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Washington News
Obama Taps Daschle For HHS Secretary President-Elect Obama has tapped former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota to serve as his Secretary of Health and Human Services and as his point man on healthcare reform. The AP reports Obama "is enlisting" Daschle "as his health secretary, embracing a third Washington insider in the early stages of Cabinet-building by the president-elect who promised change." It is "still early in the building of an administration by the candidate who built his campaign on promises of change. But so far fresh faces have been few." ABC World News reported Daschle "has accepted the post." NBC Nightly News reported, "Daschle comes closest to being the President-Elect's Washington mentor and 'wiseman' and all-around political booster."
USA Today reports Daschle "was tapped" "even though he works for a Washington lobbying firm that represents health care interests." Similarly, the New York Times reports Obama's selection of Daschle "posed new questions on Wednesday about how broadly the new administration would apply Mr. Obama's campaign promises to limit potential conflicts of interest among his appointees. At issue is Mr. Daschle's work since leaving the Senate four years ago as a board member of the Mayo Clinic and a highly paid adviser to health care clients at the law and lobbying firm Alston & Bird."
The Los Angeles Times reports Daschle, "who this year published a book on the healthcare system, was an early supporter of Obama's bid for the presidency." The Washington Post reports the "early selection of Daschle, who until recently was not known as an expert on health policy, is recognition of the central role he played in Obama's political ascendancy and a signal that the incoming president wants an experienced Washington insider to shepherd comprehensive health legislation through Congress." The Chicago Tribune reports Daschle "remains popular among his former colleagues and would be likely to face little challenge to his qualifications and character. However, Daschle had expressed some concern about going through the confirmation process because of questions likely to be raised about his wife, who is a registered lobbyist." The New York Daily News says the move is a "blow" to outgoing DNC chair Howard Dean.
Obama Said To Pick Napolitano For DHS The Washington Post reports Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, "a border-state governor whose handling of immigration and homeland security issues brought her accolades from fellow governors, is President-Elect Obama's choice to serve as secretary of homeland security, Democratic sources said late Wednesday." CNN's Larry King Live reported, "Multiple Democratic sources close to the transition told CNN on condition of anonymity. One source said he believed the final decision depends on the vetting of the Democratic governor."
Pritzker Reportedly Obama's Pick For Commerce A blog entry on the Los Angeles Times website reports CNN, "quoting 'multiple sources,' is reporting this evening that Penny Pritzker is the top choice of president-elect Barack Obama to become his Secretary of Commerce." The "49-year-old billionaire was national finance chair of Obama's record-breaking presidential campaign that raised in the neighborhood of $640 million."
Clinton Expected To Decide Soon On State The AP reports associates of Sen. Hillary Clinton "said Wednesday the former first lady is weighing whether to leave the Senate and become secretary of state in the Obama administration, a job they say she believes is hers if she wants it." The CBS Evening News reported in its lead story, "Forget about those reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton is having second thoughts about being Secretary of State. That's what long-time Clinton friends and advisors tell CBS News. Yes, it's true, they say, it won't be easy for her to leave the Senate, a job she loves. But if Barack Obama really wants her to be his top diplomat, she absolutely wants to do it, they say, so long as the vetting process goes smoothly."
ABC World News reported, "Lawyers for President Clinton and President-elect Obama are working through a process to resolve any potential conflicts between the Secretary of State Clinton and President Clinton's work in his foundation, his paid speeches, they're making good progress." The New York Times reports Bill Clinton "has agreed to all of the conditions sought by" Obama's transition team "to eliminate potential conflicts of interest."
Rich Pardon Role Could Surface In Holder Confirmation The Washington Post reports the Republican National Committee on Wednesday "highlighted the role" of possible attorney general nominee Eric Holder "in controversial 2001 pardons, but GOP senators avoided direct attacks on Barack Obama's leading choice to lead the Justice Department." GOP congressional aides "said no information had emerged that would disqualify Holder." But "Capitol Hill aides from both sides of the aisle nonetheless hauled out seven-year-old hearing records to refresh their memories about Holder's inability to prevent a presidential pardon for fugitive Marc Rich on the final day of the Clinton administration." The Washington Times reports Holder "bypassed the agency's career lawyers during" the pardon. The Politico reports Sen. Arlen Specter said Wednesday that the pardon of Marc Rich "will be an issue in a potential confirmation hearing" for Holder.
