Key White House allies are dramatically shifting their attempts to defend health care legislation, abandoning claims that it will reduce costs and the deficit and instead stressing a promise to “improve it.”
The messaging shift was circulated this afternoon on a conference call and PowerPoint presentation organized by FamiliesUSA — one of the central groups in the push for the initial legislation. The call was led by a staffer for the Herndon Alliance, which includes leading labor groups and other health care allies. It was based on polling from three top Democratic pollsters, John Anzalone, Celinda Lake and Stan Greenberg
The presentation concedes that groups typically supportive of Democratic causes — people under 40, non-college-educated women and Hispanic voters — have not been won over by the plan. Indeed, it stresses repeatedly, many are unaware that the legislation has passed, an astonishing shortcoming in the White House’s all-out communications effort.
“Straightforward ‘policy’ defenses fail to [move] voters’ opinions about the law,” says one slide. “Women in particular are concerned that health care law will mean less provider availability — scarcity an issue.”
The presentation also concedes that the fiscal and economic arguments that were the White House’s first and most aggressive sales pitch have essentially failed.
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Dems retreat from lie that health care law will reduce costs
Obama: Time for Rangel to end career “with dignity”
President Barack Obama has kept mum on the fate of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) for days — but he tells CBS News that it’s time for the embattled 80-year-old former Ways and Means Chairman to end his career “with dignity.”
“I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served– his constituents very well. But these– allegations are very troubling,” Obama told Harry Smith in an interview to be aired on the “Early Show.” and first broadcast on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
“And he’ll– he’s somebody who’s at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I’m sure that– what he wants is to be able to– end his career with dignity. And my hope is that– it happens.”
Breitbart: ‘I am public enemy No. 1…’
An unrepentant Andrew Breitbart told POLITICO on Thursday that the Obama administration and its allies have manufactured a controversy over the video he posted of Shirley Sherrod’s speech to the NAACP as part of an orchestrated effort to take him down.
“I am public enemy No. 1 or 2 to the Democratic Party, the progressive movement and the Obama administration based upon the successes my journalism has had,” Breitbart said in a telephone interview late Thursday morning as he headed to the airport for what he said was a long-planned, three-day vacation.
Breitbart asserted that liberal media outlets are shifting the focus to the misleading excerpting in the videos he posted — as well as his erroneous statement about the context of the footage — to divert attention from what he asserts is a double standard on racist behavior exposed by the video, which he released Monday to push back against a recently passed NAACP resolution expressing concern about “racist elements” in the tea party movement.
Limbaugh on Scott Brown
The Republicans are only as strong as their weakest link. Now, here’s an illustration, and herein lies the problem with Republican governance because Republican governance is different from conservative governance. There’s a story, MSNBC, Scott Brown, the Republican who won Ted Kennedy’s seat, is going to vote “yes” on financial reform. There is no conservative anywhere who would vote “yes” on financial regulatory reform. It is a fraud of a bill. It should not come close to even passing. But here we have a Republican voting for it, and if you read the story, he makes arguments that sound very much like liberal arguments, that it does all these wonderful things, that it’s got a consumer bill of rights in it, it’s gonna make sure that big, fat cats on Wall Street don’t get to screw anybody anymore when in fact it does not do that, and it cannot do that, and it will not do that. So this is going to be up to the Republicans, what they do with this victory in the House that even the White House now appears to be hoping for.
White House: We’re not anti-business
The White House has launched a coordinated campaign to push back against the perception taking hold in corporate America and on Wall Street that President Barack Obama is promoting an anti-business agenda.
Obama has been happy to be seen by voters as cracking down on Wall Street but those efforts have had an unintended result: feeding a sense that the president and his party are indifferent or even actively hostile toward big business, whether those businesses are Silicon Valley tech companies, Midwestern manufacturers or Main Street small businesses.
And it is more than just politics: Obama’s aides believe confidence in the general direction of White House policy has an effect on the willingness of corporations to hire, invest and push the economy toward a more solid recovery.
Peter Orszag to leave White House next month
White House budget director Peter Orszag plans to leave government in July, becoming the first member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet to depart, administration officials said Monday. Orszag is likely to join a think tank, colleagues said.
Presidential advisers say a possible successor as director of the Office of Management and Budget is Rob Nabors, who was Orszag’s deputy and went over to the Chief of Staff’s office to be a senior adviser to Rahm Emanuel. Nabors now he attends the 7:30 a.m. senior staff meeting and insiders say his stock never dropped, but only gained in value.
Head of MMS resigns, Obama punts question
Politico, “Obama punts on Birnbaum exit”
by Eamon Javers and Carol E. Lee
It was a remarkable moment in President Barack Obama’s press conference Thursday: just hours before, the head of the Minerals Management Service had left the top post at the agency that oversees offshore oil drilling.
And yet, the president said he didn’t know whether Liz Birnbaum had resigned or been fired.
“Now, with respect to Ms. Birnbaum, I found out about her resignation today,” Obama said. “So I don’t know the circumstances in which this occurred.”
That explanation flummoxed reporters in the room, who seemed surprised to learn that the president wouldn’t know exactly what had happened to one of the key figures in an ongoing federal emergency – the one he was holding a news conference on at that very moment.
Politico article continues here.
Department of Justice rejects Sestak probe, White House insists that nothing inappropriate happened
Politico, “DoJ nixes Sestak special counsel”
by John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman
The Justice Department has rejected a Republican request to appoint a special counsel to investigate allegations that the White House offered a job to Rep. Joe Sestak if he would drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic primary.
