Denied a honeymoon, will the President seek a divorce?

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Feb 1st/Sunday: President Obama had members of congress over to watch Super Bowl

 

Feb 2nd/Monday: In an interview with Matt Lauer, President Obama said some more banks will fail in spite of stimulus, that the banks have not fully acknowledged all the losses they have experienced. He told Lauer banks will have to write down those losses, and some banks won't make it. All deposits for ordinary depositors will remain safe, he assured. The President acknowledged that should the economy not be improved substantially in 3 years, his would be a one-term presidency. He, also, declared to Lauer that most soldiers in Iraq will be home for the next Super Bowl.

 

 President Obama spoke with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

The President met with the National Governors Association Vice-Chair, Jim Douglas,

Republican Governor of Vermont. 

The President met with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

 

President Obama met with Democratic leaders from House & Senate in the afternoon at the White House in the West Wing to discuss what is in the stimulus bill, how the process is likely to change, and how to reconcile both House and Senate bills in a timely fashion.

 

First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the Department of Education, stating the proposed stimulus would allow for the renovation and modernization of 10,000 schools, increase Pell Grants  to make college more affordable for 7 million students and provide tuition tax credits for 4 million more, and prevent teacher layoffs and education cuts in hard hit states, preserve early childhood education programs; all those elements collectively bringing about education reform. Mrs. Obama praised Arne Duncan and assured those gathered that Duncan will be a great leader as Secretary of the Department of Education.

 

Eric Holder  won confirmation in the Senate to become US Attorney General. The vote was 75-21. Mr. Holder is the first Afro-American United States Attorney General.

 

Hillary Clinton  was sworn in as Sec of State by Vice-President Joe Biden.

   

Feb 3rd/Tuesday:  New Hampshire United States Senator Judd Gregg, a Republican, was

Nominated to the post of Secretary of  Commerce. CQPolitics.com reported Gregg had to

voted to abolish the Commerce Department in 1995.

 

Eric Holder sworn in as the United States Attorney General Joe Biden at 10:12AM.

 

Tom_Daschle withdrew his nominination as Secretary of Heath & Human Services due to the scandal of his failure to pay 128,000 dollars in taxes and, as revealed by the  NewYorkTimes.com , ..." Daschle admitted he owed Medicare taxes equal to 2.9 percent of the personal value of the car service he received from Leo Hindery, Jr., a big Democratic donor and founder of a private equity firm to which Mr. Daschle was an adviser." Daschle's salary was a million dollars a year in salary. Revealed in Daschle's  financial disclosure form: $390,000 for giving speeches to groups that included  America's Health Insurance Plans(a trade organization representing healthcare) and $100,000 from health related companies under federal regulation, including more than $5000 for giving policy advise to the insurance company United Health. 

 

Nancy Killefer  withdrew her nomination as Chief Performance Officer over a $1000 dollar tax lean  on her house from 3 years ago a when she failed to pay state unemployment taxes on household help.

 

President Obama met with Republican Governors.

 

In the afternoon, the President was interviewed by five news anchors and confessed he had "screwed up" on the Daschle nomination.

 

19 Repubican and Democratic govenors signed a letter in support of the stimulus bill and urged prompt resolution: Swartzenegger of California and Crist of Florida among them.

 

Feb 4th/Wednesday: President Obama ordered limits on executive compensation for those financial institutions receiving extraordinary governmental assistance: a salary cap of $500,000 on top executives, and, if these executives receive any additional compensation, the extra income must come in the form of stocks that can't be paid up until taxpayers are paid back for their assistance. Those companies will have to disclose publicly all the perks  and luxuries bestowed on senior executives and provide an explanation to the taxpayers and stockholders as to why these expenses are justified; and the massive severance packages are to be stopped, "we're taking the air out of these golden parachutes" the President declared. These limits apply to companies bailed out in the future, but may not apply to all companies. "This is America," Obama said. "We don't disparage wealth, we don't begrudge anybody for achieving success, and we certainly believe success should be rewarded; but what gets people upset, and rightfully so, are executives being awarded for failure, especially when those rewards are subsidized by US taxpayers, many of which are having a tough time themselves. Republican United States Senator Olympia Snow of Maine said she will offer an amendment to TARP

legislation that would compel any company who took TARP funds then issued exorbitant bonuses to pay the government back.

 

President Obama met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and George Mitchell, who reported on his trip to middle east.

 

Michell Obama spoke at the Departmentt of Housing and Urban Development and more  agencies. Shaun Donovan is the new Secretary of HUD.

  

Obama signed the CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) Reauthorization Act, continuing health coverage to 7 million children and expanding to cover 4 million more kids in need. The embargo on states providing health care to legal immigrant children was lifted should those states opt to do so. The costs of the CHIP bill will be funded by a 62 cent increase in the federal tax on cigarettes, for a total cigarette tax of 1 dollar. "It is a downpayment on eventually providing health coverage to every single American," the President said.

 

President Obama hosted a cocktail party at White House this evening for some members of Congress.

 

February 5th/Thursday: The Washington Post guest OPED was none other than President Obama, who wrote, "...if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse."

 

USNEWS.com: After addressing the National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama signed a Executive Order creating the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

 

President Obama traveled for the first time on Air Force One to Williamsburg, Virginia to meet with House Democrats at their Annual Issues Conference to talk about the stimulus bill. The President told them, "...then you get the argument...this is not a stimulus bill, this is a spending bill. What do you think a stimulus is? That's the whole point--That's the point."

 

February 6th/Friday: The President met with families of victims of the USS Cole bombing and 911 attacks to discuss his order to close Guantanamo  and suspend prosecutions of those held there.

 

February 7th-8th/Saturday & Sunday: President Obama spent the weekend at Camp David.

 

February 9th/Monday: President Obama signed an Executive Order directing the National Security and Homeland Security Advisors to conduct an immediate cyber security review.

 

President Obama went to Elkhart, Indiana for a town hall meeting, where the President spoke about the necessity that the stimulus bill be passed. He answered questions from the town's citizens. Transcript.

 

By a vote of 61-36 the United States Senate cut of debate on the stimulus bill.

 

President Obama held his first press conference as President of the United States. Transcript.

 

February 10th/Tuesday: President Obama went to Fort Myers, Florida for a town hall meeting, where the President spoke about the necessity that the stimulus bill be passed. He answered questions from the town's citizens. Transcript.

 

By a vote of 61-36 the United States Senate passed their version of its stimulus bill. 

Authors Bio:
Retired, Robert Arend was president of an AFSCME local from 1997-2007.