Al Qaeda Leader Refers To Obama Using Racial Epithet The AP reports Ayman al-Zawahri, Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, "used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday." The message "appeared chiefly aimed at persuading Muslims and Arabs that Obama does not represent a change in U.S. policies." Zawahri said "in the message, which appeared on militant Web sites, that Obama is 'the direct opposite of honorable black Americans' like Malcolm X." Zawahri "also called the president-elect -- along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice -- 'house Negroes.'"
Dow Closes Below 8,000 On Deflation Fears AFP reports the Federal Reserve "acknowledged the possibility of a US recession into 2009, adding to fear over the sputtering global economy as American and European automakers begged for government help." That "very sobering forecast," ABC World News reported, "sent stocks down another 400 points," with the Dow Jones Industrial Average "closing below 8,000 for the first time in five years." The CBS Evening News reported, "The negative economic news led to another big selloff on Wall Street." NBC Nightly News also said the Dow "ended the day under the 8,000 mark."
The AP reports, "A growing fear of economic deflation helped take the air out of the stock market Wednesday." The drop "illustrated once again how quickly the economic danger can shift in tumultuous times like these. The inflation fears that gripped the nation just a few months ago now seem like a distant memory." The Dow closed down 427.47 points at 7,997.28, a drop of 5.1 percent, while the Nasdaq fell 6.5 percent to 1,386.42. Bloomberg News says the S&P 500, which "plunged 6.1 percent to 806.58, is "poised for its worst year since 1931."
The Financial Times reports that the "chilling prospect of a deflationary US economy and collapsed car industry sent Wall Street stocks on Thursday to their lowest levels since the financial crisis began." The New York Times says stocks are likely to fall further, but "how much more to go? Dow 7,000? Dow 6,000? Many analysts are reluctant to say, having been proved wrong so many times before." The Washington Post says that a "serious recession now appears all but assured." AFP and Bloomberg News report Asian markets plunged Thursday, with markets in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo down about five percent in early trading.
Fed "Will Do Whatever It Takes" To Stave Off Deflation Bloomberg News reports, "Five years after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke helped stamp out the risk of deflation, the threat is returning as the financial crisis and a worsening economic slump pull inflation lower." The Financial Times says Fed Vice Chairman Don Kohn said the Fed "will do whatever it takes to ensure the US does not fall into a deflation trap." The Los Angeles Times says Fed meeting minutes released Wednesday "all but confirmed" another benchmark interest rate cut, "even though it's already at a mere 1%."
On its front page, the New York Times writes, "While most consumers might welcome the idea that things are getting cheaper, deflation is an economists' nightmare. It was a hallmark of the Depression and Japan's so-called lost decade in the 1990s." The Wall Street Journal reports that the odds of deflation "are still considered small by most economists. But the mere risk puts added pressure on Congress and the incoming Obama administration to quickly advance a large fiscal stimulus plan."
The AP reports consumer prices "plunged by the largest amount in the past 61 years in October as gasoline pump prices dropped by a record amount." The drop of one percent "was twice as large as the 0.5 percent decrease that analysts had been expecting and marked the third straight month that prices had either fallen or been unchanged."
Auto Industry Bailout Unlikely This Year The AP reports, "A Democratic Congress, unwilling or unable to approve a $25 billion bailout for Detroit's Big Three, appears ready to punt the automakers' fate to a lame-duck Republican president." The Politico reports that the "year-end drive to win new aid for the ailing auto industry was near collapse." The Wall Street Journal reports Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "backed away from efforts to force a vote this week" on the Democratic bailout bill. He said he "might move a Republican alternative proposal Thursday, but suggested it faced strong opposition. 'We have to face reality,' he said." The New York Times reports Reid "went to the floor seeking to bring up the Democrats' plan to provide $25 billion in aid from the $700 billion financial bailout program. The Republicans objected, effectively killing the plan."