In a letter sent Friday to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) — but not publicly released — a Justice Department official said there was no need to have a special counsel to look into the allegations. Republicans have been pressing the issue for months, but the White House has insisted nothing inappropriate happened. Sestak himself has been the source of the allegation, stating publicly he was offered a job in order to clear the field for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.).
Sestak ended up defeating Specter in last week’s primary, but Republicans are still pushing for a full-blown investigation of the job offer allegation. Sestak has refused to say specifically what administration job he was offered, but many think it was secretary of the Navy.
Politico article continues here.
Elena Kagan most likely Obama’s SCOTUS pick
Politico, “Obama’s court pick is imminent — POTUS to seek line-item veto — Britain sorting out ‘hung parliament’ — Did Dow tank on ‘fat finger error’? — Palin + Facebook = Yahtzee”
by Mike Allen
Look for President Obama to name his Supreme Court pick Monday, and look for it to be Solicitor General Elena Kagan, a former Harvard Law dean. The pick isn’t official, but top White House aides will be shocked if it’s otherwise. Kagan’s relative youth (50) is a huge asset for the lifetime post. And President Obama considers her to be a persuasive, fearless advocate who would serve as an intellectual counterweight to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia, and could lure swing Justice Kennedy into some coalitions The West Wing may leak the pick to AP’s Ben Feller on the later side Sunday, then confirm it for others for morning editions.
Politico article continues here.
Reid: GOP filibuster is “anti-American”
Politico, “Harry Reid: Republican party’s filibuster ‘anti-American’”
by Manu Raju
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) accused Republicans of being “anti-American” by demanding changes to a Wall Street regulation bill before it’s debated openly on the Senate floor.
Speaking to reporters just before the Democrats’ third attempt to break a GOP filibuster on the issue, Reid said that Republicans “keep stalling, keep stalling.” He charged Republicans with trying to pick apart the bill before it even comes to the floor where both sides could offer amendments and openly debate the measure.
“Even some Democrats would like to offer amendments on this bill,” Reid said. “All of this talk from Republicans about wanting to do something about this bill before it gets on the floor is really anti-Senate and anti-American.”
Politico article continues here.
Goldman Sachs to use Obama’s former counsel for defense
Politico, “Goldman Sachs taps ex-W.H. counsel”
by Eamon Javers and Mike Allen
Goldman Sachs is launching an aggressive response to its political and legal challenges with an unlikely ally at its side — President Barack Obama’s former White House counsel, Gregory Craig.
The beleaguered Wall Street bank hired Craig — now in private practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom — in recent weeks to help in navigate the halls of power in Washington, a source familiar with the firm told POLITICO.
“He is clearly an attorney of eminence and has a deep understanding of the legal process and the world of Washington,” the source said. “And those are important worlds for everybody in finance right now.”
Politico article continues here.
SEIU’s Andy Stern to resign
Politico, “SEIU officials: Stern to resign”
by Ben Smith
Service Employees International Union President Andrew Stern, one of America’s most prominent labor leaders, is set to resign, according to a member of the union’s board and another SEIU official.
The President of an SEIU local based in Seattle, Diane Sosne, broke the news to her staffers at 11:35 this morning, local time.
“Last night I received confirmation that Andy Stern is resigning as President of SEIU. He has not yet made a public announcement; we will share the details as we become aware of them,” reads an email from Sosne’s account obtained by POLITICO.
Politico article continues here.
Stupak to retire
Politico, “Rep. Bart Stupak to retire, putting seat in play”
by Mike Allen and Josh Kraushaar
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who had a central role in the health reform fight as the leader of anti-abortion Democrats, plans to announce Friday that he will not run for reelection, a Democratic official said. Without Stupak on the ballot, the seat becomes an immediate pickup opportunity for Republicans.
“Now with health care done, he’s retiring,” a friend said. “He has thought about retiring for the last three cycles, but was always talked into staying: to elect John Kerry to help end the war, to elect a Democratic majority to get health care done.”
President Barack Obama called Stupak on Wednesday and asked him not to retire. Stupak, 58, also resisted entreaties from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the dean of the Wolverine State delegation.
Politico article continues here.
Boehner: Drilling decision falls short
Politico, “John Boehner: Drilling decision falls short”
by Jake Sherman
The top House Republican says the White House’s decision to begin offshore drilling across huge expanses of ocean is a “positive step,” but he’s still blasting the Obama administration for keeping areas on the West Coast closed to such exploration.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said that the administration “continues to defy the will of the American people,” who he says supported a 2008 congressional decision to allow oil exploration off the Pacific Coast and Alaska.
“Opening up areas off the Virginia coast to offshore production is a positive step, but keeping the Pacific Coast and Alaska, as well as the most promising resources of the Gulf of Mexico, under lock and key makes no sense at a time when gasoline prices are rising and Americans are asking ‘Where are the jobs?’” Boehner said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday morning.
Politico article continues here.
Obama’s next moves: Wall St., Schools, Campaign Finance, Energy
Politico, “President Obama plans strong hand with Congress”
by Mike Allen
An emboldened President Barack Obama will take a stronger hand with Congress in coming weeks, planning to push lawmakers to pass new regulations for Wall Street by September, the second anniversary of the meltdown, aides tell POLITICO.
The spring offensive, if successful, would allow Obama to claim concrete progress on all of his domestic priorities, despite a “lost year” between the passage of a stimulus package in February 2009 and the signing of health reform last week.
Some Democratic leaders hope to have financial-regulatory reform on the president’s desk even sooner — by Memorial Day, a timeline the White House considers doable.
During protracted negotiations over the health care bill, Obama was criticized for giving congressional leaders too much leeway and too little direction and for bending too easily to the timetables of Capitol Hill.
Politico article continues here.