Rep: Kevin McCarthy: Michael Steele Needs to “Bring the Trust Back”
We know what Michael Steele must have been thinking when he tuned into Fox News Sunday: Et tu, McCarthy? When host Chris Wallace pressed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), asking if he had “confidence” in the GOP chairman in the wake of the bondage-club scandal, the congressman didn’t exactly deliver a ringing endorsement, saying Steele had to "bring the trust back and that may mean shaking up some other roles inside the RNC."
Larry Summers: “The Trend Has Turned”
The White House engaged in an awkward two-step Sunday, trying to convince people the economy is improving while also showing it’s still unhappy with state of unemployment. On State of the Union, White House Economic Adviser Larry Summers stepped on the dance floor and said the economic "trend has turned." Things are not all rosy, however; Summers also said inaction in Congress was impacting the country's fiscal situation.
Christina Romer: We're in a Different World
White House Economic Adviser Christina Romer, on the other hand, largely danced around the recovery issue, casting it in abstract terms. On NBC's Meet the Press, she said that while things were improving, we are in for "a different kind of recovery" and that "we're in a different world." As for what that world looks like, we guess we will have to wait and see.
Andrew Sullivan on Obama's "Ballsy" Strategy
On Fareed Zakaria GPS, Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic dissected the anger in politics and how President Obama was responding to it—and he had some less-than-flattering words for angry Americans. He cast Obama as the grownup versus people acting like "big babies." According to Sullivan, the strategy is a "gamble" because Obama is counting on people realizing the depths of our economic problems.
Jane Harman: Not Giving Up on Civilian KSM Trial
While it seems increasingly likely that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried in a military tribunal, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) has not given up on the White House pushing to try him in civilian court. Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, she said the "federal court system has been the lynchpin" in trying and convicting terrorists and that we shouldn't "waive the rule of law for anybody."
Arlen Specter: GOP May Filibuster Next Supreme Court Nominee
The news of Justice John Paul Stevens potentially retiring from the Supreme Court has already triggered discussion of Obama's second nominee to the court. But at least one Democratic congressman isn't in any rush to go through the confirmation process. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) suggested on Fox News Sunday that Congress is so divided at the moment that the nominee would be filibustered by the Senate GOP. While Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) downplayed the possibility, he didn't exactly deny it either.
Alan Greenspan: Economy Has “Momentum”
Talk of the economy was so dominant this weekend, we even saw the ghosts of financial crises past! On ABC's This Week, former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan welcomed the latest jobs report as good news, saying the economy is showing “momentum.” He also cast doubt on the possibility of a sudden return to a recession. All of this would be more encouraging if Greenspan didn't have a somewhat shoddy record on predicting economic calamities.