December 2008 - Posts
From NBC's Mike Viqueira Burris /Blago Senate affair is going to get sorted out, but one factor may be the signature -- or lack thereof -- of the Illinois secretary of state certifying the appointment.
While reports maintain that the signature may not be required under the rules and regulations of Illinois, the U.S. Senate rules do appear to require such a mark. So if the secretary of state follows through on his threat and refuses to sign and certify the appointment, this rule may come into play. the name of the governor and the secretary of state signing and countersigning the same , and the State from which such Senator is elected or appointed.
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From NBC's Libby Leist Top U.N. aid officials briefed reporters at United Nations headquarters in New York this afternoon about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
John Holmes, U.N. Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that no fuel supplies have entered Gaza in the past few days and that the main Gaza power plant was shut down yesterday.
Holmes said the United Nations has been asking Israelis to allow fuel supplies to resume. Israelis argue that there are security threats around the pipeline crossing that prevent them from allowing supplies into Gaza.
Pressing for the Israelis to allow fuel in tomorrow, Holmes noted that a power plant on the Egyptian side will not provide sufficient power for the population of Gaza. CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Patrick Fitzgerald has asked for an extension to indict Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich , AP reports.
The extension would give Fitzgerald another 90 days, and would take this into April.
That can't be helpful for Senate leadership looking to block Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat. It would have been a lot easier to say this was the appointment made by a governor under "indictment" rather than a "cloud of suspicion."
From Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie Obamas will be staying at the Hay-Adams in Washington, D.C., until they can move into the Blair House on Jan. 15th.
The New York Times reported this morning "...Obama and his family will move to Washington this weekend in time for his daughters to start school... ."
From NBC's Carrie Dann AP reports that Democrat Al Franken is starting the last day of 2008 with a 49-vote lead over Norm Coleman . That's revised from a 50-vote lead yesterday, after the Secretary of State's office updated its numbers last night.
But the tussle between Coleman and Franken attorneys over rejected absentee ballots is set to continue into the New Year. The two camps are locking horns over the size of the pile of improperly cast-aside ballots to be counted, with the Coleman team hoping to add over 600 more to about 1,350 currently designated by county officials. ** UPDATE ** we wrote Monday , the Coleman campaign has given the green light to about 750 of the 1,350 rejected absentee ballots designated by county officials as improperly discarded. The remainder of those 1350, they say, should be up for additional review before being counted. The Coleman team also argues that the additional 650 that they hope to add to the consideration pile would ensure county by county "uniformity" among all ballots formerly rejected.
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Domenico Montanaro Obama 's picks for Health and Human Services, Labor and Education have been scheduled and will take place over the next two weeks.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee (HELP Committee), chaired by Ted Kennedy , has slated the following:
-- Thursday, Jan. 8, 10 a.m. ET: Health and Human Services-designate Tom Daschle Hilda L. Solis Arne Duncan
Eric Holder 's hearing for attorney general is scheduled for Jan. 15th.
On NBC Nightly News,
Roland Burris defended his selection by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich to succeed President-elect Obama.
"I don't see this appointment as radioactive," Burris said.
Watch the full interview here. Moments earlier, MSNBC's 1600 got the first interview with Burris since being announced as Blagojevich's replacement.
Watch that wide-ranging interview here.
From NBC’s Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro Roland Burris , it's about buying time.
Should Burris decide to fight the U.S. Senate's decision not to seat him, it will go through the court system, just like what happened in the 1960s to Adam Clayton Powell . It took more than two years from when Powell was excluded from the House to when the Supreme Court eventually decided on his case.
Well, even if the Burris court case takes, say, three months to make its way to the Supreme Court, the landscape in Illinois will have changed dramatically. Blagojevich could be an officially indicted governor; he could also be impeached and then tossed out of office. The pressure on Burris to at least let the new governor make the appointment could become great.
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From NBC’s Cherelle Kantey, Ashley Codianni and Domenico Montanaro Barack Obama ’s former U.S. Senate seat, embroiled Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced his pick for the vacant Illinois U.S. Senate seat.
“The people of Illinois are entitled to have two United States senators represent them in Washington, D.C,” Blagojevich said, Unfettered by the cloud of controversy surrounding his ongoing investigation. “As governor, I am required to make this appointment. If I don't make appointment, then people of Illinois will be deprived of their appropriate voice and vote in the U.S. Senate.”
Confident in his selection, he appointed the relatively obscure former Illinois attorney general and comptroller Roland Burris to the seat. Burris, who ran against Blagojevich in 2002 for governor, dismissed any inquiry about current allegations against his appointee.
“This is an appointment done by the governor of the state. And based on that, I have no relationship with that situation,” said Burris, who also lost runs for governor in 1994 and 1998 as well as losing a mayoral bid in 1995. All were primary losses. “I'm accepting an appointment by the governor to go to the United States Senate. That's it.”
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Jesse White 's refusal to sign off on embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich 's pick to fill President-elect Obama 's Senate seat holds little more than "moral" weight.
"We've been doing a little research on this, and its a little nebulus," White's Press Secretary David Druker told First Read. "We do think the governor can still bring it to the U.S. Senate" without White's signature.
He added, "I guess you could say it was a moral stand."
Druker said White is friendly with Roland Burris and likes him personally, but he disagreed with Burris' assertion on MSNBC's 1600 that White would change his mind.
"I don't think that's a good bet," Druker said, adding that the Secretary of State's office "felt particularly supported" when Obama put out a statement in which he largely backed Senate Democrats' stance against seating Burris.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro President-elect Obama praised Blagojevich-appointee Roland Burris, but backed Senate Democrats' statements "that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat."Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat," Obama said in a statement. "I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it. I believe the best resolution would be for the Governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Carol Moseley Braun demurred when asked by First Read for her take on the situation surrounding her former Senate seat, including today's press conference.
"I haven't done politics since I came back from New Zealand," said Braun, adding that she isn't even following what's happening with the seat. "I don't even go there. I call myself a recovering politician. And political questions mess with my recovery."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Jesse White put out a statement saying that although he has "respect for former Attorney General Roland Burris " he "cannot co-sign a document that certifies any appointment by Rod Blagojevich for the vacant" U.S. Senate seat previously held by President-elect Obama.
"As I have previously stated publicly, I cannot co-sign a document that certifies any appointment by Rod Blagojevich for the vacant United States Senate seat from Illinois," the statement reads. "Although I have respect for former Attorney General Roland Burris, because of the current cloud of controversy surrounding the Governor, I cannot accept the document."
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn mentioned that White had pledged not to sign off, but it is unclear, what actual power that holds, as state law is clear:
10 ILCS 5/25-8) (from Ch. 46, par. 25-8)
From NBC’s Andrea Mitchell Barack Obama , the 11th U.S. president to face the Castro regime, will change the stormy relationship with Havana.
On Jan. 1, 1959, revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro overthrew the U.S.-backed government of President Fulgencio Batista.
Within years, President John F. Kennedy imposed the economic embargo that has been the framework for the U.S. relationship with Cuba ever since.
Continue reading for more.
From NBC's Carrie Dann Senate Democratic Leadership just issued this statement saying that Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris "will ultimately not stand." In the sternly-worded response to the governor's surprise move today, Majority Leader Harry Reid et al. write that Burris -- regardless of his own record -- would be "plagued by questions of impropriety."
"Under these circumstances," the statement continues, "anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus."
Here's the full statement:
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From NBC's Savannah Guthrie, Marcie Rickun and Carrie Dann Roland Burris ran against Rod Blagojevich for governor in 2002, the former state attorney general had the support of none other than current President-elect Barack Obama .
The Washington Post, Dec. 12, 2008: "Obama and Blagojevich rarely interacted until Blagojevich ran for governor. Obama told his friends in Springfield that he was unimpressed by Blagojevich's resume, and he tried to lobby his friend Durbin to enter the race before deciding to support Roland Burris in the Democratic primary.
" 'When Blagojevich beat me, I told Barack to get on board with him,' Burris said. 'It was kind of like swallowing his pride a little bit, because he didn't really see that they had anything in common.'"
Obama also attended when Burris announced his candidacy for governor in 2001.
The Chicago Tribune, Sept. 24, 2001: "Burris finished a strong second in the four-way gubernatorial primary in 1998, and his base of support among African-Americans may be even more significant in a race likely to feature half-dozen candidates. Later in the day, Burris announced his candidacy on the porch of his South Side Chicago home, where about 250 supporters crowded underneath tents in his yard under a gray sky and steady rain.
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From NBC's Pete Williams strongly suggested that they might refuse to seat anyone appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill the Obama vacancy.
But can the Senate do that? There's reason to think not, and here's why.
In January 1967, Adam Clayton Powell of New York was re-elected by the Harlem district he represented since 1942, despite allegations that he had misused official travel funds and made improper payments to his wife. The House, invoking a provision of the Constitution that says, "Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members," decided that Powell was unqualified and refused to seat him, declaring the seat vacant.
So, he sued.
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Chuck Todd Rod Blagojevich is expected to name former state Attorney General Roland Burris to replace President-elect Obama in the U.S. Senate, the Chicago Tribune and others have reported.
The announcement is expected to come at a 3 p.m. ET Blagojevich news conference.
A Democratic Senate source tells NBC News that Burris will not be acceptable and to expect a joint leadership statement shortly.
Though Democrats have warned that a Blagojevich appointment would be tainted, Sen. Dick Durbin 's press secretary Joe Shoemaker made it clear that the letter signed by the senators about potentially not seating a Blagojevich appointment, would look into options about not seating a Blagojevich appointment -- not that they would definitely not seat that person. That person would be under a cloud -- even if Mother Teresa were appointed, he said, but doesn't mean they won't seat someone.
*** UPDATE ***
"Blagojevich Democrat Roland Burris is emblematic of the old-school, pay-to-play culture that has plagued Illinois for generations and this appointment is another embarrassment for the people of Illinois. Once again, Blagojevich Democrats have failed the people of Illinois by refusing to strip Rod Blagojevich of his senate appointment power and blocking a vote of the people."
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro, Abby Livingston and Carrie Dann In the Minnesota Senate recount, which has now gone on 17 days longer than the 2000 recount, Democrat Al Franken ’s unofficial lead has expanded over Republican incumbent Norm Coleman from 46 to 50 votes today “when the state Canvassing Board finished allocating thousands of ballots that had been held up due to candidate challenges,” AP writes.
*** UPDATE ***
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From NBC’s Abby Livingston Coleman camp is now asking for a review of an additional 654 absentee ballots they think have been wrongfully rejected. This number is separate from the 1,346 ballots local officials previously determined as wrongfully rejected.
Of those 1,346, the Coleman camp believes that just 750 were wrongfully rejected, including some Franken ballots.
The Coleman campaign is also holding out hope for their duplicate ballot-counting complaint. Tony Trimble, a Coleman attorney, predicted that if such an examination were to take place Coleman would lose only 10 to 12 votes, while Franken would lose 110 to 120 votes, and in effect, the unofficial lead, which the Franken camp claims is 46 votes.
After the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the Coleman campaign held a contentious meeting with the Franken campaign this morning, the Coleman camp put reporters on notice on an afternoon conference call.
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From NBC’s Pete Williams Be in line by 9 a.m., but don't bring your umbrella, even if it's raining.
That's the advice from the congressional committee responsible for the formal portion of the Jan. 20th inauguration.
The swearing-in program will begin at 11:30 a.m., so that the oath of office can be administered to Barack Obama at noon, as the Constitution requires.
Security checkpoints for ticketed guests open at 8 a.m., and the committee recommends that ticket holders arrive no later than 9 a.m. to get through screening.
The committee, calmly understating the problem, says, "Getting to the swearing-in ceremonies that morning will be very difficult because of the large crowds. In addition to the 240,000 ticketed guests, a million or more people are expected to view the inauguration from the National Mall, along with hundreds of thousands of others who plan on watching the Inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue."
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From NBC’s Pete Williams Rod Blagojevich and a lobbyist.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald , responding to a request from the Illinois legislative committee considering impeachment, wants a judge to rule on whether handing over redacted tapes would be proper.
Fitzgerald says the Justice Department takes no position on whether Blagojevich should be impeached. But, he says, the request from the legislature requires a court to rule on whether the committee is qualified under federal court rules to receive redacted versions of the tapes.
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Carrie Dann Obama 's incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel , will officially resign his congressional seat on Friday.
He alerted constituents in Illinois' fifth congressional district in Chicago by automated message and wrote a letter to embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich . (The full text of both after the jump.)
For a resigned Senate seat, like Obama's, in Illinois, the governor would appoint a successor. That is not the case for a congressional seat. For a U.S. House seat, there would be a special election. The governor would, however, be responsible for setting a date for that special election within five days of when the representative steps down.
It certainly complicates matters with Blagojevich the subject of state legislative and federal investigations over the governor allegedly trying to sell Obama's Senate seat.
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Carrie Dann
Democratic challenger Al Franken 's campaign wants to count 1,346 rejected ballots, but incumbent Republican Norm Coleman ’s campaign wants to count just 136 of them.
Counties and the campaigns must and agree on the number of what they believe are the mistakenly rejected absentee ballots, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled last week. The Coleman campaign had tried to prevent the ballots from being counted at all.
The agreed upon number of ballot have to be sent to the secretary of state’s office by Jan. 2nd, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune , and the secretary of state’s office then has until Jan. 4th to count them and send them to the state Canvassing Board to be included in the vote total.
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Caroline Kennedy did interviews with the Big Three New York newspapers over the weekend as well as a cable news interview Friday. But the stories and reaction to them didn't exactly paint her in the best light.
The New York Daily News describes her as “defiant;” The New York Post writes that Obama's encouraging her, includes that she “all but acknowledged that she used drugs decades ago” and lays out a Q&A before writing a story on her Martha’s Vineyard estate and estimates that her fortune could be as much as $400 million; the New York Times in its headline described her as “forceful but elusive.”
Kennedy did an interview with local cable news channel NY1 and said her Kennedy name may have actually kept her from running in the past. "If my last name was not Kennedy, maybe I would have run for office a long time ago,” Kennedy said. On having a sense of entitlement: "It's not a way I've ever lived my life. … I can tell you in our family, in particular, there is a sense we have to work twice as hard," she said. And on her voting record: "I was dismayed by my voting record," she said. She also said that if she’s not appointed, she won’t run against Paterson’s appointee in 2010.
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From NBC’s Libby Leist Olmert 's spokesman Mark Regev said that the conflict in Gaza "could get worse before it gets better..." as Israel continues striking Hamas targets.
Regev said the Israeli goal is "to try to neutralize the threat Hamas poses" and create "a new reality on the ground, a new security environment" where civilians in southern Israel are not threatened by rocket attacks. He said Israel does not seek to re-occupy Gaza.
"We are acting defensively to protect our people. That's our goal," he said.
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Carrie Dann Politico's Ben Smith -- vacation destination in Hawaii. But the president-elect continues to occasionally bristle at the constant presence of the "protective pool" within distant eyeshot of his family's comings and goings; over the weekend, he even left the press behind entirely on a visit to a local water park.
Reporters on the trail with Obama during his campaign long complained of a lack of access, or a standoffishness from Obama, but the president-elect has never exactly been a fan of the press. He wrote about how he believes the press tends to be fickle and not focus on what the American people care about -- something he has reminded the press of while on the trail.
More than just what Obama thinks of the press, 60 Minutes reminded us last night of the president-elect's cringing at his loss of anonymity. Despite saying it’s not a “complaint” and that it's what he signed up for, Obama's attempts to escape the press may become an enduring part of the 44th President’s legacy.
From NBC's Libby Leist Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has spoken to 12 foreign officials about the crisis in Gaza since Friday and has briefed President-elect
Obama regularly, the State Department said today. The
Bush Administration has refused to call for an immediate end to the violence as other nations have. Instead, State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid told reporters the U.S. holds Hamas responsible "for their policies of confrontation" and called on the rockets into Israel to stop.
"The U.S. is working for a ceasefire that will be fully respected. That means the ceasefire must be durable and sustainable," Duguid said.
Rice's calls since Friday include Israeli Prime Minister Olmert , Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak , UN Secretary General Ban , and five calls to Israeli Foreign Minister Livni.CONTINUED >>
Obama is most admired man; Clinton most admired woman; Palin knocks off Oprah Obama was chosen as the most admired man in America. Some would find this not surprising, but USA Today notes that it’s “the first time a president-elect has topped the annual survey in more than a half-century. President Bush falls to a distant second after seven years as the most-admired man.”
Hillary Clinton was once again the most admired woman, and has held that honor for 13 of the last 16 years. But there’s another woman moving up the list -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin . Palin came in second, knocking off Obama-backing mogul talk show host Oprah Winfrey . Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was fourth, and Michelle Obama rounded out the top five. John McCain , the Republican standard bearer in 2008, finished third -- ahead of Pope Benedict XVI , the Rev. Billy Graham and former President Bill Clinton , all of whom tied for fourth.
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie Obama and his team deferred on the situation in the Middle East over the weekend, but said he would confer with National Security Adviser-designee Gen. James Jones and Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton .
"President-elect Obama continues to closely monitor global events, including the situation in Gaza," a transition official said. "He had an intelligence briefing today and plans to talk with General Jones and Senator Clinton this evening. We appreciate the information being shared by the Administration. There is one president at a time, and our work now is focused on being ready to hit the ground running on January 20th."
*** UPDATE *** White House places blame squarely on Hamas NBC's Patty Culhane adds that National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe released the following statement:
"In order for the violence to stop, Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire. That is the objective to which all parties need to be working. That is what the United States is working towards."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Lauren Appelbaum David A. Paterson (D-NY) held a media availability with two New York congressmen, Representatives Steve Israel and Anthony Weiner . Reporters peppered them with questions concerning the replacement of Sen. Hillary Clinton's seat in the United States Senate.Caroline Kennedy , Paterson knocked down the idea she is the front-runner but said little more in specifics about her. He stressed he would not be announcing his appointment until Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State.
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From NBC's John Yang President
Bush and his administration -- well, most of his administration other than Defense Secretary
Robert Gates -- will be moving on in a few weeks, but Mr. Bush is still exercising his power of appointment.
On Christmas Eve, he handed out gifts to 24 people -- seats on a variety of government advisory boards, many of them largely ceremonial positions that don't require congressional approval.
A few of the lucky recipients of some last-minute presidential stocking stuffers:
Longtime Republican Party official
Maria Cino and Commerce Department official
Israel Hernandez both got four-year seats on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
For
Barry Jackson , a top White House political advisor who previously was an aide to
Karl Rove and House Republican Leader
John Boehner , there's a six year term on the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Anita McBride , Laura Bush's chief of staff, will serve on the National Capital Planning Commission through Sept. 22, 2011.
And Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Amb.
Nancy Goodman Brinker , the chief of protocol, will join the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
From NBC's Mark Murray and Lauren Appelbaum Obama team's Blagojevich report is this passage regarding Valerie Jarrett's conversation with Illinois SEIU official Tom Balanoff, in which Balanoff raised the question of Blagojevich possibly being Obama's HHS secretary.
"Ms. Jarrett recalls that Mr. Balanoff also told her that the Governor had raised with him the question of whether the Governor might be considered as a possible candidate to head up the Department of Health and Human Services in the new administration. Mr. Balanoff told Ms. Jarrett that he told the Governor that it would never happen. Jarrett concurred."
The report adds, "Mr. Balanoff did not suggest that the Governor, in talking about HHS, was linking a position for himself in the Obama cabinet to the selection of the President-Elect’s successor in the Senate, and Ms. Jarrett did not understand the conversation to suggest that the Governor wanted the cabinet seat as a quid pro quo."
Asked in the conference call about Balanoff raising this Blago-for-HHS idea, incoming White House counsel Greg Craig responded that Jarrett "thought it was ridiculous for the governor of Illinois to be talking about being appointed to Barack Obama's cabinet, at a time when he was under investigation ... for a variety of problems."
From NBC's Chuck Todd Obama , Jarrett , and Emanuel had with prosecutors, all three were accompanied by private counsel. For Obama, Bob Bauer was the attorney present; for Jarrett, it was Chicago attorney Vince Connelly; and for Emanuel, he brought DC power attorney Neil Eggelston.
Also, Patrick Fitzgerald was not personally present during the three interviews. Instead, they were conducted by assistant U.S. attorneys and FBI investigators.
During Emanuel's interview, the investigators did play back recordings of his conversations with Blagojevich and Harris in order to help refresh Rahm's memory.
Some other extraneous facts folks may want to have:
-- The SEIU official Jarrett spoke with, Tom Balanoff, had a speaking role at the Democratic convention in August 2008...
-- Per the report, Emanuel had one or two phone calls with Blagojevich about Obama's Senate seat, as well as about four phone calls with Harris. If true, that's fewer than the number of contacts that Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed reported last week -- 21
"Sneed hears rumbles President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is reportedly on 21 different taped conversations by the feds -- dealing with his boss' vacant Senate seat! A lot of chit-chat? Hot air? Or trouble? To date: Rahm's been mum. Stay tuned."
From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd Obama and his team had no inappropriate contact regarding the vacant Senate seat, the report does note Obama's preferences to succeed him.
After Valerie Jarrett withdrew her name from consideration for the Senate seat, the report says, Obama discussed other "qualified" candidates with incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and senior adviser David Axelrod . They were Rep. Jan Schakowsky , Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr ., state comptroller Dan Hynes, and Tammy Duckworth, director of the state's department of veterans' affairs.
Emanuel then relayed those names to Blagojevich's chief of staff, John Harris. The report says in subsequent phone calls, Emanuel -- with Obama's approval -- recommended state Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson as "qualified candidates" to Harris.
One passage that raised our eyebrows here: "In these conversations, Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Harris discussed the merits of potential candidates and the strategic benefit that each candidate would bring to the Senate seat." What does Greg Craig mean in his report by "strategic benefit"?
From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd Blagojevich report just released by Obama's transition office is that Obama -- as well as Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett -- had interviews in the past week with US attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office. We later learned that Obama was accompanied by his personal attorney, Bob Bauer.
This seems to explain why the Obama team waited until this week to release its report, and why Fitzgerald wanted them to wait.
Here's the key passage from the report: "These accounts were communicated to the Office of the United States Attorney in interviews that were conducted last week. At the request of the Office, we delayed the release of this report until such time as the interviews could be completed. The interviews took place over a period of three days: Thursday, December 18, 2008 (the President-Elect); December 19, 2008 (Valerie Jarrett); and December 20, 2008 (Rahm Emanuel)."
The rest of the report confirms what had been leaked in previous days: that incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had one or two conversations about the Senate seat with Blagojevich; that Emanuel had about four conversations about the seat with Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris; and that in these conversations, there was never a discussion about any quid-pro-quo for the seat.
"The accounts support your statement on December 11, 2008 that you 'have never spoken to the Governor on this subject [or] about these issues,' and that you 'had no contact with the Governor’s office,'" incoming White House counsel Greg Craig outlines to Obama in the report. "In addition, the accounts contain no indication of inappropriate discussions with the Governor or anyone from his office about a 'deal' or a quid pro quo arrangement in which he would receive a personal benefit in return for any specific appointment to fill the vacancy."
Click here for the entire report .
From NBC's Kristin Wilson President-elect
Barack Obama will use the same Bible that
Abraham Lincoln used at his inauguration when he takes the oath of office this January.
Obama will be the first president since Lincoln to use the Bible, which was given to the Library of Congress by the widow of Robert Todd Lincoln in 1928. Robert Todd Lincoln was the only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln who survived to adulthood.
The burgundy velvet Bible with gilded edges was purchased and inscribed by William Thomas Carroll , clerk of the Supreme Court, with these words:
"I, William Thomas Carroll, clerk of the said court do hereby certify that the preceding copy of the Holy Bible is that upon which the Honble. R. B. Taney, Chief Justice of the said Court, administered to His Excellency, Abraham Lincoln, the oath of office as President of the United States …"CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Biden promised no earmarks on a potential stimulus package.
"I know it's Christmas, but the package will not become a Christmas Tree," he said, per the pool producer at an event where Biden met with several economic advisers in Washington.
At the table with Biden: Jason Furman , Jeanne Lambrew , Carol Browner , Larry Summers , Melody Barnes , Phil Schiliro and Jared Bernstein .
Biden took two other questions, including one on the economy and one on embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich .
Biden added that the transition's economic team is getting close to an agreement with congressional leaders on the stimulus package, particularly on the scope of the investment, which has been reported to be in the neighborhood of a staggering $850 billion.
*** UPDATE *** NBC's Lauren Appelbaum has the exact wording on the "exonerate" question:
From NBC's John Yang President
Bush heads to the presidential retreat Camp David for his last Christmas this afternoon. It will be the 12th Christmas he's spent there -- four when his father was president and eight during his own presidency.
The Bushes have chosen to spend both their Thanksgivings and Christmases at Camp David in order to give the White House Residence staff those days off. Camp David, on the other hand, is a military facility and is staffed 24/7.
It will be a family Christmas. The guest list includes the president's parents, Mrs. Bush's mother, their twin daughters,
Barbara and
Jenna Bush Hager , their new son-in-law,
Henry Hager , and the Mr. Bush's siblings and their families.
The day after, the Bushes will head to their Prairie Chapel Ranch outside Crawford, Texas, where they'll stay until early January.
From NBC's Carrie Dann, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro The holiday week may have visions of sugarplums filling many people's minds, but it's still rejected absentee votes and challenged ballot count spreadsheets dancing in the heads of Minnesota's politicos. Here's a quick briefing on where things stand in the recount that hits the seven-weeks-past-Election-Day mark tomorrow:
Q: Who is ahead? A: As of Friday afternoon, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune count gives Franken a 251-vote advantage going into tomorrow’s meeting of the state canvassing board to review challenged ballots withdrawn by both candidates during the recount. Franken's team predicts that, coming out of that meeting, they will still hold a lead of 35-50 votes. That number is based on their internal count of withdrawn challenges, which are in the process of being reallocated into the respective piles of the candidate for whom each ballot was originally cast. The Coleman team did not comment today on how they expect tomorrow's count to shake out, but they are reserving hope that two outstanding disputes -- over ballots that may have been counted twice and over mistakenly rejected absentee ballots -- will be resolved in their favor to give them the upper hand. CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie Obama report on the Blagojevich disclosures is not being released today, according to multiple sources.
From NBC's John Yang Come Jan. 20,
President Bush likes to say, he'll go from 100 miles an hour to five. And now he and First Lady
Laura Bush are equipped for that slower pace.
The president's senior staff gave the Bushes matching Texas-crafted rocking chairs, one made from an oak tree from their Prairie Chapel Ranch outside Crawford, Texas, the other from a Scarlet Oak -- planted by President
Benjamin Harrison in 1892 -- that fell on the White House North Lawn last December.
The presentation was made Friday night at a dinner for Mr. Bush's current and former Cabinet and staff in the East Room of the White House. Nearly 200 attended, including former communications director Dan Bartlett, former press secretary Ari Fleischer, former counsels Alberto Gonzales and Harriet Miers, and former political adviser Karl Rove.
From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube Robert Gates has signed a deployment order to send a combat aviation brigade, about 3,000 troops, to Afghanistan in early 2009.
The brigade, from the 82nd Airborne, will fulfill one of the critical deficits for U.S. forces in that country right now -- helicopters.
Last week, Gates said he expects to have three more brigade combat teams in Afghanistan by "summertime." A senior defense official said that the combat aviation brigade is not among those brigades mentioned by the secretary (one brigade, the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, deploys there in January).
So, with the addition of this aviation brigade, the three BCTs Gates spoke about last week, and the logistics forces needed to support all of these new troops, the U.S. now plans to send between 21,000 and 25,000 new troops to Afghanistan in 2009.
That nearly doubles the number of U.S. boots on the ground there now, which stands at 31,000.
From NBC's Carrie Dann The seemingly endless Minnesota recount, which could well be headed for a legal limbo that would drag into the New Year, has lawyers and reporters digging for answers about what, if anything, Senate Democrats could do to intervene in the contest between
Al Franken and
Norm Coleman .
It turns out that there IS an example of a time when the United States Senate attempted to weigh in on a contested Senate race -- the closest one in history, in fact.
The bad news? The result was a Capitol Hill debacle. CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Abigail Williams and Domenico Montanaro Rod Blagojevich not only ignored requests for his resignation, but declared his innocence on all accounts.
"I'm here to tell you right off the bat that I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing, that I intend to stay on the job, and I will fight this thing every step of the way,” Blagojevich said. “I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath.
He continued: “I have done nothing wrong, and I'm not going to quit a job the people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob. Now, that's what I'm going to do. Let me tell you what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to do what my accusers and political enemies have been doing, and that is talk about this case in 30-second sound bites on ‘Meet the Press’ or on the TV news.”
Blagojevich reiterated that he’s “dying to answer these charges” -- as he did yesterday before his run. “I am dying to show you how innocent I am.”
He almost dared, taunted the prosecution to present its evidence and show the goods, so to speak.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Athena Jones
With the announcement of California Rep. Hilda Solis of California as his pick for Labor secretary, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk for U.S. Trade Representative and retiring Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood for Transportation secretary, Obama completed his Cabinet today, doing so sooner than any incoming president since Richard Nixon .
Obama also tapped Karen Mills to be administrator of the Small Business Administration, and he stressed that he had assembled a team quickly to deal with the massive economic challenges facing the country.
“With these outstanding appointees, I have filled out our economic team and done so at an earlier point than any president in history because we face challenges unlike any we have faced in generation,” he said. “Daunting as the challenges we are inheriting may be, I'm convinced that our team and the American people are prepared to meet them. It will take longer than any of us would like -- years, not months. It will get worse before it gets better. But it will get better if we are willing to act boldly and swiftly, and that is what we will do when I am president of the United States.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro Harry Reid happy with the Bush auto bailout?
Conservatives, some perhaps sensing the political winds with 2010 reelection bids at stake, are furious. Michigan Democrat John Dingell wanted more. And autoworker union President Ron Gettelfinger is irked that Bush singled out workers.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has "strong objections;" Sen. Lindsey Graham was "disappointed;" and even Sen. John McCain had "regrets" -- (he had a few) .
"I regret the President's decision to give away over $17 billion to the domestic automakers,” McCain said. “Just last week, the Senate rejected a bailout plan because it failed to provide assurances that the domestic manufacturers would fundamentally change the way they do business to ensure their long-term viability. I find it unacceptable that we would leave the American taxpayer with a tab of tens of billions of dollars while failing to receive any serious concessions from the industry."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Libby Leist At a press conference with the Mexican Foreign Minister this morning, Secretary Rice warned Hamas against resuming violence after ending its six-month truce with Israel.Abbas has the support of the international community to negotiate for a two-state solution and more violence by Hamas was not working in favor of the Palestinian people.Obama administration -- with the economy taking precedent in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan -- but it’s one that will have to be dealt with.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro Obama's transition office released the following statement from the president-elect: "Today's actions are a necessary step to help avoid a collapse in our auto industry that would have devastating consequences for our economy and our workers. With the short-term assistance provided by this package, the auto companies must bring all their stakeholders together -- including labor, dealers, creditors and suppliers -- to make the hard choices necessary to achieve long-term viability. The auto companies must not squander this chance to reform bad management practices and begin the long-term restructuring that is absolutely required to save this critical industry and the millions of American jobs that depend on it."
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie In addition to his choices for Labor (
Hilda Solis ), Transportation (
Ray LaHood ) and U.S. Trade Representative (
Ron Kirk ), Obama will announce
Karen Mills as his choice to head the Small Business Administration at his news conference later today.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann *** The full Obama Cabinet: At his last press conference of the year before departing for Hawaii, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reports, Obama will unveil his final cabinet picks (and maybe others!): Ray LaHood for Transportation secretary, Hilda Solis for Labor, and Ron Kirk for U.S. Trade Representative. As transition expert Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution tells First Read, this is the earliest an incoming president has assembled his entire cabinet since Richard Nixon announced his cabinet picks on Dec. 11, 1968. Also, we’ve learned that Obama has picked Dennis Blair, a former Navy admiral, to be his director of national intelligence. The next question is if -- or when -- Obama decides to replace the current CIA chief. The Washington Post has a new name for the list, but we should remind folks that Obama isn't under any Jan. 20 pressure to name him/her. He could keep current chief Hayden in place for as long as he and Hayden want. The CIA director’s term doesn't expire at end of a president’s term, but instead simply serves at pleasure of president. Hayden would stay if asked...
*** Updated Cabinet census: Here’s our updated list after the Solis and Kirk picks:
*** An auto deal? At publication time, President Bush is making a statement on the administration’s plan to assist the auto industry. Here’s a quickie summary of what he’ll announce: Magic number is $17.4 billion, with the last $4 billion coming from Part 2 of the TARP and with $13.4 billion available immediately; there’s no use of the word "bankruptcy"; and the emphasis is on "restructuring," but viability has to be proven by March 2009 (of course, there will be a new administrator of the TARP by then). The bottom line here, it appears: The Bush administration is punting. It is offering enough money for GM and Chrysler to stay alive for a few months, but make no mistake -- this is now in Obama’s hands. Also today, at 10:15 am, President Bush and the first lady attend the unveiling of their portraits at the National Portrait Gallery.
Video: President Bush offers ailing automakers $17.4 billion in short-term loans. ***
Stimulate this: The New York Times reports today that the Obama team hopes to have its stimulus plan ready by next week, so Congress can take up the legislation before Obama is sworn in. But get this -- the Obama plan might be just 15 pages, and Congress will be able to fill in the blanks. Wow, talk about trust in congressional Democrats! Some questions this will raise: What are the restrictions Obama will put on earmarks? Will there be transparency on pork? And will Obama threaten any vetoes if some members take advantage of the situation? Already, there is a coalition of unions ready to sell this package, semi-sight unseen.
*** Just askin’: With no real surprises with the Clinton Foundation donor list, why didn't Bill Clinton release this information last year, before the primaries got underway? Or would Bill have been forced to release them had Hillary become the Democratic nominee?
Video: Former President Bill Clinton releases the donor list to his foundation as his wife prepares to take the post of secretary of state. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. ***
The never-ending recount: Just when you thought the Senate recount in Minnesota couldn’t become more bizarre -- or go on any longer -- the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the canvassing board must count improperly rejected absentee ballots (which Franken’s campaign had wanted, and Coleman’s didn’t), but also said that two campaigns must agree on how they’ll be counted (which allows the campaigns to drag their feet if they want). The decision makes it likely that the recount will go for more weeks, possibly after the new Congress is supposed to reconvene on Jan. 6. That would mean that the next Congress might have two unfilled Senate seats: Minnesota’s (due to the recount) and Illinois’ (due to the Blago scandal). For some perspective, the Minnesota recount has now gone on six days longer than the 2000 Florida recount, which ended Dec. 13. By the way, the state Supreme Court ruling came as Franken -- as expected -- nearly erased Coleman’s lead in the recount in Day 3 of the canvassing board’s decisions on the challenged ballots. Per the
Minneapolis Star Tribune , Coleman’s lead is now just five votes; the
AP has it at just two. No matter the number, yesterday was a huge gain for Franken, and he very well might win. But is there a specific lead he needs to make Senate Dems comfortable seating him?
*** Happy holidays and looking ahead: This will be the final morning First Read note of the year, although we’ll be updating our online blog as news warrants. The morning note will back first thing on Monday, Jan. 5. To whet your appetite for the big month ahead, here’s a quick look at what to expect for January:
Jan. 6: Congress returns (and gets to work on a stimulus plan)Jan. 7: President Bush hosts a White House lunch with Obama and the three living ex-presidents: Clinton, Bush 41, Carter Jan. 7: Terry McAuliffe makes an announcement about his intentions for Virginia governor Jan. 8: Congress conducts its electoral vote countJan. 15: The Senate Judiciary Committee holds its confirmation hearing on Eric Holder’s nomination for attorney general (the other hearing dates haven’t been announced, but NBC’s Ken Strickland says that key hearings are expected before Obama is inaugurated so these people can be confirmed after he’s sworn in)Jan. 20: Obama’s inaugurationJan. 28-31: RNC winter meeting in DC, where new RNC chair will be selected
Countdown to Electoral Vote Count In Congress: 20 days
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The New York Times on Solis (at Labor) and Kirk (as USTR): “The appointments are expected to be announced Friday at Mr. Obama’s final news conference before he heads to Hawaii for a Christmas break. Mr. Obama is also expected to formally announce his nomination of Representative Ray LaHood, Republican of Illinois, for transportation secretary… With his choices of a labor secretary and a trade representative, Mr. Obama appears to have sought to appeal to each side in the battle over free trade. Ms. Solis, a longtime labor advocate who is of Central American heritage, has been skeptical about free-trade agreements, while Mr. Kirk, a lawyer with a political bent, comes from the Texas establishment and has spoken out in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement.”
Retired Admiral Dennis Blair will indeed become the nation's next intelligence director -- still a fairly new agency head, succeeding Mike McConnell. "Described as independent-minded and cerebral, Blair advised Obama on defense matters in the Senate but otherwise had no formal ties to the Obama campaign. Since retiring from the Navy in 2002, he has held positions at several nonprofit agencies and participated in a major study on reforming the country's national security infrastructure.”
“While Blair is generally well regarded, his career has occasionally been marked by controversy. He was forced to resign as president of the Institute for Defense Analysis because of possible conflicts of interest after it was revealed that he simultaneously served on the boards of defense contractors whose products were being evaluated by the board. He also came under criticism in the 1990s when his command provided support to the Indonesian military at a time when that country was violently suppressing an uprising in Indonesian-administered East Timor. An East Timor advocacy group has collected hundreds of signatures for a letter to Obama urging him to reject Blair."
CONTINUED >>
Here’s the New York Times’ take on the release of the Bill Clinton donor list: "Lifting a longstanding cloak of secrecy, Mr. Clinton on Thursday released a complete list of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation as part of an agreement to douse concerns about potential conflicts if Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state in the Obama administration.”
“The donor list offers a glimpse into the high-powered, big-dollar world in which Mr. Clinton has traveled since leaving the White House as he jetted around the globe making money for himself and raising vast sums for his ambitious philanthropic programs fighting disease, poverty and climate change. Some of the world’s richest people and most famous celebrities handed over large checks to finance his presidential library and charitable activities."
It appears the release didn't surprise many about who would be on the list, and that's the best news so far for Clinton's prospects. But could this be Clinton's most embarrassing donor ? "Embattled defense contractor Blackwater Worldwide contributed a pile of cash to Bill Clinton's foundation, newly released records show -- the first potential conflict for his wife, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who may ultimately decide if the contractor stays in Iraq. Blackwater, the largest security contractor in Iraq, donated between $10,000 and $25,000 to the former president's foundation, records show.
Meanwhile, Obama’s economic team hopes to have its stimulus plan ready by next week so Congress can begin taking up the legislation before Obama's sworn in. “‘The goal for completing action on this important legislation should be as close to Jan. 20 as possible,’ said an e-mail message from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office to senior Senate Democratic staff members. Some Obama advisers have sought to tamp down expectations that Mr. Obama could sign a package immediately after he is inaugurated. The opposition of some Senate Republicans and House and Senate negotiations on a final compromise could force delays into February.”
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Post reports, “The White House was moving closer yesterday to a dramatic restructuring of the nation's ailing automakers, deliberating among several options including an ‘orderly’ bankruptcy in return for an emergency government infusion of billions of dollars. As the White House raised the prospect of bankruptcy, senior officials at the Treasury Department were coalescing around an alternative that would reshape the companies but not require them to file for bankruptcy protection, sources familiar with the matter said. Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. has repeatedly said that federal help for Detroit must put the companies on track for long-term viability rather than simply delay their collapse.”
But… "[A] senior administration official, however, later described that option [orderly bankruptcy] as a last resort, to be used only if an agreement for a voluntary overhaul of the industry could not be reached,” the New York Times writes. “These officials said the preferred solution would be to force a restructuring of the industry outside of bankruptcy court, extracting concessions that would make the companies more cost-competitive with foreign automakers. In return, the Treasury would tap the financial rescue fund, called the Troubled Asset Relief Program, to make loans to the companies."
It's this forced bankruptcy that's got the automakers not ready to accept this deal -- which may mean this won't happen today. It could be next week.
SCANDAL IN ILLINOIS: I’m smarter than you!quote you don't hear every day , re: Jesse Jackson Jr.'s cooperation as an informant to the FBI. “Turning a politician against another politician is not something that happens every day,” said defense attorney and former House general counsel Stan Brand. “You don’t advance your career and your trust with other elected officials when you do that.”
"Illinois lawmakers could be forced to build their impeachment case against Governor Rod Blagojevich on a raft of smaller grievances, rather than the blockbuster Senate-seat-for-sale charges he faces in a federal criminal case, for fear of undermining federal prosecutors' investigation," the AP writes. "Members of the state House Impeachment Committee said yesterday that they will do nothing that would interfere with the investigation by US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. If Fitzgerald asks lawmakers not to interview certain witnesses, they will abide by that, they said." AP reports. "But the two-term governor may go public to defend himself first."
Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor whose inclusion at Obama’s inauguration has upset gay-rights supporters, released this statement last night: "I commend President-elect Obama for his courage to willingly take enormous heat from his base by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn't agree on every issue, to offer the Invocation at his historic Inaugural ceremony. Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America.”
Warren added, “The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders. I am honored by this opportunity to pray God's blessing on the office of the President and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America's leaders during this critical time in our nation's history."
The good new for Obama today: There wasn't a lot of Day Two print coverage on the Warren news. The blogosphere is still fired up about it, and that's the real danger for Obama on this -- that the fire doesn't get put out before the end of the week.
CONTINUED >>
COLORADO: Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is launching an online campaign to solicit suggestions on who should be appointed to fill Sen. Ken Salazar's seat.
MINNESOTA: The Minneapolis Star Tribune says that a ruling by Minnesota’s highest court yesterday presented good news and bad news for both Coleman and Franken. The ruling also postpones the recount for another few weeks. “The Minnesota Supreme Court said improperly rejected absentee ballots must be counted by the state Canvassing Board, something Coleman tried to prevent. But they won't be counted immediately, and Coleman and Franken must agree on which ones are tallied.”
“Meanwhile, as the state Canvassing Board continued working its way through challenged ballots, DFLer Franken all but erased Republican Coleman's lead in the U.S. Senate recount and appeared poised to pull ahead today. But his gains could in turn prove short-lived when thousands of previously disputed ballots are added to the tally.”
The Pioneer Press : “The court endorsed counting hundreds of mistakenly rejected absentee ballots statewide -- but only if the two sides agree they should be counted. The move takes the decisions out of the hands of local elections officials and places it in the hands of the very candidates who will benefit or suffer from those decisions… The court set a deadline of 4 p.m. Dec. 31 to complete the process, then threatened sanctions if the campaigns don't participate in good faith.”
CONTINUED >>
From Ken Strickland and Andrea Mitchell Memorandum of Understanding between the Clinton Foundation and the Obama transition on how Bill Clinton 's Foundation will conduct its activities -- and disclose its donors -- for the duration of Hillary Clinton 's tenure as secretary of state, should she be confirmed.
The memo was signed on Dec. 12th by Bruce Lindsey, Bill Clinton's longtime lawyer and troubleshooter, and Valerie Jarrett on behalf of the President-elect.
It has been circulated by Sens. Kerry and Lugar , leaders of the Foreign Relations Committee, to all committee members in advance of Clinton's confirmation hearings in January.
Today, Bill Clinton's foundation, as promised in the agreement, released the names of all donors to the library and foundation.
From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski Obama 's transition confirm that former Admiral Dennis Blair has been selected as the new Director of National Intelligence.
A 34-year Navy veteran, Blair was commander of the U.S. military's Pacific Command, was director of the Joint Staff, but also worked with the CIA and National Security Council.
Blair, a Rhodes Scholar and Russian speaker is considered a "brainiac" who has experience in managing large organizations. A commander of Pacific Command he's known for pushing political and diplomatic engagement over military confrontation.
From Savannah Guthrie and Mark Murray Ron Kirk will be announced U.S. Trade Representative, officials said.
NBC News also confirmed today that Hilda Solis will also be named Labor Secretary.
There will be another Obama news conference tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. ET.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Clinton Foundation released its list of donors today, a move widely viewed as part of a deal between the Clintons and Obama to ensure Clinton's appointment as Secretary of State.
It's a splashy list that includes foreign entities, including Saudi Arabia and Dubai; controversial characters close Clinton, like Stephen L. Bing and Frank Giustra; charities, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNITAID of the World Health Organization and the ambiguous Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; and celebrity organizations, like the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Princess Diana Memorial Fund
The nearly 3,000 Web-page list is here and is listed from largest donors to smallest. We'll update with more, but here's a quick sampling from page 1.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie NBC News has confirmed that
Obama will name California Rep.
Hilda Solis (D) to be his Labor secretary.
From NBC's Athena Jones Obama's press conference this morning, as the president-elect pointed to the massive Ponzi scheme as another indication that the nation's financial regulatory system must be overhauled.
He also responded to the controversy surrounding his selection of evangelical minister Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration on Jan. 20.
On the campaign trail this fall, as the crisis on Wall Street worsened, Obama spoke frequently about the need for what he called a 21st-century regulatory framework. He stressed that theme again today in announcing Mary Schapiro as his pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler to head of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Georgetown professor Daniel Tarullo to an open Federal Reserve Board seat.
“In the last few days, the alleged scandal at Madoff Investment Securities has reminded us yet again of how badly reform is needed when it comes to the rules and regulations that govern our markets,” Obama said. “Charities that invested in Madoff could end up losing savings on which millions depend -- a massive fraud that was made possible in part because the regulators who were assigned to oversee Wall Street dropped the ball. And if the financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that this failure of oversight and accountability doesn't just harm individuals involved ;it has the potential to devastate our entire economy.”\
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland Ray LaHood is the likely nominee for Transportation secretary, John McCain today commended Obama "for once again reaching across the aisle." McCain called LaHood "one of our country's finest public servants. "
In a written statement, he said LaHood "has always fought for the best interests of our nation -- recognizing that bipartisan compromises often provide the best solutions to the problems facing our country."
"Our nation's transportation system faces some of the most pressing challenges of our time -- from modernizing our federal air traffic control system, resolving the funding crisis facing our nation's aging infrastructure, and promoting a safe, efficient and accessible transportation system that meets our nation's needs. Ray LaHood's experience will be critical to forging reasonable solutions to these challenges and I trust that he will be quickly confirmed by the U.S. Senate."
From NBC's Mark Murray As Republican pollster Bill McInturff sees it, two differences would have made last month's presidential contest much closer -- had the financial collapse occurred on Dec. 15 instead of Sept. 15, and had the Republican National Committee been able to raise more than $200 million in the final two months, without any restrictions on how the McCain campaign could use it.
But, of course, neither happened.
McInturff, who was McCain's pollster and who has since returned to become the Republican half of the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, says the McCain camp was in the process of unveiling its "Chicago" ad on Sept. 15. That advertisement, which linked Obama with Tony Rezko and even Rod Blagojevich (!!!), was the beginning of an effort to raise this question with voters about Obama: What else do we not know about him? "It was not the killer ad, but it was the right opening," McInturff said. Yet the economic collapse that began on Sept. 15 forced both campaigns instead to spend the next month reacting to that crisis.
The Obama campaign, McInturff notes, was better able to get out its message during the crisis by being able to spend a whopping $100 million-plus during the first two weeks of October. By contrast, because it decided to accept public funds during the general election (giving it just $85 million to spend from September to November), the McCain campaign couldn't compete financially. The money that the Republican National Committee raised helped close the gap, but those funds came with restrictions, which forced the McCain camp and the RNC to produce "hybrid" ads that were split between criticizing Obama and congressional Democrats.
McInturff said those ads were "horrible" because they didn't present viewers with a consistent message.
McInturff made these remarks at a breakfast meeting with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. During the Q&A, he acknowledged that the campaign's polling numbers bottomed out after House Republicans killed the initial financial bailout package and after Colin Powell endorsed Obama. And he said he knew McCain wouldn't win on November 4 after seeing the initial exit polls that were released at 5:00 pm ET on Election Day.
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann *** Cabinet census: Obama has tapped retiring GOP Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) to be his Transportation secretary -- to be named Friday with likely his Labor secretary as well (maybe one of two Congresswomen -- Hilda Solis, of California or Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut), First Read has learned. Given that Obama’s cabinet team is almost all but complete, now’s as good a time as any to break down the cabinet by the numbers. Note: We include the offices that Obama gives cabinet rank (EPA administrator, OMB chief, and UN ambassador). Today, Obama holds a press conference at 10:45 am ET to announce Mary Schapiro the chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the head of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and an open Federal Reserve Board seat (Georgetown professor Daniel Tarullo), none of which hold cabinet rank. But in the wake of Madoff, the P.R. timing of these announcements couldn't be better for Team Obama.
Video: President-elect Barack Obama introduced veteran regulator Mary Schapiro to head the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday and had some strong words regarding the recent allegations involving Wall St. figure Bernard Madoff. Here are the numbers:
- 7 Ivy Leaguers (Clinton, Duncan, Geithner, Holder, Donovan, Orszag, Jackson)
- 6 State Schoolers (Daschle, Vilsack, Chu, Napolitano, Salazar, Gates)
- 6 Raised in the Midwest (Clinton, Daschle, Vilsack, Gates, Duncan, LaHood) Note: This doesn’t include Chu, who was born in Missouri but grew up in New York)
- 4 Women (Clinton, Napolitano, Rice, Jackson)
- 4 Raised in New York (Holder, Donovan, Geithner, Chu – who grew up on Long Island; does not include Napolitano who was born in NYC or Clinton who currently lives there)
- 3 African Americans (Holder, Rice, Jackson)
- 3 Westerners (Salazar, Richardson, Napolitano -- who was born in NYC but raised in Albuquerque)
- 3 Basketball Players (Duncan, Rice, Holder -- does not include NSA appointee Gen. James Jones)
- 2 Hispanics (Salazar, Richardson)
- 2 Asian Americans (Shinseki, Chu)
- 2 Republicans (Gates, Lahood)
- 2 Sitting Senators (Clinton, Salazar)
- 2 Sitting Governors (Napolitano, Richardson)
- 1 Raised in the South (Jackson, who was born in Philadelphia, but adopted a few weeks later and grew up in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward)
*** When liberals attack: Axelrod and Gibbs have to be smiling this morning with the news that gay-rights groups are angry that Obama has announced that conservative evangelical Rick Warren will give the invocation at Obama’s inauguration. Why are they smiling? Because it never hurts -- at least when it comes to governing or running for re-election -- when you sometimes disappoint/anger your party’s interest groups (in this case, People for the American Way and the Human Rights Campaign). Just asking, but is anyone but People for the American Way and the Human Rights Campaign surprised that Rick Warren is going to give a prayer at the inauguration? Where was this outrage when Obama appeared at Warren’s Saddleback forum back in August? The difference may be that the forum came before Proposition 8 passed in California. As for the pure politics of this, when you look at the exit polls and see the large numbers of white evangelicals in swing states like North Carolina, Florida and Missouri, as well as emerging battlegrounds like Georgia and Texas, you'll understand what Obama's up to.
*** Big bucks, big buck, no whammies: Something worth pointing out if Caroline Kennedy is appointed to the Senate -- she is going to have to fill out a Senate disclosure form. Will we find out how big the Onassis fortune actually is? The point of this nugget is to remind folks that if Caroline were truly worried about her privacy, she wouldn't want this appointment because she has to do something most Americans hate doing, open up her finances. Clearly, she's crossed a threshold in her own mind to go public. There is an upside to all of this criticism she's receiving this morning over her reaction to local press inquiries: she's got low expectations for press access so any access will look like a lot at this point. It's not unlike the expectations that were built around Hillary when she began her listening tour. By the way, has she cleared another hurdle in getting the appointment by saying she would "absolutely" pursue the seat in 2010 -- even if Paterson doesn't appoint her, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Video: Caroline Kennedy gets a chilly reception from some high-placed politicians in New York, as she makes it official that she's interested in Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. *** Bush legacy watch : Buried by yesterday’s other news -- Caroline’s trip Upstate, the question Obama received at his press conference about transparency, and the latest in the Blagojevich scandal -- was the speech President Bush delivered Wednesday on national security and terrorism. “While there’s room for honest and healthy debate about the decisions I’ve made -- and there’s plenty of debate -- there can be no debate about the results in keeping America safe,” he said. This morning, at a speech sponsored by the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, Bush will turn his attention to domestic issues. The title of the speech is: "Building on a Foundation for the Future." It could very well be his last opportunity to talk about what Republican governance looks like.
*** Mad(off) Money : Bernard Madoff, the New York investor who has admitted to swindling some $50 billion in a Ponzi scheme, contributed more than $183,000 to federal political candidates (mostly Democrats) over the past 15 years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Earlier this week, the National Republican Congressional Committee blasted out a press release noting that embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel received $2,000 from Madoff (a Rangel spokesman tells First Read that he has since cut a check in that amount to the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem). Other notable recipients: $100,000 to the DSCC (the committee say it’s reviewing whether to give the money back); $6,000 to Chuck Schumer (who has said he’s giving that amount to charity); $5,000 to Sen. Ron Wyden (who donated the money to an Oregon food bank); $7,000 to Rep. Ed Markey (who’s trying to identify a Massachusetts charity where he can send that money); $3,600 to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (who will be dumping that money and whose charities were invested with Madoff!!!); and $1,000 to Hillary Clinton (spokesman Philippe Reines tells First Read, “It was made for the ’00 campaign, which doesn’t exist anymore, has no funds, completely closed out in FEC parlance”). Of course, it’s worth asking: Who should get this Madoff money -- charities or the people who lost their money? … By the way, you think John McCain is sitting around somewhere, saying, "See. I told ya so" over saying SEC Chair Chris Cox should be fired. Give McCain credit. Some cynics might view his call as a ruse, that he's fundamentally a deregulator and was pandering to what he thought was the visceral populist notion in the country. But was he wrong?
Video: Madoff has been released from jail and placed under partial house arrest. CNBC's David Faber reports. *** The never-ending recount : It’s Day 3 of the Minnesota canvassing board’s ruling on the challenged ballots in the Coleman-Franken race, and the Star Tribune’s count has Norm Coleman up by 358 votes. So far, the board has decided on 420 ballots disputed by the Franken camp, and as the
Star Tribune writes: “Typically, most challenges lose. On Tuesday and Wednesday, most of the Franken challenges were resolved in favor of Coleman, adding votes to the incumbent's column and increasing his margin, if only temporarily. By the same logic, Franken is expected to gain votes when the board takes up Coleman's ballot challenges.” Also on today’s agenda: The canvassing will take up the Coleman camp charge that as many as 150 ballots have been double counted.
Countdown to Electoral Vote Count In Congress: 21 days
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he'll name retiring GOP Rep. Ray LaHood Transportation secretary This is a post that Bush used to make his Cabinet bipartisan as well. LaHood joins Robert Gates as the second known Republican in Obama's cabinet.
Video: The President-elect plans to name Ill. Congressman Ray LaHood as his secretary of transportation. NBC's Brian Williams reports. The
AP on the expected appointment of Republican Ray Lahood (IL) as Transportation Secretary: "He has been at the forefront of efforts to make the floor of the House less partisan. Respected for his ability to preside, he was in the chair during most of President Bill Clinton's impeachment a decade ago." Lahood also is one Republican who did not sign on to Newt Gingrich's Contract with America in the 1990s.
Left to fill: Labor, "senior intelligence positions, or the Office of US Trade Representative. Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA) ... had been penciled in as trade representative, but he announced on Tuesday he intends to remain in the House."
In subcabinet posts, "Knowledgeable officials said Dr. Gail Rosseau, a Chicago neurosurgeon, is among the final contenders to become surgeon general. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the appointment."
