Former Sen. Edward Brooke accepts the Congressional Medal Gold Medal in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Oct. 28, 2009 –Sen. Edward Brooke, the first African-American man elected by popular vote suggested to lawmakers gathered to honor him Wednesday to put aside partisan bickering and work together.

Brooke, 90 years-old, said to Republican and Democratic lawmakers gathered in the packed Rotunda of the Capitol, “We’ve got to get together.”  Acknowledging Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Brooke added, “We have no alternative. There’s nothing left. It’s time for politics to be put aside on the back burner.”

The president departed the ceremony before Brooke’s remarks but delivered a similar message.   “He didn’t care whether a bill was popular or politically expedient, Democratic or Republican — he cared about whether it helped people, whether it made a difference in their daily lives,” Obama said.

“When pressed to define himself, he’d offer phrases like “creative moderate,” or “a liberal with a conservative bent.”  But in truth, Ed Brooke’s career was animated not by a faith in any particular party or ideology, but rather, by a faith in the people he served,” the president said.

President Barack Obama and former Sen. Edward Brooke.

The late Sen. Edward Kennedy,( D-Mass.), along with other lawmakers introduced the legislation to give Brooke Congress’ highest award.  Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Kennedy and son Rep. Patrick Kennedy, (D-R.I.) attended the ceremony.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Oct. 23, 2009 –The public option is starting to look good to the American public and  to lawmakers burning the midnight oil working on health care reform legislation. It looks like late night talks could bring the White House and senior Senate Democrats closer together on how to reform health care that includes a government run insurance program.

 Thursday night’s meeting ended with talk of health care legislation that would strongly consider a requirement for the federal government to compete directly with private industry in the sale of insurance.

This is exactly what Black lawmakers have wanted from the beginning and something President Obama said he “strongly supported” but wouldn’t require.  Following the summer town hall meetings were folks railed against the plan, the alternative proposed co-op by some Senate conservatives and flexibility of the presidents’ stand on the issue made it difficult to secure congressional support.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked Thursday about the possibility of a “state-based” public option gaining support.  Gibbs wouldn’t commit,  “Obviously we’ll continue to evaluate proposals as they come down the pike that are involved in the merged legislation as we go forward.”

But if individual states decided to “opt-out” that would create another set of circumstances – but it appears to be one of the options being discussed. 

But the first glimmer of hope for the public option came from Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson, (Neb) and Kent Conrad,(N.D)., when they told reporters they had heard private negotiations were considering the plan.

In recent weeks support for the public option has increased.  The Congressional Budget Office gave it a better score than the suggested co-operative plan and five of the proposed health care bills in the House and Senate committee have a public option.  

Opponents contend an affordable public option would drive private insurers out of business and be the first steps toward a government run health care system.  However supporters of the public options say if the insurance companies offer fair market prices there business will grow with an additional 40 million Americans entering the market place.

The president should put his full force behind the public option – the tide is turning and he should grab onto the wave.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Oct. 19, 2009 – This latest war of words between Fox News and the Obama White House in my view is a no-win situation; Fox News is never going to do positive stories about the administration and the administration can’t waste time battling a 24-hour cable news network.  But it seems things heated up last week when President Barack Obama’s communications director, Anita Dunn, told CNN that Fox was viewed by the administration as “a wing of the Republican Party.”

Anita Dunn’s words apparently set off what followed over the weekend with Fox News Channel calling foul and White House staff not backing down. 

Every political junkie will tell you they watch all the cable news channels to “keep up” and usually admit they check out Fox News to get the Republican spin and “opinion” on the issue of the day.  Fox’s stock and trade is anti-Obama stories and dissing most Democrats and their policies, so I’m not sure why they care what the White House says.

Dunn said the administration isn’t cutting the network out – they just deal with them knowing they have a predisposed perspective.   Dunn said, Obama “has appeared on Fox shows in the past (and) he certainly will appear on them in the future.” 

One of Obama’s top advisers, David Axelrod, restated on ABC’s “This Week” that administration officials will appear on Fox even as he reiterated that the network should not be treated as a news organization.   Ouch!

According to The Associated Press, Fox network executive Michael Clemente said it was “astounding” that administration critics couldn’t distinguish between news and opinion programming.  “It seems self-serving on their part,” he said.

“The administration was being attacked, members of this administration were being attacked, policies of this administration were being misrepresented — and that’s a generous interpretation of how they were being described,” Dunn said. “The reality is that at some point, the administration has to defend itself.”

It’s doubtful this will be ending soon, but it should.  I say let’s get back to health care reform.

What do you think, are  you a Fox News viewer? 

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Oct. 9, 2009 – President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize and joins the ranks of men he’s admired and spoken of since his early days in public service; one of the most memorable, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The committee honored the president for what they called “”his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

When the announcement made its way to the White House before dawn, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called the president and woke him with the news.

