President Obama's weekly address

While there is nothing to celebrate until job numbers turn around, the President cites the recent dramatic turnaround in gross domestic product as a sign of better things to come. He also applauds the fact that the Recovery Act has now created or saved more than a million jobs.

Recovery Act Has Created/Saved Over 1M Jobs

Today the White House issued this press release:

WASHINGTON – The Obama Administration today reported that recipients of Recovery Act funds have informed the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board that they have created or saved 640,329 direct jobs in reports covering approximately $160 billion, which represents a little less than half of the funds put to work through September 30, 2009. These reports, covering only directly created jobs and less than half the funds spent thus far, support government and private forecasters’ estimates that overall the Recovery Act has created or saved over one million jobs to-date. The majority of the jobs reported were in the construction and education sectors, indicating the Recovery Act is not only bolstering private sector companies during the economic downturn, but also making critical investments in keeping America competitive in the 21st century. Of the 640,329 jobs, about 325,000 are in education, and over 80,000 are in construction. To learn more about the jobs created and saved, click HERE.

“These reports are strong confirmation that the Recovery Act is responsible for over one million jobs so far and we are on-track to create and save 3.5 million jobs through the Recovery Act by the end of next year,” said Vice President Biden. “This is another encouraging sign of progress following yesterday’s news that the economy has begun to grow again for the first time in more than a year, but the President and I will not be satisfied until monthly reports show net job growth. We are working every day to create more jobs and we will continue to report on our progress doing so with the Recovery Act in the same transparent way we did today.”

The reports were filed in early October by state and local governments, private companies, colleges and universities and community organizations who received Recovery Act funds and will be posted publicly on Recovery.gov later today following a three-week review process. As mandated by Congress, the reports specifically focused on the approximately $160 billion in spending of the $339 billion in spending and tax relief through September 30, 2010 that includes projects and activities. The reports do not cover the Act’s significant tax cuts and direct payments to individuals such as Pell Grants and unemployment compensation. Approximately seventy percent of the funds were reported by state governments, with both Republican and Democratic governors participating in the process.

A report released today by Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist and Senior Advisor to the Vice President, notes that the new data confirms the Administration is on-track to meet its goal of creating and saving at least 3.5 million jobs through the Recovery Act. The report also found that the states with the highest unemployment rates nationwide reported 25 percent more jobs created and saved per capita than the nation as a whole. To view the report, click HERE.

The recipient reports that will be posted today are part of an historic effort to provide the American people with more information about the Recovery Act at work than with any previous government program. With the collection and posting of this new recipient data – a first for a government program - visitors to the site will be able to access over 100,000 recipient and sub-recipient filings that show who received the funds, when they received them, how they began to spend them and the related direct job impact to-date. Recently upgraded mapping features on the site will allow visitors to sort this data by state, zip code or Congressional District, enabling the public to monitor Recovery Act activity taking place in their own backyard. Approximately 90 percent of Recovery funding recipients filed these detailed reports on the use of their funds.

Recipients were asked to only report jobs directly funded by the Act and were instructed not to estimate indirect job impact. For estimates of the total job impact of the Recovery Act, including the impact of the tax cuts, aid to individuals directly hurt by the recession, and much of the state fiscal relief, experts rely on macroeconomic modeling. Using these models, the Council of Economic Advisers and private forecasters estimated that the Recovery Act has helped to create or retain more than a million jobs so far.

Today’s news follows the release yesterday of new third quarter GDP figures that show the economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of the year in stark contrast to the decline of 6.4 percent annual rate just two quarters ago. Analysis by both the Council of Economic Advisers and a wide range of private and public-sector forecasters indicates the Recovery Act contributed between 3 and 4 percentage points to real GDP growth in the third quarter, suggesting that in the absence of the Recovery Act, real GDP would have risen little, if at all, this past quarter.

To learn more about the story of the Recovery Act as it unfolds, visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/Recovery. To follow Recovery Act spending and activity, visit www.Recovery.gov.

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Editorial comic roundup

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Worthy honoree

Today's Herald-Leader comments on State Auditor Crit Luallen's recent recognition:

Crit Luallen the elected official is the same Crit Luallen who spent all those years serving other elected officials behind the scenes — a professional public servant who does her job and does it well, without regard for the petty partisan politics practiced by too many elected officials at all levels of government.

