Obama: ‘I Draw Inspiration’ From People Dealing With Tough Economy
In a taped appearance on The View, set to air today, President Obama discussed the continuing problems in the economy: “As much as you’ve been saying it’s tough for me, the truth is, it’s not tough for me. You know I’ve got pundits on the news who might say things, but what the American people have gone through — losing jobs, seeing their home values go down, their 401ks declining — those are the people that I draw inspiration from because I get letters every night from them and I read them.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will deliver a major education reform speech at 10:05 a.m. ET, at the National Urban League 100th Anniversary Convention. He will meet at 11:10 a.m. ET with his national security team for his monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will have lunch with Vice President Biden at 12:35 p.m. ET. He will receive the presidential daily briefing at 1:45 p.m. ET. He will sign the Tribal Law and Order Act at 4:50 p.m. ET. He will attend a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will meet at 9:45 a.m. ET with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Afterwards, he will attend President Obama’s 11:10 a.m. ET meeting of the national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will have lunch at 12:35 p.m. ET with Obama. At 1:30 p.m. ET, Biden and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz will announce a new rule to protect consumers of debt relief services. He will meet at 4 p.m. ET with Earl Devaney, Chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. At 5 p.m. ET, he will swear in the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Biden: U.S. Doing ‘Significant Damage’ To Al-Qaida In Af-Pak
In an interview on NBC’s Today show, Vice President Biden addressed the controversies surrounding the WikiLeaks posting of documents regarding the Afghanistan war, saying that the administration’s new policies have made progress. “I assure you, we are doing significant damage to al-Qaida in Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan so we’re making progress,” Biden said. “But the truth of the matter is that there’s more to go.”
Liberal Angst Gives Way to Realism in Senate
Roll Call reports that liberal groups are scaling back their demands on Senate Democrats, instead looking ahead to focus on the November elections. “I think it’s good that folks are looking at the realities that we have and how we can get done something that’s a first step,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who oversees outreach to Dem base groups, also adding that liberals “see what we see in terms of unheard of [GOP] obstruction and filibustering.”
GOP Focus On Bush Tax Cuts For Recess –Â But Not Mentioning Bush
The Hill reports: “House Republican leaders largely avoid mentioning former President George W. Bush in their August recess package to GOP members. Instead of calling for an extension of Bush’s tax cuts, which House Republican leaders support, they refer to the looming ‘Democrats’ tax hikes.’ Under the heading ‘Job Creation,’ Republicans call the expiring tax cuts, set to lapse at the end of this year, a Democratic plan ‘on increasing taxes by $3.8 trillion.'”
Intelligence Nominee Set To Clear Senate Committee
The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected today to approve the nomination of retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the new Director of National Intelligence. The Associated Press reports: “Clapper’s confirmation may still face opposition from GOP lawmakers because they blame the White House for the continuing delay in passing last year’s intelligence act. The bill has passed the Senate but has languished in the House.”
