Dec. 2, 2008
Chief-of-staff designate Rahm Emanuel gaggle aboard Obama charter plane from Philadelphia to Chicago.
Readout of the private portions of POTUS-elect's meeting with National Governors Association.
This is verbate. Only ellipsis are from when he repeated words or stumbled through a sentence. Thanks to Jamie Farnsworth from CBS who did half the transcribing.
Emanuel:
There was a consensus [among] Democratic and Republican governors about the need, given their economic situations, not just in their budgets but their economy, about the need for investments in infrastructure.
Some talked about roads, bridges, sewer systems, new schools. Some talked about what I would call the infrastructure for a 21st century economy: Medical IT, broadband. A lot of the infrastructure was around green technology, some on ... high speed rail, mass transit, that stuff. Consensus around that. Read more. Interesting mention of FEMA.
Original post:
Obama and Biden are meeting with most of the nation's governors in Philadelphia this morning to talk about the economy. (video below). The governors want money:
WASHINGTON - Facing severe cutbacks in state services as the recession deepens, the nation's governors pressed their case on Capitol Hill Monday, asking for at least $40 billion to help pay for health care for the poor and disabled.
The governors are also pressing for as much as $136 billion worth of infrastructure projects like road and bridge repairs as the Democratic-controlled Congress and President-elect Barack Obama prepare economic recovery legislation that Obama hopes to sign immediately upon taking office.
Philly: A majority of the nation's governors will meet with President-elect Barack Obama this morning in Philadelphia to press him for a healthy share of the multibillion-dollar economic stimulus legislation his advisers and Democratic congressional leaders are drafting.
With their budgets bleeding red ink, the governors say they will argue that states are not just victims of the recession but also effective engines of economic recovery, capable of quickly delivering increased federal spending on infrastructure projects and social programs.
"By no means are we looking for the federal government to relieve us of our responsibilities," Gov. Rendell, the chairman of the National Governors Association, said during a news conference in Washington yesterday with state leaders, "but we do need help."
Otherwise, Rendell said, "we'll have to just make continuing cuts or raise taxes, both of which will have a deleterious effect on our states' economies."
The bipartisan meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. at Congress Hall in the Independence National Historical Park, is a political coup for Rendell, who is hosting Obama's first official trip outside Chicago since the election, aside from a brief visit to the White House on Nov. 10
Some of Obama's prepared remarks:
Politico: DRIVING THE DAY: FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA'S PREPARED REMARKS TO A NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION gathering at Independence Hall in Philadelphia: '[T]he partnership we begin here must not – and will not – end here. As president, I will not simply ask our nation's governors to help implement our economic recovery plan. I will ask you to help design that plan. Because if we're listening to our governors, we'll not only be doing what's right for our states, we'll be doing what's right for our country. That's how we'll grow our economy – from the bottom-up. And that's how we'll put America on the path to long-term prosperity. ...
'To our Republican colleagues, let me just say a special word. I offer you the same hand of friendship and cooperation that I offer our Democratic governors. We have a strong and vibrant democracy. We compete vigorously during an election. But with the end of that season comes the time to govern together – and that time is now.'
Obama reaches out to republican governors.
Joe Biden also has a say:
NYT: And then there was that little moment that may or may not have been revealing. At one point during his remarks, Mr. Biden noted the presence of his former opponent, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, and greeted her warmly.
“Since the race is over, no one pays attention to me at all,” Mr. Biden said. “So maybe you will walk outside with me or something later and say hello to me.”
Keith Olbermann on the meeting:
