LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of April 3, 2009

The link to this electronic newsletter is being e-mailed to 7,500+

Jefferson County Democrats 

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at Democratic Headquarters, 640 Barret Avenue .

 

 

 

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THE 'LIGHT-SWITCH TAX' LIE: Republican leaders like Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are attacking cap-and-trade proposals before Congress by claiming that researchers at MIT found that it would create "a light switch tax that would cost every American household $3,128 a year." This is a deliberate lie, distributed by the National Republican Congressional Committee to dozens of districts.

A Progress Report analysis has found 11 different Republicans repeating the lie this week, from Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) to Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), who inflated the number to $4,560. In an interview with PolitiFact, John Reilly, an MIT professor and one of the authors of the study, said of the $3,100 claim: "It's just wrong. It's wrong in so many ways it’s hard to begin." Republicans arrived at the figure by taking the value of the cap-and-trade market and dividing it equally among American households. But the value of the market doesn't equal the cost to citizens.

The pollution cap would "push the price of carbon-based fuels up a bit, but other results of a cap-and-trade program, such as increased conservation and more competition from other fuel sources, would put downward pressure on prices." 

On Wednesday, Reilly sent a forceful letter to Boehner and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to denounce this blatant distortion. Reilly noted that $3,100 was actually "10 times the correct estimate, which is approximately $340," and that the costs on lower and middle income households can be "completely offset by returning allowance revenue to these households" -- as called for by Obama. 

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OFF TO THE RACES
The Special Meaning Of A Special Election

By Charlie Cook, Tuesday, March 31, 2009

With today's special election in New York's 20th District, expect boasting by the victorious party that it is the most important victory in years and a foreshadowing of next year's midterm elections. Some might get really carried away and even extrapolate significance for years to come.

Assuming that the margin in this upstate contest to fill the seat of appointed Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is 3 or 4 points or less, my advice is to respond "that's nice," then yawn, and walk away.

This is a race either party can win, and that close a race means there are many offsetting factors, with one set of factors just edging out the other. There will be no cosmic meaning to the results. Only if either side wins by about 5 points or more should you sit up and take notice: That would mean one side's voters were significantly more motivated than the other's, which would be worth more than a yawn and a smile.

Too often, observers read way too much significance into the outcome of a single special election. Rarely are these districts anything approaching a microcosm of the nation or even representative of much. Typically it's just one contest between two individuals with local circumstances and dynamics coming into play, with voter turnout meaning everything. The turnouts in special elections rarely reach even midterm election levels. In short, they usually do not have great import and are quickly forgotten.

What is more important is if there is a uniform direction to several odd-year elections.

If, for example, Republicans were to win tonight and knock off Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey in November, and pick up the open governor seat in Virginia, then it is fair to say that they will have exorcised the demons of 2006 and 2008. This would allow for more confidence approaching the 2010 midterm elections.

If Democrats hold NY-20, as well as New Jersey and Virginia, they can enter 2010 knowing that even if the wind isn't at their backs, there also isn't a headwind.

A split of these races would mean that there is no huge wave upsetting the existing political dynamic.

Though two Democratic presidents -- Martin Van Buren and Franklin Roosevelt -- actually hailed from this area, historically it has been very Republican. The 2006 edition of the Almanac of American Politics points out that, "despite Van Buren and Roosevelt, this has been a Republican area since the birth of the Republican Party; indeed, Roosevelt never carried his home territory except when he ran for the state Senate in 1910." But in 2006, when the Republican Party's fortunes nationally began waning, particularly in the Northeast, Democratic challenger Gillibrand was able to take advantage of the political environment and beat four-term GOP Rep. John Sweeney, 53-47 percent. Last year, she impressively won what began as a spirited GOP challenge from former state Republican Chairman Sandy Treadwell, beating him 62-38 percent.

The Republican candidate in the special election is state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, a lifelong area resident -- if not the actual 20th District. Scott Murphy, the Democrat, is a native of Missouri, where he was active in state Democratic politics before moving in the last decade to the upstate New York area, where his wife's family has deep roots.

This is a historically Republican area that has become problematic for the GOP in recent years. President Obama's popularity -- he carried the district by 3 points -- is helping to offset some of the longstanding GOP leanings. There is an experienced and established Republican against a Democratic newcomer to the area. Both sides have spent generously, though not at the break-the-bank levels of last year's special elections. Suffice it to say that there are plenty of offsetting forces, pushing and pulling in opposite directions.

