The View From Here

Was last week a presidential pivot?

David Axelrod told me on Meet the Press this morning that he believes the country is better off today than it was a year ago, but acknowledged there is still a great deal of work to be done.

The president's senior adviser joined me to cap off a week that may turn out to be a pivot point of the Obama administration.

Axelrod would not say the president will make an ideological shift towards the center of the political spectrum, but Obama's meeting with the GOP in Baltimore seemed to signal an openness to gaining Republican support by incorporating more conservative ideas into his agenda.

"We don't sit around in the White House making calculations on that basis.  The President of the United States has one concern, which is how do we move this country forward?" Axelrod told me. 

The White House takes umbrage to the idea that anything is being reset. The administration does not consider its first year a throw away. But between the State of the Union and the president's Q&A with Republicans, last week came off as a fresh start by connecting with unemployed Americans and focusing on the economy.

The perception has been that Obama was distracted by health care, which caused the economy to suffer.  There has been a concentrated effort by Obama and the White House to end that idea, though the GOP will not let it die easily.

Rep. John Boehner claims the Republicans haven't been able to work with the president because Obama has been too set on passing a liberal agenda.  He said:

"Listen, there aren't that many places where we can come together.  The President-- is-- he was the most liberal member of the United States Senate.  You don't get there by accident.

And if you look at the policies that we've seen over the course of this year from the Administration and-- his Democratic colleagues in Congress-- there are all these leftist proposals.  And the people of Massachusetts, the people of Virginia, the people of New Jersey are sending a pretty loud signal, just like the other 47 states to-- to Washington, saying, 'Stop.  This is-- this is way more than we ever want-- wanted Washington to do.'"

 

But even Boehner acknowledged that health care is not dead, rather that it will require a major overhaul from the bills being passed around in the Capitol.

Also this morning, Axelrod said "no decision" has been made about the 9/11 trial.  The case was set to be held in New York City, but reports came out this week that it will likely move.  Axelrod would not comment on the president's thinking, only that he was "taking into consideration what the local authorities are saying."

 

For more video - including insights from David Brooks, Eugene Robinson, Mort Zuckerman and David Faber - visit the MTP Web site. 

What I'm reading today, 1/29

1. It looks like the controversial Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial will be moved out of New York City. Some of my thoughts and questions are here . Here's what others are saying.
2. Ben Bernanke got his Senate confirmation, but that may have been the easy part.  Robert Samuelson writes that now the Fed chairman is charged with the task of rebuilding confidence.
3. After the president's big speech, are Democrats more confused and divided about the future?
4. Christina Romer says today's GDP report is the "most positive news to date on the economy." But not everyone is on the same page. 

9/11 trial unlikely to be held in NYC

NBC's Pete Williams reports this morning that the Justice Department will almost certainly move the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from New York City. The decision to give him legal standing in our civilian courts as well as security concerns about a trial in lower Manhattan made it a controversial call from the start. Now NY Mayor Bloomberg has changed his position, saying the trial would hurt business. He suggests a military base. The President has told people he prefers a civilian trial because terrorists would use the result of a military commission as a recruiting tool. Would it be any more of a tool than a conviction in a civilian court where KSM could spew his venom for everyone to see? Furthermore, while proponents of a trial in NY say it would showcase the best legal system in the world, the reality is that even if KSM were to be acquitted, the U.S. has no intention of letting him go. It's a serious debate. More on the trial here.

Meanwhile, the President will face members of the GOP at a house retreat in Baltimore today. What kind of reception will he get? Here's my take from TODAY this morning.

 

What's being said about the speech?

1. The Washington Post editorial board is not convinced the president has a plan to move the country forward. The New Times thought Obama used the speech to show what he learned after one year of governing.
2. Was the president able to successfully relaunch the Obama brand that was so unstoppable in 2008?
3. Obama came off as strong, Joan Walsh writes.  But there are still concerns that his actions may not follow his words.
4. USA Today commends POTUS for defining problems, but finds the lack of solutions problematic. 

Obama talks economy, jobs and getting results in his first State of the Union

 A State of the Union address is like the start of a campaign. The President charts a new course and then hits the trail to sell it. So it is President Obama who will hit the road today to sell aspects of his long-term economic fix by promoting new spending on a high-speed rail. But campaigns are long hauls. And chapter two of the Obama presidency will be no different. He has told people not to expect any immediate turn around from last night's address. Ultimately, he has said, the administration has to deliver results for the American people.

You can find some analysis of the President's speech here and here.

A few thoughts from last night:

Singular focus - It's now about the economy. That means a jobs bill, making Wall St pay for its abuses and rebuilding the long-term structure of the economy. Even if the jobless rate doesn't fall by that much, the President has to show some concerted effort or else November is going to be bloody.

Off the sidelines - yes, the President threw the GOP some bones, but mostly he issued a tough warning: play or PAY. If it requires 60 votes in the Senate to get ANYTHING done, you will be held accountable to results.

Passion - "I don't quit!" Americans like their presidents to be fighters and the President is trying to position himself as the change agent that propelled him to the White House.

You can listen to my analysis on KIRO news radio in Seattle here.

I hope to tell you later who is on the program Sunday.

What's on the president's mind?

A year ago, President Obama was settling into his new job, and at a luncheon before his first address to Congress, he was confident - going so far as to say he felt he was good at the job.

A year later, the president faced the same group of journalists. Earlier today, just hours before his State of the Union address, he appeared realistic about how difficult the issues he faces really are, and humbled by the sour environment for incumbents.

The White House doesn’t like the term "new beginning" or "reset." But I think the president recognizes that the country has lost faith in government right now, and there are real questions in the confidence the country has in his leadership and his ability to solve problems.

Right now, the Obama presidency comes down to something very simple – 10 percent unemployment. That’s going to hurt any incumbent president. I think he understands if things don’t get better, he’s going to be in political trouble, and so is his party.

The president wants to make clear tonight that he understands people are going through a very difficult time. And he complains, as other presidents have, about how difficult it is to communicate that sense of empathy when you’re here in Washington and in the White House.

The biggest black eye for  Obama thus far has been health care. He spent a lot of political capital that now has to be built back up. It’s gotten this close but is still very far away.

The priority tonight and in the coming weeks and months is jobs. The White House wants to get back to health care, but the question is: Where are the votes? I don’t think anyone has an answer to that, which is striking given how much time and energy has been spent on it.

Questions loom over president's high stakes speech tonight

 

As I gear up for tonight's coverage of the State of the Union address - I'll join Brian Williams for the speech at 9 PM. - here's my preview of what the stakes are for the president from TODAY this AM. More analysis from Morning Joe.  And here are some things I'm reading this morning.

I have been invited to join a group of journalists for lunch with the president. I will be curious to know how Obama intends to account for the difficulty of his first year and the message voters sent in Mass.

The other question is health care. An adviser I spoke to last night insisted that, while health care is a priority, they want to get a jobs bill through Congress first. It says something about the public's priorities. Here is what our new NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll shows about the mood of the country.

Finally, what about bipartisanship? Look for the president to call out Republicans who have been "rooting for failure," as one White House insider says. He will likely call on them to get off the sidelines. What will he offer that they can support? Isn't it also interesting that the GOP has chosen a moderate governor to give the Republican response - not a tea party activist? Is Bob McDonnell the model for the GOP of the future?

Reads from today - SOTU edition

1. Jonathan Cohen writes that the president will need to give the speech of a lifetime - again.
2. Steve Pearlstein composes the speech Obama would give in an honest world.
3. Should the president brace the American people for economic hardships ahead?
4. How much of the speech will address foreign policy?

Some reads from today, 1/26

1. A day before the president's State of the Union, Bob Herbert questions who Barack Obama really is. 
2. David Brooks looks at the seductiveness of populism.
3. The Wall Street Journal editorializes that it is best for health care reform to start over, while the New York Times  urges Congress and the president not to give up.
4. What is the motivation behind the president's budget freeze?  Marc Ambinder reports on the different ways to read Obama's budgetary ambitions.

This Sunday: What Changes Now?

The question this Sunday was, "What changes now?" 

Both Democrats and Republicans need to have an answer.  Scott Brown won in what Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told me was "a stunning victory."  Much has been made of the Democrats losing their 60-member majority, and though it is unclear what legislative repercussions this shift will have on the Obama agenda, how that loss has been perceived had the White House press shop working overtime this week.

What both Jarrett and Sen. Mitch McConnell seemed to come to a consensus on was that the American people demand results.  Jarrett conceded that Americans "have a reason to be frustrated with everybody because we have not delivered yet."

However, she defended her statement that the administration has "turned the economy around."  It will be interesting to see reaction to that throughout the week.

While the GOP may be riding high at the moment, Sen. McConnell noted that neither party has permanent support and was hesitant to make any concrete predictions for November.

So now the president needs to give job creation his total attention without making it seem like he is changing course.  Jarrett said, "There's been a series of phone calls and conversations to try to see what the climate is."  Obama wants to know what can be salvaged from the months of health care debate.  I'll be curious to see how he frames reform in his State of the Union.

Jarrett told me, "We don't know what's going to happen...He's going to fight to get absolutely as much as he can."  She would not commit to any specifics.  Here's our exchange:

But what Jarrett referenced to me this morning, and what many have guessed would be the case, is that Obama's speech on Wednesday will be a chance for him to champion for an improved economy.

The senior adviser touted the same economic accomplishments we've heard since Obama took office - a recovery act that saved thousands of jobs, investment in renewable energy. Wednesday might be the start of a change in course.

For more perspective on what it all means, check out our round table discussion with Chuck Todd, Katty Kay, E.J. Dionne and Peggy Noonan.