November 2008 - Posts
The Obama team has put out a statement condemning today's coordinated terror attacks in Mumbai, India. Here's the text:
"President-Elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of India. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks. We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks," said Brooke Anderson, Chief National Security Spokesperson
Video: President-elect Barack Obama reportedly called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. NBC's John Yang reports. NBC's Libby Leist reports that, per a senior state department official,
Secretary Rice has briefed
President Bush on her talks with the U.S. consul general in Mumbai.
From NBC's Carrie Dann Senate candidate
Al Franken will not appeal a decision by the Minnesota State Canvassing Board, which today rejected the Democrat's request that rejected absentee ballots be included in the race's hotly contested recount.
The canvassing board's decision was perceived as a blow to Franken, who trailed Republican incumbent Norm Coleman by just 283 votes Wednesday with about 80% of the recount completed. Some of the absentee ballots appear to have been improperly rejected due to administrative errors, and the Franken team hoped that -- when inspected -- the reconsidered ballots would yield votes to close Coleman's razor-tight advantage.
In announcing its decision this morning, canvassing board members emphasized that the Franken camp's request was not rejected on legal grounds, but because it is unclear if the board has the jurisdiction to mandate that the ballots be reexamined.
Estimates by the Franken camp and the Minnesota Secretary of State indicate that the number of rejected absentee ballots is at least 6000, and could be as high as 12,000. The Democrat's team says that failing to count the small fraction of those ballots that were mistakenly discarded amounts to disenfranchisement. CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Libby Leist refused to answer questions today about her likely successor as Secretary of State - Hillary Clinton.
Asked about Clinton's apparent lock on the job at a press conference today, Rice laughed and said, "I'm going to give President-elect Obama the courtesy of waiting until he makes an announcement. And I've heard some -- some names of some great people, and I think that the department and the country will be in good hands"
Rice would also not comment on her relationship with Hillary Clinton. But spokesman Sean McCormack reminded NBC that Rice and Clinton go back a long time. Rice hosted then-first lady Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea for lunch at Stanford when Chelsea was looking at colleges in 1996. Rice was provost at the university at the time.
McCormack added Rice has a lot of respect for how the Clintons raised Chelsea.
From NBC's Athena Jones CHICAGO -- In response to criticism that he is departing from his promise to bring change to Washington because several members of his economic team were Beltway insiders,
Barack Obama said today that his team would combine experience with fresh thinking and his own vision for change.
"Understand where the vision for change comes from, first and foremost," he told reporters at his third press conference in as many days. "It comes from me. That's my job, is to provide a vision in terms of where we are going, and to make sure, then, that my team is implementing."
He also called the government’s latest attempt to help ease lending with $800 billion in new lending programs a “positive sign.”
Obama made the comments on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday in what was his third press conference this week - and the fourth since being elected. With the economic crisis dominating the front pages, Obama has used each day this week to announce members of his economic team, a sign that managing the economy would be a top priority in his first days in office.
Today he tapped former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker , an economic adviser during the campaign, to chair his President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Obama also announced that Austan Goolsbee , another campaign economic adviser, would serve as the board's staff director and chief economist as well as a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. He said Goolsbee was one of the advisers who had most shaped his thinking on economic matters.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Pete Williams
Both urge the court to consider claims that President-elect Obama is not qualified to be president, because he is not a natural-born American citizen.
Persistent concerns about the qualifications of both major party candidates rank among the oddest aspects of 2008's historic campaign.
Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution provides that "No person except a natural born citizen" is eligible to be president. John McCain 's status was questioned because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone and various theories have been advanced to cast doubt on Obama's.
Lawsuits over the inclusion of their names on state general-election ballots popped up around the country and were quickly dispensed with by local courts. But two challengers have pursued their cases to the Supreme Court.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann and msnbc.com's Tom Curry If you're an Illinois lawmaker hoping for an appointment to fill
Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat, a few things might help to get
Gov. Rod Blagojevich on your side. Offer some positive publicity for the unpopular governor, perhaps, and maybe be open to the possibility of a full-term run in 2010.
Another thing that might be helpful: Spell his name right.
Per a press release from the office of
Rep. Danny Davis , an African-American congressman considered one of the front-runners for the appointment, Illinois supporters will be holding an event today to "announce their support and urge Governor Blagojavich to appoint Congressman Danny K. Davis to replace President-Elect Obama as U. S. Senator."
Whoops.
The correct spelling is Blagojevich.
If a serious name has been floated, they are likely on this list. If not, let us know.
OUR OBAMA CABINET SPECULATION LIST: -- Agriculture: Tom Vilsack, Tom Buis (Natl Farmers Union), Charlie Stenholm, Jim Leach, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Marshall Matz, John Boyd Jr. (pres, Natl Black Farmers Assn)Commerce: Bill Richardson CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS Defense: Robert Gates LIKELY, PER NBC NEWS Education: Joel Klein (NYC), Linda Darling-Hammond, Kathleen Sebelius, Colin Powell, Jim Hunt, Arne Duncan, Inez Tenenbaum, Michael Bennett, George Miller, Gaston Caperton (fmr WV gov), Bambi Cardenas (pres, U TX-Pan Am, Susan Castillo (OR supt), Michael Cohen (pres, Achieve), Christopher Edley (dean, UC-Berkeley), Michael Johnston (dir, Mapleton Expeditionary Schl of the Arts), VA Gov. Tim Kaine, Michelle Rhee (DC), Sharon Robinson (pres, Assn of Colls for Tchr Ed), Andrew Rotherman/Jonahtan Schnur (fmr Clinton advisers), Diane Shust (dir, NEA govt rels), Paul Vallas (supt, New Orleans Recovery Schl Dist), Bob Wise (fmr WV gov), Ray Mabus (fmr MS gov)Energy: Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris, Kathleen Sebelius, Philip Sharp, Ed Rendell, Arnold Schwarzenegger (has said no), Al Gore, Jeff Bingaman, Jennifer Granholm, Steve Westly, Frederico Pena, Dan Reicher, Jason Grumet, Ray Mabus (fmr MS gov)HHS: Tom Daschle CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano LIKELY, PER NBC NEWS HUD: Manny Diaz (Miami mayor), Shirley Franklin (Atlanta mayor), Saul Ramirez, Jim Clyburn (reportedly not interested) Interior: Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ), , Jay Inslee, John Kitzhaber, Tony Knowles, Ken Salazar, Jamie Rappoport Clark, Brian Schweitzer, Bill RichardsonJustice (AG): Eric Holder CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS Labor: Kathleen Sebelius, Andy Stern (SEIU) (said not interested), Richard Gephardt, George Miller, David Bonior (said he’s not interested, suggested: American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell), Xavier Becerra, Linda Chavez-Thompson, Antonio VillaraigosaState: Hillary Clinton CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS ) , John Kerry, Bill Richardson, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, Richard Holbrooke, Chris Dodd, Thomas Pickering, Al Gore, Colin Kahl (CNAS fellow), Tom DaschleTransportation: Ed Rendell, Jane Garvey, Mortimer Downey, Earl Blumenauer, Steve Heminger, James Oberstar, Peter DeFazio, Federico Pena, Jeanette Sadik-Khan, Tim Kaine, John Hickenlooper (Denver mayor), Ron Sims (King County (WA) Executive), Doug Foy (Fmr pres, Convservation Law Fndtn), Parris Glendening (Fmr Gov MD)Treasury: Tim Geithner CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS Veterans Affairs: Max Cleland, Tammy Duckworth, Chet Edwards, Arnold Fisher (fmr Fisher House Fndtn chair), James Peake, William Bratton, Anthony G. Brown (MD Lt Gov)
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie Paul Volcker to play a key role.
*** UPDATE *** Modeled on the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to provide an independent voice on intelligence issues, the new Economic Recovery Advisory Board will be charged with offering independent, nonpartisan information, analysis and advice to the President as he formulates and implements his plans for economic recovery. The Economic Recovery Advisory Board will provide regular briefings to the President, Vice-President and their economic team. The Board will be established initially for a two-year term, after which the President will make a determination on whether to continue its existence based on its continued necessity.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski Robert Gates will remain on the job at the Pentagon for at least a year. "That's been a done deal for sometime," according to the sources. "No other name has been seriously floated as a possible candidate."
Video: President-elect Barack Obama is expected to confirm that current Defense Secretary Robert Gates, appointed by President Bush, will likely remain at the Pentagon for at least a year. The deal was sealed for Gates when former Marine Corps Candidate
Jim Jones was mentioned as the probable candidate for National Security Adviser, and former Admiral
Dennis Blair was named as the likely pick for Director of National Intelligence, according to one source.
"That's a dream team that Gates could clearly work with," the source said.
Two other sources involved or familiar with the process said, as of yesterday, Gates was all but certain. CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Jeff Hanley Norm Coleman and Al Franken campaigns as the Franken campaign claims the margin has narrowed to just 84 votes between the two candidates in the Minnesota Senate.
“The number of lost ballots continues to grow and now totals in the hundreds,” Franken lead attorney Marc Elias said in a phone conference today. “We grow more and more concerned that these ballots are missing and appear to be disappearing.”
Video: As the recount nears an end in the disputed Minnesota Senate vote between incumbent Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken, the tension increases with each new ballot counted. KARE's John Croman reports. In an effort to illustrate just where some of these ballots might be hiding, Elias displayed a locked voting machine to on-looking reporters with what appeared to be an undetermined number of jammed ballots stuck in the base of the machine.
“Astonishingly, election officials have refused our request to open that machine,” Elias said. “Until that machine is opened, we will not know if that is one ballot, five ballots, whether it’s a ballot for Coleman or Franken.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Pete Williams We may know later today whether the U.S. Supreme Court will take up one of the biggest unanswered questions in the war on terror: Can the government pick up people in the United States and declare them enemy combatants?
If the court agrees to hear this case, it will set up an immediate test for the Obama administration, which will catch this hot potato, forcing it to decide whether to follow the Bush administration course or set a new direction.
The case involves a man from Qatar who came to study in the U.S., but civil liberties groups -- and several federal judges -- say the same legal principle could be applied to U.S. citizens.
*** UPDATE ***
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland Obama said there has been bipartisan support for his newly named economic team.
Here's what a couple of key Senate Republicans have said.
As the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, Sen. Judd Gregg called the nomination of Peter Orszag to OMB Director "another positive choice by President-elect Obama as he unveils his new economic team this week." In a written statement issued this afternoon, Gregg went on to call Orszag "an excellent choice."
Gregg said the earlier selection of Tim Geithner and Larry Summers "assures that we will continue to see a clear commitment by the federal government and the new administration to do whatever is needed to ensure the solvency and orderly functioning of the credit markets and key institutions."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Robert Windrem Obama , John Brennan has asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration as CIA director.
Video: President-elect Barack Obama's top advisor in intelligence has taken his name out of the running for any position with the Obama White House. NBC's John Yang reports. Brennan was thought to be the leading candidate for the job. He was the former chief of staff to then-CIA Director George Tenet, former executive assistant to Tenet and former station chief in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Reporters and others were asking questions about what role Brennan played in the decision to "torture" high value targets. (Full letter here. )
NBC's Savannah Guthrie adds this statement from Obama transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter:
From NBC’s Pete Williams
If President-elect
Barack Obama nominates
Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state, many legal scholars believe it would be the former law professor's first violation of the Constitution as president.
Why? Because the Constitution forbids the appointment of members of Congress to administration jobs if the salary of the job they'd take was raised while they were in Congress. (Article I, Section 6: "No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office ... the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time." Emoluments meaning salaries and benefits.)
Past presidents have confronted this problem repeatedly -- Taft in nominating Sen. Philander Knox to be secretary of state, Nixon in nominating Sen. William Saxbe to be attorney general, Carter in nominating Sen. Ed Muskie to be secretary of state, and Clinton in nominating Sen. Lloyd Bentsen to be treasury secretary, to name some notable examples.
The usual workaround is for Congress to lower the salary of the job back to what it was so that the nominee can take it without receiving the benefit of the pay increase that was approved while the nominee was in Congress. This maneuver, which has come to be known as "the Saxbe fix," addresses the clear intent of the Constitution, to prevent self-dealing.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Athena Jones President-elect Obama stressed the importance of crafting an efficient and responsible budget, while arguing that middle-class tax cuts must be put in place quickly to help stimulate the flagging economy.
“During my campaign, I talked about the need to provide a tax cut to 95% of workers,” he said. “Now, for us to get that tax cut in place, that is going to put money into the pockets of the middle class and will help them in spending for their basic needs. That can help the economy. The sooner we do that, the better.”
Video: President-elect Barack Obama announces two members of his budget office, and discusses his plans to build a "smarter government" by eliminating unneeded programs, and running the remainder in a cost-effective way. Obama took questions from reporters after announcing two more members of his economic team. He named Peter Orszag as director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Rob Nabors as Orszag's deputy. On Monday, Obama officially announced four other members, including New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers as head of the National Economic Council.
Returning to a theme he mentioned often on the campaign trail, Obama said Orszag and Nabors would be charged with going through the federal budget “page by page, line by line” to develop a budget that would eliminate waste and increase government efficiency.
“If we are going to make the investments we need, we also have to be willing to shed the spending that we don't need,” he said. “In these challenging times, when we're facing both rising deficits and a shrinking economy, budget reform is not an option. It's a necessity.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro John McCain , in his first news conference since losing his bid for the presidency, applauded President-elect Obama 's cabinet appointments so far, particularly that of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) potentially as Homeland Security secretary.
Interesting, considering she hasn't been nominated yet, and convenient, since Napolitano was seen as a top rival for McCain's Senate seat in 2010.
Thank you, Mr. President-elect. A couple of chits for Obama with McCain -- (1) Eliminating a top political opponent and (2) Making nice with Joe Lieberman .
VIDEO: McCain gives his first news conference since losing his bid for the presidency. "I intend to run again," McCain said, adding that he will make an official announcement at the appropriate time. "I always expect a tough race," McCain added later, lightheartedly cocking a fist and smiling.
McCain also reflected on the campaign, saying he looks "back with pride and honor."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
As expected,
Peter Orszag , director of the Congressional Budget Office, was named as President-elect
Obama 's Office of Management and Budget Director, the Obama transition team announced today.
Rob Nabors , currently Clerk and staff director of the House Appropriations Committee, was named Orszag's deputy. Nabors served in the OMB during the Clinton administration as a senior adviser to the director.
“In these challenging times, when we are facing both rising deficits and a sinking economy, budget reform is not an option," Obama said in a statement. "It is an imperative. We cannot sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness, or exist solely because of the power of a politician, lobbyist, or interest group. We simply cannot afford it. This isn’t about big government or small government. It’s about building a smarter government that focuses on what works. That is why I will ask my team to think anew and act anew to meet our new challenges. We will go through our federal budget -- page by page, line by line -- eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way."
Short bios, per the transition team, after the jump:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's John Talty In the hotly contested Minnesota Senate recount, missing ballots could provide another source of rancor between the two candidates. In a
Franken camp teleconference call this afternoon, lead recount attorney Marc Elias stressed the need to find missing ballots and encouraged the Minnesota Secretary of State's office to take an active role in the process.
“Missing ballots aren’t automatically an indication of foul play, but it should be a serious matter of concern,” Elias said. “We hope and call on the Secretary of State to issue clear instructions on all counties so that these ballots may be found and properly counted.”
Elias provided examples in both Clay County and St. Louis County, in which the amount of ballots cast on November 4th does not match up with the amount of ballots produced for reconsideration in the recount. He also continued to assert that the difference between Al Franken (D) and incumbent Norm Coleman remains in only the double digits. CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Athena Jones Obama stressed the need to “act swiftly and boldly” to prevent millions of job losses next year and said his economic team, which he announced today, was at work on an “aggressive economic recovery” plan that he hoped could be enacted soon after he takes office.
“Beyond any immediate actions we may take, we need a recovery plan for both Wall Street and Main Street, a plan that stabilizes our financial system and gets credit flowing again, while at the same time addressing our growing foreclosure crisis, helping our struggling auto industry, and creating and saving 2.5 million jobs, jobs rebuilding our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, modernizing our schools, and creating the clean energy infrastructure of the 21st century,” Obama said. “I've asked my economic team to develop recommendations for this plan and to consult with Congress, the current administration, and the Federal Reserve on immediate economic developments over the next two months.”
Video: President-elect Barack Obama unveils his economic team and vows to use a massive stimulus program to get the economy back on track. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reports .The economic team will brief Obama daily, and he plans to provide an overview of their initial recommendations to the broader public and to the new Congress in the hopes that legislators can begin work on a recovery plan in early January so that his administration can “hit the ground running.”
The president-elect promised to honor the public commitments the Bush administration has made in dealing with what he called a financial crisis of historic proportions, said the current administration must use the authority it has “forcefully” in the coming weeks to stabilize the current situation and added that economic recovery would also require the government to make spending cuts and sacrifices, a subject he plans to speak more about at a press conference here tomorrow.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro, Mark Murray and Doug Adams
Delaware Gov.
Ruth Ann Minner will appoint longtime
Joe Biden loyalist, adviser and former chief of staff
Ted Kaufman to fill Biden’s Senate seat when the vice-president-elect resigns.
Per a Biden spokeswoman, the longest-serving Delaware senator will resign within the next 40 to 50 days.
"As you know, VP-elect Biden has been a senator for 36 years and is chairman of a major Committee,” spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander tells NBC News. “He has two transitions going on, with the Senate and the Foreign Relations Committee, and he wants to ensure that they are as smooth as possible.”
Biden won re-election to another six-year term in November (he was allowed to be on the ballot for both the presidential ticket and U.S. Senate seat). Under state law, however, a successor would serve through just 2010 and then there would be a special election for the seat.
So, given Kaufman's ties to Biden, is he just a placeholder for Biden’s son Beau , Delaware’s attorney general, who is currently on a one-year stint as an attorney with the Delaware National Guard in Iraq?
In a (lengthy) statement from Biden, he references his son and even indicates he would have been open to having him appointed to the seat. (Full statement after the jump.) Last week, Beau rejected the notion of being appointed.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
-- The
Des Moines Register : "After two years of a non-stop political campaign, if anyone came to hear a political speech, 'you might want to consider getting involved in some kind of recovery program,' Jindal joked during a speech at the Sheraton Hotel in West Des Moines. Instead, Jindal focused on culture and family during a speech to an audience of 800 at a fundraiser for the socially conservative Iowa Family Policy Center. 'It all starts with family and builds outward from there,' said the first-term Jindal, who was making his first visit to Iowa. 'As a parent, I'm acutely aware of the overall coarsening of our culture in many ways.'"
-- The AP : "He said Americans need a break from politics, but more importantly, 'it is time for us to work together on solutions.' And, he said that means it's time to get behind the newly elected Congress and president-elect Barack Obama to overcome the country's 'substantial challenges.' 'Whether you voted for him or not, whether you supported the new leaders of Congress or not, they're our president, they're our Congress, they need our prayers, they need our support,' he said." New Orleans Times-Picayune : "Rather than emphasizing traditional themes that motivate social conservatives, such as opposition to abortion and gay marriage, Jindal talked about his efforts as governor to impose harsher penalties on child sex offenders and his efforts as a parent to keep his young children shielded from the coarser elements of modern culture. 'The success of America and the realization of the American dream relies on a common sense of culture,' he said."
From NBC's Mark Murray Katon Dawson , the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, today officially announced his bid to become the next chairman of the Republican National Committee.
“I am running to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee because I’m ready to help lead our party’s turnaround," he said in a statement. "We need to turnaround our fortunes in many regions of the country. We need to turnaround our grassroots organization, our fundraising, our use of technology and new media, and our candidate recruitment. We must move forward with the confidence that our message of optimism, hope, and freedom still resonates in the hearts of our fellow Americans.”
But in a sign that this will be a contentious contest for RNC chair, opponents to Dawson's candidacy passed along to First Read a South Carolina newspaper article noting that Dawson stepped down from a whites-only country club back in September. "He resigned ... as The State pursued an article on his membership in the club and his role in an internal push to admit African-Americans as members."
More from the article: "Dawson wrote a letter to club leaders Aug. 20, urging them to allow people of color. 'It is with only the best interests of our club’s proud tradition at heart that I inform you of my intent to work to change the club practice that would exclude membership for anyone based on any specific ethnicity,' he wrote in the letter obtained by The State."
Other announced and potential contenders for RNC chairman include Michigan GOP chair Saul Anuzis , current RNC chair Mike Duncan , former Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman , and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele .
*** UPDATE ***
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Tim Geithner was officially named Treasury Secretary by President-elect Obama's transition team. Several other members of the Obama White House economic team were also named. Included in that list is Larry Summers, the controversial former Harvard president but also a highly respected economic mind, as director of his National Economic Council.
