Election Central Morning Roundup
Today: Obama Team To Release Blago Report
The Obama transition team is expected today to release their internal report on staff communications with Rod Blagojevich and his office, and which is reported to absolve Rahm Emanuel and other staffers from any allegations of impropriety. "You're going to see this is a lot about nothing," a Democratic source told CNN.
Today In Minnesota: New Official Vote Numbers, Plus State Supreme Court Litigation
It's a big day in Minnesota today, with the state canvassing board meeting at 10 a.m. ET to review the new vote totals with the allocation of challenged ballots -- and Al Franken is expected to be ahead by around 48 votes. There will also be a crucial state Supreme Court hearing at 3 p.m. ET, regarding a complaint by the Coleman campaign that some absentee ballots were allegedly counted twice.
Biden Subbing In For Vacationing Obama At Today's Economic Briefing
Joe Biden is holding an economic briefing this morning with a group of top Obama economic advisers, essentially stepping in to provide the image of competent national leadership on the economy while Barack Obama himself is on vacation in Hawaii with his family. The briefing is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. ET, in Washington.
Hillary Seeks Expanded Role At State Dept.
The New York Times reports that Hillary Clinton is seeking an expanded sphere of influence for the State Department, with a higher budget to deal with problems ranging from economic affairs to an expanded role for diplomacy in the post-Bush years. A key appointment she will reportedly be making is that of Jacob Lew, the former White House budget director under Bill Clinton, who will focus on increasing the financial resources for the diplomatic corps.
Obama To Be Sworn In On Lincoln's Bible
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced that Barack Obama will be sworn into office upon the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used at his first inauguration. Obama will be the first president to use this Bible for his swearing-in since Lincoln himself, back in 1861.
The Hill: Economy Going Down, But K Street Doing Just Fine
The Hill reports that the lobbying business is dodging the economic downturn hitting almost everyone else, thanks to the expectation that the new Obama White House will seek broad legislation to deal with the economy and other issues -- thus creating a greater market for lobbyists. "Anytime government gets more active and more involved in your business, you'll look for more help in Washington," said Steve Elmendorf, a lobbyist and former aide to Dick Gephardt.
Amtrak Increases Service For Inauguration Day
Amtrak is boosting its capacity for the Inauguration Day crowd, currently predicted to be about two million, with increased trains for people without hotel reservations to come in for the day, watch the big event, and then go back home.
What a great choice by BO to use the Bible Lincoln was sworn in with. Anybody else out there who's grammar school teacher had them memorize Abe's words many years ago? Short, succinct, hard to forget, even 30 years after reciting it in class:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
December 23, 2008 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
But but but, I thought he was a Muslin!
December 23, 2008 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Shhh... He is. So was Lincoln. His real name was Ibrahim Hussein Lincoln.
December 23, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Where's that fogu guy now, the one with the avatar of Barack in Lincoln's hat and beard? How freaking ridiculous do people like that seem now?
December 23, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I thought it was Lalo with the Lincoln hat. Didn't Fogu have the chicken with Obama's head?
Ahhh....good times, good times....
December 23, 2008 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yep on both counts. I wonder where Lalo is.
There was a poster on Politcal Wire called Framecop. He was a black Democrat from NC and said that only John Edwards could win. He made a host of statements like : "there's no way this country will ever elect a black man named Barack Hussein Obama. Just wait until Michelle's Whitey tape come out."
I find it hard to believe he was black, however. If that were true, he'd know that the only time blacks say "whitey" is when they're reading a script written by some clueless white person for the Jeffersons or All in the Family.
December 23, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lincoln's inaugural address was perhaps slightly less inspired than the Gettysburg address...
"[ ]Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession of a Republican Administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension. Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and been open to their inspection. It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now addresses you. I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that—
I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.[ ]"
December 23, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama better keep the clintons on a tight leash or he will lose control of the situation and make himself look weak. The clintons as secretaries of state is not looking good right now. I guess time will tell.
Maybe they won't get confirmed because of the huge conflicts of interest. I can't see how they can have any credibility in the middle east with the payoffs from the saudis and blackwater in any event.
December 23, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
If you want Obama to really look weak, just let Clinton (singular) NOT get confirmed. That would be a massive political defeat right out of the gate. BTW, if you compare the list of contributors to any x-prez's foundation / library, it would not look all that different from Bill's. (None of this should be read as a blanket endorsement of Bill's business practices. Just sayin'.)
December 23, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, couple of things.
1. I don't recall any reporting on a former president putting together a uranium deal with a dictator for a pay-off. That I think is beyond the pale.
2. I don't recall the saudis giving 10 mill to a former president. I guess it's possible.
3. I don't think the clintons not getting confirmed would make obama look weak. He wasn't fully informed of the huge conflicts of interest before he made the appointment.
4. What ever happened to two for the price of one? That's the sales pitch with the clintons. You get two for the price of one. What a deal!
December 23, 2008 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, why is Obama yet because folks do not get confirmed?
Especially, someone with the last name of Clinton, and all their personal and political baggage?
You know this is all just hypped up pretense to make Obama look poorly in anyway possible.
December 23, 2008 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think any President or public official should be sworn into office on a Bible.
That said, as a realist I understand that it's going to be done anyway. So, since it's going to be done anyway, Lincoln's Inauguration Bible is the way to do it.
December 23, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not a military person, but aren't they sworn in without a Bible. And we trust them. Politicians should be sworn in the same way, pledging to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the country.
December 23, 2008 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Totally agree. I vote for the "cross my heart, hope to die..." pledge, or perhaps a pinkie-swear?
December 23, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
After two weeks of mindless, baseless speculation about Obama's role in the Blags debacle, when the report is released, clearing the Obama team of anything, I bet $100 that the discussion will be "Well, of course that's what it would say, so this doesn't really clear anyone of anything...."
You can make book on that.
December 23, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, yeah. They are already moving the goalposts.
December 23, 2008 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not quite, CT..they are more devious than that
It seems they have not released the emails of the transition team. So, NOW, they are saying Obama is not being transparent and that he is using the fact that the transistion team is not technically a government group but a private group to hide behind not releasing the e mails.
the upshot is that the Obama team is NOt being transparent.
They just gotta have somethign to attack attack attack.
December 23, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink