March Madness, White House Style

President Obama has a lot on his plate these days: the ongoing economic crisis, banks run amok, health care reform efforts, two ongoing wars, and a host of other day-to-day issues that demand his attention. But, this week, he took time out to attend to a very pressing issue: March Madness.

WhiteHouse.gov today posted President Obama's NCAA Tournament brackets. He obviously gave this some considerable thought, with several changes and question marks on his personally-completed bracket sheet. Ultimately, he put Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina in his final four, with UNC coming out on top.

So, as you're preparing to enter into your own March Madness tournaments, keep checking in to see how the President is faring. Maybe you'll best the Commander-in-Chief - talk about bragging rights.

Enough is Enough

I don't know about you, but reading the news lately just makes me keep thinking, 'Enough is enough!'

While banks are getting billion dollar bailouts and their failed CEOs are rewarded with millions in pay and bonuses, the rest of us out here are facing job losses, unaffordable health care, and uncertainties about whether or not we can pay for college.

We have to do something about it!

I know it's last minute, but we wanted to invite you to join us tomorrow, March 19, 2009, when thousands of people in cities nationwide will hold demonstrations at the offices of major banks to demand the real change that's needed to end an era of corporate excess and rebuild an economy that works for everyone. Visit our partners at www.TakeBackTheEconomy.org to find an action in your city. Events are scheduled in nearly 100 cities, from Wall Street in New York to Main Street in cities and towns throughout the country.

Let us know how it goes in the comments section. If you have any pictures or video, please send them our way by e-mailing media@rockthevote.com.

What You Need to Know: 03.18.09

A.I.G. Chief Asks Bonus Recipients To Give Back Half
"As the lucrative bonuses paid to employees of the American International Group fueled fresh outrage at the White House and on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, the embattled chief executive of A.I.G. said that he had asked some recipients to give at least half the money back.

The chief executive, Edward M. Liddy, made the announcement during his testimony on Wednesday afternoon before a Congressional committee investigating the problems at the insurance giant."

Biden: Officials must 'get it right' on stimulus
"Vice President Joe Biden issued a stern warning to local officials Wednesday, urging them to "get it right" when it comes to spending money from the administration's $787 billion economic stimulus package.

"The work you are doing is being watched very closely, not just by me, but by everybody," Biden said.

Biden spoke at a conference of city and county officials who are charged with overseeing stimulus spending in their communities. The officials were invited for a day of schooling on how to make the massive spending program work, and to hear from Cabinet and administration officials."

President's Budget Strategy Under Fire
"Senior members of the Obama administration are pressing lawmakers to use a shortcut to drive the president's signature initiatives on health care and energy through Congress without Republican votes, a move that many lawmakers say would fly in the face of President Obama's pledge to restore bipartisanship to Washington.

Republicans are howling about the proposal to expand health coverage and tax greenhouse gas emissions without their input, warning that it could irrevocably damage relations with the new president."

Team Effort in the House to Overhaul Health Care
"Three powerful House committee chairmen have agreed to work together on legislation to overhaul the health care system, starting with the view that most employers should help finance coverage and that the government should offer a public health insurance plan as an alternative to private insurance.

The unified approach contrasts with the competition and rivalry among committee chairmen that helped sink President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health insurance 15 years ago.

The three chairmen, George Miller and Henry A. Waxman of California and Charles B. Rangel of New York, all Democrats, have a combined total of more than 100 years of service in the House."

Obama Names Judge to Appeals Court
"President Obama yesterday made his first judicial appointment, naming U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton to the federal appeals court, a choice excoriated by some conservatives even as the White House touted him as the type of moderate who could cool the nation's long-simmering judicial battles.

The White House held out Hamilton as a prototype for the nominees Obama will seek as he reshapes the federal appeals courts -- and by extension, the laws governing contentious social issues such as abortion and affirmative action -- during his presidency. Currently, there are 17 vacancies on the nation's appeals courts, which are organized into 12 circuits across the country."

Take Action on the GIVE Act

Our country's going through crazy hard times right now. Because of that, you've heard from us about how the government is taking action: to fix the economy, create jobs, and invest in renewable energy, higher education, and health care. But, there's still work to be done if we're going to get out of this mess. And we've got to pitch in.

Millions of young people are already investing in their communities, from volunteering in soup kitchens to tutoring kids in local schools. And this week, the President and Congress are taking action to make it easier for those of you interested in giving back and to bring millions more into the volunteerism fold.

Tomorrow, Congress will vote on the GIVE Act, the boldest service legislation in 70 years. Can you contact your member of Congress and urge him or her to vote for the bill?

What's in the bill? The plan will expand national and community service opportunities nationwide and help young people pay for school and get training for future jobs. The GIVE Act will:

• Expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 annual slots;
• Establish a Summer of Service program that enables middle and high school students to participate in volunteer activities and earn a $500 education award for college;
• Establish four new service corps to address key needs in low income communities, including a Clean Energy Corp to encourage energy effeciency and conservation measures, an Education Corp to help increase student engagement, achievement, and graduation rates, a Heathly Futures Corp to improve health care access, and a Veterans Service Corp to enhance services for veterans.
• Create more service and service-learning for students, new opportunities for older Americans to serve, and more.