Video: Saying he intends to move "swiftly and boldly," President-elect Barack Obama officially announces his nominees for treasury secretary, Council of Economic Advisors Chair and National Economic Council Director. “Vice President-elect Biden and I have assembled an economic team with the vision and expertise to stabilize our economy, create jobs, and get America back on track," Obama said in a statement moments before his second news conference since winning the presidential election Nov. 4th. " Even as we face great economic challenges, we know that great opportunity is at hand -- if we act swiftly and boldly. That’s the mission our economic team will take on."
Bios, per the transition team, after the jump as is our cabinet speculation list:
CONTINUED >>
A note from all of us at First Read:
For the Thanksgiving holiday, we are suspending our morning note (including First Thoughts) for next week.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Also Jackie Norris will become Michelle Obama's chief of staff. Other announcements: Catherine M. Russell as chief of staff to Jill Biden; Cynthia Hogan as counsel to the vice President; and Moises V. Vela, Jr. as director of administration for the office of the vice president.
“This group of public servants will bring decades of expertise to my administration, and I'll rely on their counsel and hard work as we fix our struggling economy and meet the great challenges of our time," President-elect Obama said in a statement. "Vice President-Elect Biden and I look forward to continuing our work with these outstanding individuals who have dedicated their careers to a better America.”
Biden's quote: “These individuals all possess incredible integrity and an unmatched commitment to public service. Cathy Russell has a unique blend of policy and management experience, combined with an ardent commitment to ending injustices around the world. Cynthia Hogan is a brilliant lawyer who was instrumental in guiding the Senate Judiciary Committee though some of its most important challenges in both crime control and judicial selection, and has shown incredible legal acumen and integrity over her career. I’m grateful to have Moe Vela, a man with experience in White House management and broad outreach skills on my team. Their combined experience, diverse leadership and esteemed counsel will be essential in helping the Obama-Biden Administration bring the change we need to America.”
Bios, per the transition team, after the jump:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro The Obamas have apparently
chosen to send their daughters to the Washington, D.C.-private school Sidwell Friends.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Clinton Senate office...
"We're still in discussions, which are very much on track," writes Clinton Senior Adviser Philippe Reines. "Any reports beyond that are premature."
From Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell
Video: NBC News has confirmed that President-elect Barack Obama will announce his economic team on Monday, tagging New York Federal Reserve President Tim Geithner for treasury secretary. NBC's Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell report. Barring last minute changes, the nominee for Treasury Secretary will be NY Fed President
Tim Geithner -- a career Treasury official under both Bob Rubin and Larry Summers -- who actually had worked at the Treasury in three administrations under five Secretaries -- going back to 1988.
Geithner has been a key player in the current economic crisis -- helping Treasury Secretary
Hank Paulson and his team manage the wall street bailout.
Former Treasury Secretary Summers -- also considered for the post -- might still play a major future role in the Obama administration, according to sources. Summers came under fire from women's groups because of controversial comments he made about gender issues while President of Harvard, but sources say the decision to choose Geithner had more to do with Obama's interest in "change" and getting someone new on the team.
Also expected Monday -- an announcement that former U.N. Ambassador and Energy Secretary in the Clinton administration, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson , will be Commerce Secretary.
Paul Volcker is expected to play a continuing advisory role -- not clear if he would have an appointed position.
Other economic appointments for the White house staff will likely include Dan Tarullo, a top Obama advisor, possibly as head of the National Economic Council.
Other economic posts -- perhaps at the Council of Economic advisors in the White House -- could be filled by Obama economic advisors Austan Goolsbee and Jason Furman.
*** UPDATE *** Msnbc.com's Al Olson
Counting Conundrum: The ongoing Minnesota recount saga From NBC’s Jeff Hanley Franken campaign, in a teleconference call today declared that the gap in votes between Al Franken (D) and Norm Coleman (R) is now only separated by a double-digit total vote margin.
Citing evidence from Franken recount observers, Elias said that, as of last night, 51.1% of all ballots cast have been counted and that Franken had picked up votes.
The Franken campaign also believes the remaining ballots that have not yet been counted will lean in favor of Franken, a stark contrast from the Coleman campaign's assertion that the recount would be frontloaded with Franken ballots.
The Franken campaign also accused the Coleman campaign of frivolous ballot challenges. Giving an example of one such instance, Elias said the Coleman campaign believes that, “If you voted for
John McCain , it is inconceivable that you didn’t intend to vote for Norm Coleman.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Abby Livingston Jim Martin .
In a throwback to how Republicans regularly targeted suburban voters, Freedom’s Watch, a 501 (c)(4) group, and the NRSC have launched ads fingering Martin as weak on crime as a state legislator.
In the Freedom’s Watch ad, called “Family Safety,” a woman’s voice over says, “Nothing’s more important than your family’s safety. That’s why we have laws to protect them from harm.”
The ad then cuts to dramatic music and grainy images of Martin and accuses him of voting against stiffer penalties for drunk drivers and tougher sentences for domestic abuse.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann They're on notice.
At her weekly press briefing this morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated a stern call to America's automakers to lay out a plan for their own survival in advance of a proposed lame duck session to take up the issue of federal aid to the industry.
"We have some problems because they keep changing the request," she said of automakers, who have ruffled Congressional feathers by appearing unenthusiastic about receiving funds earmarked for innovation rather than immediate assistance to promote liquidity. "We want it in writing. What is it that they want [the federal funds] for? We stand open to be helpful."
Video: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that the auto industry is an important part of the U.S. economy, but the Big Three need a plan to help return to viability and accountability, rather than just taking government money and continuing on. The Speaker of the House said that she and
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have drafted a letter to the CEOs of the big three automakers designed to "giv[e] them some idea of what we do mean by viability and accountability to the American taxpayer."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro Ray Mabus is being considered for multiple Obama cabinet positions, according to an informed Democratic source. Among the positions -- Secretary of Education, Energy and Ambassador to the United Nations.
Mabus was one of the earliest supporters of Obama, a key one at the time as a former Southern white statewide officeholder. He also did a lot of stumping for Obama in both the primary and the general, and there's a sense among some Mabus supporters that he's more than earned serious consideration for a fairly top appointment.
From NBC's Pete Williams Michael Mukasey has been released from the hospital, about 12 hours after he was admitted for observation last night following his collapse during a speech.
A Justice Department spokeswoman says Mukasey apparently fainted last night. She said a series of tests this morning found no sign of a stroke or anything heart-related.
She said all the tests were negative for stroke. He had a clear MRI and normal CT scan, and doctors have ruled out a mini-stroke or TIA. He had a normal stress test as well. His doctors say he's in good shape and "beat the machine." They also said he had a stress echo cardiogram which was normal.
*** UPDATE ***
To all DOJ employees:
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann So is It done? Call us skeptical, but why is it hard to believe that the news that Obama and Clinton have worked everything out and the appointment will take place just after Thanksgiving is something that will hold? There's going to be more pauses and skeptical stories about this happening between now and whenever the State announcement happens. It's the only way, right? Just consider this passage in today’s New York Times : “One friend said Mrs. Clinton decided late Wednesday to say no, reasoning that she would have more freedom in the Senate. By midday Thursday, the friend said, she was ‘back in the indecisive column again.’ By the end of the day, another associate said she could accept by Friday.”
Video: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray offer his first read on why Hillary Clinton appears ready to leave the Senate for the State Department. ***
Leak soup: Speaking of the Clinton-Obama drama, everyone is now noting all the transition leaks and how frustrating they must be for the usually disciplined Obama folks. Today’s
Washington Post has a good piece on why they’re happening -- and where they’re coming from. “‘There is nothing they can do about it -- vetting and FBI background checks require a lot of calls, and that leads to leaks,’ explained Steve Elmendorf, a longtime aide to former House minority leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and now a lobbyist in Washington. And unlike in a campaign, there is now simply more information to disseminate and more outlets chasing the ever-elusive scoop. ‘It's the era of the Internet; what do you expect?’ joked a former Clinton White House senior adviser who is not involved in the transition process.”
*** Dingell gets buried: Only in Congress’ antiquated seniority system is change defined by a member of Congress elected in '74 replacing a member of Congress elected in '55. But that’s exactly what happened yesterday when Henry Waxman ousted fellow Democrat John Dingell from chairing the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Of course, the big issue for Dingell may have been the anger at the auto industry, and if that vote had taken place at another point in the year, Dingell might have had a better chance of surviving. But taking place just one day after the auto CEOs disastrous Hill testimony, Dingell had a steeper hill to climb to survive. By the way, the six-year long campaign by Pelosi to unseat Dingell (it began in '02 when she supported Dingell's primary opponent) has finally come to fruition. Let there be no doubt about the power of the speaker.
*** All vacancies: With the likely nominations of Napolitano to Homeland Security and Clinton to State, that means we’re going to have some fun replacement appointments to watch in Arizona (GOV) and New York (SEN) -- in addition to the replacements that already have to happen in Illinois (SEN) and Delaware (SEN) for Obama’s and Biden’s seats. And if Kathleen Sebelius seems headed to either Labor or Energy, as we reported yesterday, then that will mean another appointment in Kansas (GOV). In the next few weeks, in fact, we might have more trouble keeping track of all the new replacements than the new members of the Obama cabinet. Oh, and be sure to keep this in mind: Because Arizona doesn’t have a lieutenant governor, that means that the GOP Secretary of State Jan Brewer would replace Napolitano if she takes the job at Homeland.
Video: Bloomberg News’ Margaret Carlson talks about the recent additions to Barack Obama’s Cabinet as well as speculation that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano is being eyed as Secretary of Homeland Security. ***
Cars and 2010: NBC’s Ken Strickland yesterday spotted these three senators at a Senate press conference announcing a bipartisan agreement to help the automotive industry: Kit Bond, Arlen Specter, and George Voinovich. What do they have in common besides hailing from car-producing states? All three are up for re-election in 2010.
*** Dems gaining ground in the South: Yesterday, we once again wrote about how the Republican Party appears to be concentrated in the South, noting that six of the party’s 13 incoming House and Senate leaders will now hail from that part of the country. But a House Democratic aide points out to us that they’ve gained ground there on the Republicans. Per numbers from the National Committee for an Effective Congress, Republicans enjoyed a 100-to-63-seat advantage over Democrats in the South heading into the 2006 midterms. Now, after the election two weeks ago, the GOP’s lead there has been reduced to 86-76 (with the LA-4 race still undecided) -- and the South is the only part of the country where the party has an advantage. In the East, Democrats lead Republicans, 68-15; in the Midwest, Dems are up 50-40, and in the West, they’re ahead 63-34.
*** The remaining races: In Georgia’s Senate run-off, Obama has cut a 60-second radio ad for Jim Martin (D), while Al Gore campaigns for Martin on Sunday… In Minnesota, the Star Tribune reports that on Day Two of the recount, Norm Coleman’s (R) lead over Al Franken (D) dropped to just 136 votes with about 46% of the vote counted… And in Ohio, a judge ruled that the provisional ballots must be counted in the extremely close House race between Mary Jo Kilroy (D) and Steve Stivers (R), which Stivers leads by 149 votes. Counting the provisional ballots would seem to benefit Kilroy.
Countdown to Georgia Senate run-off: 11 days
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The Washington Post front-pages, “Barack Obama was famously able to impose discipline and control over his presidential campaign, but it didn't take long for him to discover that running a transition is something quite different. Top aides to the president-elect had hoped to take a methodical approach to selecting and unveiling their new team, starting with the announcements of top national security and economic players shortly after Thanksgiving. But leaks and rumors have disrupted that plan, suggesting that the ‘no-drama Obama’ mantra famously repeated by his staff may not be as operational in Washington as it was at campaign headquarters in Chicago.”
More: "Obama has not officially announced any Cabinet appointments, but transition officials have reluctantly confirmed that former senator Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) will be nominated as secretary of health and human services, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is the top choice for the Department of Homeland Security, and Eric H. Holder Jr. is likely to be the attorney general pick. Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is on track to be nominated for the job of secretary of state after Thanksgiving, transition aides said. And late last night, Obama aides were confronted with unconfirmed talk that retired Gen. James L. Jones could be tapped for national security adviser."
The AP with the big news: “President-elect Barack Obama is on track to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, an aide to his transition said Thursday. One week after the former primary rivals met secretly to discuss the idea of Clinton becoming the nation's top diplomat, the two sides were moving quickly toward making it a reality, barring any unforeseen problems.The transition aide told The Associated Press that the two camps have worked out financial disclosure issues involving Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the complicated international funding of his foundation that operates in 27 countries. The aide said Obama and Hillary Clinton have had substantive conversations about the secretary of state job. Clinton has been mulling the post for several days, but the transition aide's comments suggested that Obama's team does not feel she is inclined to turn it down.”
Should the Clinton-for-State deal fall apart, there is a Senate leadership package awaiting Clinton, including a still unnamed unelected leadership post and a role in the health care debate along side Ted Kennedy. The New York Times : “The discussions about an enhanced position for Mrs. Clinton are factoring into her deliberations over joining the cabinet, the officials said. Mrs. Clinton, the junior senator from New York, is wrestling with whether to abandon her independence to become the nation’s top diplomat or remain in a chamber where lack of seniority limits her influence.”
CONTINUED >>
"The fear is back," the Boston Globe writes. "The fear in capital markets is different from the near panic experienced in September and October, before governments around the world began organizing plans to deal with a global credit freeze. The cause is different this time, and many of the symptoms vary. But this fear may be more serious, and it's driving markets even further down a very dark hole. That was painfully clear to anyone watching stock markets over the past two days, as the Dow Jones industrial average sunk by 872 wrenching points, or 10.3 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 index, struggling through its worst year in an 80-year history, sunk to its lowest level in 11 years." raced to approve legislation Thursday to keep unemployment checks flowing through the December holidays and into the new year for a million or more laid-off Americans whose benefits are running out." try again in a second lame-duck session the week of Dec. 8 -- if auto executives come up with a plan. 'Unless they can show us a plan, we can't show them the money,' said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi."
More from Roll Call on the second lame duck session: "Punting the issue until December gives Pelosi and other Democratic leaders time to craft legislation that could include other carrots to assuage environmentalists and the public, as well as more time for the pressure to build on reluctant lawmakers. And requiring the auto companies to come back to the table puts pressure on the companies to propose concessions and accountability measures that would give lawmakers more political cover."
Henry Waxman's defeat of John Dingell for the post of Energy and Commerce Committee chairman means Waxman will have an enhanced role on the Hill and may take the lead on climate change legislation. Environmental groups are ecstatic.
The Washington Post's Kane notes that Dingell's loss is a defeat for U.S. automakers, while The Hill writes that the Californian's win shows a congressional shift to the Left.
Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel called Dingell's defeat "the burial of the seniority system ."
Stevens bid farewell to the Senate in an at times emotional speech on the floor.
"Fred Thompson is going back to the small screen after his foray into Republican presidential politics over the last year. He campaigned heavily for eventual nominee John McCain, and had recently tried to gain support to be in charge of the Republican National Committee. But his former finance chairman, B.C. 'Scooter' Clippard, said Thompson told him Wednesday that he was returning to acting and dropping his RNC bid. 'He seriously considered it, but he called and said that it was not in the cards,' Clippard said."
In his latest National Journal column, political analyst Charlie Cook notes that the Republican Party is now supported by just two pillars: social conservatism and tax cuts -- at any cost. “One might think that with all of the extra time on their hands Republicans would spend some of it thinking about what their inadvertent or misguided repositioning has reaped. Certainly, there are brilliant Republican strategists who are painfully aware of what has happened—and predicted it. But from most Republican leaders we are hearing shopworn shibboleths like, “We lost because we weren’t conservative enough.” If that mind-set prevails, the only way for Republicans to regain real power will be to wait until Democrats completely implode and to hope that Republicans can win at that point simply because they aren’t Democrats.”
GEORGIA: Obama has cut a new 60-second radio ad for Jim Martin (D), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “In the ad, Obama says Martin ‘supports my plan to cut middle-class taxes’ and calls the former state lawmaker ‘a man of his word.’ ‘I know he’ll do everything he can to help me change Washington and get America moving again,’ Obama says.”
National Journal’s Kirk Victor writes about the pros and cons for Obama to do more than cut a radio ad and actually campaign for Martin. “What Obama must decide, if he hasn’t already, is whether trying to help an underdog in a state that he didn’t carry himself is worth the political capital it would cost, especially if that candidate ends up losing.” More: “The refusal, so far, by the Obama transition team to commit to his appearance says a great deal about the caution -- some would say prudence -- of the president-elect and his advisers. They have spent plenty of time learning from past transitions. They know that 16 years ago another Senate race in Georgia also resulted in a runoff. President-elect Clinton decided to spend political capital to boost a friend, first-term Sen. Wyche Fowler,” who ended up losing.
Al Gore campaigns for Martin on Sunday.
MINNESOTA: The Star Tribune reports on Day Two of the recount. “With about 46 percent of the 2.9 million ballots counted by Thursday evening, the gap between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and DFL challenger Al Franken continued to close. Coleman was leading by only 136 votes, a drop from his unofficial lead of 215 that was confirmed Tuesday by the state Canvassing Board. The figures represent a compilation of recount data reported to the secretary of state and gathered by the Star Tribune.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell Bush 41 National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft is one of the people whom Barack Obama has been consulting about how to craft his national security team. Knowledgeable sources say Obama reached out to Scowcroft two days ago to discuss defense and national security issues.
Scowcroft, who first served as President Ford's national security adviser, was an early and vocal critic of the Iraq war -- starting in August 2002. That criticism cost the retired Air Force General his position as head of President Bush's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
Scowcroft is very close to Defense Secretary Bob Gates , who is considered a possible holdover for the cabinet.
Another key adviser to the president-elect on defense matters -- Sen. Jack Reed -- is a leading member of the Armed Services Committee who traveled with Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan. Reed is also very close to Gates.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Alice Rhee Obama transition official tells NBC News that they've received more than 200,000 work applications through the official transition web site, www.change.gov . since it went operational shortly after the election.
The same official points out: "There was an incredible amout of enthusiasm in the campaign and people all across the country are carrying that same energy into the transition."
And they don't seem terribly surprised by the influx of applications coming their way -- pointing out, after all, that more than three million people donated money to the campaign.
Still, that's quite a stack of resumes.
From NBC's Erika Angulo President-elect
Obama is two months away from being sworn in, but some of Washington’s most experienced political minds are already envisioning what 2012 will look like. Participants at a panel organized by the
National Journal concluded that Republicans should be concerned about the next presidential election.
One reason for potential GOP concern, said panelists, is "Millennials," or young voters. Ruy Teixeira, author of Red, Blue and Purple America: The Future of Election Demographics, says voters born after 1970 have become more and more Democratic. He estimated there will be 64 million “Millennials” in 2012. CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann and Ken Strickland Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel , on Capitol Hill today to meet with House and Senate Republicans, says that the lines of communication will run across the aisle in an Obama administration. John Ensign , who met with Emanuel today. "He said he promised to get back us on issues within 24 hours."
VIDEO: Rahm Emanuel speaks to reporters during a day of meetings with Republicans on Capitol Hill. The former Illinois lawmaker's visit to the Hill today to meet with Ensign's Senate leadership colleagues, as well as with newly-selected House bigs
Eric Cantor and
Mike Pence , was intended as a gesture of bipartisan goodwill on the part of the new administration. Emanuel told reporters this afternoon that he was directed by Obama to request the series of meetings with GOP leaders to indicate that the new administration will "welcome their ideas," emphasizing that "the challenges facing the country require that people of both parties work together to solve those problems." (Today's meetings, he added, are in addition to "twenty plus" phone calls to members of the Republican conference in the time since he was named as Obama's top White House aide.)&
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Mike Viqueira
Members were unhappy with what they heard this week from auto industry execs during hearings and want them to come up with a concrete plan soon.
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell Rep. John Dingell turned partly along generational lines - with young turks lining up against the old - and partly because of Dingell's record on environmental issues.
On a human level, many of the Democrat's colleagues are sad to see Dingell's defeat come shortly before the Michigan representative celebrates the 53rd anniverary of his arrival on the Hill. In February, he will become the longest-serving House member ever in U.S. history.
There was a last minute attempt to forge a compromise, which would have had Dingell announce that it would be his last term as Chairman. But neither Dingell or challenger Henry Waxman would go for half measures.
Waxman's victory in the contest for the Committee's gavel could set up a leadership fight for the California lawmaker's subcommittee chairmanship - with some more aggressive members wanting to challenge the next ranking member - Rep. Edolphus Towns of Brooklyn.
