National Briefing

OBAMA

1. Don't DOMA Me Like DADT

At 6/29's LGBT reception, Pres. Obama, "under fire from the gay-rights community over slow action on its priorities, promised to deliver by the time he leaves office." Obama "gave no new details about how he would advance these issues, but he "expressed solidarity with those working for equal rights," noting: "Welcome to your White House." Obama added that by the time his presidency is over: "I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration."

Obama's "remarks were greeted warmly by a cheering crowd of some 250 gay and lesbian activists and supporters." Obama "vowed to overturn" "Don't Ask Don't Tell," and said he hoped "to be judged not by words ... but by the promises that my administration keeps." He also "reiterated his pledge to try to reverse the Defense of Marriage Act and said he would work for legislation aimed at preventing workplace discrimination, extending the federal hate-crime law to acts against gays and lesbians, and giving domestic partners of federal workers health and other benefits."

HRC pres. Joe Solomonese said afterward that he appreciated Obama's "strong words," but added: "It is the actions to advance equality -- not simply the words -- that will be the true marker by which this White House will be judged" (Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 6/30).

Salon's Madden writes, "Whether that rhetoric translates into any meaningful change soon, of course, remains to be seen." And "while those who were at the reception seemed mollified, other critics were still blasting away. The Servicemen's Legal Defense Network, which represents gay and lesbian troops, held a protest outside" the WH "over the weekend to urge faster action on 'don't ask, don't tell.'" Still, "the message Obama was trying to convey -- relax, I'm with you -- seemed to sink in" (6/30).

Les Aspin And No Spin?

WH press sec. Robert Gibbs sat down with NBC's Todd at the WH 6/29 p.m., and he was asked about "Don't ask, don't tell."

Todd: "There's been a study that said you can stop ... the discharges. Why not do that as a first step?"

Gibbs: "Because the team has determined, in consultation with the Pentagon and others, that's going to exacerbate the long-term problem of getting something through Congress. In order to get something done that's enduring ... something that isn't overturned or isn't something that causes such a sharp political reaction that it becomes ultimately harder to do away with a policy that the president strongly believes is not in our national security interest."

More Gibbs: "He's working with the Pentagon, working with members of Congress, and said at this event just a minute ago, Don't judge me simply by the promises I made, judge me by the promises I keep. I can assure you that when we look back -- and this is going to take some time, but when we look back, the president will be judged on the promises that he kept, and this will be one of them."

Todd: "And when he runs for re-election, this will be a promise he will have kept?"

Gibbs: "I think that is the case, yes" (MSNBC, 6/29).

Just Jared

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), one of the first openly gay MoCs to get elected running as openly gay, was on "Hardball."

Polis: "I am proud to take Obama at his word today. I think he's going to be moving to end this policy. ... I think we're both in agreement that, in the long run, what we need to do is an act of Congress to put it in statute that people cannot be kicked out of the military merely because of their sexual orientation. I would like to see the president go a little bit further, and, at least, while we're discussing this issue and while we're working to enact this change, that we should suspend anybody being kicked out of the military over this."

Polis, asked if he's worried the WH is letting a potential midterm political issue get in the way of what they want to do: "This is really one of the least controversial issues that we're dealing with in Washington. ... This is an issue, allowing people to serve in the military, making sure we put our best foot forward, 70 percent of the American public believe we ought to do it. Even some of the authors of the initial policy, Colin Powell, Sam Nunn, have said, it's time to change this policy. Really, the only area where I have seen any disagreement over this is under the Capital dome."

Polis, asked if the fundraising boycotts are having an impacts on Dems: "What a number of us were disappointed with was the president's decision to defend DOMA, and the language he used in a brief a couple weeks ago. First of all, he could have chosen not to defend it. There's not a legal requirement to do so. ... I hope we can move forward and repeal DOMA" (MSNBC, 6/29).

Troublemakers Turned Street Dancers

Speaking to about 400 Dem fundraisers last night, Obama "dismissed critics of his ambitious agenda" and "vowed to have health care, energy and financial regulation initiatives in place" by the end of '09. Sounding "confident and defiant before the party stalwarts," the Obama "pointedly went after critics of his health care plan," noting: "You'll hear a bunch of muttering and yammering and they'll say, 'Well, we agree with reform, too.' Well, OK, if you agree with reform, then step up."

Obama warned that critics would get louder and pundits would grow impatient -- "a time when cynicism seems to reassert itself." The "confrontational tone delighted the partisan crowd and came as more and more" Dems voice skepticism that Obama "will succeed at getting a bipartisan health care bill through Congress." The event "was billed as a thank you from Obama and the DNC to members of Obama's nat'l finance cmte and members of the DNC's Nat'l Advisory Board. No money was raised (AP, 6/30).

Ultraviolet Rays-Transmitting Sex Appeal

Obama announced 6/29 that his admin "is prioritizing energy-efficiency standards for home appliances, specifically light bulbs," as the DoE will accelerate the spending of a $346M investment under the Recovery Act to expand the development, "deployment and use of energy-efficient technologies in residential and commercial buildings.'"

Obama, who "was clearly trying to capitalize on whatever momentum he might have gathered for his energy proposal after" 6/26's narrow victory in the House, declared: "Between 2012 and 2042, these new standards will save consumers up to $4 billion a year, conserve enough electricity to power every home in America for 10 months, reduce emissions equal to the amount produced by 166 million cars each year and eliminate the need for as many as 14 coal-fired power plants."

In his remarks 6/29, Obama again thanked House members who voted for his bill and said he is confident the Senate "will choose to move this country forward." The first part of Obama's "household appliance energy-efficiency standards centers on fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs." Obama: "Now, I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses" (Youngman, The Hill, 6/30).

Change Isn't Easy

More from Gibbs interview with NBC's Todd:

Todd, on WH sr. adviser David Axelrod's 6/28 appearance on "Meet the Press": "He seemed to hint, Look, if you have to prioritize, health care one, then energy. Is that how you'll spend your political capital? Is that a fair assessment here?"

Gibbs: "I think that's true, but I think David would agree with this because this is what's come from the president -- we can do both. We can do financial regulatory reform on top of that. The Senate can also do a Supreme Court nominee in time so that she will be able to hear the rearguing of a case in September. We can do all of these things."

Gibbs, on Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) saying Obama did not take a bipartisan approach to the stimulus package and climate change legislation: "We're not going to put something on the House floor that isn't going to pass. The president was actively involved in ensuring that members, Democrat and Republican, understood what was in this bill, understood what wasn't in this bill, because you had members of Lindsey Graham's party talk about the fact that this bill was a huge tax increase, even though the Congressional office budget says that's simply not true. ... I think the president has made progress on bipartisanship."

Todd: "Define it. What's it mean to this White House? ... Republican ideas or Republican votes?"

Gibbs: "I think that if you look at any number of things that this White House has done -- and look, change isn't easy in Washington. ... Through the course of our legislative battles, we've expanded the number of Republicans that support these things. ... You had seven Republicans on the climate change bill."

More Gibbs: "I think to be able to get bipartisanship, we've got to have a two-way street. The president is making progress. That's why just last week, the Senate health committee that's working through bipartisan health care reform accepted over 100 Republican amendments to that bill. That's incorporating Republican ideas into the most complex piece of legislation we're working on today" (MSNBC, 6/29).

Twitter Me Unmanageable

New York Times' Stolberg writes, With Dems "deeply divided over health legislation," Obama "is trying to enlist the nation's governors and his own army of grass-roots supporters in a bid to increase pressure on lawmakers without getting himself mired in the messy battle playing out on" the Hill. In a meeting last week with five govs, Obama "privately urged them to serve as his emissaries to Congress. He even coached them on the language they should use with lawmakers," advising them to avoid terms like "rationing" and "managed care," which "evoke bitter memories of the Clintons' ill-fated health initiative."

