Daily Roundup

2/4 Roundup: Daschle Dashed, Chump Change, Ty Thinks You're Stupid

Leader: Daschle Dashed

- Tom Daschle withdrew his name from consideration for Secretary of Health and Human Services following on revelations about failure to pay over $100k in back taxes and concerns surrounding his lobbying-like activities since leaving the Senate. The surprise withdrawal prompted President Obama to admit having "screwed up," by supporting Daschle despite the President's own ethical standards.

- What does Daschle's departure mean for healthcare reform?  Jon Cohn writes in TNR that the snafu will likely impede, but not kill the chances for reform this year. Mike Tomasky thinks this might put reform off until 2011.

- So who will replace Daschle at HHS? Ezra Klein has his list of names, CQ has a rundown including a few congressional possibilities, and the herd on Facebook is demanding Howard Dean.  Not likely, say Dean people.

Politics

- The NY Times reports that, beginning in 2006, "fugitive operations teams" meant to focus on finding and deporting noncitizens with criminal records were in fact aiming at easier targets, and going after immigrants without any criminal record or deportation orders against them.

- Leaders of both parties in congress appear to have woken up and smelled the foreclosure crisis.  Democratic leaders want to spend at least $50 billion to reduce foreclosures, while Republicans are seeking up to $300 billion in mortgage subsidies.  Democrats are also seeking to allow the renegotiation of mortgages.

Economy

- Democratic leaders in the Senate conceded yesterday that they lacked the votes to pass the economic recovery and reinvestment package. The bill may need to be trimmed by as much as $200 billion to get needed support onboard.

- EU leaders have come out criticizing the "Buy American" provision in the stimulus bill, and the warned of the trade war it's likely to ignite. Bernard Gwertzman of CFR writes in Newsweek that this provision would hurt US trade and foreign policy. Fortunately, it sounds like the president recognizes this as a dreadful idea.

- Executives at companies that receive large amounts of federal bailout money will have their salaries capped at half a million dollars. Not exactly chump change, but pretty meager compared to what many of these people were making a few years ago.

International

- President Obama plans to scale back objectives in Afghanistan.  The pipe dream of "robust democracy" will no longer be our goal, though it's not yet clear what the specific objectives will be. Whatever they turn out to be, they may be made much more difficult if the government of Kyrgyzstan closes a US military base that acts as a crucial part of American supply lines.

- Iran successfully launched a satellite into space for the first time yesterday, raising fears about their potential missile program.

One More Thing

- Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia have been pulled from Ty's shelves.  The folks at Ty would like you to know, however, that the dolls had NOTHING TO DO with the president's daughters.  In other news, Ty thinks you're stupid.

- Last, an old Daschle campaign video, that is now kind of hard to watch:

2/3 Roundup: Kabinet Kraziness, Conservative Autopsies, Living with your mother-in-law

Leader: Kabinet Kraziness

- Tom Daschle is fighting his way out of the woods, but will face heavy scrutiny, and it is hard to say whether he will be confirmed by the Senate. He apologized for past issues, and his many allies in Congress are offering their support. And for the record, when he departed the Capitol yesterday, he did so in a car labeled "M. Djebbour Taxi Co."

- Sen. Judd Gregg has accepted the offer to head the Commerce Department, and he'll be replaced by another Republican-- Bonnie Newman, his former chief of staff. CQ Does their homework and discovers Gregg was once opposed to the existence of Commerce, which sets up a strange dynamic, not unlike that when John Bolton was our ambassador to the UN.

- Remember when, a month ago, we were talking about how, if anybody in the Obama cabinet would run into confirmation trouble, it was sure to be Attorney General Eric Holder?  My, doesn't that seem silly now.  Holder was confirmed yesterday on a 75-21 vote.

Politics

- Ed Luce of the FT covers the reinvigoration of the GOP's anti-immigrant posture. British spelling notwithstanding, Simon is quoted: "If most Americans knew what was happening inside their own borders they would be scandalised."

- Simon, writing for the Huffington Post, applauds the Republicans' choice of Michael Steele as their leader, but writes that the GOP still has a long way to go to shed their racialist history. Joan Walsh at Salon agrees, proclaiming Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh the grand poobahs of the Republican Party.