From NBC's Mike Viqueira and Carrie Dann In the waning hours of the 110th Congress, shakeups on both sides of the Capitol dome this morning marked defeats for two of the Hill's most long-serving members.
In the House, Rep. John Dingell , a member of Congress since 1955 who has served as the chairman or ranking member of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee for 28 years, was defeated for another term as chair by California Rep. Henry Waxman . Waxman has himself served since 1975, ten fewer terms than Dingell, whose tenure in the House is the longest in the body's history.
On the other side of the rotunda, Sen. Ted Stevens , at 40 years the longest-serving Republican in Senate history, said goodbye on the Senate floor today. Stevens was defeated in his reelection bid by Democrat Mark Begich , the mayor of Anchorage who was six years old when Stevens was first appointed to his Senate seat.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Cherelle Kantey Mike Huckabee made his first stop on his tour promoting his new book, “Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America” book tour.
Huckabee gleefully offered a hearty handshake while autographing his campaign memoir.
The book, released yesterday, has stirred some controversy in the media over its apparent swipes at his former rival for the GOP nomination, Mitt Romney . In several instances in the book, Huckabee charged Romney for being out of touch with voters and for flip-flopping on certain issues. In an example from a debate where Romney was asked about how to help the economy, Huckabee writes that Romney was more focused on reciting lines about his business expertise than on helping the average American.
“I stood there in stunned silence when he went into his well-prepared, programmed answer about how we needed to invest more in high-yield stocks,” he writes. “That moment was perhaps the single most revealing of what was wrong with our party. We had people leading us who knew the country club, but not Sam’s Club.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck Todd According to House Democratic sources,
Henry Waxman beat
John Dingell in a 137-122 vote to be the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which Dingell currently chairs.
From NBC's Chuck Todd Earlier today , we mentioned how some are concerned that Hispanics might be shut out of high-profile cabinet positions. Well, First Read has learned that Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is in the vetting process for two potential posts: HUD and Transportation -- with HUD apparently the job offer he's most likely to get. If Diaz is tapped, he'd be the first major Hispanic pol to get a nod for a cabinet post.
Still, quite a few key Hispanic supporters of Obama have been concerned by the lack of Hispanics being considered for some of the higher-profile posts.
Interestingly, George W. Bush's first HUD secretary -- Mel Martinez -- also was a Florida Cuban pol who headed a major metro area. Martinez is now senator of Florida.
*** UPDATE *** Miami Herald investigation about Miami's public housing mess. According to the paper, the city and county tore down much of the public housing with promises to replace it with better options. But much of the new housing was never built, and what was built was not filled in a timely manner.
In the end, HUD ended up taking over the county-run Miami-Dade Housing Agency in April 2007, saying it "demonstrated a pattern of financial irresponsibility and mismanagement." And last summer, Habitat for Humanity came to Miami to build affordable housing on the land the local government had failed to re-develop.
Per the Herald, "Diaz acknowledged problems in the housing program but said he inherited them and has worked to put safeguards in place, such as creating penalties for affordable-housing developers who sell city-subsidized land for profit. 'Everybody makes mistakes,' he said. 'But if you look at that record and if you contrast it to where the city was before I got here ... I think that's a good news story.'" [CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the Miami-Dade Housing Agency as the Miami Housing Authority.]
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann Tracking the transition : Today's unofficial pick of the day appears to be Janet Napolitano for Homeland Security. A Napolitano pick would show that Obama views the immigration part of the DHS job as the priority. Of course, like every leak out of the vetting process, nothing is official; in fact one Dem source says that while she’s a leading contender for DHS, it’s not the only post she’s being vetted for. Another governor to keep an eye on today as the next potential "leaked" pick: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The vetting process is well under way for her, and the most likely spot for her appears to be Labor secretary, although she might also wind up at Energy. But Labor makes the most sense, as both the business community and labor seem to be fans. As for the media obsession over the Hillary Clinton pick, it appears Bill is making it clear he's cooperating fully. Bloomberg News reports that he's turned over to the Obama vetting operation the entire list of 200,000+ donors to his library and foundation. By the way, while we keep hearing about leaked picks for Commerce (Pritzker), Labor (Sebelius), DHS (Napolitano), and HHS (Daschle), it's interesting that there is nary a peep in the chattering class about Treasury secretary. How come?
Video: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on the Clinton’s trying to force Barack Obama’s hand on the secretary of state position and some of the latest contenders to join Obama’s cabinet. ***
Como se dice, "Shut out"? As Obama's cabinet takes shape, there's a glaring omission: Hispanics. With Bill Richardson apparently destined to be the bridesmaid in the secretary of state sweepstakes, some key Hispanic supporters tell First Read that they are concerned that no Hispanics will fill any of the major White House or cabinet positions. It's a bit frustrating to some leading Hispanic Democrats, especially considering how decisively Hispanics went for Obama in this election. Hispanics, literally, were the difference between winning and losing for Obama in at least two states, New Mexico and Indiana. But for the future of the Democratic Party, if Obama truly does have designs on a realignment, he needs to cultivate Hispanics into the Democratic tent. So far, many Hispanics are not happy with the leaks coming out of the transition and the lack of Hispanic names being floated outside of Richardson.
*** The path to 60 : If Democrats don’t reach 60 Senate seats this year -- by winning both the run-off in Georgia or the recount in Minnesota -- they’ll probably get there in 2010. Why? Because for yet another cycle, Democrats are playing with a favorable hand. They have to defend 16 seats, and outside the one held by Harry Reid (more on him below), as well as the ones that Obama and Biden are giving up, they look pretty safe for now. By comparison, Republicans will have 19 Senate seats to defend, including potentially challenging ones like Mel Martinez in Florida (even if he runs), Jim Bunning in Kentucky, and David Vitter in Louisiana. Folks like John McCain (especially if Janet Napolitano runs, although that looks less likely right now), George Voinovich, and even Chuck Grassley might have real races on their hands or could be candidates for retirement. In short, even with the Two-Year Itch, Democrats look more likely to pick up Senate seats than Republicans do at this early juncture. That perception could make it especially difficult for incoming NRSC Chair John Cornyn when it comes to the three R’s: retirements, recruiting, and resources. Indeed, on the money front, Republicans might decide that they have better opportunities with House and gubernatorial races in 2010. Then again, it’s early. At this point heading into the 2005-6 cycle, Dems looked like they would pick up just a couple of Senate seats, versus the six they ended up winning. But to take advantage of an environment that becomes more favorable, you need help with the three R’s.
*** When Harry met re-election : With Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid up for re-election in 2010 -- and with him being potentially the Dems’ most vulnerable incumbent -- it’s worth keeping an eye about how his actions in the Senate might affect his re-election bid. Indeed, is this one of the reasons that he and most of his colleagues gave Joe Lieberman just a slap on the wrist on Tuesday? You might have forgotten it, but Reid narrowly won re-election in 1998 by just slightly more than 400 votes. Of course, that race was against John Ensign, who ended up winning a Senate seat two years later. After the most recent election, in which Obama won the Silver State and Dems won Jon Porter’s (R) House seat, Democrats have to feel better about winning in Nevada. But it still remains a swing state.
*** Southern comfort : Right before the election, we noted the danger of the Republican Party becoming a regional -- i.e., southern -- party. Well, after the House and Senate conducted its leadership elections in the past two days, we know that southerners will now fill six out of the GOP's combined 13 leadership positions in the two chambers. They are: House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (VA), House Conference Secretary John Carter (TX), NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (TX), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), Senate Conference Chair Lamar Alexander (TN), and NRSC Chair John Cornyn (TX).
*** Just wonderin’ : But it does seem as if Michael Steele is trying to win the early media war for RNC chair? In fact, because of Steele’s FOX News contract, he’s on the air daily talking to GOP partisans who watch that news channel. So it's a grassroots advantage that neither Saul Anuzis, nor Katon Dawson, nor others have. At what point do you put FOX down as an endorser of Michael Steele's campaign?
*** The remaining Senate races : In Minnesota, with about 18% of the vote recounted, the Minneapolis Star Tribune says that Norm Coleman’s (R) lead is now at 174 votes, down from the 215-vote lead that was certified on Tuesday. “Franken's gain owed much to a swing of 23 votes in the Democratic stronghold of St. Louis County -- the result of faintly marked ballots and older optical scanners that failed to read the marks.” … And for the Georgia run-off, there’s tons of coverage of Bill Clinton campaigning yesterday for Jim Martin (D). and
*** More on Minnesota : The Minnesota recount is going to be some story to follow. In addition to the Star Tribune is doing its best to update the count by incorporating new tallies into the official count, Minnesota Public Radio is posting various ballots being challenged. This, in fact, is hours of fun.
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The big news of the day is the speculation that Janet Napolitano has been tapped to be Obama's Homeland Security secretary. The pick of Napolitano indicates that immigration may have been Obama's primary concern in making his decision on this post. Napolitano taking the gig means she'll be out of the 2010 Arizona Senate speculation, and probably clears the way for McCain to have a relatively easy re-election.
In order to make things a tad smoother for Tom Daschle's HHS confirmation, his lobbyist wife is giving up her lobbying career . AP reports. "Transition officials for President-elect Barack Obama said that other candidates have been vetted for the job as well, but that Clinton has emerged as the leading contender. The vetting of the New York senator's husband, former president Bill Clinton, has been particularly intense, the officials said, adding that he has offered several concessions to help his wife get the post…. Hoping to ease concerns about possible conflicts of interest, Bill Clinton has shifted a longstanding policy and agreed to publicly disclose the names of all donors who have given more than $250 to his presidential library and foundation.” Politico's Allen and Thrush : "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and former president Bill Clinton have cleared away the final hurdles to a formal offer of secretary of State from President-elect Obama, and officials say the two former foes could appear together for a smiling announcement next week. As a key part of satisfying Obama's vetting team, former President Bill Clinton is open to giving up foreign sources of income if his wife becomes secretary of state, according to a close friend."
Indeed, Bloomberg News reports that Bill Clinton has sent the Obama vetters a list of more than 200,000 donors to the Clinton library and foundation. "The 200,000 or so names comprise the universe of donors to Clinton's presidential library and foundation. This is separate from the Clinton Global Initiative, which operates under the aegis of the foundation but does not directly take money from the donors.” Daily News has learned. Just as ex-President Bill Clinton pledged Wednesday to prove there are no new skeletons in his closet that could derail his wife's chances of becoming secretary of state, top Obama sources suggested loose-lipped Clintonistas abide by their rules: If caught leaking, you will pay the price. 'They have been strategic about what they leak each day,' said an Obama insider, who acknowledged word around the transition office in Chicago is that Obama himself is miffed at the leaks. 'This [leaking] isn't coming out of our shop,' added another irked Obama official."
CONTINUED >>
Hopes for a last-minute compromise on auto industry aid are fading for the 110th Congress, but look for a vote on unemployment insurance in the Senate before the end of the week.
In fact, the auto executives’ testimony was a disaster after they got slapped down for their decision to fly in on private jets. And it appears there may not be a congressional vote on a bailout this week and, perhaps, for the rest of this year.
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal and others reported that "Waxman won the first-round of voting today in his bid for a hostile takeover of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. A panel of big-shot Dems voted 25-22 in favor of Waxman unseating John Dingell, the Michigan Democrat who now chairs the committee. The final vote comes [today], when the full House Democratic Caucus will vote on who should hold the gavel… Dingell may get backing from rank-and-file congressmen wary of shaking up the seniority system, as well as moderate Dems who find Waxman (D., Calif.) too liberal.”
Politico's Bresnahan characterizes Republicans in the Senate -- down 13 seats since before the 2006 cycle and awaiting the results of two more unpredictable races -- as being "in a deep funk." The rancor appears to be deepened by infighting among GOP senators unsure of how to restructure their message and their caucus on the Hill. Boston Globe reports on its front page with a black-and-white photo of a Vietnam-era Kerry testifying before the committee. "Aides to Kerry said he is already laying out a broad agenda for the committee, beginning with new legislation to strengthen the United States' hand against terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan; provide oversight of efforts to end the war in Iraq; and seize what he sees as a new opportunity to curtail the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons."
More: "Kerry, 64, is still considered by some political observers to be a possible pick for Obama's secretary of state, but Senator Hillary Clinton of New York and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, each of whom met separately with Obama at his Chicago transition office last week, are considered far more likely selections for the position of top diplomat."
At the Republican Governors Association conference last week, Tommy Franks “appeared to be the only one who wanted to take responsibility for either war, even obliquely," the Boston Globe says. "The others who gathered in Miami seemed to relish the new freedom they inherited along with their party's devastating losses earlier this month: with President Bush and losing candidate John McCain drifting off the scene, Republicans no longer have to be the party of unpopular and seemingly unending conflicts abroad. Those are now Democratic responsibilities, one Bush ally noted with some satisfaction, hinting at a corollary to the ‘Pottery Barn rule’ about postwar responsibility: Republicans may have broken Iraq, but President-elect Barack Obama bought it."
The Boston Globe on Romney's New York Times op-ed from yesterday. "Leading up to the Michigan presidential primary, Mitt Romney cast himself as the savior of the beleaguered auto industry and jumped all over rival John McCain when he gave some 'straight talk' that 'some of the jobs that have left the state of Michigan are not coming back.' … Fast-forward 11 months, and Romney is speaking out against a federal bailout of the auto industry." acknowledged "an envy" at how Sarah Palin was able to "leapfrog the process." "I'm not frustrated by it," he said. "It's not a resentment on her part. It's an envy." Wall Street Journal op-ed agreeing with Obama that America needs a middle-class tax-cut; he just does't believe in Obama's plan.
CALIFORNIA : A challenge to California's Prop. 8 gay-marriage ban will be heard by the state Supreme Court early next year. Could gay marriage end up making its way to the Supreme Court?
GEORGIA : "Former President Bill Clinton on Wednesday appealed to Georgians to send Democrat Jim Martin to Washington arguing the state's hotly contested Senate runoff must provide a 'bridge not a firewall' to the progress promised by President-elect Barack Obama," the AP reports. "'The hopes of America are riding with Georgia,' Clinton told a rally at Clark Atlanta University, a historically black college. Democrats are within two seats of a 60-vote majority that would give Obama a stronger hand in Washington and Georgia is one of two unresolved Senate races. Martin is locked in a tight Dec. 2 runoff against Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss. 'Martin is the bridge, Chambliss is the firewall,' Clinton said. 'Don't let Georgia put a firewall up in front of the bridge.'" was praised and endorsed by the executive vice-president of the National Rifle Association. Wayne LaPierre said in Atlanta that Chambliss is needed back in the Senate to protect gun rights. ‘We’re going to have some real battles in Washington,’ LaPierre said, who added that Obama will ‘break his promise’ to protect gun rights.”
ILLINOIS : Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois says that she's "certainly on that list" of possible replacements for Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat. The Illinois lawmaker noted her recent "long conversation" about the post with state Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whom she said plans to name Obama's replacement during the last two weeks of the year.
CONTINUED >>
National Journal looks at some grim election results for House Republicans looking ahead to 2010. "Of the successful House Republican candidates, 29 fell below 55 percent of the vote, according to near-final but still unofficial election results. Of that group, 20 were incumbents, three defeated Democratic incumbents and the remaining six won contests for open seats that had been held by Republicans. The group is spread across the nation, with five from California, where Republicans this year retained all 19 of their House seats."
In Virginia's gubernatorial race, Democrat "Brian J. Moran is poised to collect endorsements for governor from the highest echelons of the state Democratic Party, while presumed rival Terry McAuliffe is being backed by one of Virginia's biggest political check-writers," the Richmond Times-Dispatch writes. "Moran today is scheduled to announce the support of nearly two-thirds of the Democratic Party's steering committee. Made up of district chairs and other senior Democrats, the committee largely governs the state party."
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell and Michelle Perry Tom Daschle ’s wife, that she is leaving her lobbying firm where she has specialized in aviation and defense issues at the end of the year. She is starting her own public policy firm on transportation and communication issues.
In her new firm, she will not lobby.
She is also a former acting administrator of the FAA.
From NBC's Bridget Nurre Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) says that while he does not plan to campaign publicly against the appointment of
Eric Holder to Attorney General, he does not suppport President-Elect
Obama's decision.
As First Read noted this morning, Burton was the chief Republican critic of the Clinton administration's pardon of Marc Rich in 2001.
Burton, who was the Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee when it investigated the pardon, initially said yesterday that Holder had simply been following orders by issuing his "neutral, leaning towards favorable" opinion of the Rich pardon.
But after reviewing the documents from the committee's investigation overnight and this morning, Burton revisited that assessment, telling NBC News that Holder took a more active role in the pardon than he recalled from memory.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie Obama today surprised Biden one day before his 66th birthday with cupcakes after their weekly lunch. He lit the candles on the 12 cupcakes and brought them over to Biden.
Obama joked, "You're 12 years old!"
Biden laughed, replying: "Maybe in dog years!"
Then Obama led the staff in singing Biden Happy Birthday. Obama also surprised him by giving him a Chicago White Sox hat, a Chicago Bears hat, and a bucket of Garrett's popcorn as gifts.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro David Axelrod officially heads to the White House as Senior Advisor, the Obama transition team announced. In addition to the widely expected step, the transition also announced that Greg Craig will serve as White House counsel -- another move confirmed previously by NBC News.
Additionally, Lisa Brown will serve as Staff Secretary and Chris Lu will serve as Cabinet Secretary.
Here is part of the release with Obama's quote and brief bios:
David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to the President
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann History may not be on
Rep. Chris Van Hollen's side, but he's not giving up the ghost for 2010.
House Democrats already made history in November by winning more than 20 seats in two consecutive elections, and more Democratic gains in two years would be unprecedented. In fact, the party in power has customarily lost an average of almost 30 House seats in off-election years. "Just being realistic, we are going to be fighting hard just to hold our own" in the next cycle, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman said this morning.
Briefing reporters today at the National Press Club, Van Hollen did not rule out a Democratic hat trick in 2010, but he also cautioned that Democrats' successes in the next election cycle will depend on the American people's perceptions of Congress. Bolstering that perception would be quick legislative action on at least two fronts where Van Hollen hopes for "solid wins we can get right out of the box" : children's health care and new renewable energy portfolios.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Tom Lea and Mark Murray Salt Lake Tribune : "Updated election results released Tuesday show that Salt Lake County voters favored Barack Obama over John McCain -- but just barely -- marking the first time in decades that a Democratic presidential hopeful won the state's most populous county. With the addition of more than 29,000 provisional and late-arriving absentee ballots, President-elect Obama scored a come-from-behind victory over McCain. The county's official election canvass didn't change the outcome in any other race."
More: "The final result gave Obama a 296-vote victory, which equates to less than one-tenth of 1 percent... The updated election results have no impact on who won the presidency or even on Utah's five Electoral College votes, which easily went to McCain. But Obama's Salt Lake County win sure mean a lot to the leaders of the Utah Democratic Party, who watched President Bush win the last two elections by a margin of more than 20 percentage points in the county. 'It is a huge step for us,' said party Chairman Wayne Holland."
From NBC's Doug Adams
CALIFORNIA 4 : Both Tom McClintock (R) and Charlie Brown (D) are in DC this week for freshman orientation. They're even staying at the same hotel (Hyatt Regency). McClintock leads by 592 votes as of this morning, with thousands of ballots still to be counted. Counties have until December 9 to finish the counting, and results will be certified by December 13. Republicans are confident McClintock will prevail and keep the seat in GOP hands.
OHIO 15 : State Sen. Steve Stivers (R) holds a 393-vote lead over Mary Jo Kilroy (D), but a lawsuit is holding up counting 27,000 provisional ballots in Franklin County -- home to the city of Columbus. At issue are about thousand provisional ballots where voters failed to print and/or sign their names on the ballot envelopes. The secretary of state (a Democrat) has ordered that the ballots be counted, and Republicans have sued to stop that. A ruling is expected by Thursday afternoon, and counting of all the provisionals should be completed by next Monday. But official results won't be released until certified (on or before November 25th). Of course, an automatic recount seems likely. Democrats are optimistic they can win this GOP-held open seat, because the outstanding 27,000 ballots are from Kilroy's home, where she is a Franklin County commissioner. Both Stivers and Kilroy were in Washington DC this week for freshman orientation.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's John Yang
Press Secretary Dana Perino says the administration backs the proposal by Sens. Kit Bond of Missouri and George Voinovich of Ohio to allow automakers to use the $25 billion in loans in the energy bill -- intended to pay for retooling to make energy efficient cars -- for day-to-day operations. Their proposal also has language requiring the companies to show evidence of future viability as a condition of getting the money.
Perino says that if Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid does not allow a vote on Bond-Voinovich and fails to pass Democratic legislation that would use TARP money for the carmakers, "Congress will bear responsibility for anything that will happen ... during their long vacation."
From NBC’s Cherelle Kantey Rahm Emanuel , the chief of staff to President-elect Obama , tipped his hat to Sen. John McCain yesterday, saying the Obama administration plans to work in a bipartisan fashion to address the challenges of the new presidency.
At a discussion for the Wall Street Journal’s CEOs in Washington, D.C., event he spoke about the meeting the president-elect held with McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham , saying the nation will enter an “era of reform.”
“We didn't just do not have the meeting with Sen. McCain and Sen. [Graham], … just for optics, we covered very serious issues,” Emanuel said.
He spoke about having a diplomatic approach to solving the economic crisis, while also ducking questions about Obama’s cabinet selection. When asked about the suggestion of Sen. Hillary Clinton being chosen for Secretary of State, he responded, “Great question.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell Tom Daschle -- the former Democratic Senate leader who backed Obama early in the Democratic nomination fight -- has been tapped to be the next secretary at the Department Health and Human Services.
Roll Call , which broke the news, adds that Daschle "is set to take on the position of 'health care czar' in the Obama White House, ensuring that he does not get bigfooted on matters relating to health care policy, according to [a] source."
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann Tamping down the speculation -- or not? HillaryLand seems to be making a concerted effort to start tamping down speculation about the secretary of state job. Reports from the New York Times and Politico are sparking the debate about whether she's 100% ready to make the leap from the Senate and 100% ready to give up politics for a while (at least while at State). As the New York Observer notes, the secretary of state job hasn’t been the presidential stepping-stone it was when the country was founded. In fact, the last former secretary of state to even RUN for president was Al Haig in '88, and there's been just one in the last 180 years to go from that position to the presidency: Buchanan. (Then again, the Senate hasn’t been a great stepping-stone either, right?) The New York Times’ Tom Friedman also makes a great point about Clinton at State: If she’s going to get the job, there has to be absolute trust between Obama and Clinton -- which is something we’re still not too sure exists. “When it comes to appointing a secretary of state, you do not want a team of rivals,” Friedman writes. That said, today's Wall Street Journal and the AP confirm that the Obama folks are letting it be known that Bill Clinton is fully cooperating with the vet. So while the Hillary folks use the Times/Politico to signal reluctance, others are using the WSJ/AP to suggest that the momentum is still building for the Clinton appointment to happen.
VIDEO: NBC's Chuck Todd gives his first read on Bill Clinton's willingness to disclose past donors in order for the Obama team to go forward in vetting his wife for a cabinet position. ***
The old bulls are gone: With Ted Stevens’ defeat now official, it's worth repeating this point we made a few weeks ago: The old bulls of the Republican Senate caucus are mostly gone. With Stevens’ loss -- combined with the retirements of Pete Domenici, Trent Lott, Larry Craig, and John Warner -- the Republican Party lost quite a bit of seniority in 2008 (and this doesn't count the reflected seniority Elizabeth Dole had in the Senate, thanks to her husband). In fact, just nine of the GOP's 42 senators (or 41 or 40 depending on what happens in Georgia and Minnesota), were elected before 1990. Dick Lugar and Orrin Hatch were elected in '76 and now share the distinction of being the GOP's senior-most senators now. Thad Cochran (elected in ’78) is next in line, followed by Chuck Grassley ('80) and Arlen Specter ('80), then Mitch McConnell ('84), Kit Bond ('86), Richard Shelby ('86 -- elected then as a Dem) and John McCain ('86). One other point about the result from Alaska: Democrats have now netted at least 13 Senate seats in the past two cycles. Those are a lot of skins on the wall for Chuck Schumer. To regain control of the Senate, Republicans are going to have to pick up nine Senate seats in 2010 (a cycle that once again has Republicans defending more seats than the Democrats). And that’s not considering potential losses in Georgia and Minnesota.
*** Don’t (re)-count your chickens before they hatch: That, of course, brings us to Minnesota, where the recount in the Coleman-Franken race begins today. Coleman declared victory Tuesday with the certification of the initial results. But law mandates a recount, so nothing is in stone. The reason why Coleman is trying to look the part of the winner is to call into question any lead taken by Franken in the recount. Of course, that PR strategy didn’t work for Dino Rossi during the controversial recount in Washington State in 2004. Also consider this: We're going to know the outcome in Georgia (December 2) before the one in Minnesota (mid-December). Go figure. By the way, Bill Clinton stumps in Georgia today for Jim Martin.
Video: President-elect Barack Obama reportedly has chosen veteran Washington lawyer Eric Holder as his attorney general. If confirmed, Holder would be the first African-American to head the Justice Department. ***
Hold(er) on loosely: The Eric-Holder-for-AG chatter hit a fever pitch last night and this morning. Of course, the big question is: How messy will his confirmation be given the Marc Rich pardon? The good news for Holder, House Republican Dan Burton, who became the chief GOP critic of the Rich pardon back in 2001, is not in the Senate. It's hard to imagine folks like Orrin Hatch, Jon Kyl, Lindsey Graham, and Arlen Specter (all GOPers on the Judiciary committee) getting so partisan on this one, especially if Hillary Clinton is also up for a confirmation battle. Could the Senate GOP really bloody up Holder over a Clinton-era issue and not someone with the last name of Clinton? If Rich isn't an issue for Clinton, it probably won't be for Holder. Many Holder defenders believe he was a fall guy on the Marc Rich issue when the ultimate responsibility belonged to Bill Clinton and the White House's relationship with Jack Quinn. It’s also worth pointing out that if the GOP had a problem with Holder during the VP selection process -- when Holder headed that up for Obama -- it didn’t really show it (Republicans instead directed their fire at Jim Johnson, who stepped down as a VP vetter). The thing that’s not being talked about as much regarding Holder is that it would bring a career Justice guy with experience as a US attorney into the top job. Given all the issues Justice has had with its relationship to the US attorneys, Holder may be a welcome nomination by some Justice careerists. By the way, in other transition news, don't get too worked up over the reports about Bob Gates staying on as Defense secretary. First, this has been in the works for some time (as NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reported last week). But more importantly, if you don't see reporting on the idea of there being some end date for Gates' transition, assume something's missing.
*** Obama’s chit and The Left’s displeasure: Obama has collected a Lieberman chit, but the left is not happy. Here’s Kos : “In the spirit of post-partisanship, and in spite of the American people's overwhelming votes for change in 2006 and 2008, let's appoint fierce global warming critic James Inhoffe to the Environment and Public Works committee.” And Jane Hamsher , citing a Senate Democratic aide criticizing the left, wrote: “No matter what Joe Lieberman does, the people who are protecting him hate you much more than they hate him.” The liberal blogosphere is not happy with this decision, and they believe Dems will pay for this at some point. But it does appear the blogosphere is simply sitting back for the “told you so” moment rather than getting too worked up now.
*** The two Mitt Romneys: Romney today has a provocative New York Times op-ed in which he argues against a bailout for the auto industry. “Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course -- the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.” But how does he reconcile opposing the bailout when he said, after McCain declared jobs were leaving Michigan and were never coming, that "I'm going to fight for every single job"? In fact, these two seemingly contradictory statements demonstrate the two different Mitt Romneys. In the op-ed, you see the pragmatic businessman offering sensible solutions (the auto industry has to bring down its legacy costs, the current management must go, you need more cooperation between labor and management). But on the campaign trail in Michigan in January 2008, we also saw someone who was willing to almost say anything to get elected. And don't forget: Romney does have extra credibility on the auto industry, as his father ran the last American carmaker to go out of business. George Romney was head of the American Motor Corp. (though, he was not the head of AMC when it essentially went under, via mergers with Renault and then eventually Chrysler).
*** Just askin’ : What is taking Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) so long in appointing a successor to Obama in the Senate? It’s not like Obama’s victory two weeks ago was a surprise, right? Isn't the clock ticking on Blagojevich's own term, as he bites his nails wondering if there's a grand jury indictment in his future? So if he doesn't appoint someone soon, could he end up missing the opportunity?
*** On the Hill today : In the Senate, the nominee for special inspector general of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), Neil Barofsky, testifies before the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; the Finance Committee holds a hearing on health-care reform; and Judiciary discusses "Helping Families Save Their Homes: The Role of Bankruptcy Law."… In the House, Armed Services discusses the fate of the F-22 fighter jet program; Financial Services holds a full committee hearing on the auto industry: "Stabilizing the Financial Condition of the American Automobile Industry"; Foreign Affairs discusses Iraq; and Veterans Affairs discusses an investigation into document shredding at VA offices.
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The New York Times writes, “Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has reservations about accepting an appointment as secretary of state in the Obama administration, an adviser to Mrs. Clinton who is familiar with her thinking said on Tuesday. The adviser described Mrs. Clinton as flattered by President-elect Barack Obama’s interest but said she was agonizing over the decision. Mrs. Clinton likes being her own boss and is reluctant to give up the independence that comes with that, said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process was at a delicate stage.”
“‘If you are secretary of state you work for the president,’ the adviser said in an e-mail response to questions from The New York Times . ‘If you are a senator, you work for yourself and the people that elected you.’ It was unclear if Mrs. Clinton’s stated hesitation was part of a bargaining tactic as the Obama team weighs whether to appoint her secretary of state, a genuine moment of indecision or, perhaps, a signal that she was preparing to withdraw from consideration.”
Politico adds, “Press reports that portray Clinton as willing to accept the job -- once the Obama transition team vets Bill Clinton’s philanthropic and business ventures -- are inaccurate, one Clinton insider told Politico. ‘A lot of the speculation and reporting is out ahead of the facts here,’ said the person, who requested anonymity. ‘She is still weighing this, independent of President Clinton's work.’”
The Wall Street Journal : “Former President Bill Clinton has offered to submit future charitable and business activities to strict ethics reviews if his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, were nominated as secretary of state, according to Democrats familiar with the deliberations. He has also agreed for the first time to disclose many of the previous donors to his efforts.”
David Broder is against Clinton becoming secretary of state. "What Obama needs in the person running the State Department is a diplomat who will carry out his foreign policy. He does not need someone who will tell him how to approach the world or be his mentor in international relations. One of the principal reasons he was elected was that, relying on his instincts, he came to the correct conclusion that war with Iraq was not in America's interest. He was more right about that than most of us in Washington, including Hillary Clinton."
CONTINUED >>
Automakers' pleas for $25 billion in aid makes the Boston Globe front page.
Put gun control advocates on the list of interest groups measuring Obama's issue coattails and hoping to sew up a legislative victory. In a new Penn/Schoen post-election poll passed along to First Read by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, two out of three respondents said that they believed that "common sense" gun regulations -- like background checks, waiting periods, and a renewal of the assault weapons ban -- should be enacted in the first year of the Obama administration. The pollsters, who asked 1083 voters in a nationwide internet-based survey for their opinions on gun control measures and on the National Rifle Association, found that even majorities of voters who supported McCain, as well as rural voters and those who identify themselves as conservative, are in favor of some increased regulations on the sale and use of firearms.
By a 42-13 vote Sen. Joe Lieberman was allowed to keep his Homeland Security Committee chairmanship. "Independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Pat Leahy, Vermont's two senators, spoke against allowing Lieberman to keep the Homeland Security and Government Affairs post, the Associated Press reported. And two members of Connecticut's Democratic state central committee said they'll still ask it Dec. 17 to consider censuring Lieberman and asking him to resign from the party, the AP said." (The photo, by the way, is classic Lieberman.)
Democrats have welcomed McCain ally Joe Lieberman back into the fold, but some of his Senate colleagues say that he won't be on a long leash .
"Two members of Connecticut's Democratic state central committee, Audrey Blondin and Myrna Watanabe, said they'll still ask Connecticut's top Democrats to consider a resolution repudiating Lieberman for publicly backing McCain," AP reports. "It also would ask him to resign from the party. 'Ultimately, there were no consequences to his actions,' Blondin said. A meeting of state Democrats is scheduled for Dec. 17." a more familiar greeting came from another senator who had been riding in back. 'John, wait up,' called out Senator John F. Kerry, clapping a big hand on McCain's shoulder. The pair conferred quietly as they rode up an escalator toward lunch with their colleagues. Two failed presidential nominees, minus Secret Service detail or much suspense about their futures, back to the Senate -- same as it ever was. Explicitly or not, Kerry's backslap marked McCain's induction into an unofficial bipartisan caucus of would-be commanders in chief who fell short of the big prize and landed, humbled somewhat, back where they started." Interesting note: "[A]t least 17 colleagues now serving know what it's like to take steps toward White House bids, only to be turned back."
CONTINUED >>
ALASKA: Begich was declared the winner in Alaska’s Senate race after he “widened his lead to 3,724 votes in Tuesday's count of absentee and questioned ballots. The lead is insurmountable, as the only votes left to count are approximately 2,500 ballots from overseas,” the Anchorage Daily News reports. “Stevens could ask for a recount but his campaign would have to pay for it. The state pays if the margin is within .5 percent of the total votes cast. But Begich leads by just over 1 percent with more than 315,000 votes cast in the race.”
The AP calls Stevens' defeat the "end of an era in which he held a commanding place in Alaska politics while wielding power on some of the most influential committees in Congress."
DELAWARE: The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza reported yesterday that “Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden will not accept an appointment to the Senate to replace his father, according to knowledgeable state sources, a decision that scrambles the race to replace the vice president-elect in the Senate next year.” Cillizza adds, “Biden's decision does not rule out the possibility that he would run for the remaining four years on his father's Senate term in a 2010 special election. And, the specter of Biden -- the son of the vice president returning from his military service to assume the Senate seat -- complicates the decision that will be made by either outgoing Gov. Ruth Ann Minner or incoming Gov. Jack Markell (both Democrats) about who to appoint to the two-year vacancy.”
GEORGIA: Bill Clinton -- who campaigns in the state today for Jim Martin (D) -- isn’t the only bigwig who’s coming to Georgia for the state’s Senate run-off. Per Huffington Post , Al Gore will stump for Martin on Sunday. And Mitt Romney will campaign for Chambliss on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that it’s unlikely that Chambliss and Martin will debate before the run-off.
CONTINUED >>
A new Quinnipiac poll for New Jersey governor (one of the two gubernatorial races of 2009; the other is in Virginia), shows Corzine with a net-negative job approval rating (43%-46%), but he leads his most likely GOP foe, outgoing U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, 42%-36%. Also, with Corzine as a candidate for Treasury Secretary, the pollsters asked if he should go to DC. A majority said no; then again, a majority also say he doesn't deserve re-election. Does Corzine, himself want out, as his re-election bid is going to be VERY difficult no matter how much money he spends?
Meanwhile, McCain is setting up a PAC , which some are seeing as a first step for McCain in running for re-election in 2010.
And/but sources tell Roll Call that McCain has made clear his intention to run for re-election when his Senate term is up in 2010. "McCain, 72, announced the decision during a meeting Tuesday evening with top ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), advisers Rick Davis, Charlie Black, Carla Eudy and other aides."
From NBC's Ken Strickland Ted Stevens today? On his birthday?
As he came to work this morning, one of his Republican colleagues, Jim DeMint , was threatening to hold a vote to kick him out of the GOP caucus. DeMint decided to postpone the vote a few days but said in a statement that "it's clear there are sufficient votes to pass the resolution."
And now it looks like Stevens' re-election is doomed. The AP reports that Stevens "trails his Democratic challenger by 2,374 votes as the vote count for the state's U.S. Senate race nears its end."
It was apparent today that the conviction, possible expulsion, and the re-election are taking a heavy toll of the 85-year-old senator. To add insult to injury, the process could drag on: Stevens says he can't begin to appeal his conviction until February, and if the election results are within 0.5%, it would automatically trigger a recount.
"It's a long process," Stevens said as he was swarmed by reporters this morning. "I wouldn't wish what I'm going through on anyone, not my worst enemy."
The usually boisterous Alaska senator spoke in a soft voice as he described the impact the trial has had on him: "I haven't had a night's sleep now for almost four months. I went home even during the trial. And then I came to the Senate at night after the trial. So I've been living about three different lives. It's hard to even answer your questions properly, but I'm doing my best."
From NBC's Jeff Hanley Minnesota still remains one of the three states with an undecided Senate race. Currently, incumbent Republican
Norm Coleman leads challenger
Al Franken by a mere 215 votes in a race where more than 2.9 million ballots were cast.
The Minnesota State Canvassing Board’s most recent election report today shows a separation between the candidates of roughly seven one-thousandths of one percent (.007%), making the results too close to call and a statewide manual recount will begin tomorrow.
The statement cited the canvassing board’s rejection of Franken’s attempts to stop the recount as grounds for the official recognition of Coleman’s win as he is currently ahead. CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland Barack Obama reached out to Senate Republicans to garner support for Eric Holder as a possible Attorney General, they forgot to call Sen. Arlen Specter.
"There has been no outreach," said the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I saw a news release on it a few minutes ago." Clinton Administration, but added it's "too soon for me to say" whether Holder would get Specter's support. "I'd have to take a much closer look at his record and talk to him and think about it," he said.
From NBC's Wendy Jones 's House Financial Services Committee heard today from three panels of witnesses on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The economy's big guns were on the first panel: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson , Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke and FDIC Chair Sheila Bair . As usual, Frank was irascible, but kept his members within their allotted five minutes.
At the end of almost three hours, Bernanke assured the representatives that the "bailout" was "not a failure of capitalism...it's a problem of execution. Historically, in other countries, the failure of the financial system can bring down an otherwise strong economy. ...This is not an indictment of the broad market system."
Frank's focus was on the surprising evolution of the bailout plan.
"When the program was passed, very specific language was included for mortgage foreclosure diminution as one of the purposes of the bill,” Frank said, adding, “The fundamental policy issue is our disappointment that funds from the $700 billion are not being used to support mortgage reduction... The need to use TARP funds as the bill contemplates is critical."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's John Yang The Obama transition office and First Lady Laura Bush 's office confirms that Michelle Obama , her mother, Marion Robinson, and her two daughters, Malia and Sasha, will be visiting the White House, their new home, this afternoon.
The First Lady's office says there will be no photo released.
From NBC's Pete Williams Obama has offered Eric Holder the position of attorney general, and Holder has accepted it, according to sources involved in the process. The formal announcement has been held up while Obama transition team members ran the idea past key senators. And Obama wanted to announce members of his financial team first -- Treasury Secretary and so on.
Holder is a former superior court judge and U.S. attorney in Washington and a former prosecutor in the Public Integrity section of the Justice Department. He was Deputy Attorney General under
Janet Reno , during which he was well regarded. At one point, he strongly considered running for mayor of Washington, D.C., but decided being the No. 2 official at Justice was too good to pass up.
He also led the search team for Obama's running mate.
His only potential hang-up for confirmation is the controversy over the pardon of Marc Rich in the closing hours of the
Clinton administration. Holder approved the pardon as acting attorney general, after Reno left, without paying much attention to it, and it turned out to be a big embarrassment to Clinton.
So far, the Hill response to Holder has been positive, officials say.
The offer to Holder was made last week, officials say, and he accepted it, conditioned on a good reception from the Hill. So this is as close to a done deal as it can get before it's announced.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann says that he's ready to "hit the ground running" in his new post as the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Cornyn, a Texas senator since 2002 and the state's former Attorney General, could be the second Texan in Republican Party elective leadership should
Rep. Pete Sessions beat
Rep. Tom Cole for the top spot in the NRCC. Cornyn's ascension to the post as the Senate's top elections architect comes as some Republicans worry aloud that the GOP has become increasingly limited to Southern states and that the party is losing ground in the Mountain West and the Northeast.
In his new role, Cornyn will have to oversee a coming election cycle in which Republicans could stand to weather further losses. Among GOPers whose 2010 races are shaping up as potential nailbiters are
Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida,
Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky, and
Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Joe Lieberman to hold onto his powerful chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee in a secret ballot vote.
Video: Sen. Joe Lieberman and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speak to reporters after the Democratic caucus voted Tuesday to let Lieberman keep his committee chairmanship. Majority Leader
Harry Reid , however, asked the Connecticut senator to step down as chairman of the Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection subcommittee of the Environmental & Public Works Committee, which Lieberman said he did.
Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats, retains his AirLand subcommitte chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee.
Lieberman said he regretted some of his comments regarding President-elect Obama during the campaign trail, or that he would have liked to have made them more clearly.
From NBC's Mark Murray Politico's Ben Smith reports that the current focus of the Obama -Clinton negotiations over Bill Clinton's foundation and presidential library is looking forward --not necessarily vetting the past.