That record has earned her recognition from Governing Magazine as one of 2009's Public Officials of the Year.

...It is a well-deserved honor for someone whose career has embodied "public service" in the best sense of the phrase.

Geoff Davis Voted Against H1N1 Flu Vaccines

Today the DCCC issued this press release:

Despite multiple warnings, 170 House Republicans - 95 percent of its members - this summer opposed funds to help families, schools, and businesses prepare for the H1N1 flu outbreak, which has been declared a national emergency. In stark contrast, 221 House Democrats, and 91 members of the Senate including 90 percent of Senate Republicans voted to fund H1N1 vaccines.

"The families, schools, and businesses fighting against the H1N1 flu pandemic deserve better than House Republicans' reckless, knee jerk partisanship and just-say-no approach to helping prepare for this national emergency," said Ryan Rudominer, National Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

BACKGROUND

• Earlier this year, 170 House Republicans (95 percent), opposed the Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which invested $2 billion to help the government fight the current H1N1 outbreak and to allow for further pandemic flu preparedness and response capacity. [H.R. 2346, #348, 6/16/09]


• In June, 91 members of the Senate, including 36 Senate Republicans (90 percent), supported the Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which invested $2 billion to help the government fight the current H1N1 outbreak and to allow for further pandemic flu preparedness and response capacity. [Senate Vote on Conference Report: H.R. 2346: Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009, Senate Vote #210 in 2009]


• President Obama has declared the H1N1 flu a national emergency. [Washington Post, 10/25/09]


• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday that the H1N1 flu was spreading widely in at least 46 states and had already caused the hospitalization of at least 20,000 Americans. More than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the virus and more than 2,400 additional deaths were probably associated with it, officials said. [Washington Post, 10/25/09]

Surely no one is surprised that our own Geoff Davis voted against the bill that included the H1N1 funding.

Luallen named Public Official of the Year

Congratulations to State Auditor (and one of Kentucky's leading Democrats) Crit Luallen. Bluegrass Politics has the story:

FRANKFORT — A national magazine that focuses on state and local government has named State Auditor Crit Luallen one of 2009’s Public Officials of the Year.

A profile of Luallen appears in the November issue of Governing Magazine, a Washington D.C.-based magazine widely read by local and state leaders.

...“Crit Luallen, Kentucky’s auditor of public accounts, has successfully fought corruption and fiscal mismanagement, the capstone of her 35-year career as a versatile problem-solver in state government,” the magazine wrote.

CNN poll: GOP favorable rating lowest in a decade

Here's the story from CNN:

The Republican Party's favorable rating among Americans is at lowest level in at least a decade, according to a new national poll.

Thirty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party, with 54 percent viewing the GOP negatively.

According to the poll, 53 percent have a positive opinion of the Democratic Party, with 41 percent holding an unfavorable view.

President Obama's weekly address

The President restates his commitment to small business as key to economic recovery -- from the Recovery Act to Financial Stability to Health Reform -- and pledges more to come.

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Republican Leader Opposes Troop Funding

Today the DCCC issued this press release:

Responding to criticism that Republicans let the war strategy in Afghanistan drift under President George W. Bush, yesterday, House Republican Leader John Boehner said, "We've all worked together to support or [sic] troops in the field."

The reality is that Leader Boehner has led the Republican opposition to supporting our troops numerous times this year.

"While our military pledges to leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, House Republicans have been all too willing to play politics and leave our troops' funding behind in Washington," said Ryan Rudominer, National Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "The last thing our troops and their families deserve is House Republicans' putting politics first."

Background

House Republican Leader John Boehner: "We've all worked together to support or [sic] troops in the field." [Politico, 10/21/09].

131 Republicans voted against the Conference Report accompanying H.R. 2647, The National Defense Authorization Act of FY2010, which provides significant force protection and troop support measures for the men and women of our Armed Services. [H.R. 2647. #770, 10/8/09].

The measure provides $28 billion for defense healthcare programs and a 3.4% pay increase for military personnel.

It also provides increased funding for Force Protection, including:

• $6.7 billion formine-resistant ambush protected vehicles;


• $1.3 billion to upgrade Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles; and


• $2.0 billion for improvised explosive device jammers.