- Sam Tanenhaus at TNR does an autopsy on the conservative movement.  Many defeats carry the seeds of future success.  This is nothing more than brutal, brutal defeat.

Economy

- When is a stimulus package not a stimulus package? When it's an economic recovery and reinvestment package, of course.  Why use one word when four will do?

International

- Chris Hill will be the next ambassador to Iraq.  Hill made his bones as the chief negotiator with North Korea, but seems a strange choice for Iraq, as his experience lies entirely in Europe and Northeast Asia.  Still, he is one of our country's finest diplomats, and it will be good to have him where his skill is so needed.

- A trio of Iraqi bloggers reflect on the elections on the NY Times op-ed page.  It mostly sounds like a fairly blase day. The WaPo has good, close coverage of how the various regions voted.

One More Thing

- During the depression, the droves of unemployed would head to the moviehouse to forget their woes for a few hours.  Now, reports the WSJ, people lose themselves in online games. Does anybody else find this a little depressing and spooky?

- Maybe you feel like the NY Times Magazine already did this, or maybe you can't get enough portraiture of the O-Team.  Either way, Annie Leibovitz's series for Vanity Fair is, of course, terrific.

- Last, President Obama on his mother-in-law moving in with him:



2/2 Roundup: Bipartisanship and Grand Bargains, Salvaging Afghanistan, Biden Alert!

Leader: Bipartisanship and Grand Bargains

- Democratic leaders, including President Obama, have expressed interest in sweeping fiscal reform that would bring government spending into balance with tax revenue. They hope to strike a grand bargain with Republicans to achieve their goals.

- In Obama's first two weeks, bipartisanship has existed in feeling only, as both the House stimulus bill and the Senate SCHIP bill passed along strict party lines. The WaPo reports on how Obama's tactics may change to secure more robust bipartisan support of his goals. Obama will be back on the Hill again today to talk stimulus with our legislature.

- Frank Rich writes in his weekly column about the  Republican Party, which appears to be in full self-destruct mode. With Rush Limbaugh as their de-facto leader, and confidently devoid of ideas on what to do about our ailing economy, it's hard to see the GOP turning it around anytime soon.

- E.J. Dionne also confronts bipartisanship. Will Obama and the Democrats cower before the Republican "No" votes? Or will they stand strong and claim victory, without selling out their stimulus package for meager GOP support?

Politics

- Tom Daschle joined Tim Geithner in the ranks of Obama cabineteers with recent revelations of tax trouble.  It's not clear whether the bad history will interfere with his nomination, but it certainly won't help.

- The LA Times reports on the issues important to Hispanic voters-- apparently, they care about the same issues everybody else does.  Simon is quoted on the political power Latinos will have in coming election cycles: 

"I anticipate a dramatic shift in power toward heavily Latino parts of the United States. Remember: In redistricting, we count people, not citizens."

- It looks like NH Sen. Judd Gregg will be our next Secretary of Commerce, but his departure from the Senate won't necessarily mean 60 Democratic Senators.

- The Republican Party chose Michael Steele, a moderate, African-American Marylander as its next chairman.  Simon has comments on Steele's accession elsewhere on our blog.

Economy

- Eighteen states gave out welfare cash to fewer people in 2008, despite considerably higher unemployment rates than in 2007. This raises questions of how well the revamped welfare system can handle economic downturn.

International

- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki appears to have done well in Saturday's elections.  Secular parties outperformed religious parties, though voter turnout was lower than expected across the country.

- Fareed Zakaria sees America making more enemies than friends in Afghanistan, and has a plan to salvage our engagement there. He lays it out in four intensely complicated steps.

One More Thing

- Congratulations to Dave O'Donnell and his Pittsburgh Steelers on their Super Bowl victory yesterday.

- Last, Barack gets sentimental (on SNL) about that all those good moments back before he was president.  Also, Biden alert!

1/30 Roundup: Bad Bad Bank, Goodbye Crooked Rod, Goodbye Chip

Leader: One Bank Two Bank, Good Bank Bad Bank

- The Obama economic squad is sorting out how the next big bailout for banks will work.  Details are hazy at best, but it looks as though the government will create a "bad bank" to buy all the bad assets off of the big banks. The government, meanwhile, will also offer guarantees against future losses.  Will it work? Who knows.  These are uncharted waters.

- President Obama took banks to task yesterday for frivolously blowing their cash on year-end bonuses when they should have been, you know, lending, or at least bolstering their balance sheets.

- There's an interesting drama bubbling up between Larry Summers and Tim Geithner. Once allies, it's now not entirely clear who's in charge of the American economy, and competition is beginning. Noam Scheiber at TNR has more

Politics

- "Crooked" Rod Blagojevich is no more, after being tossed out by the Illinois State Senate yesterday.  In case you didn't know, the new governor is former Liutennant Governor Pat Quinn. The NY Times followed him around for the day, which is grand fun.

- The Senate approved SCHIP bill yesterday, providing health insurance for millions of low-income children who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance.  This is the first time our federal government is spending money to cover children and pregnant women who are legal immigrants.

- New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg is a real possibility to end up at the head of Commerce.  This means the Senate could end up with 60 Democrats.

- After being ripped to shreds yesterday (cough), Chip Saltsman has bowed out of the RNC chair's race.  Good riddance.

Economy

- A government  report came out with some indicators on how our economy fared in the fourth quarter.  You probably won't be surprised to learn that it didn't fare very well.  Our GDP shrank at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, though that rate falls to 5.1 percent if you discount growth in inventories.  Still, we did better than the expected 5.5 percent contraction that many economists were expecting.

- Chrystia Freeland at FT profiles George Soros, who now seems more prescient than ever in his prediction of this economic crisis.

International

- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan got into an onstage spat over the Gaza war with Israeli President Shimon Peres at Davos yesterday, and walked out of the conference.  He returned home to a hero's welcome in Turkey.

- The salacious sex life of South African President Kgalema Motlanthe has stirred gossip, debate, and questions across the country.

One More Thing

- Last, number 41 tells a joke that number 42 can't tell (it's about the ugliest woman he's ever seen).  Fortunately, he's got his own.



1/29 Roundup: 244-188, Porkulus, Flinty Chicago Toughness

Leader: 244-188

- The $819 billion stimulus package passed the House yesterday, despite failing to garner a single Republican vote. 11 Democrats also voted against the measure. The President's heavy lobbying in favor of the bill, particularly with GOP congresspeople, appears to have gone for naught, despite the warm reception Obama received during his visit to the Hill earlier this week.

- Bondad at Daily Kos highlights the hypocrisy of the Republican position on this bill. Suddenly, after years of massive deficit spending, the GOP has decided to become the party of fiscal conservatives-- at a time when massive government spending might be the only thing to save our economy. Manuel Roig-Franzia at the WaPo looks at the GOP's case of misshapen identity.

- Perhaps the strangest rider on the stimulus bill is the provision that requires all steel and iron to be purchased from American sources. The Senate version of the bill requires only American services and goods be used throughout. Many American companies are fighting the provision, calling it a war on free trade.

Economy

- International organizations, including the IMF, warn that this year will likely be the worst year for the global economy in about 60 years, and 50 million people are in danger of losing their jobs.

- Wall Street Banks paid out $18.4 billion in bonuses in 2008, and it's possible used some bailout funds to do so. This was the sixth largest bonus total of all time, but the number one most galling total.

- Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says a new plan to bail out banks is in the works, and it could cost as much as $2 trillion or $4 trillion, depending on which paper you read.

- The Fed is taking steps to keep distressed homeowners in their homes by allowing borrowers to readjust their mortgages.

Politics

- President Obama had a bevy of congresspeople over to his home last night, reviving the long-dead White House cocktail parties. John Dickerson at Slate thinks the end of the teetotaling era is a welcome change.

- Rush Limbaugh penned a deeply odd Op-Ed for the Wall Street Journal in which he recommends realigning the "porkulus" bill on 54%-46% lines (the electoral divide). "46%-- $414 billion-- will be directed toward tax cuts, as determined by me," he writes. Rush was in the news recently expressing his hope that Obama fails as president. And remember in 2003 when he was pulled off ESPN for overtly racist remarks about black football players?

