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Divided Dems look ahead through 2012

Posted on November 9, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — One week removed from the great “shellacking” of 2010, Democrats at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are still picking through the ashes of their lost House majority and debating the best way forward.

Rumors of their demise are, of course, exaggerated. Republicans survived midterm massacres in 1974 and 2006; Democrats lived to tell the tale of 1994. Election night exit polls showed the GOP is no more popular among voters than the Democrats.

But any time a party loses at least 60 seats in the House and six in the Senate, recriminations are bound to fly. Angry liberals accuse the White House of selling them out on a range of issues — public option anyone? — and demoralizing the base. Diminished Blue Dogs point the finger at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s dismal approval ratings and complain about being saddled with unpopular stimulus and cap-and-trade plans, among other things.

Adding to moderate malaise: Pelosi’s unexpected decision to seek another term as her party’s House leader. The San Francisco speaker has been holed up in her Capitol Hill office this week, working the phones to stave off any possible challenge.

Her decision means more moderate Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer and more liberal South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn — numbers two and three in the current House Democratic leadership — are left fighting over the position of minority whip for the next Congress.

Some observers warn the Congressional Black Caucus will explode if Clyburn — a veteran African-American legislator — doesn’t get the nod.

What does all of this mean? Maybe President Barack Obama picked a good time to pack his bags for Asia. But he can’t avoid a radically changed landscape for the next two years as he pursues a second term.

Obama may have to further distance himself from House Democrats than Bill Clinton did after Republicans won control of Congress in 1994, Brown University political scientist Wendy Schiller told CNN.

“He’s going to have to sell the liberal wing of the Democratic Party down the river in order to get reelected,” she predicted, specifically citing negotiations over an extension of the Bush tax cuts.

Faced with a more uniformly liberal Democratic caucus led by Pelosi, Obama’s got to “become a solo operator,” Schiller said. He has “to step outside of the party box” and “reintroduce himself to the American public.”

But Nathan Gonzales, editor of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report, warned Obama will rarely attract enough support from the Tea Party-influenced GOP to compensate for the loss of liberal support if he tries too much to position himself as an independent operator.

“The best thing for Obama is to get his party on the same page,” Gonzales said. Republicans who may be inclined to strike a deal “are going to face a lot of pressure to resist working with the Democrats.” To most conservative activists, “that’s viewed as unacceptable. The moment you work with the Democrats, you’re at risk of a primary challenge. That’s a real threat.”

Gonzales cited the example of moderate Maine GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe, who is up for reelection in 2012. The New England Republican has been a favorite of the administration and congressional Democrats looking for bipartisan cover, but is now facing a rising Tea Party threat in her backyard. Her home state, a moderate bastion in recent decades, just elected a sharply conservative Republican governor.

It’s an open question how much politicians such as Snowe will be available to work with Democrats over the next two years.

Schiller and Gonzales differed over the impact of Pelosi staying on as the House Democratic leader.

“The president’s still the president. He’s still the leader of the Democratic Party,” Gonzales said. “In the midterms, Pelosi was more of an issue because the president wasn’t on the ballot. But 2012 is going to be about Obama and the direction he’s taking the country.”

Keeping Pelosi as the top House Democrat “means no change and Democrats can’t afford that message,” Schiller said, largely echoing the views of jubilant Republicans after the speaker announced her intentions last Friday.

Schiller also claimed Democrats may be making a mistake if they dump Clyburn from the party’s leadership.

“Hoyer can present a moderate face, but it’s unclear that he brings any change because he’s been so visible” over the past four years, she argued. He’s “indistinguishable from Nancy Pelosi to the average voter.”

Clyburn, she contended, is “a smart strategic choice. He’s a real southerner. Also, because he’s African-American he may insulate the party from the most vitriolic race-based attacks from very conservative Republicans.”

The “Democratic and Republican moderate voting base is the holy grail for 2012, and they won’t react well to any attack on Clyburn that smacks of racism,” she contended.

