "Said Musa, 45, is being held in a prison in Kabul where he claims he has been tortured and sexually abused by fellow inmates and prison guards. Musa, whose left leg was blown off by a landmine in fighting in the 1990s, specialises in rehabilitating fellow landmine victims. He was detained eight months ago as he tried to seek asylum at the German embassy after an order by President Hamid Karzai to purge Christians. ... Musa's ordeal began last May when a television station broadcast pictures of other Afghans being baptised in Kabul. ... Karzai instructed the head of Afghanistan's spy service and his interior minister to 'take immediate and serious action to prevent this phenomenon,' according to Waheed Omar, his spokesman. ... In desperation, Musa wrote to human rights groups, embassies and US President Barack Obama ... Following pressure from the American embassy, the authorities moved Musa to another jail, where he now sleeps in the corridor outside the head guard's office to avoid further beatings. ... His requests for a Bible have been refused. ... Western groups have deliberately remained silent because they fear that any public campaign could further infuriate a government that increasingly blames foreign interference for the country's woes." (Behind pay wall)
Education
--WashPost p. C5, Metro op-eds, "What D.C.'s school vouchers have bought for my family," by Vivian Butler - "The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was created in 2004 to allow students from low-income families to attend private schools. The program stopped enrolling new students after 2008, but Congress is considering legislation that would reopen it. This is one participant's story." - "[M]y daughter ... Jerlisa isn't the only one who has benefited from this experience. I, too, started to feel more confident. Now I ask about resources and fill out scholarship applications with ease. ... I'm now applying to programs to become a home health-care nurse. Meanwhile, Jerlisa is deciding where to apply for college. ... Jerlisa's scholarship has been worth so much more than $7,500." http://wapo.st/e2B5pj FYI: Senator Lieberman and Speaker Boehner are the lead sponsors to renew the D.C. scholarship program.
Congress
--Dan Balz's "Sunday Take," WashPost A2, "A young Wisconsin trio could shape the direction of the GOP": "Their names are Scott Walker, Reince Priebus and Paul Ryan. Walker is the newly elected governor of Wisconsin. Priebus is the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee. Ryan, perhaps the best known of the three, is the new chairman of the House Budget Committee and he delivered the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address. They all grew up in southern Wisconsin. They are close in age, ranging from late 30s to early 40s ... They share a worldview, a set of conservative values and a determination to show the country that conservative governance can solve many of the nation's problems. And in Wisconsin, they found a way to unify the party establishment with the tea party movement, avoiding many of the conflicts that occurred in other states." http://wapo.st/eOIwlo
Federal Budget
The White House is trying to set up the debate for the rest of the month (and beyond) by framing the choice as HOW - not WHETHER - to cut spending.
Federal Budget
TOP STORY - White House budget director Jack Lew Op-Ed in the N.Y. Times, "The Easy Cuts Are Behind Us: President Obama made tough budget choices [in the budget out Feb. 14]. So must Congress": "[T]o achieve the deeper cuts needed to support this spending freeze, we have had to look beyond the obvious and cut spending for purposes we support. We had to choose programs that, absent the fiscal situation, we would not cut. Since they were instituted, community service block grants have helped to support community action organizations in cities and towns across the country. These are grassroots groups working in poor communities, dedicated to empowering those living there and helping them with some of life's basic necessities. These are the kinds of programs that President Obama worked with when he was a community organizer, so this cut is not easy for him. ... Another difficult cut is a reduction of $125 million, or about a quarter of current financing, to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which supports environmental cleanup and protection. And a third is a reduction in the Community Development Block Grant program. These flexible grants help cities and counties across the nation finance projects in areas like housing, sewers and streets, and economic development in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. ...
