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| Political Tidbits - 06/20 https://mail.chicagofanatics.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=70996 |
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| Author: | BD [ Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | Political Tidbits - 06/20 |
Washington News Obama Confident Europe Can Resolve Its Debt Crisis President Obama expressed confidence Tuesday that Europe will be able to "break the fever" of its ongoing debt crisis "as he sought to calm both global financial markets ad election-year worries of voters at home," the AP reports. At the close of the G20 summit in Mexico, the President "said Europe's leaders showed a 'heightened sense of urgency'" during talks at the summit and he "maintained that Europe had the capacity to solve the crisis on its own, indicating the US, still battling its own economic woes, would not be offering any financial pledges to help its international partners." McClatchy notes that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner echoed the President's confidence, saying, "We're encouraged by what we've heard from the European leaders today and by the broad focus around the world we're seeing to the need to strengthen economic growth." Geithner added, "The leaders of the G-20 met here at obviously what's a challenging time for the global economy...this matters a lot to the United States because of the crisis in Europe and the softness you're seeing in growth outside Europe, that means that in the US we're not growing as fast as we need to grow." The Washington Post says Obama emerged from the summit "expressing cautious optimism that European leaders will take stronger action to rescue their foundering financial system." Noting that the President "acted at times as a mediator" during the summit, the Post says White House officials "said they are hopeful that a greater consensus has developed around more robust changes in advance of a European summit next week." The New York Times says Obama and other leaders "appeared to make only modest headway in persuading Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany to drop her opposition to more government spending to alleviate Europe's debt crisis." The Times notes that Obama "spent two days in Mexico shuttling between Ms. Merkel and other European leaders in an effort to get them to sign onto a specific pro-growth agenda. But for all his influence as the leader of the biggest economy in the world, Mr. Obama sometimes seemed a bystander, there to exhort and cajole the other European leaders (especially the German chancellor) but little else." Greece Moves Closer To A Coalition Government The Washington Post reports that Greek leaders moved closer to forming a coalition government Tuesday "to try to steer the country back to economic health and provide the nation its first elected leadership in more than seven months. Talks continued on a power-sharing agreement in which Antonis Samaras, who led the center-right New Democracy party to a first-place finish in Sunday's election, would become prime minister in alliance with traditional rivals from the Socialist party, or Pasok, and the smaller Democratic Left." The coalition would "support an international bailout package against opposition from the upstart Syriza party and other anti-bailout groups." The New York Times reports that Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos said in a televised statement that "it was urgent to complete the negotiations quickly. The government could come together as early as midday on Wednesday, he added." Democrats Claim GOP Plans To Eliminate Tax Breaks For Middle Class The Washington Post says that a new report "prepared by Senate Democrats and reviewed by nonpartisan tax experts" concludes that "the tax reform plan that House Republicans have advanced," which "would replace the current tax structure with two brackets - 25 percent and 10 percent - and cut the top rate from 35 percent," would "sharply cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans and could leave middle-class households facing much larger tax bills." Analysis: "Fiscal Cliff" Solution Not Likely Until After November The AP reports, "No one can confidently predict the outcome of the battle over what many are calling the 'fiscal cliff'" since "much depends on...which party controls Congress" next year and whether President Obama is reelected. According to the AP, "If Romney wins, Republicans will want to delay decisions until he takes office in January. In that case, a lame duck session would focus on postponing the spending cuts and extending current tax rates for six months to a year," but "if Obama is re-elected, the fight could easily stretch into 2013." Hoyer Alleges House Republicans Are Sabotaging The Economy The Hill reports that House Democrats "are intensifying accusations that Republicans want to sink the economy simply to defeat President Obama in November," and claim that the House Republican leadership is "sitting on a host of proposals -- some of them with broad bipartisan support -- that could create jobs immediately. Republicans are refusing to bring those bills to the floor, the Democrats charge, because an improved economy could play to Obama's advantage in the polls." Bloomberg Poll Finds 65% Of Independents Back Obama's New Deportation Policy Bloomberg News to reported that President Obama "is winning the opening round in the battle over immigration, according to a Bloomberg poll released today, putting Republicans on the defensive with his decision to end the deportations of some illegal immigrants brought to the US as children." According to Bloomberg, "Sixty-four percent of likely voters surveyed after Obama's June 15 announcement said they agreed with the policy, while 30 percent said they disagreed." Bloomberg notes that "a majority -- 56 percent -- of likely Republican voters opposed the decision, while almost nine in 10, or 86 percent, of Democrats supported it," and "sixty-five percent of independents backed the policy change, while 26 percent disagreed." Linda Feldmann, in the Christian Science Monitor , that notes the Bloomberg poll results, says, "Some Republicans question the legality of the president's move, but as a political gambit, Obama appears to have scored." According to Politico , "While most Republicans