The "hourlong session" was part of an "intensifying but potentially risky" WH strategy to shift the health care debate away from DC and to the states. On 7/1, Obama will travel to VA "to hold a town-hall-style meeting on health care --his second in two weeks -- that will include questions from online communities like Facebook and Twitter."

While "this outside-the-Beltway strategy" lets Obama stay out of Dems' internal fights -- for now at least -- there are risks. If Obama "waits too long to exert his presidential muscle to forge consensus on Capitol Hill, his moment of opportunity could pass. He could also lose control of the final outcome if lawmakers cut backroom deals he dislikes, for example, by deciding to pay for the expansion by taxing employee health benefits, a move that worries" Obama's political advisers because it could cause the president to break a campaign promise (6/30).

Caution: Gridlock Ahead

Washington Post's Murray and Balz write, that "despite early and relatively easy" legislative wins and a clear congressional majority, the WH "appears certain to face a more difficult road when Congress returns to work next week." Obama and his aides "have proved adept at navigating the politics and eccentricities of the legislative branch. But as lawmakers attempt to navigate much trickier and more contentious issues in the second half of the year, the narrow margin" of 6/26's "energy vote served as a warning: The higher the stakes, the tougher the challenge in finding consensus within what has become a diverse" Dem majority.

At its core, "Obama's domestic agenda is a liberal wish list of health care for all, tough new environmental regulations and government solutions to crises ranging from failing schools to faltering auto companies." But as the party's ranks expanded in '06 and '08, "its center of gravity shifted to the middle. And the key to a durable majority," WH officials and Dem leaders "agree, is adapting old policy goals to new political realities."

Hoping to succeed where other presidents have struggled in implementing their agenda, the Obama WH "has attempted to work Capitol Hill with a blend of agenda-setting and deference." Obama "outlines ambitious objectives, then leaves lawmakers largely in charge of their final shape."

At the same time, Obama and a team of top WH officials -- many of them Hill veterans -- "ave been extraordinarily attentive to individual lawmakers, showering them with invitations and responding quickly to requests, concerns and criticisms." Clinton WH congressional liaison Steve Richetti: "There has been a very, very high level of contact and dialogue. They've covered the ground."

For the WH, "the trick is to keep a firm grip without appearing overly meddlesome." Along with House and Senate leaders, WH CoS Rahm Emanuel and his team are sharply focused on new lawmakers most likely to become GOP targets. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), was invited to a breakfast in March with Veterans Affairs Sec. Eric Shinseki to discuss issues related to the large population of veterans in Altmire's western PA district. Altmire's "office and the VA now communicate regularly" (6/30).

We Buy, Sell, And Trade-- We Don't Overthrow

On 6/29, Obama said he is confident the U.S. "can strike a deal" with Colombia on a free-trade agreement, but signaled "concerns linger about violence against Colombian union organizers." Obama met Colombian Pres. Alvaro Uribe 6/29, and afterward said he had instructed trade ambass. Ron Kirk "to begin working with Colombian authorities on 'how we can proceed on a free-trade agreement'" (Hitt, Wall Street Journal, 6/30).

Also, after his 6/29 meeting with Uribe, Obama called the coup that ousted Honduras Pres. Manuel Zelaya "not legal" and joined with the voices of leaders across the Americas in demanding that democracy be respected. Obama: "It would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition, rather than democratic elections" (Dinan, Washington Times, 6/30).

Lest We Forget

• Gibbs, "asked in his daily briefing whether Obama felt that he could still meet his self-imposed deadline" of closing Gitmo by Jan: "Absolutely" (AP, 6/30).

• The WH denied a report 6/29 in Time that Obama had chosen "Evergreen Chapel, the nondenominational church at Camp David," as his primary church. WH spokesperson Bill Burton: "The story is inaccurate. The president and first family continue to look for a church home" (FoxNews.com, 6/29).

• Obama will use a 2 pm speech from the East Room today, to highlight "nonprofit programs that are making a difference." The WH says Obama "will salute creative approaches and will discuss the importance of looking outside" DC for solutions (AP, 6/30). At 3:15 pm, Obama will meet with Energy Sec. Steve Chu (release, 6/29).

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