Still, it's worth remembering that during the primary season, Obama called for the disclosure of presidential library donors. Consider this exchange from the MSNBC debate at Dartmouth in September 2007:
RUSSERT: In light of that, do you believe that the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton library should publish all the donors who give contributions to those two entities?
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann Joe the Chairman? If the news is correct, then the liberal blogosphere isn't going to be happy. NBC's Ken Strickland reported yesterday that, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, Democrats today are expected to vote in favor of letting Joe Lieberman keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee -- but give up the gavel on a subcommittee he chairs. (The vote happens this morning by secret ballot, and Lieberman is expected to address Senate Democrats before they vote. Per Strickland, we should know the final outcome by late morning.) So what happened? First, Strick says, Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he wanted Lieberman to stay in the Democratic caucus. Later, Lieberman told Reid it would be "unacceptable" for him to give up his gavel, which was considered by some as a veiled threat that Lieberman would jump to caucus with Republicans if he was forced to give up the gavel. In short, Obama tipped the scales in Lieberman's favor, one source said, explaining it this way: If the wrath was directed at Obama, and he got over it, shouldn't the Democratic caucus do the same?
*** Obama’s first test with the left : The news that Obama is the one mainly responsible for the wrist slap that Lieberman is expected to receive -- as well as the continued speculation that the president-elect is inching closer towards selecting Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state -- is really going to test Obama’s base. Many of the true believers aren’t going to be happy campers. Then again, with some pundits suggesting that Obama’s initial moves (picking Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, courting the Clintons) don’t really signal the change he promised to bring to Washington, isn’t it precisely change that Lieberman is about to go unpunished? After all, one of Obama's messages was to put the bitter partisanship of the last 16 years behind us. Does anyone think that a Clinton or a Bush Administration would be as forgiving?
Video: President elect Barack Obama's credo 'no drama Obama' is being tested early as he eyes Sen. Hillary Clinton for Sec. of State and Senate Democrats decide Joe Lieberman's fate. NBC's Chuck Todd reports. Also, as
Maureen Dowd wrote on Sunday, Obama bringing in Hillary as his secretary of state doesn’t represent the return of the Clintons; it says the opposite. “If you have a president who’s willing to open up his universe to other smart, strong people, if you have a big dog who shares his food dish, the Bill Clinton era is truly over.” One more point about Lieberman going unpunished: Could Obama truly meet with McCain yesterday in a sign of bipartisanship as Obama and Senate Democrats plotted to take away Lieberman’s gavel at the Homeland Security committee? By the way, imagine what this week would be like in the press corps had a more severe Lieberman punishment been on the docket. Talk about your drama.
*** When rivals meet : Speaking of yesterday’s Obama-McCain meeting, does the fact that nothing concrete leaked out mean nothing concrete was worked out? Also, it was supposed to be a 90-minute meeting, so why did it end up only 40 minutes. Not a good sign?
*** “V” is for Vetting : For the second day in a row, the vetting of Bill Clinton dominates the chatter about Hillary’s chances of becoming secretary of state. Today's New York Times doesn't feature just any byline -- but one that has given the Clintons particular heartburn: Don Van Natta Jr. How much stomach will Team Obama have for a Van Natta (or potentially a Michael Isikoff) sniffing around the Clintons?
***
Bailing out the bailout : In addition to today’s vote on Lieberman, the other big news on Capitol Hill is today’s testimony by the Big Three US automakers and the United Auto Workers in favor of a bailout. There is still a split between the two political parties on this issue. As the
New York Times writes, "A showdown vote over the auto deal is set for Wednesday, and at the moment Democrats appear short of the 60 votes they need to move ahead, meaning the session is likely to be abbreviated.” The New York Times also has a very good
separate piece about how the political power for the entire auto industry -- from the corporate heads to the labor unions -- is waning. By the way, how much does the perceived failure (to date) of the $700 billion financial bailout hurt the auto industry's chances of their own bailout? Why should any member of Congress feel comfortable about voting for an auto bailout if the one of the financial services industry hasn't worked out as planned?
*** Playing defense : As for the $700 billion bailout, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson has an op-ed today defending his actions. “I am very proud of the decisive actions by the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and the F.D.I.C. to stabilize our financial system," he writes. "We have done what was necessary as facts and conditions in the market and economy have changed, adjusting our strategy to most effectively address the crisis. We have preserved the flexibility of President-elect Barack Obama and the new secretary of the Treasury to address the challenges in the economy and capital markets they will face. As policymakers face the difficult challenges ahead, they will begin with two considerable advantages: a significantly more stable banking system, one where the failure of a major bank is no longer a pressing concern; and the resources, authority and potential programs available to deal with the future capital and liquidity needs of credit providers.”
*** The remaining races : In Alaska, election workers will count approximately 24,000 ballots today, which could give us a clearer picture in a race where challenger Mark Begich (D) currently leads incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens by 1,022 votes. After today, overseas ballots will remain to be counted, and the process, according to the Anchorage Daily News , will last through the week of December 1… In Georgia, early voting began yesterday for the Chambliss-Martin Senate run-off, and there were reports of some lines (the turnout of the youth and black vote in this runoff, by the way, will be the ultimate test of Obama's base; have they become permanently engaged in the overall political process or only engaged in Obama individually?)… And in Minnesota, the five-member state canvassing board meets today to officially certify the original results in the Coleman-Franken race, with the manual recount beginning tomorrow.
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Per the transition office, Obama and Biden hold private meetings in Chicago today and have no public events.
Speculation over Hillary Clinton becoming Obama’s secretary of state continues to dominate the transition chatter. The New York Times has this piece (and it’s not your ordinary story; it's by investigative reporters Van Natta and Becker): “While aides to the president-elect declined Monday to discuss what sort of requirements would make it possible for Mrs. Clinton to serve as secretary of state, they said Mr. Obama would not formally offer her the job unless he was satisfied that there would be no conflicts posed by Mr. Clinton’s activities abroad.”
Video: Former White House Chief of Staff discusses the transfer of power to Barack Obama and what it would mean for both Clintons if Hillary Clinton was chosen as secretary of state. ”Associates of the Clintons said that Mr. Clinton was likely to have to make significant concessions and that he was inclined to do so. Among other things, they said, he would probably have to agree not to take money for speeches from foreign businesses that have a stake in the actions of the American government. Another obvious issue, Democratic lawyers said, would be whether Mr. Clinton’s foundation should accept money from foreign governments, businesses or individuals for the foundation’s philanthropic activities and if it should disclose those donors publicly.”
But Politico says the vetting of Bill Clinton is not going well. Obama "aides are becoming exasperated by the Clinton camp’s pokey response to demands for extensive information about former President Bill Clinton’s finances, according to numerous Democrats involved in the process. ‘The sense among the no-drama Obama world is: This is well on its way to winning best Oscar for drama,’ said one well-connected Democratic official.”
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The AP’s lead on yesterday’s meeting: "No longer foes but not yet allies, President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain buried their bitter campaign in public smiles and searched for common ground in private on Monday, discussing possible collaboration on climate change, immigration, Guantanamo Bay and more."New York Times notes that Obama's promises on domestic spying issue will be put to an early test. "The Justice Department will be asked to respond to motions in legal challenges to the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program, and must decide whether to continue the tactics used by the Bush administration — which has used broad claims of national security and ‘state secrets’ to try to derail the challenges — or instead agree to disclose publicly more information about how the program was run.
Video: President-elect Barack Obama and his former rival for the White House, Sen. John McCain, meet at Obama’s transition headquarters in Chicago. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reports. When he takes office, Mr. Obama will inherit greater power in domestic spying power than any other new president in more than 30 years, but he may find himself in an awkward position as he weighs how to wield it. As a presidential candidate, he condemned the N.S.A. operation as illegal, and threatened to filibuster a bill that would grant the government expanded surveillance powers and provide immunity to phone companies that helped in the Bush administration’s program of wiretapping without warrants. But Mr. Obama switched positions and ultimately supported the measure in the Senate, angering liberal supporters who accused him of bowing to pressure from the right."
Health Care for America Now, the advocacy group pushing for universal health care, will today begin airing this brand-new TV ad in the DC area.
The
AP outlines some of Palin's challenges as she heads back to governing in Alaska. Among them: "Palin's state budget proposal is due in a month, with plummeting oil prices slashing Alaska's revenues by billions of dollars. The 1,700-mile natural gas pipeline she bragged about on the campaign trail ... is nowhere near being built. Some hard feelings linger over her administration's initial decision to ignore subpoenas in the investigation of whether she abused her power in firing the public safety commissioner who wouldn't oust her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper." And: "Uncertain is whether the bipartisanship that existed during Palin's 20 months as governor can survive the heated rhetoric from the presidential campaign and her own political ambitions."
The Washington Post : “A pair of Senate Democrats will offer a compromise plan today to sanction Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) for his support of the Republican presidential ticket but allow him to keep a key committee chairmanship and remain in the party caucus. Senators and aides said yesterday that Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and Ken Salazar (Colo.) will present a plan at a caucus meeting that would strip Lieberman of a low-profile subcommittee chairmanship, possibly one on global warming. But Lieberman would retain the gavel of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.”
More: “No final decisions have been made, and senators who support stronger punishment of Lieberman are expected to have a chance to express their views.”
Roll Call adds that “Democrats appeared to lose their nerve after the election when Obama and other influential Democrats called on the party to forgive and forget Lieberman’s harsh criticism of the president-elect during campaign appearances for Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). Senate Democratic sources cautioned that that proposal might change depending on the outcome of discussions this morning. Lieberman is expected to make his case to the entire Senate Democratic Conference — including newly elected Senators — during a meeting in which the caucus will also elect their leaders for the next Congress.”
Ted Kennedy returned to Capitol Hill yesterday. "[O]verall, Kennedy looked remarkably spry for a man battling a malignant glioma, a fast-growing brain tumor that was diagnosed after Kennedy had a seizure in May," the Boston Globe writes. "His color was strong, and he sported a full head of his characteristic white hair. He appeared to have lost a substantial amount of weight and displayed none of the puffiness he showed during his last appearance on Capitol Hill on July 9, when he made an emotion- laden visit to cast a critical vote on a Medicare funding bill. While the senator is still receiving treatment, he didn't look tired as he prepared to get to work on issues facing the incoming Congress, with healthcare as his stated top priority."
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ALASKA : The Anchorage Daily News says that election workers today “will count 24,000 votes from Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, Southwest and Southeast Alaska.” Challenger Mark Begich (D) currently has a 1,022-vote lead over incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens (R).
Some more Q&As from the Anchorage Daily News. “What happens after today’s count? Absentee ballots arrive from overseas through Wednesday. When will it be final? Week of Dec. 1. Then what? Recount if the voters or loser asks.”
GEORGIA : Early voting began yesterday for the run-off between Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) and challenger Jim Martin (D), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says. The run-off “apparently was enough to bring early voters to the polls on Monday, the first day most metro Atlanta counties opened offices for early voting. Elections officials across the region reported steady voting and, in some places, lines.” Roll Call : "But some state Republicans are also casting blame on what they describe as a poorly run campaign that had to be resuscitated in the final weeks before the November election by a National Republican Senatorial Committee that already had plenty of other contests to worry about. One Georgia Republican insider last week pointed the finger at Chambliss' longtime political strategist Tom Perdue for putting together a weak direct-mail program and ‘substandard’ and ‘impersonal’ television commercials during the crucial late summer and fall months."
MINNESOTA : In a release yesterday, Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced that his office “will post daily recount results beginning Wednesday, Nov. 19 after 8 p.m. The results will include the tally of uncontested votes for Coleman and Franken, a tally of the ‘other’ uncontested votes, and tallies of the ballots challenged by each candidate. The Web site will also post the percentage of precincts recounted and the percent of ballots recounted. The public is welcome to view the recount webpage at: www.sos.state.mn.us . The recount page will be updated everyday at 8 p.m… The numbers will remain unofficial until the results are certified by the State Canvassing Board which is scheduled to begin meeting on Dec. 16.”
The AP writes, “Al Franken's Senate campaign, trailing slightly just before a statewide recount, argued Monday that a key Minnesota election board should examine rejected absentee ballots before certifying the race results. Those ballots are at the heart of legal and procedural disputes that have emerged as the near-deadlocked election moves into this week's manual recount of more than 2.9 million ballots. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman leads by 206 votes - a lead so slim that it triggered the automatic recount.”
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is up for re-election in 2010,
appears to finally be ready to give up the DSCC gavel . His likely successor is New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. "Menendez, Schumer’s No. 2 at the DSCC during the 2008 cycle, has been viewed as Schumer’s heir apparent for the past two years, with no other names receiving consistent mention. Menendez would have his work cut out for him, succeeding the aggressive New Yorker who helped Senate Democrats first claim, and then expand, their majority. Despite the fact that Schumer is up for re-election in 2010, some Democratic insiders are not fully convinced he is ready to give up control of the DSCC. Some Democratic sources even go so far as to predict that Schumer will retain the chairmanship."
A new
Quinnipiac poll in Florida shows that GOP Gov. Charlie Crist ends 2008 in pretty good political shape considering the drubbing his party took in his state and nationally. But GOP Sen. Mel Martinez, who is also up for re-election in 2010, doesn't sport the type of poll ratings that indicate he'll be safe. Ambitious Dems may look at this poll and decide Martinez is the GOPer to challenge in Florida -- not Crist.
Speaking of 2010 polls, one in New York
that matches up Gov. David Paterson (D) and Rudy Giuliani (R) shows Paterson sporting a narrow 49%-43% lead.
From NBC's Ken Strickland Joe Lieberman (I-D) should keep his position as chairman of Homeland Security Committee, and it looks like he just may. Several Democrats and Democratic-leaning groups were calling for Lieberman to stripped of his chairmanship for not only supporting John McCain's candidacy for president -- but also criticizing Barack Obama in the process.
According to sources familiar with negotiations, Democrats are expected to vote in favor of letting the Connecticut senator keep his chairmanship and seniority, but give up the gavel on a subcommittee he chairs. The vote happens tomorrow morning by secret ballot.
The tide turned in Lieberman's favor, sources say, after two events in recent weeks. First, President-elect Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he wanted Lieberman to stay in the Democratic caucus. Later, in a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Lieberman told him it would be "unacceptable" for him to give up his gavel. That was considered by some as a veiled threat that Lieberman would jump to caucus with Republicans if he was forced to give up the gavel.
Obama tipped the scales in Lieberman's favor, one source said. The source essentially explained it like this: If the wrath was directed at Obama and got over it, shouldn't the Democratic caucus do the same?
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Domenico Montanaro Ted Kennedy returned to Capitol Hill today and briefly took questions. Kennedy, who is pushing his health-care reform plan, said he felt fine. The Massachusetts senator said he is confident President-elect Obama will take up health care as one of his priorities, though he recognized that the economy will be a pressing issue for the 44th president.
NOTES: Kennedy's return today is exactly six months after he had his first seizure. … Kennedy walks with a cane that belonged to his father and is the same cane he used after the 1964 plane crash. Kennedy has also, in the past, loaned the cane out to other Senate colleagues like Chris Dodd and John Warner .
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama and McCain put out a joint statement following their meeting in Chicago:
"At this defining moment in history, we believe that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time. It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hardworking American family. We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation's security."
Following the meeting, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports, McCain was back in Washington, as he returned to his Senate office. Perhaps the final event of his presidential campaign happens tonight, as McCain hosts a party in Virginia to thank the campaign staff.
From NBC's CarrollAnn Mears WASHINGTON -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced legislation that should be voted on this week to prohibit the sale and counterfeiting of tickets for the inaugural. She said inaugural tickets "are not issues of commerce."
"Excitement is at an all-time high,” said Feinstein, chair of the Senate Rules Committee and as such is in charge of the Inauguration of the President. “People are desperate to be part of it."
She also said there could be "as many as 1.5 million people descend on the capital."
The legislation would treat the selling of tickets for the Obama inaugural as a Class A misdemeanor with a fine and/or imprisonment for up to a year. Tickets to the inaugural are not yet available.
The legislation is intended at stopping those "who try to dupe the public," Feinstein said. She added that "the chance to witness [the inaugural] ... should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game. This is not a football game."
Of course, scalping tickets to football games is also illegal.
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From NBC's Doug Adams William Jefferson , the Louisiana congressman who was indicted last year on bribery, racketeering and money laundering charges?
Well, he's still in Congress, and he's likely to stay there for a while.
Technically, Jefferson still has to win a Dec. 6th runoff in Louisiana. But his opponent, little known Republican lawyer Anh "Joseph" Cao
Ironically, Jefferson's long-delayed federal trial is also likely to start that week -- Dec. 2nd in Virginia.
Last week, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for the trial to start -- upholding his indictment by ruling that Jefferson's rights weren't violated when the grand jury received evidence that violated legislative immunity.
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From NBC's Abby Livingston
Today, the Franken campaign filed a brief with the Minnesota State Canvassing Board to learn why some absentee ballots were rejected and to determine if any of those rejections were improper.
The campaign cited various reasons oversights might have occurred with absentee ballots, including human error and various technicalities. Coleman .
From MSNBC.com's Tom Curry Obama stands to learn from mistakes made by Kennedy in 1961, Carter in 1977, Bush in 1989 and Clinton in 1993.
The Bay of Pigs fiasco is the classic case of a brand new president blundering his way into calamity. In this situation, the botched invasion had long-term consequences. Following the failure, Kennedy felt compelled to assure anti-Communist President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam that the Cuban disaster didn’t lessen the U.S. commitment to fighting communism in Asia.
Barack Obama is a man nearly as young as Kennedy was when he became president. Like Kennedy, Obama is a best-selling author with a reputation for being cerebral, articulate and charismatic. As he prepares to become president, he could consider Kennedy’s error.
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From NBC's Doug Adams Obama having resigned his Senate seat yesterday, folks may be wondering about what Vice President-elect Biden might do.
Biden told a local TV station right before Election Day he didn't want to resign his seat right away, leading to speculation about whether he is trying to deny the outgoing governor of Delaware -- Democrat Ruth Ann Minner -- the chance to appoint his successor.
Under that scenario, Biden would wait until moments before he is sworn in as vice president to resign his seat, which could enable the new governor, Jack Markell , to make the appointment.
Biden has been said for some time to be grooming his son Beau Biden to succeed him in the Senate. Beau is currently Delaware's Attorney General. He is on leave while he serves on active duty in the Delaware National Guard, where he is a captain.
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From NBC's John Yang Muammar Qadhafi , a man the United States once tried to topple and whom President Reagan called the "mad dog of the Middle East."
Here's a readout of the call, per Deputy White House Press Secretary Gordon Johndroe: "The President called Libyan leader Colonel Qadhafi to express his satisfaction that the claims settlement agreement was fully implemented on October 31. The two leaders discussed that this agreement should help to bring a painful chapter in the history between our two countries closer to closure."
On a potential auto industry bailout , White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, in her on-camera daily briefing, repeated the administration's desire to see the auto industry aid come from the $25 billion in loan guarantees in the energy bill, not the TARP. She said taxpayer money should only to go companies that "show viability and a willingness to make tough decisions to restructure themselves."
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann A busy week on tap: Two weeks removed from the presidential election, the political activity remains almost as busy -- we, of course, stress the word “almost.” For starters, President-elect Obama meets in Chicago at noon ET with the man he defeated in the general election, John McCain, and they will be joined by incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. This meeting comes as Obama has officially named several new staffers to his White House team and as speculation continues that he might select Hillary Clinton to head the State Department. Meanwhile, the Senate returns to action today with the agenda including freshman orientation, an economic stimulus package (extending unemployment insurance and relief for the automotive industry), and the fate of Joe Lieberman as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (which will be done by secret ballot; is that good news for Lieberman since it isn't cool to be publicly pro-Lieberman, or is it bad news so his detractors can stay anonymous?). In addition, the House will return to work on Wednesday, when Minority Leader John Boehner receives a long-shot leadership challenge from Rep. Dan Lundgren. And finally, there are those three unresolved Senate races in Alaska, Georgia, and Minnesota (more on them below), let alone a vacant seat in Illinois.
Video: President-elect Barack Obama meets with his former rival for the White House, Sen. John McCain, to discuss how they might work together. ***
More on today’s Obama-McCain meeting: It’s important to point out that McCain hasn't been given enough credit for making today’s meeting happen -- convening a meeting like this is easy for the victor, but much more difficult for the loser. Just compare today with the amount of time it took for McCain to hold a face-to-face with George W. Bush after the 2000 GOP primaries. McCain didn't have to do this so quickly, and he's giving Obama an easy political point or two by showing up. There are a number of things the two could do together, including climate change, stem cells, ethics and spending reform, even Afghanistan. The two are meeting for 90 minutes, we're told, so there will be time to talk about, well, everything under the sun. By the way, here’s another way in which Obama appears to be mimicking Lincoln:
USA Today notes that Lincoln met with the man he defeated, Stephen Douglas, early on in his tenure as president.
