Barack Obama

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | February 7, 2009, 1:00PM

Obama Address: "We Can't Afford To Make Perfect The Enemy Of The Absolutely Necessary"
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama gives his support to the newest version of the stimulus plan, and says it is vitally important to pass the bill:

"Legislation of such magnitude deserves the scrutiny that it's received over the last month, and it will receive more in the days to come," says Obama. "But we can't afford to make perfect the enemy of the absolutely necessary. The scale and scope of this plan is right. And the time for action is now."

Steele Address: Cut Taxes, Don't Spend, To Stimulate The Economy
Michael Steele, as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, is getting in on the YouTube Address motif, too, with this new speech. Steele declares that power has already gone to the Democrats' heads, and he attacks the idea of government spending to boost the economy:

"The fastest way to help those families is by letting them keep more of the money they earn," says Steele. "Individual empowerment: that's how you stimulate the economy."

Stimulus Could Pass Senate Tuesday -- But It Won't Be Over
The Senate is expected to vote on cloture on the new stimulus bill on Monday. Should that succeed, it would then proceed to vote on final passage for Tuesday. At this point, the bill will then have to go to a House-Senate conference committee, which will negotiate the differences between the House and Senate versions, with the goal being to get something passed by the next weekend.

McConnell: This Plan Won't Work; GOP Won't Support It
Mitch McConnell has released a statement saying that while he hasn't seen the full compromise plan, he has seen enough to say that Senate Republicans will still oppose it. "So let me just sum it up by saying no action is not what any of my Republican colleagues are advocating," said McConnell. "But most of us are deeply skeptical that this will work. And that level of skepticism leads us to believe that this course of action should not be chosen."

Boehner: Stimimlus Bill Is "90 Percent Of A Bad Idea"
John Boehner has also released a statement deriding the new plan. "But ultimately this bill should be judged on whether it works, and 90 percent of a bad idea is still a bad idea," said Boehner. "Like the House-passed bill, the proposed Senate bill appears to be focused overwhelmingly on slow-moving and wasteful Washington spending, rather than immediate job creation and fast-acting tax relief. This is not what the American people want; nor is it what the President called for at the start of the process."

Biden: It's Time To "Press The Reset Button" On Diplomacy
Vice President Biden spoke today to the annual Munich Security Conference, promising a fresh start in U.S. foreign policy. "It's time, to paraphrase President Obama, to press the reset button and to revisit the many areas where we can and should work together," said Biden. He also added: "We will engage. We will listen. We will consult. America needs the world, just as I believe the world needs America."

Poll: Sebelius Could Win Kansas Senate Seat For Dems
A new Research 2000 poll shows that Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who is not at this time a candidate for Senate, ahead of two Republican Congressmen in the open-seat race. Sebelius leads Rep. Todd Tiahrt by 47%-37%, and is ahead of Rep. Jerry Moran by 48%-36%. The last time a Democrat won a Kansas Senate race was in the first FDR landslide of 1932.