Hoyer’s camp, however, asserts he is successfully convincing other House Democrats he is more of a unifying force than Clyburn. At the moment, Hoyer also has more public endorsements than Clyburn. A letter released late Sunday included the names of 30 House Democrats reflecting a broad cross-section of the Democratic caucus.

Sources close to both Hoyer and Clyburn have each told CNN their candidate will prevail. Other Democrats, meanwhile, are convinced both Hoyer and Clyburn will ultimately remain part of the leadership, with one of them taking the number-three slot of Democratic caucus chairman.

Stay tuned.

Divided Dems look ahead through 2012

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Obama notes private sector job growth, rips GOP

Posted on October 8, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — President Obama put a positive spin on the Labor Department’s new jobs report Friday, noting the country has now had nine straight months of private sector job growth.

The economy lost 95,000 jobs in September, though the private sector added 64,000 jobs. The nation’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.6 percent.

Obama blamed the net job loss on layoffs at both the U.S. Census and state and local governments. He slammed the GOP for opposing additional state assistance.

“We have to keep doing everything we can to accelerate this economy,” he said during a visit to a Maryland brick and masonry company. Too many Americans have been “swept up in the most devastating recession of our lifetimes.”

Obama highlighted the recently enacted small-business aid bill — a measure opposed by many senior Republicans — and renewed his push for a permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts for families making less than $250,000.

“The damage left by this recession is so deep that it’s going to take a long time to get out,” he said.

Republicans have repeatedly warned that a failure to extend all of the tax cuts — including those for wealthier Americans — will damage an already sluggish recovery. GOP leaders have also criticized the White House’s economic recovery initiatives, claiming they’ve needlessly added to the debt while failing to sufficiently stimulate growth.

“With each passing month, and each new jobs report, it becomes increasingly clear that while massive Washington spending is growing the size of government, it’s clearly not growing sustainable private-sector jobs,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in statement released before Obama’s remarks.

“The trillion-dollar stimulus didn’t live up to promises made by the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress; the massive growth of the federal government didn’t result in a similar growth of jobs; and the maze of new regulations, health care mandates and taxes are having a predictable impact on the economy.”

Obama notes private sector job growth, rips GOP

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Obama approval hits new low

Posted on September 24, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — With little more than a month to go before the midterm elections, President Barack Obama’s approval rating has hit an all-time low.

Only 42 percent of Americans now approve of how Obama’s handling his job as president, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. Fifty-four percent disapprove of his performance.

The figures represent a new low-water mark in the CNN/ORC poll for the president, who, almost two years into his term, continues to wrestle with public worries over a sluggish economy and exhaustion with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Congressional Democrats aren’t faring much better. They now face a nine-point deficit when likely voters are asked which party they’ll back in November, according to the poll.

Top non-partisan political analysts have given the Republicans a serious shot at picking up the 39 seats necessary to recapture the House of Representatives.

A solid majority of all Americans — 56 percent — say that Obama has fallen short of their expectations. As a result, the president is not in a position to help struggling Democratic candidates; only 37 percent of likely voters say they are more likely to vote for a congressional candidate backed by Obama.

In contrast, half of all likely voters now say they are likely to choose a candidate supported by the conservative Tea Party — contributing to the GOP’s 53 to 44 percent lead when such voters are asked which party’s candidate they will choose in November.

Also damaging the Democrats: the enthusiasm gap. Republicans in general are much more engaged and excited about voting than Democrats, according to the new poll.

One cautionary note for Republican candidates: voters aren’t wild about the GOP, either. Nearly half of likely voters who say they will vote Republican in the fall say they are doing so to oppose the Democrats, not to support the Republicans.

Also potentially cutting against GOP momentum: while nearly eight in 10 voters favor extending the Bush tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year, a majority oppose extending the cuts for families that make more than that amount.

Republicans have vehemently argued in favor of extending the cuts for the wealthiest Americans as well, arguing that a failure to do so would damage the recovery. Top Democrats, led by Obama, claim that the roughly $700 billion price tag associated with an extension of the cuts for the richest Americans would be fiscally irresponsible.

