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TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Obama Promotes Stimulus, Government Accountability In Video Address
In his first Presidential YouTube Address as the sitting chief executive, Barack Obama promoted his stimulus plan, announcing that citizens will be able to hold the government accountable by monitoring the spending at a new Web site called Recovery.gov:

"I know that some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan," says President Obama. "I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my Administration accountable for these results. We won't just throw money at our problems - we'll invest in what works."

Obama Meets With Economic Team
President Obama met with his economic team earlier this morning at 11 a.m. ET, in a closed-door gathering.

No Biden Events Today, Will Be On CBS Tomorrow
Vice President Biden has no public events for today. However, he will be appearing on CBS' Face The Nation tomorrow morning, at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Obama On Mexico City Policy: We Must Find Common Ground
President Obama released a statement last night explaining his decision to rescind the Mexico City Policy, saying that family planning should not be made into a divisive political issue: "I have directed my staff to reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies. They will also work to promote safe motherhood, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and increase educational and economic opportunities for women and girls."

Blago's Lawyer: I Quit
Rod Blagojevich's attorney Ed Genson has announced that he is quitting, due to personal difficulties with his soon-to-be-former client's behavior: "I never require a client to do what I say, but I do require them to at least listen." When Blago was asked for comment, he said this was the first he had heard about it.

WaPo: Obama Administration "In An Awkward Phase"
The Washington Post reports that the Obama Administration is still getting settled in, as 3,000 politically-appointed posts remain to be filled and the folks who have been hired are still becoming acclimated. Says the Post: "The big boss is at his desk at the White House, but the vast executive branch is in an awkward phase, lightly sprinkled with political appointees still trying to get permanent badges and locate the restrooms."

NYT Profile: Gillibrand Always An Up And Comer
In a new profile of Senator-designate Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York Times depicts a woman skilled at forging political connections. "I wouldn't be surprised if this carried her even higher onto a national platform," said John Replogle, a Dartmouth classmate and CEO of Burt's Bees. "I could see her in the cabinet, indeed if not throwing her hat into the ring in eight years."

Michelle Obama Objects To Dolls Named After Malia And Sasha
First Lady Michelle Obama is stating her objections to a new pair of dolls being marketed by Ty, the creators of Beanie Babies, that appear to be named after her daughters. Said a spokeswoman for the First Lady: "We feel it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purpose."


28 Comments

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OBVIOUSLY, it has been 3 days for goodness sakes. I mean why are asinine articles like these even written.

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Breaking: Obama hasn't tried everything on the White House menu.

"At this point, a lot of time is going into deliberations. He's still weighing the options in front of him, and the staff should expect a few surprises in the coming months." said a White House bus boy on conditions of anonymity, "Obviously, we won't see a regular taco night until July, at least."

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Breaking: Obama hasn't tried everything on the White House menu.

"Will America accept a thin President?"

"Is Obama shunning certain food groups?"

"Latinos voice concern over Obama's apparent food choices"

"Anonymous White House staffers grumble privately over food services"

"Are Sasha and Malia getting enough to eat?"

"Are the Obamas setting a good example?"

Meanwhile, meaningful news about, for instance, the continuation of Bush Administration drilling practices gets lost.

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"...the continuation of Bush Administration drilling practices gets lost."

That's a big one and we have a small window to let Obama and others know how we feel on this. It's not too late..... yet.

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Yes. When the public comment period opens, people need to respond.

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I believe it opened on Wednesday and will last for the next 60 days.

"The department issued a notice Wednesday requesting public comments on the plan. The comment period will be open for 60 days. After that, the Obama administration would have to decide whether to proceed with an official proposal, make changes or scrap it."

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE50K68520090121

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How long before the WaPo breaks ArugulaGate?

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Second.

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That said, I bet it's like "when there is no news, we gotta make some"...

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Everyone please read Romer and Bernstein's report on the Stimulus package.

While their is a large margin of error- the package as proposed looks pretty good. We should get our 3 to 4 million jobs.

It's an easy read:

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/3486860/Obama-Stimulus-Job-Impact-Report

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er, there, not their. Get's me every time!

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Bush had the audacity to move as much as $10 trillion from the demand-side of the economy to the supply-side.

Any stimulus short of $1 trillion is just not serious.

Right now, in the audacity department, Bush still leads.

I want to tell Obama, I caught the hope, now I'm waiting on the audacity.

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I agree the package needs more- more jobs, more on transit, more money invested. However, it's at least reassuring to know that Obama is following through on what he said- 3 to 4 million jobs.

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Obama Develops Carpal Tunnel from Reversing Bush's Policies
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=5768

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If Gillibrand has any national aspirations as a Democrat, she will have to radically alter her policy positions on numerous issues.

The Democratic Party is not going to nominate someone with a 100% NRA rating, and although I am a deficit hawk, only a fiscal policy knave would oppose a massive stimulus package in these economic times.

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I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that this woman came out of supposedly liberal NY.

It seems like a great big FU from Patterson and the Clinton crew both to Obama and the rest of the party.

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While I certainly think Caroline would have made a very good Senator, I think the Dems were aiming higher with this selection. Caroline just didn't seem driven enough, or had the right temperament for the political circus.

