Obama To G-20: Strong US Economy Key To Global Recovery
The Associated Press reports: “President Barack Obama said a strong, job-creating economy in the United States would be the country’s most important contribution to a global recovery as he pleaded with world leaders to work together despite sharp differences. Arriving in South Korea on Wednesday for the G-20 summit, Obama is expected to find himself on the defensive because of plans by the Federal Reserve to buy $600 billion in long-term government bonds to try to drive down interest rates, spur lending and boost the U.S. economy. Some other nations complain that the move will give American goods an unfair advantage.”
Obama: ‘Indonesia Is A Part Of Me’
The AFP report: “Obama said Indonesia’s transformation had been mirrored in his own life, in the 40 years since he left the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, as a scruffy youth destined to become the president of the United States. ‘Indonesia is a part of me,’ Obama said, recalling how his late mother had married an Indonesian man and brought her son to then sleepy Jakarta, where he would fly kites, run in rice paddies and catch dragonflies. Obama said he had been encouraged by Indonesia’s more recent rejection of Suharto-era authoritarianism and embrace of democracy, and said, with its new skyscrapers in now teeming Jakarta, it was now a key force in Asia.”
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will meet at 11 a.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He will meet in the afternoon with senior advisers.
Republicans Maneuver To Oust Steele
The New York Times reports: “Turning their attention to the 2012 presidential election, Republican leaders are digging in for a battle over control of the Republican National Committee, judging that its role in fund-raising, get-out-the-vote operations and other tasks will be critical to the effort to topple President Obama. Some senior party officials are maneuvering to put pressure on Michael Steele, the controversial party chairman, not to seek re-election when his term ends in January or, failing that, to encourage a challenger to step forward to take him on.”
Moderates Eye Retaliation Against Pelosi
Roll Call reports: “Enraged moderate Democrats have been kicking around various scenarios for retaliating against Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her decision to run for Minority Leader. The moderate wing of the party, which was decimated in last week’s midterm elections, blames its losses in large part on the California Democrat’s liberal leadership and toxic poll ratings, and many moderates are shocked that she is sticking around without even issuing a mea culpa.”
Room At The Top? Not For New Dems
The Hill reports: “A younger generation of Democrats is chafing at being asked to stand aside and let a triumvirate of elders keep their leadership positions in the wake of a catastrophic midterm election result… ‘We can’t let them sit on the bench for too much longer,’ one Democratic aide said, referring to the party’s younger lawmakers. ‘There’s a push to add in some new ideas and new faces and new energy.'”
