| MONDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
RICHARDSON WITHDRAWS FROM CABINET POST; FRANKEN WINS; KAINE TO
CHAIR DNC; REID TAKES LAST SHOTS AT BUSH; McAULIFFE ENTERS VA
GOV RACE.
OBAMA
CABINET. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) has
withdrawn his name from entering the confirmation process to be
Commerce Secretary in President-elect Barack Obama's new cabinet.
Richardson acknowledged he is under federal investigation for
ties with a bond company that did business with New Mexico state
government, after making contributions to groups connected with
Richardson. "I [withdraw] with great sorrow. But a pending investigation
of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government
promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months,"
a statement from Richardson reads. "Let me say unequivocally that
I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and
that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded
that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable
delay in the confirmation process. Given the gravity of the economic
situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience
ask the President-elect and his Administration to delay for one
day the important work that needs to be done." Obama has accepted
his withdrawal. Richardson said he will remain as Governor "for
now." Richardson -- who previously served in the Clinton Administration
Cabinet -- was a candidate for President last year. After being
passed over as the VP runningmate, and later as Secretary of State,
Richardson was then offered the post of Commerce Secretary by
Obama.
MINNESOTA.
In a remarkable turn of events since election night, the Minnesota
State Canvassing Board on Monday will formally certify that Democratic
challenger Al Franken defeated US Senator Norm Coleman (R) by
225 votes. Over the past month, state officials did a hand recount
of every ballot cast in the race. Once the certification paperwork
is signed, Coleman has seven days under state law to challenge
the certification in court. Based upon the certification, Senate
Democrats want to provisionally seat Franken on Tuesday -- along
with the other incoming Senators -- as he will be the state-certified
winner. Senate Republicans are vowing to block the move until
the court challenge is resolved. However, some precedent exists
for provisionally seating Franken. The Senate provisionally seated
Mary Landrieu (D-LA) in 1996, even though her GOP opponent's legal
challenge was still pending on the day the term began.
DNC.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine
has been tapped to serve as the next Democratic National Chair.
Kaine succeeds former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, who did not
seek another term. Traditionally, the sitting President gets to
name the chair of his own party -- and Kaine is Obama's choice
to lead the party. Kaine previously served as Mayor of Richmond
and Lieutenant Governor before being elected Governor in 2005.
Kaine was considered one of the final three "short-listed"
to be Barack Obama's possible Vice Presidential runningmate. Kaine
will serve as a part-time basis as DNC Chair until his term as
Governor ends in January of 2010.
BUSHED.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stated his belief that
George W. Bush is "the worst" President in the US history.
Reid pointed to Bush's failed plan to privatize social security
and also said Bush has done his best "to destory Medicare." Reid
made his remarks on MSNBC's Meet the Press.
VIRGINIA.
As expected, former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe announced this
weekend he will be a candidate for Governor this year. McCauliffe,
a top advisor to President Bill Clinton, served as the national
chairman from 2001-05. He served as National Chair of Senator
Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful Presidential campaign in 2008.
McAuliffe faces State Senator Creigh Deeds and former State Representative
Brian Moran in the Democratic Primary. The winner will face Attorney
General Bob McDonnell (R) in the general election.
FACEBOOK.
Please send Vin your thoughts on what you would like to see on
Politics1 this year in terms of news coverage and articles. Send
your thoughts, suggestions, comments and predictions to Vin via
Facebook by clicking
here.
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WEEKEND
NEWS UPDATE.
COLEMAN-FRANKEN RECOUNT NEARS END; COLORADO GOV NAMES NEW US SENATOR.
MINNESOTA.
The Minnesota Supreme
Court kept the door open for another possible intervention in
the state's still unresolved US Senate race between incumbent
Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken.
Coleman's campaign is asking the court to hear arguments that
no organized guidelines are being followed in how improperly rejected
absentee ballots are added to the recount. Local officials have
identified close to 1,350 ballots that may have been rejected
by mistake. Franken currently leads by close to 50 votes. Meanwhile,
MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell predicts that a winner will be determined
by next week. Counting of the disputed absentee ballots is set
to take place on Saturday, barring court action blocking the tallying.