CONTINUED >>
Might an Obama stimulus be $850 billion? "Obama's economic advisers are
assembling a recovery plan and reaching out to members of Congress and their staffs. Obama aides cautioned that they have not settled on a specific grand total. But they noted that economists from across the political spectrum have recommended spending similar or even larger amounts to jolt the worsening economy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., this week said Democrats were preparing their own recovery bill in the range of $600 billion, blending immediate steps to counter the slumping economy with longer-term federal spending that encompasses Obama's plan."
Caroline Kennedy got a taste of the New York press corps, as she is taking what amounts to a listening tour of Upstate New York.
Kennedy said for the first time that she would “absolutely” pursue the New York Senate seat when it comes open in 2010 -- even if Paterson doesn’t appoint her, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle .
“Kennedy's 160-mile upstate listening tour made stops in Syracuse and Buffalo and included her first-ever trip to Rochester,” the New York Daily News writes. “‘I'll be back as many times as Chuck Schumer,’ she said, referring to New York's senior senator. Along the way, Kennedy insisted ‘it's not a campaign’ even as she ticked off the reasons she's the best-qualified person to fill Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.
Think high drama in the Empire State is new? Fuggedaboutit . "Kennedy’s maneuvering to win the Senate appointment has echoes of her uncle Robert F. Kennedy’s 1964 New York Senate campaign -- and of Clinton’s own Senate bid in 2000. In each case, RFK and Clinton, newcomers to the state and novices as candidates, blew their opposition out of the water."
The
Chicago Sun-Times reports that Emanuel spoke directly to Blagojevich. "Emanuel talked with the governor in the days following the Nov. 4 election and pressed early on for the appointment of Valerie Jarrett to the post, sources with knowledge of the conversations told the Sun-Times. There was no indication from sources that Emanuel brokered a deal, however. A source with the Obama camp strongly denied Emanuel spoke with the governor directly about the seat, saying Emanuel only spoke with Blagojevich once recently to say he was taking the chief of staff post."
Blagojevich attorney Ed Genson yesterday “tore into impeachment-minded state lawmakers trying to force the governor out of a job,” the Chicago Tribune reports. Genson “complained of a lack of standards to determine impeachment, decried his inability to subpoena witnesses such as U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and asked that some panel members be removed because they had ‘already made up their minds in this case.’ ‘Everybody's in a rush to judgment,’ Genson said later at a news conference. ‘If you know of another case coming out of the State of Illinois that had more pizazz to it . . . where there were so many people that wanted to chop somebody's head off, you tell me it. But I don't. This is a real witch hunt.’”
Of course, as we said earlier, the impeachment proceedings are not about laws, it's about votes and politics. They don't need proof but the votes.
CONTINUED >>
Taxpayers for Common Sense doesn't like this one . "A crumbling economy, more than 2 million constituents who have lost their jobs this year, and congressional demands of CEOs to work for free did not convince lawmakers to freeze their own pay. Instead, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it."
Those hoping for the wheels of health care reform to start turning might have to wait 'til early 2010, says the chairman of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee.
Mr. Jefferson goes to Washington. Well, the Supreme Court in Washington. "The Louisiana lawmaker, who lost his re-election bid, is fighting his indictment, asserting that prosecutors violated the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause when they provided the grand jury with evidence of his legislative activities."
The news yesterday didn’t seem controversial at first … “Aretha Franklin and Dr. Rick Warren, an evangelical minister of the Saddleback Church, are among the select group of people who will participate in Barack Obama’s inaugural swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20,” the New York Times wrote. “Mr. Obama has also chosen Elizabeth Alexander, an African-American poet at Yale University, and some of the world’s premier musicians, including Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma, to share the podium with him. In honoring the civil rights movement, Mr. Obama has asked the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, dean of the civil rights movement and co-founder with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to deliver the benediction.”
But per Politico , the news about Warren -- who supported the victorious anti-gay-marriage California ballot proposition -- infuriated gay-rights groups. “‘Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans,’ the president of Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solomonese, wrote Obama Wednesday. ‘[W]e feel a deep level of disrespect when one of architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination.’” CBN’s Brody says Warren giving the invocation makes a lot of sense. “Even though Warren and Obama disagree on the life issue, they do see eye to eye on many social justice issues. This move is also classic Obama because it is a signal to religious conservatives that he’s willing to bring in both sides to the faith discussion in this country. Obama has never shied away from that.”
Is RNC Chair Mike Duncan's re-election bid in big trouble? Many a leading Republican has
criticized the RNC's push against Obama regarding the Blagojevich scandal. “‘I was saddened to learn that at a time of national trial, when a President-elect is preparing to take office in the midst of the worst financial crisis in over seventy years, that the Republican National Committee is engaged in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles,’ former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote to RNC Chairman Mike Duncan.”
CONTINUED >>
COLORADO: Hispanic groups are happy that Ken Salazar is in the cabinet, but upset that the Senate has lost an Hispanic in the Senate and is pushing the Colorado governor to appoint another Hispanic to the seat. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-12-17-Hispanic_N.htm
MINNESOTA : Today is Day 3 of the canvassing board’s ruling on the challenged ballots, and Coleman is currently up 358 votes per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s count. What’s on tap today : “[A]nother simmering dispute could slow the process when the board reconvenes this morning. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign contends that as many as 150 ballots were counted twice by local elections officials and suggests that many of those extra votes could have gone to Democrat Al Franken. It wants the board to eliminate any double-counting.”
“Franken's campaign dismisses the claim as ‘just a theory’ advanced by a Coleman camp increasingly worried about the outcome of the canvass, and argues that the issue is beyond the scope of the board. Most Canvassing Board members seemed to agree Wednesday that their job is to determine voters' intent on ambiguous ballots, not to investigate actions of local elections officials. Yet they will consider whether to explore the issue when they meet today.”
The bottom line: for those who were praying for a Friday resolution to the race, buckle down .
The law of unintended consequences? "Sen. Chris Dodd’s failed presidential campaign
appears to have hurt him in Connecticut according to a new survey that showed the Democrat with his lowest poll numbers in 14 years. The poll by Quinnipiac University shows the Senate Banking Committee chairman with a 47 percent approval rating. That’s down from 60 percent in May 2007 shortly after he declared his candidacy for president. Dodd faces re-election in 2010."
Conservative thinker, writer and commentator Paul Weyrich, 66,
has died . He was the Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation and helped to found The Heritage Foundation.
From CNBC's John Harwood and NBC's Savannah Guthrie Mary Schapiro will be named tomorrow as Obama's pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Schapiro, who heads the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is well regarded and thought of as a tough regulator, but she could also be viewed as too much of an insider.
She has served under both Presidents Clinton and Bush , as chairman of the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (appointed in 1994) and in January of this year, was appointed by Bush to the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy.
She has also served on the SEC and headed the National Association Of Securities Dealers.
From NBC's John Yang Ray Lahood (IL) his pick for Transportation Secretary. A source close to Lahood says not only did Obama and Lahood get to know and like each other in the Illinois delegation, but Rahm Emanuel played a big role in this selection.
The source says the offer was "the last thing" Lahood expected.
From NBC’s Pete Williams Rod Blagojevich from office.
The court today turned down a request, filed last week by the state's attorney general. She urged the court to temporarily remove Blagojevich from the governor's office and put the lieutenant governor in charge.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan acted under a section of the state constitution that gives Illinois Supreme Court the power to declare a governor unfit to serve. She urged the court to take the case and act quickly, "in light of these extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances."
Madigan said she's disappointed the court rejected her request to declare Blagojevich unfit for office.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Athena Jones Obama has responded to 48 questioners during 11 press conferences since being elected -- an average of just more than four questioners per press conference. (This only includes official pressers, not comments made in a pool situation.) The most questions he has accepted so far was nine (from nine questioners) in his first availability after election day. In five of the 11 pressers, he took questions from just three people.
Fri, Nov 7 : nine questionersMon, Nov 24 : sixTues, Nov 25 : fourWed, Nov 26 : threeMon, Dec 1 : sixWed, Dec 3 : threeSun, Dec 7 : threeThurs, Dec 11 : fourMon, Dec 15 : threeTues, Dec 16 : fourWed, Dec 17 : three
Running Total : 48 questioners
From NBC’s Athena Jones
Obama told reporters he was frustrated at being unable to correct speculation in the media about conversations members of his transition team may have had with the office of Illinois Gov.
Rod Blagojevich , who is facing corruption charges that include an allegation that he sought to trade the president-elect’s vacated Senate seat for personal gain.
Video: President-elect Obama says he's abiding by a request from the U.S. Attorney not to speak about the Blagojevich investigation, but expects to release more information as soon as next week. “It's a little bit frustrating. There's been a lot of speculation in the press that I would love to correct immediately,” Obama said when asked “how difficult” it was to have to wait to release an internal review his team has completed regarding contacts staffers had with the governor’s office.
“We are abiding by the request of the U.S. attorney's office,” he continued. “But it's not going to be that long. By next week you guys will have the answers to all your questions.”
It’s the fifth time the president-elect has addressed the Blagojevich matter before the press since the governor was arrested last week.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro In light of Barack Obama (predictably) being named Time's Person of the Year, First Read took a look back to see which magazine -- Time or Newsweek -- won the battle of who put Obama on the cover the most in 2008.
Video: Richard Stengel from TIME magazine announces the publication’s pick for 2008’s Person of the Year – President-elect Barack Obama. Time has featured Obama on its cover 14 times since Jan. 1. Newsweek was close behind, featuring the now-president-elect on 12 of its issues. Time has had 52 issues in 2008, so Obama has been featured on more than one-in-four of its covers, or about 27% of the time.
That number, though, goes even higher if you include how many times Obama has appeared in the "skybox" -- 11 times.
That means Obama's face or name has somehow made it onto the cover of Time just about half of the time this year (25 out of 52 issues -- 48%)
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ashley Codianni and Mark Murray Earlier today , we noted Obama senior adviser David Axelrod's appearance on Morning Joe, where he parried questions about Obama's and Rahm Emanuel's ties to embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich .
Video: Sr. White House Advisor David Axelrod discusses the latest questions surrounding whether or not White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had any inappropriate conversations concerning the Ill. Senate seat. "[T]here isn't a person involved in Chicago politics who would tell you that Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich had any kind of close relationship," Axelrod answered. "They never did. They weren't from the same political factions in Illinois politics, and they weren't close."
Below is the entire transcript...
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann *** The Dem albatross: Just six weeks have passed since Election Day. But with the Blagojevich scandal still dominating the political news, the TV ads haven’t stopped. Yesterday, we reported that the pro-business group Americans for Job Security is up with an ad in Arkansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota -- states with conservative- to moderate-leaning Democratic senators (including two up for re-election in 2010) -- that links Blago with SEIU in the business group’s campaign against a union-backed measure that would overhaul labor law and forbid employers from mandating that workers cast secret ballots in union negotiations. And now the Illinois GOP has a new TV ad demanding a special election for Obama’s Senate seat rather than an appointment. What if F-Rod doesn't leave office soon? Won't he be an easy target for quite some time? This is the frustration Obama's team and congressional Democrats are feeling right now. Blago’s a distraction that will keep on giving to the GOP.
Video: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray offers his first read on concerns about a relationship between Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Barack Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. *** More F-Rod: Here are more developments in the Blagojevich scandal. The legislative panel considering the governor’s impeachment reconvenes today for its first day of testimony, with Blago’s attorney present… We
learned that Jesse Jackson Jr. has been sharing information about public corruption with federal investigators for years… Chicago Sun-Times columnist
Michael Sneed notes -- in a 44-word item -- that Rahm Emanuel “is reportedly on 21 different taped conversations by the feds,” but an Obama source tells NBC’s Savannah Guthrie that the report is inaccurate…
Another Sun-Times piece notes that Rahm was pushing for Valerie Jarrett to replace Obama (until Jarrett took her name out of contention). Next week, the Obama folks are going to need to allow both Rahm and Jarrett to explain when and why she took her name out to clean up the timing issue… And Obama sidestepped questions about Blagojevich at his press conference yesterday. “Let me just cut you off,” he told a Chicago Tribune reporter, “because I don't want you to waste your question. As I indicated yesterday, we've done a full review of this. The facts are going to be released next week… So do you have another question?”
*** Axe this morning : Obama adviser David Axelrod, who makes most mild-mannered people seem high-strung, dodged just about every question fairly deftly on “Morning Joe” this morning. He disputed the notion that Rahm and Obama helped run Blago's campaign in 2002. Axe said the characterization was not right. Asked if there's a disconnect between Rahm and the rest of the Obama team, he said absolutely not. “Rahm's been magnificent" during the transition. On Valerie Jarrett and other members of the Obama team and being at the top of the list, Axelrod wouldn't answer the question about Jarrett because he wants to wait until everything is revealed next week.
*** Agriculture and Interior: Another day, another Obama press conference, and another round of Obama cabinet picks. In Chicago at 11:45 am ET, the president-elect will name Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar to head the Interior Department and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack for Agriculture. Indeed, Obama is sticking with two traditions for these picks -- an Iowan for Ag and a Westerner for Interior. What’s more, the Vilsack selection means now that now FOUR of Obama’s one-time rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination will now be serving in the Obama administration: Biden (VP), Clinton (State), Richardson (Commerce), and Vilsack (Ag). Vilsack ran for president for just a few months before pulling out of the race, citing the enormous cost of competing against Clinton and Obama. So far, the Dem rivals who AREN’T joining the Obama administration are Dodd, Edwards (duh), Gravel, and Kucinich. There's always the Department of Peace for Kucinich, but we are at a complete loss about what Gravel wants…
*** Rocky Mountain High, Colorado: Meanwhile, the Denver Post has the names of the leading candidates Gov. Bill Ritter (D) is considering to replace Salazar in the Senate. "Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, outgoing state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter are three of the names in serious contention, strategists said." Also, for that other open Senate seat, Caroline Kennedy is reportedly heading to Upstate New York for private meetings. And speaking of Caroline, it appears Clinton is sending private messages to supporters to stop their campaign against her. Is this the ultimate sign that this Kennedy deal is almost done? Harry Reid gave his official sign of approval. What else is necessary?
*** The never-ending recount: In Minnesota yesterday, the state canvassing board took up the ballots that the Franken campaign disputed. And as expected, the Minneapolis Star Tribune says, most of those challenges broke Coleman’s way -- the GOP senator added 98 votes, Franken added 22, and 41 were ruled out for either side. That brings Coleman’s lead in the Star Tribune count to 264 votes. But the board has yet to consider the 1,000 or so challenges that the Coleman camp has made, and a good bit of those are expected to break Franken’s way. The canvassing board reconvenes in St. Paul today at 10:00 am ET.
Countdown to Electoral Vote Count In Congress: 22 days
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Tom Vilsack's
elevation to Ag secretary means he "would be the fourth high-level appointment of a former presidential campaign rival to Obama's team, following Clinton for secretary of State, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden for vice president and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for Commerce secretary."
By the way, it’s a big victory for ethanol advocates to have Vilsack in the Cabinet
The New York Times : “Mr. Vilsack, who briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2008 race after serving two terms as governor, is a strong proponent of renewable energy and developing the nation’s alternative fuel industry. He will be joined at a news conference here by Senator Ken Salazar, Democrat of Colorado, who will be nominated as interior secretary.” CONTINUED >>
In a front-page piece, the
New York Times writes, “The decision by Ms. Kennedy to end a highly private existence and enter politics — New York politics, no less — presents what even her supporters acknowledge is a gamble on a carefully cultivated reputation for quiet competence and dignity established over the 45 years since her father was assassinated. She must overcome skepticism about her experience and credentials, and deflate what some Democrats view as a sense of entitlement by a member of a storied American political family trying to begin her political career near the top of the ladder.”
A New York Times editorial has additional questions for Kennedy: “As someone who has guarded her privacy, is she ready for the heat and the criticisms that are about to bear down on her? How would Ms. Kennedy fare in dealing more publicly with the crowds and the media scrum? Would she really be able to open up?… Another question being asked quietly among government and business types in New York is whether Ms. Kennedy has the legislative skills to help New York’s senior senator, Charles Schumer, and the rest of the state’s delegation… Finally, will she, as Mrs. Clinton did, do the hard political work to show she would represent New Yorkers who live outside Manhattan’s best ZIP codes?”
Speaking of that final question, Politico’s Ben Smith reports that she’s headed to Upstate New York today for a series of private meetings. CONTINUED >>
The
Chicago Sun-Times reports that incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel pushed for Valerie Jarrett to be appointed to the Senate seat. "Jarrett was initially interested in the U.S. Senate post before Obama tapped her to be a White House senior adviser, sources say. The disclosure comes days after Obama's camp downplayed Jarrett's interest in the post. At one point, an ‘emissary’ who said he represented Jarrett had discussions with Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris and the governor about naming Jarrett to the post, according to a criminal complaint.”
“In addition to the discussions, Emanuel submitted a list of names of candidates suitable to the Obama team to the governor's administration. Jarrett was not among those names because she had pulled herself out of the running at that point, a source with the Obama camp said."
The Chicago Sun-Times’ columnist Michael Sneed: “Sneed hears rumbles President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is reportedly on 21 different taped conversations by the feds -- dealing with his boss' vacant Senate seat! A lot of chit-chat? Hot air? Or trouble? To date: Rahm's been mum. Stay tuned.” CONTINUED >>
COLORADO :
Denver Post reports that the top three names on Dem Gov. Bill Ritter's short list will likely be: "Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, outgoing state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter are three of the names in serious contention, strategists said."
"It would be a tough choice for Ritter, a first-term governor, because Democrats want someone who can raise enough money to keep Salazar's seat, which comes up for election in 2010," AP writes . "Salazar had raised more than $2 million for re-election."
Republicans will now have an easier time finding someone to run. Salazar was scaring off potential GOPers for 2010.
Who's on the GOP roster for the Colorado seat? CQ's list : "Potential Republican candidates include two former House members who have expressed some interest in returning to political life -- Bob Beauprez, who lost decisively to Ritter in the 2006 election for governor, and Scott McInnis, who served for a dozen years in the seat that John Salazar now holds. Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, a conservative who is retiring at the end of this year from a district that takes in suburbs south and west of Denver, also is mentioned as a possible candidate." CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie NBC News has confirmed that former Iowa Gov.
Tom Vilsack will be named Agriculture secretary. The appointment will be announced at the news conference tomorrow, along with Obama's choice for Interior, Colorado Sen.
Ken Salazar .
From NBC's Carrie Dann and Libby Leist U.S. Ambassador
Christopher Hill said today that he has NOT been asked to stay on in an
Obama administration. "I haven’t talked to anybody about my future," he said in response to a reporter's question about a possible role in the diplomatic corps of the next president, adding wryly, "I do need to figure out what I’m going to do when I grow up."
