Obama Strategy: Share Credit (And Blame?)
The New York Times reports: “As they prepare to wage political war against President Obama, the potential 2012 Republican candidates are doing everything they can to draw sharp distinctions with him. But Mr. Obama isn’t cooperating. Rather than emphasize his differences with potential Oval Office rivals or Republican adversaries on Capitol Hill, the president is taking every opportunity he can to embrace members of the other party as co-conspirators in his efforts to confront the country’s challenges.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. Obama will meet at 1:35 p.m. ET with USAID Administrator Raj Shah, and will meet at 2 p.m. ET with senior advisers. At 2:55 p.m. ET, he will accept an award in conjunction with Sunshine Week, from a coalition of good government groups and transparency advocates. Obama and Biden will meet at 3:05 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. At 5 p.m. ET, Obama will deliver remarks at a Democratic National Committee event.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will meet in the morning with Budget Director Jacob Lew, National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, and senior advisers to discuss the budget. He will then attend President Obama’s daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. Then at 11 a.m. ET, he will chair a regular meeting of senior officials to assess progress in Iraq. At 3:05 p.m. ET, Obama and Biden will meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
John Boehner’s Weakened Hand
Politico reports: “Tuesday’s breakdown in Republican discipline weakens Speaker John Boehner’s hand in White House budget talks and raises the chances of a government shutdown next month unless he and President Barack Obama greatly step up their game. Fifty-four Republicans broke ranks with Boehner, leaving him suddenly dependent on Democrats to win House approval of a must-pass three-week spending bill to keep the government operating past Friday.”
Clinton Visits Egypt Square At Heart Of Revolt
Reuters reports: “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Wednesday, visiting the heart of the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak from power in Egypt after 30 years and shook the Middle East.”
Party Seeks One Voice. Schumer Steps Forward.
The New York Times reports on the expanding political profile of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): “With his party still trying to regain its footing after Republican gains in November, and with many fellow Democrats already worried about holding on to their seats in 2012, he has been given responsibility for sharpening the Democratic message from Capitol Hill and marrying it more effectively to the policies the party is trying to advance. ‘Usually, things change when you don’t do so well,’ Mr. Schumer said. ‘My job, our job as a caucus, is to focus on the average family, to show them we actually care about them.'”
Left Seeks To Outflank Reformers
The Hill reports: “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and liberal Democrats opposed to cutting Social Security benefits are trying to outflank President Obama and centrists who have signaled a willingness to cut a deal with Republicans. In a move intended to put lawmakers on the record regarding the ‘third rail’ of American politics, the liberal senators introduced a measure Tuesday to require a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress in order to pass any cuts to Social Security benefits.”
