Live Blogging The Clinton/Martin Rally

I'm here on the campus of Clark Atlanta University where former President Bill Clinton will join Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin to rally supporters for the upcoming December 2nd run-off election.

The lines are already forming on The Quad which is basically a large open air section of the Clark Atlanta campus surrounding by various buildings.

More details as they come...

Obama-Biden Transition Team Announces More White House Staff

From the Transition Team:

WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama today announced the following key White House staff: David Axelrod, Lisa Brown, Greg Craig, and Chris Lu. David Axelrod will serve as Senior Advisor to the President, Lisa Brown will serve as Staff Secretary, Greg Craig will serve as White House Counsel, and Chris Lu will serve as Cabinet Secretary.

"I am pleased to announce these new additions to our team, and I'll be relying on their broad and diverse experience in the months ahead as we work to strengthen our economy, reform Washington, and meet the great challenges of our time," said President-elect Barack Obama.

Lisa Brown, Staff Secretary
Lisa Brown is the Executive Director of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. Lisa was Counsel to Vice President Gore from September 1999 through January 2001, and Deputy Counsel from April 1997 through August 1999. In addition to advising the Vice President on legal issues, Lisa served on the Executive Board of the President's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities and worked closely with the Vice President's Domestic Policy Office on a variety of legislative initiatives. Lisa was an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice from June 1996 until April 1997. Prior to her government service, Lisa was a Partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm Shea & Gardner. Ms. Brown graduated Magna Cum Laude from Princeton University with a B.A. in Political Economy in 1982. She received her law degree with Honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 1986.

Chris Lu, Cabinet Secretary
Christopher P. Lu has worked for President-elect Obama in a number of roles over the past four years. He was Legislative Director and Acting Chief of Staff in Obama’s Senate office, as well as a policy advisor during the presidential campaign. Chris is now the Executive Director of the Obama-Biden Transition Project, where he manages the day-to-day operations of the transition. From 1997 to 2005, he was Deputy Chief Counsel to Rep. Henry A. Waxman on the Democratic staff of the House Government Reform Committee (now the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee). A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Chris was a litigation attorney at Sidley Austin in Washington, D.C. (1992-1997), after a clerkship with the Honorable Robert E. Cowen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1991-1992).

The release also listed David Axelrod and Greg Craig but they had been announced previously.

We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation.

Georgia Senate: Chambliss 50 - Martin 46

From Rasmussen:

Chambliss leads 50% to 46%, with the vote scheduled for December 2. Four percent (4%) are undecided. However, runoff elections typically have lower voter turnout than general elections and can be impacted in either direction by organized get-out-the-vote efforts.

In Georgia, although Chambliss defeated Martin on Election Day, with a third-party candidate in the race, he failed to capture over 50 percent of the vote. By state law, that triggered a runoff election. Rasmussen Reports final pre-election poll showed Chambliss ahead, but narrowly below 50%.

Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Georgia voters say they are certain to cast their ballots in the runoff. Of this group, 51% favor Chambliss, 46% are for Martin, and three percent (3%) remain undecided.

It's all about Get Out The Vote and you can help. Open up your My Barack Obama page and start making calls by clicking on the Georgia Phone Campaign.

Obama-Biden Transition Team Announces Policy Working Group Leaders

Today, the Obama-Biden Transition Team announced leaders for a series of Policy Working Groups for the Presidential Transition.

The focus of the Policy Working Groups will be to develop the priority policy proposals and plans from the Obama Campaign for action during the Obama-Biden Administration. The Policy Working Groups will focus on the following areas: Economy, Education, Energy and Environment, Health Care, Immigration, National Security, and Technology, Innovation and Government Reform.

The list of Policy Working Group Leaders and their biographies are below:
Economic: Daniel K. Tarullo
Education: Linda Darling-Hammond
Energy and Environment: Carol M. Browner
Health Care: Senator Tom Daschle
Immigration: T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar
National Security: James B. Steinberg, Dr. Susan E. Rice
Technology, Innovation and Government Reform: Sonal Shah, Julius Genachowski, Blair Levin
Read more...

ECONOMIC:
Daniel K. Tarullo is Professor of Law at Georgetown University. He teaches and writes in the areas of banking law, international economic regulation, and economic policymaking. From 1993 to 1998 he was, successively, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy. From 1995 to 1998 he was also President Clinton’s personal representative to the G7/G8 group of industrialized nations. Prior to joining the Administration, he practiced law, served on the staff of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and taught at Harvard Law School.

