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Home > Window on Washington > Archives > 2008 > October
October 2008
Cheney hits the campaign trail
Finally, an appearance by a Bush administration heavyweight at a Republican campaign rally.
Vice President Cheney heads to Laramie, Wyoming for the state GOP’s Victory Rally at Laramie High School on Saturday. Polls show GOP presidential candidate John McCain is in good shape in Wyoming, which seems destined to remain red this year.
What’s the rally going to be like?
“We’d rather have this go through the White House press office, if that’s OK,” Wyoming GOP spokeswoman Amy Larimer said, declining to offer any details about the event.
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White House economic adviser: “We’re going to see a few tough months ahead.”
Ed Lazear, chairman of the White House Council on Economic Advisers, on today’s announcement that the GDP fell in the third quarter of this year:
“We believe that we’re going to see a few tough months ahead, but we are trying to take the steps that will help the next administration start off on the right foot. And we think that it is realistic to think that sometime early in the term of the next president we can start to see solid growth again.”
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Bush’s next press conference? Don’t hold your breath
President Bush hasn’t held a news conference since July 15. And that one ended with this comment from Bush: “OK, I’ve enjoyed it. Thank you very much for your time. Appreciate it.”
Apparently he didn’t enjoy it and appreciate all that much. He hasn’t had a news conference since then and generally has ignored questions lobbed his way at White House events. Reporters did get answers to two questions on Sept. 20 when Bush had a press availability with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in the Rose Garden. Bush also took two questions on Aug. 6 in Seoul, South Korea.
Can we expect a presidential news conference anytime soon?
Today’s q-and-a with White House Press Secretary Dana Perino:
Q: Looking ahead to the election, you’d said a while back that the president was trying not to give any press conferences while the campaign was going on, to let the candidates, sort of, have their own spotlight. When will we hear from the president once the election is over?
Perino: You’ll probably hear from me that night. And then we’ll see after that.
Q: But in terms of, you know, a press conference — obviously, many of these questions (asked today to a Bush economic adviser) were questions we’d love to direct to him?
PERINO: How long have you covered the White House? … Do we ever forecast when we’re going to have press conferences? No. And I really don’t think that’s going to change after November 4th. So you’ll just have to keep dressing up every day … .”
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Recession reaction
The Commerce Department this morning announced that the gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic vitality, fell by 0.3 percent in the July-September quarter. Included is the sharpest consumer spending drop in 28 years.
By definition, it’s officially a recession when the nation endures two consecutive quarters of GDP shrinkage. But that’s an after-the-fact measure that could mean - as many economists contend - the nation is now in a recession.
Inevitably, the new numbers led to words from the White House and the two men who want the keys to the place.
The short versions are here. Read the full versions by clicking on continue reading.
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino: “The president is taking forceful actions to return the economy to growth and job creation by early next year. While we continue to face serious challenges, the United States remains the best place to do business, and we’re positioned to bounce back.”
Barack Obama: “The decline in our GDP didn’t happen by accident - it is a direct result of the Bush Administration’s trickle down, Wall Street first, Main Street last policies that John McCain has embraced for the last eight years and plans to continue for the next four.”
Doug Holtz-Eakin, senior advisor to John McCain: “Barack Obama’s ideologically-driven plans to redistribute income will impose higher taxes on families, small businesses, and investors; expensive, rigid, job-killing health mandates on employers; energy policies that fail to promote domestic oil, natural gas, and coal, and will impose a massive Washington-driven regulation of everything from home furnaces to factories.”
Perino: “Today’s GDP report is weak, but it is not unexpected. A number of things contributed to the slowing economy in the third quarter - record high energy prices, housing and credit concerns, two major hurricanes, and a prolonged Boeing strike. The president is taking forceful actions to return the economy to growth and job creation by early next year. While we continue to face serious challenges, the United States remains the best place to do business, and we’re positioned to bounce back.”
Obama: “This morning, we learned that GDP has fallen for the first time this year, which means America is producing less and selling less and our economy is shrinking. American consumers were especially hard hit, experiencing their largest decline in spending in 28 years as wages failed to keep up with the rising cost of living. The decline in our GDP didn’t happen by accident - it is a direct result of the Bush Administration’s trickle down, Wall Street first, Main Street last policies that John McCain has embraced for the last eight years and plans to continue for the next four.”
“These policies didn’t work then, they won’t work now, and I’m running for president to end them. We need to grow our economy by creating jobs, providing tax relief for middle-class families, and helping people stay in their homes, and that is exactly what I will do as president.”
Holtz-Eakin: “Today’s announcement that third quarter GDP fell at a 0.3 percent rate confirms what Americans already knew: the economy is shrinking. Barack Obama would accelerate this dangerous course. According to the independent Center for Data Analysis, Barack Obama’s new policies will destroy nearly 6 million jobs over the next decade.”
“Barack Obama’s ideologically-driven plans to redistribute income will impose higher taxes on families, small businesses, and investors; expensive, rigid, job-killing health mandates on employers; energy policies that fail to promote domestic oil, natural gas, and coal, and will impose a massive Washington-driven regulation of everything from home furnaces to factories; isolationist trade policies that endanger one out of every five jobs; and massive new spending plans that that will burden the economy and saddle our children with debt. Barack Obama is change Americans cannot afford.”
“John McCain’s comprehensive reforms will clean up Wall Street, clean up Washington, and create nearly two million more jobs over the same period. John McCain offers a new direction and a real choice: lower taxes and under control spending; lower health care costs and portable insurance; an energy policy that declares independence from dangerous and unstable sources, values the environment, and supports growth; serious reforms to taxes, education, and trade to promote global competitiveness, and short-run plans to help the seniors, savers, homeowners, and workers hurt by the financial crisis.”
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Sally Ride Endorses Obama
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has gained a foothold in another voter demographic: astronauts.
Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, endorsed the Democratic candidate on Wednesday in an op-ed published in the Orlando Sentinel.
Comparing Obama’s inspirational capabilities to those of JFK, she writes, “He has inspired young people to engage with their communities and has excited them about the possibilities of what they can accomplish. That is in the best spirit of discovery.”
Space travel is not just the subject of childhood fantasies though. It’s primed to be a major policy issue for the next administration.
NASA, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, is widely considered to be at a crossroads as it refocuses on returning to the moon and sending the first astronauts to Mars.
President Bush highlighted the new objectives in 2004, less than a year after the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated while reentering the Earth’s atmosphere. To reach these goals, NASA will retire its aging shuttle fleet — only 10 more flights are planned — and create a new generation of rockets, the Ares I and V.
It’s an important topic in Florida, a key battleground state and home of the John F. Kennedy Space Center. The center currently employs 15,000 people, and about 4,600 are estimated to lose their jobs when the shuttle is retired.
Both presidential candidates have expressed their support for the space program, which has an annual budget upwards of $17 billion.
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Bush: Home on election night, but not alone
What’s election night like for a largely unloved president waiting to see who the voters pick to replace him?
Here’s a q-and-a with White House Press Secretary Dana Perino at today’s briefing:
Q: Another question, and I know this is a little bit in advance, but what exactly is the president going to be doing Tuesday night? I know you said he’s staying here. Who’s going to be here? Can you give us a little tick-tock about what his plans are?
Perino: I’ll try to get you some more information on that. He often will have somebody over for dinner or something before they start watching the returns. So as we get a little bit closer, let me try to nail that down for you.
Q: This weekend, Camp David and no campaigning at all?
Perino: That’s right.
Q: Any particular reason why no one wants him out there?
Perino: The president is pretty focused on the activities that we have here, especially getting this economy back in order. As we’ve said for a while, the president was going to be focusing on this. We canceled a lot of our fundraisers, and he’s going to focus on being with Mrs. Bush and others this weekend at Camp David.