*** Great expectations: How high are expectations for Obama? There are dueling Obama-as-FDR vs. Obama-as-Lincoln covers on the two major news magazines (Time and Newsweek, respectively). We guess it's better than being compared to Hoover or Carter, right?
*** Bill Clinton's vetting day: With fresh sound of Bill Clinton, combined with the New York Times and Washington Post coverage of the vetting process, it looks like there's plenty of fodder to keep the Hillary-for-secretary-of-state story alive for another day. The New York Times gets into some of the international issues Bill Clinton has delved into, which could cause conflict with his wife should she get the job. Just askin,' but how galling is it for the 42nd president that the idea he can't vet could somehow torpedo his wife's appointment? It's probably making him a little nuts that all of these questions about his post-presidency lifestyle are going to be brought up into the public arena yet again. Also just askin,’ but how big of a story would Bill’s conflicts of interest have been if Hillary had won the Democratic nomination -- and what kind of problem would that have presented the Democrats? Has the momentum for a Hillary appointment gotten to the point where the only way this doesn't happen is if Clinton says no? Obama can't pull the offer (even if he hasn't officially made it) at this point, right?
*** That auto bailout: Take a look at the coverage of the debate on whether the government should do a full-fledged bailout of the American auto industry. The tone has clearly been shaped by the auto makers; they are winning the PR battle. This is all very reminiscent of the pro-$700 billion bailout press back in September-October. Lots of clips today about the number of jobs at stake if GM is allowed to fall into bankruptcy protection. Meanwhile, the congressional Republicans who are suspect of a bailout are being shown the political map and how blue the industrial Midwest (including Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana) went -- which happen to house a number of jobs. Just curious: What does the battle to bailout GM do for the battle between John Dingell and Henry Waxman for the chairmanship of the House Commerce Committee? Could some quid pro quos be popping up in that campaign having to do with the bailout? Speaking of bailouts, various state and city governments are now looking for handouts or bailouts. How soon will some states begin raising the idea of suspending budget balancing laws that most state governments are forced to live under?
*** The remaining races: In Alaska, after additional counting of early and absentee ballots on Friday, Mark Begich (D) now has a 1,022-vote lead over incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens (R). On Tuesday, a remaining 24,000 votes from Anchorage (Begich’s home base), Southeast Alaska, and the Kenai Peninsula will be counted. The situation looks particularly grim for Stevens, because Friday’s count included all the early and absentee ballots from his base of support in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough… In Georgia, Jim Martin (D) has a new TV ad blasting Saxby Chambliss (R) on the economy. Meanwhile, Huckabee campaigned for Chambliss over the weekend, and now we’ve learned that Bill Clinton will stump for Martin on Wednesday… And in Minnesota, the original vote count in the Coleman-Franken race gets certified on Tuesday, and the four-week recount begins right after that. By the way, Franken will be coming to DC on Tuesday.
*** A few other stray Senate thoughts: By the way, has anyone else noticed that the GOP seems more interested in saving Coleman in his recount than pushing Chambliss or Stevens to victory in Georgia and Alaska? This isn't to say the party isn't doing whatever it takes to help Chambliss, but the emotion that Republicans are showing in their collective comments about the Minnesota recount send the signal that losing the Senate seat to Franken would be a lot more demoralizing than losing the run-off in Georgia or the count in Alaska (By the way, don't miss Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's comments Sunday, when he admitted that he knows of no shenanigans at all in the re-canvass process yet. That's not the talking point he was speaking off of last week)… With Bill Clinton now heading to Georgia, what will Obama do? Will he at least cut radio ads or do recorded phone calls?… There are officially 99 senators, instead of 100, thanks to Obama's resignation on Sunday. What will Illinois Dem Gov. Rod Blagojevich do? As one person who knows him well put it, he's trying to figure out how to monetize this appointment (no, not SELL it, but gather some political chit), but he can't figure out how to do it yet. Does he appoint a potential gubernatorial primary rival (though most think the unpopular governor isn't running)? Does he try to cut a deal with House Speaker Michael Madigan (and appoint his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan)? What about the pressure to appoint a non-white male (like Tammy Duckworth, Jesse Jackson Jr., Jan Schakowsky, or Melissa Bean)?
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The New York Times writes that Bill Clinton perhaps remains the last obstacle to Hillary Clinton being named as Obama’s secretary of state. “President-elect Barack Obama’s advisers have begun reviewing former President Bill Clinton’s finances and activities to see whether they would preclude the appointment of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, as secretary of state, Democrats close to the situation said Sunday. The examination of the former president suggests how seriously Mr. Obama is considering bringing his onetime rival for the Democratic presidential nomination into his cabinet.”
More: “A team of lawyers trying to facilitate the potential nomination spent the weekend looking into Mr. Clinton’s philanthropic organization, interactions with foreign governments and ties to pharmaceutical companies, a Democrat close to both camps said. While Mr. Clinton has used his foundation to champion efforts to fight AIDS, poverty and climate change around the world, he has also taken millions in speaking fees and contributions from foreign officials and businesses with interests in American governmental policies.”
The Washington Post also looks at the potential conflicts of interest that Bill Clinton poses to an Obama Administration. “‘He's a former president of the United States. He's been traveling around the world, and he's got his foundation and a lot of foreign policy efforts going on,’ said Leon Panetta, Clinton's former chief of staff and now a professor of public policy. ‘What they will have to obviously be careful of are the potential conflicts that might appear.’”
"Obama is considering primary election rivals Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson to be his secretary of state, as Senator John F. Kerry, an early supporter of Obama, appeared to be out of the running according to Democratic officials," the AP's Pickler writes. Obama met with Richardson on Friday, per AP , and Clinton over the weekend, he confirmed on 60 Minutes. "Staff for Kerry appeared to prepare for the senator to take over leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations committee."
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The Iraqi cabinet has given Obama something he'll be touting in a re-election bid: a deadline to pull troops out of Iraq. "After months of painstaking negotiations between Baghdad and Washington, the Iraqi Cabinet yesterday approved a bilateral agreement allowing US troops to remain in Iraq for three more years. The accord still needs approval by Iraq's Parliament, but the Cabinet vote indicated that most major Iraqi parties supported it. An Iraqi government spokesman portrayed the pact as closing the book on the occupation that began with the US-led invasion in 2003."
Bloomberg News reports an Obama-Pelosi deal on stimulus could top $500 billion.
So how many jobs could be affected by the auto industry’s collapse? The Los Angeles Times : "All told, each truck contains 4,350 parts, made by 270 suppliers in 26 states as well as several foreign countries. Every F-150 that doesn't sell hits literally hundreds of thousands of people who play a role in putting the big machine on the road. When it comes to the U.S. automakers and their financial troubles, politicians and the public tend to think about the 240,000 jobs that could be lost at the Big Three's assembly lines in Michigan and nearby Rust Belt states."
”President-elect Barack Obama said in an interview on the CBS program “60 Minutes” on Sunday that one of his top priorities will be to ‘restore a sense of balance’ to the regulation of financial markets, but rejected the idea of a so-called ‘new New Deal’ for America,” the New York Times writes. “Mr. Obama acknowledged the parallels between the current economic crisis and the problems of the Great Depression, but said that he supported solutions that are ‘true to our times.’”
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The New York Times reports that some Republicans are wondering if they must move beyond Ronald Reagan. At last week’s Republican Governors Association meeting, “there was even the suggestion, made gingerly and reverently, that Republicans could not continue to make ‘Ronald Reagan’ the answer to every question at a time when they are overwhelmingly losing the young voters who were children, or were not yet born, when he was president. That was the implication of Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, who told the group of fellow Republican governors that Reagan was one of his heroes, and recalled being spat at by a hippie while volunteering for one of his campaigns. ‘But Ronald Reagan was president a long time ago,’ Mr. Pawlenty said. ‘A lot has happened since then. So the challenge for us is how do you take the principles from the late ’70s and ’80s and apply them to the circumstances and issues and opportunities of our time.’”
Bill Kristol speculates if Bush will follow in Herbert Hoover’s footsteps: make it even more difficult for Republicans to appeal to voters on economic issues. “From 1933 to 1980, Republicans repeatedly failed to convince the country they were no longer the party of Herbert Hoover -- the party, as it was perceived, of economic incompetence, austerity and recession (if not depression).”
”Only two Republicans won presidential elections in that half-century, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon. Both were able to take the White House only because we were mired down in difficult wars, in Korea and Vietnam. And Ike and Nixon were unable -- they didn’t really try -- to change the generally liberal course of domestic and economic policy. The G.O.P.’s fate on Capitol Hill was worse. The party controlled Congress for only 4 of those 47 years. That’s what happens when a depression begins on your watch and when you can’t offer a coherent explanation of how and why it occurred and what you are going to do differently.”
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ALASKA: Per the Anchorage Daily News , “Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is in grave danger of losing re-election after Mark Begich widened his lead to 1,022 votes Friday. More than 90 percent of the votes are now counted, and Friday's count of absentee and questioned ballots could have been Stevens' best chance to make a comeback. That's because it included all the ballots left from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, where Stevens has enjoyed his most unwavering support.”
“There are about 24,000 ballots left to be counted, coming from Anchorage, Southeast Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula. The state will tally them all Tuesday.”
GEORGIA: “Georgia supporters of the fair tax turned out en masse Sunday to cheer the idea of a national sales tax, which has become a thorny issue in the state’s high-profile Dec. 2 U.S. Senate runoff. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won Georgia’s GOP presidential primary in February, joined about 2,000 people Sunday afternoon at the Gwinnett Civic Center in what became not just fair-tax rally, but a major campaign stop for Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Moultrie. Chambliss backs the fair tax, which would abolish the Internal Revenue Service and replace the federal income tax and most other federal taxes. Democratic challenger Jim Martin of Atlanta opposes it.”
According to the Martin campaign, Bill Clinton will rally for Martin in Atlanta on Wednesday.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Abigail Williams President-elect Obama gave his first virtual fireside chat. The weekly Democratic radio address, also posted as a YouTube video on change.gov , is just a taste of the new style of open governing promised by the incoming Administration.
Seated at a simple desk with the American flag draped to the right, and thick leather bound books behind, the image first seems like all presidential addresses made from the Oval Office. But something seems off in the presentation -- Obama's torso as right of center as his tie and the camera left at an awkward distance forcing Obama to lurch forward towards his viewers. It seems, well, like a YouTube video.
From NBC's Mike Viqueira Dan Lungren (R) announced a long-shot bid to unseat GOP Rep. John Boehner as House minority leader. Leadership elections are penciled in for next Wednesday.
Lungren says that the party is too arrogant; that it needs to return to fiscal discipline and small government; that it has become intoxicated by its own power to the detriment of conservative principles; and that it has lost touch with the kitchen table concerns of average Americans. He adds that he has nothing against John Boehner.
For his part, Boehner offers the following comment: "Dan Lungren is a respected member of our conference and a man deeply committed to the principles that have defined our party since the beginning."
Lungren is typically not among those mentioned as candidates for House GOP leadership. His presser today got off to an inauspicious start as Capitol Police had to lock down the hall in Rayburn where his office is located in order to investigate a suspicious package nearby, thereby delaying the Lungren announcement.
Once begun, the presser was sparsely attended.
From NBC's Abby Livingston Obama will choose Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell to join his cabinet, you might want to think again.
Here's why: If Rendell is appointed, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor would be sworn in as governor. However, Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll -- a Democrat -- passed away last week. As a result, the Pennsylvania Senate Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati will ascend to the lieutenant governor’s office.
The catch here? Scarnati is a Republican. So Obama picking Rendell would result in a Republican becoming Pennsylvania governor.
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray Hillary Clinton , though her HillPAC, has sent a solicitation to supporters asking them to donate money to Al Franken during the recount in Minnesota's Senate race. "The Franken campaign is working hard to make sure every vote is counted -- but they need our help," she writes. "Al Franken needs to keep his campaign active to stop the Republican attacks and make Minnesotans' voices are heard."
Interestingly, Clinton has done this for Franken, but not for Jim Martin in his December 2 run-off in Georgia. Why? Here's maybe one reason: Clinton ad-maker Mandy Grunwald is working for Franken.
It's also worth noting that Clinton has already made a political investment into the race -- by cutting a TV for Franken, as well as campaigning for him in Minnesota.
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama . McCain 4, Obama 1.
This makes the NBC electoral count Obama 365, McCain 173.
From NBC's Mark Murray Washington Post piece noting that there has been little oversight of the federal government's $700 billion rescue package for the financial industry. "Yet for all this activity, no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste," the article said. "Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed."
Well, the Treasury Department has pushed back against that report, pointing out in a press release that the department has taken oversight steps.
Among them: Paulson and with Interim Assistant Secretary Kashkari. GAO has had a team of over a dozen specialists and senior executives working on all aspects of the program. GAO staff typically meets with Treasury staff several times a week. They have access to contract files as soon as each contract is completed, and they often begin their review of those files within 24 hours of a contract signing. Every contract is posted on the Treasury website."
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama's transition office announced that the president-elect will meet with McCain in Chicago on Monday, and they will be joined by incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham , one of McCain's closest friends and allies.
In fact, per an Obama transition official, Emanuel and Graham were instrumental in putting this Obama-McCain meeting together. Remember that Emanuel and Graham served as the negotiators for the presidential debates, and when other Republicans were criticizing Obama's selection of Emanuel as chief of staff, Graham praised it.
"This is a wise choice by President-elect Obama," Graham said in a statement. "Rahm knows Capitol Hill and has great political skills. He can be a tough partisan but also understands the need to work together. He is well-suited for the position of White House chief of staff. I worked closely with him during the presidential debate negotiations which were completed in record time. When we hit a rough spot, he always looked for a path forward. I consider Rahm to be a friend and colleague. He's tough but fair. Honest, direct, and candid. These qualities will serve President-elect Obama well."
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama selects Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State, it would be an ironic pick -- given that Team Obama downplayed her foreign-policy credentials (especially as first lady) during the Democratic primary season.
Video: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray offers his first read on who President-elect Barack Obama is considering for his cabinet... and why. Remember this December 2007
New York Times piece , which Obama supporters grabbed on to in the build-up to Iowa? "[D]uring those two terms in the White House, Mrs. Clinton did not hold a security clearance. She did not attend National Security Council meetings. She was not given a copy of the president's daily intelligence briefing. She did not assert herself on the crises in Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda. And during one of President Bill Clinton's major tests on terrorism, whether to bomb Afghanistan and Sudan in 1998, Mrs. Clinton was barely speaking to her husband, let alone advising him, as the Lewinsky scandal sizzled."
There was also the Bosnia sniper-fire story . "It's part of a troubling pattern of Sen. Clinton inflating her foreign policy experience," an Obama campaign spokesman said at the time.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann Hillary at State? As we've learned with anything regarding the Clintons, one never knows exactly how serious the speculation might be. But let's assume the news -- reported last night by NBC’s Andrea Mitchell -- that Hillary Clinton is in the mix as a potential Secretary of State is as serious as it appears. (Because if it's not, and her name is being floated only to be rejected, it's going to make her more upset. But we digress…) The best reason for Obama to be looking for a place in his cabinet for Clinton is simple: to get her out of the Senate. Just ask George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter what it was like to have a once or future presidential rival in the Senate serving as a one-person Roman tribunal. Remember how easily the press gravitated to John McCain in '01 or Bob Kerrey in '93 or Ted Kennedy in '77 to allow them to be one-senator judge/juries on Administration proposals? The upside for Obama putting Clinton at State (or even the Pentagon) is that it gets her out of the Senate and gets her out of the domestic policy debates. Also, one other thing to keep in mind if Clinton does end up at State, she'll be off the political circuit; it’s considered unseemly to practice politics while serving in one of the big cabinet posts, especially at State or Defense. So this would mean no more Hillary on the stump for candidates, no more Hillary raising money, no more Hillary collecting chits. OK, we will now take First Read away from Machiavelli and turn it back over to the current authors.
VIDEO: Advisers say President-elect Obama is considering Hillary Clinton for secretary of state. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. ***
DNC debate: There’s a fascinating story in today’s
L.A. Times about some hesitance by members of Team Obama to have the Democratic National Committee house the Obama political machine. Some, like Steve Hildebrand of Obama's field team, believe many of Obama's supporters will be turned off by having the DNC become the official political arm of the Obama Administration. Hildebrand thinks if Obama wants to cultivate his supporters to get them excited by various policy proposals, he should allow an independent group to be formed. But it appears Hildebrand's idea is a long shot, as the L.A. Times reports that Axelrod and Plouffe are leaning toward turning everything over to the DNC -- since they'll "own" the DNC.
***
In Da Club: As the Republicans gather all over the place to mull their future, one group wants to single out the conservative Club for Growth for hurting the party with moderates. In particular, the League of Conservation voters says it’s finding it difficult to find moderate pro-environment Republicans to support, because the Club has been so successful knocking them off in GOP primaries. But the LCV notes the Club's record in general elections is not good. Club-backed candidates -- who defeated some Republicans the LCV would have supported or have supported -- lost congressional elections last week in MD-01, MI-07, and ID-01. In addition, their New Mexico Senate candidate also lost (and lost badly). Has the Club been too pure and ended up nominating candidates that are too conservative, allowing Democrats to win in places like, well, Idaho? The Club is going to have some defending to do (particularly with its donors) about how well the conservative purity game is playing out on the trail.
VIDEO: Sarah Palin was the media draw at the Republican Governors Convention, but the GOP shied away from embracing her. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports. ***
If you can’t beat them, co-opt their message? Charlie Crist closed out the Republican Governors Association meeting last night with a speech that could be the kind of message that not only paves the way forward for the party, but for his own career on a national stage. He was post-partisan, stressing inclusiveness, working together, and above all getting things done. It was a polished, practiced speech about expanding majorities, instead of being pigeonholed to the base. Frankly, there seemed to be a lot of Obama in it…
***
T. Boone does “Meet”: On Sunday, Meet the Press has an exclusive interview with T. Boone Pickens -- the Texas oilman, energy-independence advocate, and Oklahoma State football patron -- as well as a roundtable with Tom Friedman and Tavis Smiley. Pickens also appeared on Morning Joe this morning…
***
Rockin' the suburbs: In 2004, many exit pollsters pointed to George W. Bush's five-point lift over John Kerry in the nation's suburbs as one of the keys to the Republican's victory. In this past election, however, Obama flipped that Democratic deficit in the 'burbs to a two point advantage. But how much did it help him state-by-state? Obama won EVERY state in which he got more than 50% of the suburban vote. In two traditionally red states -- Indiana and North Carolina -- Obama lost the suburbs, but he improved on Kerry's suburban performance by double digits to pull off narrow wins in those states. In fact, Obama outperformed Kerry in the suburbs in every battleground state except for Missouri. As Charlie Cook writes today in his newest column, “When Democrats win the suburbs, Republicans are in trouble.”
***
Take me home, country roads: It's safe to say that, at the beginning of the presidential race, pundits were not trumpeting predictions that a black man named "Barack Hussein Obama" -- who even claimed that small-town voters were bitter, clinging to their religion and guns -- would do better than John Kerry in rural areas. Nationally, however, Obama outperformed Kerry in rural areas -- by just three points. But get this: His performance versus Kerry in low-population regions shot up in a few states like Pennsylvania (+5), South Carolina (+9), and Texas (+5), where extended primaries (and their accompanying far-flung field offices) certainly couldn't have hurt the campaign's efforts to turn out rural voters. And Obama did very well with rural voters in another handful of states: Colorado (+14), Virginia (+9), New Hampshire (+5), Missouri (+7), and New Mexico (+8). What do those have in common? They were battlegrounds where Obama had offices throughout each state.
***
Remaining races: Not many new developments out there. In Alaska, Mark Begich (D) remains in the lead over Ted Stevens (R), with more absentee and early ballots to be counted next week… In Georgia, 2,000 turned out to see McCain campaign for Saxby Chambliss (R), while the Democratic Senatorial Committee is up with a
brand-new TV ad hitting the GOP incumbent… And in Minnesota, there’s an
excellent piece reminding us that the changing vote-count total in the Coleman-Franken race isn’t that unusual. “The night that Sen. Norm Coleman defeated former Vice President Walter Mondale in the 2002 U.S. Senate race he piled up more than 1,062,000 votes. But when all the ballots were certified two weeks later, Coleman had 54,000 more votes. It's TRUE. Between election night voting numbers, and two weeks later when the State Canvassing Board certified official results, Coleman gained 54,429 votes. Mondale's vote total also went up 63,192 votes, but not enough to beat Coleman. It's what happens in Minnesota elections. We just don't pay attention when the race isn't close.”