EDUCATION:
Linda Darling-Hammond is Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University where she has launched the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and the School Redesign Network. Her research, teaching, and policy work focus on issues of school reform, teaching quality and educational equity. She is a former president of the American Educational Research Association and member of the executive board of the National Academy of Education. She has been a leader in the standards movement, chairing both the New York State Curriculum and Assessment Council as it adopted new standards and assessments for students and the Interstate New Teachers Support and Assessment Council (INTASC) as it developed new standards for teachers. From 1994-2001, she served as executive director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, a blue-ribbon panel whose 1996 report, What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future, was named in 2006 as one of the most influential affecting U.S. education, and Darling-Hammond was named one of the nation’s ten most influential people affecting educational policy. She received her BA from Yale University, magna cum laude, in 1973 and her Doctorate in Urban Education from Temple University in 1978. She began her career as a public school teacher.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT:
Carol M. Browner is the longest serving Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency serving from 1993 to 2001. Prior to that, she served as Florida Secretary of the Environment. Browner is a founder and principal of The Albright Group LLC, a global strategy firm and of Albright Capital Management, an investment advisory firm that focuses on emerging markets. Browner serves as the chair of the National Audubon Society Board of Directors, and sits on the Board of Directors of APX, the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Center for American Progress and the League of Conservation Voters.

HEALTH CARE:
Currently, Senator Tom Daschle is an advisor to the law firm of Alston and Bird, where he provides strategic advice on public policy issues such as climate change, energy, health care, trade, financial services, and telecommunications. He is also a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for American Progress, a Visiting Professor at Georgetown University and a public speaker. In 2007, he joined with former Majority Leaders George Mitchell, Bob Dole, and Howard Baker to create the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization dedicated to finding common ground on some of the pressing public policy challenges of our time. He is also Co-Chair of the ONE Vote ’08 Campaign, along with former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, to address health and poverty in the developing world in a more aggressive and successful way.

Daschle was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978, serving eight years. In 1986, Daschle was elected to the U.S. Senate. Two years later he became the first Co-Chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and the first South Dakotan to be elected to a leadership position in the U.S. Congress. In 1994, Daschle was elected by his colleagues as their Democratic Leader. Daschle is one of the longest-serving Senate Democratic Leaders in history and the only one to serve twice as both Majority and Minority Leader.

IMMIGRATION:
T. Alexander Aleinikoff has been Dean of the Georgetown University Law Center and Executive Vice President of Georgetown University since July 2004. He has been a member of the Georgetown faculty since 1997. Dean Aleinikoff served as General Counsel and Executive Associate Commissioner for Programs at the Immigration and Naturalization Service for several years during the Clinton Administration. From 1997 to 2004 he was a Senior Associate at the Migration Policy Institute, where he now serves on the Board of Trustees. He has written widely on immigration, refugee and citizenship law and constitutional law. Dean Aleinikoff is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Yale Law School.

Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar is Professor and Deane F. Johnson Faculty Scholar at Stanford Law School. His work focuses on how organizations manage complex regulatory, migration, international security, and criminal justice problems. During the Clinton Administration he served at Treasury as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Enforcement, where he worked on countering domestic and international financial crime, improving border coordination, and enhancing anti-corruption measures. He has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including Asylum Access and the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation. He has testified before Congress on immigration policy and separation of powers, and was appointed to the Silicon Valley Blue Ribbon Task Force on Aviation Security. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute.

NATIONAL SECURITY:
James B. Steinberg is dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs (2006-present) and is a former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Clinton (1996-2000). His previous positions include vice president and director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution (2001-2005), director of the Policy Planning Staff (1994-1996) and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Analysis in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1993-1994) at the U.S. Department of State. He is the author of and contributor to many books on foreign policy and national security topics, including, most recently, with Kurt Campbell, Difficult Transitions: Foreign Policy Troubles at the Outset of Power.

Dr. Susan E. Rice served most recently as a Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Obama for America campaign while on leave from the Brookings Institution where she is a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Global Economy and Development Programs. Rice currently serves on the Obama-Biden Transition Project Advisory Board. From 1997-2001, she was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Prior to that, Rice served in the White House at the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs and as Director for International Organizations and Peacekeeping. Rice was previously a management consultant at McKinsey and Company. She received her B.A. in History with Honors from Stanford University and her M.Phil. and D.Phil. (Ph.D.) degrees in International Relations from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.

TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION & GOVERNMENT REFORM:
Blair Levin is a Managing Director of Stifel Nicolaus and serves as the firm’s principal telecom, media and tech regulatory and strategy analyst. Prior to his work as an analyst, Mr. Levin served as Chief of Staff to Chairman Reed Hundt at the Federal Communications Commission from 1993 through 1997. Before joining the FCC, Levin was a partner in the North Carolina law firm of Parker Poe, Poe, Adams and Bernstein.

Sonal Shah
Sonal Shah heads Google.org’s global development efforts. Prior to joining Google, she was Vice President at Goldman, Sachs and Co. developing and implementing the firm’s environmental policy. She is also the co-founder of Indicorps, a U.S.-based non-profit organization offering one-year fellowships Indian-Americans to work on development projects in India. Sonal also worked at the Center for American Progress on trade, outsourcing and post conflict issues and the Center for Global Development on development policy issues. Sonal worked at the Department of Treasury from 1995-2002 on various economic issues and regions of the world, including Bosnia, Kosovo, the Asian crisis and sub-Saharan Africa. During that time she also worked at the National Security Council from 1998-1999. Sonal received her BA in economics from the University of Chicago and her MA in economics from Duke University. She is on the Obama-Biden Transition Project Advisory Board.

Julius Genachowski is co-founder of Rock Creek Ventures and LaunchBox Digital, a special advisor at General Atlantic, and a member of various boards of directors and advisors. From 1997 to 2005, he was a senior executive at IAC/InterActiveCorp, where his roles included Chief of Business Operations, General Counsel, and a member of the Office of the Chairman. Genachowski served at the Federal Communications Commission from 1994 to 1997, including as Chief Counsel to the Chairman. >From 1991 to 1994 he served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (ret.), and to Chief Judge Abner J. Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He worked in Congress from 1985 to 1988, for Sen. Charles E. Schumer (then a U.S. Representative), and for the joint select committe on the Iran-Contra Affair. He is a on the Obama-Biden Transition Project Advisory Board.


The Policy Working Group Leaders can also be viewed here

Cabinet Watch: Tom Daschle for Sec. Health & Human Services

Former Senator Tom Daschle has been tapped to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. This is not official yet, but it is being reported by Roll Call:

Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has been offered the job of Health and Human Services secretary by President-elect Barack Obama and has accepted the job, according to a Democratic source close to Daschle.

As a former Senate Majority (and Minority) Leader, Daschle brings a wealth of experience that will be helpful in steering an important department within the administration. In recent years, Daschle has been active in the field, teaching and writing books on the subject of healthcare.

What's more: he will be a highly valuable ally in any healthcare reform debates that require a lot of negotiation with both houses of Congress. Having a seasoned, former Senator working to pass legislation in the Democratically controlled House and Senate was among the missing links to the Clinton plan proposed back in 1994.

We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation. As soon as it becomes official, we'll add Daschle to our list.

We're also keeping a list of rumored appointees here.

Republican National Committee Kicks In $2 Million For Saxby Chambliss

It looks like the GOP is serious as a heart attack at keeping Senator Saxby in office.

Sen. John Ensign said Wednesday that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has transferred $2 million earmarked for the Senate runoff in Georgia to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which was $4 million in debt after Election Day. [Source: The Hill, "RNC gives NRSC $2 million for Georgia runoff", November 19, 2008]

That is some serious cheddar right there, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be in Atlanta next week to raise even more dough for Georgia's senior U.S. Senator [Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Call him D’Artagnan: Giuliani completes a GOP parade of presidential ex’s", November 19, 2008].

Just in case you're wondering where the big bats for the Democrats are, the Martin for Senate campaign sent out an email to supporters this morning informing them that former Vice President Al Gore would be in Atlanta Sunday evening for a $125 per person fundraiser.

Lunchtime Trivia

Ben Smith is reporting on the write-ins on the Florida ballots.

Hillary won with 234.