Republican Senate Leadership is vowing to filibuster any attempt
next week to provisionally seat Franken, unless his election is
formally certified in writing by Minnesota Secretary of State
Mark Ritchie (D) and Governor Tim Pawlenty (R).
COLORADO.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet will be the
next US Senator from Colorado. News sources reported that Governor
Bill Ritter (D) will replace departing Senator Ken Salazar (D)
with the politically unknown Bennet. Salazar was recently tapped
by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as the next Secretary
of Interior. According to several sources close to Ritter, Bennet
beat out Denver mayor John Hickenlooper. The Governor will make
a formal announcement on Saturday afternoon. Prior to becoming
Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Bennet served as Chief
of Staff to Hickenlooper.
NEXT
WEEK ON POLITICS1. We'll provide full analysis of the
new Congress, an introduction to the incoming freshmen (as well
as reporting on the seats which recently became vacant due to
Obama Administration appointments). Stay tuned.
Daily
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FRIDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
PELL DIES; HOLLYWOOD DONATES; ROBERTS SAYS FED JUDGES NEED MORE
MONEY; MEDIA SPECULATION ON BILL CLINTON AND MARIO CUOMO AS POSSIBLE
NY SENATE SEAT CARETAKERS.
RHODE
ISLAND. Retired six-term US Senator Claiborne
Pell (D-RI), who was largely responsible for the creation of what
arenow known as "Pell Grants" for US college students,
passed away on Thursday at the age of 90. Pell -- a Yankee patrician
and former US Foreign Service diplomat -- represented Rhode Island
in the US Senate from 1961 to 1997. He served as Chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987 to 1994. A strong
advocate for education, Pell was also the main sponsor of the
bill creating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
INAUGURATION.
Standing with his commitment not to fund the inaugural ceremonies
with lobbyist money, President-elect Barack Obama is getting some
help from Hollywood. Steven Spielberg, Halle Berry, Sharon Stone,
and Jamie Foxx are among the Hollywood stars who have each donated
the maximum $50,000 individual contribution to the Presidential
Inauguration Committee.
FEDERAL
JUDICIARY. CNN reports that US Supreme Court Chief Justice
John Roberts is renewing his call for higher judicial pay, warning
of long-term damage to the fabric of the courts. "I must renew
the judiciary's modest petition: Simply provide cost-of-living
increases that have been unfairly denied," wrote Roberts. "We
have done our part -- it is long past time for Congress to do
its," stated Roberts. He noted Congress recently voted itself
as cost of living raise, but did not include the judiciary in
the pay increases.
NEW
YORK. The AP reports that former President Bill Clinton
and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo are both being bandied
about as possible caretaker appointments to fill the seat soon
to be vacated by Senator Hillary Clinton. CNN's Anderson Cooper
says both men have had discussions with Governor David Paterson
about filling the vacancy. However, the AP disagrees at least
in part, reporting that a "spokesman for Bill Clinton said
Wednesday that the former chief executive isn't interested in
the job. Cuomo declined through a spokesman to discuss the seat."
Media sources repeatedly claim that attorney and author Caroline
Kennedy is the current frontrunner to succeed Clinton for the
Senate seat.
Daily
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NEW
YEAR'S OPEN THREAD.
FREE
SPEECH ZONE. Ron and Vin wish our readers and friends
all the best for 2009. Health, happiness, hope and success.
01.01.09 | Permalink |
WEDNESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
BLAGO APPOINTS BURRIS TO SENATE, LEADERSHIP VOWS TO REJECT APPOINTMENT;
SENATE GOP THREATENS TO BLOCK FRANKEN FROM BEING SEATED.
ILLINOIS.
Embattled and recently arrested Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) has
appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris (D) to
fill the US Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack
Obama. Burris, age 71, has previously been an unsuccessful candidate
for US Senate (1984), Governor (1994, 1998, 2002) and Mayor of
Chicago (1995). Burris was also the first black elected to statewide
office in Illinois. Blagojevich said he filled to vacancy because
the state legislature
failed to act over the past three weeks to adopt a law requiring
a special election to fill the seat. US Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)
issued a statement on behalf of all sitting Senate Democrats reaffirming
their previous threat that they would refuse to seat anyone appointed
by Blagojevich, as any selection by him would be seen as "tainted."