If you are looking for some signs of which way the winds are blowing over the next three or four months, it would more helpful to watch Obama's job approval ratings, the generic congressional ballot test and party identification numbers.

Arguably, if Obama's job approval numbers stay at 60 percent or above, he's a real asset to his party. If they are in the 50s, he is in the neutral zone, and at below 50 percent he starts to be a liability.

I should point out that one should focus on averages, like on Pollster.com, RealClearPolitics.com or the daily Gallup tracking, rather than cherry-picking a poll that happens to give you the results you seek.

We have only seen a handful of generic ballot tests this year, which appeared to show a trend from strongly Democratic down to even, but watch for more data. The generic is a poor indicator of the number of seats a party might gain or lose, but it is useful in ascertaining which way the political wind is blowing.

The final and admittedly lagging indicator is party identification. It doesn't move much, but when it does, it means something. In 2003 Gallup numbers, the GOP was slightly ahead of Democrats, and in 2004 the two parties were dead even. A Democratic edge began in 2005 and grew to 8 points last year.

These are much better barometers of what is going on than a single special election.

 

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Economic Blackmail, by Tula Connell

Corporate opponents of workers’ freedom to form unions repeatedly have shown they are not interested in the welfare of their employees or any of the pseudo-lofty ideals they cite while fighting the Employee Free Choice Act.

Now, they’ve made clear they will do anything—even destroy jobs, communities and harm the U.S. economy—to ensure that more American workers do not have a voice on the job. (And this just in—they’re now using Joe the Plumber as an anti-Employee Free Choice Act spokes-idiot. That guy can’t seem to keep a job.)

In Wisconsin, a local economic development official in Eau Claire County said a project was derailed because of the proposed Employee Free Choice Act. According to today’s Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, the unnamed project would have brought a

$50 million investment to Eau Claire County in the next five years, along with creating up to 800 full-time jobs, Brian Doudna, executive director of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corp., said in a news release Wednesday evening. Construction was expected to begin this year. The first employees were to begin work in early 2010, with bout 100 new jobs being created. [snip]

‘Proposed federal and state legislation, as shown by this company’s decision, can impact location decisions and limit the private sector’s ability to create quality jobs for Eau Claire area residents. This is especially disappointing given the condition of our current national, regional and local economies.’

Yo, Brian: What’s “disappointing” is the blackmail screaming out here. The threat by employers to destroy the community they theoretically are invested in just so those employers don’t have to actually talk with workers across a bargaining table about what might make for a safe workplace, what they need to support their families and retire without working until they die.

That’s bad enough. But here’s the kicker:

Doudna said if the bill is approved, the project will not occur—at least not in the U.S.

Blackmail, big time. In short, U.S. corporations are saying: Give us unlimited control over the lives of our workers, or we’ll go to another nation where “human rights” is a dirty phrase and “workers’ rights” even worse.

The local Chamber of Commerce’s response is to attack government.

Bob McCoy, president of the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, said the government essentially is stopping growth in the Chippewa Valley.

“I think it’s one of those situations when the state starts trying to generate additional revenue or put certain criteria on business, it can reverse itself,” he said. “There’s a potential for the Employee Free Choice Act, and (businesses) can’t afford those types of consequences.”

Because the Wall Street way worked so well for us, huh, Bob?

There’s a lot to be said about corporate greed fueling the opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. But as the nation’s $4 billion annual union-busting industry shows, more than money is involved. When corporations are willing to spend far more to fight unionization than they would spend on a unionized workforce, when they are willing to rip out the economic guts of the community—then something seriously is wrong with the culture of those who call the economic shots in this nation. Because the corporate threat screaming from Eau Claire is not just blackmail. It’s anti-worker. Anti-you. Anti-me. Anti-American.

YOUR COMMENTS 

DAILY GRILL

"And now he [President Obama] is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack." -- Former vice president Dick Cheney, 3/15/09, on Obama ending torture

VERSUS

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily agree with that. ... We think for the military, in particular that camp, that's [torture] a line that can't be crossed." -- Gen. David Petraeus, 3/29/09, responding to Cheney

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"We contacted that Website. We heard nothing." -- Bill O'Reilly, 3/30/09, saying he contacted ThinkProgress's Amanda Terkel before ambushing her

VERSUS

"Neither I nor anyone else at ThinkProgress ever received any sort of request from anyone at Fox News." -- Terkel, 3/30/09

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"I believe there is a socialist agenda there for America." -- Right-wing commentator Glenn Beck, 4/27/08, on President Obama

VERSUS

"Our government is not marching down the road towards communism or socialism. ... They're marching us to a non-violent fascism." -- Beck, 4/1/09

Quotes of the Day

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Recent Senate Votes 

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act - Vote Passed (79-19, 1 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this national service bill which would increase the number of AmeriCorps volunteers from 75,000 to 250,000 and designate September 11 as a national day of service and remembrance.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted NO
Sen. Jim Bunning voted NO

Recent House Votes 

Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Vote Passed (285-140, 6 Not Voting)

The House agreed to the Senate amendments to H.R. 146, sending this package of public lands, national parks and water development legislation to the president.

Rep. Brett Guthrie voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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Stop The O'Reilly Harassment Machine

Last Saturday, March 21, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly sent two of his employees to stalk, harass, and ambush ThinkProgress.org Managing Editor Amanda Terkel. Upset over a ThinkProgress report that noted O'Reilly's insensitive comment towards a rape victim, O'Reilly dispatched his producer Jesse Watters, along with a cameraman, to stake out Amanda's home in Washington, DC, follow her for two hours across state lines, and ambush her while she was on vacation in Winchester, VA. O'Reilly then used a small portion of highly-edited footage he obtained from Watters's ambush interview to falsely claim that Amanda was bringing "a lot of pain and suffering" to rape victims. Unfortunately, Amanda is just one of roughly 40 different victims of these kind of ambush tactics. Indeed, O'Reilly has hired producers whose primary job is to track, harass, and intimidate anyone whom O'Reilly perceives as an opponent or an enemy. That's not journalism -- that's a mafia-style intimidation operation, and we need to put an end to it. ThinkProgress has launched a campaign asking O'Reilly's major sponsors to issue a clear statement opposing O'Reilly's Harassment Machine. Please consider joining this campaign here.

JUSTICE -- ASHCROFT: 'I THINK HISTORY WILL BE VERY KIND' TO BUSH: Earlier this week, former attorney general John Ashcroft spoke at the University of Texas at Austin on the differences between the Obama and Bush administrations. Although "[m]ost in attendance were respectful of Ashcroft's right to speak," he was greeted by a group of protesters who waved "signs of dissent" and booed when he first appeared. During his speech, Ashcroft launched a vociferous defense of both Bush's career and his own, saying that history will judge Bush well: "I think history will be very kind to [him]." While Ashcroft, the chief architect of the invasive Patriot Act, admitted that Bush made some mistakes during his presidency, he claimed to have no regrets about his own tenure as attorney general. "I don't have a mark on my conscience," he said. He also defended his decision to approve waterboarding in 2003, saying, "There are things that you could call waterboarding that I am firmly convinced are not torture. There are things that you could call waterboarding that might be torture." But as Keith Olbermann and former White House counsel John Dean discussed on MSNBC last night, all waterboarding is torture. "I think waterboarding is waterboarding. Maybe this is a defense we haven't read about that John Yoo came up with, or the memo hasn't been released yet that says maybe how much water you pour may make it waterboarding or not waterboarding. But this is pretty silly," Dean said.

THE RECONCILIATION HYPOCRISY: Republicans are also standing firm against allowing Obama to use the reconciliation process to pass key parts of his budget, such as health care and energy reform. This 25-year-old procedure "allows for the passage of a budget by a simple majority vote rather than the usual 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster." Republican senators have said that they are prepared to go "nuclear" -- essentially shutting down the Senate through the use of parliamentary maneuvers -- if budget reconciliation is pursued. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) compared reconciliation to "an act of violence" against the GOP. However, Republicans employed the same procedure to pass major Bush agenda items, including the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, and the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005. In fact, in 2005, Gregg defended using the reconciliation procedure, arguing, "The president asked for it, and we're trying to do what the president asked for."

RADICAL RIGHT -- FORMER CHENEY AIDE SUGGESTS THAT HERSH'S ACCOUNT OF 'EXECUTIVE ASSASSINATION RING' IS 'CERTAINLY TRUE': Last month, The New Yorker's Seymour Hersh revealed in Minnesota that former vice president Cheney presided over an "executive assassination ring." "Under President Bush's authority, they've been going into countries, not talking to the ambassador or the CIA station chief, and finding people on a list and executing them and leaving," Hersh explained. Yesterday, CNN interviewed Hersh and former Cheney national security aide John Hannah. Although he expressed regret for revealing the story (calling it a "dumb-dumb"), Hersh stood by his initial statements. "I'm sorry, Wolf, I have a lot of problems with it," he said about the assassination scheme. "I know for sure...the idea that we have a unit that goes around, without reporting to Congress...and has authority from the President to go into the country without telling the CIA station chief or the ambassador and whack somebody," said Hersh. Hannah replied that Hersh's account of the assassination scheme "is not true." Yet, in the same breath, when asked about a "list" of assassination targets, Hannah largely echoed Hersh's statements. Hannah said that "troops in the field" are given "authority" to "capture or kill certain individuals" who are perceived as a threat. "That's certainly true," said Hannah.

BUSINESS -- OUSTED GM CEO RICK WAGONER TO RECEIVE $20 MILLION RETIREMENT PACKAGE: Yesterday, CEO of General Motors Rick Wagoner announced that he was stepping down at the request of the Obama administration. Subsequently, ABC News reported that Wagoner will receive a $20.2 million retirement package, despite his ineligibility for severance pay. With Wagoner at the helm, GM lost tens of billions of dollars, requiring the federal government to loan over $13.4 billion to the ailing company. Additionally, as CEO, Wagoner "cut tens of thousands of jobs and announced plans to cut 47,000 employees by the end of 2009." In 2008, he was one of the three auto executives to travel by private jet to Washington to participate in congressional hearings on the then-proposed government bailout of the auto industry. Still, Wagoner is set to receive $20.2 million in retirement benefits for his 32 years of service. According to GM spokeswoman Julie Gibson, this will be paid out as an annuity over five years with a remaining portion saved for lifetime payments. The conditions of the current TARP agreement between GM and the Treasury Department prohibit severance pay to senior executives. Yet as the Washington Post reported, "That ban does not appear to apply to retirement benefits." "I think it's another perfect example of why there's so much frustration among working people," said Tiffany Ten Eyck of Labor Notes, a Detroit-based independent publication covering unions.

ENVIRONMENT -- REPUBLICANS FALSELY CLAIM CLIMATE LEGISLATION WOULD IMPOSE $3,100 TAX ON FAMILIES: Congressional Republican leaders such as Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are attacking the cap-and-trade proposal before Congress by claiming that it would "cost every American family up to $3,100 per year in higher energy prices." However, their objections are based on a bogus statistic. It appears that they are getting this number from an intentional misinterpretation of a 2007 study performed by a group of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In an interview with PolitiFact, MIT professor John Reilly -- one of the authors of the 2007 study -- said the $3,100 tax claim is "wrong in so many ways it’s hard to begin." "Someone from the House Republicans had called me (March 20) and asked about this," Reilly said. "I had explained why the estimate they had was probably incorrect and what they should do to correct it, but I think this wrong number was already floating around by that time." In fact, the study had actually determined that the net welfare effect on a typical family and the burden would be less than 1/40th what Mitchell and Boehner claim, and wouldn't occur until 2015. PolitiFact explained: "The report did include an estimate of the net cost to individuals, called the 'welfare' cost. It would be $30.89 per person in 2015, or $79 per family if you use the same average household size the Republicans used of 2.56 people."

EDUCATION -- SANFORD: IT WOULD BE 'FISCAL CHILD ABUSE' TO ACCEPT STIMULUS EDUCATION FUNDS: Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) is waging a politically-motivated, ideological war against President Obama's stimulus plan, insisting on refusing $700 million in sorely needed aid for his state, most of which is for education. Appearing on Glenn Beck's Fox News show yesterday, Sanford claimed that accepting the funds would be "fiscal child abuse." "Since those costs will be borne by the next generation, in fact it is sort of fiscal child abuse to do what we're doing," Sanford said. In fact, it is Sanford's political posturing that is harming students in South Carolina. The state's Department of Education said that as many as 7,500 teachers could be negatively affected by Sanford's refusal to accept the funding; a state legislator said that 4,000 teachers would immediately lose their jobs. "But this extra $700 million -- there's so many needs in so many areas," Pete Pillow, an Education Department spokesman, told The Progress Report. If Sanford doesn't accept the funds, he said, "then we're in a real world of hurt." Indeed, the State newspaper reported today that Sanford's refusal could cost schools in the Midlands area of South Carolina $20 million collectively. "That means Lexington-Richland 5 school district, for example, which already planned to eliminate 62 jobs, would have to cut up to an additional 35 positions."
 