Here is the list of those who received one vote each: Abstain, Against All, Alfred E. Newman, Bill Clinton, Bill O'Riely, Bill Richardson, Bobby Bowden, Bugs Bunny, May the best man win, Me, Morgan Freeman, Mr. Bill, Newt Gingwrich, None (Anarchy), Oprah, Pat Buchannan, Ralph Nader, Hilary Bush, Homer Simpson, Jay Plotkin, Jimmy Carter, Joe the Plumber, John Doe, Lieberman, Theodore Roosevelt, They Both Suck '08, Tiger Woods, Tommy Chong, Truman, Weird Al Yancovic, William Crosby and Willie Nelson.

I love democracy...

Congresswoman-elect Marcia Fudge to be sworn in today

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will hold a swearing in ceremony for Congresswoman-elect Martha Fudge. Fudge was chosen in October to take over Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones seat from Ohio's 11th District. She won yesterday's special election to finish Tubbs Jones term. Tubbs Jones passed away in August after a brain aneurysm.

Congresswoman-elect Fudge also won on November 4th to succeed Tubbs Jones for the 11th District.

The swearing in will take place at 1PM Eastern on the House Floor.

Minnesota Senate Recount Starts Today

This was one of the races I watched very closely this year. Seeing Norm Coleman lose his Senate seat would be the icing on the cake for me. Out of 2.9 million votes, Coleman leads by only 215 votes (or .008%).

The Minnesota Secretary of State website has all you need to know about the recount:

Recount Plan - Includes all dates and rules for the recount.
2008 Recount Guide - detailed instructions for election officials
Recount FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Not all counties will begin their recount today according to the Recount Plan above. Some counties won't start until as late as December 3rd. Counties have until December 5th to complete their recount. Final tabulation of the votes will begin on December 16th and should conclude by December 19th.

If you still have anything left in your wallet, the Franken Campaign still needs help.

Here's an interesting section of the Minnesota Election Laws that brings back shivers from Florida in 2000.

204C.22 DETERMINING VOTER’S INTENT.
Subdivision 1. Ballot valid if intent determinable. A ballot shall not be rejected for a
technical error that does not make it impossible to determine the voter’s intent. In determining
intent the principles contained in this section apply.
Subd. 2. From face of ballot only. Intent shall be ascertained only from the face of the
ballot.
Subd. 3. Votes for too many candidates. If a voter places a mark (X) beside the names of
more candidates for an office than are to be elected or nominated, the ballot is defective with
respect only to that office. No vote shall be counted for any candidate for that office, but the rest
of the ballot shall be counted if possible. At a primary, if a voter has not indicated a party
preference and places a mark (X) beside the names of candidates of more than one party on the
partisan ballot, the ballot is totally defective and no votes on it shall be counted. If a voter has
indicated a party preference at a primary, only votes cast for candidates of that party shall be
counted.
Subd. 3a. Votes yes and no. If a voter votes both yes and no on a question, no vote may be
counted for that question, but the rest of the ballot must be counted if possible.
Subd. 4. Name written in proper place. If a voter has written the name of an individual in
the proper place on a general or special election ballot a vote shall be counted for that individual
whether or not the voter makes a mark (X) in the square opposite the blank.
Subd. 4a. Write-in vote for candidate team. A write-in vote cast for a candidate for
governor without a write-in vote for a candidate for lieutenant governor must be counted as a
vote for the candidate team including the lieutenant governor candidate selected by that
candidate for governor.
Subd. 5. Name written on primary ballot. If a voter has written the name of an individual
on a primary or special primary ballot, a vote shall not be counted for that office.
Subd. 6. Mark out of place. If a mark (X) is made out of its proper place, but so near a
name or space as to indicate clearly the voter’s intent, the vote shall be counted.
Subd. 7. All written names or marks counted up to limit. If a number of individuals are
to be elected to the same office, the election judges shall count all names written in and all
printed names with (X) marks in squares opposite them, not exceeding the whole number to be
elected. When fewer names than the number to be elected are marked with an (X) or written in,
only the marked or written in names shall be counted. When more names than the number to be
elected are marked or written in, the ballot is defective with respect to that office and no vote
shall be counted for that office.
Subd. 8. Misspelling; abbreviations. Misspelling or abbreviations of the names of write-in
candidates shall be disregarded if the individual for whom the vote was intended can be clearly
ascertained from the ballot.
Subd. 9. Votes for only some offices or questions determined. If the voter’s choice for
only some of the offices or questions can be determined from a ballot, the ballot shall be counted
for those offices or questions only.
Subd. 10. Different marks. If a voter uniformly uses a mark other than (X) which clearly
indicates an intent to mark a name or to mark yes or no on a question, and the voter does not use
(X) anywhere else on the ballot, a vote shall be counted for each candidate or response to a
question marked. If a voter uses two or more distinct marks, such as (X) and some other mark, a
vote shall be counted for each candidate or response to a question marked, unless the ballot is
marked by distinguishing characteristics that make the entire ballot defective as provided in
subdivision 13.
Subd. 11. Attempted erasures. If the names of two candidates have been marked, and an
attempt has been made to erase or obliterate one of the marks, a vote shall be counted for the
remaining marked candidate. If an attempt has been made to obliterate a write-in name a vote
shall be counted for the remaining write-in name or marked candidate.
Subd. 12. Soil; defacement. A ballot shall not be rejected merely because it is slightly
soiled or defaced.
Subd. 13. Identifying ballot. If a ballot is marked by distinguishing characteristics in a
manner making it evident that the voter intended to identify the ballot, the entire ballot is
defective.
Subd. 14. No votes for certain offices. If the number of candidates for an office is equal to
the number of individuals to be elected to that office, and the voter has not marked any name, no
vote shall be counted for any candidate for that office.
Subd. 15. Blank ballot for one or more offices valid. If no name or response to a question
is marked and no name is written in, the ballot is blank with respect to that office or question. A
ballot that is blank with respect to one or more offices or questions is not defective.