While the president’s approval ratings may seem grim, he has plenty of company among his most recent predecessors. Obama’s approval rating exactly matches that of Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter in September of their second years in office.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted September 21-23, with 1,010 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

There is a 4.5 percent margin of error for the 506 likely voters questioned in the poll.

CNN’s Polling Director Keating Holland contributed to this report.

Obama approval hits new low

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GOP unveils ‘Pledge to America’

Posted on September 23, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Sterling, Virginia (CNN) — House Republicans sought to recapture the spirit of their 1994 election landslide Thursday, unveiling a 21-page “Pledge to America” that includes promises to slash taxes, cut government and reverse President Barack Obama’s health care reforms.

Among other things, House GOP leaders pledged to permanently extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts due to expire at the end of this year — including for individuals making over $250,000.

They also proposed giving small businesses a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income, while requiring Congress to review any new federal regulations that add to the deficit.

They pushed a domestic spending freeze, with the exception of certain politically sensitive programs such as veterans’ benefits.

While stressing the need to reduce spiraling deficits, they did not offer specifics on how to restrain the growth of entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The document also lacks a pledge against unrelated pet projects that members of Congress often insert in spending bills to bring funding to their home districts — known as earmarks. Banning earmarks is typically a staple of Republican policy.

“The federal government is too big, it spends too much, and it’s out of control,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. The current federal government “isn’t listening” and “doesn’t get it.”

“Our government has failed us,” said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California. “The land of opportunity has become the land of shrinking prosperity. … People are outraged.”

The House GOP leadership unveiled its proposal at a lumber company in northern Virginia.

Some provisions in the GOP document match positions of the conservative Tea Party movement that has helped defeat mainstream Republican candidates in several primary elections this year. For example, the document calls for a federal hiring freeze on nonsecurity employees and requiring all legislation to include a clause showing that it is authorized under the Constitution.

Other items would cancel unspent funding authorized by the economic stimulus bill, roll back spending to levels before the stimulus bill and earlier federal bailout legislation and repeal the health care reform bill passed in March.

The document also calls for permanently prohibiting taxpayer funding for abortion.

Several Republican sources said there was no intention to directly address social issues because the electorate is so heavily focused on jobs and spending.

Republican leaders settled on a line that states: “We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.”

This language was a late addition, according to a GOP source, after conservative Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana argued that social issues should be included in the document representing the agenda of House Republicans.

The top Republican in the Senate immediately endorsed the plan, calling it a key step in the GOP’s push to cut the overall size of the federal government.

“The House Republican plan is a clear and forceful response to these concerns, and working together, House and Senate Republicans will continue to fight for the principles upon which it is based,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.

House Democratic leaders, in contrast, said the document showed that Republicans want to return to what they called failed policies of the past. A statement from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office on Wednesday mocked the GOP positions, saying they showed that Republicans pledged allegiance to hedge fund managers on Wall Street, insurance companies, the “wealthiest of the wealthy,” oil companies and big corporations that outsource jobs, “with a recession and huge deficits for all.”

The GOP document represents an updated version of the 1994 “Contract with America.” That much shorter, 10-item document, with specific bills attached to each item that would be passed with a Republican victory, was rolled out on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and signed by GOP members of Congress and candidates.

The 2010 version has more than 20 items, including changes to how Congress works and broad policy goals such as tougher sanctions against Iran. While it does contain legislative proposals, it does not include specific bills that would be introduced and passed if Republicans gain control of the House.

A GOP lawmaker involved in putting together the document told CNN Wednesday that House Republicans realize voters are angry with both Democrats and Republicans. The agenda contained in the “Pledge to America” is intended to convince such voters that their concerns are taken seriously by Republicans, who will act differently if returned to power than they did when controlling Congress during parts of the Bush administration, the legislator said.

CNN’s Tom Cohen, Alan Silverleib and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report

GOP unveils ‘Pledge to America’

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Some Dems break with party leaders

Posted on September 16, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted Thursday that tax cuts for middle class Americans would be extended by Congress.

