Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to affect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security.
How Soon Will GOP Try To Shut Down The Government?
GOP might try to shut down government next month, speculates Capital Gains and Games' Stan Collender: "Even though the [new Congress] won't officially be in place until January, the [GOP] leadership will be facing a very difficult decision over federal spending in less than a month when the the current continuing resolution -- which is funding all federal agencies and departments that operate with annual appropriations -- expires ... The Republicans [in the Senate] -- (Actually, all you need is one: Can you say Jim DeMint?) are in a position to prevent the current CR from being extended if the new version doesn't reduce spending to the level they want ... waiting until next January or February will make it much more difficult to come up with the actual budget cuts that will be needed to achieve the lower spending levels the GOP says it wants ..."
Question remains whether GOP leadership can get Tea Party members to perform basic functions of government. NYT: " As the party now controlling the House, Republicans have to produce a budget, spending bills and other legislation that the 40 or so new lawmakers strongly allied to the Tea Party might balk at supporting, leaving the leadership scrambling for votes. Over all, there are at least 80 incoming Republican freshman, and the party is expected to control at least 239 seats. A vote next year on increasing the debt limit — an increase many Tea Party candidates could reject as a fundamental matter of principle — looms as a real test case."
Boehner's people line up to stop Rep. Michelle Bachmann from winning leadership position, risking rift with Tea Party. AP: "His lieutenants are lining up behind Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, leaving no doubt that Hensarling – and not Bachmann – is the leadership favorite to chair the GOP conference. ... . House GOP leaders have varying views of whether any overture [to new Tea Party-backed candidates], symbolic or otherwise, is warranted. Still in the discussion stages is a proposal to establish a sort of at-large leadership post for a representative of the freshman class, but no decision has been made..."
After GOP leader frets about Wall St. profits, Baseline Scenario's James Kwak thinks the Tea Partiers will soon be asking "Is this what we voted for?": "Spencer Bachus, the likely new chair of the House Financial Services Committee, has announced that he is planning to use whatever powers he can to gut the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. Why? According to the Financial Times, Bachus 'expressed concern that shareholders of Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase will be hurt because the banks will be less profitable.' So one major effect of the Tea Party movement will be to further enrich Wall Street banks and the bankers who work there."
Senate Minority Leader talks of defeating President Obama, not working with him. NYT "Mr. McConnell’s comments about Mr. Obama suggested that he had heard the no-compromise message coming from the most conservative members of his party and that he intended to wage an aggressive battle in the Senate even though Republicans failed on Tuesday to gain a majority there. Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senator Harry Reid ... said, 'It looks like Senate Republicans have already set the terms of this new legislative session: it’s our way or the highway.'"
McClatchy reviews the GOP health care repeal strategy: "...resurgent House Republicans are eyeing an early up-or-down vote to repeal the Obama administration's health care overhaul [though] it's unlikely to go any further ... the GOP can use its new House majority to slow the measure's funding and progress through a gantlet of congressional hearings, investigations, aggressive oversight and legislative delays ... [The US Chamber of Commerce] cited as a prime example [denying] funding for thousands of new IRS agents to enforce provisions of the law ... Tevi Troy [of] the conservative Hudson Institute, cautioned eager Republicans against changing many unpopular portions of the law. He said the revisions would make the measure more palatable to the public and consequently dampen desire to see the law overturned in 2012."
W. Post on the wisdom of targeting IRS and HHS budgets to derail health reform: "The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that over the next 10 years, the administrative costs of implementation could run from $5 billion to $10 billion each for HHS and the IRS. But it's unclear how much of that would need to come from budget increases. Both agencies have managed to make do with their existing budgets."
Progressive Push For Bold Action On Jobs
Job creation picks up pace a bit in October. NYT: "The United States economy added 151,000 jobs in October, a welcome change after four months of job losses but still not enough to make a dent in unemployment ... Private companies added 159,000 jobs in October, while governments cut 8,000 jobs in the month. The month was much stronger than expected — most forecasts were for a gain of 60,000 jobs, 80,000 of which were from private employers. The report also sharply revised the numbers for August and September. The August data was revised to reflect a loss of 1,000 jobs instead of 57,000, and September was revised to 41,000 losses instead of 95,000."
OurFuture.org's Robert Borosage lays out post-election progressive strategy on jobs, in video interview: "Organize people who need jobs, organize people who are looking for people, organize people who are losing their jobs ... create populist anger ... force a different debate here in Washington."
The Nation say to Obama and Democrats, "It's time to stand and fight" on jobs, and ditch the deficit commission: "The president must lay out a clear and bold plan to create jobs, jobs and more jobs and get the economy going—and fight with conviction for those plans against anyone standing in the way. He should take the advice of the more than 300 economists who have urged his administration not to focus prematurely on deficit reduction ... Obama should suspend his National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which has laid out an unrealistic and counterproductive proposal to reduce the federal deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2015."
Joseph Stiglitz explains the way out of the foreclosure crisis: "... the only way to deal with the mess is to write down the value of the principal (what is owed). America has a special procedure for corporate bankruptcy, called Chapter 11, which allows a speedy restructuring by writing down debt, and converting some of it to equity. It is important to keep enterprises alive as going concerns, in order to preserve jobs and growth. But it is also important to keep families and communities intact. So America needs a 'homeowners’ Chapter 11.'"
Time to end free-trade globalization, writes The Nation's William Greider, but unsure whether President Obama will: "The best evidence for Obama's potential comes from liberal-labor reformers fighting the trench warfare on trade cases while advocating far more fundamental reforms. 'The president has been true to his word and very supportive on trade-law enforcement—better than any president since before NAFTA,' says Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers ... The president's familiar style of wanting to split the difference in a tough fight is evident on trade. Obama appointed Ron Bloom, a Wall Street veteran close to the Steelworkers, as a special adviser on manufacturing—but the president continues to support more trade agreements. And Bloom, I was told, has been walled off from trade policy by Larry Summers, the departing economic adviser."
Pelosi Gauging Support To Stay
Speaker Pelosi considers remaining as top House Democrat. The Hill: "A spokesman for Pelosi would not give a timetable for her decision. Pressure for an announcement is likely to increase, and members don’t return to Washington until Nov. 15 ... One factor that may play into Pelosi’s decision is the sense among members that Democrats could win back the House in the next election or two ... 'There’s really nobody that thinks this is it,' one Democratic aide said..."
What's left of the Blue Dog coalition says Pelosi should step aside. Kos says what's left of the Blue Dog coalition should shut up: "Heath Shuler is making noise about running for Speaker, which would be rich coming from the dumbest Democrat in the entire caucus. It was the Pelosi House that made the big gains the last two cycles, and the Pelosi House delivered the last two years only to see the Senate sit on its gridlocked ass. Now the guys who ran on not listening to Pelosi, and who lost after not listening to Pelosi, now want Pelosi to listen to them. Hilarious"
Door Open To Temporary Tax Cut Compromise
WH rules out permanent extension of Bush tax cuts for wealthy, mute on temporary extension. NYT: "'The president does not believe, and I think would not accept, permanently extending the upper-end tax cuts,' [WH spox Robert Gibbs] said. That leaves open, though, the possibility of a temporary extension. Democrats would like to 'decouple' the tax cuts for the richest Americans from those for the rest of the country so that if they are extended again, the expirations do not come up at the same time. That will make any future debate about tax cuts for the rich cleaner from the Democratic point of view."
Speaker Pelosi will need to be on board with any deal. Politico: "An Obama administration economic official said he believes she would go along with extending current tax rates for one or two years."
The Plum Line's Greg Sargent argues temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy is not "compromise"::"It's really capitulation. Temporary capitulation, perhaps, but capitulation all the same. ...According to Dictionary.com, the definition of 'compromise' is a 'settlement of differences by mutual concessions.' But it's unclear what Republicans would be conceding here. If they aren't willing to signal genuine openness to a discussion about letting the high end cuts expire later -- a fair line of inquiry for reporters -- a temporary extension is merely kicking the can down the road."
Booman suggests President Obama resist compromise, force Republicans to raise middle-class taxes: "In case the president didn't get the message from the results of the midterms, it's time to play some chicken. No more 'compromising' on the fundamentals. Yes, he will need to be realistic about what can be accomplished, and a little is better than nothing in most cases. But when it comes to the tax cuts, let the Republicans make everyone's taxes go up. They won't do it. They'll cave. And you'll get off to the right start in dealing with these bastards. You'll let them know who is in charge."
President seeks to reduce tensions with U.S. Chamber of Commerce. NYT: "...this week, the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, met with the chief executive, Thomas J. Donohue, to discuss international economic issues ... Given the administration’s agenda, business groups will continue to have plenty to disagree about, and the chamber has pledged to be aggressive. But the hope is that the difficult early stages of the relationship will cool in favor of consultation and agreements to disagree."
WH Plots Alternative Climate Strategy
President may strike climate deal with power companies. W. Post: "Obama suggested that the agreement forged with the auto industry and unions to boost the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks could be a model for talks with utilities over reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of power plants. Other administration officials said they were already exploring this. Such a deal would not require congressional action.
WH expresses hope for higher renewable energy standard. The Hill: "White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said a renewable-electricity standard could be an area of bipartisan energy cooperation now that President Obama has backed away from politically moribund bills to cap greenhouse-gas emissions ... Gibbs’s remarks come a day after Obama acknowledged that cap-and-trade legislation that passed the House last year will remain on ice for years after failing to advance in the Senate."
Possible incoming energy committee chair pledges to grill top WH climate aide. The Hill: "Rep. Fred Upton, who is gunning to chair the powerful panel, vows to end 'the free pass of zero-accountability for Obama czars' such as White House energy adviser Carol Browner ... Czars are common targets of conservative ire even though presidents from both parties have surrounded themselves with them."
Climate Progress' Joe Romm declares Obama's presidency "failed": " Team Obama helped create the broad-based misperception that those [climate] issues are political losers, in spite of every poll to the contrary, in spite of the fact that in the one place where a broad coalition combined with political leaders who were genuine climate hawks, Californians won the clean energy and climate trifecta, including a stunning 20-point win preserving their landmark cap-and-trade climate bill."
WH faces new opposition to high-speed rail from three incoming governors and House committee chair. NYT: "'I am a strong advocate of high-speed rail, but it has to be where it makes sense,' [Rep. John] Mica told The Associated Press in a post-election interview ... Mr. Mica said he would like to redirect the rail money to the Northeast corridor ... he might just be in luck: several newly elected Republican governors from states that received rail funds [WI, OH and FL] have indicated that they don’t want the money."
New FL governor may have change of heart on high-speed rail money. Treehugger: "... rail will go ahead in California, where the governor-elect Jerry Brown, is a vocal proponent of the high speed line connecting San Francisco to San Diego. Also, the Republican governor-elect of Florida Rick Scott seems to have changed his mind about returning the $800 million his state received from the US gov for its high speed rail, and the project is set to go ahead."
"Understanding Representative John Mica’s Transportation Agenda" from The Transport Politic: "When it comes to developing funding sources, Mr. Mica has repeatedly argued for increasing private spending, rather than augmenting the gas tax, which he has previously labeled 'dead.' He asked corporations and consultants to develop proposals for investments in high-speed rail corridors across the country in 2008 and 2009. His focus seems to be on routes that would pay for themselves over time both in terms of operations and construction."
Blame The Gap
TNR's Ruy Texiera and John Halpin offer the definitive breakdown of what happened Tuesday: "The 2010 midterms were shaped by three fundamental factors: the poor state of the economy, the abnormally conservative composition of the midterm electorate, and the large number of vulnerable seats in conservative-leaning areas ... Independent voters, white working-class voters, seniors, and men broke heavily against the Democrats due to the economy. Turnout levels were also unusually low among young and minority voters and unusually high among groups that lear right ... while this 60 percent share of the white vote [for Republicans] sufficed for a thumping victory in 2010, it will probably not be adequate for any kind of a victory in 2012, given trend assumptions about minority turnout and Democratic support."
NYT's Nate Silver shows that the enthusiasm gap was biggest in swing states: "... the enthusiasm gap averaged 8 points in presidential swing states. But it was virtually nonexistent — favoring Republicans by just 1 point, on average — in states that weren’t competitive in 2008 ... The key question for 2012 is whether those new voters will re-enter the electorate when Mr. Obama is on the ballot again."
Latino voters made the difference for Dems in NV and CA. W. Post: "According to exit polls, Hispanics turned out in strong numbers in those states and were more willing than usual to support Democrats ... Pollsters who interview voters in both English and Spanish measured even higher support for Reid, reporting that he won 90 percent of the Hispanic vote."
