Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2009, 8:59AM

White House To Rein In 'Too Big To Fail' Institutions
The New York Times reports that the Obama administration is set to bring out new proposals for dealing with "too big to fail" institutions, with increased regulations for preventing failure: "The White House plan as outlined so far would already make it much more costly to be a large financial company whose failure would put the financial system and the economy at risk. It would force such institutions to hold more money in reserve and make it harder for them to borrow too heavily against their assets. Setting up the equivalent of living wills for corporations, that plan would require that they come up with their own procedure to be disentangled in the event of a crisis, a plan that administration officials say ought to be made public in advance."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet at 11:30 a.m. ET with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will depart from the White House at 12:45 p.m. ET, arriving at 2:45 p.m. ET in Jacksonville, Florida. He will deliver remarks at 3:15 p.m. ET to servicemen and women, and will meet at 4 p.m. ET, with personnel from the Navy and Marine Corps. He will depart from Jacksonville at 4:25 p.m. ET, arriving at 5:35 p.m. ET in Miami. He will deliver remarks at a 7:25 DSCC/DCCC fundraising reception, and at a 7:50 p.m. ET DSCC/DCCC fundraising dinner.

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Roundup

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 24, 2009, 1:00PM

Obama: Big Banks Must Help Small Businesses
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama talked about his administration's commitment to small businesses -- and called on large banks that have been helped by the bailout to do their part:

"But while credit may be more available for large businesses, too many small business owners are still struggling to get the credit they need," said Obama. "These are the very taxpayers who stood by America's banks in a crisis - and now it's time for our banks to stand by creditworthy small businesses, and make the loans they need to open their doors, grow their operations, and create new jobs. It's time for those banks to fulfill their responsibility to help ensure a wider recovery, a more secure system, and more broadly shared prosperity. And we're going to take every appropriate step to encourage them to meet those responsibilities."

Johanns Denounces 'Shameful' Health Care Deals
In this weekend's Republican address, Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) went after the Democrats on health care:

"We're about to significantly alter one-sixth of our economy -- now is not the time to shut Americans out," said Johanns. "Reports of this deal-making are shameful. Why do Michigan, Rhode Island, Oregon and Nevada get special deals on Medicaid costs? Why do New Yorkers with Cadillac plans get a pass on paying the tax? It is shameful. So now, as a select few deliberate over legislation that will mean higher premiums across the board; higher taxes for hard-working families; and cuts to Medicare for senior citizens; I ask: will this improve your life?"

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Death Panels

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 9:08AM

New RNC Ad: Steele Pushes Deatherism Issues
Michael Steele is starring in a new TV ad by the Republican National Committee, which will run on select national cable channels and in Florida. In the ad, Steele promotes the RNC's positive "Seniors' Bill of Rights" -- which is itself a warning against the Democrats wanting to cut Medicare and kill senior citizens, which are the underlying themes of the "death panel" meme:

"Make it illegal to ration health care based on age. Prevent any government role in end-of-life care," Steele says. "And stop bureaucrats from getting between seniors and their doctors. A few things we should all agree on. The Seniors' Bill of Rights."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive a briefing in the Oval Office today at 1:15 p.m. ET on preparedness and response efforts surrounding the H1N1 flu virus. At 2:45 p.m. ET, he will meet with Vice President Biden in the Oval Office. At 8 p.m. ET, Obama will host a dinner celebrating Ramadan.

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2009, 9:01AM

Obama, Automakers To Roll Out New Mileage And Emissions Standards
President Obama and the country's automakers are set to announce this morning a new set of national mileage and emissions standards, with cars and trucks required to get 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. The automakers cooperated with the government in reaching these standards in order to pre-empt battles with individual states, and they have been given more time to reach the goals.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will deliver remarks at 12:15 p.m. ET, on the new set of auto emissions and efficiency standards. At 1:45 p.m. ET, he will meet in the Oval Office with formers Secs. of State Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, former Sec. of Defense William Perry, and former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA). At 3:30 p.m. ET, he will speak at a ceremony honoring the National Small Business Award Winners. At 4:30 p.m. ET, he will meet with Sec. of Defense Robert Gates in the Oval Office.

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | May 8, 2009, 9:00AM

Cheney Says GOP Shouldn't Moderate Itself, Stresses "Our Commitment To The Constitution"
During an appearance on a right-wing talk radio show, former Vice President Dick Cheney said the Republican Party should not moderate itself. Cheney explained: "This is about fundamental beliefs and values and ideas ... what the role of government should be in our society, and our commitment to the Constitution and constitutional principles."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will be speaking at 11:30 a.m. ET from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, on the subjects of job creation and job training. At 3:15 p.m. ET, he will meet in the Oval Office with Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | May 2, 2009, 1:03PM

Obama Seeks To Reassure Country On Flu
In this weekend's Presidential YouTube address, President Obama discussed the action that the government has taken to deal with the swine flu, including distributing antiviral treatments from the country's strategic stockpile, and also discusses the precautions that schools and businesses should take:

"It is my greatest hope and prayer that all of these precautions and preparations prove unnecessary," said Obama. "But because we have it within our power to limit the potential damage of this virus, we have a solemn and urgent responsibility to take the necessary steps."

GOP Address Criticizes Democrats For Stimulus, Other Spending
In this weekend's Republican YouTube, freshman Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) criticized President Obama and Congressional Democrats for the stimulus bill and other spending programs:

"This week, we marked the President's 100th day in office," said Jenkins. "And while, like most of you, I like the President personally, I think the Democrats' first 100 days running Washington can be summed up in three words: spending, taxing, and borrowing."