criticized Obama for circumventing Congress, they are far more circumspect about the plan's merits or their preferred method of dealing with the 800,000 young illegals who will be affected by the order." Politico adds, "The GOP fear boils down to this: If they back the plan, it would infuriate the right flank of their party, which considers the policy nothing short of 'amnesty' for lawbreakers. But if they attack it, it could turn off scores of Latino voters who are poised to play a huge role in crucial battleground states this November." House Bill Would Undo Obama's Directive The Los Angeles Times reports that "opponents of President Obama's decision to allow young illegal immigrants a reprieve to stay in this country are trying to undo that move in Congress." Rep. Ben Quayle (R) "has introduced the 'Prohibiting Back-door Amnesty Act of 2012' legislation that would block the president's action." However, according to the Times, "What is unclear...is if there is any political appetite among Republican leadership for the bill, as the GOP tries to balance the party's mixed messages on immigration." White House Threatens To Veto GOP Environmental Bill The Hill reports President Obama will veto a bill in the House "that would mandate expanded onshore oil-and-gas leasing, limit environmental reviews of drilling projects and delay several Environmental Protection Agency air pollution rules" if it reaches his desk. Although the measure is not expected to advance to the Senate, the White House says "the bill would undermine the longstanding principle of the Clean Air Act that air quality standards must be set at levels requisite to protect public health, based first and foremost on sound science." GOP leaders argue that the bill will "remove roadblocks to American energy production." The Washington Times adds the Office of Management and Budget said the legislation "would threaten energy security and broader national security by attaching conditions to the drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve that could hinder the president's ability to respond appropriately and lawfully to a disruption in the nation's energy supply." Campaign News In Visit To Michigan, Romney Blasts Obama's Economic Policies The Detroit Free Press reported on its website that Mitt Romney "reminisced about growing up in Michigan as he finished his six-state, 'Every Town Counts' bus tour" on Tuesday "with visits...to three small towns. Michigan, and the other states he visited, helped give President Barack Obama his 2008 victory. Now those states, Romney said as he blamed Obama for the country's ills, are the 2012 battleground that can propel the" the presumptive GOP nominee to the presidency. Stumping in Frankenmuth, Romney said, "I've looked at what he's done, and I haven't heard anyone say, 'Thank goodness for Barack Obama's policies." The Detroit News reported on its website that during a stop in DeWitt, Romney vowed "to get Americans back to work, painting himself as a leader who knows how to get results in the private sector while...Obama has never held a private-sector job." Under the headline "Suddenly, Michigan Looks Like More Fertile Ground To Romney Campaign," the New York Times reports that Romney's visit to his native state "sent a message to President Obama: Mr. Romney says he believes that Michigan is up for grabs in November, and if nothing else, his campaign plans to force Mr. Obama and the Democrats to spend time and money defending turf that, until recently, seemed safely in the blue." In a similar report, the Washington Post says that Romney "is seriously bullish about his chances to become the first Republican presidential nominee to win Michigan in a quarter century, buoyed both by his faith in his family's good name" in the state "as well as by recent state polls showing a tightening race with President Obama." Bloomberg News notes, "Though most polls give Obama the advantage in Michigan, an EPIC-MRA survey of 600 likely voters in the state released on June 14 showed Romney ahead by a single percentage point." Romney Steers Clear Of Anti-Union Rhetoric USA Today reports that Romney "wrapped up his five-day tour of six swing states Tuesday in a state with a heavy union presence but far away from any union power centers and largely silent on the groups that could be a key foe" in Michigan "and in other Rust Belt states in November. Through photo-ops and roundtables, Romney largely avoided using the tough rhetoric about unions that was common during the Republican presidential primaries." Politico reports that while Romney reminisced about his younger days in Michigan, "he avoided one of the state's biggest issues: the auto bailout, which Romney is outspokenly opposed to." Romney Insists Rubio Is Being Vetted As A Potential VP Pick The Washington Post reports that in Michigan Tuesday, Mitt Romney said "his vice presidential search team is vetting Sen. Marco Rubio. ... 'Marco Rubio is being thoroughly vetted as part of our process,' Romney said." The Post notes that "Romney's comments came after ABC News reported that his search team had not asked Rubio to complete a questionnaire or submit any personal financial documents." Jonathan Karl, who broke the story that Rubio had not yet been asked for documents by the Romney campaign, again reported on ABC World News, "Knowledgeable Republicans told ABC News that Romney hasn't even asked Rubio to take the first step to being considered being a vice presidential candidate. No documents have been turned over, no questionnaires filled out." Karl added that "Republicans close to Romney" says Tim Pawlenty is currently "a top, may be the top, contender." Politico reported that on Tuesday, Rubio "refused to address a report that he isn't being vetted for vice president, but advised conservatives to 'just take a deep breath' and trust that Mitt Romney is going to 'make a great choice." Romney Leads In Both Trackers The Gallup daily presidential tracking poll of 3,050 registered voters taken June 12-18 shows Mitt Romney leading President Obama 46%-45%, little changed from a 46% tie the previous day. Meanwhile, the Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll of 1,500 likely voters taken June 16-18 shows Romney leading Obama 48%-44%. That's up from 47%-44% the previous day. |
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