Newslinks for Tuesday August 30, 2011
Posted on 08/30/20114:30pm Unblemished: If Rick Perry wins in 2012, he would become the first person to be elected president after never losing a race in his political career since JFK
4:15pm The Republican: The most detested industry in America - the federal government
2:30pm House Foreign Affairs Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: At the UN, money talks, and smart withholding works
2:15pm Video: "The rich want immortality": Nancy Pelosi's crazy class war conspiracy theory
1:00pm The Republican: One in four Democrats wants Obama out
12:15pm ConHome UK: Vladimir Putin launches election campaign... on a Harley-Davidson
12:00pm Scare tactics on the border? Senator John Cornyn responds to the Washington Post
10:15am The Republican: Ambassador Robert Ford attacked in Syria
9:30am Video:
- Union organizers ban Wisconsin Republicans from Labor Day parade: Rep. Sean Duffy hits back
- RGA launches West Virginia ad
Ryan Streeter on The Republican: 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls may trip over tax reform because of an outdated understanding of what constitutes a tax increase
House GOP announces ambitious jobs plan focused on cutting taxes, regulations
"House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Monday laid out an ambitious anti-tax and anti-regulations agenda for the fall.In a memo to rank-and-file Republicans, Cantor said the House will target 10 major regulations for elimination, and will also seek to enact one major tax cut for businesses. Republicans are offering the agenda as a contrast to President Obama’s jobs plan, which is set for formal announcement next week and is expected to include stimulus spending." - The Hill
"Congress might still have a week left of its recess, but some leaders are already sharpening their knives over warring jobs messages that will be a primary focus of the fall work stretch." - Roll Call ($)
"Republican leaders showcase freshman proposals in jobs push" - The Hill
Meanwhile, the White House attempts to finalize the President's jobs plan
"The White House scrambled Monday to finalize a new jobs initiative as President Obama nominated the last member of the economic team that will be charged with carrying it out. In tapping Alan Krueger, a Princeton University professor and noted labor expert, to be chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Obama turned to an economist who officials said was well suited to guide the White House through a jobs crisis. President Barack Obama has chosen labor economist Alan Krueger for a top administration post as the White House scrambles for solutions to boost a fragile economy with the 2012 election looming. That address, coming at the end of a summer of worsening economic news and sagging poll numbers for the president, is shaping up as a pivotal moment as Obama tries to resuscitate his presidency with less than 15 months before he stands for reelection." - Washington Post
- "For millions who exist on the fringes of the workforce, the recession has become permanent, no longer a crisis to endure so much as a reality to accept." - Washington Post
- Jonah Goldberg: "It isn't surprising that Obama and his economic advisors' predictions have been so wrong." - LA Times
- Editorial: "Obamanomics stays on path to failure with Krueger" - Washington Examiner
- "President's plan will call on Congress to extend payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits, spend money for new construction projects and offer incentives to businesses to hire more workers, but economists say that it won't be enough." - Fox News
> Yesterday on The Republican: Three important reads as we anticipate Obama's jobs agenda
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor: We must remember that disaster relief funds are not unlimited
"As FEMA's budget is under new strain in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, a top House Republican maintained that any new funds allocated for federal disaster relief must be offset by budget cuts elsewhere. Speaking on Fox News Channel, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said a natural disaster like Hurricane Irene is an "appropriate instance" for a federal role, but that the government can't go deeper into debt to pay for unexpected outlays. "We will find the money if there is a need for additional monies," he said. But "those monies are not unlimited. And what we've always said is, we've offset that which has already been funded." Cantor equated the situation to what an ordinary family would do in a crisis, doing without a new car to pay for the needs of a sick loved one, for instance." - LA Times
- Irene disrupts power, commutes, travel plans - NPR
- Death toll jumps as towns battle floods - USA Today
- "The flood damage from Hurricane Irene raises pressure on Congress as it debates how to overhaul the government's debt-strapped flood-insurance program, but lawmakers remain unlikely to thrash out a long-term agreement." - WSJ
East Coast governors weather the storm unscathed
"If this was a test, the collection of East Coast governors known for their national ambitions passed. With the memory of Hurricane Katrina forever serving as an object lesson in crisis management gone awry, the group of potential 2016 contenders whose states stud the coastline—Republicans Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie and Democrats Andrew Cuomo and Martin O’Malley—appear to have endured Hurricane Irene with burnished reputations after an uncommonly ferocious storm where executive missteps could have cost even more lives. They were ubiquitous in sounding the alarms, urged caution, ordered mass evacuations and one of them, Cuomo, had his transit chief shutter the biggest metropolitan transit system in the nation in preparation for the weekend storm." - Politico
Looming Arizona decision seen as key to 2012 Primary, caucus calendar
"The first official test of the 2012 election is less than six months away. The calendar approved by the Republican National Committee puts Iowa's leadoff caucuses on Feb 6 and New Hampshire's first in the nation primary on Feb. 14. Those are followed by the Nevada caucuses on the Feb. 18 and South Carolina's first in the south primary at the end of January. RNC rules prohibit all other states from voting before Super Tuesday, March 6, or they lose half their nominating delegates. At this point, nine states are scheduled to vote on Super Tuesday. The RNC has also banned winner-take-all contests in March. Instead all delegates awarded in March will be allocated proportionately under rules left to the states. But two important swing states, Arizona and Florida are rebelling against the new RNC rules and calendar, insisting on voting early for greater impact on the selection of the nominee." - Fox News
Second poll has Perry as GOP front-runner
"A new poll released Monday reaffirmed Texas Gov. Rick Perry's (R) standing as the front-runner in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Thirty-two percent of Republicans named Perry, who formally launched his presidential campaign about two weeks ago, as the candidate they'd most like to see win the Republican nomination. Eighteen percent of Republicans said they would like to see Romney win the nomination, according to the CNN/ORC poll conducted last week. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) placed third at 12 percent, followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) at 7 percent and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) at 6 percent. The CNN poll is the second to place Perry atop the field. A national Gallup poll released last week showed the Texas governor eclipsing Romney, who's long led his challengers for the nomination." - The Hill
> Yesterday on The Republican: In defense of Rick Perry's "Ponzi scheme" comments
Florida’s upcoming straw poll, Sept. 24 in Orlando, is not attracting the attention of the top contenders in the Republican primary presidential field" - Miami Herald
- "Mitt Romney would like you to know that his Southern California mansion will only double in size after planned renovations, rather than quadruple, as has previously been reported." - LA Times
- Back in the day Rick Perry was open to new taxes - Washington Wire on the WSJ
- Climate change skeptic Senator Jim Inhofe formally endorses Rick Perry - Roll Call ($)
- Perry: No stimulus program if he’s president; pledges to ‘get America working again’ - Washington Post
- Bachmann suggests Irene was 'God's warning' - FT ($)
"The Veterans of Foreign Wars convention this week will not feature a top-tier official from the Obama administration, a breach in tradition that the group's commander described as an 'insult of the highest magnitude.'" - Fox News
Meanwhile, Governor Rick Perry offered the broad outlines his foreign policy philosophy during his VFW speech - MSNBC
"The White House has issued detailed guidelines to federal officials on how to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at home and abroad" - New York Times
William McGurn: "Why New York's mayor says there's no room for religious leaders on 9/11" - WSJ
> Yesterday on Video: George W. Bush: Ground Zero was "like walking into hell," with "palpable bloodlust" in the air
Gaddafi family 'flee to Algeria'
"The wife and three children of fugitive Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are in Algeria, Algerian officials say. A foreign ministry statement said Col Gaddafi's wife Safia, daughter Ayesha and sons Muhammad and Hannibal left Libya early on Monday. Algeria's UN ambassador said they were received on humanitarian grounds. Meanwhile rebels said they had uncovered four mass graves in recent days. The BBC's Andrew Hosken, who visited one of the sites in south-east Tripoli, said they were believed to contain the corpses of army officers who refused to fight for Col Gaddafi." - BBC News
Debra J. Saunders: "The slippery grip of justice on Libya's Megrahi" - SF Chronicle
Other news in brief:
- "Japan's parliament elects Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as the country's new prime minister, making him the country's sixth leader in five years." - CNN
- "President Barack Obama's uncle was stopped on suspicion of drunken driving, told police he planned to arrange bail through the White House and was being held without bail on an immigration detainer, authorities said Monday." - The Associated Press
- "In a letter purportedly written by Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader appeals to Afghan moderates and suggests the Taliban doesn't seek to monopolize power." - LA Times
- "Syrian security forces killed at least four people when they opened fire on protesters who rallied after leaving mosques following prayers to end the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, an activist said." - Bloomberg
Also in opinion:
- Daniel Henninger: "In an interview, Dick Cheney says 'It's important to have people at the helm who are prepared to be unpopular.'" - WSJ
- Michael Gerson: Family planning as a pro-life cause - Washington Post
- David Brooks: "Sometimes its best to spend carefully so you can stay south of the Haimish Line" - New York Times
...and finally, Senator John McCain pokes fun on his 75th birthday
On his 75th birthday, Arizona senator is thanking those who have wished him well, by poking fun at himself via Twitter: "Thanks for all the birthday wishes. If I had known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself!" - USA Today
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