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Congressional Dems Ironing Out Stimulus Plan
Congressional Democrats worked hard last night to negotiate differences between the House and Senate stimulus plans. Nancy Pelosi downplayed the idea of restoring the greater spending increases in the House version: “You cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the effective and of the necessary, and we will not.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama is hitting the trail again to promote his stimulus package, this time holding an 11 a.m. ET visit to a construction site in Springfield, Virginia, accompanied by Governor Tim Kaine. Then at 3 p.m. ET he’ll be meeting in the Oval Office with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Biden Promoting Stimulus Package In Pennsylvania
Vide President Biden is visiting Pennsylvania today, where he’ll be campaigning for the stimulus package alongside Governor Ed Rendell. First up is a 1:10 p.m. ET photo opportunity at the Route 34 Bridge in Carlisle, to promote the need to improve existing infrastructure. Biden and Rendell will then speak in Harrisburg at 2:10 p.m. ET.

Crist: “I’m Trying To Be Practical” About Stimulus
Governor Charlie Crist (R-FL) told The Hill that he’s not trying to undercut Congressional Republicans with his appearance alongside President Obama to promote the stimulus plan. However, he also says: “obviously, this bill’s passing, so I’m trying to be practical and pragmatic and make sure Florida gets its share.”

Franken And Coleman Both Visiting Washington
Al Franken and Norm Coleman are both spending time in Washington today. Franken is in D.C. in order to prepare for being a Senator, while Coleman is in town for an NRSC fundraiser for his legal effort.

Dingell Is Longest-Serving House Member
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) has now become the longest-serving member of the House, beating the record of 53 years and two months that were previously set by conservative Democrat Jamie Whitten of Mississippi. In an interview with the Washington Post, Dingell brushed off the recent loss of his chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee: “I’ll be up again, don’t worry. And I’ll find things to do.”

Hoekstra Defends Himself After Twittering Overseas Trip
Rep. Pete Hoekstra is defending himself from criticism after he Twittered during his trip with a Congressional delegation to Iraq and Afghanistan, thus making public the movements of the delegation in the middle of a conflict zone. A spokeswoman told CQ that Hoekstra did not harm the delegation’s security, and that he had not signed on to any agreement to not discuss details of the trip.

Palin Skipping CPAC
Sarah Palin will not be attending this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, apparently because the schedule conflicts with Alaska’s legislative session. Other potential 2012 Republican candidates, including Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, will be in attendance.

Memo To Virginia GOP Chairman: Some Things You Don’t Twitter
We usually don’t cover obscure state politics, but this is too much. Virginia Republican chairman ruined a bid by the party to get a Democratic state Senator to switch parties and flip control of the chamber. How did he ruin it? By Twittering the secret negotiations!

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