TPMDC Morning Roundup

Obama To Announce Aid For Middle Class
The Associated Press reports that President Obama and Vice President Biden will roll out a new set of initiatives on the economy: "The proposals to be unveiled by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House, and which the president will push in his Wednesday night speech, include a doubling of the child care tax credit for families earning under $85,000; an increase in federal funding for child care programs of $1.6 billion; capping student loan payments to 10 percent of income above "a basic living allowance;" expanding tax credits to match retirement savings; and increasing aid for families taking care of elderly relatives. The plan would also require all employers to provide the option of a workplace-based retirement savings plan."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, will receive the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, and will meet with senior advisers at 10:30 a.m. ET. Obama and Vice President Biden will attend an 11:25 a.m. ET meeting of the Middle Class Task Force. Obama and Biden will have lunch at 12 p.m. ET. Obama will welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to the White House at 2:20 p.m. ET. Obama and Biden will meet at 4:50 p.m. ET with Kurdistan Regional Government President Barzani.

Arkansas Democratic Rep. Marion Berry To Retire
Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR) is expected to announce today that he will retire this year. Berry was first elected in 1996, and has held his seat easily. The seat could potentially be a tough hold for Democrats, as it voted for John McCain by 59%-38% in 2008.

Republicans Headed To Hawaii
The Republican National Committee is holding its winter meeting in Hawaii. Among potentially controversial items are a possible attempt to rebuke RNC chairman Michael Steele for writing his new book, in which he criticizes former President George W. Bush and 2008 presidential nominee John McCain, and a resolution to bar RNC financial support for candidates that to not meet a sufficient number of conservative litmus tests.

Citizens United Attorney: We Can Dismantle Campaign Finance Law
The New York Times has a new profile of conservative activist and attorney James Bopp Jr., a key strategist behind the Citizens United case, who is on a quest to destroy all campaign finance laws. "We had a 10-year plan to take all this down. And if we do it right, I think we can pretty well dismantle the entire regulatory regime that is called campaign finance law," said Bopp. He added: "We have been awfully successful, and we are not done yet."

Uncertainty On Bernanke Vote Raises Economic Fears
The Associated Press reports that economists fear that the chances of a double-dip recession would go up if Federal Research Chairman Ben Bernanke's confirmation for a second term is delayed or defeated. "It will become more acute if there are delays in confirming a successor," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist for the National Association for Business Economics. "All the political angst over the confirmation couldn't have come at a worse time for the economy."

Climate Bill Drives Energy Companies To Spend More On Lobbying
The Hill reports that the debate over the climate change bill has caused lobbying by the affected industries to significantly increase. The The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which represents for-profit electric utilities, spent $10.5 million on lobbying Congress in 2009, up from $7.5 million 2008; The American Petroleum Institute spent $7.3 million 2009, up from $4.8 million in 2008. In addition, the American Wind Energy Association spent $3.3 million on lobbying in 2009, up from $1.7 million in 2008.

Rendell To Democrats: "Don't Be Afraid"
Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), who is retiring this year due to term limits, is telling Democrats to be tough. "My message to those Democrats is don't be afraid," Rendell told ABC News. "Listen, you got elected because you wanted to do something to change the quality of people's lives -- here we have a chance to do something historic and if it means some of us are going to lose because of that so be it. At least you will have lost your office fighting for something and accomplishing something."