All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** Gearing up for a long health care Senate debate...

** Stimulus tracking comes under fire...

** Republican governors focus on economic issues...

HEALTH CARE: "The Senate Thursday began what promises to be a bitter, lengthy battle over the future of health care in America, and taxes, abortion, affordability and federal deficits emerged as key flashpoints," reports McClatchy Newspapers' David Lightman.

"Senate Democratic leaders expect the first test vote on their new $848 billion, 2,074-page health care overhaul bill will come on Saturday evening. Although Democrats are likely to get the 60 votes they need to move forward with the debate, the outcome is uncertain.

"Should the measure pass that initial test, lawmakers made it clear Thursday that they're ready for weeks of political warfare.

"Democrats framed their mission in heroic terms.

"'This is about the woman with high cholesterol, or the man with heart disease, or the child with hay fever who can't get help,' said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. 'That's why we're stopping insurance companies from deciding they'd simply rather not give health care to the sick.'”

"The first test for the bill, which would extend coverage to 31 million more Americans while reducing federal deficits by $130 billion over the next decade, will come Saturday evening," write the Washington Post's Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray. "That is when Democratic leaders hope to keep together all 60 of their caucus members to turn back Republican procedural objections. Reid's efforts are focused on three moderate Democrats who oppose various provisions in the measure and have not declared whether they will support efforts to advance it.

Read full post…

Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** Choosing a strategy in Afghanistan...

** Reid guns for a health care bill on the Senate floor next week...

** Dodd unveils ambitious financial regulation proposals...

PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY: This morning, the president and Mrs. Obama host a Veterans Day breakfast in the East Room before traveling to Arlington National Cemetery where Mr. Obama will participate in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Following the ceremony, he will deliver remarks.

This afternoon, the president meets with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan and, report the New York Times' Elisabeth Bumiller and David E. Sanger, the president will consider four "final options" regarding how many more troops to send to Afghanistan.

"Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are coalescing around a proposal to send 30,000 or more additional American troops to Afghanistan, but President Obama remains unsatisfied with answers he has gotten about how vigorously the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan would help execute a new strategy, administration officials said Tuesday.

"Mr. Obama is to consider four final options in a meeting with his national security team on Wednesday, his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, told reporters. The options outline different troop levels, other officials said, but they also assume different goals — including how much of Afghanistan the troops would seek to control — and different time frames and expectations for the training of Afghan security forces…

Read full post…

Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** Tallying the jobs saved by the Recovery Act...

** Health Care reform still a tough battle...

** More than 30 politicians face ethics investigations...

PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY: The Recovery and Transparency Board will release its reports detailing how the economic stimulus plan's funds have been spent through Sept. 30 and how effective the plan has been in terms of job creation, with the White House claiming the plan "has created and saved at least 1 million jobs." More on that below...

President Obama, meantime, meets with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss Afghanistan and Pakistan "in one of the final steps before deciding whether to send thousands more US troops to war," writes Agence France-Presse's Stephen Collinson.

"Obama invited the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the heads of the branches of the US armed services, to the secure White House Situation Room to hear their input on his war plan and deliberations on troop numbers, officials said.

"He will hold the meeting a day after his poignant visit to witness the return to home soil of fallen Americans from Afghanistan, after which he said the heavy sacrifice of US soldiers was weighing on his decision-making...

"Expectations are mounting that Obama could reveal his answer to McChrystal's request before he leaves for an eight-day trip to Asia on November 11. But he is believed unlikely to reveal his decision whether to reinforce the 68,000 US troops in the country before the Afghan run-off election on November 7."

Read full post…

New government figures show the economy grew 3.5% this summer, the first increase in a year and a sign that the recession is at an end. But there are other signs that this may be a jobless recovery.

The Obama administration is saying its economic stimulus and recovery packages have saved close to a million jobs. But the creation of new jobs has lagged.

"The great American job creation machine simply hasn't been generating enough jobs to absorb or offset what was really the greatest, deepest recession since the Great Depression," said Jared Bernstein, chief economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden.

Read full post…

Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** A setback for liberals in the health care debate …

** The Obama team takes on challenges in Afghanistan and Iran …

**The Senate readies its climate change legislation …

PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY: The president heads to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., where he'll announce $5 billion in economic stimulus funds for the NIH to create jobs and support research for cancer and other diseases, reports the Associated Press.

The money comes from the $787 billion economic stimulus program that is designed to help create jobs and turn around the economy. Jared Bernstein, who is Vice President Joe Biden's chief economist, says the $5 billion will support some 12,000 existing projects and create thousands of jobs over the next two years for researchers and educators, as well as medical equipment makers and suppliers.

Mr. Obama will be joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

It wouldn't be a surprise if he also touched on the tsunami in the Samoas, which has left at least 99 dead.

The president has already declared a major disaster for American Samoa, a U.S. territory, and early this morning, he put out a written statement:

"Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the earthquake and tsunami in American Samoa and the region. I am closely monitoring these tragic events, and have declared a major disaster for American Samoa, which will provide the tools necessary for a full, swift and aggressive response. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in close and constant contact with emergency responders, and the U.S. Coast Guard is fully supporting the deployment of resources to those areas in need of immediate assistance. We also stand ready to help our friends in Samoa and the region. Going forward, we will continue to provide the resources necessary to respond to this catastrophe, and we will keep those who have lost so much in our thoughts and prayers."

This afternoon, Mr. Obama has a meeting with his national security advisers to discuss the war in Afghanistan. Among those attending the meeting in the White House Situation Room: Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, Gen. David Petraeus, CIA Director Leon Panetta, and National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones. Gen. Stanly McChrystal and others will participate by remote video.

Read full post…

More than one in three Americans now believe President Obama's $787 billion stimulus package has had a positive impact, a new CBS News/New York Times survey finds. But nearly half say it has not yet had an impact.

Thirty-six percent say the stimulus has made things better, up from 25 percent in July. The percentage who says it has had no impact has fallen from 57 percent to 46 percent. Thirteen percent say the stimulus has made things worse.

Nearly half of Americans – 47 percent – expect the stimulus to have a positive impact in the long run. Roughly one in four expect it to have no impact, while another 21 percent say it will ultimately have a negative impact.

Read the Complete Poll

Fifty-two percent say the stimulus package will eventually create jobs, though just seven percent say it has already done so. Thirty-eight percent say the package will never create jobs.

Americans continue to have an overwhelmingly negative perception of the economy. Just 22 percent say it is in good shape, while 77 percent say it is in bad shape. Perceptions did improve slightly over the summer.

Read full post…

Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in Politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

**President Obama to get specific on health care with speech to Congress next week...

**Biden talks stimulus today...

**Kennedy memoirs talk about the good and the bad...

HEALTH CARE: When he's faced a crisis, President Obama tends to confront it with a major speech. Now, with health care reform on the ropes and an America that is unclear on how he wants to change the system, Mr. Obama will speak on prime time TV next Wednesday to a joint session of Congress to again lay out his ideas.

"The president has been criticized for being insufficiently specific about what he wants health care reform to look like," writes CBSNews.com's Brian Montopoli. "Though has offered details about the provisions he is seeking in a series of speeches in recent months, Mr. Obama has left it to Congress to work out the legislative language. A CBS News poll this week showed disenchantment with the president's handling of the issue.

"Yesterday, senior advisor David Axelrod said the president may become 'more prescriptive' about what he wants from a health care bill, which the White House has asked Congress to produce by September 15th.

"The White House has been 'taken aback by the ferocity of opposition to its health care plan as expressed to members of Congress of both parties during their town meetings last month with constituents,' CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports."

Read full post…

Getting kids back to school with the clothes and supplies they need can strain the family budget. That's why the Governor of New York decided to use federal stimulus funds for a back-to-school program. Needy families got a one-time payment of $200 dollars per child to buy school supplies. It adds up to $140 million of your tax dollars.

Neasey Hendricks, single mother of five, says she's putting the money to good use.

"Definitely sneakers, try to save a little bit for a haircut, a couple of pairs of pants, some shirts, get the girls a few skirts," Hendricks says.

While few argued with the concept of helping low-income families, nobody anticipated the chaos that would come next.

On August 11th, the state of New York deposited the $140 million in stimulus money into the individual food stamp and welfare accounts of people on public assistance. Some saw their balance shoot up by a thousand dollars all at once. The idea was they would use their regular welfare benefits card, which acts like a debit card, to buy the school supplies. There was just one problem. The letter from the state telling them what the money was for didn't arrive until days later. By then, it was too late. See the Letter Sent to Recipients (PDF).

"No one questions the intention of this particular program. However there is an extraordinary distance between the good intention of the program and the implementation of the program," Monroe County's Commissioner of Health Services Kelly Reed said on Wednesday's edition of "Washington Unplugged," which first reported the story. (You can watch the show at left.)

County Executive Maggie Brooks says social workers were flooded with calls from merchants who were afraid fraud was being committed.

"We had different retailers calling us and saying people were coming in with their benefit transaction card, and they are purchasing flat screen TV's, iPods and video gaming systems," Brooks told CBS News. Brooks doesn't blame the recipients - she blames the state for not ensuring the funds were spent for school.

Read full post…

President Obama today traveled to Elkhart, Ind., a town suffering from crushing unemployment rates, to announce new grants for the city to manufacture electric vehicles.

"I'm here because I believe our ability to recover and to prosper as a nation depends on what happens in communities just like this one," Mr. Obama said. "The battle for America's future will be fought and won in places like Elkhart."

The town's unemployment rate soared 10 points over the past year and now stands at 16.8 percent, a fact the president called "astonishing." He said the area has been "hit with a perfect storm of economic troubles."

Mr. Obama said the city will revive, in part because of the grant announced today for the Elkhart-based company Navistar. The company will receive $39 million to manufacture electric trucks, which should create or save hundreds of jobs once full scale manufacturing at the site begins. Overall, seven projects in Indiana will receive grants totaling more than $400 million.

Read full post…

Updated 2:02 p.m. ET

President Obama said Friday afternoon that new figures showing the Gross Domestic Product contracted at a much lower rate in the second quarter than it did at the start of the year illustrate that the "in the last few months, the economy has done measurably better than we had thought."

The president attributed the improved situation to his nearly $800 billion economic stimulus package, saying progress is "directly attributable to the Recovery Act."

He argued that "important steps that we've taken over the last six months have helped us put the brakes on the recession."

"Now, I realize that none of this is much comfort to those Americans who are still out of work and struggling to make ends meet," the president acknowledged. "And when we receive our monthly jobs report next week, it's likely to show that we're still continuing to lose far too many jobs."

But he stressed that "today's GDP is an important sign that the economy is headed in the right direction."

Republicans have attacked the stimulus package as wasteful and ineffective, and the White House seized on the new figures to buttress its argument that the massive spending bill is having its intended effect.

In an effort to underscore that argument, the president also noted that new figures show "that the recession we faced when I took office was even deeper than anyone thought at the time. It told us how close we were to the edge." The government had previously calculated that the economy had grown 1.1 percent in 2008 but today revised that number down to 0.4 percent.

Read full post…