Government Hopes New Drilling Moratorium Can Survive
The Associated Press reports: “Rebuffed twice by the courts, the Obama administration is taking another crack at a moratorium on deep-water drilling, stressing new evidence of safety concerns and no longer basing the moratorium on water depth. But those who challenge the latest ban question whether it complies with a judge’s ruling tossing out the first one. The new order does not appear to deviate much from the original moratorium, as it still targets deep-water drilling operators but defines them in a different way.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:45 a.m. ET. Obama will meet with senior advisers at 10:15 a.m. ET, and he and Biden will meet at 11 a.m. ET with the Senate Democratic Leadership Team. Obama and Biden will have lunch at 12:20 p.m. ET. They will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Obama will deliver remarks at 5:50 p.m. ET, on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden hosted a breakfast meeting at 7:45 a.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at the Naval Observatory. He will attend President Obama’s morning briefing at 9:45 a.m. ET. He and Obama will meet at 11 a.m. ET with the Senate Democratic Leadership Team. He will have lunch with Obama at 12:20 p.m. ET. He and Obama will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
GOPers Expect Palin’s Clout To Narrow As Primaries Wind Down
CQ reports: “Republican strategists expect Sarah Palin ‘s influence in midterm Senate races to diminish as the primary season concludes and GOP candidates turn their attention to winning over independents in the Nov. 2 general election…’She was a lot bigger draw in primary season than she will be during the general election,’ a senior Republican Senate aide said Monday. ‘Nobody in the Republican Party can turn out the base like Sarah Palin, but the impression she leaves amongst independents is decidedly mixed.'”
Deficit Fatigue Lifts Blue Dog Stock
Roll Call reports that concerns over deficit spending, and the likelihood of some Democratic losses in the House this year, are boosting the clout of the Blue Dog caucus, with their staffers getting hired by high-ranking Dems. “Staff moves are a leading indicator of policy changes,” said Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN). “That’s why you’re seeing Blue Dog staffers have their day in the sun.”
Beyond Guns: N.R.A. Expands Agenda
The New York Times reports: “The N.R.A., long a powerful lobby on gun rights issues, has in recent months also weighed in on such varied issues as health care, campaign finance, credit card regulations and Supreme Court nominees. In the health care debate this year, for instance, the N.R.A.’s lobbyists worked with the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, to include a little-noticed provision banning insurance companies from charging higher premiums for people with guns in their homes.”
Tea Party Groups Choose To Stand Mute On Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
The Washington Post reports that some Tea Party leaders are quietly supportive of a federal court’s decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, on the grounds that it is an infringement upon state’s rights. “I do think it’s a state’s right,” said Phillip Dennis, Texas state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. His group does not take a position on social issues, but he did explain his personal position: “I believe that if the people in Massachusetts want gay people to get married, then they should allow it, just as people in Utah do not support abortion. They should have the right to vote against that.”
