Kasie Hunt, a political reporter for NBC News, tweeted that the White House has invited the Senate Democratic Caucus to meet with POTUS on Wednesday evening.
This comes as the Senate faces a vote on the Democrats plan to extend long term unemployment benefits, paid for by sequester cuts. Senate repugicans are opposing what they originally said they wanted, and a showdown is brewing. The AP also reported this story and speculated that the focus will be on, “The meeting comes as the White House is pressing members of the president’s party to hold off on a bill that would ratchet up sanctions on Iran…The president may also give lawmakers insight on his decisions for making changes involving the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.”
It is crack reporting like this that makes one wonder if the AP follows politics. Those issues will probably be discussed, but the focus of the meeting is likely to be on extending unemployment benefits, raising the minimum wage, and 2014 election strategy.
The 2014 priorities/strategy is likely to center around populist economic issues like job creation, extending unemployment benefits, and raising the minimum wage. The minimum wage bill is due to arrive on the Senate floor in late January/early February.
The president is also likely to discuss with Senate Democrats the priorities that he will outline in his State Of The Union address later this month. The White House will be looking to coordinate with the Democratic majority in the Senate to turn those priorities into legislative action.
Democrats have four powerful issues to use against repugicans in 2014. The Democratic focus should be on jobs, income inequality, raising the minium wage, and extending unemployment benefits for those who can’t find a job.
The White House may call this a meeting about priorities, but it is actually a 2014 strategy session. If the media can’t see this gathering for what it is, they are lazier and more clueless than could be imagined.
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