"Senate Democrats are considering a jobs bill in the range of $80 billion," The Hill writes. "The package is subject to change, but a draft summary of proposals under discussion includes small business credits, tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure spending, energy efficiency programs, money to hire police and firefighters and billions to boost lending to small businesses." 
 
There could be a hearing on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Feb. 11 with Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen.

Channeling First Read, the New York Times writes about the criticism that next month's Tea Party Nation convention is receiving -- over the group's "for-profit" designation, as well as the fact that convention-goers are being charged $549 per ticket.

"Although the chamber's Republicans are bracing for another year of acting as a legislative firewall between a Democratic Congress and the president's desk, they have decided they must also focus on a positive agenda as the midterm elections approach," Roll Call says. "'Now it's about giving people not only a reason to vote against the Democrats, but a reason to vote for Republicans, like Scott Brown did in Massachusetts,' a senior Republican Senate aide said Monday."

"Republicans are mounting a new effort to call Democrats hypocrites for raising populist ire at banks while continuing to accept millions of dollars in campaign money from them," The Hill writes. "House Republicans in particular argue President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are fighting a 'phony war on Wall Street' with their renewed efforts to rein in big banks. 'The White House and congressional Democrats ARE Wall Street,' said a recent statement from House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) that referred to the campaign contributions Democrats received from the financial industry."

"The National Republican Senatorial Committee outraised it's Democratic counterpart for the third month in a row in December, bringing in $4.1 million to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's $3.4 million according to monthly fundraising reports set to be filed with the Federal Election Commission," CQ Politics reports. 
 
The DCCC says it has $16.7 million cash on hand, raised $3.8 million last month, $11.2 million for the quarter, and a total of $55.6 million for the year.
 
"[W]hile a new round of departures by Democratic Members in competitive districts would undoubtedly dampen Democrats' spirits further, party strategists firmly believe that they remain far from the tipping point at which Democratic control of the House is in jeopardy," Roll Call writes.

ARKANSAS: Democratic Rep. Marion Berry, who is retiring from his House seat after this year, said he began reading the tea leaves on the fate of health care last year: "'I began to preach last January that we had already seen this movie and we didn't want to see it again because we know how it comes out,' the congressman told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Berry blamed the current intra-party rancor on the White House's insistence that President Obama's popularity would carry the bill to passage: 'They just kept telling us how good it was going to be,' Berry said. 'The president himself, when that was brought up in one group, said, 'Well, the big difference here and in '94 was you've got me.' We're going to see how much difference that makes now.'"

"Sen. Blanche Lincoln's office (D-AR) is denying reports that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is allegedly urging her to retire this year, in the face of poll numbers showing her in a tough race," Talking Points Memo reports. "The DSCC also strongly denied the report, in an interview with TPMDC. 'Sen. Blanche Lincoln is running an aggressive campaign in Arkansas, and we have no doubt that she will win,' said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. This came after the Arkansas Times reported that the DSCC was urging Lincoln to bow out. Such a retirement would hypothetically open the way for a different Democratic candidate, such as fifth-term Rep. Mike Ross or retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark. and

FLORIDA: Marco Rubio leads Charlie Crist, 47%-44%, in Republican primary match up, according to a new Quinnipiac poll.

ILLINOIS: "The election last week of a long-shot Republican, Scott Brown, to the Senate in Massachusetts... has invigorated Republicans" in the similarly blue state of Illinois, the New York Times writes today. "Next Tuesday's statewide primaries -- the first in the nation this year -- have suddenly turned into a pep rally for November and could provide a window into what is to come nationally as the 2010 primary season unfolds," although national Democrats argue that Illinois has the opposite anti-incumbent atmosphere of Massachusetts: Rep. Mark Kirk, the Republican frontrunner for the seat President Obama vacated, is seen as the establishment candidate, running against a slew of "outsider" primary challengers and Democratic opponents. 
 
Seeking to "capitalize on voter discontent against the state's governing class," Democratic Senate candidate David Hoffman released an ad yesterday against frontrunner primary opponent Alexi Giannoulias, the state Treasurer, accusing him of "ethical misconduct and ties to the state's Democratic establishment." And "Giannoulias is wasting no time responding" to Hoffman's ads, releasing his own spot, accusing Hoffman of "making false attacks" and saying "his negative ads won't solve problems or create jobs."
 
Ethan Hastert looks like he has the edge heading into Tuesday's GOP primary for his dad's old seat.

NEVADA: In the search for a Democratic candidate that could beat the Republican frontrunners in the general election for Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid's seat, a new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll found that Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, a Democrat-turned-Independent, is the only "Democratic" candidate, whose name has been floated recently, with poll numbers that top Republicans Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian, 44-40% and 44-41%, respectively.

PENNSYLVANIA: "Rep. Joe Sestak may want to join Harry Reid in the United States Senate, but he thinks the majority leader could demonstrate, well, better leadership. He also was not bashful about sharply criticizing Sen. Ben Nelson and the rest of the Senate Democrats as lacking courage," Talking Points Memo reports. When asked who in the Senate would make a better majority leader than Harry Reid, Sestak responded, "I don't know them all well enough. I like Jack Reed… No one jumps to mind."

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
Liberal and conservative bloggers reach similar conclusions when writing about Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden's decision not to run for the Senate seat vacated by his father, Vice President Joe Biden: the announcement doesn't bode well for Democrats, as the seat will most likely now go to popular Republican Rep. Mike Castle. And a few conservative bloggers are buzzing about Rep. Mark Kirk's (slipping?) fortunes in the Illinois Senate race.

As Beau Biden becomes the latest in a series of political progeny whose Senate fortunes are extinguished or diminished, NRO's Jim Geraghty has this to say of other political dynasties:  "This may be the first cycle in a long time where you don't want your father to have been a political legend." Citing dropouts and poor poll numbers, he notes: "The Kennedy Mystique can't get a Democrat elected in Massachusetts, Beau Biden decides not to run for Senate in Delaware, and Chris Dodd calls it quits in Connecticut.

And now, in Indiana, Evan Bayh trails Rep. Mike Pence in a hypothetical match-up, by three percentage points. What's more, Bayh is only ahead by 3 against former Republican congressman, John Hostettler."

TownHall's Jillian Bandes posts on the circumstances surrounding Biden's decision not to run for Senate: "Things started to heat up. Scott Brown got elected. U.S. Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) is looking really good as a potential Senator — poised to push Delaware further into Republican territory, after Democrats have dominated the First State for over a decade. Beau thinks the Attorney General's seat is more comfortable. So he's not running for Senator. Wimp."

The Washington Independent's David Weigel on Biden's announcement: "Biden's pass on the race will be national news, an indication that Democrats are panicking about bad polls and bad economic numbers and don't want to stake their careers on the whims of 2010 midterm voters." Weigel also looks at a "secondary effect" of Beau Biden's decision not to run for the Delaware Senate seat, writes that Tea Party conservatives—who have a strong presence in Delaware—may be compelled to stage a primary challenge to now-favored winner Rep. Mike Castle (R) on the grounds of his vote for cap-and-trade legislation. "GOP activist Christine O'Donnell had been considering a race; with the stakes considerably lowered, expect to hear more about a possible challenge there," Weigel writes.

Do conservative bloggers think Illinois might be the next Ground Zero for a longshot takeover? NRO's Geraghty also at an internal poll commissioned by Republican Illinois Senate candidate and businessman Patrick Hughes which "shows a massive jump" in support for him over the past few weeks. Hughes is running as a primary challenger to incumbent Republican representative Mark Kirk, whose vote in favor of cap-and-trade legislation cost him the support of many Republicans in his district. But Geraghty expresses doubt that Hughes can win the seat, citing Kirk's persistent lead and an already-crowded Republican primary: "In a world where Scott Brown is a senator, we can't count anything out. But I wonder if a vote for a cap-and-trade bill that looks dead, along with deviation from conservative orthodoxy on a few other issues, will be enough to surmount a lead that is, even by the Hughes poll, almost 20 percentage points. (It also doesn't help to have four other candidates on the ballot, each one touting themselves as "the real conservative alternative.")

Perhaps seconding the sentiment that Kirk just isn't conservative enough, GOP12's Christian Heinze pokes fun at Kirk's courting Sarah Palin's endorsement a few months ago for her endorsement as a way to enhance his bona fides with the right. Linking to news that Palin will head to Illinois in April for a speech, Heinze asks, "Do you think Rep. Mark Kirk's going to stop by and ask for a nice word?"

From NBC's Kelly Paice
As President Obama prepares for his State of the Union address on Wednesday night, his administration's leading voice on national security spoke today on the progress he said is being made in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
 
In a speech at the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress, National Security Adviser Jim Jones said the Afghanistan-Pakistan region "remains the epicenter of violent extremism," and although it is "still much too early to judge how our strategy is working ... early signs are encouraging." Jones added that the administration "sought a clarity of our mission, and we achieved that: to disrupt, dismantle, and destroy al Qaeda."
 
Regarding U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, including the president's call for 30,000 additional troops late last year, Jones emphasized that U.S. military forces "have a clear mission to target, train, and transfer" in order to create the conditions for Afghan security forces to take responsibility and control of their military. Regarding Pakistan, he stated that there is a clear goal to support the security and prosperity of the country and continue to forge an effective partnership with the government there.
 
"Pakistan has shown a new resolve in this fight," he said, also making clear that the U.S. will tolerate no safe havens, particularly along the Af-Pak border. "We're investing more in the Pakistani people," he said, mentioning the $1.5 billion per year over five years the U.S. government has promised the country. He also stated that "our allies recognize that our common security is threatened," and therefore NATO allies' commitment of nearly 7,000 more troops and trainers to be sent to the region will be critical to overall success.
 
Jones clearly stated that although some U.S. troops will start coming home in July 2011, that date is "not a withdrawal date. It is the beginning of a transition to Afghan security forces." The U.S. will "continue to advise and assist," he emphasized, stating that the July 2011 date "sends an important signal to the Afghan people" that the U.S. is a partner and not an occupier.

From NBC's Pete Williams
In an early test of the Obama administration's antitrust policy, the Justice Department today approved a merger between the Ticketmaster, the world's largest ticket-selling network, and Live Nation, the biggest concert promoter, but extracted what the government believes are major concessions.

Ticketmaster's proposed merger with Live Nation produced howls of protest when it was first announced a year ago. Bruce Springsteen said it would produce "a near monopoly situation."

But under the deal as approved today, Ticketmaster must:

• Sell off Paciolan, a ticket company it owns, which is used by some of the nation's largest sporting-event venues. The likely buyer will be Comcast-Spectacor (which is a joint venture between Comcast and a private investor).
• License its ticket-selling software to other companies willing to buy the program. That will include AEG, the nation's second-largest concert promoter.
• Agree not to take any retaliatory action against a concert venue that decides to do business with a different ticket agent.

Ticketmaster will remain the world's No. 1 ticket seller. But the Justice Department predicts that because of enhanced competition, tickets for major events will be cheaper.

"When you see robust competition, you see prices coming down," said Christine Varney, the assistant attorney general in charge of the antitrust division.

As a practical matter, the increased competition will come between venues and ticket dealers. The government believes that with more ticket sellers to choose from, venue operators can get better deals, including lower ticket prices.

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
In anticipation of what will be one of the major themes of Wednesday's State of the Union address -- jobs -- President Obama today unveiled five initiaves intended to ease the economic burden among middle-class families. The plan was conceived by the Middle Class Task Force, a group of Cabinet officials and other policymembers, chaired by Vice President Joe Biden.

The White House and Congressional Democrats have been beset in recent weeks by criticism that they are focusing too much on passing health-care legislation, to the detriment of issues more pressing to some voters -- above all, the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 10%.

Today's announcement is one in a series of events intended to demonstrate the administration's committment to job creation. Addressing the roughly 20 members of the task force, Obama framed the economic woes of the middle class as a problem originating long before his administration.

"The middle class has been under assault for a long time," Obama said. "Too many Americans have known their own painful recessions long before any economist declared that there was a recession. We've just come through what was one of the most difficult decades the middle class has ever faced -- a decade in which median income fell and our economy lost about as many jobs as it gained."

Biden outlined the five initiatives:

1. Expansion of the child tax credit -- doubling it among families with incomes up to $85,000;
2. Increasing funding for child care;
3. Broader support for families supporting elderly relatives, including counseling, training and temporary respite care;
4. Limiting student loan payments to no more than 10% of their income; and
5. Establishing an automatic employer-based individual retirement account plan, so that workers can establish an IRA through their workplace.

Employing some of the spirited language he used on Friday at a campaign-like town-hall meeting in Elyria, Ohio, Obama reiterated his pledge to "keep on fighting for what matters to middle-class families: An education that gives our kids a chance in life; new, clean energy economy that generates the good jobs of the future; meaningful financial reform that protect consumers; and health reform that prohibits the worst practices of the insurance industry and restores some stability and peace of mind for middle-class families."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), the Republican Party's 2008 presidential nominee, has announced that he will oppose Ben Bernanke's confirmation for another term as Fed chairman.

"Our country is still facing an economic crisis and while I appreciate the service that Chairman Bernanke has performed as Federal Reserve chairman, I believe that he must be held accountable for many of the decisions that contributed to our financial meltdown," he said in a statement. 