Want to know all the details? Check out the bill and then call your Representative to express your support.

What You Need to Know: 03.17.09

Obama in Effort to Undo Bonuses at A.I.G.
"President Obama and his top economic advisers scrambled to calm a nationwide furor on Monday over bonuses paid at the American International Group, even as administration officials acknowledged they had known about the issue for months.

One day after the economic advisers insisted that their hands had been tied by contracts requiring the payments, Mr. Obama ordered the Treasury Department to “pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses” and make the American taxpayers whole."

U.S. banks suffer 149 percent rise in bad loans
"Foreclosures and bad loans raced through the banking industry in 2008, with the more than 8,000 U.S. banks registering a 149 percent increase in troubled assets, according to a new analysis of bank financial reports to the federal government.

While a large majority of banks were still healthy, 163 ended the year with more troubled loans than capital, up from only 13 a year earlier, according to the analysis of data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. by msnbc.com and the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University in Washington, D.C."

Obama Pushes Congress to Pass $3.6 Trillion Budget
"President Barack Obama is again asking Congress to pass his $3.6 trillion budget, saying it will "spark the transformation" the country needs to remain economically competitive.

Appearing Tuesday with the chairmen of the congressional budget committees, Obama said he doesn't "just view this document as numbers on a page." He called it an "economic blueprint for the future."

Obama said the country "can't go back to a bubble economy, an economy based on reckless spending and spending beyond our means." He acknowledged though, that new deficit figures likely to be revealed in coming weeks will make the job tougher."

Seattle Paper Shifts Entirely to the Web
"The Seattle Post-Intelligencer will produce its last printed edition on Tuesday and become an Internet-only news source, the Hearst Corporation said on Monday, making it by far the largest American newspaper to take that leap.

But The P-I, as it is called, will resemble a local Huffington Post more than a traditional newspaper, with a news staff of about 20 people rather than the 165 it had, and a site with mostly commentary, advice and links to other news sites, along with some original reporting."

Obama to meet Irish leaders, emphasize peace
"President Barack Obama is meeting on St. Patrick's Day with Irish political leaders intent on maintaining peace despite dissidents' violence in Northern Ireland.

Obama plans to meet with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen in the Oval Office, and then with Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and his deputy, Martin McGuinness, in his national security adviser's office on Tuesday. Administration aides singled out that trio as leaders who have resisted partisan reactions to a series of killings in Northern Ireland that threatens a decade's break in violence."

What You Need to Know: 03.16.09

Obama: AIG Bonuses an 'Outrage' to Taxpayers
"President Obama today blasted the payment by insurance giant American International Group of millions of dollars in bonuses to traders who helped bring the company to the brink of ruin, calling the rewards an "outrage" that violates "fundamental values" and underscores the need for financial regulatory reform.

In remarks following a meeting at the White House with small-business owners, Obama said AIG "is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed." The company has received an estimated $170 billion in federal bailout money."

Obama Announces Plan to Aid Small Businesses
"Seeking to ease the credit freeze for small businesses, the Obama administration will inject $15 billion into the industry, buying up securities that are linked to small-business loans.

In announcing the latest cylinder of his government’s economic recovery effort, President Obama said the infusion was needed because “small business owners are really struggling” because their credit lines had been pulled."

Government Combs Through G.M.’s Survival Plan
"Treasury officials and management experts hired by the Obama administration quietly began combing through General Motors’ latest downsizing plan in Detroit last week, in a last-minute effort to assess whether more government aid could make the company viable, or whether the better choice was a managed bankruptcy.

President Obama faces a deadline of March 31 to decide the fate of G.M., and by extension its huge network of suppliers. In interviews, however, administration officials said they would not be bound by that date, when Mr. Obama is scheduled to visit London for a summit meeting on the global economic crisis."

Obama enlists campaign army in budget fight
"President Obama will kick off an all-out grass-roots effort today urging Congress to pass his $3.55 trillion budget, activating the extensive campaign apparatus he built during his successful 2008 candidacy for the first time since taking office.

The campaign, which will be run under the aegis of the Democratic National Committee, will rely heavily on the 13 million-strong e-mail list put together during the campaign and now under the control of Organizing for America (OFA), a group overseen by the DNC. Aides familiar with the plan said it is an unprecedented attempt to transfer the grass-roots energy built during the presidential campaign into an effort to sway Congress."

Administration open to taxing health benefits
"The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health care system.

The proposal is politically problematic for President Obama, however, since it is similar to one he denounced in the presidential campaign as “the largest middle-class tax increase in history.” Most Americans with insurance get it from their employers, and taxing workers for the benefit is opposed by union leaders and some businesses."