Obama Celebrates Stimulus Passage In New Web Address
In his newest YouTube address, President Obama praises the passage of the economic stimulus bill, while also telling the public that this is only the start of a long road to economic reform and recovery:
Obama did take a bit of a shot at his Republican critics: “Now, some fear we won’t be able to effectively implement a plan of this size and scope, and I understand their skepticism. Washington hasn’t set a very good example in recent years. And with so much on the line, it’s time to begin doing things differently.”
No Obama Or Biden Events This Weekend
President Obama is spending the weekend with his family in Chicago, while Vice President Biden will be in New York City and Wilmington, Delaware. They do not have any scheduled public events today or tomorrow.
Coleman Campaign: We’re Still In It — And It’ll Take A Long Time
The Coleman campaign says yesterday’s court ruling — which forbade the counting of various categories of rejected absentee ballots — has only reduced them to a pool of 3,500 remaining envelopes out of their original set of 4,800. Coleman attorney/spokesman Ben Ginsberg also said the court’s imposition of strict requirements for newly-admitted ballots could lengthen the trial: “There may be fewer ballots to look at, but proving them up may take longer.”
NYT: Obama Finds Out Bipartisanship Isn’t So Easy
The New York Times reports that the Obama Administration has discovered in the stimulus debates just how difficult it will be to craft bipartisan legislation with the Republican opposition. David Axelrod said the White House has “learned some lessons from this,” but is happy with the result, while former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta predicted that Republican support was “wishful thinking” that won’t be coming to pass: “If you’re going to do this at the moment of greatest need, at the height of his popularity, what sort of thing would get you to change?”
House GOP: We Are Not The Party Of ‘No’
House Republicans are denying the assertion that they are simply a party opposed to the Democrats’ agenda — instead, they are offering better ideas that aren’t being adopted. “I said on the opening day that we wouldn’t be the party of ‘no’ and we haven’t been,” John Boehner told reporters yesterday. He later added: “If they are not willing to take any of our ideas to work with us in any way – you can’t blame us, they are the majority.”
Poll: Public Approves Direct Negotiations With Iran
A new Gallup poll shows large public support for direct diplomacy with Iran: 56% for it, to 38% against it — and with even 48% of Republicans supporting it. This is not to say that Americans view Iran favorably, with only 12% favorable and 80% unfavorable, but it does show a large majority in favor of Obama’s position of direct engagement with adversaries.
Obama Web Strategist Advising Australian Labor Party
Former Obama Web guru Ben Self, founder of Blue State Digital, is following in the footsteps of other American political advisers who break through in a big way. Self is now consulting for an ideologically-aligned party in another county, the Australian Labor Party. (Note that whenever he will be working in Australian politics, Self won’t be doing anything to advance liberal policies.)