McCain's opposition to Bernanke's is just the latest maneuver McCain has made to protect his right flank -- given the primary challenge he's receiving.

Just last week, he issued a fairly muted response -- by McCain standards -- to the Supreme Court decision striking down a key provision of the campaign finance-law that's named after him. ("I am disappointed by the decision of the Supreme Court and the lifting of the limits on corporate and union contributions," he said.)

Also, as Congress begins working on immigration reform, McCain has been almost silent on this issue, despite his past advocacy for comprehensive immigration reform.

And now comes his opposition to Bernanke.

From NBC's Pete Williams
The FBI says the number of complaints about fraudulent claims to help with Haiti charitable contributions is quite small -- much lower than during Katrina or the Indonesian tsunami.

As of today, the FBI's tracking center has received only a few dozen complaints.
Why so little fraud this time? Two possible explanations:

First, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies were way out in front with warnings about how to spot potential scams. (An almost certain sign of a fraud, the FBI says, is an e-mail that solicits a contribution by asking the recipient to click on a link, which turns out to be a fake look-alike of a real charity.)

Second possibility: the relatively new texting method for contributions. The Red Cross has a program for cell phone users to contribute $10 for Haiti relief by texting the word HAITI to 90999. Because the $10 is charged to the customer's bill by the cell service provider and passed on to the Red Cross, there's no way for scammers to directly hit up cell phone customers. The need to set up a payment arrangement with the phone company eliminates an avenue of fraud.  

The only charity scam arrest the FBI knows of came over the weekend.  Investigators say a Detroit-area man with a history of pretending to be an FBI agent was telling people that he might be deployed there and was collecting money to "for the children of Haiti." Agents say Kevin Balfour admitted collecting several thousand dollars. (Agents say he also used a fake FBI badge to get free food and drinks from a local bar.)

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
After this weekend's mini frenzy over whether Beau Biden will run for his father's old Senate seat, Beau Biden has now announced -- in an e-mail to supporters and on his Web site -- that he will not run for the seat in 2010. He announced he's running for re-election as attorney general instead. 

This decision all but makes GOP Congressman Mike Castle the front-runner for Delaware's Senate seat, giving the GOP a clear pick-up opportunity here.

The decision also raises the question why then-Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D) appointed Ted Kaufman as a caretaker for the Senate seat (with the assumption that Beau would run), rather than someone like state Lt. Gov. John Carney. 

Here's the e-mail, entitled, "My Duty":

As many of you know, since returning home from Iraq, I have been giving serious consideration to running for the United States Senate. I have received strong encouragement both here in Delaware and all across the country to undertake this effort – and this outpouring of support has truly been humbling.

I understand why people care so deeply about this election. The challenges we're facing as a country are extraordinarily difficult. The economy. Jobs. Health care. Energy.  Education. Climate change. Financial regulation. Foreign policy. These are not only the issues of the moment – they're the issues that will determine our children's future.  And as someone who has had the privilege of serving with the bravest men and women on this planet, I care deeply about how we treat our returning veterans and how we resolve our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I feel strongly about these issues. However, my first responsibilities are here in Delaware. I have a duty to fulfill as Attorney General – and the immediate need to focus on a case of great consequence. And that is what I must do. Therefore I cannot and will not run for the United States Senate in 2010. I will run for reelection as Attorney General.

One of the primary reasons I ran for Attorney General was to protect the most vulnerable among us: children. As the father of two young children, I can think of no worse crime than those committed by child predators. It is why one of my first actions and top priorities as Attorney General was the creation of the Child Predator Task Force.

The idea that any child can be a victim of abuse is horrific. The fact that it has engulfed an entire community is unspeakable. The pain and trauma suffered by the children, their parents, and the families, can't be measured. But justice can be done. And I am determined to see that it is.

I have a job to finish. And that's what I must do.

Thank you for all your support,

Beau Biden

*** UPDATE *** Per msnbc.com's Carrie Dann... Ted Kaufman will not run in 2010 either for the Delaware seat he currently holds.

That's what observers expected, though Vice President Biden seemed to hold out a glimmer of hope that Kaufman might be convinced if his son, Beau, decided not to run.

From Kaufman's Senate page after the news that Beau Biden would not run:

Kaufman Statement on Delaware Senate Seat
January 25, 2010
WILMINGTON, DE - Senator Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) released the following statement today:

"Serving the people of Delaware in the U.S. Senate is as fulfilling, challenging, and humbling as I imagined when I was appointed. But as I said at the time, I will not seek election for the balance of the term. I will continue to spend my time as Senator serving the people of Delaware and our nation and not running for office. It is a commitment I made when appointed, and one I will fulfill."

