White House
From NBC's Scott Foster
President Obama took to the bully pulpit today with a surprise stop at the daily White House briefing to tout two influential endorsements of his health care reform plan by the AARP and American Medical Association.
He told reporters he was "extraordinarily pleased and grateful" by the endorsements, and urged Congress to "listen" to both groups and pass the House Democrats' heath-insurance reform bill.
Interestingly, in what clearly was a strategic maneuver by the White House to regain control of the message, Obama's unannounced appearance before the cameras came just as a few thousand Tea Party activists converged on Capitol Hill to rally against the Democrats' health care reform bill.
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"The government’s latest tally of stimulus jobs counted pay increases for existing workers as jobs saved in a popular federal preschool program, raising fresh questions about the process the Obama administration is using to tout the success of its $787 billion economic recovery plan," the AP says. "A review of the latest stimulus reports - which the White House promised would undergo extensive reviews to ensure accuracy - found that more than two-thirds of 14,506 jobs credited to the recovery act by Head Start programs involved pay increases."
Another of Barack Obama's half siblings has written a book "in part to raise awareness of domestic violence," the AP notes. "My father beat my mother and my father beat me, and you don't do that," said Ndesandjo, whose mother, Ruth Nidesand, was Barack Obama Sr.'s third wife. "It's something which I think affected me for a long time, and it's something that I've just recently come to terms with."
From NBC's Mark Murray
On MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports," White House adviser David Axelrod today argued that it would be wrong to read too much into last night's GOP gubernatorial wins in New Jersey and Virginia -- and what they might mean for next year's midterm elections.
And if you read us earlier this morning, Axelrod does seem to have a point.
But looking back at First Read's coverage the day after the 2005 New Jersey and Virginia contests, we had forgotten that Rahm Emanuel -- then chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and now White House chief of staff -- had called us to argue the very point Republicans are now making: that the two gubernatorial contests say something about the upcoming midterms.
Here's what we wrote then:
Democratic House campaign committee chair Rahm Emanuel, calling First Read immediately after Kaine's and Corzine's victories were announced, argued that it's clear Democratic voters were already energized earlier in the year when Democrat Paul Hackett nearly won a traditionally GOP-leaning Ohio House district. "I think that's even more true today." He also pointed out that the mayors of Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Paul, MN were all losing. "A lot of incumbents are losing to change," he said (although he neglected to mention that these three mayors are Democrats, though the one from St. Paul endorsed Bush last year).
*** UPDATE *** Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office also sends along this Nov. 2005 Roll Call piece. "In an interview last week, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) said that regardless of the results, the gubernatorial outcomes stand to have a huge effect on how 2006 is viewed. 'Whatever the outcome of those elections, it will have an impact on people's interpretations of the upcoming election,' Emanuel said, adding that Democratic wins across the board could have a positive impact on the party's 2006 recruiting efforts.”
From NBC's Mark Murray
While the exit polls suggest that tonight's New Jersey and Virginia contests aren't a referendum on President Obama, they do point to some warning signs for the White House and the Democratic Party.
The first warning sign is withs independent voters. In New Jersey, Christie leads Corzine here by 25 points, 58%-33%. And in Virginia, McDonnell leads among indies by an identical 25 points, 62%-37%. As Domenico pointed out below, Obama won indies in Virginia last year by one point, 49%-48%.
The other warning sign is with people who are worried about the nation's direction. In New Jersey, 90% said they are worried, and Christie leads with these folks by three points, 48%-45%. In Virginia, 84% say they are worried about the nation's direction, and McDonnell leads among these people by 17 points, 58%-41%.
From NBC's Mark Murray
Earlier today, Arianna Huffington had quite the conversation starter: that after reading Obama campaign manager David Plouffe's new book, "The Audacity to Win," she believes the first year of Obama's presidency can be summed up with this title instead -- "The Timidity to Govern."