"We must take care to avoid indiscriminate cuts in areas critical to long-term growth like education, innovation and infrastructure - cuts that would stifle the economy just as it begins to recover. That, in turn, would deprive us of one of the most powerful drivers of deficit reduction, a growing economy. Next week, a debate will begin in Washington and throughout our country about the best way forward. The Obama administration will come to these discussions with a responsible, sensible and achievable plan to put the country on a fiscally sustainable path. The plan will incorporate many tough choices and deep cuts - as well as smart investments - to broaden our recovery, spur job creation and prepare the United States to win in the world economy." http://nyti.ms/fKcrVz
"We must take care to avoid indiscriminate cuts in areas critical to long-term growth like education, innovation and infrastructure - cuts that would stifle the economy just as it begins to recover. That, in turn, would deprive us of one of the most powerful drivers of deficit reduction, a growing economy. Next week, a debate will begin in Washington and throughout our country about the best way forward. The Obama administration will come to these discussions with a responsible, sensible and achievable plan to put the country on a fiscally sustainable path. The plan will incorporate many tough choices and deep cuts - as well as smart investments - to broaden our recovery, spur job creation and prepare the United States to win in the world economy." http://nyti.ms/fKcrVz
Federal Budget
ALAN SIMPSON, former Republican US Senator from Wyoming and co-chair of President Obama's debt commission, to Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union": "If you hear a politician get up and say, 'I know we can get this done. We're going to get rid of all earmarks; all waste, fraud and abuse; all foreign aid; Air Force One; all congressional pensions.' That's just sparrow belch in the midst of the typhoon. That's about six, eight, ten percent of where we are. So, I'm waiting for the politician to get up and say, 'There's only one way to do this: You dig into the big four -- Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and defense.' And anybody giving you anything different than that, you want to walk out the door, stick your finger down your throat, and give them the green weenie."
Friday, February 4, 2011
Budget Slippery Budget Slopes | DomeMagazine.com
State budgets are hard enough to get passed but this year and this proposal could prove very, very difficult. This column lays it out well.
Slippery Budget Slopes | DomeMagazine.com
Slippery Budget Slopes | DomeMagazine.com
Congressional Budget Politics
"Lawmakers Rally Lobbyists in 'Call To Arms' For Upcoming Spending Fight: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Urged Lobbyists to Push for Continued Funding," by ABC's Jonathan Karl and Matthew Jaffe: "In an e-mail obtained by ABC News, a top staffer for [a] key Senate Appropriations subcommittee called for a meeting of lobbyists and interest groups that would be affected by expected cuts to the Labor and Health and Human Services budget. The Jan. 24 meeting was attended by approximately 400 people, ... and served as a 'call to arms' for those determined to fight Republican budget cuts. 'One thing everyone should be able to agree on now is that a rising tide lifts all boats, and that a higher [Labor, Health & Human Services] allocation improves the chances for every stakeholder group to receive more funding,' the committee staffer for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wrote in an e-mail inviting people to the meeting." http://abcn.ws/i3NaAM
--A GOP aide e-mails: "[T]his is the kind of thing that Republicans could easily seize on as a prime example of how Washington is broken. Democrats meeting behind closed doors with 400 lobbyists to talk about how they can keep their hands on the taxpayer cash."
--A GOP aide e-mails: "[T]his is the kind of thing that Republicans could easily seize on as a prime example of how Washington is broken. Democrats meeting behind closed doors with 400 lobbyists to talk about how they can keep their hands on the taxpayer cash."
Important Day for President-Unemployment Numbers Out Today-
Benchmarking Jobs Day Against Election Day": "[F]or 2012, the magic number may ... be 215. That is how many thousands of jobs the economy has to create every month for the unemployment rate to drop below 8 percent by Election Day 2012. ... Since 1960, the unemployment rate has been above 7 percent during four elections: 1976, 1980, 1984 and 1992. In three of these 4 elections, the incumbent party lost. Only in 1984 did Reagan win with 7.2 percent unemployment, which was in the context of a 1.3 percentage point drop in unemployment during the year prior to the election. For President Obama, with a current unemployment rate of 9.4 percent, an unemployment rate below 7 percent is hard to envision by November 2012. However over the coming 2 years, he would see an improved political position from a significant drop in the unemployment rate. Current economic forecasting projects a fourth quarter 2012 unemployment rate of approximately 8 percent (CEA: 7.7 percent; CBO: 8.2 percent; Blue Chip: 8.4 percent). If the unemployment rate can break this 8 percent level, President Obama can credibly argue that he is making progress on jobs, even though the unemployment rate will still be historically high.