The news Obama had won the prestigious honor was announced in Oslo at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT).  Reuter’s news service is reporting a White House official saying, “The president was humbled to be selected by the committee.”

Other famous Nobel Peace Prize winners include The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964, Nelson Mandela, 1993 and in Kofi Annan in 2001.

Obama joins three other U.S. presidents: President Jimmy Carter who was awarded the prize in 2002 for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to international conflicts,  Theodor Roosevelt who won in 1906 for negotiating a peace agreement that ended the Russo-Japanese war, and Woodrow Wilson in 1906.

The most recent elected official to win the honor is former Vice President Al Gore in 2007 for his efforts to raise awareness about climate changes and saving the environment.

Before the president can thank the committee for the honor, critics are questioning if he deserves the award just nine months into his presidency.  The answer to that is simple; he  won the honor – so yes, he’s deserves it.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Oct. 6, 2009 – Eight U.S. soldiers were killed near the Afghan and Pakistan border on Saturday just as President Obama, his national security team and his ground commanders plunged into the debate on  the next steps to take in the eight-year war. 

The conflict has intensified in recent months and so has the tension between the president and Congress.  This could be the reason Obama has invited members of Congress to the White House Tuesday for a briefing on Afghanistan.  

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during Monday’s briefing, the president will “walk them through where we are in (the) process and solicit their views.”

Gibbs added, that the president has not made any decision as of yet on sending extra troops.  Lawmakers from both parties have been invited and Gibbs said the president’s meeting is to hear all opinions on the war.

Obama may find some Democrats a tough sell on sending more troops to the Afghanistan.  Some Dems were early opponents to the conflict that has lasted longer than expected and remains unpopular with those members of Congress firmly against an insurgency of troops in an already volatile,  dangerous territory. 

One outspoken longtime opponent, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), is a member of a group of Democrats who have introduced legislation to the House of Representatives to block the deployment of any additional troops by prohibiting the use of funds to support troop increases.

Lee said, “As we consider the possibility of further entrenching United States Armed Forces by sending significantly more brave men and women in uniform into harm’s way, this legislation sends a clear message in opposition to this course of action.”

It’s really hard to tell who will have the most influence on the president’s decision.  But one thing is for sure, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has publicly said he needs 40,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be successful. 

Let’s see if he gets what he wants.

Do you think we should send more troops to Afghanistan?

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Oct. 1, 2009 – The president held a meeting with his national security team Wednesday to discuss the progress and the challenges the U.S. is facing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Today he’ll leave for Copenhagen to plug the U.S. as the host of the 2016 Olympics.

First lady Michelle Obama stops to talk to waiting reporters as Pat Ryan, third right, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chicago 2016 looks on. Mrs. Obama meets with International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Copenhagen,Wednesday as part of the Chicago 2016 bid team who are competing with Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro for the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The OIC will vote on Friday, Oct. 2, in Copenhagen. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Critics this week have charged the president is spreading himself too thin and that he needs to stay put and worry about health care reform, two wars and the economy.

Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, told reporters Tuesday, “I think at a time of recession, at a time where Americans have expressed rather significantly their concerns and frustrations over the course of the spring and summer about health care, about the economy, about a host of domestic issues, even international issues, I think that this trip, while nice, is not necessary for the president.”

But the White House disagrees.  During Wednesday’s press briefing, Robert Gibbs, the president’s press secretary, was asked if all the issues with Iran, Afghanistan, and health care created an “extraordinary week.”  Gibbs said, the administration has been juggling a number of issues since taking office on January 21, and this week was no exception.

“I think this has been an extraordinary eight months. What did we wake up to on the 21st of January?  An economy that was sliding off the cliff; a banking system that your paper had written about that could fail; any number of international challenges,” Gibbs said.

On Wednesday, House Minority Leader John Boehner added his voice to the chorus of critics. “Listen, I think it’s a great idea to promote Chicago, but he’s the president of the United States, not the mayor of Chicago. 

“And the problems we have here at home affect all Americans and that’s where his attention ought to be,” Boehner said.

One of those important issues is how the U.S. deals with al Qaeda. It was the topic of a closed door meeting with the president and his national security team.  Few details were released, but the White House released a brief summary stating, “As the U.S. aggressively confronts al Qaeda and its leadership around the world, the President has set a clear goal in Afghanistan: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and their extremist allies.”

“When it comes to decisions as important as keeping this country safe and putting our troops into harm’s way, the President has made it clear that he will rigorously assess our progress.”

The president will join the first lady in Copenhagen Thursday, but it’s doubtful his critics will go away.  It’s also doubtful his absence for a few days will be more than symbolic in asserting he isn’t working on other issues at hand.
 
What do you think? Should the president be promoting the Olympics coming to the U.S. or minding the store here in Washington?

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Sept. 28, 2009 – A poll had to be removed from the social networking site “Facebook” Monday titled: “Should Obama be killed?”  The U.S. Secret Service quickly launched an investigation to find out who was responsible for such a vial and dangerous online poll. 

“Facebook” is now working with authorities and has suspended the creator from using the site.  The question: “Should Obama be killed?” was followed with multiply choice answers; yes, no, maybe, and “if he cuts my health care.” 

Secret Service spokesman Malcomb Wiley told AFP news, “Once we found out about it, we worked with “Facebook” to have it removed.

“We are certainly investigating; just like we would with any threat case,” Wiley said.

So far the authorities know the poll was posted Saturday using a third-party application.  This system allows anyone to create a survey, post it and gather the results.  

More than 730 “Facebook” users had reportedly cast votes before the poll was yanked from the wildly popular social networking community.  Thank goodness the results were not available because the application was disabled.
Now we’ll have to see if any charges are filed and just who created the poll.  It’s against the law to threaten the life of the president and if the investigation leads to some organized hate group it should lead to a laundry list of federal charges. 

It’s hard to understand why anyone would think this poll was appropriate but let’s hope the Secret Service finds out if this person had plans to follow through.

What do you think of this latest attack on the commander-in-chief?   

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Sept. 9, 2009 – President Obama may have used his strongest language to date outlining his plan for health care reform during his address to a joint session of Congress: but was it strong enough to get a bill that delivers true reform?

“But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it,” he pronounced.

Video: Watch the President’s Full Speech

“I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what’s in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.”

Those are some of the strongest words the president has used in this debate. But the stakes were high tonight and the president wanted to make sure to link the economy and the importance of reforming what he called the status-quo.

The president said his plan will deliver on three major points. He said security and those who have insurance, insurance for those who don’t and to slow the growth of health care cost.

The president called on Republicans and Democrats to work together. He told his Democratic colleagues, “I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage affordable for those without it.”

Adding the public option is “only a means to that end.” He also spoke directly to the Republicans saying, “That rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have.”

“Well the time for bickering is over,” he insisted. “The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care.”

More on Health Care: Facts, Latest News and Stats

What do you think of the President’s speech?

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Poltical Producer

Sept. 3, 2009 – President Obama will address a joint session of Congress next week to publicly concede that he will not move forward with his campaign promise to overhaul health care reform.
 
One White House staffer told The New York Times, “It’s so important to get a deal…he’ll almost do anything to get one.”  That’s disappointing to hear. 

What’s surprising is the president is willing to “scale back” his plans for changing a system he’s said is broken and will only get worse. So what is he willing to give up?  

None of his critics have offered alternatives, Republicans have united against it, conservative Democrats have asked for more cost controls, and the American public  just want more details.    

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) said in a statement released Wednesday, “The president is clearly not running away from this battle but rather confronting the challenges we’ve encountered these last few weeks head-on.”

“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,” he said.

The good news about the presidents planned speech on Sept. 9, is it demonstrates he’s willing to step-up and give more direction and specifics of what he wants to see from Congress.

 The bad news is that it might be too late for him to breathe life back into health care reform and revive his promise to secure affordable health care for all Americans.

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, stands with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., during a rally for Obama at American University on Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, in Washington. Kennedy calling him a "man with extraordinary gifts of leadership and character," a worthy heir to his assassinated brother. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Aug. 30, 2009 – President Barack Obama returned Sunday from his family vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. The weeklong holiday mixed a little work with pleasure and ended on a solemn note as he delivered the eulogy for his friend and colleague, Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Kennedy’s death from a brain tumor at 77 years old has renewed the lawmaker’s lifelong legislative push to provide affordable health care for Americans. Now Kennedy’s legacy and the creation of Obama’s legacy are overlapping on this issue and could be decided by the end results. 

But the loss of the veteran senator, affectionately called The Lion of the Senate, could be just what Obama needs to spur him into focus and back on track to get health care reform passed in Congress.  

Over the weekend, supporters for revamping the current health care system took to the airwaves calling for action in honor and as a tribute to Kennedy.  His niece Maria Shriver told NBC’s Meet the Press, “Perhaps his passing will reinvigorate people to get it done, and he gave his life to that.”

Kennedy’s colleagues delivered a similar message. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) told ABC’s This Week, “Kennedy would have made it happen. He would not say ‘no’ to anything, because we have to reduce the cost. We have to make these changes.” 

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) agrees; he and Kennedy authored several pieces of major legislation over the years and he added, “If Kennedy were at the table now, I have no doubt he would negotiate some compromise.”

But Kennedy isn’t here and it looks like it will be up to the president to affect any compromise to get health care reform back on track.  It’s time for Obama to step up with his passion for the issue along with his leadership to the debate.  

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) said it best: “I think the president has got to decide, in a sense…and to step up and really frame this again for us.”

The president was able to relax last week and is planning some down time Labor Day weekend at Camp David with the family – but once Congress returns to Washington it will be back to business and the holiday will be over.