She wrote:
Indeed, reading the book, I often found myself wondering what Candidate Obama would think of President Obama. Would he look at what the White House is doing and say, "that's what I and my supporters worked so hard for?"
How did the candidate who got into the race because he'd decided that "the core leadership had turned rotten" and that "the people were getting hosed" become the president who has decided that the American people can only have as much change as Olympia Snowe will allow?
How did the candidate who told a stadium of supporters in Denver that "the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result" become the president who has surrounded himself with the same old players trying the same old politics, expecting a different result?
Well, Plouffe has now responded with his own Huffington Post piece.
Arianna Huffington has written much that I agree with. But when it comes to her opinion on the president and his record so far, or her suggestion that there is some great difference between the president and the candidate, I have to register the strongest possible dissent. A year after our historic victory, I have never been more certain that Barack Obama is uniquely suited to lead the country at this unparalleled moment. His values; his ability and desire to think long term; his determination to avoid the easy road of political expedience and to rebuild trust between the American people and their government--these are exactly what American needs right now. As on any journey, there will be twists and turns, ups and downs. But the change so many of us fought for so passionately last year is becoming a reality in front of our eyes, if we focus squarely enough to see it. And when the decisions he is making today finally resolve into a complete picture years down the road, we will find ourselves living in a stronger, fairer, and more prosperous America. And we will cherish the small part all of us played in electing this unique leader, a man befitting this critical moment in our history.
“President Obama on Monday admonished President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan that he must take on what American officials have said he avoided during his first term: the rampant corruption and drug trade that have fueled the resurgence of the Taliban,” the New York Times front-pages. “What he is seeking, Mr. Obama told reporters … , is ‘a sense on the part of President Karzai that, after some difficult years in which there has been some drift, that in fact he’s going to move boldly and forcefully forward and take advantage of the international community’s interest in his country to initiate reforms internally. That has to be one of our highest priorities.’”
The Hill notes the record number of lobbyists who’ve quit since Obama’s taken office: “The giant spike in resignations came just after the Obama administration instituted strict new rules on lobbyist activity. The White House banned employees from receiving gifts from lobbyists and announced that any lobbyist hired by the executive branch could not work on the same issues on which he or she lobbied.” (Over 1,400 lobbyists ‘deregistered’ with Congress in the second quarter of 2009, according to a study conducted jointly by the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and OMB Watch. Typically, only a few hundred lobbyists quit each quarter.)”
More: “But the study's authors warn that not all of the deregistered lobbyists may actually be out of business. ‘At the federal level, many people working in the lobbying industry are not registered lobbyists, instead adopting titles such as 'senior adviser' or other executive monikers, thereby avoiding federal disclosure requirements under the Lobbying Disclosure Act,’ CRP and OMB Watch said in a statement.”
From NBC's Athena Jones
President Obama called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to congratulate him on being named the winner of that country's election, and urged him to work to improve governance and end corruption there.
Karzai was named the victor when his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of a runoff election scheduled for Nov. 7. The second round was called after allegations of fraud -- backed up by international monitors -- marred the August vote. But Abdullah argued that not enough protections had been put in place to avoid a repeat of the earlier problems.
Video: President Hamid Karzai won a second term after the Afghan election commission canceled the scheduled runoff race. How will this affect President Obama's decision on troop deployment to the region?
Administration officials have consistently contended the United States must have a credible, legitimate partner heading the government in Afghanistan in order to accomplish America's chief national security goals of denying Al Qaeda a safe haven in the country and preventing the Taliban from taking over there.
Obama's remarks echoed those of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who told reporters earlier in the day that Karzai was the country's legitimate leader, but stopped short of calling him a credible partner. The president said Afghanistan's electoral was "messy," but that the final outcome was in line with Afghanistan's constitution.
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”Afghan election officials canceled a presidential runoff and proclaimed the reelection of President Hamid Karzai on Monday, a day after Karzai's top challenger declared he would not take part in a second round of voting scheduled for Saturday because of a persistent risk of fraud,” the Washington Post says.
