Obama’s Weekly Address: Budget Keeps Promise Of “Sweeping Change”
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama declares that with his new budget he is keeping the promises he made during the campaign on issues such as the tax code, education, energy policy and other issues — and that he expects a fight in Washington to get it passed:
“The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people,” says Obama. “I didn’t come here to do the same thing we’ve been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November.”
GOP Response: Senator Burr Blasts Deficit Spending
In this weekend’s Republican response, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) — who voted for the Bush tax cuts and expansions in entitlement spending — denounces the deficit spending being conducted under President Obama:
“Looking at the spending priorities of Democrats in Washington in the proposed budget and over the past month, it’s hard to escape the reality that for the first time we could see the American Dream vanish,” says Burr. “Now, instead of working hard so our children can have a better life tomorrow, we are asking our children to work hard so that we don’t have to make tough choices today.”
CPAC Honoring Limbaugh
The 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference third and final day is today, featuring such speakers as Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, Phyllis Schlafly, Bill Bennett, Ann Coulter, David Horowitz and others. The crowning moment will come at 5:30 p.m. ET, when the “Defender of the Constitution Award” is presented to Rush Limbaugh.
No Obama Or Biden Events
President Obama and Vice President Biden do not have any public events scheduled for today.
Pawlenty: GOP Must Reach Out To ‘Sam’s Club Voters’
During his speech at CPAC, Minnesota Governor and possible presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty made the case that the Republican Party has to reach out to working-class “Sam’s Club Voters.” Pawlenty declared that the GOP must speak “with a feel and concern and tone and an understanding of the importance and the challenges of the working class of this country,” also adding: “And it doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our principles to do it.”
Romney: Bush Should Done A Stimulus; GOP Needs A Spokesperson
In an interview with the Politico, Mitt Romney criticized George W. Bush for failing to propose his own stimulus plan last fall, “so that in September, October, November, December, there would have been a stimulus plan,” rather than the one eventually passed by President Obama. Romney also got to the bottom of the problem now facing the GOP: “What’s challenging about being in the minority is we don’t have a spokesperson for our position who lays out a plan.”
Labor Unions Aiming For Reconciliation, New Federation
The Associated Press reports that the top labor unions are negotiating to re-forum under a single new federation, four years after several AFL-CIO member unions broke away to form Change to Win. “There’s obvious benefits in terms of efficiency, message delivery, financial savings and a host of other reasons,” said former House Dem Whip David Bonior, who has been brokering the discussions. “You can always be more effective if you’re talking in one house as opposed to three.”
Bunning Denies Story About Threatened Resignation
Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) is denying reports that he threatened at a Washington fundraiser to resign his seat — and thus let the Democratic governor appoint his replacement — if Republican leaders keep trying to pressure him into retirement. “It’s not true,” he told Roll Call in a statement. “I intend to fulfill my obligation to the people of Kentucky. If you are going to write something like this, you’d better make your sources known because they are lying.”
