With the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing approaching on Monday, former president Bill Clinton gave an eloquent speech this morning at the Center for American Progress. Clinton compares the poisonous political climate that sent Timothy McVeigh to the Murrah building and the debates raging today. He warned political …
2012 Election
Fillibusters, Fights, Fundraising: We’re in an Election Season
This morning Washington woke up to reports on how the White House was going to go after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s opposition to the financial reregulation bill. “McConnell’s arguments that the Democrat’s plan for Wall Street reform will perpetuate bailouts is pure fantasy cooked up by Frank Luntz in a right wing focus …
Morning Must Reads: Rules
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–President Obama has directed HHS to establish a rule whereby any hospital receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds (basically all of them) cannot deny visitation rights to gay and lesbian partners, among others.
–Charlie Crist vetoed a teacher merit pay bill in Florida. Why is that a big …
Morning Must Reads: Stargazing
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
–The administration is trying to pick off individual Republican Senators to cross the aisle on financial reform. On their list: Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown and Kit Bond.
—Judd Gregg says he wants back at the negotiating table. Much of the GOP’s current argument is that opposition is …
Morning Must Reads: The First Act
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–If Mitch McConnell raised the curtain on this season of financial reform political theater yesterday, then the White House serves as backdrop for the first act today. Obama is set to meet with Speaker Pelosi, Leader Reid, Senator McConnell, Rep. Boehner and Rep. Hoyer at the White House …
A GOP Financial Reform Bellwether
Bit by bit, bipartisan negotiations in the Senate over financial regulatory reform have broken down. Richard Shelby, the ranking Republican on the Banking Committee split with the Democratic Chairman, Chris Dodd in February. Bob Corker filled the gap, stepping in to try to hammer out a compromise on an issue in which both parties see the …
Morning Must Reads: Making Their Case
Official White House photo by Pete Souza
—Mega-scoop from Ben Smith: Andy Stern reportedly plans to step down as president of the Service Employees International Union. Stern is a titan of the labor movement and the American left, not to mention an intimate ally to the White House. Marc Ambinder
Morning Must Reads: Hu’s In Town?
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Leaders from 46 countries have descended on Washington for this week’s nuclear summit. Whether anything beyond mere symbolism can be achieved is not yet clear.
–The meeting to watch today? Obama’s sit-down with Chinese President Hu Jintao. He needs to lock up China’s support for U.N. …
Stupak Steps Aside
Updated, 3:50 p.m.
During the press conference at which he announced he will not run for re-election, Bart Stupak made only passing allusion to the hailstorm of controversy he’s endured since voting for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The nine-term incumbent said his decision was spurred by a desire to spend more …
Morning Must Reads: The Hot Hand
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Bart Stupak is expected to announce his retirement today. The heat generated from an arduous year of health reform debate and his role in forging a compromise on abortion language seems to have taken their toll on the 18-year vet.
Morning Must Reads: Just Getting Started
US President Barack Obama (R) toasts with his Czech Republic’s counterpart Vaclav Klaus (C) and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after signing the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in Prague on April 8, 2010. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
–Obama and Medvedev signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty today in …
Talking Health Care on Staten Island
Yesterday, I traveled out to Staten Island to catch up with Rep. Michael McMahon, a freshman Democrat who voted against health care reform. McMahon seems pretty happy with how his vote is being perceived at home, even though Moveon.org and the SEIU are now actively searching for a Dem to primary him. He’s raised more than $1.1 million …
Morning Must Reads: Prague
President Barack Obama is greeted by a large crowd following his Prague speech April 5, 2009, in Hradcany Square in Prague, Czech Republic. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–President Obama heads to the Czech Republic on Wednesday night. He’s returning to the site of his April, 2009 speech on nonproliferation to sign a new …