TPMDC Sunday Roundup

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

McConnell: MA-SEN Race A Referendum On Health Care Bill
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said of the special Senate election in Massachusetts: “The important thing to remember, though, is that this is, in effect, a referendum on the national health care bill which the Democrats, in secret, are trying to work out now. They have arrogantly ignored American public opinion all the way to this point. And they’re trying to get their members to continue to ignore public opinion one more time. Regardless of the outcome Tuesday, we know that in the most liberal state in America you’re going to have a close election for the United States Senate because people in Massachusetts don’t want this health care bill to pass.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
The President and First Lady attended a church service at 10:45 a.m. ET, and President Obama delivered remarks. At 1:30 p.m. Et, Obama will depart from the White House arriving at 2:55 p.m. ET in Boston, Massachusetts. At 3:35 p.m. ET, he will deliver remarks at a campaign event for Democratic Senate nominee Martha Coakley. He will depart from Boston at 4:55 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Clinton: U.S. Has To Have Role In Helping Haiti With Organization
Appearing on Meet The Press, former President Bill Clinton was asked by David Gregory about the extent to which the United States might have to run the Haitian government. Clinton responded: “Well, I don’t think we have to have a role in running the government. But we have, have to have a role in helping them to do things that require an organization that no longer exists. For example, Hillary yesterday morning negotiated an agreement with the Haitian government for our military to operate the airport at Port-au-Prince for three days, subject to renegotiation. They didn’t have the people to do it anymore. And so now they can keep it open 24 hours a day.”

Clinton: ‘Within Two Or Three Days The Thing Will Be In Much Better Order’
Appearing on This Week, former President Bill Clinton said of the situation in Haiti: ” I mean, the country — the structure of the country was taken down, and I think the United States has done a good job and I think the international community has done a good job. The U.N. structure was taken down. Biggest loss of life in a single day in U.N. history. So President Bush and I were talking before, people get frustrated by this, but I think if you just — within two or three days the thing will be in much better order.”

Bush: ‘There Ought To Be No Politicization’ Of Haiti Quake
Appearing on This Week, former President George W. Bush said: ‘Well, first of all, the first concern is the one that everybody ought to be thinking about, and that is to help save lives. I mean, I’ve seen it on the TV screens. You’ve seen it on the TV screens. There’s just unbelievable devastation. You read the e-mail report from a person who’s obviously desperate. We’ve got to deal with the desperation. And there ought to be no politicization of that.’

Bush: I Called Bill Clinton ‘On Occasion’ When I Was President
Appearing on Face The Nation, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush discussed their friendship, and how the two would actually speak to each other when Bush was president. “I don’t know about often but I did, I called him,” said Bush. “He didn’t call me because he knows how busy a president is. I called him and we chatted on occasion.”

Gen. Keen: U.S. Will Be In Haiti ‘As Long As We Are Needed’
Army Lt. Gen. P.K. Keen, the top U.S. military official overseeing the relief effort in Haiti, said on State of the Union: “We’re going to be here as long as we are needed.” Keen also added: “We’re building up capacity every day and getting what we need to accomplish the mission.”

USAID’s Shah: Goal In Haiti ‘To Really Do More Every Single Day’
Appearing on State of the Union, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah discussed the U.S. commitment to Haiti. “The president when he noted that we’re making a $100 million commitment – when he made that commitment – also noted that we will do whatever it takes to mount an aggressive response and to serve the people of Haiti effectively and so that’s what we’re doing,” said Shah, also adding: “Our goal and our metric of success is to really do more every single day and exponentially more in terms of the delivery of services, the delivery of commodities.”

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: