Romney Seeks Key Beltway Endorsements

By Mike Hothi

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is in Washington today in an effort to secure key endorsements from Republicans in Congress.

Multiple news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, have reported that the GOP frontrunner is participating in a series of events in and around Capitol Hill to raise money and persuade lawmakers into backing his campaign.

On Tuesday night, Romney met with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) for several fundraisers in Northern Virginia. McDonnell has not endorsed a candidate but his appearance at the event raised eyebrows.

Romney began his day today with a breakfast held at the American Trucking Association, in an event co-hosted by a slew of prominent DC lobbyists and lawmakers that have endorsed him.

Later, the former governor of Massachusetts is to attend an event at the Republican National Committee headquarters that will be headlined by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Other attendees include GOP candidates Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.

Romney’s trip comes as some conservative Republicans have cozied up to the idea of a Romney candidacy. The Times noted that Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and 23 other House members along with four Senators have already endorsed him for President.

However, Romney is currently lacking endorsements from legislators in early battleground states like Iowa, New Hampshire, or South Carolina.

Unemployment Rate Unwavered By Uptick In Jobs Numbers

The United States exceeded economists’ expectations by adding 103,000 jobs to the nation’s workforce in September, but the uptick did little to shake an idle unemployment rate as it sits unchanged at 9.1 percent, according to the Labor Department.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics credits the expansion in employment to the 45,000 disgruntled Verizon employees previously on strike who have returned to work, accounting for nearly half of all job creation last month.

RNC Chair Reince Priebus took the opportunity to blast the president’s jobs bill, calling it “Stimulus 2.0” and denouncing its touted potential impact on the country’s economy.

“Today’s disappointing jobs report underscores why President Obama’s Stimulus 2.0 is not the answer to put Americans back to work. After putting $825 billion on the nation’s credit card only to have 32 straight months of unemployment at 8 percent or above, it is remarkable that the President would double down on the same policies at the tune of nearly half a trillion dollars in more ‘stimulus’ spending,” said Priebus.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was even less than enthusiastic about September’s “sad numbers” saying Democrats “need to stop campaigning, start listening and start working,” a likely rollover from Thursday’s Obama’s-thrown-in-the-towel jab.

“Our unemployment rate has been higher than eight percent for more than two-and-a-half years, far above what [Obama] promised with the ‘stimulus,’” Boehner said in a statement.

Katherine Abraham, a member of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, also acknowledged that the stagnant 9.1 percent unemployment rate was “unacceptably high” and promoted the American Jobs Act as a means to expedite the economic recovery process.

“Clearly, we need faster economic growth to put Americans back to work,” Abraham said, but she reminded that September’s jobs numbers be taken with a grain of salt.

“The monthly employment and unemployment numbers are volatile and employment estimates are subject to substantial revision,” she said. “Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

New Congressional Analysis On Tax Cuts Sparks Debate

Pundits are pointing to new data released by the Joint Committee on Taxation as proof that extending a policy of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will saddle the U.S. with more debt.

The study indicates that renewing tax breaks for the top two percent of income earners will add $36 billion to the nation’s debt level in 2011. The cuts, enacted in 2001, and then again in 2003 under President George W. Bush, would grant households making over $1 million a tax cut of roughly $100,000 next year.

Republicans, by and large, have supported the continuation of the cuts, arguing that keeping them alive will make it easier for small business owners to hire. Democrats have countered by accusing the GOP of distorting the definition of ‘small business owner,’ and say the cuts neglect those in need.

In an opinion piece today, The Guardian’s Michael Tomasky accused Republicans of siding with the rich over the middle class. “If it’s for millionaires, it’s good, Period,” he wrote. “It’s never been quite this naked, but there it is.”

Top Democrats agree with Tomasky’s assertion.

“I don’t see any reason why we should renew a tax cut that only gives a tax cut to the wealthiest people in America, increases the deficit, and doesn’t create jobs,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in an interview. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Yet, data also shows that the previous administration’s plan is almost as generous for middle class Americans as the one proposed by President Obama. For example, under the President’s proposal, an individual making between $50,000 and $75,000 per year would receive an average tax cut of only 13 dollars more than he or she would under the Bush plan.

Republicans say allowing the current cuts to expire equates to a giant tax hike.

“The Democratic leadership is looking to push one of the biggest tax increases in American history,” said Parish Braden, a spokesman for the RNC. “Even members of the Obama administration have said raising taxes in this climate is not good for the economy.”

In the end, Congress may base its decision on what to do on the concern over the nation’s mounting level of debt, currently over $13 trillion. In that case, the Obama tax cuts would add $202 billion to the debt next year, compared to $238 billion should the Bush cuts be extended.

Medicare Turns 45

Although 20 years short of qualifying for its own benefits, Medicare nevertheless reached an important milestone Friday.

45 years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare, the social insurance safety-net, into law.

President Barack Obama marked the anniversary by issuing a proclamation lauding the program and pledging its continued support under his administration.

“As President, I will protect the promise of Medicare and Medicaid, and make sure they continue to be strong and solvent for our children and grandchildren,” Obama wrote.

The President also took the anniversary as an opportunity to tout the health care reform legislation he signed into law this March.

“The health care reforms in the landmark Affordable Care Act (ACA) renew and strengthen our pledge to America’s seniors and families, ensuring Medicare and Medicaid will be there when they need it,” the proclamation states.

Also acknowledging the milestone, the Republican National Committee issued their own statement charging that Medicare will be slashed under the new health care law and accusing Obama of backtracking on his pledge to seniors to protect the program.

“Happy 45h Birthday, Medicare!” the statement reads. “President Obama gave plenty of “gifts” to seniors on Medicare this year.”

RNC Takes Swipe At DNC’s Tim Kaine

While Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele has been on the receiving end of a non-stop stream of criticism, his organization took aim Wednesday at his Democratic counterpart, Tim Kaine.

“The DNC under Kaine has been a ‘disaster’,” a newly released RNC research brief states, invoking a statement former Democratic National Committee member Steven Ybarra recently made to the Los Angeles Times.

The brief goes on to claim that the DNC has also had difficulty outpacing RNC fundraising efforts, citing a release from the Federal Elections Committee that found the DNC had only raised only thousands more than the RNC by the end of 2009.

Kaine simultaneously served as both Governor and Democratic National Committee Chair for much of 2009, a year that brought his party election losses in Virginia and New Jersey’s gubernatorial races. After Kaine’s replacement as governor by Republican Bob McDonnell, Democrats suffered another defeat when the opposition party claimed the Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy.

The RNC’s brief comes shortly after Douglas Wilder, another former Virginia governor, published an opinion piece on politico.com claiming that the Kaine’s chairmanship position was “the wrong job for him.”

Still, the shot against Kaine from the RNC seems surprising. The inner-party troubles facing Kaine seem nearly paltry in comparison to those plaguing the RNC’s Steele. Congressional Republicans have moved to block the former Maryland Lt. Governor from policy decisions, and a conference call between the RNC and Capitol Hill staffers reportedly grew heated after Steele mused in an interview that Republicans were “not ready” to win back the House. In addition, other high-profile gaffes have become You Tube gold.

However, it may be too early to judge either chairman’s performance. Both parties have had only a handful of special elections by which to measure their committees’ effectiveness and the true standard-bearer for both organizations is still on the horizon: the 2010 midterm election.