 
Think Fast  

Thousands of buildings at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan "have such poorly installed wiring that American troops face life-threatening risks." Of the nearly 30,000 buildings the Army examined, more than half "failed miserably." A "majority…were wired by contractor KBR."

"The former finance chief of a Texas company controlled by Nasser Kazeminy, a close friend of former Sen. Norm Coleman, said in a deposition last week that Kazeminy ordered $100,000 in fees be paid to a Minneapolis insurance agency where Coleman's wife was employed. The deposition is the first corroboration of claims that Kazeminy funneled payments to Hays Companies aimed at benefiting the Colemans.

Yesterday Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spoke at the Heritage Foundation, making clear he had no illusions about what happened in the 2008 presidential election. "God bless" all the people who voted for me, said McCain, adding, "Over 50 million people voted for me and Sarah Palin -- mostly for Sarah Palin.” The audience "erupted" in laughter.
 

"By the time President Barack Obama'’s $3.6 trillion budget proposal comes up for a vote in the Senate later this week, the high-pitched opposition from Democratic moderates is expected to give way to a chorus of support." The hesitation to oppose a popular president, combined with Sen. Kent Conrad's (D-ND) changes that made the budget “more palatable" to the centrists, have left Democratic leaders confident they will receive unified support for the budget.

President Obama yesterday defended his administration’s drone strikes in Pakistan. "If we have a high-value target within our sights -- after consulting with Pakistan, we're going after them," he said. "But our main thrust has to be to help Pakistan defeat these extremists." Obama also ruled out U.S. troop raids in Pakistan.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele thinks President Obama "has got a little thing" about him. On CNN this weekend, Steele said he is "done" talking to the White House, saying he thinks Obama "has got a little thing about me, that I haven't quite figured out what that is." When asked if he was jealous of Obama, Steele was incredulous: "What would I be jealous of?" adding, "I'm chairman of the RNC, so, what’s your point? We both have leadership responsibilities and roles. I'm not equating the two. My point is: you are on your track. I'm on my track. You do your thing. I do my thing."

"Nearly 70 percent of the Pentagon's 96 largest weapons programs were over budget last year, for a combined total of $296 billion more than the original estimates," the Government Accountability Office reported yesterday. The auditing agency also found that "the programs were behind schedule by an average of 22 months, up from 21 months last year and 18 months in 2003."

"I think of you as a goon," David Letterman told Bill O'Reilly last night. "You're too smart to believe what you say." O'Reilly tried to distinguish himself from fellow hatemongers Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck by claiming that he's a journalist. "I got a degree I paid a lot of money for. ... I went out, covered stories. ... {T]hose guys are basically entertainers. ... [W]e give information."

"Momentum among Democrats is growing to use special budget rules to push major healthcare reform this year through the Senate with a simple majority." Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), who are possible members of a House-Senate conference committee, refused yesterday to rule out the use of reconciliation, which would prevent the use of a filibuster to block health reform.
 

The House Republicans' alternative budget was rejected by a 293-137 vote. Thirty-eight members -- or 20 percent -- of the House Republican caucus voted against their own party’s budget proposal, written by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). By contrast, only 8 percent of Democrats voted against their party's budget. 

HUMOR

"Barack Obama made his first trip as president to England. Here is my question. If the President is in England, who's running General Motors?" --Jay Leno

"As you know by now, the government is now taking an active role in the auto business. President Obama offering hope, change, and 0 percent financing." --Jay Leno

"You know what's interesting? Today, a reporter in Crawford, Texas, asked former President George Bush how he felt about General Motors and Bush said, 'You know, since I left office, I don't really follow the Iraq war anymore.'" --Jay Leno

"Actually, President Obama says that G.M. filing for bankruptcy may be the best alternative. He said that bankruptcy is a good legal tool for a company not to have to pay creditors back, which sounds great until you realize, hey wait a minute, we're the creditors! Great, so you want to help them not pay us back. I mean, even A.I.G. is going, 'Why didn't we think of this?'" --Jay Leno

"So, it's pretty crazy. Look, we're bailing out Wall Street, we're bailing out banks, we're bailing out car companies. In fact, did you know there's a special box on your tax form this year you can check if you want a portion of your taxes to actually go to running the government?" --Jay Leno

"And there was kind of an awkward moment yesterday as President Obama was leaving to go to the G-20 summit. Hillary Clinton called and said, 'Can I run the country while you're gone? Please, can I?'" --Jay Leno