170 Republicans voted against the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009, which includes funding for American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. [H.R. 2346, #348, 6/16/09]

New ad from Americans United

Mitch distorts the facts

Think Progress busts Mitch McConnell spreading falsehoods:

At a press conference this afternoon, a reporter asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to explain why such a low number of Americans (approximately 20 percent) self-identify as Republicans. McConnell responded by dodging the question, saying, “You can pick out of polls what you want to focus on.” He then proceeded to pick out a number he wanted to focus on:

I think a very interesting question of most of the polls I’ve seen in the last few months is the question of the party generic ballot. That is, if the election were held today, would you be more likely to vote for the Republican or the Democrat? Most of the surveys that I’ve seen in the last three weeks or so have us close to even.

McConnell is sadly mistaken. As The Plum Line’s Greg Sargent reports, a new Washington Post poll shows the gap between the two parties is currently as wide as it has been in the previous two elections.

Grab a Mop, Let's Get to Work

This week's ads

Here's a roundup of this week's ads:

The Unemployed Wait

Today's New York Times highlights the obstructionist tactics of the Republicans:

More than a million jobless Americans are in danger of losing benefits by the end of the year unless Congress passes an extension of unemployment insurance. The House has acted, but the Senate, which has a better bill, has been bogged down by obstruction from Republicans. In these extraordinarily hard times, Congress should extend this vital safety net without further delay.

... February’s extension, which included a $25-a-week increase in benefits, kept 800,000 people out of poverty, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Putting more money in the pockets of the unemployed provided much-needed stimulus for the entire economy.

Every day that the Republicans continue to block an extension — fighting over amendments to the bill or delaying a vote — means thousands more Americans pushed closer to the edge of despair.

President Obama's weekly address

As the health insurance reform debate enters into its final stages in Congress, the President denounces the desperate and deceptive last-ditch efforts of the health insurance companies to derail it.

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Editorial comic roundup

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FACT CHECK: Health insurers cherry-pick facts

The Associated Press fact-checks the insurance industry's latest attempts to derail health reform:

In its assaults on a Democratic health care overhaul bill, the insurance industry uses facts selectively and mixes accurate assertions with misleading spin and an embrace of worst-case scenarios.

...[A study the health insurers released earlier this week] concludes that Democrats' health care effort would drive up premiums for insured people, based on cherry-picking convenient facts and perspectives. It's an example of the classic lobbying tactic of commissioning a report that, predictably, reinforces an interest group's views.

The study only examined four parts of the Finance bill that it said would boost consumers' costs. It ignored provisions aimed at making health care more affordable, such as exchanges whereby companies would compete for customers and subsidies to help lower-income people afford policies.

Obama's High Bar

Be sure to check out today's column by Eugene Robinson:

Somebody explain this to me: The president of the United States wins the Nobel Peace Prize and Rush Limbaugh joins with the Taliban in bitterly denouncing the award? Glenn Beck has a conniption fit and demands that the president not accept what may be the world's most prestigious honor? The Republican National Committee issues a statement sarcastically mocking our nation's leader -- elected, you will recall, by a healthy majority -- as unworthy of such recognition?

...The problem for the addlebrained Obama-rejectionists is that the president, as far as they are concerned, couldn't possibly do anything right, and thus is unworthy of any conceivable recognition. If Obama ended world hunger, they'd accuse him of promoting obesity. If he solved global warming, they'd complain it was getting chilly. If he got Mahmoud Abbas and Binyamin Netanyahu to join him around the campfire in a chorus of "Kumbaya," the rejectionists would claim that his singing was out of tune.

Let the rejectionists fulminate and sputter until they wear their vocal cords out. Politically, they're only bashing themselves. As Republican leaders -- except RNC Chairman Michael Steele -- are beginning to realize, "I'm With the Taliban Against America" is not likely to be a winning slogan.

Gov Beshear: Kentucky meets stimulus deadlines

Governor Beshear issued this press release today:

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Steve Beshear said today that the federal stimulus program is doing exactly what it is intended to do—pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into Kentucky’s economy and delivering on its promise of maintaining jobs and programs in education and health care.

The Governor released details today of how stimulus dollars, part of the American Recovery and Re-Investment Act of 2009, have been utilized and also announced that his administration had met the first round of federal reporting requirements. The requirements are part of a series of deadlines established by the Obama administration and Congress for states to specifically detail the use of stimulus dollars.

