Obama Talks Up Trade With Asia
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama talked up his recent work on trade deals with countries such as China, South Korea and India, saying that it would promote markets for American manufacturing and create jobs here.
“That’s why I met with China’s President Hu Jintao at the White House this past week. We’re now exporting more than $100 billion a year to China in goods and services,” said Obama. “And as a result of deals we completed this week, we’ll be increasing U.S. exports to China by more than $45 billion, and China’s investments in America by several billion dollars. Most important, these deals will support some 235,000 American jobs. And that includes a lot of manufacturing jobs.”
Barrasso: Are You Better Off A Year After Health Care REform Passed?
In this weekend’s GOP address, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) promoted the key Republican issue of repealing the health care reform law, following this past week’s repeal vote in the House of Representatives.
“The President’s party has wasted millions of your taxpayer dollars trying to persuade you to support this law. Well, in spite of the mailings and the misleading television ads, they have failed,” said Barrasso. “A recent poll showed that a majority of Americans still want this law repealed. And the reasons are clear. Ask yourself – are you better off or worse off now that the healthcare law has been on the books for almost a year?”
It should be noted that many provisions of the law have yet to be implemented.
Obama Thanks Democratic Members at Retreat
Roll Call reports from the House Democratic Issues Conference in Maryland: “President Barack Obama spent some quality time chatting up House Democrats on Friday night during a closed-door dinner here. The president, who took a 30-minute helicopter ride from the White House to join his party’s House Members at their annual retreat, made brief remarks before circulating among Members and their families. Obama was the headliner for the evening; he followed an appearance earlier in the day from Vice President Joseph Biden.”
House Dems Unveil ‘Drive For 25’ For 2012
CNN reports: “In a press conference following a meeting of the Democratic issues conference, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi outlined the goals for ‘Make it in America,’ which includes the ‘Drive for 25,’ designed to gain 25 Democratic seats in the 2012 elections and win back the majority…Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Democrats plan to offer constructive proposals in the ‘Drive for 25’ and ‘hold the GOP accountable when they do not support the interests of the middle class.'”
New Hampshire Is First In Nation, Last With Sarah Palin
Politico reports: “If Sarah Palin decides to run for president, she could quickly find that it’s not Arizona, but New Hampshire that poses the bigger threat to her candidacy. That’s because in all of her travels since the 2008 election – during the midterm campaign and across two expansive book tours – the former Alaska governor has not once set foot in the first-in-the-nation primary state. And residents have noticed.”
Across Country, Lawmakers Push Abortion Curbs
The New York Times reports: “Newly energized by their success in November’s midterm elections, conservative legislators in dozens of states are mounting aggressive campaigns to limit abortions. The lawmakers are drafting, and some have already introduced, bills that would ban most abortions at 20 weeks after conception, push women considering abortions to view a live ultrasound of the fetus, or curb insurance coverage, among other proposals.”
