Omnibus Could Pass Today
The Senate is expected to vote today on the omnibus spending bill, with the Democratic leadership claiming they now have enough crossover Republican support — and assurances from some wavering Democrats — to cross the 60-vote threshold. Notably, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said that Treasury officials have compromised on proposed changes to Cuba policy.
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama is speaking at 9:45 a.m. ET to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 19th Annual Legislative Conference. At 3:30 p.m. he will be meeting with the New Democrat Coalition, the caucus of centrist Democrats in Congress. Then at 5:30 p.m. ET he will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Biden Meeting With NATO, European Leaders
Vice President Biden has been spending the day in Brussels, Belgium, meeting with NATO and European leaders. He met at 4 a.m. ET with Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer; at 4:30 a.m. ET he met with a NATO session; and at 7:20 a.m. ET he and de Hoop Scheffer held a press conference. At 8:35 a.m. he met with members of the European Union; at 10:05 a.m. ET he will meet with Belgian Prime Minister Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy; and at 11:05 a.m. he will meet with the Non-NATO International Security Assistance Force.
Dean Challenges GOP: “Be My Guest” And Filibuster Health Care
In an interview with the Washington Times, Howard Dean warned Republicans that serious political backlash will await if they block President Obama’s health care plan: “They called Medicare socialized medicine. If they want to filibuster this to death, be my guest and let’s see how they do in 2010.” He also had this to say about the Rush Limbaugh controversies: “You expect people to have fun, and it was fun, but enough is enough. The reason it’s fun is because it’s true.”
Poll: Dodd Trails By One Point
A new Quinnipiac poll in Connecticut shows Chris Dodd down by one point against former GOP Rep. Rob Simmons, with a high undecided number: Simmons 43%, Dodd 42%, within the ±2.8% margin of error. Against right-wing economist/pundit Larry Kudlow, who is reportedly looking at the race, Dodd leads 46%-34%.
Shuler Not Running For Senate
Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) has announced through his spokesman that he is not running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Richard Burr in 2010. Burr has proven to be a strong vote-getter in a conservative region of his state, but has also clashed with Democratic leaders and voted against the stimulus bill.
McCain Doesn’t Want Obama To Fail, But Says White House Is “Lurching”
In an interview with the Politico, John McCain said these are “terrible, perilous” times for the economy, and that “I don’t want him [President Obama] to fail in his mission of restoring our economy.” However, he also continued to criticize the administration’s policies thus far: “There is no clear message. They’re just sort of lurching from one crisis to another, and that’s the perception the American people have.”
Vogel Named DCCC Executive Director
The DCCC has announced that political strategist Jon Vogel has been named as the organization’s new Executive Director. Vogel previously led the DCCC’s independent expenditure arm in 2008, running ad campaigns that helped pick up 24 seats, and in 2006 he served as Northeastern and Florida Regional Political Director.