The Boston Globe calls it Karzai's "win by default." And it adds this context: "American officials hope to help restore legitimacy to Karzai’s government by en couraging him to build a reform-minded government that is ethnically representative and includes Abdullah’s followers. US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and UN mission chief Kai Eide negotiated with the two camps late into the night Saturday about a power-sharing deal, according to the Western diplomat. But the negotiations broke down early yesterday when Karzai refused a formula for dividing Cabinet posts. If the deal had been accepted, Abdullah would have conceded rather than simply withdraw his candidacy, the diplomat said. Abdullah’s decision not to call for a boycott may indicate he is open to talks."
Video:
A Morning Meeting panel discusses whether the cancellation of the runoff election in Afghanistan will impact President Obama's decision on troop deployment
The
New York Times’ analysis wonders if the Karzai government will have legitimacy. “It will not be easy. As the evidence mounted in late summer that Mr. Karzai’s forces had sought to win re-election through widespread fraud to defeat his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, administration officials made no secret of their disgust. How do you consider sending tens of thousands of additional American troops, they asked in meetings in the White House, to prop up an Afghan government regarded as illegitimate by many of its own people? The answer was supposed to be a runoff election. Now, administration officials argue that Mr. Karzai will have to regain that legitimacy by changing the way he governs, at a moment when he is politically weaker than at any time since 2001.”
Abdullah Abdullah's decision to boycott his state's runoff election
does not complicate the president's plans for Afghanistan, White House aide Valerie Jarrett said Sunday. Rather, Abdullah's withdrawal from the November contest because of concerns about its fairness is a mostly 'political' move that 'does not markedly change the situation,' explained White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod."
President Obama campaigned for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) on Sunday, as the incumbent governor cast himself as “the president’s proxy,” seeking to mobilize the 21 percent of Democrats who, in a recent Quinnipiac poll, said they hadn’t planned to vote for Corzine’s re-election. “We will not lose this election if all of you are as committed as you were last year,” Obama told the crowd. “You will not only re-elect Jon Corzine for another four years but put the state on a path to success.”
Video:
President Obama stumped for New Jersey Democrat Jon Corzine, the only governor seeking re-election this fall.
The New York Times: “Mr. Obama’s appearances in Camden and Newark underscored the White House’s determination to stave off defeat for Mr. Corzine, the only Democratic incumbent up for re-election this year, who is facing an aggressive challenge from Christopher J. Christie, a Republican… Most polls show the race too close to call; Mr. Obama’s visit to New Jersey on Sunday was his third to stump for Mr. Corzine.”
Has the White House’s “arms-length strategy” on health care paid off? The New York Times has a piece suggesting that it has. “After months of plodding work by five Congressional committees and weeks of back-room bargaining by Democratic leaders, President Obama’s arms-length strategy on health care appears to be paying dividends, with the House and the Senate poised to take up legislation to insure nearly all Americans.”
Tomorrow, the liberal group Alliance for Justice will hold an event at American University's Washington College of Law to pressure Attorney General Eric Holder “to release the Office of Professional Responsibility’s report (OPR) on the conduct of the lawyers who authorized torture during the Bush administration,” per the group. More: “Daniel Levin, head of the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel from 2004-2005, will speak publicly about this issue.”
The White House hosted 2,000 Trick or Treaters at the White House on Saturday.
From NBC's Chuck Todd
The Obama administration, via a statement from the Treasury Department, is officially asking Congress to extend the tax credit for first-time homebuyers.
From the release:
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan called on Congress to approve three important measures to improve housing and the housing market for Americans: extension of the First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit for a limited period, extension of higher loan limits for home mortgages, and secure funding for the Housing Trust Fund. "We welcome efforts taken by Congress to extend the First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit for a limited period. This credit has brought new families into the housing market and contributed to three consecutive months of rising home prices nationwide," said Secretaries Geithner and Donovan.