After a very tough start to 2010, Wednesday's SOTU couldn't be coming at a better time for the White House… Some early previews of what the SOTU will contain… Bernanke's chances of survival look a lot better than they on Friday… Is Beau going to run? Yesterday's frenzy is only going to put more pressure on him to make up his mind... And Marion Berry becomes the latest Dem retirement.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Dems' tough start to 2010: If you thought last year was a rough one for the Obama White House and Democrats, then the beginning of this year has been downright awful. It began with a worse-than-expected December jobs report. Then you had the controversy over Harry Reid's "light-skinned"/"Negro dialect" remarks, which dominated the news cycle for a few days. Next was Scott Brown's (R) special election victory in Massachusetts, which imperils the health-care legislation that Democrats have been working on for the past year. And now even Ben Bernanke's confirmation as Fed chairman seems to be in a bit of trouble. That's why Wednesday night's State of the Union -- Obama's first as president -- is so important and couldn't come at a better time (or is it worse?) for the White House and Democratic Party. It allows them to regroup, course a new strategy, and change the subject. 

*** Previewing the SOTU: So what can we expect Obama to say on Wednesday night? The New York Times appears to be the first to get an early look at a few of the proposals the president will make. "President Obama will propose in his State of the Union address a package of modest initiatives intended to help middle-class families, including tax credits for child care, caps on some student loan payments and a requirement that companies let workers save automatically for retirement… The proposals also include expanded tax credits for retirement savings and money for programs to help families care for elderly relatives." In fact, Obama is expected to roll out some of these proposals at 11:25 am ET. 

*** 'I'm a lot more optimistic than I was a year ago': Meanwhile, a thematic preview of Obama's State of the Union, we've been told, comes from the president's interview with ABC last week, in which he expressed optimism about 2010 and beyond. "During the course of this year we've had to make some decisions that were unpopular. We've made some mistakes. I've personally made some mistakes," he said. "But what I can tell you is, a year later, I've never been more optimistic about the possibilities of America. I'm certainly a lot more optimistic than I was a year ago. And the reason is, is this country's shown its resilience. It took a body blow, and yet people are out there still starting businesses, they're still raising families, they're still coaching little league… If we can get through 2009, as tough a year as it was, where a pandemic flu ranked about eighth on my To Do list and ended with a attempted terrorist attack and then a cataclysm in our neighborhood -- in Haiti. If we can come through 2009 and still not just be standing, but all kinds of good things happening out in the country, then I am very optimistic about where we can go." 

*** Tying health care, energy, and education to the economy: For additional SOTU previews, check out two speeches. One from Obama on the economy way back in April 2009 -- an economic speech that was widely praised by the chattering class at the time. In that speech, the president talked about a new economic foundation built on five pillars: new rules for Wall Street, investments in education, investments in clean energy, reforming health care to reduce health costs, and curbing other entitlement costs. "We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand," he said back then. "We must build our house upon a rock. We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity -- a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest; where we consume less at home and send more exports abroad." The second speech to read: Ronald Reagan's 1982 State of the Union, given during a bad economic downturn (and struggling personal job ratings for him); the combination of patience and optimism is something Obama wants to achieve on Wednesday.

*** Bern, baby, Bern -- a Fed inferno? As mentioned above, Ben Bernanke's confirmation to serve another term as Fed chairman looked incredibly shaky on Friday. But there were signs over the weekend -- statements of support by Chris Dodd, Judd Gregg, and John Kerry, as well as GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying that he will be confirmed (although McConnell refused to say how he would vote) -- that Bernanke's chances of survival have improved. Indeed, per a CNBC analysis, Bernanke "likely has enough votes to overcome a filibuster and gain approval for a second term… The analysis also showed Bernanke would win confirmation with bipartisan support, although he will likely register more opposition than any Fed chairman in recent history." The vote is expected to occur sometime this week. 

*** Collateral damage: Not only does Bernanke's confirmation seem to be collateral damage in wake of last week's election in Massachusetts, but it's a victim of the health-care debate. We're told Democrats warned that Bernanke needed his confirmation vote to occur in December because of the fear that January would bring bonus news from Wall Street making everyone angry again. But, of course, all the action in the Senate that month was tied up in health care. That Bernanke -- Time's Man of the Year last year; shoot LAST MONTH!!!! -- has become a scapegoat of sorts on Capitol Hill is analogous to when Republicans took out their frustrations in early 2009 on then-RNC Chairman Mike Duncan, and not on John Boehner or Mitch McConnell. The feeling was that somebody needed to take the fall for the GOP other than Bush.

