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From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Mark Murray
On a 52-33 vote, Illinois labor attorney Craig Becker's nomination to serve on the National Labor Relations Board failed, as expected.
This was a cloture vote to end debate, and not the actual nomination up or down.
Senate Democrats needed 60 votes. Among those voting no: the newest member, Sen. Scott Brown (R).
The AFL-CIO released this statement: "It is reprehensible that a minority in the U.S. Senate has blocked an up-or-down vote on Craig Becker, nominated seven months ago by President Obama to serve on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Once again, a Republican-led filibuster has put political interests over the needs of America's working families. For more than two years, the NLRB has had only two of its five members. Without a fully staffed NLRB, working families face a major disadvantage in winning justice in the workplace."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce countered: "While the Chamber rarely takes issue with presidential nominees, today's vote reflects a bipartisan rejection of the ideology behind the Card Check bill and this nominee's out-of-the-mainstream views about the rights of job creators in unionizing drives."
The Chamber also warned, "A recess appointment of this controversial nominee, instead of a new consensus candidate, definitely would send the wrong signal given the clear lack of support expressed by the Senate. The two other NLRB nominees have bipartisan backing, and the White House should use those as a model for who should be appointed to the board."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Speaking of today's talk of bipartisanship -- or the lack therof (here and here) -- a new Washington Post/ABC poll finds that 58% of Americans believe the Republican Party is doing too little to compromise with President Obama, while just 30% say it's the right amount.
By comparison, 45% say Obama has compromised the right amount with Republicans, versus 44% who believe he has compromised too little.
From the Post article: "Among independents, 56 percent see the Republicans in Congress as too unbending and 50 percent say so of the president; 28 percent of independents say both sides are doing too little to find agreement."
From NBC's Mark Murray
The AP:
New Hampshire authorities say the man who took hostages at a Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign office in 2007 has cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and is a fugitive.
Strafford County Attorney Thomas Velardi says Leeland Eisenberg cut off the bracelet Tuesday morning. That was a day after Verlardi says he was given a "last chance" at freedom by a judge who released him despite probation violations.
Velardi says Eisenberg is a danger to the public and should not be approached.
Leland spent about two years behind bars for the November 2007 siege at Clinton's campaign office in Rochester. He was released on probation last November. His first violation occurred soon after his release, when he failed to charge his monitoring bracelet.
From NBC's Mark Murray
There's news today relating to Tim Kaine and Michael Steele, the respective DNC and RNC chairman.
Regarding Kaine, former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder (D) has written an op-ed arguing that Kaine -- a fellow former VA governor -- is not a good fit for DNC chair. (Do note that Wilder has been an unpredictable Democrat; in last year's gubernatorial race in Virginia, Wilder refused to endorse Creigh Deeds.)
Tim Kaine is a friend who I respect. I personally pushed for his consideration by Obama for the vice-presidency because Tim was the first governor outside of Obama's home state to endorse him, and it was a bold step away from our state's past history... There are several reasons why I felt then and do now that it is not a good fit for Tim, the party, or President Obama.
[snip]
Republicans are surely going to remind voters, nationwide, that Chairman Kaine tried to balance his budget in his last days by proposing a $1 Billion Dollar plus personal income tax increase. This measure was "shot down" in the first week of the legislative session with not a single person, including Democrats, voting for it (0-97). Even the patron of the bill abstained. Kaine's recommendation to the Justice Department to transfer one of Virginia's inmates to a Federal Jurisdiction and ultimately to Germany, for possible parole in two years, was almost immediately withdrawn by the incoming Republican Governor and the Republican Attorney General. Due to the serious nature of these heinous murders and the clearest evidence of guilt, many are still asking why? Is that who this president wants to be arm-in-arm with as we enter a pivotal election year? For his sake, it shouldn't be. The President has enough to worry about and defend without this detracting sideshow as to feckless party leadership.
Regarding Steele, the RNC chairman said in an interview with Washingtonian magazine that much of the criticism he has received is due to the color of his skin.
Steele acknowledges that at times he has a tendency to take things too far. “And I get checked on that, just as when I was a young boy and I pushed the envelope too far and my Mama was there to check me.”
But there’s an edge to his voice when he talks about a double standard that he believes has been applied by his critics, and he posits racism as the cause: “I don’t see stories about the internal operations of the DNC that I see about this operation. Why? Is it because Michael Steele is the chairman, or is it because a black man is chairman?”
From NBC's Scott Foster and Athena Jones
Today was the third time President Obama has made a surprise visit to the White House briefing room during the daily briefing.
May 1, 2009: Remarks about retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
Nov. 5, 2009: Remarks to hail AARP and AMA support for the House health-care bill.