- Crooked Rod has requested to give a closing argument at his impeachment hearings (despite failing to appear throughout the trial). The Illinois State Senate can't wait.

International

- Yesterday I linked to a NY Times story saying that the new administration would take a tougher line with President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has a few issues with the piece's factuality. David Corn, writing for CQ, looks at the NYT v White House battle. Who's giving us the truth?

One More Thing

- Got your plans for Super Bowl Sunday yet? Looks like the hottest party in town will be up at the Naval Observatory, where Joe Biden will be hosting a VP SB Party.

- The president couldn't believe DC schools were closed yesterday on account of a little snow and ice. When it comes to cold weather, "Folks in DC just don't seem to be able to handle things," he said, and recommended they get a little "Flinty Chicago toughness." Jeane McManus, a former editor at the WaPo has some choice words for the president, including: "So welcome to Washington, President Obama. And thanks for the snow advice. I eagerly await August, to see if you can 'handle' a Washington summer. Remember: It's not the heat. It's the humidity." Here's Barack:



1/28 Roundup: Stimul-Skeptics, $8,000 Internships, Chip the Magic Idiot

Non-Rancorous Partisan RancorLeader: Stimul-skeptics

- President Obama marched up the Hill yesterday, to sell recalcitrant Republican lawmakers on his stimulus plan. By all accounts, the (dis)loyal oppositions was charmed by the President (at least according to their Twitter feeds) but less charmed by the stimulus bill itself, which will go up for a vote in the House today. A few Democrats join in the opposition. A WaPo photo caption captures the mood best: "The Obama stimulus plan was greeted with a rancor-free version of partisan rancor."

- The bill also includes a whole bundle of money for our education system, and another bundle for entitlement programs, as the NY Times reports in its lead stories. David Leonhardt sees both merit and misses in the package.

- Speaking on the more than $300 billion in tax cuts included in the package, NDN's Rob Shapiro says: 

"These tax cuts are not only not stimulative, but we're going to have to pay for them eventually."
Still, Shapiro said it's more important not to let the debate over the stimulus package "degenerate into politics as usual. If the country believes this has turned into a package of special-interest spending and tax provisions, then the efforts to restore confidence will be damaged."

- CQ reports on how Rep. Louise Slaughter went bananas on the slew of amendments submitted to be tacked on to the bill, and winnowed 206 to just 11 deserving of consideration. Good work, Rep. Slaughter.

Economy

- The WaPo reports on the variety of radical options currently under consideration in the Treasury Department to rescue our financial system.  

- Nearly a quarter of a million homes went into foreclosure in California during 2008-- more than over the previous nine years combined.  

International

- Senior administration officials report that President Obama is planning to get serious about Afghanistan, prioritizing war over development.  Hamid Karzai may be seen as more of an obstacle than an asset in this struggle. SecDef Gates agrees with Obama's assessment.

One More Thing

- The WSJ reports that some parents are shelling out thousands of dollars to get internships for their kids. Looking to get your kid a gig at NDN? I think we should talk.

- As Simon wrote earlier, Chip Saltsman of "Barack the Magic Negro" fame has decided who's responsible for the uproar over his bigoted CD: The media. Here's Simon's full take on the episode. Chip the Magic Idiot continues to impress:



1/27 Roundup: The Axe, Environmental Thuggery, Antelopes of War

Leader: The Axe

-  American employers announced 55,000 job cuts yesterday, with announcements made by some of the largest and sturdiest companies. Caterpillar was the big kahuna, slashing 20,000 jobs.  Pfizer, Home Depot, Sprint Nextel, and others also cut thousands. 4.6 million Americans are currently jobless, the most since 1982, and the unemployment rate has reached 10 percent in some states. 

- As many as 75,000 jobs were cut worldwide yesterday. As the economy has turned downward, job cuts have spread, beginning in the real estate and financial services sectors, but expanding recently to include manufacturing, retail, and information technology.   

Politics

- President Obama yesterday issued orders directing the EPA to reconsider the ban preventing states from setting their own emissions standards for autos. Senator James Inhofe, usually a friend to states' rights, referred to Obama's action as "environmental thuggery."