Senate Republicans also back the Democratic stance. Later in the
day, Obama issued a statement: "Roland Burris is a good man
and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear
weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a Governor
who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with
their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Gov. Blagojevich
has chosen to ignore it." Illinois Secretary of State Jesse
White (D) has previously stated that he would not certify any
Blagojevich appointment, but his office now concedes he may lack
the legal authority to block the appointment as his certification
is viewed as a mere ministerial act. Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL)
praised the selection at the Blagojevich press conference. Rush
said Burris was needed in the Senate, as there are currently no
blacks in the new Senate. Senator-designate Burris, meanwhile,
has been making the rounds on network news. He is vowing that
he will fight to be seated.
[Ron's
note from his perspective as an attorney: Burris and Blagojevich
may ultimately win this fight. In the Adam Clayton Powell case,
the US Supreme Court said there are reasonable limits to a chamber's
ability to deny seating someone. Unless they can show Burris
unqualified to serve, or directly implicated in the scandal,
the Senate may be unable to refuse him the seat. Blagojevich
as Governor clearly retains the legal authority to appoint someone,
regardless of how politically questionable the action. Further,
Burris or the Governor could bring a legal action for a writ
of mandamus to force White to certify his appointment. As the
certification is a ministerial act not validly requiring discretion
on the part of the official, White can be forced by a judge
to issue the certification. In the end the only way the Senate
may be able to "block" Burris is by delaying his seating
long enough to put sufficient public pressure on him to voluntarily
step aside. However, as Burris is clearly at the end of his
political career and likely seeking only to serve as an interim
placeholder, Burris may simply not care about public perceptions
as he never plans to face the voters again on a ballot. And,
FYI, this button is from Burris' 1984 race -- and I liked the
irony today of his old slogan.]
MINNESOTA.
Humorist Al Franken (D) now holds a 50 vote lead over US Senator
Norm Coleman (R). Close to 1350 previously rejected absentee ballots
are currently being reviewed, but both sides expect those to widen
Franken's current lead. US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) suggested
on Tuesday that the Senate should provisionally seat Franken in
January, subject to the outcome of any litigation expected to
be filed by Coleman. The US Senate Republicans issued a sharply
worded response: "Al Franken is falsely declaring victory
based on an artificial lead created on the back of the double
counting of ballots. His campaign's actions in the last several
days on the issues of rejected absentee ballots are creating additional
chaos and disorder in the Minnesota recount. Those actions, coupled
with the recent comments by Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota,
who suggests seating someone even if there is an election contest,
are unprecedented. Minnesotans will not accept a recount in which
some votes are counted twice, and I expect the Senate would have
a problem seating a candidate who has not duly won an election."
Stay tuned to see who -- if anyone -- is seated on January 5.
Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) has previously said he would consider
appointing an interim caretaker to fill the seat until the election
outcome is resolved.
Daily
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Vin - 12.31.08 | Permalink
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TUESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
EMANUEL FORMALLY RESIGNS HOUSE SEAT; COLEMAN-FRANKEN UPDATE; AND
JERSEY CITY MAYOR NEWS.
ILLINOIS.
Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D) formally resigned his seat in the
United States House of Representatives. The three-term Democrat
submitted his letter of resignation to Governor Rod Blagojevich
on Monday, making his resignation effective January 2nd. Emanuel
was appointed by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as the
next White House Chief of Staff. A special election is expected
to happen in Spring 2009, and several Democrats have already announced
their candidacies. They include State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz
and Deb Mell, Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley, Chicago Alderman
Gene Schulter and several others (see Ron's
Illinois Page for the full list). The only announced Republican
is 2008 GOP nominee and real estate broker Tom Hanson. The CD-5
seat is solidly Democratic.
MINNESOTA.
US Senator Norm Coleman (R) -- after publicly criticizing challenger
Al Franken (D) for his successful legal push to have 1,346 absentee
ballots counted which were accidentally disqualified in error
on election day -- is now demanding that an additional 654 rejected
absentee ballots from other counties also be tallied. NBC News,
however, says that these 654 absentee ballots were rejected for
reasons other then the clerical mistakes involving the other 1,346
ballots. NBC reported that the 654 ballots are mainly absentee
ballots submitted by voters who voted in person on election day,
returned ballots where the name on the absentee envelope doesn't
match the name of the requesting voter, and ballots where the
voter signatures did not match. The Franken campaign did not agree
to allow the 654 additional absentee ballots to be counted. Franken
currently leads by 46 votes -- but the 1,346 absentee ballots
(once they tabulated by January 5) are expected to extend Franken's
lead because they mainly come from heavily Democratic counties.
