The Inaugural Committee just released a video of President Obama talking about what Monday’s inauguration means to him.
“Two figures that I admire probably more than anybody in American history are Dr. King and President Lincoln,” Obama says. “So for me to have the opportunity to be sworn in using the bibles of these two men that I admire so deeply on the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is, I think, fitting. Because their actions — the movements they represented — are the only reason that it’s possible for me to be inaugurated.”
via The Presidential Inaugural Committee 2013.
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So, will you all be watching the inauguration live on Monday, or are there other, more pressing things on the schedule?
Today, President Obama announced sweeping set of policies, including 23 executive orders, aimed at reducing gun violence. The unveiling was the result of the Joe Biden-led task force Obama formed last month in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, and proposed policies include an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and improved access to mental health care. The Washington Post calls it “the most expansive gun-control policies in a generation,” and the fact that the president issued no less than 23 executive orders suggests that he wants to avoid congress as much as possible with this (which, given his first term, is understandable). Here’s the flashy White House document outlining the proposals, here’s a list of the executive orders (one of which, somewhat amusingly, is “Nominate an ATF director”), and here’s audio of the event (courtesy of Matt Keys). Photo credit: AP source
Politico reveals three members of President Obama’s cabinet who willbe retained in Term Two. No huge shockers here, although there were whispers a few months back that Holder might be resigning after the election. There’s no word as to exactly how long Holder, Sebelius and Shineski will stay on, but unlike Tim Geithner, Hilda Solis and Hillary Clinton, they won’t be leaving anytime soon.
Related to the last post, here’s what Jack Lew’s signature would look like on a dollar bill — something which, as Treasury Secretary, he would sign — according to New York Magazine.
And he didn’t even hyperlink the f@(&!(& thing, so they, like, actually copy-and-pasted it, and opened up a new tab, and put it in,” said a senior official.
How Obama Won The Internet (via rachelfershleiser)
I bleeped the profanity because we apparently can’t handle running the f-word in big type. If you reblog this awesome quote, please consider adding it back.
If Congress refuses to give the United States the ability to pay its bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy could be catastrophic. Our families and our businesses cannot afford that dangerous game again.President Obama • Warning of possible conflict on the horizon, so soon after the “fiscal cliff” fracas was resolved — you’re not surprised, are you? The debt ceiling fight between the White House and congressional Republicans in 2011 was so acrimonious, and brought the country so close to the brink of default, that Obama is clearly eying this as the next major battle ahead of him. The showdown will likely come in February or March, as the Federal Reserve can employ a bevy of accounting tricks and maneuvers intended hold off hitting the limit until then, but after the political capital expended during last week’s negotiations, we can do little but wait and see how this all ends out. source
10:45 p.m.: The House passes the Fiscal Cliff bill, after a solid day of hand-wringing
11:25 p.m.: Obama wearily speaks to reporters regarding the deal made, after signing the bill.
11:32 p.m.: Obama plots his trip back to Hawaii. “My work is done here,” he was probably saying to himself as he boarded Air Force One.
Senate Democratic aide: White House and GOP reach deal on fiscal cliff.
Some details on the deal, from CBS:
Tax rates: current tax rates will be extended for all wage earners making below $400,000 and couples making below $450,000. This was a key concession for both Republicans and Democrats. Democrats wanted the threshold for tax increases to rest at $250,000 and Republicans didn’t want marginal tax rates to increase for anyone.
The estate tax: it was set to increase from rom 35 percent to 55 percent in 2013. Instead, the compromise sets the new rate at 40 percent with the first $5 million worth of property exempt from being taxed.
Capital gains tax: Capital gains and dividend tax rates will increase from 15 to 20 percent.
Alternative Minimum Tax: a permanent fix to the tax that would hit middle class families “Doc Fix”: doctors will be shielded from a massive reimbursement gap for treating Medicare patients.
Unemployment benefits: unemployed workers will receive their benefits which expired over the weekend.
Renewable energy tax credit: the tax credit for renewable energy companies will be extended for another year.
The deal involves a little bit of kicking the can down the road: Sequestration will be held off for two months. Which means that, for the first time ever, an odd-numbered year may be a leap year, as the deal would expire at the end of February.
A lot of people have been complaining about President Obama’s recent executive order, which will raise salaries of members of Congress by a pretty small amount next year. Technically, it’s probably better not to think of it as a pay raise but rather an end to a pay freeze for federal employees that has been in effect since 2010. (Members of Congress actually haven’t seen a raise since 2009.) And so it isn’t simply a pay raise for Congress; it also impacts all federal employees and that was seemingly the main motivation for the executive order.
Was it a not-so-subtle gambit in the fiscal cliff negotiations? Perhaps. Did it fail to make any difference? Perhaps.
This is, of course, the least productive Congress since the 1940s so I’d be happier if they actually had to start paying us instead of the other way around. But one way to deal with such historically bad legislating is to vote them out of office next time you have an opportunity rather than to keep voting for people who claim obstructionism as their primary legislative goal.
HT: Anonymous Question Asker
FWIW, $900 a year is $17 a week, before taxes. With the federal pay freeze lifted, Obama gave members of Congress enough money for a weekly meal at Chipotle. (Biden’s salary increase was a bit more dramatic, obviously.) For most people, that’s a cost of living increase. Members of Congress probably don’t care too much. Federal workers might, though. — Ernie @ SFB
First, with the exception of a dozen or so Republicans in the House and Maine’s Susan Collins in the Senate, the number of GOP members of the 113th Congress who see cutting a deal with the president — in the fiscal cliff or, frankly, anything else — as politically advantageous is close to zero.
Second, while House Democrats are equally de-incentivized to working across the aisle, there is a large-ish group of Senate Democrats who must find ways of showing their bipartisan spirit if they want to win reelection in states that didn’t favor their party — or even come close to doing so — in the 2012 election.
Those twin political realities make the ground on which the fiscal cliff fight — and future scuffles over gun control measures, etc. — less heavily tilted toward Democrats than you might think.
Cillizza’s argument is based on the fact that few of the Republicans currently in office reside in districts or states where Obama won. Meanwhile, a number of Democrats (especially in the Senate) are in districts or states where Obama lost, big time. Will be interesting to see if this “what’s in it for me” analysis holds up.
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I just had a good and constructive discussion here at the White House with Senate and House leadership about how to prevent this tax hike on the middle class. And I’m optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that could pass both houses (of Congress) on time; Senators Reid and Connell are working on such an agreement as we speak. But if an agreement isn’t reached in time between Senator Reid and Senator McConnell, then I will urge Senator Reid to bring, to the floor, a basic package for an up-or-down vote — one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike; extends the vital lifeline of unemployment insurance to two million Americans looking for a job; and lays the groundwork for future cooperation on more economic growth and deficit reduction.PRESIDENT OBAMA, updating the nation on the fiscal cliff talks. (via inothernews)
A White House official said on Tuesday that the president could depart as early as Wednesday.
Meanwhile, both chambers of Congress will come back from their holiday hiatus on Thursday and return to work. While there are growing signs that some members of both parties are prepared to accept a deal that raises taxes on people at the highest income levels, there is considerable distance between Republicans and Democrats and no guarantee that an agreement could pass.
Someone, somewhere, is probably gritting their teeth at the thought that the president took a vacation at all. To which we say, telecommuting.
“He’s played a role in nearly every major foreign policy debate in the last 30 years,” Obama said at a brief ceremony formalizing Kerry’s nomination. The former presidential candidate is expected to sail through the nominating process, as he’s generally well-liked amongst Democrats and Republicans alike.
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