The Auto Bailout Debate Continues

I'd heard that "10% of all jobs in America are tied to the auto industry."

It seemed high to me. But I wasn't sure, so I did some research.

Knowledge is power, so I'm sharing...

My first question was: how many jobs are there in the United States? It's hard to tell because of the way things are calculated. (I'll save that for another post and give you the Clif Notes version). There were slightly more than 174,249,000 jobs in America in 2005. The oft-quoted job loss number is about 3 million, which by my math, is more like 1.7%. Don't get me wrong, the raw numbers are terrifying, but it's nowhere near 10%.

My next question was about supply chain affects. One factoid that interested me was in the USA Today (18 November, page 2A). Toyota says:

We are concerned with the industry in general, but we're mostly concerned about our suppliers. If the worse happens in Detroit and these companies suffer, we're worried about their longevity as well.

I know a little bit about manufacturing, and certainly understand the problems involved in re-tooling from, say, giant pick-up trucks with gasoline engines to small cars powered by plug-in electric batteries. But a lot of the parts that suppliers manufacture (windshields, air filters, tires, you know, the easily identifiable parts) are already produced in multiple configurations without much trouble. It seems that if the demand for autos exists, the parts suppliers can easily make, say, 21" windshield wiper blades as easily as they can make 24" windshield wiper blades.

Then, I was curious about how dependent the economy is on indirect contributions. It appears that they include jobs dependent on CARS, not domestic cars. Included are things like taxi cabs, car washes, tire and muffler stores, etc. Those jobs don't go away: rather they are dependent on the total number of automobiles from any source.

The most recent report comes from the Center for Automotive Research. They ran two models on the failure of Detroit: 100% failure, or 50% failure.

Their conclusions:

Total Impacts after 3 years:

100% loss:
Personal Income ($ billions) -398.2
Combined loss of tax receipts and increase in transfer payments ($ billions) -156.4

50% loss:
Personal Income ($ billions) -275.7
Combined loss of tax receipts and increase in transfer payments ($ billions) -108.1

Can someone explain to me how an infusion of the $25 billion the Big Three are looking for affects those numbers? Are any of you planning on buying a car in the next several months? Is anyone you know? And if no one is buying a new car, how do we save auto manufacturing?

Senate 2010 - Let the Race Begin

I had planned on framing out the Senate, 2010, once the Senate, 2009, was set. I wanted to start with Pennsylvania, not just because I live here, but because the potential cast of characters is just so rich. Arlen Spector, once a Democrat, now a Republican, cancer survivor, and he'll be fun to watch during the first Supreme confirmation hearing. Maybe Pat Toomey will take him on again in the primary.

Fast Eddie Rendell, ALWAYS fun to watch. (And when I get around to the race, I'm going to tell the story of the first time I met Ed: trust me, things like that don't happen every day.) Chris Matthews, the wild card.



But that's waiting because, as Matt reported, John has already announced that he's running in 2010 to keep his Arizona seat.

My first question is: which John is going to run?