As Franken is expected to be certified the winner when the state
canvassing board meets next week, Coleman's campaign is already
vowing to challenge the certification in court.
NEW
JERSEY. The May 2009 race for control of New Jersey's
largest city is in full gear. Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy
(D) is seeking re-election to a second full term. Announced Democratic
challengers include State Assemblyman and former City Council
President L. Harvey Smith and former State Assemblyman Lou Manzo.
Manzo lost narrowly to Healy last time around. The only announced
Republican candidate is former Jersey City Mayor two-time gubernatorial
candidate Bret Schundler. Healy sits well-positioned for re-election,
with over $1 million dollars cash on hand, he was also a major
early backer of Barack Obama -- whereas most of the New Jersey
political establishment had backed Hillary Clinton during the
primaries. The May 2009 elections are nonpartisan. If no candidate
receives over 50%, a runoff election will take place with the
top two candidates.
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MONDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
CONDI RICE SAYS '08 WAS NOT REFENDUM ON BUSH; IL LT GOV SAYS BLAGO
WILL BE IMPEACHED; RNC CHAIR CANDIDATE IN HOT WATER FOR "BARACK
THE MAGIC NEGRO" SONG.
BUSH
ADMINISTRATION: Speaking on CBS News on Sunday, Secretary
of State Condi
Rice explicitly said she didn't believe the 2008 elections was
in any way a referendum on President Bush as "he was already
re-elected in 2004" and wasn't running this year. Rice also
said the American public will soon "start to thank this president
for what he's done ... [because] he has delivered policies that
are going to stand the test of time."
ILLINOIS:
Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn (D) on Sunday predicted that Governor
Rod Blagojevich (D) will be impeached by February, and a special
election to fill Barack Obama's open US Senate seat will likely
occur in June 2009.
RNC
CHAIR: Chip Saltsman -- former Tennessee GOP Chair and
former Huckabee for President campaign manager -- is drawing fire
from within his own party for distributing a CD disc to RNC members
which featured the "Barack the Magic Negro" parody song.
Saltsman called it "light hearted" and "good humored."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich disagreed and blasted it: "This
is so inappropriate that it should disqualify any Republican National
Committee candidate who would use it. There are no grounds for
demeaning [Obama] or for using racist descriptions." Michigan
GOP Chair Saul Anuzis, another RNC Chair candidate, said distributing
the song was "in bad taste." Incumbent RNC Chair Mike
Duncan, who is seeking re-election, said he was "shocked
and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it
clearly does not move us in the right direction." By contrast,
RNC Chair candidate Ken Blackwell -- a conservative African-American
-- dismissed the whole incident as being caused by "hypersensitivity."
Daily
Report by Ron Gunzburger - Facebook
Ron - 12.29.08 | Permalink
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CHRISTMAS
EVE NEWS UPDATE.
With
the holidays upon us, we're going to take a few days off from
posting updates. If the thread gets too long, we'll post a new
open thread, but otherwise the next news update will be on Monday.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa.
STATE BOARD GIVES FRANKEN 48 VOTE LEAD AFTER RULING ON ALL CHALLENGES;
EMANUEL HAD MINIMAL CONTACT WITH BLAGO; BIDEN SAYS NO EARMARKS.
MINNESOTA.
As reported yesterday, the Minnesota Canvassing Board has now
reviewed and ruled upon all challenged ballots in the US Senate
race between humorist Al Franken (D) and incumbent Norm Coleman
(R). With all of those ballots now disposed of, Franken leads
by 48 votes. Franken's lead is expected to widen once the roughly
1,600 absentee ballots mistakenly invalidated in the original
count are tabulated, as ordered by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Coleman's only remaining hope for victory is to succeed in his
court challenge to throw out 133 "lost" Franken votes
that he believes were wrongly counted twice. The state board previously
rejected Coleman's arguments and ruled the 133 votes were valid
and had not been counted twice.
BLAGOJEVICH.
