Obama On His First Year: ‘A Lot Of Those Promises Have Been Kept’
In an interview with the Washington Post, President Obama said that in his first year in office he has fulfilled or is on the way to completing his stated objectives. “Overall, if you had a checklist of promises made, a lot of those promises have been kept,” Obama said. “When those things are complete, and I think they will be, we will have achieved a fundamental shift in health care, energy, education and our financial regulatory system that will put this economy on a firmer footing to grow over the long term.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will be interviewed at 1:45 p.m. ET by NPR’s Julie Rovner and Robert Siegel. He will have another interview at 2:15 p.m. ET, with PBS’s Jim Lehrer.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will spend the day in Wilmington, Delaware. In the morning, he will receive an update from staff via telephone, on stimulus implementation, and will also have updates on health care reform throughout the day.
Geithner Predicts Job Growth By The Spring
Appearing on Good Morning America, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said that there will likely be job growth by the spring –Â but not before them. “Most economists would say that, by the spring, we’ll have positive job growth,” said Geithner, who also conceded that it is unlikely there was any job growth in December.
PhRMA Preparing For Increased Costs, More Negotiations In Health Care Legislation
The New York Times reports that the drug industry is preparing to drive a hard bargain int he remaining steps of health care negotiations. “There is still a gap that has to be closed between what the Senate is proposing and what the House passed,” said Ken Johnson, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. “I think there is a growing sense that they may need some additional help to achieve that goal, and as a result we are willing to listen.”
Cornyn: There Are Good Things In Health Care Bill, But It ‘Does A Lot, Lot More’
In an interview with CNN, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said that there are some good good things about the health care bill. “Absolutely. There’s bipartisan support for eliminating the pre-existing conditions exclusion,” said Cornyn. However, he said: “This bill does a lot, lot more. That’s why it costs about $2.5 trillion over a ten-year full implementation period. This is a massive government takeover of health care.”
Franken’s Sharp Tongue Emerging After Quiet First Months
The Hill notes that Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has been becoming more outspoken in the time since he entered the Senate, after an initial effort to be more low-key in the wake of his very narrow victory. “There is a war within Al Franken,” said Lawrence Jacobs, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. “The Al Franken head tells him to steer away from the limelight and build his reputation. Then there is his heart, which is quite fiery.”
Teresa Heinz Kerry Fighting Breast Cancer
Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), has revealed that she is battling breast cancer at age 71. Heinz Kerry was also critical of the recent federal panel recommendation that women in their 40s reduce the frequency of mammograms, arguing that the strain of fighting cancer at a later age is much greater: “Chemotherapy is serious. It also costs a lot of money. It’s very painful. And it’s very destructive of people’s — most people’s — lives for a while, anyway. So why put people through that instead of just having a test that’s done, and it’s done?”