The John that ran in 2004 was still the 2000 McCain. Actual McCain, not McShame. Now, a lot of his record is an open book: his temper, his pandering to the evangelical base, his flip-flopping on issues (drill, baby dril) that ran counter to his long-held record, and an outing of his uber-conservative record on things like being anti-choice, and anti-birth control. Fresh in the minds of his constituency will be how he votes in 2009 on economic packages. Arizona is one of the states hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis: will he vote to bail them out, or a the no-oversight/no-intervention Republican he was this year?

The field he'll run against will be rich. Most likely, popular Governor Janet Napolitano (term limited) will be on the primary ballot.

Professionals wait for polls, and wait until things are closer to increase their odds of being right. Me, I'm a blogger, so I feel no such compunction.

I'm not convinced John runs. And if he does, I'm positive he loses. There are a lot of reasons: changing demographics, his age and medical history, his changing position on immigration which is an important issue in Arizona. But mostly, it's his position on earmarks that will bring him down.

In 2009, Senators and Congressmen/women will be fighting for dollars to bring home. As will mayors, industries, and everybody else. There is going to be a huge stimulus package, and the ability to shore up local economies is going to be critical.

Earmarks may or may not be a good way to do business: when it's seed money, as it has been for decades in West Virginia and Alaska, it works very well. In other cases, it's just pure pork which benefits very few actual citizens. But in the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression, come out against helping your constituency?

Stick a fork in 'em, turn 'em over, he's done.

The Senate: January 2009 Redux

If you've been reading DCW for a while, you should have known that this was coming:

Online Surveys & Market Research

Remember: recounts and run-offs cost money!
You can contribute here:
Franken recount
Martin run-off

Biden Resignation Update

On Monday we noted that Biden has said in pre-election interviews (although not confirmed post-election) that he wouldn't resign until Inauguration Day, Jan 20. That begged the question, who would get to make the appointment. We have an answer:

ABC News has learned that Delaware's newly elected Democratic governor is planning to take the oath of office at 12:01 a.m. ET on Jan. 20, 2009, making it possible for him to name Vice President-elect Joe Biden's replacement to the United States Senate. Whether Governor-elect Jack Markell (D) gets to name Biden's Senate replacement will ultimately turn on whether the Vice President-elect makes good on his stated intention to wait until the moment he becomes Vice President to resign from the U.S. Senate.

We'll know who appoints him if Biden resigns on Jan 20.

But if he does resign on Jan 20, this scenario leads to another possible replacement: Current Governor Ruth Ann Minner.

And if Minner gets the appointment, she would likely not run for re-election, allowing Beau Biden to then run for the seat in 2010. (Beau Biden announced earlier today that he would not accept an appointment to his father's seat, which makes sense as he is leaving shortly for a tour of duty in Iraq).

Stephen Colbert Visits The Early Show

Watch CBS Videos Online

Cabinet Watch: Rumors

We'll summarize all the rumored nominees here. Let us know who we've missed.

Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson
Secretary of the Treasury:
Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel
Attorney General: Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health & Human Services: Tom Daschle
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veteran Affairs: Max Cleland, Tammy Duckworth
Secretary of Homeland Security: Rand Beers, Tim Roemer, James Lee Witt
Administrator of the EPA: Robert Kennedy Jr.
Director of Office Management & Budget: Peter Orszag
Director of National Drug Control Policy
US Trade Representative

We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation.

365/24/7

What do those numbers mean?

That Democrats will work hard all year, all day, and all week, to make this country a better place? Well, as Earl might say, there's some karma runnin' around:

Number of Electoral Votes won by Barack Obama: 365
Number of GOP House seats won by Democrats: 24
Number of GOP Senate seats won by Democrats: 7

And what, you might ask, happens if we win in Minnesota or Georgia?

Senate Election Results

Current Dem	Current Rep	New Dem Safe+Wins	New Rep Safe+Wins	Total Dem	Pickup
39	26	19	13	58	+7
Last updated: 9:30 EST, 11/18/08

Warner, Shaheen, Collins (R), Hagan, Udall (NM), Udall (CO), Landrieu, McConnell (R), Wicker (R), Merkley, and Begich win.
MN going to a recount, GA going to a runoff.


