Obama: Economic Situation Improving, But More Work Needed
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama said that the latest GDP numbers show that the stimulus bill is working, and that the economy is on the way to recovery -- but there is still work to be done:

"This won't happen overnight. As I've said before, it will take many more months to fully dig ourselves out of a recession - a recession that we've now learned was even deeper than anyone thought," said Obama. "But I'll continue to work every day, and take every step necessary, to make sure that happens. I also want to make sure that we don't return to an economy where our growth is based on inflated profits and maxed-out credit cards - because that doesn't create a lot of jobs. Even as we rescue this economy, we must work to rebuild it stronger than before."

GOP Address: "Republicans Want Health Care Reform That Works"
In this weekend's Republican address, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) warned against a government takeover of health care by the Democrats:

"Republicans want health care reform that works. Reform that brings down costs for families and small businesses, and reform that provides better care to more people," said Thune. "On all these points, the current proposals by the President and the Democrat leadership in Congress fall short. Their plan for government-run health care would disrupt our current system and force millions of Americans who currently enjoy their employer-based coverage into a new health care plan run by government bureaucrats."

Obama's And Biden's Day Ahead
President Obama is spending Saturday at Camp David, and will return to the White House on Sunday morning. This morning, Vice President Biden delivered remarks to kick off the second day of meetings for Cabinet members at Blair House.

Labor/Liberal Groups To Spend $10-$20 Million In August Campaign
The Hill reports that labor unions and other liberal advocacy groups have budgeted between $10 and $20 million for the August recess, to mobilize support for the health care bill. "There will be a huge amount of grassroots organizing at the local level combined with selected paid advertising," said Richard Kirsch, national campaign manager of Health Care for America Now.

NYT: Analysts Say Obama Can't Pay For Everything By Taxing Rich
The New York Times reports that there is skepticism among economists of both the left and the right, regarding President Obama's desire to raise taxes exclusively on the rich to pay for the deficit and new programs. "This idea that everything new that government provides ought to be paid for by the top 5 percent, that's a basically unstable way of governing," said Leonard Burman, a veteran of the Clinton administration Treasury and director of the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

NRA Failing To Sway Senators Against Sotomayor
The Associated Press reports that the National Rifle Association's opposition to Sonia Sotomayor doesn't seem to have had much an effect on Capitol Hill, with several high-scoring Senators like Max Baucus (D-MT), Jon Tester (D-MT) and even Lamar Alexander (R-TN) announcing their support. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) has not yet taken a position, but the NRA's grading system didn't seem to be much of a factor: "I'd probably have a good rating regardless."

Huckabee Taking Sides In 2010 Primary Races
CQ points out that former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) has been taking an active role in Republican primaries for 2010, with his group HuckPAC supporting conservative candidates such as Marco Rubio for Senate in Florida, Rex Rice for Congress in South Carolina, and others. In all, HuckPAC raised $305,000 in the first six months of the year, and spent all but $48,000 left on hand.

Franken Relishes New Role In Public Policy
The Associated Press profiles Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), finding that the comedian-turned-politician is very much enjoying his new role: "I've got to get up to speed very, very quickly, so I'm focused on that." Said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA): "He really understands the sort of workings of government and how policy is developed and the effect it has. This is not some passing fancy of his. This is something he's been intellectualizing on and studying for many, many years."