CNN reported that an internal report compiled by the Obama transition
team shows that President-elect Barack Obama was interviewed by
the office of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald as part of Fitzgerald's
criminal probe into embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
(D). An internal report compiled by the Obama Transition Team
concludes that neither President-elect Obama nor his aides --
including incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel --
had any "inappropriate" contacts with Blagojevich or
his staff. The report states that there is "no indication
of inappropriate discussions with the governor or anyone from
his office about a 'deal' or a quid pro quo arrangement in which
he would receive a personal benefit in return for any specific
appointment to fill the vacancy." Emanuel apparently had
only one direct phone call with Blagojevich, shortly after being
tapped for his new post, and was largely pro forma in nature.
As Fitzgerald's office apparently has recordings of all the Blagojevich
phone calls during the relevant period of time, most media sources
presume the Obama account is truthful as it will be easily subject
to verification.
ECONOMY.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden has pledged that there will be
no earmarks in the stimulus plan that he and President-elect Barack
Obama are proposing to re-energize the economy.
Daily
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Vin - 12.24.08 | Permalink
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TUESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
FRANKEN ON VERGE OF MN RECOUNT VICTORY; PALIN DISPUTES McCAIN
CAMP'S CLAIMS.
MINNESOTA.
According to Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Minnesota
Canvassing Board will certify that humorist Al Franken (D) has
apparently defeated US Senator Norm Coleman (R) by roughly 48
votes. The newspaper reviewed an advance "draft copy"
of the Board's official report. The new unofficial numbers include
most of the allocated votes, but not those from some unresolved
ballot challenges. Franken's campaign has declared victory. So
has Coleman's campaign, as they maintain the state board wrongly
counted roughly 133 "missing" Franken votes twice, which
would mean Coleman edged Franken by about 85 votes. "Their
lead is not real," said a statement issued by the Coleman
campaign. The Board's tally does not include the approximately
1,600 absentee ballots that were mistakenly rejected that the
Supreme Court last week ordered to be counted before the final
certification. Observers expect Franken will benefit more than
Coleman from those votes, based upon where they were cast. The
Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments Monday from the Coleman
campaign that perhaps 130 ballots from DFL strongholds were counted
twice. Franken's attorney maintains there was no double-counting
of votes. All of the counting is expected to finish by December
31.
McCAIN
VS. PALIN. Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) said her biggest
regret during the 2008 campaign was not doing more news interviews.
Palin said that the McCain campaign did not allow her to do many
interviews. Palin said she was grateful for the opportunity to
run with John McCain and did not want to argue with his advisors
about campaign strategy. These comments come after months of visible
tension between the Palin and McCain campaign staffs. Recently,
the Arizona Senator said he would not necessarily support Palin
if she ran for the GOP nomination in 2012. A bit of trivia: several
recent party nominees did not back their runningmates in later
runs. 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry backed Barack Obama for
the 2008 Democratic Nomination over his former runningmate John
Edwards. 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore backed Howard Dean for
the 2004 nomination over his former runningmate Joe Lieberman.
Not surprisingly, former President George H.W. Bush endorsed his
son over his former runningmate Dan Quayle for the 2000 GOP nomination.
Daily
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Vin - 12.23.08 | Permalink
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MONDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
BIDEN TO PLAY ACTIVE ROLE IN W.H. DECISIONS; CLINTON DEBT DROPS;
MN RECOUNT CONTINUES.
SHORT-TAKES.
OBAMA: Vice President-elect Joe Biden told ABC News on Sunday
why he agreed to be Barack Obama's runningmate four months ago.
"I said, 'I don't want to be picked unless you're picking
me for my judgment. I don't want to be the guy that goes out and
has a specific assignment. ... I want a commitment from you that
in every important decision you'll make, every critical decision,
economic and political, as well as foreign policy, I'll get to
be in the room.'" Obama agreed to those terms ... CLINTON:
Hillary Clinton's campaign debt is down to just $6.4 million.
Her campaign has only 16 creditors, with Mark Penn being one of
the largest ones. She is racing to pay down the debt before taking
office as Secretary of State, a role that prohibit Clinton from
personally raising money for her campaign committee ... MINNESOTA:
The Coleman-Franken recount will continue this week. Based upon
the current count, and information being circulated by both camps,
it looks as if Franken will win by roughly 50-80 votes when everything
is finished. Coleman is already contemplating a lawsuit to challenge
the results of the recount ... RON: And, yeah, it's me posting
this again. I'm back from Utah -- and Vin is stranded by the weather
unable to write anything for today.
