The longest-serving African-American elected official in Congress said the President cannot play nice with the the Senate to get health care legislation passed.

From the Associated Press

“The president could take a few pages from Lyndon Johnson’s book…and start knocking heads together,” said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Conyers, who spoke to reporters in Detroit, first came to Congress in 1965, the year Medicare and the Voting Rights Act both passed under the strong hand of Johnson, by then the president. Obama was not yet 4 years old.

The House passed the sweeping health care legislation late Saturday on a narrow 220-215 vote. By Sunday, the bill was being declared a nonstarter in the Senate.

A government health insurance plan included in the House bill is unacceptable to a few Democratic moderates who hold the balance of power in the there. These senators are locked in a battle with liberals, with the fate of health care legislation at stake.

On Sunday, Obama urged the Senate to follow the lead of the House, like a runner in a relay race. The president says he’s confident senators will do the right thing.

Sensing that his health care message is being muddled amidst a deluge of conservative misinformation, President Obama will address a joint session of Congress to try and get the upper hand in the increasingly contentious debate. The Sept. 9, address will mark the second time that the president has spoken directly to the full Legislature since taking office nearly eight months ago. With indications that Obama’s momentum on the issue has begun to slow as conservative commentators have blasted away at Democratic proposals, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invited Obama to make the address. The president is scheduled to meet with the two congressional leaders at the White House next week to discuss the speech, CNN reports. Many Democrats have pressed Obama to lay out his own detailed plan, following a series of noisy, disruptive and often unintelligible debates at town hall meetings across the nation. “The president is clearly not running away from this battle but rather confronting the challenges we’ve encountered these last few weeks head-on,” Democratic Sen. Charles Rangel of New York said in a statement Wednesday night. “He’s pulling out all the stops, and this level of involvement from the president could well be a game-changer. There is no better way to turn public opinion around than to have someone as popular as President Obama addressing the American people directly, without intermediaries interpreting – or misinterpreting – his ideas.” David Axelrod, the president’s senior adviser, said that the dynamic of the debate has changed, providing an opportunity for Obama to step in and gain control of the issue. “We’re entering a new season,” Axelrod said. “It’s time to synthesize and harmonize these strands and get this done.”

The Congressional Black Caucus Monday praised the decision by the U.S. Senate to put Roland Burris in Barack Obama’s old seat. “The CBC is very pleased with the decision of Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate leadership to seat Roland Burris,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, chairwoman of the caucus. “Mr. Burris has long been a public servant for the people of Illinois. He will be a wonderful addition to our caucus and we look forward to working with him as we move forward with our agenda in Congress.” Read more here.

Obama is more popular than any other incoming president. A majority of Americans are confident in Barack Obama’s ability to govern and unify the country, with many of the people who didn’t vote for him now seeing him in a positive light, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The poll found that 73 percent of adults approve of the way he is handling the transition and his preparations for becoming president.  The polling also shows that the nation is more unified around Obama than it was for either Bill Clinton in 1992 or George W. Bush in 2000. Americans say the challenges, too, are greater, with 77 percent of those surveyed predicting Obama will face bigger problems than most recent presidents have. Additionally, Obama enjoys the ranking as the most popular Democrat while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice holds the ranking as the most liked Republican, according to the poll.
The car bailout plan inches a step closer to reality. U.S. House lawmakers approved a $14 billion loan bailout for the U.S. automakers overnight, but Senate Republicans are vowing to do all they can to stop the bill. The stopgap measure was approved by a vote of 237 to 170. The House measure requires the three major U.S. automakers – Chrysler, Ford and General Motors – return to Congress in March with a plan that will make them financially viable, and calls for a car czar to be appointed to oversee a restructuring of the companies that will make them more competitive. But Senate Republicans say the plan doesn’t go far enough, and vow to kill the proposal. “I don’t think the votes are there on our side of the aisle,” said Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, one of few vocal Republican backers of the bill, according to CNN.  Even as some senators oppose any assistance to the automakers, the White House was pointing out that if the measure fails, it would be disastrous to the economy because of the hundreds of thousands of jobs that would be lost nationwide. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino pointed out that many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle believe that allowing “a disorderly bankruptcy could be fatal to U.S. automakers and have devastating impacts on jobs, families and our economy.” Senate leaders vow to stay the weekend to vote on the measure.

The White House and Congress agree on auto bailout deal. The White House and congressional Democrats reached a tentative agreement Tuesday night to bail out the auto industry with $15 billion in loans. According to a Bush administration official and a Democratic aide, the plan maps out key points, but there are a few details still to work out before the bill is ready for a vote, which could take place as early as Wednesday. The bailout would allow GM and Chrysler to avert a threatening bankruptcy through March, and would designate a “car czar” to help the companies restructure. Ford Motor Co, which has not requested immediate help, has asked for a line of credit in case its finances worsen, according to Reuters. Congressional Democrats and the White House have agreed that the money would come from an Energy Department fund established in September to help Detroit make more fuel-efficient cars. Key Democrats urged both President Bush and President-elect Barack Obama to help rally bi-partisan support for the pending measure, Reuters reported. by Democrats and Republicans for the pending measure.

