Happy Tuesday folks,
Yesterday, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy labeled the president as the “Road-Show President” because he is unwilling to take any serious action on the sequester other than enacting campaign-style rallies to condemn sequestration but offer no policy alternatives.
Obama’s lack of responsibility on the sequester- for both owning the idea and for offering policy alternatives- is reckless than letting Dennis Rodman loose in North Korea (yes, that’s actually happening right now).
Not enough Americans are aware of the policy, though. According to the results of a new Pew/Washington Post poll , 25 percent of Americans believe that their understanding of the upcoming sequester is “not too well.” An additional 21 percent of Americans describe their understanding of the sequester as “not at all well.”
As a result, action needs to be taken to make people more aware of what’s actually going on. As Fox News reported this morning, the YG Network is launching a geo-targeted, near-six-figure cable and digital ad campaign this week to spotlight President Obama continuing to kick his spending problem down the road. Instead of reducing spending, he burdens us with the sequester and political games. The campaign is designed to build off of our last campaign for a New Direction, by encouraging the American people to take action on our fiscal future by calling President Obama and letting him know to stop kicking the can down the road. YG Network has been out in front of the sequester for a long time, having previously released an ad about its effects last July.
Seize the day,
Mark Bednar
@MarkBednar
Important Things On Tap For Today
1:05 PM: President Obama delivers remarks on sequestration in Newport News, VA
2:00 PM: Secretary of State John Kerry meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
3:30 PM: President Obama meets with Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham on immigration issues.
Tweet Tweet
@WSJ “FCC: 19 million Americans lack high-speed Internet service, down from 26 million a year ago. http://on.wsj.com/WniFSt”
@CapLounge “Wednesday: We will be tapping @BellsBrewery Hopslam at 4pm!”
@MatinaStevis “#Spain, #Italy are big countries w massive systemic connexions 2 rest of #euro zone. Voters understand they too hold cards.”
@BloombergMrkts “BofA CEO Brian Moynihan stumbled from one disaster to another—until he learned to get out of the way → http://bloom.bg/127iMJE”
@HuffingtonPost “How Justin Theroux helped spark Jen Aniston pregnancy rumors at Oscars http://huff.to/13gyXUi”
On The Radar
Economic Growth
American Anxious About Retirement from The Washington Post by Michael Fletcher. “Even as the economy slowly improves, the vast majority of Americans remain deeply worried about their ability to achieve a secure retirement, according to a new survey. The poll, to be released by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) at a conference on Tuesday, found that 55 percent of Americans are “very concerned” that the current economic conditions are harming their retirement prospects. An additional 30 percent reported being “somewhat concerned” about their ability to retire.”
Opposition To Online Sales Tax Wanes from Politico by Michelle Quinn. “The push for a federal online sales tax bill previously pitched the young Internet industry against the old retail sector. The tech industry’s passion for opposing the issue has waned. Internet retailers grew up, traditional retail giants now blend their online and brick-and-mortar stores and lawmakers no longer talk about needing to protect e-commerce as if it were a new species.”
Immigration
McCain, Graham To Meet With Obama On Immigration from The Washington Post by Rosalind S. Helderman. “Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) will meet with President Obama on Tuesday to discuss ongoing efforts to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, a White House official said Monday. The one-time Republican presidential nominee first mentioned the possibility of a meeting with his 2008 rival while traveling in Mexico on Friday. McCain is the lead Republican on an eight-member bipartisan Senate working group attempting to craft immigration legislation, which also includes Graham. The group, which includes four Democrats and four Republicans, unveiled a joint statement of principles last month to guide their efforts. They have said they hope to submit legislation in March.”
Poll: Hispanics Heavily Democratic from Politico by Kevin Cirilli. “Hispanics in America are more than twice as likely to lean Democratic than Republican, a new poll says. Fifty-one percent of Hispanics identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, compared with 24 percent who said they were Republican or leaned GOP, according to a Gallup poll out Monday. Twenty percent identified themselves as independent. The rest are undecided or did not respond.”
Health Care
States Can Cut Back On Medicaid Payments, Administration Says from The New York Times by Robert Pear. “The Obama administration said Monday that states could cut Medicaid payments to many doctors and other health care providers to hold down costs in the program, which insures 60 million low-income people and will soon cover many more under the new health care law. The administration’s position, set forth in a federal appeals court in California, has broad national implications as it comes as the White House is trying to persuade states to expand Medicaid as part of the new law.”
X-Factor
Insight: In Spain, Banks Buck Calls For Mortgage Reform from Reuters by Sonya Dowsett. “For more than a century, Spanish law has determined that if a person borrows money to buy a home, they can only be freed of the debt when it is repaid. Even in death, the debt is not canceled. As the country enters another year of recession, calls are mounting for the system to be relaxed. But the banks worry this would damage their access to funds.”
Chuck Hagel Vote: Leon Panetta Tuning In To C-SPAN To Await Outcome from Politico by AP. “Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has apparently had all the Pentagon farewells he can take. The defense chief is working from his California home, awaiting the expected Senate vote on the nomination of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to take over the Pentagon job. Pentagon spokesman George Little says Panetta will be tuning in to the C-SPAN Senate channel in the next few days, hoping that Hagel is confirmed. Panetta has been eager to retire to his walnut farm in Carmel for weeks, and already was feted at two farewell ceremonies. But his plans have been repeatedly blocked by delays as senators battle over Hagel’s nomination.”
This & That
Stunning Photo Of D.C. From International Space Station from DCist by Benjamin R. Freed.
Wineries Could Come To Dupont Underground Space from DCist by Martin Austermuhle.
Conrad’s Dog Dakota Passes Away from Politico by Breanna Edwards.
Kristina Reed, ‘Paperman’ Producer, Kicked Out Of Oscars For Throwing Paper Planes from The Huffington Post by Cavan Sieczkowski.