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December 31, 2008
Happy New Year's!
We are just hours away from ringing in the New Year, and getting ready to usher in a new era of change in three weeks.
What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2009?
December 30, 2008
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December 29, 2008
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December 28, 2008
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December 27, 2008
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December 26, 2008
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December 25, 2008
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December 24, 2008
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December 23, 2008
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December 22, 2008
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December 21, 2008
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December 20, 2008
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December 19, 2008
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Rep. Solis Named Labor Secretary; Fmr. Rep. LaHood to Lead Transportation
California Congresswoman Hilda Solis was named Secretary of Labor, and former Illinois Congressman Ray LaHood was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President-elect Barack Obama at a press conference in Chicago this afternoon.
The President-elect also named Karen Mills as Administrator of the Small Business Administration and former Mayor Ron Kirk as United States Trade Representative.
Hilda has always been an advocate for everyday people. When she received an award several years ago, she said, “Fighting for what is just is not always popular, but it is necessary.” And that is exactly what she has done throughout her career, blazing new trails every step of the way. Whether it’s creating green jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced or expanding access to affordable health care or raising the minimum wage in California, Hilda has been a champion of our middle class. And I know that Hilda will show the same kind of leadership as Secretary of Labor that she showed in California and on the Education and Labor Committee by protecting workers’ rights – from organizing to collective bargaining, from keeping our workplaces safe to making our unions strong. [...]
Few understand our infrastructure challenge better than the outstanding public servant I am asking to lead the Department of Transportation – Ray LaHood. As a Congressman from Illinois, Ray served six years on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, leading efforts to modernize our aviation system by renewing our aging airports and ensuring that air traffic controllers were using cutting edge technology. Throughout his career, Ray has fought to improve mass transit and invest in our highways. But he has not only helped rebuild our landscape, he has helped beautify it by creating opportunities for bikers and runners to enjoy our great outdoors. When I began this appointment process, I said I was committed to finding the best person for the job, regardless of party. Ray’s appointment reflects that bipartisan spirit – a spirit we need to reclaim in this country to make progress for the American people.
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December 18, 2008
Obama Selects Agriculture and Interior Secretaries
At a press conference in Chicago yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama named former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as the next Secretary of Agriculture, and Colorado Senator Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior.
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December 17, 2008
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December 16, 2008
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Arne Duncan Named Secretary of Education
Earlier today, President-elect Barack Obama named Arne Duncan, CEO of the Chicago school system, as Secretary of Education. Duncan brings a stellar record of improving Chicago schools to Washington.
For Arne Duncan, CEO of the Chicago school system, "school reform isn’t just a theory in a book -- it’s the cause of his life," President-elect Obama said in announcing him as his choice for Secretary of Education.
"In the next few years, the decisions we make about how to educate our children will shape our future for generations to come," President-elect Obama said. "And the results aren't just about test scores or statistics, but about whether our children are developing the skills they need to compete with any worker in the world for any job." [...]
"In just seven years, he’s boosted elementary test scores here in Chicago from 38 percent of students meeting the standards to 67 percent. The dropout rate has gone down every year he’s been in charge. And on the ACT, the gains of Chicago students have been twice as big as those for students in the rest of the state," President-elect Obama said.
As Chief Executive Officer of Chicago schools, Duncan oversaw the closing and re-opening of Dodge Renaissance Academy, a school on Chicago's West Side that was the site of this morning's press conference. President-elect Obama pointed out that since the school re-opened in 2003, "the number of students meeting state standards has more than tripled."
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December 15, 2008
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Obama Announces Key Members of Energy, Environment Team
President-Elect Barack Obama named Dr. Steven Chu to Secretary of Energy, and Lisa Jackson to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and more. From the release:
Today, President-elect Barack Obama announced key members of his energy and environment team, including Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy; Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator; Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change; and Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change.
Bush Administration Protected Executive Pay
According to congressional aides and lawmakers, the Bush administration slipped in a single sentence in legislation that created a giant loophole for executives at failed Wall Street institutions to keep their huge payoffs. Just another day in the Bush/Cheney White House. Washington Post reports:
Congress wanted to guarantee that the $700 billion financial bailout would limit the eye-popping pay of Wall Street executives, so lawmakers included a mechanism for reviewing executive compensation and penalizing firms that break the rules.