Hill, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs since 2005, has been central to painstakingly delicate negotiations between the United States and North Korea as the West efforts a complete nuclear disarmament by Pyongyang. His diplomatic style would make him a conceivable match for Obama's State Department team; in 2007, he successfully lobbied Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice in favor of bilateral talks between the U.S. and North Korea, and he has famously clashed with more hard-line negotiators like former UN ambassador
John Bolton .
The ambassador spoke to reporters today in the wake of bad news for the U.S. in six-party talks, which suffered a major setback last week when North Korean negotiators refused to sign on to guidelines for a "verification protocol" that would open up north Korean nuclear facilities to intrusive inspections, including collecting and removing nuclear samples from the country.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Saul Anuzis , the Michigan GOP chair who's running for chairman of the Republican National Committee, has issued a 24-page "Blueprint for a GOP Comeback " to RNC members that details his agenda and vision for returning the party to political power.
In the document, Anuzis envisions the party being a "grassroots-up relationship of equals," not a DC-down "paternalistic relationship; advocates for a "50-state strategy" to appeal to voters in the Northeast, Midwest, and West as well it does in the South; stresses that the party do a better job of reaching out to Latino and black voters; contends that the GOP begin harnessing the latest advancements in technology to advance its message; and argues that it search for ways to better compete against the Democrats financially.
While he says that the Republican Party needs to do more organizationally, financially, demographically, and geographically, Anuzis believes the party is fine ideologically. "On November 4," he writes, "the Republican Party lost, our ideas didn't. Unfortunately, the American people lost faith in our commitment to those ideas."
He goes on to say that the party must "stand proudly" on its core principles. "When Democrats try to raise taxes, we’ll mobilize the American people to stop them. When the Democrat spending spree begins, we’ll end it... When the Democrats try to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq, hollow out our military, dismantle our missile defenses and appease dictators, we’ll block them..."
(But if these GOP ideas are winners, then why do 70% in a new Washington Post/ABC poll say that Obama should fulfill his campaign promise to withdraw US troops from Iraq within the next 16 months; why did exit polls from the presidential race show a majority wanting the government to do more rather than less; and why did just 3% say in the latest NBC/WSJ poll that taxes are the most important economic issue facing the country?) Chip Saltsman , who was Mike Huckabee's campaign manager, has posted a "plan for victory ." Ken Blackwell , who unsuccessfully ran for Ohio governor in 2006, is writing columns on National Review Online . And current chair Mike Duncan , who has decided to run for re-election, has discussed his own comeback plan . We'll flesh out these proposals -- and others -- in the coming weeks before the next RNC chairman is selected in late January. *** UPDATE *** Katon Dawson remind us that he has unveiled his own plan two weeks ago.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Mark Murray Harry Reid is recommending Caroline Kennedy for the seat to-be vacated by Hillary Clinton in New York once she is named Secretary of State, First Read has learned.
The Nevada senator called New York Gov. David Paterson last week to voice support for Kennedy to replace Clinton.
(Hat tip to The Washington Post's Cillizza .)
And here's what Reid told Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston:
RALSTON: “So, are you going to call the governor of New York and say, “’She's fine in my book?’”
REID: “I already have.”
From NBC’s Athena Jones Obama stressed the need to find common ground, bridge partisan divides and ensure that ideology does not get in the way of good policy.
He highlighted those same themes today in announcing his friend Arne Duncan , the head of Chicago’s public schools, as his pick for education secretary.
Duncan, a 44-year-old Harvard grad who plays basketball with Obama, has won praise for raising performance in Chicago schools, including Dodge Renaissance Academy, where today’s press conference took place.
After he closed the failing school and reopened it, the number of students meeting state standards more than tripled, the president-elect said during his opening remarks. He and Duncan visited Dodge together in 2005.
“When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners,” Obama said. “For Arne school reform isn't just a theory in a book; it's the cause of his life, and the results just aren't about test scores or statistics but about whether our children are developing the skills they need to compete with any worker in the world for any job. When faced with tough decisions, Arne doesn't blink. He's not beholden to any one ideology. And he doesn't hesitate, for one minute, to do what needs to be done.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Doug Adams With word today that Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) is poised to be tapped by Obama as his Interior secretary, there will soon be four vacant Senate seats that will have to be filled by appointment in the next few months.
With the scrutiny brought on by the Rod Blagojevich case, not to mention the complaints by some that Caroline Kennedy doesn't have the experience to be an effective senator, it's worth looking at the rich history of U.S. Senators appointed for reasons other than ability.John F. Kennedy 's seat in 1960. When JFK left the Senate, his replacement was Benjamin A. Smith .
Smith was an unlikely choice. His main political qualification for the job was having been the mayor of Gloucester, Mass., for two years. But much more importantly, Smith was the good friend and former Harvard roommate of JFK.
CONTINUED >>
From MSNBC's Adam Verdugo Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan responded today to criticism that he's dragging his feet when it comes to bringing up legislation calling for a special election to replace embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich , saying that Democrats have not ruled it out.
"All we did yesterday was to defer the question of a special election," he said in an interview with MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell.
The Republican Party in the state points to a poll it commissioned (conducted by McLaughlin & Associates), which indicates that just 14% believe Illinois' is on the right track; 79% say the state is on the wrong track. And that two-thirds support a special election.
Republicans, who obviously want a special election to have a shot at winning the seat, claim that if Democrats in the state house don't take action soon, voters will hold them accountable.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann The reported ties between Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the nation's largest labor union continue to be ad fodder for organizations wary of a a pro-labor agenda item that looms as one of next year's brewing legislative showdowns.
CONTINUED >>
From MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell Caroline Kennedy has reached out to Hillary Clinton to discuss her interest in the Senate seat, according to a source familiar with the replacement process. While Clinton has not made clear who she supports to fill her seat, sources say that the three Hillary supporters who recently made anti-Caroline remarks were rebuked by Clinton confidantes immediately after they made them. A message from Clinton's team was sent to Clinton fundraiser Robert Zimmerman, RWDSU president Stu Appelbaum, and Rep. Anthony Weiner .
When asked whether Clinton would back a candidate, her spokesman, Philippe Reines, said: "This is entirely Gov. Paterson's decision. Sen. Clinton completely respects the privacy of his process so will not be commenting on it or any individual candidate, nor does any third party speak on her behalf."
From NBC's John Yang President Bush survived his close Baghdad encounter with a pair of size 10s unscathed, but White House Press Secretary Dana Perino wasn't so lucky.
When Mr. Bush's lead agent leapt up after the first shoe was thrown, he hit the stand, sending it swiveling. Perino had her eyes on Bush, didn't see it coming and ... well, boom.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann *** Senate brain drain : At 11:45 am ET, Obama will hold yet another press conference -- this one at Dodge Renaissance Academy in Chicago, where he will nominate Arne Duncan, the head of Chicago’s public schools, to be his Education secretary. (Reformers should be fairly happy with this pick, meaning expect a decent review from David Brooks; Margaret Spellings even had praise for Duncan during a stop last week.) But the other big cabinet news we learned yesterday is that Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar will be Obama’s pick for Interior. The Salazar news is significant on a few levels. One, his seat would become the fourth vacancy that Democrats would have to fill (in addition to Obama’s, Biden’s, and Clinton’s), and that could make things a bit more difficult for the Dems’ Senate map in 2010. Two, with Mel Martinez (R) deciding not to seek re-election, Salazar’s move to Interior would leave just one Hispanic left in the Senate (Bob Menendez). And last, but certainly not least, Salazar heading to the Obama cabinet would be the latest evidence that the Senate is losing many of its key players. Salazar is someone who is well liked on the Hill, and he’s played an important role in key Senate compromises (Gang of 14, the immigration debate, etc.). Just think about the next Senate: The Dems would be losing Hillary, Biden, Obama, and Salazar, while the Republicans are losing Ted Stevens, Pete Domenici, John Sununu, Elizabeth Dole, John Warner, Gordon Smith, etc. That’s a loss of a lot of institutional knowledge and/or brainpower.
*** Watch for what Hillary has to say : As for Caroline Kennedy’s decision to seek appointment to Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat, we’ve learned that Kennedy is working it hard; she has already made several dozen phone calls yesterday alone (including Al Sharpton and probably Clinton herself). Her biggest obstacle has become those Hillary “grass-tops” supporters, who either are still angry about the Hillary-vs.-Obama outcome and Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama, or who have another horse in the race (Andrew Cuomo, Kirsten Gillenbrand, Carolyn Maloney, etc.). The debate in New York over Kennedy has, in some ways, has turned into a fight between the Upper East Side (diehard Clinton supporters) and Upper West Side (Obama supporters or Clinton backers who have moved on). We’ve also learned that Gov. David Paterson -- who has been working on the state budget -- isn’t as far along in the appointment process as you might think. And this all means that Hillary Clinton is going to have A LOT of say regarding her successor. Will we see Clinton speak soon? And just what will she say? While Clinton supporters still might be miffed at Kennedy for going against the state's favorite daughter, will the Clintons themselves like the fact that a Kennedy wants to follow a Clinton in the Senate? Answers to those questions would give us our best clues as to whether we’re really going to see a Camelot return to DC.
Video: NBC's Chuck Todd offers his first read on the news that Caroline Kennedy is actively pursuing Hillary Clinton's senate seat and the reaction of those involved in Clinton's presidential campaign. ***
Caroline’s pitch : Finally, a few things about Kennedy’s pitch for the seat. On the policy front, the pitch is this: No one else Paterson could appoint will have as much bully pulpit access as Caroline. She may be 100th in seniority when she arrives, but no one will be able to get more reporters to show up to a press conference. On the political front, the pitch is simple: There are two races in two years for this seat, and isn’t it better to appoint someone who can raise the big money necessary to scare off the GOP?
*** Dynasty watch : Could the four Democrats seeking Senate seats in the four Obama-presidential related vacancies all be relatives of famous politicos in their home states: John Salazar in Colorado, brother of Ken? Beau Biden in Delaware (in 2010, once he gets back from Iraq), son of Joe? Lisa Madigan in Illinois, daughter of Assembly Speaker Michael? And Caroline Kennedy in New York, well, you know who she is, right? One other note about Salazar: He isn't even finishing his term. His story, in fact, is similar to a lot of first-term senators who are very frustrated by the lack of power that comes with being a senator, particularly for those who used to be executives like Salazar, a one-time state attorney general. Many new senators who were once executives aren't interested in waiting 15-18 years to become committee chairman so they can finally accomplish something.
*** The OTHER Senate seat debate : Here's what we think we know today in Illinois: Blagojevich is nowhere near resigning… The state legislature is not open to having a special election (to the relief of many Democrats, who worry about the political atmosphere in the state in 2009 vs. 2010)… Obama's team might feign disappointment that Patrick Fitzgerald's office doesn't want them releasing details of their internal probe on transition contacts with Blago's team, but it's pretty convenient that Fitzgerald gave them the green light to release this information during the week of Christmas … Is the case against Blagojevich not as cut and dried as it looked last week, and is that why Blago is not going anywhere? … Finally, if there is no special election, then who will be the unimpeachable pick to fill the seat? Abner Mikva? Ernie Banks? Some Paul Simon relative?
Video: Blagojevich makes a statement for the first time since his arrest, indicating that he is going to fight to remain governor of Illinois. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports. ***
The beginning of the end? Even though six weeks have now passed since Election Day, we still don't have a winner in Minnesota's Senate race between Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (D). But today -- when the state canvassing board begins ruling on about 1,500 disputed ballots -- finally marks the beginning of the end of this long recount process. The canvassing board will begin ruling on these challenged ballots at 1:00 pm ET in St. Paul, and the process is supposed to last through Friday. The momentum seems to be on Franken’s side. Analyses by the
AP and the
Star Tribune have projected that Franken will pick up more votes from these disputed ballots than Coleman will, perhaps enough to overtake Coleman’s miniscule lead. Also, if Coleman wins, all will not be easy for him as this investigation into a Coleman donor
may be hitting a little too close to home .
*** Did Obama’s vetters know this? Is Bill Richardson headed for a tougher-than-expected confirmation hearing? Consider Bloomberg’s scoop from yesterday, which the Washington Post follows up on today, noting that a federal grand jury is investigating whether a financial firm won more than $1.4 million in work for New Mexico after making contributions to Richardson PACs. In fact, the Post reports that the grand jury in Albuquerque will today hear from several key witnesses, including folks who worked for Richardson PACs. Does the Blagojevich pay-to-play scandal give this news more scrutiny? The it's-just-politics defense was probably enough to keep Senate vetters from digging too deep on this BB (Before Blagojevich). But what about now? Also, a retired Chinese-American businessman from San Francisco has started a group that resurrects the entire Wen Ho Lee controversy (by alleging that Richardson denied his due process rights after terminating his employment). The group claims more than 9,000 signatures against Richardson’s appointment. Bottom line for those looking for the one Obama cabinet pick who will face confirmation trouble: You may want to move your chips off of Holder and on to Richardson.
*** McCain watch : Obama isn’t the only one holding a press conference today. The man he defeated last month, John McCain, speaks to reporters at 1:00 pm ET in Tucson, AZ. It’s his second news conference since the election.
Countdown to Electoral Vote Count In Congress: 23 days
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Obama is going local for his Education secretary -- Chicago public schools chief Arne Duncan, “who over seven years maintained a positive story line for the troubled district," the Los Angeles Times reports. More: "Since 2001, when Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley plucked Duncan from obscurity to head the country's third-largest school district, Duncan has gained a reputation as a reformer who isn't afraid to rankle the teachers union and punish underperforming schools. His decisions to pay students for good grades, back an unrealized plan for a gay-friendly high school and consider boarding schools often polarized the community while bolstering his renegade image.”
“‘He has the brains, courage, creativity and temperament for the job,’ said former Chicago schools chief Paul Vallas, who hired Duncan as his deputy chief of staff in 1998. ‘And he's very close to the president, which is an important thing too.’ Duncan, who grew up in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood not far from Obama's home, was among the architects of Obama's education policy. The two have been friends for more than a decade, and Duncan was among the group of friends who played basketball with Obama on election day. " Washington Post adds that Duncan “graduated from Harvard University, where he was co-captain of the basketball team, and he played professional basketball in Australia from 1987 to 1991. He returned to Chicago to direct the Ariel Education Initiative, which creates educational opportunities for youths on the South Side.”
More on the location of today’s press conference where Obama will announce Duncan as his Education secretary: “Dodge Renaissance Academy was a failing school on Chicago's West Side that the city shuttered in 2002. Duncan reopened the school as an academy where candidates for advanced degrees in education work in the classrooms. Duncan and Obama visited the school three years ago and hailed it as a successful model for teacher residency programs that could be replicated in the toughest schools nationwide.”
CONTINUED >>
The New York Times reports that some experts are wondering whether the part of the criminal complaint accusing Blago of selling the senate seat is truly an airtight case. "Robert S. Bennett, one of Washington’s best-known white-collar criminal defense lawyers, said Mr. Blagojevich faced nearly insurmountable legal problems in a case that includes a raft of corruption accusations unrelated to Mr. Obama’s Senate seat. But Mr. Bennett said the case raised some potentially thorny issues about political corruption.”
“‘This town is full of people who call themselves ambassadors, and all they did was pay $200,000 or $300,000 to the Republican or Democratic Party,” said Mr. Bennett, referring to a passage in the criminal complaint filed against the governor suggesting that Mr. Blagojevich was interested in an ambassadorial appointment in return for the Senate seat. ‘You have to wonder, How much of this guy’s problem was his language, rather than what he really did?’”
"Blagojevich's political isolation intensified Monday evening, with the Illinois House voting 113-0 to create a bipartisan committee that will study the allegations against Blagojevich and recommend whether he should be impeached," the AP writes. "Democrats in the Senate shelved action on a special election to fill Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat, for now leaving the decision in Blagojevich's hands… Madigan canceled plans to consider a special election to replace Obama in the Senate because he said Democrats are split over the best way to fill the vacancy. Opponents of a special election cite its cost. Republicans harshly criticized leaving the power to appoint a senator in Blagojevich's hands." Washington Post says, “Obama delayed the release of a review of his team's political contacts with the Blagojevich administration. He said the review confirmed that his staff had done nothing inappropriate and that the corruption case had ‘nothing to do with my office.’ Obama said he delayed the release at the request of U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald whose investigators are hurrying to interview witnesses in the Blagojevich case. Fitzgerald confirmed the request for a delay. ‘I would ask for your patience because I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation,’ Obama said. ‘But there is nothing in the review that was presented to me that in any way contradicted my earlier statements.’”
Politico has perhaps the most important story of the morning about Speaker Nancy Pelosi telling incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to keep his hands out of Congress' business. "Democratic insiders say there’s no animosity between Pelosi and Emanuel, who’s leaving his post as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus to become the next White House chief of staff. But the speaker is laying down the law nonetheless. In talks with Emanuel and others, sources say, Pelosi has ‘set parameters’ for what she wants from Barack Obama and his White House staff -- no surprises, and no backdoor efforts to go around her and other Democratic leaders by cutting deals with moderate New Democrats or conservative Blue Dogs.”
”Specifically, Pelosi has told Emanuel that she wants to know when representatives of the incoming administration have any contact with her rank-and-file Democrats -- and why, sources say.”
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has officially taken the reins on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he's got an active schedule. He "met yesterday with leaders in Pakistan and India, trying to ease tensions between the two nuclear powers over the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai. He next goes to Afghanistan ... and the first stop on Kerry's itinerary, which began over the weekend, was the Republic of Georgia, the front line in Russia's more aggressive stance against the West. On Sunday, he and Obama talked about a global warming conference in Poland that Kerry attended."to confusion about the number of seats they will fill on each committee , where some of the biggest legislative decisions are actually made.
And Politico asks, "Where are they now?" of the Hill team that sought Bill Clinton's impeachment a decade ago. "Of the House impeachment managers -- the 13 Judiciary Committee members who prosecuted the case against Clinton 10 years ago -- only two will return to their seats in January. One is dead, one is a senator, and at least one sacrificed his career for the impeachment. Some have traded public life for the private sector or perhaps simply for privacy."
COLORADO : Names being floated as potential replacements for Ken Salazar’s Senate seat: Salazar's brother, John, who is in Congress representing the state's 3rd District. Word is though, he is happy to be on the House Appropriations Committee and would rather stay there. Other leading names: Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and former Denver Mayor Federico Pena. Other possibilities include Rep. Diana DeGette (though some worry if she can win statewide) and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who may be tapped by Dem Gov. Bill Ritter to be the state's new secretary of state.