*** Beau knows? For the last couple of weeks, we've reminded our readers that Vice President Biden's son, Beau, has yet to signal whether he will run for his dad's old Senate seat. And that's a pretty significant development, given that the political world had all but penciled in Beau to run after longtime Biden aide Ted Kaufman was appointed as a caretaker for the seat. Yesterday, Delaware columnist Harry Themal set off a political frenzy when he quoted the vice president saying that his son doesn't want to run for the seat. "I know he doesn't want to… I'm so proud of the job he's done [as attorney general]." However, the vice president's office released a transcript of the interview showing that Biden was referring to Kaufman, not his son. Biden: "Always a pleasure of seeing you buddy. Talk Ted into running, if Beau doesn't. Talk him into running, he respects you. I wish I had the power of appointing senators. I'd appoint him from Maryland if he wouldn't do Delaware." Themal: "I don't think he wants to run, though." Biden: "No I don't think he does either. I know he doesn't. I'm so proud of the job he's done [as Delaware's senator]." 

*** Dems wishing they could re-do those appointments? But no matter whom Biden was referring to -- Beau or Kaufman -- the episode only serves as a reminder that Beau has yet to make his decision. (As Biden said, "Talk Ted into running, if Beau doesn't.") And the longer he takes, the less likely it is that Beau actually gets in, as GOP candidate Mike Castle continues to raise money. If Beau doesn't run, it raises the question why ex-Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner appointed a caretaker like Kaufman, and not a more viable candidate like Lt. Gov. John Carney. In fact, had Minner just appointed Beau from the outset, Castle might not have even jumped into the race. More importantly, all of this is just more evidence how Democrats absolutely bungled their Senate appointments in Colorado (Bennet has a primary), Delaware (is Beau running?), Illinois (see: Burris, Roland), and New York (looks like Harold Ford is going to challenge Gillibrand), giving GOP pick-up opportunities in these states. And we didn't even mention the Massachusetts mess…

*** More Midterm news: In Arkansas, news trickled out yesterday that Rep. Marion Berry (D) -- not Marion Barry -- won't be seeking re-election in the fall, making him the first congressional Democrat retirement to come after last week's special election in Massachusetts… In Arizona, John McCain has a radio ad blasting J.D. Hayworth… And in New York, the Daily News is reporting that Andrew Cuomo is set to get into the gubernatorial race in March.

Countdown to IL primary: 8 days
Countdown to TX primary: 36 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 281 days

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The New York Times: "President Obama will propose in his State of the Union address a package of modest initiatives intended to help middle-class families, including tax credits for child care, caps on some student loan payments and a requirement that companies let workers save automatically for retirement, senior administration officials said Sunday."

The AP says that he will discuss these proposals today at 11:25 am ET.

The Boston Globe: "Administration officials said yesterday that President Obama would emphasize economic issues in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday but that he would also continue pressing Congress to complete its yearlong effort to enact health care legislation."

One of us outlined five things to watch for in the address.

Meanwhile, after the loss in Massachusetts, the White House says it's not caving on health reform. "The White House isn't about to pull the plug on heath care reform, aides said Sunday, although they acknowledged their job now is determining 'the art of the possible.' More: "The White House is nervous enough about fallout from the economy that Obama has tapped David Plouffe, who managed his campaign, to ride shotgun on the November midterm congressional elections. And while Plouffe has gained a job, Axelrod insisted no one in the White House would be canned over the Massachusetts loss. 'Washington loves a 'When are we going to throw a body out?' story,' Axelrod said. 'That's not how we roll.'"

President Obama reacted to the Supreme Court decision in his weekly address: "This ruling opens the floodgates for an unlimited amount of special interest money into our democracy. It gives the special interest lobbyists new leverage to spend millions on advertising to persuade elected officials to vote their way -- or to punish those who don't… I can't think of anything more devastating to the public interest. The last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in Washington or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections."

The Washington Post front-pages that Obama is the first truly wired president -- "the first to have Internet access at his desk and to converse regularly via e-mail. This fingertip access sends him 'constantly' online, said one senior adviser, and the information he finds there influences his thinking and some of his deliberations. He also 'uses the Internet like a normal adult,' said another aide, 'reading news articles, checking sports scores.'"

And President Obama was summoned for jury duty in Illinois. He's skipping it.

"The outlook for Ben S. Bernanke's confirmation to a second term as Federal Reserve chairman brightened over the weekend, as the Obama administration and key senators expressed confidence in his prospects," the Washington Post reports. "The Fed chairman's confirmation for another four-year term seemed all but assured a few days ago. But late last week, it was thrown into doubt as key Democratic senators said they would vote against him, and as others wavered. It was part of a populist backlash after a surprising Republican Senate victory in Massachusetts on Tuesday."  

Not giving up on climate change… "Seeking to resuscitate stalled global warming legislation in Washington's suddenly changed political climate, a bipartisan group of senators including John Kerry of Massachusetts has been conducting private talks this week with the White House and a key business group over an array of concessions sought by Republicans," the Boston Globe says. "The election of Scott Brown as Kerry's colleague has added urgency to the negotiations for a compromise, which would include the Democrats' goal of limiting carbon emissions while encouraging development of nuclear power, subsidizing coal mining, and drilling for off-shore oil. Trying to win Brown's support for a deal is part of the effort. As a Massachusetts state senator, he supported a regional program to cap emissions. But during his US Senate campaign he said the regional program did not work and expressed doubts about the science of global warming."

GOP WATCH: Aloha, Mr. Steele
The AP previews the Republican National Committee's Winter meeting in the "lush, exotic locale" of Hawaii, which begins today: "The gathering at one of Waikiki's most prominent beachfront resorts will be a first for the RNC, which for years sidestepped requests by its Hawaii members to bring its winter meeting to a warm climate. 'The concern was appearances,' said Travis Thompson of Maui, an RNC member from 2000 to 2008."
 
More: "Some Republicans have said they also may demand a vote on a resolution to rebuke RNC chairman Michael Steele over his book and promotional tour for it. Steele, critical of the last two GOP presidents and the GOP nominee in 2008, wrote that Republicans lost their way during most of the years following President Ronald Reagan's administration. Others may propose resolutions that would bar party contributions to Republicans who don't meet a conservative litmus test on a number of hot-button issues, including abortion, health care reform, climate change, and illegal immigration." 
 
Bristol Palin "is seeking $1,750 a month in temporary child support [from Levi Johnston] for their son Tripp, pending a permanent child support order."

MASSACHUSETTS POST-MORTEM.
PoliticsDaily's Jill Lawrence wonders if EMILY's List helped elect Scott Brown. "Coakley's astonishing collapse left me wondering if women, spearheaded by fundraising juggernaut EMILY's List, overlooked her weaknesses because they were so anxious to elect a woman. Should EMILY's List and its longtime president, Ellen Malcolm, have looked deeper at Coakley before activating the group's donor network for her? Was this an avoidable debacle? Is EMILY's List counterproductive? In the age of Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, is it still needed?" 

Howard Kurtz questions why the MSM was so late to view the Massachusetts special election as an upset in the making? (Then again, when's the last time a special election has received THIS much attention?)

"Republicans are luring new candidates into House and Senate races, and the number of seats up for grabs in November appears to be growing, setting up a midterm election likely to be harder fought than anyone anticipated before the party's big victory in Massachusetts last week," the New York Times writes. Referring to some potentially contentious Republican primaries, the paper adds, "Republicans said that the glut of candidates was evidence of the party's robustness, and that were as likely to be helpful as damaging to the party's hopes in November."

Stu Rothenberg says the fall isn't likely to be an anti-incumbent environment, but an anti-Democrat environment: "We never, or almost never, have true anti-incumbent elections… Nonincumbent Republicans who have the mantle of the establishment are also vulnerable given the current environment. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the state's GOP Senate nomination, is the most obvious example… But if those incumbents (and establishment-backed nonincumbents) get past their primaries, they will then benefit from the public mood, which currently looks likely to punish Democrats at the ballot box… [W]hen the general election rolls around, unless there is a significant change in the national mood, voter dissatisfaction will be aimed overwhelmingly at the candidates of one party. And that is why Democratic insiders are privately raising their own estimates of party losses."

ARIZONA: "Former Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth says he's planning to run against John McCain for his U.S. Senate seat," the AP reported over the weekend. "Hayworth told The Associated Press late Friday that he stepped down as host of his radio program on KFYI-AM, a conservative radio talk show in Phoenix. Legally, he wouldn't be able to host the program and be an active candidate."

And on Friday, McCain launched a radio ad attacking Hayworth, Politico says.

ARKANSAS: "Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR) is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow morning, according to three sources briefed on the decision. Berry will become the sixth Democrat in a competitive seat to leave in the last two months but the first to announce his retirement since the party's special election loss in Massachusetts last Tuesday."