Pelosi told her weekly news conference that she supports President Obama’s proposal to maintain the reduced tax rates for people earning $250,000 a year or less, while allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to expire for those who make more.

Thirty-one House Democrats, most of whom face tough re-election bids this fall, have signed a letter to Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging them to extend expiring tax breaks for all income levels, including the wealthy.

However, Pelosi said the Obama plan makes the most sense.

“The only thing I can tell you is that the tax cuts for the middle class will be extended in this Congress,” Pelosi said.

Republicans also say the tax cuts, introduced by President George W. Bush in 2001, should be kept in place for everyone.

With the midterm elections less than two months away, Democratic leaders have not yet decided whether they will schedule a vote on the legislation before voters go to the polls.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday that he has urged Pelosi to allow an “honest up-or-down vote” on extending all the Bush tax cuts. Anything less, he said, is “unacceptable.”

Boehner said earlier this week that while he wants to extend tax cuts for all Americans, he would back Obama’s plan if it is the only option available.

Boehner pushes extension of all Bush tax cuts

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Americans appear divided on the issue. Most — but not all — polls conducted over the last month indicate that a slight majority don’t want tax breaks for the wealthiest income earners to be extended.

According to a new New York Times/CBS News survey, 53 percent say the Obama administration’s proposal to let tax cuts for households earning $250,000 or more per year expire is a good idea, with 38 percent saying it’s a bad idea.

In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. national poll conducted in early August, three in 10 said that the Bush-era tax cuts should be continued for all Americans, with a little more than 50 percent saying those tax cuts should be continued only for families who make less than $250,000 a year, and nearly one in five believing the tax cuts should expire for all Americans.

However, in an Ipsos/Reuters poll also conducted last month, 49 percent said tax cuts for all should be extended, while 31 percent said they should expire for the wealthiest Americans and 15 percent called for an end to the tax cuts for everyone.

See results from more polling on tax breaks

The letter from House Democrats to Pelosi and Hoyer — written by Reps. Jim Matheson of Utah, Melissa Bean of Illinois, Glenn Nye of Virginia and Gary Peters of Michigan — says that after listening to economists, small businesses and families over recent weeks these lawmakers are concerned that “raising any taxes right now could negatively impact economic growth.”

“We believe in times of economic recovery it makes good sense to maintain things as they are in the short term, to provide families and businesses the certainty required to plan and make sound budget decisions. Providing this certainty will give small businesses, the backbone of our economic recovery, confidence and stability,” the lawmakers wrote.

CNN reported that the four authors were circulating a draft of the letter earlier this week. But with more than 30 Democrats now signed on to the final letter, Democratic leaders will face increasing pressure to address the concerns of these members.

Republican congressional leaders have been making similar arguments, pushing for a two-year freeze on all current tax rates.

On Wednesday, Hoyer told reporters he could consider proposals to extend tax cuts for higher wage earners, but he also stressed his strong support for just renewing the middle-income tax breaks.

Later Wednesday, Hoyer released a statement noting he was simply saying he was willing to talk to others about their positions.

“Unfortunately, the reports of my answer implied a willingness to support an extension of Bush policies,” he wrote. “That is incorrect.”

CNN’s Dana Bash and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Some Dems break with party leaders

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Biden marks transfer of U.S. command in Iraq

Posted on September 1, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates helped usher in the next chapter for the United States in Iraq on Wednesday, presiding over a ceremony launching a new military operation designed to train, assist and advise the Iraqis.

The ceremony, held at Al Faw Palace in Baghdad, marked the conclusion of the U.S. combat mission dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom and the transfer to the assistance mission, named Operation New Dawn.

Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III replaced Gen. Raymond T. Odierno as commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq in the changeover, held at one of the many palaces of late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein — whose regime was ousted from power in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Biden said Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, but promised that “American engagement with Iraq will continue” with the new stability mission.