By the way, if conservatives bring a lawsuit about Hillary Clinton's constitutional fitness to serve as on the executive branch payroll after serving in Congress, the decision could affect Sen. Ken Salazar's appointment to a post at the Interior Department, too.
MINNESOTA : The Star Tribune : “With thousands of frivolous challenges discarded, the state Canvassing Board is expected to begin today the serious business of ruling on ballot disputes that could decide the U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and DFLer Al Franken. Prodded by the board, the campaigns have abandoned most of the challenges they've made during the recount, allowing the panel to focus on perhaps fewer than 1,500. At the heart of the matter is voter intent and how the five-member board will determine it by examining each remaining challenged ballot: Is a partially filled oval sufficient to cast a vote? How about an 'X' written near a candidate's name?”
More: “The Star Tribune has performed its own analysis of the challenged ballots by relying on a virtual "canvassing board" of more than 26,000 readers who examined at least some of them. There appeared to be widespread consensus that Franken won slightly more disputes than Coleman, enough to theoretically erase the incumbent's narrow lead by late Monday… The conclusion is consistent with an analysis done by the Associated Press, which showed that Franken netted enough votes from several thousand easily resolved disputes to erase Coleman's lead.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Athena Jones CHICAGO -- President-elect Barack Obama told reporters today that an internal review into communications members of his staff may have had with the office of beleaguered Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has shown nothing inappropriate.
Obama did not answer directly a question about reports that Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had had contact with the governor's office, instead largely repeating the paper statement his transition team released earlier today. Obama said the review had shown that his office had not engaged in any improper conversations with the governor's office, but that they had agreed to delay release of the review at the request of the US Attorney's office.
Blagojevich faces numerous charges of corruption, including attempting to trade the president-elect's vacated Senate seat for personal gain.
"I had no contact with the Governor's office and I had no contact with anybody in the Governor's office and what I indicated last week is that there was nothing that my office did that was in any way inappropriate or related to the charges that have been brought," Obama said in response to a question about Emanuel's contacts with the governor's office. "Now, beyond that, as we said in the statement today, we were prepared to release the findings of the review that had been done -- which are thorough and comprehensive. The US Attorney's office asked us to hold off releasing those for one week."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Abby Livingston Coleman and Franken campaigns continued today.
Coleman campaign officials alleged that as many as 200 votes could be duplicates accidentally counted twice along with original ballots.
But while Knaak described the move on a conference call as protecting “the sanctity and integrity of Minnesota’s elections,” Franken campaign attorney Marc Elias called the move a “cynical and desperate attempt by the Coleman campaign to stop this train from moving.”
The Franken campaign appears to be growing in confidence that the challenged ballot examination will allow Franken to overcome the current deficit of 192 votes and will throw the vote totals in his favor.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
(2) They won't release the review, however, until the week of Dec. 22 -- the same week as Hanukkah and Christmas -- at the U.S. Attorney's office's direction.
Below is the statement from Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray The
New York Times' Confessore with the
breaking news : "
Caroline Kennedy , the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided she will pursue the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton , a person told of her decision said Monday. The decision came after a series of deeply personal and political conversations, in which Ms. Kennedy, who friends describe as unflashy but determined, wrestled with whether to give up what has been a lifetime of avoiding the spotlight."
"Ms. Kennedy will ask that Gov.
David A. Paterson consider her for the appointment. The governor was traveling to Utica today could not immediately be reached for comment.
If appointed, Ms. Kennedy would fill the seat once held by her uncle, the late Robert F. Kennedy."
From NBC's Pete Williams and Mark Murray Patrick Leahy agreed today to delay the start of the confirmation hearing for Eric Holder to be attorney general.
It will now start Thursday, January 15; it had been scheduled for January 8.
Arlen Specter , the committee's ranking member, asked Leahy last week to delay to hearing, citing in part Holder's role in the controversial pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann If the shoe fits…: If Bush ever hopes to have the history of his presidency revived, a la Truman, it's going to start with success in Iraq. That's why it must have been that much harder for him to deal with the fact he had shoes thrown at him in his final visit to the country before he leaves office. It's bad enough in our last NBC/WSJ poll that 79% of Americans said they wouldn't miss him -- but at least no one is throwing shoes at him stateside. In that same poll, we asked respondents to judge Bush on his greatest achievements and failures. Not surprisingly, Iraq was at the top (or near it) in both lists. Removing Saddam Hussein was seen as Bush's second greatest accomplishment, but going into Iraq and starting a war was seen as his greatest failure. Iraq is THAT complicated for Bush and his legacy. This economic downturn in the last year of his presidency probably serves as the exclamation point on a public judgment of a below-average presidency for him. But Iraq has always been viewed as Bush's last chance at historical redemption. The good news for him: He's taking this with humor and, as he points out, journalists could not have done that in Iraq eight years ago. But yesterday’s shoe-throwing incident -- the showing of the sole of a shoe is a great insult in Arab culture, NBC’s John Yang points out -- might very well be the epitaph of the Bush presidency.
Video: President Bush is forced to duck as an Iraqi reporter throws his shoes at him during a Baghdad news conference. NBC's John Yang reports. ***
Another Obama Q&A: Obama will no doubt receive more questions on the Blagojevich scandal when he unveils his Green Team at a press conference in Chicago at 5:00 pm ET. As NBC’s Savannah Guthrie has reported, Obama will announce Steven Chu to head Energy, Lisa Jackson to lead the EPA, Carol Browner to be energy czar, and Nancy Sutley to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality. (Before the presser, Obama will meet with his national security team, which includes Biden, Clinton, Gates, Holder, Napolitano, and Jones.) One question that Obama will certainly get at today's press conference will be the
Chicago Tribune report over the weekend that Rahm Emanuel spoke to Blagojevich’s chief of staff about possible replacements for the Senate seat (Jesse Jackson wasn’t on that Obama-approved list). But given the Browner appointment, he might also get a non-Blagojevich question about the fact, as today’s
New York Times reports, that Browner’s and Daschle’s spouses are lobbyists. By the way, it doesn't appear Interior will be part of today’s rollout. Is this a vetting issue? Ideally, they'd want that post as part of the Green Team, right?
Video: Illinois lawmakers are hoping to find a way to persuade Blagojevich to step down. NBC's Ron Allen reports. ***
F-Rod: Here are some more developments in the Blagojevich scandal that occurred over the weekend: A Blago spokesman
squashed rumors that the governor might resign today… On
Meet the Press , state AG Lisa Madigan floated the idea that Blago could temporarily step aside and still collect a paycheck... The Illinois GOP has released a
TV ad calling for a special election instead of an appointment by, say, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn… And what about Madigan’s poor answer on Meet about her political ambitions? Why did she give the political answer when asked about her interest in another office? Both Madigans -- Lisa and her father, Assembly Speaker Michael -- have significant roles to play in the ousting of Blagojevich. When the spotlight shines on the Madigans, the appearance of a family political dynasty holding the fate of the governor in their hands is not going to help the image of Illinois politics. Impeachment, by the way, may come up today as the Assembly meets.
Video: Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn discuss the fallout from the Blagojevich scandal with NBC's David Gregory on "Meet the Press." ***
Caroline vs. the Clintons? Just when you thought the Clinton-vs.-Obama rivalry had died down, now come reports that Clinton supporters in New York are saying some not-so-nice things about Caroline Kennedy -- who supported Obama in the primaries -- potentially becoming the state’s next senator. Writes the
New York Daily News : “In recent days, Robert Zimmerman, a Clinton adviser and member of the Democratic National Committee, and Stuart Appelbaum, a former Clinton delegate and president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, ripped Kennedy's qualifications. Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens, Brooklyn) and Gary Ackerman (D-Queens), both of whom are loyal to Clinton, have also harped on Kennedy's lack of political experience. Ackerman compared Kennedy's name recognition with that of Jennifer Lopez, saying popularity doesn't make someone qualified to be a U.S. senator.” Meanwhile, Caroline is trying to placate critics as she reached out last week to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a top Dem who apparently isn't crazy about the idea. She's working this harder than some folks might have believed.
*** Your mom goes to (Electoral) College: Meanwhile, the only votes that count in electing Obama as president are cast today when the 538 members of the Electoral College meet in their state capitals and DC. Also, with states now certifying their results, turnout expert Michael McDonald at George Mason University revised his numbers again -- 131 million people voted in the presidential election. That's "61.6 percent of the nation's eligible voters, the highest turnout rate since 1968, when Republican Richard M. Nixon defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey." That's about a 7% raw vote change from 2004, when 122 million people voted, or about 60.1 percent. This is the third straight presidential election in which turnout has increased. "We seem to have restored the levels of civic engagement that we had in the 1950s and 1960s," McDonald said. "But we didn't break those levels." (MSNBC.com's Tom Curry explains the process.)
*** More good news for Franken? On Friday, in twin victories for the Franken campaign, the state canvassing board recommended that counties accept mistakenly rejected absentee ballots, and it also ruled to count 133 ballots that had gone missing during the recount. Tomorrow, the same canvassing board will begin judging the ballots the Coleman and Franken camps have challenged, and an AP analysis of these challenges shows that Franken could pick up at least 200 additional votes. That’s significant because, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s count, Coleman is leading by 192 votes. How crazy (and litigious) would it be if Franken comes out of the recount leading by eight or fewer votes?
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Blagojevich’s spokesman tells the New York Times that the governor isn’t resigning today, despite some rumors to the contrary. “Not only was Mr. Blagojevich not resigning, the spokesman, Lucio Guerrero, said, but he was planning to go to work on Monday and study a few bills that might at some point require either his signature or veto -- including one that will be hammered out in a special legislative session in Springfield that would strip him of his coveted appointment power over President-elect Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat. ‘He has no plans of resigning today or tomorrow,’ Mr. Guerrero said on Sunday. ‘He still signs bills as governor, and he wants to see details.’”
More details are coming out about Rahm Emanuel's interaction with Blagojevich. He never talked to the governor personally, only aides. By the way, the lack of inclusion of Jesse Jackson Jr. on the supposed Obama list might cause a little heartburn in that relationship.
The Illinois GOP has announced it’s running a TV ad on cable calling for a special election, rather than having, say, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn appoint a replacement if Blagojevich steps down.
The Chicago Tribune on the GOP effort: “The Democratic-led House and Senate currently have brought the legislators back to Springfield this week to vote on a special election. The Republicans downplayed the cost of a special election, with some suggesting the special election could be run in conjunction with local elections set to be held in February and April next years.”
Impeachment could also come up when the General Assembly meets today.
CONTINUED >>
Over the weekend, Obama named New York City housing commissioner Shaun Donovan as his choice for HUD secretary . "Conrad Egan, president of the nonpartisan National Housing Conference, said Obama's selection of Donovan signals that he recognizes HUD can play a big role in the economic recovery. 'It really needs to be a seat at the Cabinet table that is the principle point where housing and community development issues are brought together and resolved successfully,' Egan said. 'HUD has been perceived as a second-tier participant in meeting that challenge.'"
Noting the selection of Tom Daschle to HHS and Carol Browner as the White House’s energy czar, the New York Times writes that both of their spouses are high-powered Washington lobbyists. “Mr. Obama’s selection of Mr. Daschle and Ms. Browner to high-level positions illustrates a potential loophole in his pledge of keeping special interests at a distance. The ethics code that Mr. Obama imposed on his transition team takes a hard line against lobbyists.”
”People are disqualified from working on any matters they lobbied about within the past year, and currently registered federal lobbyists are barred from playing a significant role -- regardless of the issues they lobby about. But Mr. Obama’s embrace of Mr. Daschle and his presumed choice of Ms. Browner suggest that he will take a softer line on lobbying by the spouses of the officials in his administration.”
More: "Stephanie Cutter, the transition spokeswoman, said Mr. Obama’s team was writing ‘ethics rules for an Obama administration that will meet every commitment made during the campaign.’ ‘To prevent conflicts of interests,’ Ms. Cutter added, ‘administration officials will recuse themselves from any issue involving a spouse, and spouses will be banned from lobbying relevant agencies.’ In a bid to avoid conflicts, Ms. Daschle has announced that she will leave her lobbying firm, where colleagues represent health care clients, and plans to start her own practice, which will not accept clients with interests in health care policy. Mr. Downey has not disclosed his plans and did not respond to an interview request, but Ms. Cutter said that if Ms. Browner became energy czar, Mr. Downey’s firm would no longer accept energy or environment-related work.”
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Post front-pages, “Arriving here on Sunday for a surprise farewell visit, President Bush staunchly defended a war that has taken far more time, money and lives than anticipated, but he received a taste of local resentment toward his policies when an Iraqi journalist hurled two shoes at him at a news conference… Just after Bush finished his remarks and said ‘Thank you’ in Arabic, an Iraqi journalist took off his shoes and threw them at Bush, one after the other.”
”Throwing a shoe at someone is considered the worst possible insult in Iraq and is meant to show extreme disrespect and contempt. When U.S. forces helped topple a statue of Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein after rolling into Baghdad in April 2003, jubilant Iraqis beat the statue's face with their shoes. ‘This is a farewell kiss!’ the man, identified as Muntadar al-Zaidi, a reporter with the Cairo-based al-Baghdadia television network, yelled in Arabic as he threw the first shoe. Bush, about 12 feet away, ducked and narrowly missed being hit. When Zaidi threw again, Maliki reached out his hand to shield the president.”
Bush continued to take questions after the situation was resolved, the Boston Globe adds.
CONTINUED >>
The Obamas will arrive in DC by train beginning on Jan. 17, starting in Philly, and picking up the Bidens in Delaware. New York Times looks at some Obama's closest friends and wonders how often they'll visit DC.
By the way, it’s going to be very crowded in DC, the Washington Post front-pages. “Even if only half of the projected 2 million to 4 million people show up for next month's presidential inauguration, the Washington region's roadways and transit systems will be too pressed to handle the crush, planners say. Officials are working out details of their transportation plan for the event, but the capacity of the area's transit and road infrastructure, combined with strict security, means residents and potential visitors need to have realistic expectations about how quickly they will be able to move around on Jan. 20, officials said.”
"Senator and Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Jim Bunning, who spent the first seven years of his baseball career in Detroit (five of them as an All Star), was uninvited to a scheduled stint signing autographs in Michigan this weekend after the Kentucky Republican voted against a bailout for the auto industry, the
Detroit Free Press reports.
The
price tag on the stimulus package expected to hit the Hill next January might be higher than House Dems had expected.
National Journal's Ron Brownstein on the auto bailout: "American automakers could learn a great deal from their Japanese competitors, starting with the value of a ritualized public apology for failure."
Roll Call : "Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) are putting their band of reformers back together and hitting the halls of Capitol Hill in pursuit of their latest mission -- curtailing the practice of earmarking federal dollars in legislation, sources said late last week."
The Blue Dog coalition in the House
may have a parallel group of counterparts on the other side of the dome soon. Indiana Senator Evan "Bayh, who has spoken with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) about his initiative, said he is trying to create a faction of moderate Senators who will gather on a weekly basis ahead of the usual Tuesday Democratic Caucus meetings."
ILLINOIS: The AP takes a look at Lt. Gov Pat Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan, both thought to be potential candidates for governor in 2010.
MINNESOTA: On Tuesday, the state canvassing board will decide on the fate on thousands of ballots that the Coleman and Franken campaigns are challenging. And according to a new AP analysis of these ballots, Franken could pick up at least an additional 200 votes. ”[A]n Associated Press analysis of the more than 5,000 challenged ballots found that most of the votes have clear intent and no deficiencies for which they would be disqualified under Minnesota law. The AP's cataloguing includes many challenges that were later withdrawn by the campaigns and the roughly 3,500 that remained up in the air as of Saturday. Of the 2.9 million votes already recounted, Coleman leads Franken by fewer than 200… The AP also found that of the 3,500 challenged ballots that easily could be assigned, Franken netted 200 more votes than Coleman. But Coleman has withdrawn significantly fewer ballot challenges than Franken -- that is, the pool of challenges that can now be awarded to Franken is larger, and both campaigns announced Sunday that they would withdraw more challenges by Tuesday.”
The Minneapolis Star Tribune : “Al Franken's campaign on Sunday pledged to reduce the number of ballots it is challenging to fewer than 500 in the U.S. Senate race against GOP Sen. Norm Coleman. Meanwhile, the Coleman campaign said it will reduce the number of its challenges by more than half, to fewer than 1,000. Both camps, which between them had questioned more than 6,000 ballots from the Nov. 4 election, said they are reducing challenges after the state Canvassing Board asked them to do so on Friday.”
CONTINUED >>
The Hill's Reid Wilson : "Houston Mayor Bill White (D) will run for the Texas Senate seat that will be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), according to a source with knowledge of White’s plans and local media reports." More: "The three-term mayor, who won reelection in 2007 with 86 percent of the vote, gives Democrats a top recruit in the Lone Star State, something the party lacked this year when Sen. John Cornyn (R) won reelection by a wide margin."
"Less than a week after being reappointed as the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Mich.)
will announce that he will not seek a tenth term in 2010, according to a source with knowledge of the decision."
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro New York City housing commissioner
Shaun Donovan was named
Obama ’s choice for secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the president-elect’s weekly radio address this morning.
Before joining the
Bloomberg administration in 2004, Donovan, 42 -- who was also an adviser to the Obama campaign -- was a managing director at Prudential Mortgage Capital Company where he was responsible for its investment in affordable housing loans, including the Federal Housing Administration and Fannie Mae, according to the
New York Times .
He has worked at HUD before -- as a deputy assistant secretary during the Clinton administration. He has also worked in academia and was even an architect in Italy. He holds a master’s in Public Policy and Architecture from Harvard.
The Bloomberg administration has stirred controversy in New York City for expanding upscale housing development in lower-income areas.
Critics have, at times, accused the administration of not creating enough affordable housing and caring more about gentrification.
“No one holds a position like his without making some enemies and stirring some controversy, and Mr. Donovan is no exception," the
New York Times wrote. "And though he has hands-on experience managing the vast bureaucracy and special interests involved in housing in New York City, he still faces the challenge of managing a federal agency that some critics call dysfunctional.”
Here's what Obama said about HUD and Donovan in his weekly radio address: CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann The bailout of the American auto industry, now stalled after a flurry of brinksmanship last night in the Senate, has people in Washington looking high and low for a snapshot of what ails the Big Three.
Rules in the House allow Congressional representatives to use taxpayer funds from an annual allowance (called their Member Representational Allowance, or MRA) to take out leases on vehicles for use in their home districts. The same practice is not allowed in the U.S. Senate.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's John Yang Moving from one city to another with school-aged children can be complicated. And when you're about to be President of the United States, it's really complicated.Michelle Obama raised the possibility of moving into Blair House, the presidential guest house across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, in time for their daughters, Sasha and Malia, to start school on time when classes resume at Sidwell Friends on Jan. 5.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's John Yang
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann One option for Republicans disappointed with the November election results might be to follow the sentiment of Congressman Davy Crockett, who famously declared after he lost his reelection bid in 1835: “You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.”