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office offered up this summary of today's White House/congressional leadership meeting:
McConnell said the best way to accomplish these job-creating measures is to bring them to the Senate floor as stand-alone measures, not attached to other controversial provisions, "to produce immediate bipartisan accomplishments that will grow jobs here at home."
McConnell offered to work with the President on four specific items from the State of the Union:
-- Increase clean nuclear energy in America
-- Expand exploration of offshore areas for oil and gas development
-- Develop Clean Coal technologies
-- Expand American exports through free trade agreements
From NBC's Mark Murray and Scott Foster
For just the third time in his presidency, President Obama today made a surprise visit to the White House press briefing room to update reporters about his meeting this morning with congressional leaders.
Obama's visit turned into a full-fledged news conference, where he took questions on health care, the economy, Iran, and the state of bipartisanship in Washington.
At the outset, the president said that his meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders -- on jobs and the economy -- "went well," adding that there are ideas of spurring job growth (like additional tax cuts for small businesses) that could get bipartisan agreement.
"There are legitimate and genuine differences between the parties," he said. "But there are many issues upon which -- and we should -- agree." Americans, he continued, "are tired of every day being Election Day in Washington."
Yet Obama maintained that he explained to GOP leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell that bipartisanship can't be something in which he agrees to what Republicans want, but in which they don't reciprocate. "There has got to be some give and take."
CONTINUED >>
Bipartisanship -- or the lack thereof -- is on full display today… Congressional Democratic and GOP leaders head to the White House to talk about the jobs bill… But Boehner and Cantor lay out conditions for their participation at the upcoming meeting on health care… And Senate poised to filibuster NLRB pick… It looks like engagement with Iran is over… Discussion and buzz over Obama’s inner circle… And pressure’s on the NRCC in the special to fill Jack Murtha’s seat.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Gridlock: The state of bipartisanship in Washington -- or the lack thereof -- is on full display today. On the one hand, President Obama meets at the White House at 10:15 am ET with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss legislation to spur more job growth. On the other hand, Boehner and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor yesterday sent a letter to the White House, laying out conditions for their participation in the upcoming Feb. 25 bipartisan meeting on health care. Adding to the perception of gridlock, the Senate holds a cloture vote this afternoon on National Labor Relations Board nominee Craig Becker, and both Democratic and Republican aides tell First Read that it’s unlikely he’ll receive the 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster. In fact, this will probably be Sen. Scott Brown (R)’s first vote since being sworn in last week. Perhaps the most bipartisan aspect of the Becker nomination is the fact that Sen. Ben Nelson (D) is expected to join the GOP filibuster (which prompted the AFL-CIO to point out how Nelson supported cloture for controversial Bush nominees like John Bolton).
*** 9 in 10 Americans agree…: So what does the public think of all of this? As our NBC/WSJ poll last month found, Americans are completely fed up with Washington. Only 28% say that the federal government is working, versus 70% who disagree. What’s more, 93% believe there’s too much partisan fighting; 84% think the special interests have too much influence over legislation; and an equal 61% complain that both Democrats and Republicans in Congress aren’t willing to compromise. And 48% blame congressional Republicans for not being able to find solutions to the country’s problems, 41% blame congressional Democrats, and 27% blame Obama. The good news: Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby (R) dropped his hold of those 70 Obama nominees. But he also has said he’ll continue to block other nominees. http://bit.ly/b2ojdo
*** Health care gamesmanship? Back to the Boehner-Cantor letter raising the prospect that they might not attend the upcoming Feb. 25 bipartisan meeting on health care…. They asked Emanuel questions like: Will Obama start over on health care? Will he take reconciliation off the table? And will the meeting include congressional Democrats who have opposed the reform efforts? “Your answers to these critical questions will help determine whether this will be a truly open, bipartisan discussion or merely an intramural exercise before Democrats attempt to jam through a job-killing health care bill that the American people can't afford and don't support,” they wrote. At first glance, this looks a lot like negotiating and gamesmanship, and the expectation is that Republicans will attend. Would Republicans really not attend the meeting, risking that the percentage blaming them for Washington’s ills goes higher?
*** The end of engagement? Speaking of negotiating and gamesmanship, it’s being reported that Iran has begun enriching its stockpile of uranium. And that news most likely means that engagement with Iran is over. The New York Times: “In Paris, the visiting United States defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, said the Obama administration and its allies had done all they could to entice Iran to negotiate. ‘All of these initiatives have been rejected,’ he said. While ‘we must still try and find a peaceful way to resolve this issue, ‘ he said, ‘the only path that is left to us at this point, it seems to me, is that pressure track. But it will require all of the international community to work together.’”