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Arlen Specter

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | May 1, 2009, 5:22PM

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT); Richard Besser, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sec. of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano; and Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

• CBS, Face The Nation: Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA); Richard Besser, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sec. of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano; and Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

• CNN, State Of The Union: Richard Besser, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sec. of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano; and Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

• Fox News Sunday: Richard Besser, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sec. of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano; and Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius; Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. John Ensign (R-NV).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA); Richard Besser, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sec. of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano; and Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius; MSNBC host and former Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-FL), and former RNC chair Ed Gillespie.

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Dodges Question On Alleged Swine Flu-Democratic Presidents Connection

Eric Kleefeld | May 1, 2009, 11:38AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appeared the other day on the Fox Business Channel, and during the interview she was asked exactly what she meant when she connected swine flu outbreaks to Democratic administrations. She immediately changed the subject, as you can see at the 0:55 mark:

"Well, actually, I had a full, uh, conversation that I was having with another station -- primarily about the economy, because that's what we're worried about right now," said Bachmann. "And we had just found out about the swine flu at that time, the aggressive nature of how far it was progressing. So the real topic of conversation was on the economy, as it should be. The economy right now is at a situation where we're not seeing the level of recovery that we would like to see."

She then proceeded to talk about the harmful effects of President Obama's big spending and the stimulus bill, and how without the stimulus the recovery would have already been happening.

The fun part here is that this exchange is from a clip that was posted on her own YouTube account.

Michele Bachmann

Historian Michele Bachmann Blames FDR's "Hoot-Smalley" Tariffs For Great Depression

Eric Kleefeld | April 29, 2009, 11:08AM

Make no mistake: When it comes to economics, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) knows her history -- even if that history is from another planet.

On Monday night, our friends at Dump Bachmann reported, Bachmann took to the House floor and paid tribute to the economic policies of Calvin Coolidge and the "Roaring 20s" (the era that ended with a massive monetary contraction and the Great Depression). One particular line really does stand out, though -- saying Franklin Roosevelt turned a recession into a depression through the "Hoot-Smalley" tariffs:

Here's what really happened: When Franklin Roosevelt took office, unemployment was already about 25%. And the tariff referred to here was actually the Smoot-Hawley bill, co-authored by Republicans Sen. Reed Smoot of Utah and Rep. Willis Hawley of Oregon, and signed into law by President Herbert Hoover.

Interestingly, this speech also happened on the same day as when Bachmann connected the 1970s swine flu outbreak to Democrat Jimmy Carter being president, even though it was actually Gerald Ford in office at the time.

Late Update: A shout-out to Liberal in the Land of Conservative for also noticing Bachmann's false attribution of the tariff bill to Roosevelt -- and also to Matt Yglesias for pointing to the metaphysical possibilities.

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: Swine Flu Happens Under Dem Presidents

Eric Kleefeld | April 28, 2009, 5:09PM

Michele Bachmann is at it again: Attributing flu pandemics to Democratic presidents.

Bachmann did an interview with the right-wing Pajamas Media, and had this to say:

"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter," said Bachmann. "And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence."

As the Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages points out, Bachmann has the 1970s flu outbreak all wrong. It happened in 1976 when Gerald Ford was in office.

This also shows just how shallow Bachmann's historical understanding is. She could have easily also referred back to the infamous 1918 Spanish flu pandemic -- Woodrow Wilson was president at that time, don't you know!

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 28, 2009, 8:59AM

Congressional Dems Reach Budget Agreement
House and Senate Democratic negotiators agreed Monday night to a budget outline for 2010, including the parliamentary ability to pass health care legislation without the threat of a Republican filibuster. The $3.5 trillion plan also includes funds for clean energy and other domestic programs, and a tax increase for individuals making more than $200,000 or couples making more than $250,000 per year.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet with FBI Director Robert Mueller and other senior officials at FBI Headquarters, at 10:45 a.m. ET. He will then deliver remarks to FBI employees at 11:10 a.m. ET. At 2 p.m. ET, Obama will meet with the Congressional Progressive Caucus. At 3:05 p.m. ET, he will present the National Teacher of the Year Award in the Rose Garden. At 4:30 p.m. ET, he will meet with Defense Sec. Robert Gates, and at 7:30 p.m. ET he and the First Lady will attend a reception for Cabinet secretaries in the Blue Room.

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 28, 2009, 8:59AM

Congressional Dems Reach Budget Agreement
House and Senate Democratic negotiators agreed Monday night to a budget outline for 2010, including the parliamentary ability to pass health care legislation without the threat of a Republican filibuster. The $3.5 plan also includes funds for clean energy and other domestic programs, and a tax increase for individuals making more than $200,000 or couples making more than $250,000 per year.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet with FBI Director Robert Mueller and other senior officials at FBI Headquarters, at 10:45 a.m. ET. He will then deliver remarks to FBI employees at 11:10 a.m. ET. At 2 p.m. ET, Obama will meet with the Congressional Progressive Caucus. At 3:05 p.m. ET, he will present the National Teacher of the Year Award in the Rose Garden. At 4:30 p.m. ET, he will meet with Defense Sec. Robert Gates, and at 7:30 p.m. ET he and the First Lady will attend a reception for Cabinet secretaries in the Blue Room.

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