When George Allen , the Republican politician whose drawling on-camera slipup became an instant encyclopedia entry in 2006, opened a speech to a conservative women’s group with Crockett's quote this morning, it was hard not to think that things would stay interesting.
Allen -- the former Virginia governor and senator who narrowly lost his 2006 reelection bid amidst allegations of past racism, an over-affinity for the Confederate flag, and his on-camera utterance of the epithet “macaca” to describe an opponent’s operative – may not have the spotless resume that the GOP is looking for in the leaders of its next generation. But the twangy Californian-turned-Southern pol is looking to re-polish his image as a small government conservative with big ideas for energy infrastructure and market-based solutions.
Appearing at a luncheon sponsored by the Conservative Women’s Network under the provocative title “What to Do When Your State Turns Left” the former leader of America’s newest blue state was more eager to laud solar technology than he was to slam the incoming administration. After kidding about Crockett’s disgruntled twinges of Alamo ire, Allen went on to present ways that conservatives can “take a stand” against big government by advocating energy innovation, school choice, and job growth. CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray financial bailout back in October, but voted AGAINST the auto bailout .
Republicans : Bennett (UT), Burr (NC), Chambliss (GA), Coburn (OK), Coleman (MN), Corker (TN), Ensign (NV), Grassley (IA), Gregg (NH), Hatch (UT), Hutchison (TX), Isakson (GA), Kyl (AZ), Martinez (FL), McCain (AZ), McConnell (KY), Murkowski (AK), Thune (SD)
Democrats : Baucus (MT), Lincoln (AR), Reid (NV).
What's more, 13 of these 21 are up for re-election in 2010 (or their seats are up): Lincoln, Reid, Martinez (retiring), Vitter, Coburn, Murkowski, McCain, Isakson, Grassley, Gregg, Burr, Thune, Bennett. Another one -- Hutchison -- clearly has her eyes on running for governor in 2010.*** UPDATE *** MSNBC.com's Tom Curry did a piece on Wednesday previewing these vote-switchers.
From NBC's Mark Murray Coleman -Franken recount, Minnesota's canvassing board today 1) recommended that counties begin counting mistakenly rejected absentee ballots, and 2) voted to count the missing 133 ballots from a Minneapolis precinct.
The AP on the absentee ballot ruling: "It's a boost to Democrat Al Franken, who has fought hard for their inclusion. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman leads Franken in unofficial tallies. The directions are voluntary because the state board's members say they don't have the power to force counties to do it. At least 630 absentees are known to have been erroneously rejected, but state officials say it could be more than 1,500." Pioneer Press : "Franken also received unexpected good news when Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann dropped a mini-bombshell, telling the board that in overwhelmingly Democratic Duluth — which has not officially tallied rejected absentees — about 40 percent of that city's 319 rejected absentee ballots were mistakenly rejected. Gelbmann said the city rejected the votes because either the voter or the witness did not date their signatures. He said he couldn't find any state law to support such a rejection."
From NBC's Pete Williams and Mark Murray asked the state Supreme Court to temporarily remove embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich from the governor's office and to put the lieutenant governor in charge for now.
Madigan acted under a section of the state constitution that gives the Illinois Supreme Court the power to declare a governor unfit to serve. She urged the court to take the case and act quickly, "in light of these extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances."
The Illinois constitution gives the court exclusive power to consider "the ability of the governor to serve or resume office." This provision has never been invoked before, so the attorney general's effort is without precedent.
Recognizing that this is a legal long shot, Madigan said she's trying to seek "a remedy as narrow as possible." That's why her filings with the court today ask that Blagojevich be declared temporarily unfit to serve. She claims he is unable to carry out his duties, including performing the work necessary for the state to get short-term loans. "State government is paralyzed," she said.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Abby Livingston
Ron Carey was first elected to head the Teamsters in 1991 on a vow to end mob control. In his re-election bid in 1996, he narrowly defeated James Hoffa, Jr. However, in 1998, a court-appointed review board expelled Carey from the Teamsters, concluding, according to the New York Times, he “breached his fiduciary duty by failing to stop an illegal scheme that siphoned more than $750,000 in union money into his 1996 re-election campaign.”
In 2001, Carey was charged with perjury related to the scandal. He was later acquitted on all charges.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and five children.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Now that Detroit bailout efforts have failed in the Senate, members of the Michigan Congressional delegation are asking the White House, Treasury and the Federal Reserve to step in and take action to prevent the failure of the Detroit automakers.
It continues with a call to use TARP funds: "Given the urgent nature of this crisis, we urge you to immediately use these existing authorities to extend loans to the domestic automakers and ensure their continued operations until the 111th Congress can convene on January 6, 2009 and pass legislation relating to the long term restructuring and viability of the domestic automobile industry."
Full release after the jump:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viqueira, John Yang, and Jeannie Ohm
The Treasury Department tells NBC News that of the first $350 billion installment of the TARP money, $335 billion has either been spent or earmarked and $15 billion remains.
And remember that in order to get the second $350 billion from the $700 billion, the administration must notify Congress. At that point, Congress could simply do nothing and the administration would get their money. The only way to hold it up would be to proactively vote to DENY them the money.
So the question is: 1) If Treasury comes forward with $15 billion from TARP for the autos, will the administration be able to get through the holidays and to the next Congress -- convening on January 6 -- with essentially no money left as they continue to prop up the financial sector?
2) When they do have to come back to Congress, will leaders here put forward a resolution for a vote that would deny them the money? The votes would certainly be there to deny the second half. So the question is: Do leaders simply look the other way, thereby sending the administration the cash? Or do they perform what many might consider their responsibility as lawmakers and vote?
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama :
"I am disappointed that the Senate could not reach agreement on a short-term plan for the auto industry. I share the frustration of so many about the decades of mismanagement in this industry that has helped deliver the current crisis. Those bad practices cannot be rewarded or continued. But I also know that millions of American jobs rely directly or indirectly on a viable auto industry, and that the beginnings of reform are at hand. The revival of our economy as a whole should not be a partisan issue. So I commend those in Congress as well as the Administration who tried valiantly to forge a compromise. My hope is that the Administration and the Congress will still find a way to give the industry the temporary assistance it needs while demanding the long-term restructuring that is absolutely required."
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann Bailout crashes and burns : The $14 billion auto bailout collapsed in the Senate last night after supporters were unable to get the 60 votes needed to clear a filibuster; the cloture vote was 52-35 . In some ways, the failure said less about party politics and more about geography. Ten Republicans voted to invoke cloture and move the legislation forward (Bond, Brownback, Collins, Dole, Domenici, Lugar, Snowe, Specter, Voinovich, Warner). Four Democrats voted against it (Baucus, Lincoln, Tester, and Reid, who opposed it so he could procedurally bring up the bill again). But get this -- more than the a third of the votes against (14 out of 35) came from Democrats and Republicans hailing from southern states (Bunning, Burr, Chambliss, Cochran, Corker, DeMint, Hutchinson, Isakson, Lincoln, McConnell, Sessions, Shelby, Vitter, Wicker). Much of this southern opposition can be explained by labor politics. The South is mostly anti-union, and southern GOPers last night blamed the United Auto Workers for the collapse. Also, don’t forget that foreign automakers have plants in the South: BMW is in South Carolina; Mercedes is in Alabama; and Toyota, among other places, is in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas.
Video: The Senate votes down a proposed $14 billion bailout for U.S. automakers. NBC's Tom Costello reports. ***
More North vs. South : In the end, the auto bailout was one of those debates in Congress that eventually makes everyone look bad, because it appears everyone is voting on self-interest -- from the industrial-state senators who supported the measure; to those in the South who didn’t; Dems who are pro-labor; and Republicans who would like to bust up the unions. Indeed, it’s worth reminding everyone that tensions between northern and southern US senators have existed throughout this country’s history (regarding slavery, secession, and civil rights). And given that Democrats will either hold a 57-42 or 58-42 or 59-41 majority in the next Senate -- depending on what happens in Minnesota and Illinois -- and given that much of the GOP caucus will hail from the South, we can only expect these tensions to increase during the first two years of the Obama administration. By the way, it’s amazing how McConnell was able to run circles around Reid. Sure, the numbers are closer now than they will be in a month. And, sure, it’s always easier to be minority leader than majority leader. But McConnell is proving to be a pretty smart minority leader, while Reid continues to get frustrated again. And the lesson the Senate GOP caucus is going to learn from this fight is that by sticking together, they can hold up Obama's agenda.
*** How the bailout failed : For most of the day, NBC’s Ken Strickland says, it looked like freshman GOP Sen. Bob Corker was going to save the automakers from immediate bankruptcy. But after hours of negotiations, the talks collapsed on one issue: the automakers union agreeing to new contracts to put labor cost on par with foreign automakers like Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. Strick notes that the UAW agreed to the parity, but refused to accept the timing for when the new rules would take place. The negotiators were pushing for the spring of 2009, when the economy is expected to still be floundering. Republicans and Democrats agreed that issue was the fatal flaw. "They have not been willing to give a date specific by which parity can be achieved," GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said, "and it is upon that issue that we've reached an impasse." Democratic Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd agreed, saying: "There was no debate from the United Auto Workers or anyone else that we ought to achieve parity in the wages and benefits. The question was the timing of it."
*** Where we go from here : NBC’s Strickland adds that the White House and the Federal Reserve still have to authority to rescue the industry with some short term fixes. Option No.1: Treasury Secretary Paulson can use money from the $700 billion October rescue package, the so-called TARP money, to aid the automakers. Bush has been adamantly opposed to using that money for that purpose, saying it was designed for financial entities. Option No. 2: The Fed could give the automakers short-term loans. But does Bush allow an auto company to go under on his watch? That's not a legacy mark he wants on his resume. The "Hoover" ghost bothers many a Republican still occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Imagine this irony: The legacy of Herbert Hoover saves the US auto makers. Indeed, here’s the breaking news at publication time -- the White House says it would be willing to use TARP money…
Video: CNBC's Phil LeBeau looks at the road ahead for the Big Three automakers. ***
The Blago scandal : It’s now Day Four in the Blagojevich scandal, and two people the press is longing to hear from soon: Blagojevich and Rahm Emanuel. We heard from Obama yesterday and, as predicted, his response was MUCH stronger than his initial one on Tuesday. Of course, we've seen this movie before: Obama is hit with or surrounded by controversy; his initial response is tepid, mild, lame; and then the next day (or two or three later), he gets it exactly right. So far, Obama has benefited by getting mulligans after an initial response. But what happens when the do-overs stop? At some point, doesn’t Obama have to start getting things right the first time? As for Blago, how long can he go without saying, well, anything? It seems everyone is claiming they don't talk to Blago; it's apparently the new badge of honor. Jesse Jackson Jr. claimed it had been four years; Obama wouldn’t invite Blago to the Dem convo, Lt. Gov. Quinn says it's been 18 months since he's spoken to him; Blago's one-time political sugar-daddy, father-in-law Dick Mell, they don't speak, either. His lawyers won't take his calls because of unpaid bills. Will any of us in the media get a shot at him?
Video: NBC's David Gregory talks with TODAY's Meredith Vieira about the Blagojevich scandal. ***
Shiny metal object overload : By the way, the Andrew Cuomo-Caroline Kennedy drama -- Cuomo
yesterday refused to say whether Caroline is fit to succeed Hillary -- would normally be the media's shiny metal object distraction of the day. But wow, so many other stories out there today… Speaking of Caroline, let's not forget this response from Obama, himself in his interview with NBC's Tom Brokaw on
Meet the Press last Sunday . “[T]he last thing I want to do is get involved in New York politics. I've got enough trouble in terms of Illinois politics.” What did Obama mean?
*** That never-ending recount : In the latest movement in Minnesota's Coleman-Franken recount, the state canvassing board meets at 10:30 am ET in St. Paul to consider the fate of hundreds of mistakenly rejected absentee ballots, as well as the 133 missing ballots from a Minneapolis precinct. Given that the difference separating Coleman and Franken is so small (192 votes per the Star Tribune, or four votes according to the Franken folks), this decision could play a key role in deciding the eventual outcome of the race.
*** Meeting the press : And on Sunday, in his initial show since taking over the reins of NBC’s Meet the Press, David Gregory will have the latest in the Blagojevich scandal, plus a discussion on the economy with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Mitt Romney, Carly Fiorina, Wal-Mart President, CEO Lee Scott, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt. After that, there’ll be a roundtable with NBC’s Chuck Todd and the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mary Mitchell.
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The Washington Post front-pages, “An eleventh-hour effort to salvage a proposed $14 billion rescue plan for the auto industry collapsed late last night as Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on the timing of deep wage cuts for union workers, killing the legislative plan and threatening America's carmakers with bankruptcy. ‘We're not going to get to the finish line. That's just the way it is. There's too much difference between the two sides,’ Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) announced after 10 p.m., concluding a marathon negotiating session that ended in gridlock. Reid warned that financial markets could plummet when trading opens this morning. ‘I dread looking at Wall Street tomorrow. It's not going to be a pleasant sight,’ he said.”
Also: “Minutes after the talks failed, the Senate voted on the bailout measure that had been approved Wednesday by the House on a largely party-line vote, 237-170. In the Senate, the vote was 52-35, eight votes short of the 60 needed to override a Republican filibuster. Of those voting yes, 10 Republicans joined 42 Democrats.”
More numbers : "Three Democrats voted against moving forward, along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who only voted no in order to preserve his right to call a vote to reconsider if it appears the votes change in the next week or so."
The New York Times : “The failure to reach agreement on Capitol Hill raised a specter of financial collapse for General Motors and Chrysler, which say they may not be able to survive through this month.”
CONTINUED >>
At the same press conference where Obama officially named Tom Daschle his choice for head of Health and Human Services, he also gave a firmer response to the Blagojevich news, putting more distance between himself and his home-state governor, saying he had no contact with him and is confident any contact between his transition team and the governor was appropriate.
The Los Angeles Times’ lead on Obama's presser yesterday. "It took three tries in as many days for President-elect Barack Obama to roll out a strategy for defusing the crisis over Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's alleged attempt to put his old Senate seat up for sale." More: "Obama's evolving response was the first test of his team's capacity to cope with a fast-moving political scandal while staying true to his promise to run a transparent shop with a minimum of secrets."
And then there's Rahm: "[T]op aides to the president-elect, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who has political ties to Blagojevich, have not been made available to reporters. Emanuel has accompanied Obama to some of his news conferences in Chicago over the last month, standing off to the side with other aides. But since the Blagojevich story broke, he has largely kept out of public view. He was not seen at Obama's latest news conference."
The Washington Post makes it pretty clear that Obama and Blagojevich weren’t close. “Long before federal prosecutors charged Blagojevich with bribery this week, Obama had worked to distance himself from his home-state governor. The two men have not talked for more than a year, colleagues said, save for a requisite handshake at a funeral or public event. Blagojevich rarely campaigned for Obama and never stumped with him. The governor arrived late at the Democratic convention and skipped Obama's victory-night celebration at Chicago's Grant Park. Even though they often occupied the same political space … Obama and Blagojevich never warmed to each other, Illinois politicians said. They sometimes used each other to propel their own careers but privately acted like rivals. Blagojevich considered Obama naive and pretentious and dismissed his success as "good luck." Obama disparaged Blagojevich for what he viewed as his combativeness, his disorganization and his habit of arriving at official events half an hour late.”
CONTINUED >>
The New York Times wonders how Daschle will be able to succeed on an issue – health care – where others have failed. “Mr. Daschle is well versed in health policy and Senate procedure. But two of his ideas could reignite the kind of ideological warfare that sidetracked health care proposals in the past He wants to establish a Federal Health Board, a powerful independent entity modeled on the Federal Reserve, to decide which drugs, devices and treatments are covered by federal health programs. And he says the federal government should offer its own health insurance plan, to compete directly with private plans, a proposal that alarms many insurers and Republican members of Congress.”
In his remarks yesterday, Tom Daschle called for grassroots, campaign-style participation through the Web to hear suggestions on what works and what doesn't work in the health-care system currently. It's a stark contrast from the largely criticized, closed-door process that took place in 1993 -- the last time Democrats tried to pass health-care reform. That may just be politics or public relations, but appearances are everything. Not to mention, grassroots may feel they actually have a stake in this process and may throw a fit if something doesn't get done. And just where in this is Hillary Clinton, the person who spearheaded that movement in ’93. Out of the way, as Secretary of State. Coincidence?
Steven Chu is the man that Obama reportedly has named to be Energy secretary. The Washington Post examines his views on climate change. “Chu's views on climate change would be among the most forceful ever held by a cabinet member. In an interview with The Post last year, he said that the cost of electricity was ‘anomalously low’ in the United States, that a cap-and-trade approach to limiting greenhouse gases ‘is an absolutely non-partisan issue,’ and that scientists had come to ‘realize that the climate is much more sensitive than we thought.’ He said people who said they were uncertain whether climate change is being caused by humans were ‘reminiscent of the dialogue in the 1950s and '60s on tobacco.’ (At that time, many argued that there was insufficient evidence linking smoking to cancer.)”
CONTINUED >>
MINNESOTA : The Minnesota canvassing board meets today to determine the fate of incorrectly rejected absentee ballots that -- if counted in the total recount vote -- could be the key to a Franken victory. But both sides have left the option open to sue over the ballots if the board's decision is not to their liking.
NEW YORK : Per the New York Post , "Andrew Cuomo yesterday repeatedly refused to say whether Caroline Kennedy is fit to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate, while a top Clinton political ally insisted she's clearly not. Cuomo, who is divorced from Kennedy's first cousin Kerry Kennedy, ducked questions on whether the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy is qualified for the Senate job. ‘I've known Caroline for years. I have a high opinion of her, but that's going to be up to the governor,’ said Cuomo, who also is being considered by Gov. Paterson to replace Clinton, but indicated he's not interested."
Last night at Harvard, Rick Davis, McCain pollster Bill McInturff, David Plouffe and David Axelrod, got together for an election post-mortem . McInturff, the Republican half of the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, said the campaign was glad the election was over; Davis regretted that McCain's maverick image "had been damaged this year's brutal Republican primary," the Boston Globe writes. He also said McCain would "want a re-do on" saying the economy was fundamentally strong. They also said McCain's outspoken support for Iraq became a hindrance.today's Politico . "The Republican Party must shift toward the center say some pundits. Others urge a tilt to the right. The right answer is that our party must move forward as a party of ideas, innovation, and – yes – conservatism," he writes. (The Michigan Republican doesn't weigh in on the auto bailout in the piece.)