But at the last minute, the Bush administration insisted on a one-sentence change to the provision, congressional aides said. The change stipulated that the penalty would apply only to firms that received bailout funds by selling troubled assets to the government in an auction, which was the way the Treasury Department had said it planned to use the money.
Now, however, the small change looks more like a giant loophole, according to lawmakers and legal experts. In a reversal, the Bush administration has not used auctions for any of the $335 billion committed so far from the rescue package, nor does it plan to use them in the future. Lawmakers and legal experts say the change has effectively repealed the only enforcement mechanism in the law dealing with lavish pay for top executives.
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December 12, 2008
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December 11, 2008
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December 10, 2008
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Change.gov is Open for Questions
The Obama-Biden Transition wants to hear from you.
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December 9, 2008
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Republicans Seek to Emulate Gov. Dean, 50-State Strategy
Following the Democratic gains across the country at the local, state and federal levels, Republicans are left looking for inspiration in unfamiliar places -- Governor Howard Dean.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, in politics and elsewhere. And after two straight cycles of congressional pickups, outgoing DNC chair Howard Dean is no longer a boogeyman for his Republican counterparts -- he's a template for success.
This past weekend, a candidate for RNC Chair, Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzi, said the Grand Old Party would do well to follow the example set by the former Vermont Governor.
"There is a perception that we are a regional party and that we are a party from the South because that's the region we're consistently winning today," Anuzis told Politico. "I do think we need to have our version of the 50-state program that [Democratic National Committee Chair Howard] Dean had."
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December 8, 2008
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Gen. Eric Shinseki Named VA Secretary-Designate
On the 67th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, President-elect Barack Obama named General Eric Shinseki, a 38-year veteran, Secretary of the Veterans Affairs. See the announcement below:
During the press conference, President-elect Obama praised General Shinseki's service to his country, and reinforced the importance of the sacred trust between America and her troops.
General Shinseki is the first Asian American to reach the rank of four-star general. He served two combat tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded in action.
On the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President-elect Obama stressed the importance of the post General Shinseki would hold.
"We owe it to all our veterans to honor them as we honored our Greatest Generation," the President-elect said. "Not just with words, but with deeds."
General Shinseki sat down for an interview with the Transition team to talk about his commitment to military families and the critical issues facing the VA.
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December 7, 2008
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December 6, 2008
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December 5, 2008
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Your Seat at the Table
Pull up a chair for Your Seat at the Table -- another step forward for openness in government.
Obama-Biden Transition Project Co-chair John D. Podesta announced that all policy documents from official meetings with outside organizations will be publicly available for review and discussion on Change.gov.
Check out this video of Director of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Transition Michael Strautmanis give a behind-the-scenes look at the program.
November Job Losses: 533,000
The nation’s employers shed 533,000 jobs in November, the 11th consecutive monthly decline, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Not since December 1974, toward the end of a severe recession, have so many jobs disappeared in a single month, and the current recession appears to be just gathering steam. [...]
The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent, up just two-tenths of a percentage point from October, but six-tenths over the last three months. More significantly, the unemployment rate does not include all those too discouraged to look for work any longer or those working fewer hours than they would like. That “underutilization” rate, as the bureau calls it, rose to a record 12.5 percent in November, up 1.5 percentage points since September.
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December 4, 2008
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Join the Discussion
The folks at the Transition team are asking Americans: how is the economic crisis affecting you?
Trek on over to Change.gov and join in the discussion.
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December 3, 2008
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December 2, 2008
Georgia Senate Run-Off
The Georgia Senate race is yet to be decided. Democrat Jim Martin is challenging Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss in a run-off today. If you are in Georgia, you can find GOTV rallies for Jim Martin across the state. You can also help by making calls from home.
Help get Jim Martin to the United States Senate!
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December 1, 2008
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Obama-Biden National Security Team Announced
This morning in Chicago, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden announced the incoming administration's national security team.
President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their national security team today: nominating Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, selecting Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain as Secretary of Defense, nominating Eric Holder as Attorney General, nominating Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, nominating Susan Rice as Ambassador to the United Nations and selecting General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as National Security Adviser.
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