"Thousands of people showed up in London to protest this G-20 economic summit. Protesters smashed windows at the Bank of Scotland. Did you see it on the news? The banks were closed. The windows were all boarded up. It looked like our banks." --Jay Leno

"Barack Obama met with the Queen of England today. There was one embarrassing moment when the Obamas were meeting the Royal Family. The Queen said, 'Have you met my son, Charles?' And the Obamas turned to Camilla and said, 'Yes, how do you do?'" --Jay Leno

"A British genealogist who traced President Obama's roots claimed Obama is related to the royal family. Well, did you see President Obama standing with Prince Charles? If those ears are any indication, I think they may be related." --Jay Leno

"And more embarrassment for the President. Just a few weeks after President Obama named Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as his Health and Human Services nominee, she now reveals she owes over $7,000 in back taxes. Another one owes. See, that's the difference between the two political parties right there. Republicans believe in no new taxes. Democrats believe in no old ones." --Jay Leno

"Hey, you hear about this? A voice from the past, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who may run for president in 2012, that's the rumor, has converted to Catholicism. So after a number of affairs, two divorces, and three marriages, how would you like to get stuck behind him for that first confession, huh?" --Jay Leno

"And China says it wants to replace the U.S. dollar with a new global currency. They want to move from a gold-based standard to a lead-based standard." --Jay Leno

"And from the animal kingdom, it seems a loggerhead sea turtle nearly swam to the doorstep of a Florida Keys turtle hospital. This is the only licensed veterinary facility in the world that solely treats sea turtles. This turtle somehow knew to swim right up to the hospital. Isn't that amazing? Sad part, they had to turn him away when his H.M.O. wouldn't cover the visit." --Jay Leno

"By golly, you know what it is? April Fool's Day. Happy April Fool's Day, everybody. It is crazy when you think about it. Bush has only been out of office 10 weeks and he already has his own national holiday." --David Letterman

"Anybody here got a General Motors car? Well, look out for this guy, this Barack Obama. He comes in, doesn't like what he sees at General Motors and tells the C.E.O., Rick Wagoner, to take a hike. Wagoner, however, got a $20 million bonus. But the good news is the 20 million was in G.M. stock." --David Letterman

"But they got rid of Rick Wagoner, so G.M. has a new C.E.O. Frederick Henderson is the guy's name and you wonder if they looked into this guy. He didn't come to work. His first day on the job and he didn't come to work. You know why the new head of G.M. didn't come to work today? Carsick." --David Letterman

"Barack Obama is in London now, meeting with the G-20 countries, and the only thing that they have agreed on so far is that French President Sarkozy has a smokin' hot wife!" --David Letterman

"A lot of excitement there, though, at the G20 summit. They are giving away a door prize. Yeah, this year, it's Iceland." --David Letterman

"I like to contrast what President Obama is up to and what John McCain, his opponent in the general election, is up to. For example, Obama met with 17 political leaders from 11 nations. He will attend five summits in different countries around Europe. Today, comparatively speaking, John McCain watched his 89 Caddy go through the car wash." --David Letterman

"Britain's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, asked President Obama if he ever played darts. And Obama said: 'Sure I play darts. How do you think I picked my Cabinet?'" --David Letterman

"President Obama visited Buckingham Palace and he met with the Queen of England, and here's what they did. They briefly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. I mean, it was just like my honeymoon." --David Letterman

"It's a great day for our president, Barack Obama, who got to meet the Queen of England today. She very regally gave him a photograph of her, and he gave her an iPod! That's quite an unusual gift from the President. Usually he gives out about $150 million." --Craig Ferguson

"President Obama is in London right now for a meeting with 19 other world leaders. This morning, he and the First Lady met Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. He gave her an iPod as a gift, which is perfect. Now she can listen to Lil Wayne on the treadmill without anyone bothering her." --Jimmy Kimmel

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INTERESTING  

Buy American Mention of the Week, By Roger Simmermaker      

GOOD NEWS

The Senate approved the Edward Kennedy Serve America Act, expanding community service programs by "increasing the number of positions to 250,000 from 75,000 and creating new cadres of volunteers focused on education, clean energy, health care and veterans."

"The early federal stimulus money appears to be hitting its target, paying for new projects and creating jobs," reports USA Today. "Shovel-ready" projects across the country are being initiated, which "wouldn't have occurred this year without stimulus money."

The Senate Homeland Security Committee amended the Presidential Records Act yesterday, repealing an executive order President Bush issued in 2001 that gave "more authority to former presidents to withhold records."

VIDEOS  

None this week

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