- Grover Nordquist once said that "bipartisanship is another name for date rape." John Dickerson at Slate looks at what Obama means by bipartisanship (probably not date rape).

- Rep. Tom Petri (R) isn't wild about the bailout.  Why? Because it doesn't include enough infrastructure spending.  He is, needless to say, alone in his caucus.

International

- In the first serious clash since last week's ceasefire, Palestinian militants set off a bomb near Israel's border with Gaza, killing one soldier.

- Israel has unleashed eight antelopes of war in its northern territories.  The half-ton elands have been charged with chewing up all the tall grass and foliage that impairs sightlines into Lebanon, and could hide guerillas.

One More Thing

- Rush Limbaugh is confident that Barack Obama, the most powerful man in the world, is afraid of him.

-  The White House e-mail system went down for eight hours yesterday, and somehow, business went on.

- Last, Crooked Rod has a great appreciation for turn of the century British poetry, it seems:



1/26 Roundup: Shaky Stimulus, Stealth Lobbying, Cigar Rapprochement

LMcCain: BFFL?eader: Shaky Stimulus

- The stimulus will remain topic number one in DC this week, as the fire from the right heats up.  John McCain, so recently billed as Barack's BFFL in the Senate, went on the talk shows yesterday to tell the world: Like hell I'm voting for that bill.

- This on a morning when major US companies announced 45,000 job cuts coming soon, and astrologers see only inauspicious and portentous signs for this, the year of the ox.  

- Politico wonders: Will it work? And then they wonder: What if it doesn't work? Apparently, the Dow is waiting to fall off a 4,000 point cliff if the latter proves to be the case.

- Paul Krugman runs through the common lies you're likely to hear from conservatives about why the stimulus won't work.  

Politics

- Obama is likely to direct federal regulators today to reconsider the Bush Administration's ban preventing states from setting their own, tighter regulations on auto emissions.

- John Heilemann looks at Obama's growing base of enemies on both sides of the aisle.  Everyone, it seems, needs to stay angry to stay relevant.

- House Democratic Whip James Clyburn told the Hill that major healthcare reform is likely not in the cards for this year.

- The WaPo profiles our youngest, greenest senator-- Michael Bennet of Colorado.  Could someone give the guy a metro map?

- Bill Kristol announces that we've reached the end of a conservative era. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the NY Times Op-Ed page... Long live liberalism! So says Timothy Garton Ash, who is glad to see Obama embracing the concept, and hopes we can some day revive the word.

- Politico breaks down how Obama's economic team will divide their work.

Economy

- Congress is considering granting the Fed major new powers as an oversight body, with the right to look inside banks to determine whether they are taking on too much risk.

- Are we serious about nationalizing our banks? It could happen.

International

- Pakistan will be a serious test for Richard Holbrooke, writes Time. And Laura Rozen over at FP rounds up the rumors that "stealth lobbying" by India kept the Pakistan-India conflict out of Holbrooke's portfolio. Obama, meanwhile, seems to be continuing the policy of conducting airstrikes inside Pakistani territory, taking out two suspected terrorist hideouts and killing twenty.

- Hamas is back on its feet in Gaza, and leading the recovery efforts for families left devastated and homeless after Israel's 22-day siege.  Tom Friedman thinks this year is critical if we are ever to create a two-state solution to the conflict. If not now, maybe never.

One More Thing

- Cigar Afficionado, despite its conservative leanings, thinks it's high time for rapprochement with Cuba.  For exactly the reasons you would imagine.

- If you thought Ikea and Pepsi were tacky with their marketing campaigns leeching off Obama, how about Ty, which has introduced two new Ty Girlz dolls named Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha.  Ew.

- Last, some are still calling it the President's weekly radio address, but let's get real-- it's the President's weekly YouTube address.  Here's his first: 

 

 

1/23 Roundup: Stimulus Trouble, Senator Gillibrand, A Matter of Milli Vanilli

MoneyLeader: Stimulus Trouble

- The $850 billion stimulus package authored by the Obama administration is running into greater resistance in congress, as Republicans are complaining at having been left out of the drafting of the document, which they say won't effectively stimulate the economy.

