Poll: Americans' Optimism On The Rise
A new AP/GfK poll finds that a 48% plurality of Americans now believe the country is on the right track, compared to 44% who say it is on the wrong track. This is the first time since January 2004, shortly after the capture of Saddam Hussein, that the right-track number edged out the wrong-track figure.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will be speaking at 11 a.m. ET, at the Holocaust Days of Remembrance ceremony at the Capitol. At 1:05 p.m. ET, he will meet with representatives of the credit card industry in the Roosevelt Room. At 2:15 p.m. ET, he and Vice President Biden will meet in the Cabinet Room with the Congressional leadership of both parties. At 3:30 p.m. ET, he will receive the University of Florida football team in the East Room. At 4 p.m. ET, he will meet with Hillary Clinton. At 7:30 p.m. ET, he and the First Lady will host a reception for Congressional members and their spouses, in the Blue Room.

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will attend President Obama's regular morning briefings. Afterwards, he will host his own regular Economic Recovery Implementation Cabinet Meeting. In the afternoon, he will join the president's meeting with the Congressional leadership of both parties, and in the evening he and Jill Biden will attend the reception for Congressional members and their spouses.

NYT: Dems Consider Bypassing GOP On Health Care
The New York Times reports that Congressional Democrats are still considering the option of the budget reconciliation process for passing health care legislation, bypassing Republicans and any 60-vote filibuster threshold. "It may be a struggle to get to 60," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) said that use of reconciliation would be "a declaration of war."

Roll Call: GOP Could Take Revenge Against Reconciliation Maneuver
Meanwhile, Roll Call reports that the Republicans are prepared to retaliate if the Dems invoke budget reconciliation on health care, by using Senate procedures to hold up even the most routine of business. According to a former GOP leadership aide, Republicans could withhold unanimous consent where it is needed, could require separate hearings and roll call votes for every single White House appointee, and could even potentially demand that the text of bills, often hundreds of pages, be read aloud.

House GOP Looking For Friendly Dems To Stop Pollution Legislation
CQ reports that House Republicans are trying to forge alliances with Democrats from industrial states to fight the objectives of the Democratic leadership on pollution. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is looking for Dems to support legislation barring the EPA from regulation carbon dioxide, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) has said that a carbon tax or cap-and-trade "amount to a declaration of economic war on the Midwest by Democrats on Capitol Hill."

Maloney Hires Statewide Fundraiser For Possible Primary Bid Against Gillibrand
The New York Observer reports that Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who has been considering a 2010 primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, has hired a statewide finance director. "The statewide title is new for Maloney's campaign team," the Observer says, "but, in a brief phone interview, Cohen said, repeatedly, that she's not officially running for Senate."

Hillary: Dealing With Climate Change Like Losing Weight
Speaking to an Earth Day event yesterday, Hillary Clinton gave the crowd an amusing analogy about the daunting task of dealing with climate change. "It's kind of like trying to lose weight -- which I know something about," she said, later explaining: "If we keep in mind the big goal, but we break it down into baby steps -- those doable, achievable objectives -- we can do so much together."