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In and out of the Oval Office
It was the usual quick in and out today as pool reporters were invited in and then ushered out after President Bush’s meeting with Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, in the Oval Office.
Not captured on this video is quick conversation Bush had with Mark Smith, AP Radio’s White House Correspondent, as pool was ushered out.
“Hey, how ya doin’?’ Bush said to Smith.
“Anybody measuring the drapes, sir?” said Smith in a reference to the fact that a new tenant will be moving in.
“Sounds like it,” said Bush.
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Bush’s secret trip
President Bush, whose official schedule showed no public events today, left the White House for a secret, unannounced excursion this morning.
As usual with such events, details were not released until he arrived at the undisclosed location. Turns out it was a campaign event, sort of, for a president conspicuously absent from the campaign trail this year.
Here’s the word from Deputy Press Secretary Scott Stanzel about the presidential pep talk at Republican National Committee headquarters:
“During the visit, he encouraged (RNC workers) to work hard for John McCain and keep turning out the vote until the final ballot is cast next week. He also took the opportunity to thank the staff for all of their efforts during this election cycle and for their support of him over the last eight years. He spoke to the staff about the importance of American leadership on the issues of the economy, the War on Terror and freedom. He thanked Chairman Mike Duncan for his leadership of the RNC.”
And then it was a short motorcade back to the White House. The trip was uneventful until arrival. The presidential limo pulled up near the Oval Office but the president did not immediately emerge. Instead, several plain-clothes Secret Service agents took position in front of the limo, holding up their machine guns (See AP photo above). Also armed and ready were several SWAT officers.
After a couple of minutes, Bush got out of the limo and walked to his office. Stanzel said there had been a disturbance at the White House fence.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said a 23-year-old man from Baltimore, identified as Kevin Peterson, was taken into custody after jumping the fence. The man never got near Bush.
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McCain: Stevens should resign
John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin disagree on what should happen next for Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who was convicted yesterday on corruption charges:
From the McCain campaign today: “Yesterday, Senator Ted Stevens was found guilty of corruption. It is a sign of the health of our democracy that the people continue to hold their representatives to account for improper or illegal conduct, but this verdict is also a sign of the corruption and insider-dealing that has become so pervasive in our nation’s capital.”
“It is clear that Senator Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will be spurred by these events to redouble their efforts to end this kind of corruption once and for all.”
Palin said yesterday it was “a sad day for Alaska and for Senator Stevens and his family” and she was “confident Senator Stevens will do what’s right for the people of Alaska.”
McCain, at a Hershey, Pennsylvania rally this morning with Palin, made no mention of Stevens but said this about his running mate:
“By the way, when two mavericks join up we don’t agree on everything. But that’s a lot of fun.”
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Laura’s legacy luncheon
It was luncheon and legacy in the White House family dining room today as First Lady Laura Bush and invited guests (journalists, academics, historians) talked about Mrs. Bush’s years in the building.
Says Sally McDonough, Mrs. Bush’s press secretary: “It was a small luncheon to talk about Mrs. Bush’s initiatives with some historians, some authors, some feature-writers.” It was, McDonough says, an “off-the-record nice get-together.”
Invitees included folks who will report on Mrs. Bush’s legacy (including Cokie Roberts of ABC and NPR) and some who will write about and be asked about the legacy (including Carl Sferrazza Anthony, author of several books on presidential wives and families).
Guests enjoyed wild striped bass with porcini as main course and were given handouts on seven topics. Beverage du jour was Beringer Chardonnay Reserve 2005.
Click continue reading to see handout titles.
Mrs. Laura Bush’s Leadership. First Lady’s Work Advances President Bush’s Agenda at Home and Abroad.
Building A Hopeful Future For Afghanistan. Mrs. Bush is a Leading Advocate for the People of Afghanistan as They Rebuild Their Country.
Speaking Out on Behalf of The People of Burma. Mrs. Bush Supports Burmese People’s Efforts to Free Themselves from Regime’s Tyranny.
Helping America’s Youth. Mrs. Bush Focuses Efforts on Advancing Education and Opportunity for Young People.
Safeguarding America’s Heritage. Mrs. Bush Leads National Efforts for Historical Preservation.
Ambassador for The Heart Truth. Mrs. Bush Inspires Women to Protect Their Heart Health.
Protecting America’s National Treasures and Natural Resources. Mrs. Bush’s Leadership Helps Protect Our National Parks, Oceans and Coastal Resources.
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Bushes’ ballots are in the mail
This just in from The White House: The Bushes have voted.
Spokeswoman Dana Perino says the president and first lady today filled out their absentee ballots, which were to be put in the mail to Texas later in the day.
The Bushes will spend election night at the White House, says Perino, who offers no insight on whether the president and first lady - both of whom said they are backing GOP presidential nominee John McCain - voted for all Republicans on the ballot.
Perino confirmed that the Bushes voted for McCain.
Ever eager to make the Bush-McCain link, the Barack Obama campaign quickly circulated an Associated Press story about Bush voting for McCain.
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Time to unthaw the economy?
Perhaps you’ve heard by now that President Bush sometimes botches the language.
We now have evidence that it is contagious.
On Monday, in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bush said this about the economy:
“Now, we’ve got a long way to go. As I said on Friday, you know, this thaw … it took a while to thaw; it’s going to take a while to unthaw.”
Well actually, what happened was credit availability froze and Bush meant it will take some time for it to thaw. Unthaw, one would guess, is the opposite of thaw. Unthaw would not be what you might want to happen to something that froze.
But now Bush has White House Press Secretary Dana Perino talking about unthawing.
Tuesday: “What we’re going to focus on here in the administration, the government, is getting this $700 billion rescue package under way and implemented so that we can unthaw the credit markets and start to see people lending to one another again, and that should help solve a lot of the problems.”
Thursday: “The best thing that we can do to try to help them is to implement this rescue package, unthaw the credit freeze, and get money moving again so we can return this nation on a path to job growth.”
Friday: “One, the credit markets froze up. And once that happened, no one was willing to lend to one another. Interbank lending was coming to a standstill. And we started to see that unthaw a little bit so that money can start moving through the system.”
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Palin pitches program for special-needs kids
In a Pittsburgh speech this morning, GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin - mother of a baby with Down’s Syndrome - promised to push for programs to help kids with special needs.
Above is a photo from a recent Palin rally in Richmond, Virginia.
Click on continue reading for a portion of her remarks today.
“Too often, even in our own day, children with special needs have been set apart and excluded. Too often, state and federal laws add to their challenges, instead of removing barriers and opening new paths of opportunity. Too often, they are made to feel that there is no place for them in the life of our country, that they don’t count or have nothing to contribute.”
“This attitude is a grave disservice to these beautiful children, to their families, and to our country - and I will work to change it.”
“One of the most wonderful experiences in this campaign has been to see all the families of children with special needs who come out to rallies and events just like this. We have a bond there. We know that children with special needs inspire a special love. You bring your sons and daughters with you, because you are proud of them, as I am of my son.”
“My little fella sleeps during most of these rallies, even when they get pretty rowdy. He would be amazed to know how many folks come out to see him instead of me. When I learned that Trig would have special needs, honestly, I had to prepare my heart. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for strength and understanding. I did a lot of praying for that understanding, and strength, and to see purpose.”
“And what’s been confirmed in me is every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. You know that there are the world’s standards of perfection, and then there are God’s, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake. And the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.”
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Watchdog Files Complaint About Palin Wardrobe
A political watchdog group on Thursday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about the Republican National Committee (RNC) spending nearly $150,000 on a wardrobe for vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) charged that the shopping excursions on behalf of Palin and her family violate a federal prohibition against candidates for federal office converting campaign funds to personal use.
“It is ridiculous that the RNC would spend $150,000 to outfit a vice presidential nominee and her family at any time, but it is more outrageous given the dire financial straights of so many Americans and the state of our economy,” CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said in a statement accompanying the complaint.
The RNC has said the clothing will be donated to charity. Whether doing so would avoid violating federal campaign laws is unclear.
A news organization, Politico, disclosed this week that the RNC purchased designer clothing and accessories for Palin and her family, including $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue and $75,062 at Neiman Marcus.
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White House: Economic rough road ahead
Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan told lawmakers today that an uptick in the U.S. economy is “many months in the future” and he expects unemployment rates to continue to jump.
Correct, said the White House, hitting a new high in low expectations.
“I think that is right,” spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. “And I think that’s what we have been saying, that we’re in for a rocky road on the employment front. And we expect our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) number next week not to be a good one, and the next quarter could probably be tough as well.”
Perino - like all White House spokespersons - previously had assiduously avoided making predictions about future economic ups and downs. Today, she offered a different tone.
“I’m just trying to be realistic,” she said, predicting “we’re in for what’s probably going to be a tough quarter, and that’s just reality.”
“I don’t forecast recessions. I don’t make those determinations. There’s independent bodies that do that,” Perino said. “What I can tell you is that the president knows that we’re in for a rough ride, which is why he has asked us to work every day, night and day, and that’s what they’ve been doing at the Treasury Department to try to make sure that we do everything we can to pull us out of this slowdown so that anything that we experience in this slowdown will be shallower and shorter than we would have otherwise experienced.”
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Election night with McCain
There’s no free - as in no charge - press at the John McCain election night event. (See Election night with Obama below).
The McCain folks announced today that his event will be at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
For an “estimated cost” of $695, a reporter can get table space in the filing center, complete with electricity, wi-fi, TVs and all-day food and beverage service.
“Space is limited and not guaranteed,” the campaign cautions.
Unlike at the Obama event in Chicago, there is no no-charge option for the McCain event.
Paying for space in filing centers is not unusual. There’s always a charge to work in filing centers set up for White House events.
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Election night with Obama
Here’s the drill, announced today by the Democratic ticket, for reporters who want to cover the Obama-Biden election night festivities in Chicago’s Grant Park (which, the campaign reminds us, is “regularly used as an open-air venue for concerts, charity events and sporting activities such as the Chicago Marathon and Taste of Chicago”:
For $935, you can get one seat in the filing area, which includes “seat in heated press file tent, power, cable television, high-speed wired Internet service, catering.”
Or, for free, you can get a credential for the “General Press Area.”
“Please note that the General Media area is outdoors, unassigned and may have obstructed views,” the campaign notes.
The McCain-Palin election night event will be in Phoenix, location and prices to be announced.
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Senators Go Head to Head Over … Baseball?
Senators from Florida and Pennsylvania are facing off in a risky interstate battle just weeks before the Nov. 4 election.
The stakes? Florida Sens. Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez stand to lose Cuban pastries and smoked fish, while Pennsylvania Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey may be forced to part with cheese steaks and pretzels.
The contest? The baseball World Series, which pits the Tampa Bay Rays against the Philadelphia Phillies starting this Wednesday.
All four senators agreed to the friendly wager this week, and the trash talking has already begun.
“I look forward to a great series but also a humbling result for the Phillies,” Martinez said in a statement Monday.
Casey was no less passionate in supporting his home team.
“The Fighting’ Phils are well positioned to win their first world championship in 28 years,” he said in a statement. “Tampa better be ready!”
Betting on championship games is a tradition in the Senate. Last year Massachusetts Sens. John Kerry and Ted Kennedy challenged Colorado Sens. Ken Salazar and Wayne Allard to a similar edible contest.
After the Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies in four games, the proud Democratic senators from Massachusetts secured a shipment of Colorado-raised beef for a local charity.
For those following at home, Vegas odds have the Rays coming home with World Series rings on their fingers.
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But did they crunch granola?
At a press briefing Monday, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., thanked the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy for submitting to Congress a report on the national benefits of bicycling and walking.
The nonprofit group says it documents myriad benefits, such as reduced traffic congestion, energy savings and improved public health. Oberstar has used earmarks to steer federal dollars to building a trail north of Minneapolis, between Cambridge and Isanti.
Oberstar noted that while Democrats may be more supportive of public funding for trails, they are not the only ones who like to roll along. When the GOP held its convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul last month, Oberstar noted who was out pedaling. “People did ride bikes at the Republican National Convention,” he assured the audience, which included some people who brought their bikes into the National Press Club.
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Mr. Met, Greta Van Susteren and the presidential debate
See what happens when Robert Smigel of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” shows up in the presidential debate spin room with Mr. Met.
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Post-debate spin cycle
Think the debate was a bit nasty? Take a look at what each side said after it was over, including Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s assertion that John McCain looked like the cranky old guy down the block.
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Hofstra University debate scene
One last presidential debate. One last college campus. One last student body with a day off from classes.
Let’s check in and see how Hofstra University students participated in the big day on their campus.
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Debate prep
Here’s the scene at Hofstra University during final preparations for the presidential debate set for Wednesday night.
Highlights of the comments by students standing in for the candidates:
Obama: Endorses “Roller Coaster Tycoon” as favorite video game.
McCain: Goes negative. Blasts “Roller Coaster Tycoon” as “more of a children’s game.” Comes out in favor of more aggressive games. “I like the violence,” he says.
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Measuring the White House drapes
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, flanked by other Democratic leaders at a Monday news conference, announced plans for a second economic stimulus plan. She said Democrats would be shaping the package — focused on infrastructure and aid to states and the poor — even before the Nov. 4 election.
“We have been working closely with the Obama campaign because we want to have an initiative that responds to the needs of the American people,” she said. Because Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama travels around the country, “he hears the concerns of the American people. He knows what the right thing is to go forward.”
What Democratic leaders “want is something that will have legitimacy because it will have consensus,” she said. She apparently was referring to consensus among Democrats. As for Republicans, all they have offered is “rejection,” she said.
So rather than worry about President Bush or other Republicans, including presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, Democrats are listening to Obama, she said. “We are working closely with him,” she said.
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McCain not tough enough, some backers say
As they waited for Sarah Palin at a Richmond rally, some backers of John McCain said he is not being sufficiently tough or aggressive enough on the campaign trail.
Take a look.
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Both sides: We won
Here’s a shocker. Both sides claimed total, overwhelming, indisputable victory in Tuesday night’s presidential debate.
From Jill Hazelbaker, McCain’s communications director:
“Tonight, John McCain won the debate. He was the only man who demonstrated he had the independence and strength to take on everything that’s broken in Washington and on Wall Street. John McCain had a clear plan for improving the lives of Americans - keeping them in their homes through his American Homeownership Resurgence Plan. From Barack Obama, we heard half-truths and contradictions between what he says and what he has done. He said he supported offshore drilling but has opposed it for months. He talked about tax cuts but he voted for higher taxes 94 times and promises increased taxes on small businesses. He talked about reducing the size of government but has proposed hundreds of billions of dollars in new government spending. Tonight, Barack Obama had an opportunity to level with the American people, but instead all we heard was more of the same.”
From Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe:
“Barack Obama won a resounding victory in John McCain’s favorite debate format because he made the case for change that will rebuild the middle class. The American people asked tough questions tonight, and only Barack Obama was in touch with their struggles and offered clear and passionate answers about creating jobs, reducing health care costs, cutting taxes for 95 percent of working families, and responsibly ending the war in Iraq. John McCain was all over the map on the issues, and he is so angry about the state of his campaign that he referred to Barack Obama as ‘that one.’ Last time he couldn’t look at Senator Obama, this time he couldn’t say his name. The McCain campaign said, ‘if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose,’ and John McCain definitely lost tonight.”