From NBC’s Cherelle Kantey Bobby Rush (D-IL) said he thinks Jesse Jackson Jr. is still the best candidate to succeed Obama in the Senate, despite the cloud around him due to the Blagojevich investigation.
“He has really all the capacity, the talents and skills,” Rush said in an interview with MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell . “He would be … in line with the great U.S. senators that Illinois has produced in the past.”
Video: Ill. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. calls for Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign from his position immediately after being arrested Tuesday, Jackson insisted that he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing. Rush said he believes Jackson is being truthful when he says he had nothing to do with a scheme to purchase the vacant senate seat for nearly a half million dollars.
“I don't believe that Jesse Jackson Jr. was in any way culpable or that he participated in any acts that would be unlawful,” Rush said.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Abby Livingston Norm Coleman and Al Franken , the state canvassing board will meet tomorrow to decide the fate of hundreds of improperly rejected absentee ballots, as well as 133 missing ballots in a Minneapolis precinct.
And before this possibly pivotal hearing, the back-and-forth between the Coleman and Franken campaigns has gone ... viral.
Yesterday, the Franken campaign released a YouTube video of voters complaining that they were disenfranchised when their absentee ballots were mistakenly rejected. And in a conference call today, Franken spokesman Andy Barr crowed to reporters about the traffic the video has picked up on YouTube. The video has had about 15,000 views since its debut a little over a day ago.Minneapolis Star Tribune .
From MSNBC's Adam Verdugo Christie Todd Whitman said President-elect Obama's choice to head up the EPA, Lisa Jackson , will face an agency that's "pretty deep in the hole."
Whitman noted Jackson's previous experience in the EPA as qualifications that would make her ready for the job.
"She is someone who brings credibility from the environmental community to the agency," Whitman said in an interview on MSNBC with
Norah O'Donnell .
As for Steven Chu , Obama's apparent choice to head up the Energy Department, Whitman expressed concerns over his management experience.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Athena Jones
CHICAGO -- The strong condemnation of Illinois' governor that many observers were waiting to hear from
President-elect Obama came today, when he spent nearly half of his eighth press conference since the election answering questions about the disgraced Democrat.
Video: President-elect Barack Obama stated he ‘was as appalled and disappointed as anyone’ regarding the recent allegations of criminal activity by Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich. FBI agents arrested Gov.
Rod Blagojevich Tuesday morning on a series of corruption charges that included an effort to effectively put Obama's Senate seat up for sale. Later that day, Obama told reporters he was "saddened and sobered" by the news of the arrest, and said he had had no contact with the governor's office about the Senate seat. Some political observers said those comments had not gone far enough.
“I think the public trust has been violated. So let me be absolutely clear: I do not think that the governor at this point can effectively serve the people of Illinois,” he told reporters today. “The legislature is going down to Springfield to make a determination as to how to resolve this issue. I think they're going to come to the same conclusion. I hope that the governor himself comes to the conclusion that he can no longer effectively serve and that he does resign.”
Obama said he was “appalled and disappointed” by what he had read in the complaint against Blagojevich and that if the allegations against him prove true, that would show the governor was an example of someone who saw politics as a business -- a means for personal gain rather than a public service.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland If Senate Republicans were looking for guidance from their leader on how to vote on the House-passed auto rescue package, Mitch McConnell just announced that he's against it.
"The proposal that was worked out by the White House and Congressional Democrats appears tough," he said on the Senate floor, "but in reality, this proposal isn't nearly tough enough."
McConnell's decision throws the fate of the bill into even more uncertainty.
Video: Governors Mark Sanford, R-S.C., and Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, debate whether or not the Senate should pass the auto bailout bill. After laying out detailed explanations of his objections on the Senate floor today, McConnell said "its greatest single flaw" is that the proposal backed by the White House spends taxpayers' money for reforms that may or may not come.
*** UPDATE ***
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Jeannie Ohm and Domenico Montanaro
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the economy is currently in such a weakened state that the loss of another million jobs is not something the economy can sustain. She added that because of the economy’s weakened state, the federal government has to do things it normally would not want to.
Legislation on the auto bailout passed in the House last night and will be up for discussion today in the Senate. But it is facing a wall of opposition from Republicans lined up solidly against it.
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann No ordinary honeymoon: While the political world continues to focus on the Blagojevich scandal, which at this point has been only a headache for the incoming Obama administration (although he'll probably get a question -- or two or three -- about it at today's press conference), it’s important not to overlook this fact: Obama is enjoying a bigger honeymoon than his recent predecessors ever did. Just consider these numbers in the latest NBC/WSJ poll: 67% say they’re pleased with Obama’s early appointments, 75% believe that the level of his involvement in making policy has been exactly right, and his fav/unfav rating is 67%-16%. By comparison, a month after their initial presidential victories, Bush’s rating was 48%-35% and Clinton’s was 60%-19%. These scores -- combined with the fact that nearly 80% believe Obama will face bigger challenges than other recent presidents have, and 90% who say the nation’s economy has gotten worse over the past 12 months -- seem to have given Obama some leeway with the American public. “We’re seeing a president who has been given a longer leash by the American public,” says NBC/WSJ co-pollster Bill McInturff (R). “This is not a traditional start of a presidency where people give you just a couple of months.” For Obama that means, potentially, he has the opportunity to throw the long ball in his first year in office, as well as withstand an early setback or two. This combination of hope and despair is serving as potent political tonic. Then again, it will be interesting to see if the Blagojevich mess changes these numbers.
Video: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd offers his analysis of the latest NBC/WSJ poll. ***
Divorcing Bush: While the public is giving Obama a nice honeymoon, it’s finalizing its divorce from President Bush. A whopping 79% in the poll say they’re not going to miss him when he leaves office. That’s compared with 55% who said the same of Clinton in December of 2000. Moreover, almost half (48%) think that Bush will go down as one of the worst presidents in our history. Just 18% said that of Clinton and only 6% said that of Bush 41. But Bush 43 isn’t the only Republican who has taken a hit in the new NBC/WSJ poll. Dick Cheney leaves office with sporting an all-time low in his personal rating. And the Republican Party’s fav/unfav is 27%-52%, which is its lowest rating ever in the poll (by comparison, the Democratic Party’s is nearly reversed, 49%-28%). And get this: The most popular Republican we tested is Condi Rice, whose fav/unfav 47%-18%. But among Republicans only, the most popular is Palin -- with a whopping 73%-13% rating. But Palin's overall score is a net negative, 35%-45%, which means she fares poorly among Democrats and independents.
*** The Clintons rise again: It’s also worth noting that the poll shows a renaissance of sorts for the Clintons. Hillary’s fav/unfav is 53%-26%, which is her highest score since January ’99, when she was seen as the victim after the Lewinsky scandal. And Bill’s rating is 49%-29%, with his “very negative” score being the lowest we've ever seen it since January' 93. And whom do the Clintons have to thank for this rise in popularity? Obama. His decision to pick her has Obama supporters feeling better about the Clintons than they did during the contentious primary period of 2008. In addition, Michelle Obama has a 54%-15% rating, and 69% see her as a positive role model for women. That’s a higher number than Hillary Clinton ever scored on this question, even in December 1992. Of course, unlike Hillary in '92, Michelle Obama has not been singled out by her husband as a potential policy adviser, and the decision to keep her out of the politics of the transition has probably helped her overall image.
Video: GMAC, GM's financing company may not be able to participate in the finance recovery plan because of its inability to raise money to cover its outstanding debt, which could affect GM's auto bailout position. CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera reports. ***
Corporate America takes a hit: The House yesterday passed a $14 billion auto bailout, but its prospects in the Senate don’t look too good right now. And this debate on whether to help rescue the US automotive industry comes as the NBC/WSJ shows a low confidence in corporate America. Just 21% have positive feelings about Chrysler; it’s 25% for GM; 33% for Ford; 29% for Bank of America; 16% for Citibank; 11% for Fannie Mae; and just 8% for AIG. The only US corporation that scored well in the poll was Microsoft, which has a 57% favorable rating. Yet while corporate America is taking a hit and almost everyone’s opinion about the economy is down, there's still some optimism and a sense that we’re all in this together: 64% say they would be wiling to take a 5% pay cut if it meant saving jobs at their place of work. Take that result -- and couple it with the expectation in our poll that the two parties are more likely to work together than have partisan fights -- and you get the sense that the public is rooting for success, even among those folks who did not support Obama in the presidential election.
Video: The House passes a $14 billion auto bailout plan. NBC's Mike Viqueira reports to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. ***
Special election vs. appointment: Today is Day Three of the Blagojevich scandal. And we’re seeing a divide between some Democrats (like Dick Durbin) who want a special election ASAP, and other Dems (like Harry Reid) who want an appointment instead, because they fear that a special election might not be winnable in this current political environment. In short, this whole Blagojevich mess could possibly cost Democrats a Senate seat in this blue state, if we see a special election. Notice on TODAY, current Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn hinted that it would be better for the state of Illinois if it had two US senators in Washington ASAP. He didn't say it directly, but hinted that he would rather have the appointment power and let the 2010 be the year the voters have their say rather than dealing with a special election sooner.
*** Mistake, baby, mistake? Here’s another interesting finding in the poll: Asked what’s the most important economic issue facing the country, 36% cited unemployment, 12% noted the budget deficit, 11% mentioned health care, 9% said the drop in the stock market, 8% cited housing prices and -- get this -- just 5% noted gas prices and energy costs. With gas prices below $2 a gallon, it’s not surprising that they now rank so low on list. But remember when McCain, during the summer as gas prices hovered around $4 per gallon, staked so much of his economic agenda on a gas-tax holiday and offshore drilling? “Drill, baby, drill” eventually became a GOP rallying cry, especially after McCain selected Alaska’s own Sarah Palin to be his running mate. The next time gas prices spike up again, candidates might want to remember this piece of advice: What goes up often will come down.
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The Chicago Tribune : “Gov. Rod Blagojevich arrived at work Wednesday, trying to pick up the pieces in his Chicago office after his arrest by the FBI. Elsewhere, however, the scramble sped up for the quickest way to force him from power. The game is afoot. All the major players have a stake in its outcome. For Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, it's the potential to become governor as soon as Blagojevich is out. For Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, a chance to ascend to the governor's mansion in 2010 looms. For others, the resulting domino effect could propel them to higher offices.”
The Tribune on the possibility of impeachment: “Some rank-and-file lawmakers want impeachment, as do the two Republican leaders. But House Speaker Michael Madigan … and Blagojevich ally Senate President Emil Jones are not seeking it, and they run the show in the General Assembly.”
The Trib on Madigan’s quest to rule Blagojevich unfit: Madigan “is tossing around the idea of asking the Illinois Supreme Court to temporarily (or maybe permanently) remove Blagojevich from office. How it would work: The Illinois Constitution is vague enough that she could argue the governor's corruption charges are enough to be considered a ‘disability’ -- a condition typically associated with physical or mental issues.”
And the paper says that “Blagojevich still could appoint someone to U.S. Senate, but Washington leaders may refuse to seat the pick. Who would even accept the offer?”
CONTINUED >>
NBC’s Mike Viqueira reported that the auto bailout passed the House last night. The
Washington Post adds, “After mostly partisan debate, the House voted 237 to 170 to approve the measure. But with Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) and other conservatives threatening to block consideration of the measure, even some Republican advocates of the bailout said it is unlikely to attract sufficient GOP support to win approval in the closely divided Senate.”
Per NBC’s Ken Strickland, the Senate is scheduled to have its first vote on the auto bailout on Friday morning, although it’s a procedural one. Yet Senate leaders are working on an agreement that would allow for votes sooner, including possible votes on alternative Republican proposals.
Republicans are in the drivers' seat here, Strick adds. Without their support, no bailout package passes. Without their cooperation and compromise, the voting process gets dragged into the weekend. It's unclear what, if anything, passes or when.CONTINUED >>
At 11:00 am ET today, Obama holds a press conference in Chicago, where he will officially unveil Tom Daschle as his pick to head HHS. "Daschle will serve not only as the Health and Human Services secretary but also oversee a new White House Office of Health Reform," the AP says. "A Democratic official familiar with the plans … said the additional appointment makes it clear that Daschle will coordinate efforts within the administration to overhaul the nation's health care system."
Yesterday, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reported that Obama will name Steven Chu his choice for Energy secretary, Lisa Jackson for EPA administrator and Carol Browner as energy "czar" reporting to the president.
The New York Times : “Collectively, they will have the task of carrying out Mr. Obama’s stated intent to curb global warming emissions drastically while fashioning a more efficient national energy system. And they will be able to work with strong allies in Congress who are interested in developing climate-change legislation, despite fierce economic headwinds that will amplify objections from manufacturers and energy producers.”
More: “Aides cautioned that while Mr. Obama appeared to favor Ms. Browner for the new White House post, there were still issues to be resolved before the appointment was formalized. Mr. Obama plans to name the environmental team next week in Chicago, aides said.”
CONTINUED >>
ILLINOIS: If a special election is called to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat, don't forget that Republicans would be eying it as well as Democrats. tough words yesterday for Jesse Jackson Jr. and even predicted that "Candidate 5" would face indictment.
NEW YORK: CQ on Caroline Kennedy: "The emergence of the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy as a contender for the pending appointment has not scared off the state's many U.S. House members eying the seat."
Seriously? Fran Drescher for U.S. Senate? The AP can't resist this headline (and neither can we): " 'Nanny' state."
"Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Wednesday he's not interested in a 2012 Republican presidential bid and will seek a second term as governor in 2011."
Of course, Jindal, who's only 37, though can't appear to be interested in the presidency in 2012 if he is going to run for reelection in 2011. Not to mention, it would be unwise to make any indications to 2012 if you don't think you'd have a legitimate shot at winning. If Obama's approval falls, things could change.
From NBC's Mike Viqueira
After the next procedural vote, they will either move directly to an hour debate on the bailout bill itself -- or not.
At this moment, the plan is to move forward tonight on the bill . I personally spoke moments ago with Speaker Pelosi , who said they were "still whipping" the vote, which means that the outcome is still in question.
However, we can assume that if she does allow the bill to go forward, that means they are relatively confident that they have the votes. If they don't start the debate , that means they are still short.
Remember, the Senate is another matter, and the earliest vote we can expect would be Friday in that chamber.*** UPDATE ***
From NBC's Mark Murray AP reported that some Democrats, including Rep. Barney Frank , were criticizing Obama for not being more assertive when it comes to the country's economic crisis.
But the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a whopping 75 percent of respondents believe that the president-elect has had the right level of involvement in making policy. That's compared with just 12 percent who think that Obama has become too involved, and 11 percent who say -- as Frank did -- that he has not been involved enough.
The rest of the poll comes at 6:30 pm ET on Nightly News and MSNBC.com. What watch for: Just how big is Obama's honeymoon? What are Americans' perceptions about the economy? And how do they feel about outgoing President Bush?
From NBC’s Pete Williams Jesse Jackson, Jr. said the congressman never authorized anyone to seek Gov. Rod Blagojevich's support in return for money or help raising money for the governor's re-election campaign.
(A federal law enforcement official earlier today told NBC News that Jackson is, in fact, Candidate 5.)
At a brief question-and-answer session in Chicago, Montgomery also said the U.S. Attorney's office has assured him that Jackson is not a "target" of the government's investigation.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Savannah Guthrie Obama will name Steven Chu his choice for Energy secretary, Lisa Jackson for EPA administrator and Carol Browner as energy "czar" reporting to the president.
It is unclear whether the Browner position is cabinet level.
This will not be officially announced this week.
There will be a news conference tomorrow to announce the Health and Human Services secretary -- expected to be Tom Daschle.
*** UPDATE *** Msnbc.com's Alan Boyle wrote last year about how biology might help fill fuel tanks, and the story included some of Chu’s thinking on energy policy.
From NBC’s Ken Strickland Rod Blagojevich resign from his post, "and under no circumstance make an appointment to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat."
In light of his arrest, the letter, written by Democratic leaders, states: "Any appointment by you would raise serious questions."
While citing the Illinois legislature's authority to strip the governor of his appointment power by having a special election, the leadership feels his resignation would be the fastest way for a new senator to be chosen.
If Blagojevich refused to resign and appoints a new senator, the letter makes it explicitly clear that the Senate will have the final word on any appointment:
"Please understand that should you decide to ignore the request of the Senate Democratic Caucus and make an appointment, we would be forced to exercise our Constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated."
At the end of the letter if reads, "We do not prejudge the outcome of the criminal charges against you... But for the good of the Senate and our nation, we implore you refrain from making an appointment to the Senate."
From NBC’s Abby Livingston video of voters whose ballots were thrown out due to technicalities, he said. Barr said some local elections officials made “simple mistakes, human mistakes.”
“These are people, not abstractions,” attorney Mark Elias added.
Meanwhile, Coleman campaign attorney Fritz Knaak sent a letter to the Elections Director of the City of Minneapolis stressing the weight he believes should be given to the hand-counted ballot.
*** CLARIFICATION ***
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro Norah O’Donnell , RNC Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan -- who is running for reelection to his RNC chair post -- continued his criticism of President-elect Obama for his lack of a forceful response yesterday to the Blagojevich news.
“As an American, I am very disappointed,” Duncan said, adding that Obama had an “opportunity” yesterday. “We have a lot of unanswered questions,” he continued. “He needs to answer the charges” that he was an intermediary between Blagojevich and the SEIU, Duncan alleged.
“Let’s talk about the we,” he continued. “Did he have an intermediary? What about Tony Rezko? Where did he fit in all this? …
“Barack Obama has an opportunity to be a different kind of president. … As an American I am outraged.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s John Yang
A senior administration official says this was done with the administration's approval -- just a convenient legislative vehicle to get it into law.
From NBC’s Kristin Wilson
Fortunately, Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the Financial Services Committee, was more than happy to educate fellow congressman Darrell Issa of California -- who will be taking retiring Rep. Tom Davis' place as ranking member on the House Oversight Committee -- after Issa testified before his committee.
Noting Issa's complaint yesterday over an open microphone that he was worried the Oversight Committee was "getting screwed" by Financial Services, Frank said nothing could be further from the truth.
"The notion that somehow there was some machination on the part of myself or others to diminish the role of that committee is, A, wrong, and, B, completely ignores the history," he said.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Mike Viqueira
The situation with the auto bailout legislation on the Hill is becoming murkier by the second. It's not entirely clear at this point what, if anything, is going to happen today on the House floor.
For starters, there is some question as to whether or not the bridge loan, or bailout, has the votes to pass the House, much less the Senate.
Vote counting is going on now behind the scenes. As we have reported ad nauseum, bailouts in general aren't that popular lately, either among the public, or, as a reflection of that, here in Congress.
Second, there is little Republican support for it, as the party is now embracing fiscal conservatism like a long lost friend.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s John Rutherford