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I haven't read that Clinton supported her. Given that Andrew Cuomo was Bill's HUD Secretary, my guess is that he would have been their choice.

Of course, one could be Machiavellian and speculate that Gillibrand could turn out to be so weak that Hillary could run against her in a 2012 primary, but that's a bit too conspiratorial for me.

I just think Paterson wanted to pick a woman from upstate.

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President Obama seems to be talking to somebody over my right shoulder in that video.

Gillibrand was hand-picked by Hillary Clinton, so she'll have the right backing and get on the right Senate committees. I think the DLC'ers in the party are going to stop fighting the NRA/Guns issue, or already have. I've seen the new Senator trumped up as the Dem's answer to Sarah Palin (in a good way and in a negative way) and her referred to as Tracy Flick of the House.

I have little doubt she is being groomed as a potential Presidential candidate. Dems probably saw the Palin phenomenon and realized they didn't have a Democratic answer for it. The Dems certainly have many incredibly qualified female politicians, but none that would have that charisma to capture the nations interest. If Secretary Clinton couldn't get there herself, what better than her handpicked choice to do it.

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Please cite a link that supports your contention that Clinton picked Gillibrand, otherwise it shouldn't be taken seriously.

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Winners here: Chuck Schumer, who was pushing for Gillibrand behind the scenes, and is expected at today's press conference; another Chuck connections: his chief of staff is married to Gillibrand's legislative director; and Hillary Clinton, whose protege she is.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/#

Paul Begala waxes poetic about her on CNN.com, She worked in the Clinton White House, Bill campaigned for her in 2006, Rahm Emanuel chose her to run in 2006 and believed her to be a star. Gillibrand talked glowingly about Sec. Clinton in her remarks yesterday, as well as talking head chatter when discussing the Gillibrand choice.

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Tne New York Times reported that Schumer's role was critical, citing Fred Dicker of the NY Post and Jason Horowitz of the New York Observer, but it makes no mention of Mrs. Clinton:

But for some New York politics watchers the important question was: who came out ahead in this mess?

The answer from several was Senator Charles E. Schumer, despite the fact that he was angled out of a prime spot next to the new Senator during her first news conference. Mr. Schumer had been an early and strong supporter of Ms. Gillibrand...

I don't take the Politico very seriously, but I give you credit for coming up with a citation.

I find it kind of amusing that some commentators have said that Hillary derailed Caroline Kennedy. Given how poorly Ms. Kennedy comported herself in the lead up to the selection, for that assertion to be true, she would have had to have been a co-conspirator with the Clintons.

As I mentioned above, unless Hillary is devising a diabolical plot to challenge Gillibrand in the 2012 primary, I'm not sure what she has to gain by championing a candidate who she strongly disagrees with on numerous issues.

Granted Schumer's support is curious, unless he has assurances from Gillibrand that she is willing to drastic change her policy positions to be more in line with those of NY Democrats.

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According to this except linked at The Daily Beast, the Clintons aren't happy with the pick:

5. Dynasties Turn on Paterson

The Kennedys aren't the only dynasty angry with Governor Paterson's senatorial pick. The New York Times reports that the families Clinton and Cuomo—not to mention a cavalcade of liberal organizations supporting issues like gun control and gay rights—join the ranks of New Yorkers irked with Kirsten Gillibrand's appointment. Advisors' "worst fears have been realized" in the year they hoped would legitimize their boss, who came to power as a direct result of scandal-heavy governing partner Eliot Spitzer's demise.
Read it at The New York Times

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According to the NYT the Clintons are angry at Paterson, not the pick -

“He’s managed to anger, in one fell swoop, the Kennedys, the Cuomos and the Clintons,” the consultant said, arguing that Ms. Kennedy’s family would be furious at the governor over the leaks against her, Mr. Cuomo at being passed over for the job, and Mrs. Clinton at the governor’s willingness to consider Ms. Kennedy in the first place after she endorsed Barack Obama in the presidential race last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/nyregion/24assess.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
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That analysis is sort of silly. How could Paterson fail to even consider Caroline Kennedy?

I would also note that the article does not state that Clinton supported Gillibrand.

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I'd like to see them extend COBRA eligibility. It would cost the employers nothing, cost the government nothing as the terminated employee pays 100% (plus admin fees) of the cost

Coverage is now limited to 18 months, it should be extended to 30 months until the economy settles a bit and its possible to find work.

As an example my coverage --while expensive -- is still better than I could get on the open market as it is a group plan and I have no access to group plans as an unemployed person.

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It's misleading at best to call the video addresses "YouTube" addresses. The Obama administration calls them the Weekly Video Address and it'd downloadable as an MP4. The State Deparment uses Brightcove for their video. There are many purveyors of online flash video other than YouTube and now that Obama is President his staff is making the videos available on government servers.

I think it's wrong reporting outlets to use language that enshrines one brand of technology as the default. It's simply video, not "YouTube".

More at CNET
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13739_3-10148844-46.html?tag=mncol;title

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It is not that they want to single out YouTube.. it is that many people just do not understand that there can be video online without that particular site. There are always topically illiterate wannabes trying to appear hip and you cannot but be embarrassed for them.

I will leave you with this which I found on my Googles.

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