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Nashville debate scene
Around the campus at Nashville’s Belmont University prior to the Tuesday night presidential debate.
Shoes and Jews.
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The color of money
Moments before the House voted on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act on Friday, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., each spoke on the floor. The two clash almost constantly, but on this occasion, they were in full agreement on the need for a financial-sector bailout bill.
Boehner urged passage, noting the bill was crafted by “members of both sides of the aisle.” Pelosi then declared that it was “my pleasure to work with Mr. Boehner.”
Their harmony may not last long. Pelosi made it clear that when Democrats return next year, they will begin pushing for passage of new regulations. “This crisis will lead to reforms,” she predicted. Republicans likely will oppose many of them.
But for the moment, they were on the same page. They even looked united. Boehner wore a green necktie and Pelosi wore a green pant suit — perhaps delivering a subliminal message that this vote was all about saving greenbacks.
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The VP debate spin room
Take a spin in the spin room after the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis.
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Veep Debate Scene
See how the college kids kept themselves busy on vice presidential debate day at Washington University in St. Louis.
And check out the media meat.
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Twisting in the wind at VEEP debate
Some real “power voters” are twisting in the wind at Washington University in St. Louis in advance of tonight’s vice presidential debate.
Members of Power Vote, a non-partisan youth group whose goal is to promote renewable energy policies, are roaming the university’s campus with 9-foot model windmills to draw attention to the need for more renewable energy, “green jobs” and better policies to address global warming. The Power Vote group is asking students and other voters to sign a “power pledge” indicating their support for renewable energy policies from either candidate (the group doesn’t publicly endorse either presidential candidate).
The Power Vote crew erected a bunch of windmills at the University of Mississippi (that’s their photo) in advance of last week’s presidential debate. Spokeswoman Brianna Cayo Cotter said the group tried to do the same at Wash U, but campus authorities snuffed out that idea. Undeterred, members hoisted their makeshift windmills on their shoulders and began walking around campus at 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
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Veep debate video
Palin waffles on naps!
Biden says try the macaroni and cheese!
Check out what the candidates (or the Washington University students who stood in for them during a dry run in advance of the Thursday night debate) had to say about naps, scooters and their favorite TV shows.
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Florida Senators at Odds on Bailout
Florida’s senators took opposing stands on the proposed $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, speaking from the floor in the hour before the Senate was expected to approve the bill.
Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson broke with his party’s leadership to oppose the bill, while Republican Sen. Mel Martinez emphasized the need to send a strong message of support to the House, which voted down the bailout on Monday.
Nelson said the bill sends the wrong signal to Wall Street.
“This bill rewards the banks and leaves the little person with the short end of the stick. And that is not right,” he said.
He added, “The bottom line is this bill forces taxpayers to bail out investment banks that caused the crisis in the first place.”
Nelson said it “saddens” him to oppose so many of his colleagues, and that he had hoped for a “better, more targeted” solution to the mortgage crisis.
He asked that financial institutions be required to refinance mortgages to prevent more foreclosures, rather than simply being encouraged to do so by the Treasury secretary.
Nelson previously stated his support for creating a FBI investigative unit dedicated to investigating rating agencies that placed inflated grades on securities backed by subprime mortgages.
Approaching the podium minutes after his Democratic counterpart, Martinez said the bill was imperfect but necessary, echoing the sentiments of several other senators who spoke before him.
He said he had talked with constituents in Florida that were being affected by the credit crisis, including one person that was unable to get a loan.
“The bank told him, ‘You’ve done everything right. We just don’t have the money ourselves,’” he said.
Martinez said he was aware of the animosity a lot of people feel about the bailout.
“I share their anger,” he said. “But at the same time, we’re here to solve problems and get things done.”
He emphasized the need for Congress to address the issue of poor regulation of the financial industry when it reconvenes.