“This change of mission, to state the obvious, would never have been possible without the resolve and tremendous sacrifice and competence of our military — the finest, if our Iraqi friends will forgive us, the finest fighting force in the world, and I would argue the finest fighting force that ever has existed,” Biden said.

He acknowledged the pain Iraqis endured during the long war, saying tens of thousands of troops and civilians died, and many more were wounded and displaced.

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However, he said, “I believe that their darkest days are now behind them.”

Noting the divided opinion toward the war in the United States, he said people from both parties had always backed the troops for their “extraordinary service” after “a high-speed invasion that toppled a tyrant became a grinding struggle against violent extremists.”

“Our fighting men and women were given a mission in Iraq that was as complicated as any in our history, an assignment that taught us that war is the realm of uncertainty,” he said. “Troops steeped in military doctrine were asked to deal with challenges ranging from electricity to unemployment, currency exchange to trash collection.”

The vice president also praised the new electoral system in Iraq, urging political parties there to settle their differences and form a government soon.

“Iraqis have cast their lot as well as their ballots for a better future,” he said.

Biden highlighted Gates’ contributions, saying the defense secretary’s decision to serve under both Republican and Democratic administrations during the war is a testament to his patriotism.

Odierno, who said Iraqi security forces are ready to take the lead there, recalled the wartime period as one of Iraqi heroism.

“This period in Iraq’s history will probably be remembered for sacrifice, resiliency and change. However, I remember it as a time in which the Iraqi people stood up against tyranny, terrorism and extremism, and decided to determine their own destiny, as a people and as a democratic state,” he said.

As Biden did, Odierno urged Iraqi political blocs to form a government, which has yet to be established since elections six months ago.

“It is time for Iraq to move forward,” Odierno said.

Odierno said a democratic Iraq “can become an engine for peace and stability” in the Middle East.

“We can no longer dwell on our past accomplishments, but must remain focused on the tremendous opportunity at hand. Iraq has always played a vital role in this uncertain part of the globe,” he said.

Austin said Iraq still faces hostile threats from insurgents working to undermine the country. But he said that “the past few years in Iraq have been marked by steady progress” and he envisions a “stable, secure and unified Iraq.”

“Operation New Dawn marks the next phase of an enduring relationship” between the United States and Iraq, he said.

While the U.S. combat mission is ending, roughly 50,000 American troops will remain in the country until the end of 2011 for the assistance mission.

When asked Wednesday if the United States is still at war in Iraq, Gates responded, “No, we’re not.” Gates added it is up to historians to determine whether the war was worth it.

Along with U.S. political and military dignitaries, Iraqi officials — including Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, Defense Minister Mohammed Abdul Qader al-Obeidi and the Kurdish region’s Prime Minister Barham Saleh — attended the ceremony.

The U.S. combat mission in Iraq officially ended at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday. The drawdown and end to the U.S. combat phase marks a new page in what has been a controversial seven-year conflict. Weapons of mass destruction, a major justification by the Bush administration for going to war, were never found. Saddam Hussein was toppled, along with his massive Baghdad statue, but sectarian violence soon erupted.

On Tuesday night, U.S. President Barack Obama addressed Americans about the transition in a televised speech.

“The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people,” Obama said from the Oval Office. “We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. We have persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people — a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization.”

The war in Iraq has claimed the lives of more than 4,400 U.S. troops.

Obama said he was “awed” by the sacrifices of service members and their families and that the U.S. has met its responsibility.

“Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country,” Obama said. “We have removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. And we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.”

Before Obama’s speech, some Republicans had urged him to acknowledge that the 2007 U.S. troop surge in Iraq ordered by then-President George W. Bush had worked. Obama, as a U.S. senator and candidate for the presidency, had opposed it.

Obama, who spoke with Bush in a phone call earlier in the day, did not mention the former president’s role in the surge.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, delivered a speech Tuesday suggesting Bush deserves more credit for reaching this milestone.

“You might recall that the surge wasn’t very popular when it was announced,” McConnell said. “You might also recall that one of its biggest critics was the current president. So it makes it easier to talk about fulfilling a campaign promise to wind down our operations in Iraq when the previous administration signs the security agreement with Iraq to end our overall presence there.”

