Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security.
MORNING MESSAGE: Can Romney Hang On?
OurFuture.org's Terrance Heath: "...Romney keeps hanging on despite clear signals that the GOP's conservative base doesn't want him, and the conservative base that seems unable or unwilling to cut him lose entirely keeps Romney hanging on. The odds are that they'll drag each other to the altar yet. But this isn't likely to be a happy marriage ... what it takes to win the GOP's nomination and what it takes the hearts and minds of the GOP's conservative base are two different things."
"Ugly" Nomination Fight Grinds On
Whoever wins GOP nomination will win it "ugly", says W. Post: "By [his own] logic, Romney will reach the required number of delegates no later than June 26, when Utah holds the last contest ... In Santorum’s strategy, Utah is not the end. In the scenario sketched out by his advisers, after that primary Romney would be ahead, but not with enough delegates to clinch the nomination ... Santorum would try to woo delegates who had supported Gingrich, as well as others who came to the convention unpledged to any candidate. With their help, he could pass Romney and win in later rounds of balloting."
While President gets head start wooing independents. LAT: "Nearly all those interviewed mentioned some degree of disappointment with the president — a sign of his continued vulnerability. But many voters spontaneously mentioned lines that have been Obama campaign talking points"
Asked about connecting with the middle class, Romney tells Fox News: "Guess what? I made a lot of money"
Senate Passes Transportation Jobs Bill
Big bipartisan vote for Senate transportation jobs bill, but House doesn't commit to taking it up. CNN: "The 74-22 Senate vote showed broad bipartisan support for the two-year measure that extends the federal highway trust fund set to expire at the end of March ... The White House also called for rapid House approval ... [But some] House Republicans are pushing a five-year transportation bill that would include provisions opposed by Democrats, such as expanded oil drilling on federal lands ... 'We are all working together toward coalescing around a longer-term approach with needed reforms,' said Michael Steel, the spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. 'If we can't get there, we may have to take up something like the Senate bill...'"
Senate bill a "tank half full," says OurFuture.org's Isaiah Poole: "Our needs are greater than they have ever been for support for infrastructure at all levels—the American Society of Civil Engineers has estimated that we need to spend at least $2.2 trillion over the next five years just on repairs—but the Senate bill would have our commitment as a nation shrink to historically low levels ... [However,] the Senate bill will create or save an estimated 2.8 million jobs, according to one of its co-sponsors, Environment and Public Works Chairman Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. If the House takes up this bill, which Boehner has suggested it will, and moves it quickly to President Obama's desk, some of those jobs would begin to open up during the crucial spring and summer construction season."
Cracks Appear In GOP United Front Against Taxes
GOP Rep. Rick Crawford proposes millionaires' tax. Politico: "Crawford will propose the additional tax— expected to be north of 2.5 percent — on individual income over $1 million as part of a broader fiscal responsibility package ... Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, has been vocal in trying to keep Republicans away from hiking rates. But Crawford’s plan signals a shift, and will certainly spark conversation on Capitol Hill among conservatives..."
GOP governor of NV accepts tax increases. American Prospect's Abby Rapoport: "For the second time in as many years, he's pushing to extend a group of temporary tax increases, rather than cut public education funding ... The political stakes are high— the state GOP lost its majority in the Senate by one vote—and several of those who voted against the move last year are supporting this year's proposed extension."
Bipartisan "JOBS" Act Hits Resistance From Left and Right
House GOP threatens to block its own small biz bill if Senate expands Export Import Bank. NYT: "The stand-off has left members of the two chambers trading barbs, and has divided Republicans, many of whom support the bank’s reauthorization ... Some Republicans have denounced the Export-Import Bank as 'corporate welfare' and argue that the government should not be doing the market’s job of providing deal financing ... Officials at the Export-Import Bank argue that the bank levels the playing field for American manufacturers against their foreign competitors ... 'We want to make sure that American exporters have the same backing as foreign companies do,' said Fred P. Hochberg, the Export-Import Bank’s president ... 'Congress is talking about unilateral disarmament.'"
Consumer groups challenge small biz provisions. Politico: "Small companies and entrepreneurs have clamored for the ability to raise money earlier in a company’s life span so that ideas can be tested. But some observers have warned that crowdfunding would create the right environment for more fraud, with scam artists able to trick vast numbers of people through the Internet to give them small amounts of money."
ProPublica's Jesse Eisinger adds: "John Coffee, a Columbia Law professor, has hailed the bill as 'the boiler room legalization act.' ... , the bill loosens decades-old investor protections so that companies can directly advertise to those who would like to be separated from their money ... Nigeria shouldn't be the only country to benefit from the web."
Goldman Under Fire After Stunning Oped
NYT oped revealing shady practices at Goldman Sachs shakes Wall Street. NYT: "The reaction on Wall Street to Mr. Smith’s resignation ranged from those cheering him to others criticizing him for resigning in such a public way ... Shares of Goldman fell 3.4 percent ... questions about Goldman’s culture persist at a time when the firm — and the rest of Wall Street — are undergoing a transition as the postfinancial crisis framework of regulations known as Dodd-Frank takes hold and as some profitable businesses show little sign of returning to their precrisis highs."
Billionaire Jim Clark pledges Goldman will never "never make another dime at my expense" reports NY Mag.
After stress tests, banks quickly give dividends to shareholders. NYT: "While some complained that the tests were too harsh, forcing industry titans like Citigroup to shelve plans for a dividend payment, some economists, including [Stanford] Professor [Anat] Admati, have raised an alarm, saying the tests were not hard enough. 'Why are we letting banks hand out dividend payments and encouraging risky behavior after they passed flimsy tests?' he said."
War On Women Advances To Domestic Violence Survivors
Republicans fight expansion of Violence Against Women Act. NYT: "...Senate Democrats are beginning a push to renew the Violence Against Women Act, the once broadly bipartisan 1994 legislation that now faces fierce opposition from conservatives ... Republicans say the measure, under the cloak of battered women, unnecessarily expands immigration avenues by creating new definitions for immigrant victims to claim battery ... It also dilutes the focus on domestic violence by expanding protections to new groups, like same-sex couples, they say."
