Obama Seeks To Reverse Opposition For Syria Strike
President meets with Republicans, prepares TV blitz. W. Post: "...millions of Americans will see him make his case during network television interviews Monday and a prime-time address from the White House on Tuesday in which the president, according to an administration official, will argue that not punishing Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for his alleged use of chemical weapons would embolden his regime and his allies Hezbollah and Iran ... Obama joined Vice President Biden on Sunday night for a family-style Italian dinner with about a dozen Republican senators at the vice president’s residence ... As of Sunday, 227 House members either opposed or leaned against military action..."
President to meet with Senate Dems before Tuesday evening White House address. Roll Call: "That Obama is coming to the Hill himself, after top officials like Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel made multiple appearances before lawmakers last week — in multiple closed-door, classified briefings and open hearings — shows just how important the White House believes this is and how much they recognize that military engagement of any kind in Syria is a tough sell."
Syria President Bashar Assad calls chemical weapons attack "alleged" and lacking evidence in CBS interview: "...we're not in the area where... the alleged chemical attack was happened, as is alleged. We're not sure that anything happened ... Our soldiers in another area were attacked chemically, our soldiers. They went to the hospital, as casualties because of chemical weapons. But in the area where they said the government used chemical weapons, we only had video and we only have pictures and allegations. We're not there. Our forces -- our police, our institutions don't exist. How can you talk about what happened if you don't have evidences? We're not like the American administration. We're not social media administration or government. We are the government that deals with reality."
Tea Party Can't Quit Hating ObamaCare
Right-wing senators plan defend ObamaCare rally Tuesday, despite thin support. The Hill: "The anti-funding movement ... has not gained enough support to assure victory as Congress enters a series of fiscal negotiations over the next two months ... Republican congressional leaders remain non-committal and chatter in Washington has been consumed for the last week with the debate over whether the U.S. military should intervene in Syria's civil war. Tea Party supporters also face a tough break with the scheduling of their rally ... President Obama said Friday that he will make the case for military strikes in a public address on Tuesday ..."
GOP suffering from a "wonk gap," says NYT's Paul Krugman: "On Saturday, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming delivered the weekly Republican address [and] demanded repeal of the Affordable Care Act. 'The health care law,' he declared, 'has proven to be unpopular, unworkable and unaffordable,' and he predicted 'sticker shock' in the months ahead ... [But] all the recent news on health costs has been good. So Mr. Barrasso is predicting sticker shock precisely when serious fears of such a shock are fading fast. Why would he do that? Well, one likely answer is that he hasn’t heard any of the good news. Think about it: Who would tell him?"
House Group Pursues Bipartisan Housing Reform
Housing reform alternative emerges in House. Politico: "Rep. John Carney (D-Del.) is working on a proposal that would be similar to a centrist approach introduced in the Senate by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), and it has attracted serious interest from some GOP lawmakers, according to sources, including Rep. Stephen Fincher of Tennessee. At least two other Republicans on the committee have considered teaming up with Carney ... Carney’s effort could amount to another challenge for House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling as he works to establish his conservative housing policy vision as the Republican negotiating stance ... Hensarling’s plan has already faced opposition from some members of his own party out of concerns that the approach would force the housing market to rely too heavily on private investors, which they worry could make home loans more expensive, in order to reduce taxpayer exposure..."
Richmond, CA city council on Tuesday takes up mayor's eminent domain plan to save homeowners from foreclosure. Contra Costa Times: "Assorted challenges have mounted in recent weeks. The city may not be able to refinance its municipal bonds and is being sued by banks on behalf of mortgage investors. Further, the city can't secure insurance protection to shield it from a potential court judgment if the plan is found unlawful. Last month, millions of dollars in the city's bonds were inexplicably shunned by investors, leading some to speculate it was a fallout from the eminent domain plan."
Immigration Reform Delayed
Immigration reform pushed back. NYT: "Congress is likely to postpone consideration of an immigration overhaul until the end of the year, if not longer, even as advocates are preparing for an all-out, urgent push this fall ... But leaders of groups supporting an immigration overhaul say they do not plan to let up. The organizations plan a mobilization in early October, with rallies in at least 40 cities on Oct. 5 followed by a march and rally in Washington on Oct. 8."
GOP has no excuses on immigration, argues W. Post edit board: "After repeated delays, GOP leaders said this summer that they expected to bring immigration legislation to the House floor in September. Now they say the agenda looks too crowded. They should reconsider. With millions of hardworking immigrants and their children waiting to leave the shadows, an empty legislative process is not good enough."
Warren Warns Of Trade Fight
Sen Warren. signals opposition to upcoming trade deal at AFL-CIO convention. Politico: "Warren drew some of the loudest applause of her precisely worded, sharply enunciated speech with a statement of skepticism about upcoming trade deals ... 'Wall Street, pharmaceuticals, telecom, big polluters and outsourcers are all salivating at the chance to rig upcoming trade deals in their favor,' Warren said. 'I’ve heard people actually say that [trade deals] have to be secret because if the American people knew what was going on, they would be opposed ... if people would be opposed to a particular trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not happen.'"
AFL-CIO to vote on plan to deepen ties to progressive movement. The Hill: "On Monday, the AFL-CIO will likely consider a resolution to more formalize partnerships with liberal groups. An AFL-CIO official said Larry Cohen, president of the Communication Workers of America, is expected to outline the final draft of the resolution on Monday before it goes to the convention floor for debate and a vote. That resolution is expected to boost labor's alliances with liberal organizations in order to better coordinate on shared goals ... Others in labor, especially in the building and construction sectors, have aggressively pushed back against the proposal. Those unions have clashed repeatedly with environmental groups over building the Keystone XL pipeline."