VIDEO: All eyes are on Alaska, Georgia and Minnesota as contests continue. NBC's Lee Cowan reports. Countdown to Georgia Senate run-off: 18 days
Countdown to Electoral Vote Count: 55 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 67 days
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Hillary as potential Secretary of State even makes the cover of the New York Post . "Hill Job!" Wall Street Journal writes that New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has been added to the mix as a possible Treasury secretary. “Corzine received praise Thursday from Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union. Other handicappers are following Corzine because he has such a range of experience in both the public and private sectors. He’s a former head of Goldman Sachs, the same position current Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson held. After more than two decades at Goldman, including turning the firm into a public company, he won a U.S. Senate seat. In 2005, he was elected governor. The latest polls have him at a 47% approval rating.” Politico writes that Larry Summers may have fallen off the Treasury short list. “If Summers, who’s been one of Obama’s top economic advisers, is indeed out of the mix, the odds-on favorite for Treasury secretary is New York Federal Reserve Chairman Timothy Geithner. Another possibility is that former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker would take the helm for six months, with Geithner as his deputy, and Geithner would take over later.”
CONTINUED >>
It looks like a bailout for the automakers is dead this year. Per the New York Times , "The prospects of a government rescue for the foundering American automakers dwindled Thursday as Democratic Congressional leaders conceded that they would face potentially insurmountable Republican opposition during a lame-duck session next week."David Brooks makes the cases against bailing out Detroit.
CONTINUED >>
After looking at the vote totals and the exit polls, political analyst Charlie Cook fires off this warning to Republicans in his latest National Journal column: “Those who write off the 2008 election by saying that Republican candidates weren’t conservative enough are in denial. They are political ostriches, refusing to acknowledge that the country and the electorate are changing and that old recipes don’t work any more. Obama’s message and agenda were a far cry from those of the Democratic Party of a generation or two ago, but the Republican Party’s message and agenda haven’t changed much other than becoming even more fixated on cultural issues and tax cuts. A top Republican pollster remarked privately to me after the election that he couldn’t think of a single new idea generated on the Republican side during the 2008 campaign.”Boston Globe : "With Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska in their midst, the nation's leading Republican governors used their annual conference to unleash some of their most furious criticism yet about the failed campaign she waged alongside presidential nominee John McCain. … Palin's colleagues rarely mentioned her by name, as the defeated vice presidential nominee swept through the conference, making a triumphal jaunt richer in nostalgia for her brief campaign than in prescriptions for a Republican rebound." More: "Palin's presence overshadowed the three-day conclave of elected executives that traditionally serves as a celebration of state-level policy successes, a partywide strategy session, and an audition for national candidates. It was at such a meeting in early 2008 that the Alaska governor first received McCain's attention, but her colleagues this week appeared at times miffed that even from under the wreckage, Palin's luster remained visible."
CONTINUED >>
"In states won by President-elect Barack Obama, turnout was more than five percentage points higher than in states won by Republican John McCain, according to a
Globe analysis of data compiled by a pair of researchers who study voting patterns in US elections."
GEORGIA: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that 2,000 showed up yesterday to see McCain campaign for Sen. Saxby Chambliss. “‘I did not think I would be back on the campaign trail quite this early,’ McCain said. ‘But there is a lot at stake here. I’m asking you to go into battle one more time. ‘The eyes of the country and the world will be on the state of Georgia Dec. 2.’” More: McCain never mentioned Obama’s name during his 12-minute speech… [But] when Chambliss first used the words ‘President-elect Barack Obama,’ the partisan crowd booed loudly. ‘Let me say, I will pray for him every day, just as I’ve prayed for every other president,’ Chambliss said. Chambliss, however, warned that a Democratic supermajority would unleash a rash of ‘liberal’ initiatives.” New York Times writes about the Georgia Senate run-off, casting the race as “the first test of Mr. Obama’s coattails.” (But is that a fair characterization when Obama lost that state by five points?) new TV ad whacking Chambliss. ILLINOIS: The Chicago Tribune reports that Obama’s “decision to step down from his U.S. Senate seat Sunday has ratcheted up the pressure on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to name a successor more quickly than planned, sources close to the governor said Thursday. No decision is expected before the U.S. Senate begins its lame-duck session on Monday, sources familiar with the governor's deliberations said. Blagojevich has only said he would name a successor before the end of the year, and his office declined comment Thursday.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro MIAMI -- So what’s the problem with the party?
Rick Perry says it’s that these Washington-types in the GOP have lost their way.
He praised
Palin . “We saw the impact” Palin had “when she joined the national ticket.”
She represented the working man, Perry said.
“And Sarah, I want to say to you,” he began, “I would rather be addressing you as vice-president-elect, but I am proud to call you my friend and proud to have you on our team. Thank you for the work you did.”
He continued, “If we ever want to reclaim the majority, Republican governors must reclaim the restoration effort, and it begins now.”
Perry earlier also praised Jindal for his leadership during Hurricane Gustav. Perry was at least the third to say so here.
Perry also had this for
Obama : “We may have elected a president based on some pretty prose, but we all know it takes more than pretty words to govern.”
Perry also announced that Florida Gov.
Charlie Crist will chair the annual RGA gala, the biggest fundraiser of the year.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro MIAMI --
Sonny Perdue said the Republican Governors Association had more private meetings than usual and called it “workman-like.”
Then Perdue introduced outgoing Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and handed him, as a parting gift of sorts… a shotgun -- on behalf of the RGA.
“I’m not nearly the shot Sonny Perdue is,” Blunt said. “I’ll always remember the RGA, when I have the opportunity to see it and use it.”
Perdue also introduced Texas Gov. Rick Perry. After calling him a “beautiful man,” he handed him … a shotgun.
After Perry thanked Perdue for the gift, he said, “With how the new administration is going to treat the Second Amendment, let’s just keep that a secret between me and you, all right?”
No word on how the governors will get their guns on their airplanes home.
From NBC’s Andrea Mitchell
Clinton was seen taking a flight to Chicago today, but an adviser says it was on personal business. It is unknown whether she had any meeting or conversation with Obama while there.
Other Democrats known to want the State Department post are Sen. John Kerry and Gov. Bill Richardson. A possible compromise choice would be former Sen. Tom Daschle.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro MIAMI -- Gov.
Tim Pawlenty chose his words carefully when talking about
Palin 's speech here at the Republican Governors Association conference.
"She was mostly sharing her reflections from the trail," he told NBC News in a corner of this sleek Miami hotel. "It was interesting. It was mostly a summation."
But asked whether it fit the billing of the panel she spoke before, about looking toward the party's future, Pawlenty said, "Was that the title of the speech? Well, she referred to energy."
Much has been made of a potential rift in the party, between reformists (with Pawlenty at the head) and traditionalists (with Palin at the front of that group). Pawlenty gave a speech laying out his vision yesterday for where the party should go -- that it should be more inclusive, more diverse and expand its ability to compete in the Northeast, the Midwest and the West. He urged Republicans not to give in to either side, but called for a merging of both a modernization and an adherence to conservative values.
Tonight, he said he doesn't think there is a divide in the party.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Abby Livingston Chuck Schumer feels the chance of 60 Democratic senators this cycle is “possible, but unlikely.”
Briefing reporters this afternoon, the New York senator gave the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s outlook on the three outstanding Senate races: Minnesota, Alaska and Georgia.
With the race in Minnesota between Norm Coleman and Al Franken in a post-election dead heat, Schumer opened the news conference by directing his ire to the politics of the recount. Invoking a nightmare familiar to political journalists of cycles past, he said, “Minnesota is the one state where we really see the same kind of effort to intimidate.” He added, “Democrats sort of let that happen in 2000 in Florida. We’re not going let that happen again.”
Proving that annoyance with the mainstream media can be bipartisan, Schumer also railed against the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal for “overheated rhetoric” and “fabricated” claims over the recount.
Schumer views the Georgia runoff between Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin as part of the original DSCC plan. “We were able to hold an incumbent in a red state below 50% and get into a runoff, which was always our goal for the first round of balloting.” He added that the DSCC is about to put up ads supporting Jim Martin. As for President-elect Obama stumping for the Georgia Democrat, Schumer played coy, saying, “You’ll have to stay tuned. I’m not going roll out our strategy.”
Because Mark Begich has taken the lead over incumbent Ted Stevens in the Alaska race, Schumer said that he's "cautiously optimistic" about the situation as it stands.
Schumer refused to address his future in party leadership, but did answer questions about whether or not his persona is helpful to his opposition. “I’d much rather they fire their arrows at me than our candidate,” he chuckled.
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie and Mark Murray Obama announced that he will resign his Illinois Senate seat, effective Sunday.
“It has been one of the highest honors and privileges of my life to have served the people of Illinois in the United States Senate," he said, according to a statement from his transition team. "In a state that represents the crossroads of a nation, I have met so many men and women who’ve taken different journeys, but hold common hopes for their children’s future. It is these Illinois families and their stories that will stay with me as I leave the United States Senate and begin the hard task of fulfilling the simple hopes and common dreams of all Americans as our nation’s next president.”
Now the speculation turns to whom Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will appoint to succeed Obama. That appointment will serve until 2010, when Obama's six-year term concludes.
Some of the possibilities include Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. , Jan Schakowsky and Melissa Bean ; Tammy Duckworth, the unsuccessful 2006 House candidate who now heads the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs; Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; and State Comptroller Dan Hynes.
From NBC's Ken Strickland Senator Mary Landrieu.
Article 1, Section 5 of the US Constitution states, "Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns, and Qualifications of it's own Members..."
How does it actually happen? The Senate Historian's Office explains it this way:
"...a petition has been presented to the Senate or a resolution offered by a senator contesting the election of a candidate (in some cases a year or more after the election in question). The contest may relate to the actual conduct of the election (vote count, electoral irregularities, etc.) or electoral misconduct by candidate or supporters. Most, but not all, of these cases were referred to a committee for review."
There has only been one case in Senate history when the chamber actually reversed the final election results. That was in 1926 in a race between Daniel Steck and Smith Brookhart in Iowa.
"Brookhart was initially seated but was later unseated by the Senate and Steck seated in his place," the Senate Historian's Office writes. "This is the only occasion to date in which the Senate has actually reversed the results of an election, unseated a senator, and seated the challenger."
The responsibility of making such a judgment would likely fall the Senate Rules Committee, if warranted.
From NBC's Libby Leist and Courtney Kube Barack Obama's transition teams for two key agencies -- the Departments of State and Defense -- are getting geared up to start work, but officials at both departments say that they are still awaiting details from the office of the President-elect.
State Department officials said today they are still awaiting word from the Obama camp about when their transition team will begin work at the State Department. No one has arrived yet to work in the office space on the first floor, State Department transition coordinator Pat Kennedy told NBC. Spokesman Robert Wood told reporters at today's daily briefing that the new Obama staff is expected to move into the building "soon."
Across the river, Pentagon spokesperson Bryan Whitman says that the Obama transition office has not yet notified the Department about who will be part of the DOD transition team -- despite yesterday's press release from the Obama Transition office listing John White and Michele Flournoy as the team leaders.
Whitman said that the Obama transition office would notify the Pentagon about the DOD team in writing, including a full list of names of those on the team. He could not say whether any Obama Transition team members might visit the Pentagon today to see the new office spaces.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
MIAMI -- At this afternoon's panel about the future of the Republican Party,
Tim Pawlenty
picked up where he left off yesterday, delivering some tough medicine
for the party, calling for moderating the party's message and demeanor,
including McCain's.
"People don't want to just hear I'm against earmarks, and 'we need to
get back to things,'" Pawlenty said. That's nice, he added, but people
are want to know, 'How can I pay for college, fill up my gas tank,' he
added. "People are wondering, 'What are you going to do for me.' …
Enough's enough."
He criticized the Republican Party's perceived negativity.
"When did you see Reagan get angry," Pawlenty said, adding that the
1980s president was positive and strong. "People want to follow mostly
positive leaders; they don't want to follow cranks," he said, an
apparent reference to McCain, which was met with scattered laughs from
the crowd.
This came following Gov. Mark Sanford, who said, "There is going to be a big debate about what we're about."
There has been a focus at the conference on outreach tools and being outmanned by Obama via the Web.
"Outreach tools are important, but they're secondary to what the brand
is about," the South Carolina governor said, adding, that when John
Deere gets into trouble, it doesn't say let's build airplanes and boats.
Pawlenty seemed to swat that down, almost immediately picking up on the point.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Palin called for reaching out to the new Obama Administration, but at the same time criticized Democrats in a speech that was, at times, hotly partisan here at the Republican Governors Association conference.
In this speech, which followed her earlier press conference, she hit Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid , saying their names like they are bad words and referred to the "Democrat" (instead of "Democratic") Congress -- a time-honored Republican tweak. "Maybe they forgot why they were sent to Washington," Palin said of Democrats.
But for a speech that was supposed to be largely focused on the future of the Republican Party, Palin showed no signs early in her speech -- and for much of it -- of moving past the 2008 campaign.
Despite saying she had moved on, she delivered some of the campaign's greatest hits. She lauded Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder again. There also was talk of campaign signs and enthusiasm with crowds praise for what she called "prayer warriors" for their good wishes on the trail. But unlike Gov. Tim Pawlenty's call for a more diverse party yesterday or Bobby Jindal saying Republicans were fired with just cause, Palin didn't offer a concrete pathway or even a vision for a party searching for its soul and a way forward after its defeats last week.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann Mitch McConnell has been a longtime ally to fellow Kentuckian Mike Duncan , the RNC Chairman who reportedly hopes to continue in the post. Duncan will have to weather challenges from a possibly crowded field of would-be successors, including former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, former Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman, and South Carolina GOP head Katon Dawson. Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis announced his candidacy for the post yesterday. George Will called "Washington's most important Republican and second-most consequential elected official" in a column today, pull strings to protect Duncan's tenuous hold on the chairmanship? When a hometown paper -- the Louisville Courier-Journal -- asked the Kentucky senator's shop, a spokesman declined to offer a yes-or-no, instead issuing this Rorschach-test statement: "Senator McConnell believes that Chairman Duncan is an intelligent, experienced man and did an excellent job as RNC Chair this year. He looks forward to working closely with Mike in the months and years ahead as they both work to serve Kentucky and their Party."
McConnell himself declined an interview.
And McConnell is not the only Kentuckian not issuing a ringing formal endorsement of Inez, KY native Duncan. First District Congressman Rep. Ed Whitfield (R) told the Courier-Journal that Duncan is "a fine fellow and everything, but I think we've got to move in a new direction."
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro MIAMI --
Palin tried to tamp down speculation of a 2012 run – speculation some say she has fueled with doing several TV interviews just days after she and
McCain lost their run for the presidency.
At a press conference here during the Republican Governors Association conference, Palin instead focused on what governors could get done.
“The media wants to dissect the past” and talk about 2012,” Palin, flanked by a cadre of Republican governors, told a room with 27 television cameras and more than 150 reporters. “As far as we’re concerned the past is the past.”
Palin, introduced by Texas Gov.
Rick Perry , made brief remarks and took just four questions in what -- in total -- wasn’t much more than 10 minutes. Organizers had said there would be 20 minutes of questions.
Palin said her being here is not about the next presidential race, but about governance and providing “good service” to the people they are serving “in our states.” As part of a panel this morning, though, Palin will engage in a bit of the dissection she accuses the media of wanting to engage in as she makes remarks on the future of the Republican Party.
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann MIAMI -- "Fear and self-loathing in Miami” might as well be the name of the Republican Governors Association meeting, which begins a second day here. Yesterday, we witnessed the kind of self-analysis and second-guessing only heard on New York sports talk radio -- or at Democratic events. These are Republicans, after all; it's not supposed to be this way. From Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's morning warning to an afternoon vent session, Republicans were at the same time assured of what to do and searching for answers. Everyone agrees things have to change and that they need to recapture significant and lost parts of the electorate. They were unanimous in their confounded praise of Obama's ground game and his ability to reach 10 million faithful at the click of a mouse.
*** Blame and silence : There was finger pointing, too -- at John McCain, who heads to Georgia today to campaign for Sen. Saxby Chambliss -- for not being able to use a BlackBerry or a TelePrompter; for not running a great campaign; for having his bouts with the party and not stirring the activist base. There were also his defenders, like Meg Whitman and Rob Portman, who insisted he was the best there was and was facing an incredible headwind. But when the conversation turned to Sarah Palin -- who holds a press conference here today and then gives remarks on the future of the party -- there was almost dead silence. No one seemed to quite have an opinion of the woman who, as some polls showed, was the second biggest drag on the McCain ticket after Bush. For all the talk of bluntness and honesty yesterday, no one was willing to necessarily throw her under the proverbial bus. "Would any of you been comfortable with her as president?" one reporter asked Rob Portman, Meg Whitman, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, and Pawlenty. Then came an awkward pause before Portman and Whitman defended her. "Whatever you say is going to be the headline," a wryly-smiling Huntsman warned. The press corps laughed. It broke the ice. It appears the Republican governors are practicing a form of the golden rule: Do unto your other Republican governors who end up on national tickets how you want to be done unto if you get picked.
*** Today’s RGA agenda: Palin holds her press conference at 9:40 am ET and then delivers her speech immediately afterward. Other morning speakers -- at a forum entitled “Looking Toward the Future” -- include retired Gen. Tommy Franks, Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol, Pawlenty, and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. At 12:30 pm, Govs. Charlie Crist, Rick Perry, Haley Barbour, and Sanford attend a roundtable with the press. And at dinner beginning at 7:00 pm, Perry and Crist deliver another round of speeches.
*** The same old vs. change : Reuters has a provocative analysis piece wondering how Obama can bring change to Washington when he’s tapping Clinton Administration veterans to help with the transition and the new Administration. Obama, “who swept the presidential election on a mantra of change, apparently believes it is Washington old-timers who are best equipped to steer the country in a promised new direction. Obama, drawing up lists of possible appointments for his administration, has come up with a host of familiar faces reaching back to former President Bill Clinton's team and beyond.” (In fact, this exact question came up at last December’s Des Moines Register debate, where Hillary Clinton said she wanted to hear the answer to that question and Obama replied, “Well, Hillary, I'm looking forward to you advising me, as well.”) There are a couple of points worth making here. One, because Obama will be the first black president, he’s never going to seem like your typical president; so no matter how familiar Obama's advisers are, he'll never seem typical. (Remember when Clinton tried to hit Obama for being just another politician. It never stuck because, simply, Obama never looked the part of "just another politician.") Two, just imagine the difficulty McCain would have picking Republicans who weren’t veterans of the Bush Administration if he had won…
*** Retiring the debt : Yesterday, the Obama campaign -- under David Plouffe’s name -- released a note to their email list asking donors to help purchase “Victory” T-Shirts to help retire the DNC’s debt. “We've been reviewing the books, and the DNC went into considerable debt to secure victory for Barack and Joe,” Plouffe said. “So before we do anything else, we need to help pay for this winning strategy.” Just sayin’, but note how they’ve sent out an email to help retire the DNC’s debt, but not Hillary’s. Hmmmm. Then again, Hillary’s decision to rack up debt was her own, especially after she continued to campaign beyond the decisive Indiana and North Carolina contests. And the party’s future doesn't rest on Hillary's finances; it does on the DNC’s. Still, there had been hints during the summer from some Obama folks that they'd be a more effective surrogate fundraiser for Clinton's debt retirement post-election if Obama won. Well?
*** Is everything redder in Texas? Just a week after the election, there’s already speculation about which other red states Democrats might be able to turn blue in future presidential races. And Texas -- which McCain won by 12 percentage points, down from Bush’s 23-point win in 2004 -- is at the top of that list. A growing number of Hispanic voters, check. A sizable African-American population, check. A relatively young state, check. Sounds a lot like North Carolina or Virginia, right? Well, not so fast. Ideologically, Texas remains a very conservative state. Nationally, according to the exit polls, 34% identified themselves as conservatives, but that number jumped to 46% in the Lone Star State (it was 33% in VA and 37% in NC). In addition, Bush’s job approval was 41% in Texas, compared with 27% nationally. (As we wrote yesterday, with the exception of Missouri, Obama won every state where Bush’s approval rating was below 35%, and he lost every state where Bush’s approval was above 35%.) Besides the Texan Bush, check out these numbers: While Obama almost tied McCain among white college grads nationally, McCain destroyed him in Texas among this subgroup, 74%-25%. And while Obama won the suburbs, the Texas ‘burbs broke for McCain, 61%-37%. So what does this all mean? Don’t bet the ranch that Democrats will win Texas in 2012 or 2016. Still, it will be interesting to see what happens to the Texas Republican brand now that a Bush isn't around to prop it up.
*** Raising Arizona: By comparison, Arizona -- McCain’s home state, which he won by nine points -- looks like a much better opportunity for Democrats, according to the exits. In that state, 36% identified themselves as conservatives (versus 34% nationally), and 37% approved of Bush’s job performance (just slightly above that 35% mark). Also, Obama fared much better among college-educated whites in Arizona than he did in Texas, with McCain winning them, 58%-41% (versus the 74%-25% split in the Lone Star State). As we said before, had McCain not been on the ballot this year, Arizona would have been a real target for the Obama campaign. And it probably WILL be in 2012 without (most likely) another Arizonan on the ticket.
*** The remaining Senate races: In Alaska, after tallying about 60,000 early and absentee ballots yesterday, Mark Begich (D) now leads incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens (R) by 814 votes. There are still about 40,000 votes that will be counted next week… In the Senate run-off in Georgia, McCain today stumps for Saxby Chambliss (R) as the National Republican Senatorial Committee has a new TV ad whacking Democrat Jim Martin. (Just askin', but will we see Obama in Georgia at all before the runoff?) … And regarding the Coleman-Franken recount in Minnesota, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman Chuck Schumer holds a press conference in DC at 1:00 pm ET to discuss the recount in Minnesota as the Republicans continue with their effort to call into question the entire re-canvass (and therefore the recount?) process.
Countdown to Georgia Senate run-off: 19 days
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The
New York Times , covering the first day of the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami, writes: “As the Republican Party prepares to enter the political wilderness after its losses this month, the group that many consider its future — the Republican governors — met here on Wednesday to talk about what went wrong, and what to do next. Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, who was very nearly Senator John McCain’s running mate this year, told the decidedly subdued, postelection conference of the Republican Governors Association about a revelation he had recently while looking into the bathroom mirror at his home in Minnesota.”
“Mr. Pawlenty said that after wearily returning from the campaign trail, he looked at himself in the mirror and complained about what he saw to his wife, Mary. ‘I said, “Mary, look at me,”’ he said. “I mean, my hairline’s receding, these crow’s feet and wrinkles are multiplying on my face by the day, I’ve been on the road eating junk food, I’m getting flabby, these love handles are flopping over the side of my belt.”’ ‘I said, “Is there anything you can tell me that would give me some hope, some optimism, some encouragement?”’ he said. ‘And she looked at me and she said, “Well, there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight.”’”
Also reporting from Miami, the Wall Street Journal notes the two lines of thinking espoused by Republicans seeking to rebuild their brand: expand the base, or get back to basics? CONTINUED >>
Obama holds private meetings today in Chicago, while Joe and Jill Biden
meet with the Cheneys in DC at the vice presidential residence in DC.
“President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday named two former Clinton White House officials, Joshua Gotbaum and Michael J. Warren, to oversee the new administration’s takeover of the Treasury Department as it manages the still-evolving $700 billion financial rescue plan,” the
New York Times writes. More: “The Obama transition team named two more former Clinton administration officials, Thomas E. Donilon and Wendy R. Sherman, to head the transition for the State Department.”
The Wall Street Journal : "The group is filled with second-tier veterans of the Clinton administration and workers in the technology and financial sectors. It includes four former lobbyists, three top campaign fund-raisers and two former employees of troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae, with some overlap among them. Four people in the group have ties to the consultant McKinsey & Co. and two have experience leading high-tech start-ups." CONTINUED >>
"Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson yesterday
backed away from the original strategy behind the $700 billion US plan for propping up the limping economy, opening the door to pump government cash into credit card companies, auto financing firms, and other consumer lenders in addition to banks."
Does anyone else get the funny feeling that we're going to discover very soon that the $700 billion has been spent and no one is quite sure what it got spent on? So far, the Bush Administration has committed nearly $300 billion of the $700 billion. And the
Washington Post notes there's no oversight. "Yet for all this activity, no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed. ‘It's a mess,’ said Eric M. Thorson, the Treasury Department's inspector general, who has been working to oversee the bailout program until the newly created position of special inspector general is filled. ‘I don't think anyone understands right now how we're going to do proper oversight of this thing.’”
As for the auto industry bailout, "The White House and Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. made clear that while they are open to helping the auto industry, they are strongly opposed to Democrats' plans to carve cash out of the government's $700 billion financial rescue program. Despite those warnings, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said he would move ahead and draft legislation, setting up a final showdown with the Bush administration." CONTINUED >>
LATE BLOOMERS : Remember how some kept repeating the mantra that undecideds would break 70-30 for McCain? Among those who decided in the two weeks leading up to the election, they broke right down the middle, 48% for Obama, 48% for McCain.
FIRST-TIMERS: The ratio of first-time voters to repeats was actually identical to the 2004 split. Eleven percent of the electorate voted for the first time in both the ‘04 and ‘08 contests. Here's the jaw-dropper, though: First-time voters went almost 70%-30% for Obama in this election, compared with a 53%-46% split for Kerry.
The AP looks at how early voting and same-day registration tipped the balance for Obama in North Carolina.
GEORGIA ON THEIR MINDS : Thirteen percent of Jim Martin's voters were first-time voters (versus 6% for Chambliss). Another weird quirk of the race: Democrat Martin actually LOST among voters who are worried about the economy, but won among those who aren't worried about it. Nationally, that trend was reversed for Obama.
VETERANS DAY : John Kerry, a Vietnam vet who became an outspoken critic of the war, lost the veterans vote by a margin of 57%-41%. Obama, who never served, closed that margin against former POW John McCain, only losing by 10 points among vets.
ABOUT YOUR BERETTA: Barack Obama made gains over John Kerry among many target groups: Jewish voters, born-again Christians, veterans, and working women. One place where the red and blue margins were static: gun owners. The same percentage of gun owners supported Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008.
ALASKA: “Mark Begich made a dramatic comeback Wednesday to overtake 40-year incumbent Ted Stevens for the lead in Alaska's U.S. Senate race,” the
Anchorage Daily News writes. “Begich, who was losing after election night, now leads Stevens by 814 votes -- 132,196 to 131,382 -- with the state still to count roughly 40,000 more ballots over the next week. The state Division of Elections tallied about 60,000 absentee, early and questioned ballots from around the state on Wednesday. The ballots broke heavily in the Democrat's favor, erasing the 3,000-vote lead the Republican Stevens held after election night Nov. 4.”
Also: “While Stevens' era in the Senate is in danger of ending, another longtime Alaska Republican is returning to Washington, D.C. Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young maintained his solid lead over Democratic challenger Ethan Berkowitz after Wednesday's count. Berkowitz made some headway but Young still led by more than 15,000 votes.” CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
While Republican governors are introspectively and seriously examining what went wrong and how they can move forward , the woman who many think is the future of the party was spotted -- outside the room.
There was a noise and a usual media scrum of cameras and shouted questions.
What was all the commotion? It was Sarah Palin , of course. The scrum moved through the second floor after Palin got off an elevator. She answered a couple of questions as she walked, exited through the door and was gone.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Tim Pawlenty (R) laid out his vision for the Republican Party and how it can move forward. It needs to get younger, more diverse and build a broader coalition, he said here at the Republican Governors Association conference a little more than a week after Republicans lost the presidency and suffered big losses in both the US House and Senate.
"If we're going to successfully travel the road, as a Republican, we need to see clearly, and be honest about where we've been and where we're headed," he said.
Pawlenty implored the room of Republicans not to give in to the emerging reform-versus-traditional arguments as to what's wrong with the party.
"If we're going to be the majority," he said, "we're going to have to see we need to grow the party. We cannot compete in the Northeast, the West; we're losing seats in the Great Lakes region. We have a large deficit with women, Hispanics, African Americans -- people with modest financial circumstances. That is not a formula for a majority."
Pawlenty stressed that the Party both needs to modernize and be true to its values. "Both are true, and both can be harmonized."
How?
Pawlenty said the party's values and principles are "time tested." "We can build on them. We can be both conservative and modern at the same time."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck Todd, Carrie Dann, and Abby Livingston Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzis watched his state slip from a tossup to a 16-point slam-dunk for
Barack Obama , after the
McCain campaign dropped its ads there. Some would call him an endangered species -- a Republican in a heavy manufacturing state north of the Mason-Dixon line. He recently predicted in a blog post that "when our party once again adheres to our core values and beliefs, and can again demonstrate to America that we can be trusted on those issues, we will make a comeback – stronger than ever."
And today, he's announcing his intention to try to lead that comeback, becoming the first official candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.
In a party relegated to the South and patches of the Western Plains on November 4th, Anuzis may end up being the only candidate for the post who hails from a northern blue state.
A former tech wizard who Twitters, Facebooks, and blogs on his website "That's Saul, Folks!" the Michigan Republican hopes to run as an ideological and tactical innovator who can bring the Republican Party into the 21st century. He announced his intention to run this afternoon via Twitter, Youtube, and emails to the RNC -- all before a formal release to mainstream media sources.
"The country asked for change," he told First Read this morning before formally announcing his bid as RNC leader, "And that was not just Democrats."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Jim Martin (D).
The ad's kicker tries to advance the argument that a Democratic victory in the December 2 run-off could give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. "With unchecked power hanging in the balance, Georgia can't afford another liberal like Jim Martin in Washington." (Politico's Ben Smith also smartly points out that the ad doesn't mention Obama at all.)
Meanwhile, in advance of McCain stumping tomorrow for incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R), Democrats have unveiled a new Web video noting that McCain denounced the controversial TV ad that Chambliss aired back in 2002 to help topple Democrat Max Cleland .
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann *** The Bush factor: Many have attributed Obama’s win to his organization, his performance among minorities and young voters, his nearly unlimited campaign cash, and his response to the economic meltdown -- and all deservedly so. But don’t forget how big of a role Bush’s unpopularity played in this election. With the single exception of Missouri (which barely went for McCain after a delayed call from NBC News), Obama won every state where Bush’s approval rating was below 35% in the exit polls, and he lost every state where Bush’s approval rating was over 35%. The state with the highest Bush rating? Utah, at 47%, which supported McCain by a 29-point margin. The place with the lowest? Washington DC, at 8%, where McCain got just 7% of the vote. Nationally, according to the exits, Bush's approval rating stood at a stunning 27%, mirroring the all-time low hit in the late October NBC/WSJ poll. Of those nationwide who approved of Bush's handling of his job at the White House, 89% voted for McCain, while those who disapproved broke for Obama by a margin of more than 2-1. The state that mirrored the exit poll data on the approval vs. victory margin split? Virginia, where Bush's approval rating stood at 27% and where Obama won by a seven-point margin.
Video: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray offers his first read on the significance of Sarah Palin and the GOP governors meeting in Miami and John McCain's role now. *** A new hope : The Republican Governors Association meeting kicks off today in Miami, where there will be plenty of opportunities to read the tea leaves for 2012. There's no doubt that most of the hope for the future of the GOP rests on the shoulders of many of these RGA members. On the agenda today: a luncheon at 1:15 pm ET featuring Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty; a 2:00 pm roundtable discussing the 2008 election (which includes Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour); a 4:10 pm press roundtable (with Pawlenty, former Congressman and Bush Administration official Rob Portman, and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who hopes to join the RGA as California governor in 2011); and a 7:30 pm reception featuring Barbour. Thursday is Palin Day at the meeting, where the Alaska governor will hold a press conference with reporters at 9:40 am and then deliver a speech afterwards. Also speaking tomorrow at a “Looking Toward the Future” panel: Pawlenty, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, Tommy Franks, and Bill Kristol. And Thursday wraps up with a press roundtable (which includes Barbour, Sanford, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry) and a state dinner (featuring remarks from Crist and Perry). There will be a lot of little sidebar stories to cover, including the budding RNC chair race as potential candidates are all making their way down to Miami this week as well.
*** Backtracking on lobbyists? Yesterday, the Obama team announced new restrictions on lobbyists for serving in the transition. Among the rules: Federal lobbyists can’t contribute money to the transition; if they’ve lobbied in the past year, they’re prohibited from working in the fields of policy where they have lobbied; and they’re prohibited from lobbying the Administration for 12 months on matters on which they have worked. Yet it seems that these rules have opened up Obama to potential criticism that he’s backtracked on an earlier promise he made during the campaign. Lobbyists, Obama once said, “will not work in my White House,” although he later revised that line to say that they will not “run my White House.” Are these new rules as strong as his language early in the campaign? No. Are these the strongest lobbyist rules for a White House transition that we've seen? Yes. But all this reflects Obama’s struggle with keeping his campaign promises while facing the reality that so many people he may want to appoint might be people who have previously lobbied.
*** The Mormon church’s power? The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder notes that the Mormon Church “has earned some serious cred in social conservative circles” after its work in helping to pass California’s gay-marriage ban. Just askin’, but does this have repercussions for Romney in 2012? Here’s the official word from the church in an article a spokesman references: "Mormon church members undertook a perhaps unprecedented mobilization, contributing an estimated 40 percent of the individual donations made to the Yes on 8's $30 million-plus campaign. Yet the Salt Lake City church, which did not contribute to the campaign, sees its involvement in politics as unusual. ‘I don't think there's any sense in the church that this coalition has more life beyond this one issue,’ said Mike Otterson, a church spokesman. ‘We haven't created a permanent alliance of churches here. What we did here was we came together to protect traditional marriage.’” Whether intentional or not, the potential help for Romney is this: to convince evangelicals that a Mormon in the White House wouldn't somehow undermine their own religion and their own values.
*** Si, se puede: During the sunset of Hillary Clinton's primary run, her supporters warned that Obama's failure to win Latino voters in the primaries spelled potential disaster for the general election. Those prognostications turned out to be overblown as Obama won 67% of the Hispanic vote, up from Kerry’s 53% in 2004. Latino voters carved out a bigger piece of the electorate than in past years in every battleground state other than Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey. That includes jumps in relatively non-diverse states like Iowa (+2% from 2004), Montana (+3), and New Hampshire (+1). In the key Western states of Nevada and Colorado, Hispanics accounted for a 5% larger slice of the electorate than they did in 2004. In New Mexico, that number was a whopping 9%. And what about in those new swing regions where Obama mobilized coalitions of young and minority voters to flip red states into blue ones? In Virginia, Latino voters broke 2-1 for Obama and made up 5% of the electorate; in Indiana, they went 3-1 for the Democrat. In fact, this should be the single most worrisome trend for the GOP -- the spike in Latino turnout was across the country, not just in states that were already known to have large Latino populations.
*** The remaining races : Today, we might have a better sense of the outcome in the Alaska Senate race, when the state’s Elections division expects to count most of the outstanding 90,000 early, absentee ballots or questioned ballots. Ted Stevens (R) currently holds a 3,257-vote lead over Mark Begich (D)… In Georgia, it’s being reported that McCain will stump for Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) on Thursday… And in Minnesota today, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie holds a press conference to provide additional details of the recount in the unresolved Coleman-Franken Senate race.
*** More on Minnesota : The Republicans may be struggling how to deal with rebuilding their brand, settling the Georgia Senate run-off, or dealing with the Ted Stevens situation. But the party -- both in Minnesota and nationally -- seems to have quickly settled on a strategy to deal with the Minnesota recount. The party apparatus seems to be in sync in labeling the recount and the recanvass as somehow a questionable process. Using the fact that Franken picked up so many votes during the recanvass, the GOP talking point appears to be to question the recanvass and use that to issue a cloud over the recount process. Bottom line: It appears we're quickly heading to a situation where neither side is going to believe the final result of the recount.
Countdown to Georgia Senate run-off: 20 days
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Per the Obama team, the president-elect and vice president-elect are in Chicago today, where they will hold private meetings. There are no public events scheduled.
The Boston Globe's front-page headline: "Obama softens ban on hiring lobbyists." "President-elect Barack Obama, who vowed during his campaign that lobbyists 'won't find a job in my White House,' said through a spokesman yesterday that he would allow lobbyists on his transition team as long as they work on issues unrelated to their earlier jobs. … [I]ndependent analysts said yesterday that the move is less than the wholesale removal of lobbyists that he suggested during the campaign -- and shows how difficult it will be to lessen the pervasive influence of more than 40,000 registered lobbyists. 'That is a step back and there is no other way of seeing it,' said Craig Holman, who lobbies on governmental affairs for the watchdog group Public Citizen. Nonetheless, he said, Obama is still making 'a very concrete effort to avoid what I consider a potentially corrupting situation.'"
The New York Times adds that “the new rules do seem to leave some wiggle room. Aides to Mr. Obama, who declared during the campaign that lobbyists would not ‘find a job in my White House,’ said the guidelines allowed for lobbyists to work on the transition in areas where they have not done any lobbying. Further, the rules apply to lobbyists who must register with the federal government; many people who work for lobbying firms or in other areas of the influence business in Washington do not have to register, because they do not personally lobby federal officials on specific issues.” CONTINUED >>
Chief of staff: Emanuel
NAMED / Deputy: Pete Rouse
Press Secretary: Gibbs
Biden chief of staff: Ron Klain
POTENTIAL CABINET MEMBERS. Agriculture: Tom Vilsack, Tom Buis (Natl Farmers Union), Charlie Stenholm, Jim Leach
Commerce: Penny Pritzker, Kathleen Sebelius, Jason Furman, John Thompson (Symantec)
Defense: Robert Gates, Richard Danzig, Chuck Hagel, Sam Nunn, Jack Reed, Colin Powell, John Hamre
Education: Joel Klein (NYC), Linda Darling-Hammond, Kathleen Sebelius, Colin Powell, Jim Hunt, Arne Duncan, Inez Tenenbaum.
Energy: Kathleen Sebelius, Philip Sharp, Ed Rendell, Arnold Schwarzenegger (has said no), Al Gore, Jeff Bingaman, Jennifer Granholm
HHS: Tom Daschle, Howard Dean, Eric Whitaker
Homeland Security (priority): Tim Roemer, Ray Kelly, James Lee Witt, Tom Kean Sr, Jane Harman, Janet Napolitano
HUD: Jim Clyburn, Valerie Jarrett, Shirley Franklin (Atlanta mayor)
Interior: Bill Richardson, Inslee, Kitzhaber, Tony Knowles, Ken Salazar
Justice (AG): Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, Charles Ogletree, Deval Patrick, James Comey, Patrick Fitzgerald, Artur Davis, Tim Kaine, Jamie Gorelick (but was vice chair of Fannie), Ken Feinberg
Labor: Andy Stern (SEIU), Richard Gephardt, George Miller, David Bonior
State: John Kerry, Bill Richardson, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, Richard Holbrooke, Chris Dodd, Hillary Clinton
Transportation: Ed Rendell, Jane Garvey, Mortimer Downey, Earl Blumenauer, Steve Heminger, James Oberstar
Treasury (priority): Larry Summers, Tim Geithner, Paul Volcker, Robert Rubin, Jon Corzine, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, Laura Tyson, Jamie Dimon, Jacob "Jack" Lew, Sheila Bair
Veterans Affairs: Max Cleland, Tammy Duckworth
CONTINUED >>
The
Los Angeles Times tackles the issue of Obama managing the high expectations for him. "The high visibility of old hands and familiar faces underscores a tension that is already running through Team Obama: The president-elect has promised to overthrow Washington's habits of partisanship and cronyism. But it's tempting to turn to seasoned veterans to help him avoid the kinds of rookie mistakes that hobbled Clinton and President Carter. Both learned the hard way that a Congress controlled by the president's party does not guarantee smooth sailing."
"President-elect Barack Obama will not meet any foreign leaders attending the global financial summit in Washington, but Obama aides would likely be tapped for meetings, a top Obama adviser said on Tuesday," Reuters reports.New York Times : “Coming so soon after last week’s election, the summit meeting has proved an uncomfortable moment for the president-elect and an early test of his handling of international diplomacy. Even as aides are still closing his campaign headquarters and just beginning to assemble a governing team, they are fending off interest from foreign governments eager to take the measure of the next president and trying to avoid tying him to the departing administration. Several Obama advisers, in separate interviews, all used the word ‘awkward’ to describe the situation. But Robert Gibbs, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama, said: ‘While some may say it’s awkward that he’s not there, it would be far more problematic to be there. We firmly believe there is only one president at a time.’” CONTINUED >>
Between 2004 and 2008, Hispanic voters INCREASED as a percentage of the electorate in the following battlegrounds: AZ (+4), CO (+5), IA (+2), IN (+2), MI (+1), MN (+2), MO (+1), MT (+3), NV (+5), NH (+1), NM (+9), NC (+2), ND (+2), OH (+1), PA (+1), SD (+3), VA (+2), WV (+3), and WI (+1).
