Obama Melds Politics With Policy On California Trip
Reuters reports: “President Barack Obama will tout his plan to trim the deficit and try to excite younger voters on Wednesday in a campaign-style trip to California that features a stop at Facebook headquarters. Obama embarks on a deficit-cutting road show as policy makers and financial markets recover from ratings agency Standard & Poor’s threat to downgrade America’s triple-A credit rating on worries Washington won’t address its fiscal woes.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:20 a.m. ET. He will depart form the White House at 10:05 a.m. ET, and depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 10:40 a.m. ET, arriving at 4:30 p.m. ET in San Francisco, California. At 4:45 p.m. ET, he will participate in a Shared Responsibility and Shared Prosperity town hall hosted by Facebook, to discuss his vision for bringing down our deficit. He will deliver remarks at a DNC event at 9:15 p.m. ET, and deliver remarks at another DNC event at 11:30 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will be in Wilmington, Delaware, today. He does not currently have any scheduled public events.
Freshman Republican’s Bind: Vote Convictions Or Help Economy By Rising Debt Limit?
The Washington Post reports on the conundrum faced by freshman House Republicans: “If they vote to raise the debt limit, some will see them as sellouts, corrupted by the same Washington they promised to fix. If they don’t, they could endanger the nation’s economy. Political strategists have begun comparing the debt ceiling to TARP, the $700 billion bank bailout that was seen as must-pass legislation when it cleared Congress at the height of the recession in 2008 but was so unpopular that it ended up costing some lawmakers their careers.”
Business Groups Likely To Align With President In Debt-Ceiling Fight
The Hill reports: “The Obama administration will likely have the support of major business groups as it works to round up Republican votes for raising the federal debt ceiling. Groups such as the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) plan to step up their advocacy for a debt-limit increase as the deadline for congressional action draws closer.”
Republicans Sharpening Online Tools For 2012
The New York Times reports: “During last year’s midterm elections, Republicans caught up with Democrats in using technology and social networks, and now many Republicans elected to the House and Senate are using these tools more than Democrats, according to several political and technology experts.”
Florida May Be Do-Or-Die For 2012ers
Politico reports: “It’s all coming down to Florida, again. The fight for the GOP presidential nomination looks increasingly like it could be decided by a state with a rule-breaking, unsanctioned election that has thrown the presidential primary calendar in flux. Just like in 2008.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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