The Beshear administration’s first reporting deadline was midnight Oct. 10. The next reporting deadline is in January 2010 and subsequent ones will follow each quarter. Between now and the end of this month, the federal government will verify the report Kentucky has made regarding stimulus dollars and expenditures.

At the end of October, the federal government is expected to release its findings on its Web site for the stimulus bill, www.recovery.gov, which will be replicated by the state on its Web site, www.recovery.ky.gov. That site also now has additional tools to provide information to Kentuckians about the stimulus and how those dollars are being used in the state.

“The bottom line: Hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars are being utilized to preserve our commitments to Kentuckians,” Gov. Beshear said, “through Medicaid, education, public safety programs and mitigating the impact of what could have been crippling budget cuts. Thousands of jobs across this state that would have been threatened in classrooms and other places have been preserved.”

Kentucky is expected to receive nearly $3 billion in formula stimulus funding between 2009 and 2011. The largest funding pools include:

• $651 million goes toward a state stabilization fund, designed to help states preserve funding in education, both K-12 and higher education, and mitigate deep budget cuts in other areas of government.


• $543 million will go toward infrastructure funding; the largest chunk of that – some $421 million – is going toward road projects throughout the state that the Governor and legislature have designated, with the balance primarily supporting water and wastewater projects throughout the state.


• $994 million is flowing toward Medicaid funding, which has helped Kentucky erase a deficit and manage rapidly growing numbers of enrollees in the health program, as well mitigate deep cuts throughout state government.


• $389 million is going to fund operating needs in education.


• More than $170 million will go toward areas such as employment assistance, public safety and energy and environmental initiatives.

Of that, Kentucky currently has expended more than $530 million, primarily in the Medicaid program. The balance of the funds will be drawn down as needed over the next year or so.

Stringent federal requirements determine how quickly dollars flow into the state, Gov. Beshear said, meaning that the bulk of funding that will actually create new jobs will be realized later rather than sooner.

In fact, the Governor said stimulus dollars are just now starting to flow toward areas that will create new jobs and grow the economy through more than $400 million in road projects that are being developed and built across the state.

“We are creating more energy efficient homes and state office buildings and embarking on a host of other initiatives that will save money and, we believe, help create jobs.”

In addition to the reporting requirements, the Beshear administration also unveiled new aspects of its stimulus Web site – www.recovery.ky.gov – that provides information to people regarding how federal assistance is working throughout Kentucky.

One of the features of the retooled Web site allows Kentuckians to find out specifically the amount of dollars that will flow to individual counties throughout the Commonwealth through an interactive map.

“This is a great tool that provides a sense of transparency and accountability to Kentuckians about how their tax dollars are being used on their behalf,” the Governor said.

Gov. Beshear said additional reporting tools and information will be added as more stimulus dollars flow into the state.

Editorial comic roundup

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President Obama's weekly address

After a summer of intense debate, cooler heads begin to prevail to make progress for the American people.

Republicans, Just Saying 'No' Isn't a Solution

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Voters Back Obama Over Republicans

Bloomberg has the story:

Months of Republican attacks on President Barack Obama’s health-care proposals appear to have hurt the party, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

The survey found 64 percent of voters disapproving of the way Republicans in Congress are doing their jobs, with 25 percent approving. Also, 53 percent had an unfavorable opinion of the party in general, while 25 percent rated it favorably.

...The poll found voters support a government-run plan to compete with private insurers 61 percent to 34 percent. Obama backs creating such a program, which has been the focus of much of the health-care debate in Congress.

Bunning's obstructionism

Ruth Marcus calls out Jim Bunning in her column today:

Miriam Sapiro was nominated to be deputy U.S. trade representative in April. The Senate Finance Committee voted -- unanimously -- to confirm her in July.

She's still not in the job -- because Sen. Jim Bunning, Republican of Kentucky, is unhappy with the Canadian Parliament.

...Bunning wants U.S. trade authorities to intervene [in Canadian tobacco law], even though federal law restricts them from promoting tobacco use. And he is holding Sapiro hostage, leaving the trade office without a political appointee overseeing such crucial issues as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Doha round of trade talks, and the pending trade agreements with Panama and Colombia.

Tell Congress: Pass Health Insurance Reform Now

The Politics of Spite

Today's column by Paul Krugman is a must-read:

“Cheers erupted” at the headquarters of the conservative Weekly Standard [when the International Olympic Committee rejected Chicago’s bid to be host of the 2016 Summer Games], according to a blog post by a member of the magazine’s staff, with the headline “Obama loses! Obama loses!” Rush Limbaugh declared himself “gleeful.” “World Rejects Obama,” gloated the Drudge Report. And so on.

So what did we learn from this moment? For one thing, we learned that the modern conservative movement, which dominates the modern Republican Party, has the emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old.

But more important, the episode illustrated an essential truth about the state of American politics: at this point, the guiding principle of one of our nation’s two great political parties is spite pure and simple. If Republicans think something might be good for the president, they’re against it — whether or not it’s good for America.

Rasmussen: Governor Beshear Approval at 59%

The KDP today issued this press release:

FRANKFORT- Today, Rasmussen released polling from Kentucky indicating Governor Steve Beshear's approval rating is at 59%.

"This approval rating shows that the people of Kentucky are happy with the work of Governor Beshear. Not only has he returned ethics to the Governor's mansion, but he's also worked to protect and expand important government services, such as children's health insurance and higher education while governing in a fiscally responsible manner," said Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Charlie Moore. "There is no one better to have at the reins during this critical time in Kentucky's history."

For more information on the Rasmussen poll, please visit: http://www.rasmussenreports.com.

Dad’s Life or Yours? You Choose

Be sure to check out today's column by Nicholas Kristof:

So what would you do if your mom or dad, or perhaps your sister or brother, needed a kidney donation and you were the one best positioned to donate?

Most of us would worry a little and then step forward. But not so fast. Because of our dysfunctional health insurance system, a disgrace that nearly half of all members of Congress seem determined to cling to, stepping up to save a loved one can ruin your own chance of ever getting health insurance.

...The broader problem is this: Our broken system leads Americans to spend 16 percent of our national income on health care, twice as much as in parts of Europe, yet with maternal mortality rates and child mortality rates twice those of the best-performing countries. Lack of insurance is linked to nearly 45,000 unnecessary deaths a year, according to a peer-reviewed study to be published in the December issue of The American Journal of Public Health.

President Obama's weekly address

The President explains why health insurance reform is needed for long-term economic stability.

The truth about 'socialized medicine'

Here's a great story from Bloomberg:

Rick Tanner is one American who loves his government-run health care.

After serving in Vietnam and spending three decades in the U.S. Navy, Tanner retired in 1991 with a bad knee and high blood pressure. He enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration and now benefits from comprehensive treatment with few co-payments and an electronic records system more advanced than almost anywhere at private hospitals.

...As Congress considers changing Americans’ access to health care, the veterans agency, whose projected budget this year is $45 billion, is evidence that the government can provide care favored by patients that may offer savings when compared with private insurers.

Mitch gets half million from health industry, lobbyists

This might explain why Mitch McConnell is so opposed to health reform. CBS News has the story:

Legislators influencing the health care debate are not only receiving significant political donations from members of the health and insurance industries but also from the numerous lobbyists that represent the industries, a report by two Washington watchdog groups shows.

After a month-long investigation, the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics found that 61 members of Congress each received money from 10 or more lobbyists whose health industry clients also donated to their campaigns. Those 61 lawmakers include 39 senators and 22 House members; by party, it includes 38 Democrats and 23 Republicans.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) topped the list with the highest amount received from lobbyists who represent the health industry, but much of that money was given during the 2008 presidential campaign, according to the Sunlight Foundation. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) came next, followed by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is currently leading deliberations over a health care bill he introduced.

Click here for more from OpenSecrets.org.

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

New ad from Health Care For America Now

Top Ten Sarah Palin Tips for Writing a Book

McConnell Among Congress's Most Corrupt

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) issues an annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress. Shamefully, Mitch McConnell has made the list three years in a row:

Sen. McConnell’s ethics issues stem primarily from (1) earmarks he inserted into legislation for clients of his former chief of staff in exchange for campaign contributions and (2) the misuse of his nonprofit McConnell Center for Political Leadership at the University of Louisville. Sen. McConnell was included in CREW’s 2007 and 2008 congressional corruption reports.

Click here to download the full report on Mitch McConnell.