NBC Nightly News reported that the "heads of the so-called Big Three automakers were sent home to Detroit today from Washington without the money." On ABC World News Jonathan Karl said the auto industry CEOs, this time testifying before a House panel, "ran into a buzzsaw of outrage." Rep. Michael Capuano: "My fear is that you are going to take this money and continue the same stupid decisions you've made for 25 years." Karl: "And that's from a Congressman who calls himself a friend of the auto industry." The Washington Post reports the three CEOs "opted to fly their company jets to the capital for their hearings this week," in an "ill-timed display of corporate excess for a trio of executives begging for an additional $25 billion from the public trough this week." The Financial Times says the "jet gaffe" put hopes of approval of the aid package "at risk." Rep. Gary Ackerman said to the executives, "It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high-hat and tuxedo."
Bush Returns To "Fiscal Conservative Roots" The Washington Post reports President Bush, "after pledging more than $1 trillion to rescue financial markets," has "sought a return to his fiscal conservative roots in recent weeks by opposing additional government interventions and extolling the benefits of free markets. The White House, joined by Republicans on Capitol Hill, has derailed a second economic stimulus plan, fought a Democratic proposal to spend $25 billion to bolster Detroit automakers and continues to press for approval of a trio of stalled trade deals. Bush also persuaded foreign leaders to commit to free-trade principles during a global economic summit in Washington last weekend and will attempt the same at a meeting of Pacific Rim nations in Peru this weekend."
Campaign News
RNC Transfers $2 Million To NRSC For Chambliss Race In a sign of a national GOP commitment to retaining the Georgia Senate seat in the coming runoff election, Roll Call reports this morning that the Republican National Committee "transferred $2 million Tuesday to the National Republican Senatorial Committee specifically for" Sen. Saxby Chambliss' runoff campaign. Chambliss faces Democrat Jim Martin on December 2. The AP notes former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Martin on Wednesday.
Coleman's Lead Over Franken Narrows To 174 Votes The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports Sen. Norm Coleman's (R) lead over Al Franken (D) in the Minnesota Senate race narrowed slightly Wednesday as the recount of approximately 2.9 million ballots began. With "about 18 percent of the vote recounted, Coleman continued to lead Franken -- but by only 174 votes, notably narrower than the unofficial gap of 215 votes at which the recount had begun." USA Today reports, "In a scene reminiscent of the 2000 presidential recount in Florida, reporters and lawyers packed into rooms as election workers flipped through stacks of ballots, occasionally slowing down to debate a voter's intended choice."
Stevens Concedes To Begich In Alaska The Los Angeles Times reports Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) "conceded today that he had lost the Senate seat he has held for the last 40 years" and congratulated Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage. The New York Times adds Begich held a news conference yesterday "after he unseated the longest-serving Republican in Senate history" and "promised to be more of a listener and a consensus builder than he said Mr. Stevens had often been."
Huckabee "Not Ruling Anything Out" For 2012 The AP reports Mike Huckabee "wouldn't rule out a 2012 run for president Wednesday, but he acknowledged it could be hard to take back the spotlight from fellow Republican Sarah Palin." Huckabee said, "I'm not ruling anything out for the future, but I'm not making any specific plans."
Missouri Called For McCain The Politico reports that, two weeks after election day, Missouri has been called for Sen. John McCain. He won the state by about 3,632 votes, and "the final electoral vote tally stands at 365 for Obama to 173 for McCain." USA Today says "It is the first time a Democratic candidate won the presidency without Missouri," and that the McCain win breaks Missouri's "bellwether" trend of always backing the winning candidate since 1956.
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Someone needs to educate him on what a "yes" man is. Bill went looking for Monica because Hillary would never say yes. 
