Hello
Friday's mishmash after the jump.
First, some quick highlights from Claire NcCaskill' fundraiser in St. Louis on Wednesday - "There's a lot of nice things in Washington. I like the monuments...." (The diary title moment is right in the end):
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Stimulus serious money is just starting to fly
What started as a trickle of money into the private sector could soon be a gusher, an analysis of the status of President Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan reveals...
...A roughly $200 billion chunk of stimulus money – much of it earmarked specifically for projects ranging from highway repairs to alternative energy initiatives – is only just now beginning to wind its way from government agency coffers and into the economy, and will continue to do so over the next year. Warmer weather approaching in many parts of the country, meanwhile, brings the onset of construction season, another leading factor in what appears to be a looming deluge of federal outlay.
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Here you can find a very cool interactive map that allows you to see each and every Recover Act Highway Project.
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Blacks motivated to vote in November
Democrats facing strong headwinds this election season have at least one reason for optimism, according to polling that found the party's large African-American voting bloc eager to stay involved even without Barack Obama on the ballot.
About two-thirds of black adults in four states say they are closely following news about the upcoming midterm elections, and between 74 percent and 80 percent say they are very likely to vote, according to the poll, conducted by the nonpartisan Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The organization surveyed 500 African-Americans in each state - Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas and South Carolina - all of which have Senate races in November....
...David Bositis, a researcher at the institute who directed the poll, said turnout will surely be lower than the poll's findings. But he said the numbers suggest continued enthusiasm.
"I think the Obama election and the fact that there is an African-American president is something of a game-changer," he said. "African-Americans feel like they have a real investment in President Obama ... I think it's a major motivating factor."
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Retail sales rise unexpectedly in February
WASHINGTON – Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.
The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales rose 0.3 percent in February, surpassing expectations that sales would decline by 0.2 percent.
The overall gain was held back by a 2 percent decline in auto sales, reflecting in part the recall problems at Toyota. Excluding autos, sales rose 0.8 percent, far better than the 0.1 percent rise outside of autos that economists had forecast.
The gains outside of autos were widespread with sales rising at department stores, furniture stores, appliance shops and hardware stores. Restaurants and bars enjoyed a 0.9 percent advance, their biggest gain in nearly two years, possibly an indication that snowbound Americans decided to visit their local eating and drinking establishments to get a break from their homes.
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Looks like Krugman is happy with the president twice in one day
Good news: Janet Yellen will be the Fed’s new #2. She’s open-minded, a good counterweight to the inflation hawks who think that any day now we’ll be partying like it’s 1979. She’s also a distinguished scholar, with much of her work in New Keynesian macro.
She’ll provide exactly the kind of intellectual flexibility the Fed needs.
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Yesterday the president announced of the National Export Initiative, a strategy to mobilize the Federal Government to promote increased American exports. Not very sexy, but obviously very important:
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As you can see, this is what the Bush years did to America's export capacity (and why Obama made it a priority to double the numbers in 5 years):
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A very interesting article about whether this is a realistic goal, is here.
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I just love this historical perspective, coming from Matthew Yglesias: FDR, LBJ and BHO
...If reform passes, Democrats will almost certainly lose a whole bunch of seats in November. But if reform fails, Democrats will also almost certainly lose a whole bunch of seats in November....
...A larger question any member of congress reading the op-ed ought to ask himself is "so what?" If reform passes and is signed into law, then immediately Barack Obama’s position in history is secured. When people look back from 2060 on the creation of the American welfare state, they’ll say that FDR, LBJ, and BHO were its main architects, with Roosevelt enshrining the principle of universal social insurance into law and Obama completing the initial promise of the New Deal. Members of congress who helped him do that will have a place in history....
...Which is just to say that nobody lasts in office forever, no congressional majority lasts forever, and no party controls the White House forever. But the measure of a political coalition isn’t how long it lasted, but what it achieved. From the tone of a lot of present-day political commentary you’d think that the big mistake Lyndon Johnson made during his tenure in the White House was that by passing the Civil Rights Act he wound up damaging the Democratic Party politically by opening the South up to the GOP. Back on planet normal, that’s the crowning achievement of his presidency.
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If you didn't see this, don't miss it:
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Secretary Gates reaffirm July 2011 as the start-date for US troops pullout of Afghanistan, and maybe even earlier:
President Barack Obama meets with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Situation Room of the White House, March 12, 2010. From left, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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For those who may not heard, here's the list of 10 lucky charities to receive president Obama's $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize:
- $250,000 to Fisher House, a national nonprofit organization providing accommodation for families of patients receiving medical care at military and Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Fidher House Foundation Chairman and CEO Kenneth Fisher:
"We are thrilled and honored to be chosen as a recipient of President Obama's Nobel Prize award money...More than 130,000 families have crossed the thresholds of Fisher Houses around the world. And, with this additional financial support, we'll be able to do so much more to give back and give thanks to those who risk their lives for our freedom. We're grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their support and generosity."
- $200,000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, which was set up in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake to help survivors.
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An earthquake survivor shows his tattoo of U.S. President Barack Obama while bathing at a public square in Port-au-Prince, Thursday, March 11, 2010. (AP)
- $125,000 to College Summit, a national nonprofit organization to increase college enrollment rates.
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- $125,000 to the Posse Foundation, which awards scholarships to promising public high school students.
- $125,000 to the United Negro College Fund.
- $125,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
- $125,000 to the American Indian College Fund. Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund:
"We are thrilled that President Obama has chosen to publicly acknowledge the work the American Indian College Fund is doing in Indian Country by sharing $125,000 of his prestigious Nobel Peace Prize award with us. As a result of President Obama’s vision and leadership, through his donation to the Fund along with nine other outstanding charities, he is setting an example for how all Americans can help those less fortunate. The gift will be used to support Native scholarships at America’s 33 accredited tribal colleges and universities."
- $125,000 to the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation..
- $100,000 to AfriCare, which promotes health, food security and access to water primarily in Africa.
- $100,000 to the Central Asia Institute, which education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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Please don't hot-link. Have a nice weekend:
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President Barack Obama arrives to speak during a grassroots fundraiser for Missouri Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill in St. Louis, Missouri, March 10, 2010. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama speaks during a grassroots fundraiser for Missouri Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill in St. Louis, Missouri, March 10, 2010. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Sen. Claire McCaskill gives the thumbs up to President Barack Obama after he spoke at St. Charles High School about healthcare reform in St. Charles, Missouri, Wednesday, March 10, 2010.(J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)
President Barack Obama gets a hug after he spoke about health care reform at St. Charles High School in St. Charles, Mo., Wednesday, March 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama greets supporters before speaking about his health care reform plans at St. Charles High School on March 10, 2010 in St. Charles, Missouri. (Pilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama applauds Haitian President Rene Preval in the Rose Garden of the White House March 10, 2010 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
President Barack Obama and Haitian President Rene Preval, center, back to camera, greets Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert, of Haiti, left, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, following their joint statement. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Haitian President Rene Preval, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, following their joint statement. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama greets Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church of America during an event honoring the upcoming Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, March 9, 2010.(SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama smiles as he greets guests during an event marking Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House March 9, 2010 in Washington, DC. Obama hosted the celebration two weeks ahead of the actual date, March 25, due to his upcoming trip to Asia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama delivers remarks before a screening of the HBO ten-part World War II miniseries "The Pacific" in the Family Theater of the White House, March 11, 2010. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the two executive producers of "The Pacific", sit in the front row. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)