Daily
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Ron - 12.22.08 | Permalink
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WEEKEND
NEWS UPDATE.
FRANKEN LEADS COLEMAN BY 251; BLAGO "DYING TO SHOW HOW INNOCENT"
HE IS; OBAMA TAKES A HOLIDAY.
MINNESOTA.
US Senator Norm Coleman (R) lost his lead on Friday as the recount
continued. Humorist Al Franken (D) moved into a 251 vote advantage
as of the end of the day's count. Franken's challenges to purported
Coleman votes were heard earlier in the week. The State Canvassing
Board is now completing the Coleman challenges to purported Franken
votes -- meaning that this phase of the recount will only increase
Franken's lead. In other good news for Franken, the Minnesota
Supreme Court ruled that the 1,600 disputed absentee ballots --
valid ballots initially disqualified incorrectly for alleged flaws
-- must also be counted. The bottom line: Franken appears heading
to a likely win in the recount. Coleman's campaign has vowed to
fight the contest in the courts if they do not prevail in the
recount. Speaking of Coleman and courts, the Senator and his wife
this week each retained separate criminal defense attorneys to
deal with corruption allegations that wealthy businessman and
longtime Coleman friend Nasser Kazeminy tried illegally to funnel
him $75,000 related to a business deal. According to Fox News,
the FBI refused to confirm or deny that Coleman is the target
of a corruption probe.
ILLINOIS.
Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) made brief remarks at a press conference
on Friday in which he claimed he was totally innocent of the federal
corruption charges for which he was arrested last week. "I
will fight, I will fight, I will fight until I take my last breath.
I have done nothing wrong. I'm not going to quit a job that people
have hired me to do ... I am dying to answer these charges. I
am dying to show you how innocent I am ... I have on my side the
most powerful ally there is, and it is the truth," said Blagojevich.
Considering the details of the wiretapped phone calls recorded
by the feds, it seems hard to square the Governor's denials with
the facts revealed to date. Democratic and Republican leaders
in the state were united in their calls for Blagojevich to resign.
"He is duty-bound to step aside under these perilous times
and circumstances," said Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn (D).
"We heard 'fight, fight, fight' instead of 'resign, resign,
resign,' said State Senator Matt Murphy (R). Later in the day,
Balgojevich issued 22 gubernatorial pardons. No word yet as to
whether the Gov was able to monetize them -- possibly to finance
his criminal defense legal team.
OBAMA. Having completed his entire Cabinet selections,
Barack Obama and family leave on Saturday for a week-long holiday
vacation in Hawaii.
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FRIDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
COLEMAN LEADS FRANKEN BY ONLY FIVE VOTES; SOLIS, KIRK ARE FINAL
CABINET PICKS; HOEKSTRA RETIRES; INOUYE LEADS LINGLE FOR '10.
MINNESOTA.
CNN reported that Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) is already exploring
making an interim appointment of a caretaker to fill US Senator
Norm Coleman's (R) seat if the race is not decided by the January
5, 2009, swearing-in date for the next Congress. The recount is
continuing and both Coleman and challenger Al Franken (D) are
talking about bringing court challenges if each is not declared
the winner. According to the Minneapolis
Star-Tribune, Coleman currently leads by just five votes
as of Thursday evening. The newspaper now projects
-- based upon the state canvassing board's rulings on challenged
ballots -- that Franken will likely win by approximately 90 votes
when the recount is completed.
OBAMA
CABINET. President-elect Barack Obama on Friday will
name Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) as the next Labor Secretary
and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk to be US Trade Representative.
Retired Admiral Dennis Blair has been tapped to become the new
Director of National Intelligence. Obama has yet to name a new
CIA Director, likely signalling that current Director Michael
Hayden may continue serving for a few more months before being
replaced.
MICHIGAN. Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R) announced
this week he will not seek re-election in 2010. Hoekstra said
he has yet to decide if he will run for Governor in 2010 or simply
retire from politics. State Representative Bill Huizenga (R) --
a former Hoekstra aide -- immediately announced his candidacy
for the open CD-2 seat. Term-limited State Senator Wayne Kuipers
(R) is also considering either seeking the CD-2 seat or running
for Governor in 2010.
HAWAII.
A new Research 2000 poll shows US Senator Dan Inouye (D) holding
an eleven-point lead over his strongest possible GOP challenger
for 2010. Inouye leads term-limited Governor Linda Lingle (R)
by a vote of 53% to 42%.
Daily
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Ron - 12.19.08 | Permalink
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THURSDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
GOP
CONGRESSMAN TO BE TRANSPORTATION SECY; BROWNBACK ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
(AGAIN); OBAMA MAKES CONTROVERSIAL CONSERVATIVE PICK FOR INAUGURAL
INVOCATION.
OBAMA
CABINET. President-elect Barack Obama is set to name
retiring Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL) to be the next Secretary
of Transportation. LaHood -- a GOP centrist who worked well with
colleagues on both sides of the aisle -- came to national fame
for presiding over President Bill Clinton's impeachment debate
in the House. Obama will also name Mary Schapiro as new Securities
& Exchange Commission Chairwoman. Schapiro -- currently CEO
of Wall Street's self-regulatory Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority -- previously served as Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Chair during the Clinton Administration. Also, the Wall Street
Journal reports that UC-Berkeley college professor Harley
Shaiken and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) are purportedly
the two finalists for the Labor Secretary spot.
KANSAS.
US Senator Sam Brownback (R) will formally announce that he will
not seek re-election in 2010. Brownback -- an unsuccessful candidate
for the GOP nomination for President in 2008 -- announced two
years ago he intended to honor his original two-term term-limits
pledge. He is also expected to soon announce his candidacy for
Kansas Governor. Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) is term-limited.
Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh (R) is already an announced
candidate for Governor, and Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson
(D) -- a former State GOP Chair -- is also expected to run. Congressman
Jerry Moran (R) is already an announced candidate for Brownback's
open Senate seat. Other possible Senate candidates include Congressmen
Todd Tiahrt (R) and Dennis Moore (D), Governor Sebelius, and recently
ousted Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (D).
INAUGURATION.
Pastor Rick Warren will give the invocation at President Obama's
inauguration ceremony. Warren, who hosted a fall forum in which
Obama and McCain participated during the campaign, was a vocal
supporter of California's Proposition 8 which banned same-sex
marriage. Others with roles in the swearing-in ceremony include
singer Aretha Franklin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman,
poet Elizabeth Alexander, the San Francisco Boys and Girls Choirs,
and the legendary civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery. The
gay rights group Human Rights Campaign quickly denounced the Warren
selection as "a genuine blow" to the GLBT movement.
Here is how Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic sees the move:
"From experience, one can presume that the decision to invite
Rick Warren was made because (a) Obama likes the guy, and (b)
he knows it would send a message to groups like the HRC, and to
conservative Christians who might be wary of the new president.
Not so much pandering as it is Obama's deft manipulation of the
politics of symbolism. Obviously, Obama disagrees with Rick Warren
on important issues. He has said so, many times, and publicly.
And he agrees with him on other important issues. And ignoring
something like Warren, a mainstream figure who commands the respect
of million of Americans, would be foolish. Obama's message is:
Rick Warren is a part of Obama's America, too."
Daily
Report by Vin Gopal - Email
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WEDNESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
VILSACK
TO BE AGRICULTURE SECY; CONGRESSMAN JACKSON ASSISTED FED INVESTIGATION
OF BLAGO FOR NEARLY 3 YEARS; REID ENDORSES CAROLINE KENNEDY.
OBAMA
CABINET. President-elect Barack Obama is scheduled to
announce the nomination of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to
be the next Agriculture Secretary. Vilsack was briefly a candidate
for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination, but withdrew
well before the Iowa caucuses and endorsed Hillary Clinton. In
related news, Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) has declined Obama's
invitation to become the next US Trade Representative, a Cabinet-level
post. Instead, Becerra decided he wants to serve in his newly
elected role as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
ILLINOIS.
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) had apparently been volunteering
information to federal authorities investigating Governor Rod
Blagojevich (D) since at least early 2006. He purportedly told
the feds that Blagojevich had tried to shake him down in 2002-03
for $25,000 to have Jackson's wife appointed state lottery director.
Jackson also reported info to federal agents on other illegalities
involving the Governor. In fact, it is now reported that the US
Attorney's office gave Jackson a "heads-up" on Monday
afternoon to let him know Blagojevich would be imminently arrested
-- as they were aware Jackson had just met that day with Blagojevich.
Jackson's office issued a written statement Tuesday evening in
an attempt to clarify his involvement with the federal prosecutors:
"As a responsible citizen and elected official, Congressman
Jackson has in the past provided information to federal authorities
regarding his personal knowledge of perceived corruption and governmental
misconduct. This was completely unrelated to the current federal
investigation regarding the U.S. Senate appointment. And it is
absolutely inaccurate to describe the Congressman as an informant."
NEW
YORK. US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told
a Las Vegas Sun columnist that he has already spoken
with New York Governor David Paterson (D) and urged him to select
attorney Caroline Kennedy to fill Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be
vacant Senate seat.
Daily
Report by Ron Gunzburger - 12.17.08 | Permalink
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TUESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
SEN
SALAZAR TO BE INTERIOR SECY, CHICAGO SCHOOL CHIEF TO BE EDUC SECY;
CAROLINE KENNEDY SEEKS NY SEN VACANCY; ELECTORAL COLLEGE OFFICIALLY
ELECTS OBAMA.
OBAMA
CABINET. President-elect Barack
Obama is set later this week to nominate US Senator Ken Salazar
(D-CO) to be the next Interior Secretary. Progressive Democrats
had been pushing for Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) to be appointed
Interior Secretary -- but Salazar comes from the centrist Blue
Dog wing of the party. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) will
select someone to fill Salazar's Senate seat -- and the frontrunners
include Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, outgoing State House Speaker
Andrew Romanoff, Congresswoman Diana DeGette and Ken Salazar's
brother Congressman John Salazar. In other news, Obama will announce
Tuesday that Chicago School Superintendent Arne Duncan -- a close
friend of Obama -- will be the next Secretary of Education. CNN
is also reporting that Time magazine's Jay Carney will
become Vice President-elect Joe Biden's Communications Director.
NEW YORK. Attorney and author Caroline Kennedy
-- daughter of President John F. Kennedy -- has officially informed
Governor David Paterson (D-NT) that she would like be considered
for Hillary Clinton's soon to be vacant U.S. Senate seat.
P2008.
It's official: Barack Obama has officially been certified to become
the next President of the United States by the Electoral College.
Electors met on Monday to cast the ballots which legally decide
the winner. In the official tally, Obama won 365 electoral votes
to Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) 173 electoral votes.
Daily
Report by Vin Gopal - Email
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MONDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
McCAIN
WON'T PLEDGE TO BACK PALIN IN 2012; OBAMA FILLS HUD SPOT; BUSH
MAKES SURPRISE IRAQ VISIT, IS PELTED WITH SHOES.
P2012.
Speaking to ABC's This Week, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said he
isn't sure whether he would support his former runningmate --
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin -- if she was a candidate for the
GOP nomination for President in 2012. McCain
pointed out that there are a lot of young Governors in the country
who would be good candidates, among others. "Have no doubt
of my admiration and respect for her and my view of her viability,
but at this stage, again -- my corpse is still warm, you know,"
said McCain.
OBAMA
CABINET. President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former
New York City Housing Commissioner Shaun Donovan to be the next
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Donovan is also an
ex-Clinton staffer.
IRAQI
FAREWELL. President George W. Bush made a surprise farewell
visit to Iraq on Sunday. At a press conference in the prime minister's
palace inside of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, an Iraqi reporter
threw both of his shoes at the President. Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki stepped forward to block the flying shoes, and Bush
ducked but was not struck by either shoe. Throwing shoes at someone,
or sitting with the bottom of a shoe facing another person, is
considered a serious insult among Muslims. As the reporter was
wrestled to the ground and dragged out of the room, he yelled
"This is a farewell, you dog ... You killed the Iraqis."
Bush later joked about the incident: "Let me talk about the
guy throwing his shoe. It's one way to gain attention. It's like
going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's
like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with
all five fingers."
Daily
Report by Vin Gopal - Email
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