TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Obama At Intel Plant: ‘We’ve Got To Win The Global Competition To Educate Our People’
President Obama recorded this weekend’s YouTube address from the Intel plant near Portland, Oregon, discussing the need for strong education policies in order to maintain business competitiveness for the country.

“Companies like Intel are proving that we can compete – that instead of just being a nation that buys what’s made overseas, we can make things in America and sell them around the globe. Winning this competition depends on the ingenuity and creativity of our private sector – which was on display in my visit today. But it’s also going to depend on what we do as a nation to make America the best place on earth to do business.

“Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education beyond high school, many requiring proficiency in math and science. And yet today we’ve fallen behind in math, science, and graduation rates. As a result, companies like Intel struggle to hire American workers with the skills that fit their needs. If we want to win the global competition for new jobs and industries, we’ve got to win the global competition to educate our people. We’ve got to have the best trained, best skilled workforce in the world. That’s how we’ll ensure that the next Intel, the next Google, or the next Microsoft is created in America, and hires American workers.”

House Defies Obama By Passing Spending-Cut Bill
Reuters reports: “The House of Representatives on Saturday approved legislation to cut federal spending deeply through September, a plan that is sure to be stopped by President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats in the Senate. The Republican-backed bill is a challenge to Obama to show he is serious about closing record budget deficits and sets up the possibility of government shut downs if a compromise is not worked out by March 4, when current funding expires.”

Government Shutdown Is Likely, Pelosi Aide Says
Politico reports: “A high-ranking aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told chiefs of staff of Democratic lawmakers that a government shutdown is more likely than not, according to attendees. Speaking at a regular meeting of the top aides to House Democrats, Pelosi’s floor director, Jerry Hartz, offered, unprompted, his assessment that the odds favor inaction before the government runs out of money, sources said.”

Long Floor Fight Over Spending Cuts Gets Personal
The New York Times reports: ” It was billed as a battle over numbers, but the marathon floor fight in the House this week was more a drama over core political beliefs, with long-simmering resentments, partisan grandstanding and startling personal revelations sprinkled throughout the script.”

Republicans With 2012 Ambitions Score Points In CR Debate
Roll Call reports: “A trio of House Republicans who are eyeing 2012 bids for statewide office succeeded in changing the GOP’s stopgap spending measure in ways that could bolster their campaign credentials…GOP Reps. Mike Pence (Ind.), Denny Rehberg (Mont.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) all won approval for amendments to the spending bill this week. Pence is mulling a run for governor after ruling out a 2012 presidential campaign, and Rehberg and Flake announced this month that they will run for Senate in 2012.”

For Obama And Unions, Partnership Is Prickly
The Washington Post reports: “President Obama did everything this week that a loyal member of the labor movement could hope for: He quickly leapt to the defense of Wisconsin public-employee unions in their battle for bargaining rights, while his political operation worked to instigate additional demonstrations against Republican governors in other states. But as Obama’s actions were celebrated in one part of the country, he was being picketed – again – in another. On Friday, he was greeted at a factory tour in Oregon by about three dozen high-tech workers who accused the president of pushing trade policies that would ship their jobs overseas.”

Latest DC
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: