MORNING MESSAGE: A Million on the Mall
OurFuture.org's Dave Johnson: "Before the election reporters and pundits were saying that not so many people would turn out this time, that it would be close at best. But on election day it turned out that it wasn’t even close. The people did turn out ... For President Obama’s second inaugural the reporters were saying that not so many people would show up on the Mall this time ... But from the inauguration stage at the Capitol Barack Obama looked out and saw as many as a million people on the National Mall cheering him on. People did show up ... Was this a progressive pivot-point for our president? Has he learned that We, the People will have his back if he pushes for things that We, the People want and need? We will see. But it sure sounded like it."
Obama's Progressive Address
"Unapologetic and Urgent" progressive call, says NYT: "Gone were the vision of a new kind of high-minded politics, the constraint of a future re-election campaign and the weight of unrealistic expectations. In their place was an unapologetic argument that modern liberalism was perfectly consistent with the spirit of the founders and a notice that, with no immediate crisis facing the nation, Mr. Obama intended to use the full powers of his office for progressive values."
Further ties agenda to TR's "New Nationalism." McClatchy: "The speech marked the culmination of a theme Obama started claiming more than a year ago with a speech in the same Kansas town where Theodore Roosevelt a century ago laid out his vision for a new nationalism of government as protector of the poor and working class against the rich and powerful. Then, it was helping the people survive the sharp edges of the Industrial Revolution at the hands of what Roosevelt once called the 'malefactors of great wealth.' Monday, it was promising a government that would help people make it through an age of rapid social and economic change at the start of this new century."
TNR's Noam Scheiber cheers "defense" of liberalism: "By choosing to start his second term with a case for liberalism, Obama announced that arguing for his worldview isn’t a separate task from governing. It’s central to governing. And that’s a development you can’t cheer loudly enough."
Conservatives sad. CNN: "The late Monday banner of the Drudge Report said it all for conservatives: '1,461 More Days.' The conservative group Americans for Prosperity described Obama's address as 'a harshly ideological, aggressively partisan speech more appropriate for the campaign trail than for the solemn occasion of his inaugural ceremony. His address read like a liberal laundry list with global warming at the top.'"
Climate Change Center Stage
Address re-ignites climate effort. NYT: "The central place he gave to the subject seemed to answer the question of whether he considered it a realistic second-term priority ... This time, the White House plans to avoid such a fight [with Congress] and instead focus on what it can do administratively to reduce emissions from power plants, increase the efficiency of home appliances and have the federal government itself produce less carbon pollution ... The centerpiece will be action by the Environmental Protection Agency to clamp down further on emissions from coal-burning power plants under regulations still being drafted — and likely to draw legal challenges."
More details to come in State of the Union, Interior Sec tells The Hill.
Dems To Decide Filibuster Strategy
Senate Dem caucus to determine filibuster reform strategy today. Roll Call: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she understands that a proposal will be made Tuesday and she hopes the two parties can reach a compromise without Democrats needing to resort to the 'nuclear' option ... The Senate could further extend the first legislative day and continue the procedural limbo until a deal is reached ..."
Reid and McConnell close to filibuster compromise, reports The Hill: "The agreement between Reid and McConnell is not expected to include the talking filibuster, which would require senators who want to block action on legislation to actually hold the floor and debate for hours on end. In recent days, Reid has begun to focus on a proposal to tweak the filibuster rule by requiring the minority party to muster 41 votes to stall a bill or nominee ... Reid will insist on reducing delays to motions to begin debate on new business and motions to send legislation to conference talks with the House ..."
Global Austerity Killing Jobs
UN warns budget cuts worsening jobs picture. NYT: "More than 197 million people worldwide are jobless, and an additional 39 million have simply given up looking for work, a United Nations agency said on Monday, warning that government budget-balancing was hurting employment and would probably lead to more job losses soon ... the I.M.F.’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, urged governments to focus on 'growth that can actually deliver jobs.'"
Politico questions whether President wants a bipartisan deal to cut Medicare and Social Security: "Obama infuriated Democrats by proposing controversial changes to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security during his failed 2011 grand-bargain talks with Boehner. The president was ready to make some entitlement concessions in the fiscal cliff negotiations last month, but that effort fizzled, too. White House officials said if they had a bipartisan deal to sell, they would do so. But with the barometer of White House commitment measured these days in email solicitations, Twitter hashtags and Air Force One miles, entitlement reform has barely registered so far. Obama is willing to pick up where he and Boehner left off in December, administration officials said, but a deal rests on whether Republicans choose to re-engage as productive negotiating partners."
Obama has already clamped down on spending. Bloomberg: "Federal outlays over the past three years grew at their slowest pace since 1953-56, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Expenditures as a share of the economy sank last year to 22.8 percent, their lowest level since 2008 ... The deficit probably will fall to $500 billion, or just below 3 percent of GDP, by 2015, as businesses and consumers step up their spending after bringing their own debts down..."
House ready to pass three-month debt limit increase tomorrow reports Politico.