*** Obama’s inner circle: We should have mentioned these two pieces earlier -- in the Financial Times and the Washington Note -- that make some key observations about Obama’s inner circle, and are getting a fair amount of buzz. One excerpt: "The Obama White House is geared for campaigning rather than governing, [observers] say. In dozens of interviews with his closest allies and friends in Washington - most of them given unattributably in order to protect their access to the Oval Office - each observes that the president draws on the advice of a very tight circle. The inner core consists of just four people - Rahm Emanuel, the pugnacious chief of staff; David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, his senior advisers; and Robert Gibbs, his communications chief... With the exception of Mr Emanuel, who was a senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, all were an integral part of Mr Obama's brilliantly managed campaign. Apart from Mr Gibbs, who is from Alabama, all are Chicagoans - like the president. And barring Richard Nixon's White House, few can think of an administration that has been so dominated by such a small inner circle.”
*** Pressure’s on the NRCC: Yesterday's passing of Rep. John Murtha (D) sets off a special selection that will take place sometime this spring (perhaps in the May 18 primary), which will be a real test for the National Republican Congressional Committee. In the last two years, the NRCC has had an abysmal record in special elections, losing in places from Mississippi and Louisiana to Upstate New York (NY-20 and NY-23). Make no mistake, this special has the potential to be VERY competitive. Murtha held his seat since 1974. But John McCain narrowly won the district in 2008; in fact, Murtha's district in Western Pennsylvania was the only one in the country that voted for John Kerry in ‘04 and for McCain in '08. This is a hugely important contest for the NRCC; the early pressure is on them – especially after losing both New York specials in this political environment.
*** Look at all these rumors, surrounding me everyday: New York Gov. David Paterson (D) is in the news. First, the Wall Street Journal quotes a key adviser saying that Paterson is definitely running for election. Next, per the New York Post, he “strongly denied rampant rumors of extramarital affairs and drug use as he blasted the media for printing ‘callous and sleazy’ allegations. In an interview with The Associated Press, Paterson lashed out at the press for ‘stretching the bounds of journalism’ in an effort to confirm reports and gossip about his personal escapades. The rumors have fueled rampant speculation that the governor is about to resign. ‘For the last couple of weeks, I have been the subject of what, even by Albany standards, has been a spate of outrageous rumors about me,’ Paterson said.”
*** More midterm news: The New York Times profiles the primary challenge John McCain is getting from J.D. Hayworth… In Florida, Marco Rubio bested Charlie Crist in another FL GOP straw poll… And in Texas, the Democrats running for governor -- including Dem front-runner Bill White -- debated yesterday.
Countdown to TX primary: 23 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 268 days
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The Washington Post: “Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they might refuse to participate in President Obama's proposed health care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) expressed frustration at reports that Obama intends to put the Democratic bills on the table for discussion at the Feb. 25 summit. ‘If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate,’ Boehner and Cantor wrote.”
Politico adds, “Republicans say they’re open to compromise — as long as Obama tears up the House and Senate bills, restarts the legislative process and drops several key parts of his wish list. Democrats say, not a chance. And in fact, Obama hopes to walk into the Feb. 25 summit with an agreement in hand between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on a final Democratic bill, so they can move ahead with a reform package after the sit-down.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times looks at the GOP ideas on health care. “The Republicans rely more on the market and less on government. They would not require employers to provide insurance. They oppose the Democrats’ call for a big expansion of Medicaid, which Republicans say would burden states with huge long-term liabilities.”
CONTINUED >>
"Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania, a gruff ex-Marine who used his immense power in military spending to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to his hard-luck district and who became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, died on Monday. He was 77," the New York Times writes. "He died at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, where he was being treated for complications of gallbladder surgery, his office said. Mr. Murtha’s death came two days after he became the longest-serving congressman in Pennsylvania history, his office said, surpassing the record of Joseph M. McDade, a Scranton Republican who served from 1963 to 1999."
“Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) has released his controversial ‘holds’ on more than 70 pending presidential nominations, his office said Monday night,” the Washington Post says. “Senate Democratic aides confirmed that Shelby had released most holds, but Shelby said he would continue to block other, unnamed nominees. ‘The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national security -- the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI's Terrorist Device Analytical Center (TEDAC),’ Shelby's office said in a statement. ‘With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition.’”
Meanwhile, “Blue Dog Democrats want Congress to go further than President Barack Obama’s proposal to freeze spending in next year’s budget,” The Hill writes. “The group of House centrists will soon introduce a bill capping discretionary spending at specific levels.”