- David Brooks thinks the stimulus package is an unholy marriage of short-term and long-term investments, and combines the worst of both sides into a package that will be ineffective and costly.

- Paul Krugman listened to Obama's speech and only heard more conventionality on economic issues.

- Also on the NY Times Op-Ed page, Chairman of the World Bank Robert Zoellick argues that every country should pledge 0.7 percent of its stimulus package to help developing countries that can't bail themselves out.

Politics

- New York Governor David Patterson has chosen Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to fill Hillary Clinton's vacated Senate seat. The Hill writes that with this pick, the electoral dominoes have been lined up for 2010. With Caroline Kennedy's demise, Anne Kornblut at the WaPo reports on whether it indicates a persistent glass ceiling.

- The electoral drama in Minnesota will go on.  A panel of judges rejected Al Franken's request to throw out Norm Coleman's challenge to the results.

Economy

- John Thain, the former head of Merrill Lynch, has been ousted from his position at Bank of America, as revelations of his mismanagement at Merrill came to light.

International

- Massimo Calabresi at Time wonders if Clinton's squadron at State can rebuild US diplomacy.  It seems, increasingly, that Obama intends to promote diplomacy and development, rather than focusing exclusively on matters of Defense in foreign policy, as his predecessor did.

- George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke have been named as special envoys to the Middle East and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, respectively.

One More Thing

- A matter of Milli Vanilli?  It turns out that the  mournful and beautiful rendition of "Air and Simple Gifts" played by that all-star quartet at Tuesday's inauguration was, in fact, pre-recorded. Apparently, the risk of instruments breaking or going wildly out of tune due to the cold was too great.

- The newest fundraising weapon for the DSCC?  Who else but Morgan Freeman!

- Think you have what it takes to make it onto the Very Special List? No, no you don't.

1/22 Roundup: Day One, Goodbye Caroline, Spy-Proof and Bullet-Resistant President

Leader: Day One

- President Obama got right down to business on day one yesterday, signing a flurry of official memos, executive orders, and presidential directives in his opening hours. He issued several orders establishing a new model of ethics for the executive branch. Most notably, he froze the salaries of all White House staffers making more than $100,000 per year, and made other changes to increase accountability and decrease the power of lobbyists.

- He is expected to follow on a successful day one with a new round of orders today, including an order for the CIA to shutter its global network of secret prisons, and another to shut down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

- In his first foreign policy-related action, Obama called four leaders in the Middle East yesterday morning--  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah of Jordan and Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority. This serves as an important signal that Obama will prioritize US relations in the Mid East.

- Mike Madden at Salon looks at how Obama used his day-one directives to put his own, unique stamp on the Presidency.

Politics

- Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her name from consideration for the Senate seat left vacant by Hillary Clinton's assumption of the Secretaryship of State. She cited "personal reasons," which were presumed to relate to her uncle Teddy's health issues, but this excuse did not ring true for many, who saw her star as falling already.

- And yes, Hillary was officially confirmed yesterday, with a 94-2 vote in the Senate.

- I promised you yesterday that, despite stumbling during the swearing-in, Obama was really the president. Evidently, Obama was less confident this was the case, and so reconvened yesterday with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for a re-swearing-in. According to White House Counsel Greg Craig, the do-over was undertaken out of an "abundance of caution."

- Wired has a great piece looking at how Obama can "reboot the White House."

- Emily Bazelon and Chris Wilson at Slate line up the ten Bush executive orders that Obama should put on death row.

International

- George Mitchell will be Obama's special envoy to the Middle East-- a great choice, by all accounts.

- Pakistani forces arrested a Saudi man who is believed to have been been involved in the 2005 London bus bombings.

One More Thing

- Mercifully, Obama gets to keep his BlackBerry-- but it will be a special, spy-proof variety.  

- At the inauguration, Obama was wearing "bullet-resistant clothing..." which is, what, exactly?  Slate's explainer explains.

- Last, somewhat inexplicably, Obama still hasn't sat down for an exclusive interview with star reporter Damon Weaver. Mr. President, Damon is available at your convenience:



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