Click here for our seat-by-seat results

Seat	Current	% Vote In	Dem Votes	Rep Votes	% Dem	% Rep
AK (Stevens)	R				PICKUP
CO (Open)	R				PICKUP
GA (Chambliss)	R	RUNOFF			46.8%	49.8%
KY (McConnell)	R					WINS
LA (Landrieu)	D				WINS
ME (Collins)	R					WINS
MN (Coleman)	R	RECOUNT			42%	42%
MS (Wicker)	R					WINS
NC (Dole)	R				PICKUP
NH (Sununu)	R				PICKUP
NM (Open)	R				PICKUP
OR (Smith)	R				PICKUP
TX (Cornyn)	R					WINS
VA (Open)	D				PICKUP

Senator Mark Begich, Democrat, Alaska

Update:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Mark Begich, the Democratic Anchorage mayor, has defeated Sen. Ted Stevens in a closely contested, see-saw race for the United States Senate, according to Associated Press projections.

The Division of Elections has almost concluded an initial count of absentee, early in-person and questioned ballots Tuesday. That, coupled with the numbers culled from Election Day, gave Begich a 3,724-vote lead over Stevens, the 40-year Republican incumbent, with about 2,500 ballots left to count.

Update 2:

Alaska elections Director Gail Fenumiai said 2,500 overseas ballots remain to be counted.

She said officials hope to make an official announcement during the week of December 1 -- and that Stevens would then have five days to request a recount. - CNN

Original Post:

After another round of counting incoming ballots, Mark Begich is running away with a win in Alaska. He now leads by 2,374 3,724 votes. Though there are still votes to be counted, the remaining amounts are small and come from areas which are likely to break even or Democratic, meaning that Begich will hold on to his lead and thus be the next United States Senator from the country's 50th 49th state.

According to Ballotpedia, Alaska has no mandatory recount law. However, a defeated candidate may request a recount within five days of the state canvass:

There are no automatic recount provisions in Alaska election law, except in the event of a tie vote for two or more candidates for the same office for which there is to be elected only one candidate.

A recount may be requested by a defeated candidate or ten voters within a particular precinct or state house district. Recount requests must made by filing an application with the elections director within five days of the state review of the votes, except that requests for a recount of votes cast for governor and lieutenant governor must be filed within three days after completion of the state review.

The elections director fixes the date of the recount to be held within three days after the receipt of a recount request regarding an election for governor and lieutenant governor and within five days after receipt of a recount request regarding any other office, question, or proposition.

The director, along with additional personnel he or she employs for assistance, reviews all ballots to determine which ballots were properly marked and which ballots are to be counted in the recount and checks the accuracy of the original count, the precinct certificate, and the review. The director also counts absentee ballots received before the completion of the recount. The recount must be completed within ten days.

If the difference between the number of votes cast was 20 or less or was less than 0.5% of the total number of votes cast for the two candidates for a contested office, the state bears the cost of the recount.

Otherwise the application for recount must include a deposit of $300 per precinct, $750 per state house district, and $10,000 $15,000 for a state recount request. If as a result of the recount a candidate is declared elected who is not the candidate that received the original election certificate, or the total vote in favor of the candidate or issue on the application is 4% or more than the vote reported by the state review of the election, the deposit is refunded.

Meanwhile, Bob Bird, the independent candidate on the ballot, garnered 12,829 votes (4.17%). The Washington Post wrote a blurb on him yesterday which states that he likely pulled all or nearly all of his votes from Stevens.

-Ed.

We'll still have McCain to kick around...

After much speculation that his failed presidential bid would be his last campaign, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has decided to run for re-election to his Senate seat in 2010.-Roll Call

Peter Orzagh rumored to be Obama's pick for Budget Director.

From National Journal Online:

President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to tap Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag, once a veteran economic adviser in the Clinton White House, to become his budget director, according to several National Journal sources. The Office of Management and Budget job -- seen as a key post to help Obama deliver on his domestic policy agenda amidst the gloom of a $700 billion federal financial rescue, a recession and the prospects of a $1 trillion deficit next year -- carries Cabinet rank. An announcement is expected soon, but could come with other personnel decisions Obama is making to lead the Treasury Department and National Economic Council in his White House.

The two leading candidates to become Obama's "honest broker" lead at the NEC are Dan Tarullo and Jacob "Jack" Lew, both respected former members of Bill Clinton's deep economic bench. Both have senior government and academic track records. Tarullo, a former assistant to the president for international economic policy, is coordinating part of Obama's economic transition team. Lew, a former OMB director and former executive vice president at New York University, heads Citigroup's alternative investments group.

We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation.