Good morning folks,
Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown reports that today President Obama will offer a “more detailed plan of what he wants in an immigration bill.” Building on bipartisan momentum seems like a good idea for the President…. squashing bipartisan momentum, on the other hand could be disasterous.
The President is ALREADY moving the goalposts, as Budoff Brown notes. “One point of difference already between the Senate group and Obama is the pathway to citizenship. Under the Senate plan, the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants would not earn green cards until the border is deemed secure. Administration officials said Obama does not favor linking legal status to border security, arguing that undocumented immigrants should not be kept in a state of limbo.”
Marco Rubio’s press secretary Alex Conant responded on Twitter last night: “Potential setback for reform: Obama to oppose security & enforcement triggers Rubio says vital for pathway.” Why would President Obama respond to bipartisan momentum - so RARE these days - with a liberal response that can only serve to halt progress? Why, as the Wall Street Journal notes, would the White House not reach out to Senator Rubio to make progress?
In fact, it seems like President Obama and his White House seem more interested in creating a political rift with Republicans than leading or working together to solve problems. More interested in throwing up roadblocks in the press than rolling up their sleeves and doing the hard work necessary to get something effective done.
Even a cursory look back over the years reveals that President Obama has a poor record of working across the aisle: (see stimulus, ObamaCare, payroll tax, debt limit 2011, fiscal cliff). It’s time for the 4th Estate to actually hold the White House accountable and report whether they serious about modernizing immigration for the 21st Century or woudl rather pervert the issue for political pursuits.
Seize the day,
Brad Dayspring
@BDayspring
Mark Bednar
@MarkBednar
Tweet Tweet
@Jdickerson “Based on a scientific analysis of the things that get the most stars on Twitter, we are 12.”
@NickKristof Good for Google, releasing map of North Korea-complete with prison campshttp://www.washingtonpost.com… ”
@HuffingtonPost “Is this the most adorable rock band in the history of time?http://huff.to/113ZYEW”
@NationalJournal “Why Russia’s adoption ban is personal for some U.S. lawmakershttp://njour.nl/XcV0ox ”
@NFL “Per @RapSheet: Flacco camp believes he’s playing better than Peyton (who makes $18M per year) http://on.nfl.com/RapFlacc ”
On The Radar
Economic Growth
American’s Most Satisfied With Military, Least With Economy. “PRINCETON, NJ — As President Barack Obama’s second term in office gets underway, Americans are most satisfied with the nation’s military strength and preparedness, security from terrorism, and the quality of the environment, and least satisfied with the state of the economy and the way the country deals with poverty and homelessness.”
U.S. Stock-Index Futures Decline Before Consumer Confidence Data. “U.S. stock-index futures declined, indicating the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index may fall a second day, before a report that may show consumer confidence dropped for a third month. VMware Inc. plunged 17 percent in early New York trading after predicting first-quarter revenue that missed projections. Seagate Technology Plc slid 5.1 percent in Germany as its sales guidance trailed forecasts. Yahoo! Inc. gained 3 percent in pre- market trading after reporting fourth-quarter sales that beat analysts’ estimates.”
Immigration
White House To Let Congress Take Lead On Immigration Deal. “The White House will let Congress take the lead on crafting immigration legislation even as President Obama heads to Nevada on Tuesday to begin a public campaign on the issue.”
Comprehensive Strategy vs Comrepehnsive Legislation: Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador…. was an immigration attorney before entering Congress and figures to be a key player on this issue in the lower chamber. He has told reporters that he’d like to see a comprehensive approach in the form of a series of bills that would each address a specific issue, allowing different majorities to vote for each one. “I don’t want to draw a line in sand, but it would be very difficult for me to vote for a comprehensive bill, because anytime we’ve done anything comprehensively in the United States Congress, there are a lot of unintended consequences, and a lot of problems with the bill,” he explained.
Health Care
States Rethink High-Risk Pools, Exchanges. “The Affordable Care Act program requires all insurers to pay into the reinsurance fund — and to be paid out of it if they have a big share of really expensive customers in the individual market. State officials had anticipated having a voice in distributing those payments to hard-hit plans in their states, but HHS in December proposed that it would give the money to plans with enrollees that cost more than $60,000 per year. And state high-risk pools wouldn’t be eligible for the cash.”
Legislators Worry About Costs As They Weigh Expanding Medicaid To Cover Low-Income Adults. “As state legislative sessions advance, lawmakers are debating whether to expand their Medicaid programs as provided by President Barack Obama’s health care law. It could be one of the most important decisions this year. So far 17 states and the District of Columbia have signaled they will go ahead, while 11 states are refusing. The rest are weighing options.”
5 Points To Know About Health Care Exchanges And What They Are Missing. “There are many questions about the health care exchanges: What will they look like, how will they operate and is there a benefit in going to the exchange for health insurance? While there are some states that are still deciding, the deadline for enactment is rapidly approaching. Below is some key information to educate you in how they work, and what they don’t have to determine if they are the option for you.”
X-Factor
49ers To Discuss Obama’s Concerns. “Aldon Smith was among several players preparing for the Super Bowl who doesn’t see anything wrong with their kids playing football.Responding to President Obama’s comments questioning the safety of the game, the 49ers’ All-Pro linebacker and a few teammates said they’d allow their sons to follow them into the sport.”
Niger Gives Green Light To U.S. Drone Deployment: Source. “Niger has given permission for U.S. surveillance drones to be stationed on its territory to improve intelligence on al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters in northern Mali and the wider Sahara, a senior government source said.”
This & That
Diane Sawyer Weighs Stepping Down From ABC
Weiner Alert: Anthony Weiner Testing The Water For Run
What’s Wrong With Calling Obesity A Medical Problem?
The 35 Best School Lunch Treats Of All Time
Bride Plans Wedding Decade Before She Has a Groom