The Presidency and Foreign Affairs
-- DAVID IGNATIUS in WashPost, "Obama's story, and Egypt's: How his past could shape policy": "As President Obama watched events unfold this past week in Egypt and the surrounding Arab world, he is said to have reflected on his own boyhood experiences in Indonesia ... The formative experiences of Obama's life tell him that change in developing countries is inexorable and that reform can often succeed. ... The lesson that Obama takes from Indonesia's democratic revolt is that when the grip of authoritarian government has been loosened, it can't easily be restored: A catharsis takes place that, over time, can lead to better governance and economic growth. ... Obama's personal history gives him a unique opportunity to connect with the young generation that is making this volatile revolution. But it also makes Obama uniquely vulnerable to the charge that he is putting American security second to his hopes for an ephemeral process of change ... Obama's challenge is to use his life experience - and his unusual ability as a communicator - to brace this process of change. He can identify with the idealistic young rebels in the street, but he also needs to reassure the world that American power is a steadying force at a time of upheaval." http://wapo.st/e7uFF4
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Governors, unions brace for battle
We will hear more and more of this in Michigan as we get into the public debate on balancing this budget.
Governors, unions brace for battle
Governors, unions brace for battle
Commerce Department partial privatization approved - JSOnline
More to come to Michigan state government and local government? Privatization and public partner to public partner partnerships. Wave of the future? No choice or are there choices?
Commerce Department partial privatization approved - JSOnline
Commerce Department partial privatization approved - JSOnline
With state's revenue sharing dwindling, is a regional tax the way to go? | MLive.com
Local taxation and regional taxation will be the political and policy debate of the year. Painful discussion as local gov't leaders try to trim services and raise taxes--both of which voters don't want them to do.
With state's revenue sharing dwindling, is a regional tax the way to go? | MLive.com
With state's revenue sharing dwindling, is a regional tax the way to go? | MLive.com
Federal Budget
SHOT -- "Obama budget to get serious with deficit-Lew," by Reuters' Alister Bull and Jeff Mason: "Obama ... will deliver his budget proposal on Feb. 14 and fighting the deficit ... will be a big part of that plan, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew told Reuters. ... Lew said the coming budget will lay out a pivot to deficit control after the last two years were spent pushing for economic growth. ... 'There definitely will be items that are familiar from the deficit commission' in the budget, he said. 'The president's made clear he hasn't embraced it in its entirety. He's looked to it and taken ideas from it.'" http://reut.rs/gweSSn
--CHASER - "Happy Talk," by Slate's John Dickerson: "Last year he promised America a tough conversation about cutting the deficit. ... Now, instead of tough talk, the president is offering stirring slogans. 'Win the future' was the theme of his State of the Union address. ... 'Startup America' was unveiled Monday to encourage entrepreneurs. ... The president has decided that he'll let Republicans be the dour ones. ... Short and sharp is what is needed to rebut Captain Win the Future. So far, the [GOP] message needs some work." http://slate.me/gPrT67
--CHASER - "Happy Talk," by Slate's John Dickerson: "Last year he promised America a tough conversation about cutting the deficit. ... Now, instead of tough talk, the president is offering stirring slogans. 'Win the future' was the theme of his State of the Union address. ... 'Startup America' was unveiled Monday to encourage entrepreneurs. ... The president has decided that he'll let Republicans be the dour ones. ... Short and sharp is what is needed to rebut Captain Win the Future. So far, the [GOP] message needs some work." http://slate.me/gPrT67
Immigration as a global issue
This issue is very important to all nations. One that we are all struggling with. Thus this report is important.
OUT TODAY, per Will Bohlen: The German Marshall Fund releases "Transatlantic Trends: Immigration" at the National Press Club at 9 a.m. The public opinion survey looks at how Americans, Canadians, and Europeans in six countries feel about immigration, integration, and how their governments are faring on immigration policy. From the U.S. results: 73% of Americans think the federal government is doing a poor job in managing immigration. Partisan splits show Republicans and independents favoring states handling immigration policy; Democrat favor the federal government. 67% of Americans said immigration policy would affect their vote. Full report available online after 8 a.m. www.transatlantictrends.org
OUT TODAY, per Will Bohlen: The German Marshall Fund releases "Transatlantic Trends: Immigration" at the National Press Club at 9 a.m. The public opinion survey looks at how Americans, Canadians, and Europeans in six countries feel about immigration, integration, and how their governments are faring on immigration policy. From the U.S. results: 73% of Americans think the federal government is doing a poor job in managing immigration. Partisan splits show Republicans and independents favoring states handling immigration policy; Democrat favor the federal government. 67% of Americans said immigration policy would affect their vote. Full report available online after 8 a.m. www.transatlantictrends.org
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
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