Troubled Rep. Jefferson loses his House seat. Embattled Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson lost his bid to hold onto his congressional seat when New Orleans voters over the weekend decided they wanted someone else to represent them. On Saturdays, NOLA voters elected Vietnamese lawyer Anh “Joseph” Cao, thus denying Jefferson a 10th term after Republicans made a mad push to unseat Jefferson, 61. Cao, 41, appears to have won Louisiana’s majority-Black 2nd Congressional District, which covers much of New Orleans, in an election with light voter turnout, reports The Los Angeles Times. While voters reelected Jackson even after news of a bribery scandal broke in 2006, his popularity was invariably damaged after federal agents charged the congressmen with hiding $90,000 in cash in a freezer. Cao will become the nation’s first Vietnamese American congressmen once voting results are certified. The election was one of two in Louisiana postponed because of Hurricane Gustav.

Congress reaches a deal on a car maker bailout. Working with President George Bush over the weekend, Congressional leaders worked out a plan that would provide the failing Big Three automakers some relief, according to press reports. The deal would provide car makers with an infusion of $15 billion in low-interest loans, which is far short of the $34 billion they told the Senate last week they need to stay afloat, but enough to tide them over until March, when the Obama administration will have a chance to mull over any future funding measures. President-elect Barack Obama is backing a car industry funding compromise, but says the auto industry must come up with a top to bottom restructuring if it’s going to survive, even calling for some of the heads of the companies to resign if they don’t produce. “I don’t think it’s an option to allow them to collapse,” he said during a press conference on Sunday to announce his Veterans Affairs pick. But he added, “I think Congress is doing exactly the right thing by asking for a conditions-based assistance package that holds the auto industry’s feet to the fire.” But don’t expect smooth sailing for the plan, which is expected to be introduced in the Senate on Tuesday. Calling the bailout a “bridge loan to nowhere” on Sunday, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), a ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, is threatening to filibuster any automaker bailout plan. “This is a down payment on many billions to come,” he told Fox News on Sunday. Congressional leaders say the congressional bailout measure most likely will be introduced on Tuesday.

Congress passes bill to issue civil rights coin. The United Negro College Fund commends Congress for the bipartisan passage of the Commemorative Civil Rights Coin Bill, of which President-elect Barack Obama was lead sponsor. The commemorative coin raises funds for UNCF, the nation’s largest minority education organization. The coin is to be issued in 2014 and will mark the 50^th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in employment and public accommodations such as hotels and restaurants. “UNCF is excited about the passing of the commemorative coin bill and proud to receive the proceeds from sales of the coin, which pays tribute to civil rights pioneers who were instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and CEO of UNCF. “We are honored that the proceeds from the coin will carry on the legacy by helping UNCF continue to support the 60,000 students who depend on UNCF each year for the support that enables them to attend college and get the education they need to launch their careers and contribute to their communities.”  Proceeds for the sale of the coins will support scholarships at UNCF member schools. 

Automakers leave Capitol Hill empty-handed. GM, Ford, Chrysler leave Congress empty-handed on Tuesday after they told lawmakers that their situation was dire and the needed help. After hearing from the automakers, who asked for $25 billion in aid, the lawmakers deadlocked on a plan to bail out the big three automakers, leaving General Motors Corp. facing the prospect it could run out of cash before a new Congress can come to the rescue next year. Democratic congressional leaders disagreed with Republicans and President Bush over how to provide $25 billion in aid to GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. But they’re running out time to find a solution, since only two days remain in a lame-duck session for lawmakers to decide upon a compromise.

Detroit’s big three auto makers beg Congress. Detroit’s big three auto makers have gone to Capitol Hill with their hats in their hand, hoping that lawmakers will dole out $25 billion to save the limping industry. Unfortunately, the legislation clings to life support as top lawmakers and the White House seem reluctant to help an industry they say has been slow to adjust to consumers’ demand for gas-efficient cars. Democratic congressional leaders want to tap the $700 billion Wall Street rescue package for new loans to U.S. auto manufacturers and suppliers, but the White House and GOP lawmakers say the beleaguered industry shouldn’t get a dime. In a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, congressional leaders portrayed the Big Three as both short-sighted in their business strategies and central to the economy. “Their board rooms in my view have been devoid of vision,” Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said as Congress kicked off the first of two days of hearings. “They have promoted and often driven the demand of inefficient, gas-guzzling vehicles, and dismissed the threat of global warming.” President Bush and GOP lawmakers instead propose diverting $25 billion in loans approved by Congress in September – designed to help auto manufacturers retool their factories so they can make more fuel-efficient vehicles – to cover the firms’ immediate financial woes.   But auto executives, backed by leading Democrats, insist they need another $25 billion in emergency loans to avert a collapse of one or more of their companies before year’s end. That would bring the total federal help for the industry to $50 billion this year. 

The nation’s oldest private, historically Black university cuts jobs.  The nation’s oldest private, historically Black university is cutting jobs and reducing salaries to make up for a $2.8 million budget shortfall. Wilberforce University interim President Patricia Hardaway says private donations, revenue from the university endowment and tuition have all been hurt by the deteriorating economy. Hardaway says the school in Wilberforce, Ohio, will cut six to eight staff positions and make $850,000 in salary cuts. Wilberforce is also asking employees who have not previously paid into their insurance fund to contribute a small amount. The university has about 800 students. Its total annual operating budget was $15.6 million before the cuts.