The much overrated ‘First 100 Days in Office’ has arrived for President Obama. So how effective has he been in terms of getting things done? What major problems could be just around the corner for him? How long will Americans cut him some slack? And why can’t the media stop talking about him? We ask Larry Sabato, professor of political science at the University of Virginia. His latest book is “The Year of Obama”.
We have Tuesday’s top news…Why is Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switching parties? What reaction is his announcement getting among Republicans and Democrats? What was the Senate vote on HHS nominee Kathleen Sebelius? How much money does President Obama want to fight the swine flu? What ruling did the Supreme Court give on television profanity today? And what happened on Wall Street? We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Tuesday, April 28, 2009.
As he announced his migration to the Democratic party, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter said Republicans were veering too far to the right and specifically slammed the Club for Growth for running GOP moderates out of office. So how does the Club for Growth respond? What is their political mission? Are they costing Republicans seats in Congress? And why has Sen. Specter been a prime target of the Club for Growth? We ask David Keating, executive director at the Club for Growth.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that “fleeting” profanity on broadcast television is indecent and falls under the FCC’s power to penalize. How significant is this decision? How valid is the networks’ defense of free speech rights? And is prime time television and cleaner or less violent these days? We ask Dan Isett, Director of Public Policy at the Parents Television Council.
Why is Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter leaving the Republican Party? Is it just political or something more? How are Republican leaders responding to this decision? Why are Democrats rolling out the red carpet for Specter when they likely would have won the seat anyway? Will we see Democratic challengers in the race? Will we see other Republicans in the race besides former Rep. Pat Toomey? We ask Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call newspaper.
How surprised are Democrats that Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is leaving the GOP and becoming one of them? Would Specter have made this move if he wasn’t facing a Republican primary defeat? How are other potential Democratic candidates dealing with this surprise? Is he well enough for another six-year term? We ask Michael Lewan, longtime Democratic activist and strategist. He is the former chief of staff to Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.
We have Monday’s top news… What is the latest on the swine flu outbreak in Mexico? How many are infected in the U.S? What is the government response? What could be the impact on the global economy? What grade is Obama’s own press secretary giving the administration over its first 100 days? Why is the latest downsizing move from General Motors confusing a lot of people? And what is the latest news for Chrysler? We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Monday, April 27, 2009.
On Monday, the first so-called gay marriage was performed in Iowa. It follows a decision from the Iowa Supreme Court a few weeks ago declaring the traditional definition of marriage unconstitutional. So what is the impact of this in Iowa and around the nation? Why is the lack of a residency requirement for marriage a huge problem for other states? Are state lawmakers showing any inclination to impose residency requirements or start the process towards a state constitutional amendment on marriage? And what will be the political impact of all this? We as Iowa Rep. Steve King, a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
General Motors and Chrysler are working furiously to meet government demands and deadlines in order to avoid entering the bankruptcy process. Why are they so intent on avoiding bankruptcy at all costs? What would the process look like? Where would the automakers be right now if they had entered bankruptcy six months ago instead of coming to grovel here in Washington? And is it more or less intrusive to respond to every government demand than to take orders from a bankruptcy court? We ask Olivier Garret or Casey Research.
Over the past few days, media coverage has centered around the outbreak of the swine flu in Mexico. What should we make of the amount of coverage? What has the tone been like? What is the media track record when it comes to outbreaks of the flu? What lessons should they keep in mind while all of this plays out? We ask Dan Gainor, vice president of the Media Research Center’s Business and Media Institute.