Obama said the most urgent matter now is restoring the economy and “putting millions of Americans who have who have lost their jobs back to work.”

To strengthen the middle class, he said, “we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy.”

Obama’s emphasis on the economy appears to dovetail with the mood of the American public.

In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll earlier this month, 56 percent of respondents said the economy would be extremely important to their vote for Congress this year. Fewer than four in 10 said that the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan were extremely important to them.

CNN’s Ed Henry, Dan Lothian, Dana Bash, Jason Hanna and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report.

Biden marks transfer of U.S. command in Iraq

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To-do list: Your ideas for Obama, GOP

Posted on August 26, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — Strategists on both sides of the political aisle weighed in this week on what President Obama and Republicans must do before the November midterms to give their parties a boost.

The 10-week to-do lists resulted in thousands of comments and suggestions from CNN readers, ranging from constructive to highly critical.

Readers suggested Obama look for a new job and put a muzzle on Vice President Joe Biden, while commenters providing advice for the GOP recommended a muzzle for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Mouth guards aside, readers also offered up practical guidance for Obama and the GOP. Here are some of the suggestions:

1. For Obama: Govern from the center

CNN readers say they want to see Obama get behind a more bipartisan agenda. The No. 1 thing they want to see is job creation, and they don’t want partisan games to get in the way.

Commenters advised Obama to not be influenced by those on the far left and instead focus on what the American public wants.

2. Tout the administration’s accomplishments

Supporters of the health care legislation passed this year say they’re proud of it — and they want Obama to talk about it more. “Talk up Healthcare, because so many supported the bill!” one commenter suggested.

Strategists’ advice for Obama

1. Simplify the message
2. Channel Ronald Reagan
3. Propagandize the truth
4. Go on the offense
5. Put up a fight
6. Be positive
7. Look to the future, not the past
8. Pay attention to independents
9. Be prepared for Election Day …
10. … but don’t stop at November
Read more

Obama signed the health care bill in March after a long, emotional debate in Congress. Now that the dust has settled, backers of the bill want to hear all about it.

“Talk about what you have done, and what you would like to do, and why,” another reader wrote.

3. Rise above the partisan bickering

“Quit politicking which further divides our nation,” one commenter posted.

Readers say they are sick of partisan games getting in the way of action on Capitol Hill — and they want the administration to stay out of the mudslinging.

4. Shake up the staff

Commenters are ready for some fresh faces. Even those supportive of Obama say they are ready for him to reload the strategy and bring in some new staffers.

Strategists’ advice for Republicans

1. Focus on jobs, jobs, jobs
2. Become the party of solutions, not “no”
3. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow
4. Offense is the best defense
5. Offer a “Contract with a America” Part II
6. Embrace tea party support with caution
7. Avoid social issues
8. Appeal to independents
9. Channel Bill Clinton (yes, Bill Clinton)
10. Turn the Bush blame game around
Read more

5. Stay out of local issues

Readers say the want to see more presidential leadership from Obama. They want him to avoid getting involved with local issues and distractions and focus on the job at hand.

“Be a leader, be positive, plan for success, stay focused,” one reader said.

1. For Republicans: Steer clear of the far right commentators

Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter are doing more harm than good for the GOP, some commenters warned.

Readers say they want Republicans to avoid accepting what’s meant to be shock-jock entertainment as sound advice for the party.

2. Keep religion out of politics

“I’m a conservative person, and I’m all for people believing what they want to, but please keep it out of your politics,” one commenter posted.

Readers say they want Republicans to focus on issues such as jobs and the economy instead of trying to prove who is the better Christian.

3. Be conservative, but be bipartisan

Some commenters say that while they like conservatives, not all Republicans fit the bill. Readers say they want lawmakers to stick to their conservative ideas, with an understanding that working with Democrats instead of against them will be more productive.

4. Represent your constituents, not your party’s agenda

“The only thing I want to see from either party is a return to REPRESENTING THEIR CONSTITUENTS, not their party,” a reader said. “When your constituents in large numbers oppose a bill, your obligation is to them.”

“I’m tired of politicians being elected and then ignoring what their constituents want or don’t want. Suddenly the only thing they care about is party support,” the reader continued.

Commenters want their elected officials to listen to them instead of being afraid of breaking with the party.

“Show the American people that you’re capable of putting them ahead of your party,” one person said.

5. Tell the voters what will be different if Republicans take power

“Republicans are going to take back the House and Senate, and it will change absolutely nothing,” one reader said, arguing that both parties are controlled by special interests.

Voters want to know how things would change if Republicans had the majority.

Do you have more suggestions for President Obama or lawmakers? Weigh in below.

To-do list: Your ideas for Obama, GOP

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Geithner: Let tax cuts for rich expire

Posted on July 25, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — The Obama administration will push for letting tax cuts for wealthy Americans expire while extending them for the rest of the nation, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said.

In interviews broadcast Sunday on ABC and NBC, Geithner called for a balanced approach as the economy recovers from the recession that started in 2008 while facing mounting federal debt.

That means pushing for measures designed to raise revenue, such as letting tax breaks from the Bush administration expire for families earning more than $250,000 a year while holding down spending and taking steps to encourage private sector job creation, Geithner said.

“We’re in a transition … from the extraordinary actions the government had to take to break the back of this financial crisis to a recovery led by private demand,” Geithner told the NBC program “Meet the Press”. “That transition is well under way. It’s going to continue and it’s going to strengthen.”

Along with letting the tax cuts for the wealthy expire, the administration also wants to “leave in place tax cuts that are very important to incent businesses to hire new employees and to invest and expand in output,” Geithner said on the ABC program “This Week.”

Republicans say letting tax cuts expire for wealther Americans will hurt economic growth as the nation recovers from the recession. In particular, GOP critics say the $250,000-a-year threshold means many small business owners would be included in the group seeing their tax burdens increase when the cuts expire at the end of 2010.

“The safest thing for America would be to have a provision passed this fall that said no tax increase of any kind in 2011,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2012, said on the “FOX News Sunday” program. “Everywhere I go — and I’ve been in 10 states in the last 14 days — business people say to me over and over again, ‘I will create no new jobs in this environment because the uncertainty is too frightening.’ “

Geithner said the plan is to extend the tax cuts for more than 95 percent of country while letting them expire for about 3 percent, which he called the “highest-earning Americans.”

Asked on the ABC show if letting any tax cuts expire would harm the recovery, Geithner said: “I do not believe it will have a negative effect on growth.”

“We think that’s the responsible thing to do,” Geithner said. “We need to make sure we can show the world that we’re willing as a country now to start to make some progress bringing down our long-term deficits.”

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Overall, he said, the government was “making progress” in restoring private sector job growth.

“I think the most likely thing is you see an economy that gradually strengthens over the next year or two,” Geithner said on NBC. “You see job growth start to come back again; and again, investment expanding, manufacturing is getting a little stronger, exports better. Those are very encouraging signs. But we’ve got a long way to go still.”

President Barack Obama’s poll numbers for his handling of the economy have dropped into unfavorable territory, and Republicans have hammered the administration over continuing high unemployment despite last year’s $787 billion economic stimulus bill. Last week, the administration said it expects unemployment to remain above 9 percent through 2011.

Geithner said the government is moving from the emergency steps enacted to deal with the recession — such as bailing out big banks and automakers — to more long-term approaches for helping the private sector create jobs.

On NBC, he called completing projects under the stimulus bill and enacting proposals to help small businesses and teachers “sensible, good steps,” adding that the main goal is to “make this transition to a recovery led by private companies.”

“We have to make some choices, too, and we have to make sure we can continue to earn confidence around the world that we’re going to have the will as a country to bring these large inherited deficits down over time to a much more manageable level,” Geithner said.

Geithner: Let tax cuts for rich expire

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