TPMDC Morning Roundup

Bernanke May Have Harder Fight To Defend Fed
Bloomberg reports that the 30-vote opposition to Federal Research Chairman Ben Bernanke's re-confirmation is a sign of growing political opposition to the bank itself, which Bernanke will have to defend against in his second term. "The opposition to Bernanke isn't about the guy," said Vincent Reinhart, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and a former Fed official. "It shows the public distrust of the institution."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden are meeting with the Cabinet at 8:40 a.m. ET. Obama will depart the White House at 10:15 a.m. ET, en route to Baltimore, Maryland. He will tour a local small business in Baltimore at 11 a.m. ET, and deliver remarks at 11:25 a.m. ET on a jobs tax credit. He will then deliver remarks at 12:10 p.m. ET, at the House Republican retreat. He will arrive back at the White House at 1:55 p.m. ET. He will meet at 4:45 p.m. ET with Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner.

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will join President Obama's 8:40 a.m. ET meeting with the Cabinet. At 1:30 p.m. ET, Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will host conference calls with governors and mayors from across the country, to discuss stimulus implementation. Biden will spend the remainder of the day meeting with senior advisers at the White House.

Poll: Specifics In Stimulus Popular, Overall Plan Is Not
A new CNN poll finds that at the same time as the stimulus bill has become unpopular, with 56% opposing it, massive majorities favor components such as spending on roads and bridges (80%), aid to the unemployed (82%), and some tax cuts (70%). So why the difference? "Because, as we have seen throughout the week, there is much skepticism that the bill is wasteful, full of politically-motivated projects, and has benefitted fat cats at the expense of ordinary Americans," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "The positive aspects of the stimulus bill, such as infrastructure improvements and tax cuts, seem to have taken a back seat to those negatives."

House Republicans Await Obama To Kick off Weekend Retreat
House Republicans are getting ready to greet President Obama today, on his visit to their retreat in Baltimore. The Hill reports that Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) will be bringing with him a poster-sized copy of the "Declaration of Health Care Independence," drawn up by Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Steve King (R-IA), and hopes to get signatures from his colleagues -- and perhaps from Obama.

Pryor: 'It's Very Possible That Health Care Is A Stalemate'
Sen. Mark Pryor, a conservative Democrat from Arkansas, is downplaying the chance of passing health care reform. "It's very possible that health care is just a stalemate and you can't solve it this year," said Pryor.

Arizona Dem Candidate Hopes To Capitalize On McCain-Hayworth Primary
CQ reports that Arizona Democrats think they could have a chance in this year's Senate race, thanks to the Republican primary battle between incumbent Sen. John McCain and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth. Likely Democratic candidate Rodney Glassman, a Tucson councilman and Air Force JAG Reserve officer, sent an e-mail to supporters hearkening back to the 1976 Senate win by Dem Dennis DeConcini, when "two Arizona Republican political heavyweights ... attacked each other so fiercely in scorched-Earth primary campaigns that a political newcomer from Tucson was able to win a long-shot campaign."