"Rep. John Boozman, the only Republican member of the Arkansas congressional delegation, said Thursday that he's weighing whether to jump into the already crowded primary contest for the seat held by Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln," the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. "There are nine Republicans who have already lined up for the May 18 primary election."

DELAWARE: Vice President Joe Biden's office had to scramble yesterday after a Wilmington (DE) NewsJournal columnist implied that Biden didn't think his son Beau, the state's attorney general, was going to run for Senate. Politico writes that while Biden was quoted as saying, "I don't think he does either," when the interviewee mentioned a candidate's reluctance to join the race. The camp clarified that he was talking about Sen. Ted Kaufman, who currently holds the seat vacated by Vice President Biden.

FLORIDA: The Hotline on Sen. Jim DeMint, whose Senate Conservatives Fund has endorsed anti-establishment candidates like Chuck DeVore in California and Florida's Marco Rubio: "Perhaps emboldened by Rubio's progress, DeMint has gone from actively supporting Rubio's campaign to actively opposing [Gov. Charlie] Crist's as well. In an email to supporters, DeMint asks for the $100K in donations by Feb. 10 -- the anniversary of a town hall meeting when Crist joined Pres. Obama at an event in Ft. Myers to support the stimulus package."

ILLINOIS: Longshot Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Schillerstrom -- he of the expletive-ridden name-recognition campaign ad -- dropped out of the race on Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports, citing inability to raise funds. He threw his support to former Attorney General Jim Ryan. Memories… Here's to maybe the best campaign ad so far this cycle. We barely knew ye, Bob… 

NEW YORK: Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is gearing up to challenge Gov. David Paterson in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, the New York Daily News reports. "A source close to Cuomo told The News, 'He will make an announcement at the end of March. And what he will say is that he intends to run for governor… He thinks there are a lot of problems in the state and he thinks he can help solve them.'" Responding to the rumor, Paterson responded: "I hear all kinds of reports -- a lot of them about myself -- that aren't true, so I'll let the AG handle reports about him"

But the New York Post's Dicker has this from Paterson Campaign Manager Richard Fife: "Since it's clear Mr. Cuomo is running for governor, it's time for him to stop ducking the hard questions of how he would close a $7.4 billion deficit, balance the budget and pass ethical and fiscal reforms." Cuomo's camp "had no immediate comment, but a source close to him said, 'If Andrew Cuomo had been governor last year, the state wouldn't have a $7.4 billion deficit this year, and the chaos and dysfunction it has under Paterson wouldn't exist.'"

OHIO: An Ohio News Organization poll Republican John Kasich leading incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in the race for governor, 51%-45%, WKYC News reports.

A look at the week ahead in politics.

Five things to watch for in the president's first State of the Union address. Plus the Republican National Committee holds its Winter Meeting -- in Hawaii. And President Obama and Dick Armey address the House Republican Conference retreat in Baltimore, MD.

HERE IS THE FULL VIDEO.

A brief clip is below:

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From NBC's Mark Murray
As we wrote this morning, this has been a BIG week in politics and for President Obama. NBC's David Gregory expands on this point on his blog:

There have been many Fridays when I think, wow, this is a big moment in Washington. I remember covering Bush thinking that almost every day because of how much was happening. But for those of us covering politics, this week was huge. And what has been driving my reporting this week is whether the Obama White House uses this moment to change course or simply alter tactics. One of the realities this President faces is that for all his gifts as a communicator he appears out of touch with the country. He admitted as much during his ABC interview this week. How did that happen? Someone close to the President said last night that he is hopeful Mr. Obama will have more time to maneuver electorally than Democrats who face voters in November. But he went on to say "the whole party better understand that the swamp we promised to drain is still infested."

By the way, Gregory's "Meet the Press" this Sunday will have White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as a roundtable of our very own Chuck Todd, E.J. Dionne, Katty Kay, and Peggy Noonan.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife today officially endorsed Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in her gubernatorial primary against incumbent Gov. Rick Perry.

The former president is the latest person close to George W. Bush -- the former Texas governor -- to back Hutchison, joining Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, and Dick Cheney.

The primary is March 2, which happens to be Texas Independence Day. Perry is viewed as the favorite in the contest.

Per a release from the Hutchison campaign, "Barbara and I are taking this unusual step of endorsing in this primary because of our unbridled belief in Kay. She is strong. She has proven her steadfast commitment to the issues and values that unite Texas Republicans. And we are proud to stand with her today," said former President Bush.

More: "Kay is a respected national leader on many of the same issues that Texas is confronting today. These are tough, complex issues, but we have every confidence that Kay can get positive action after years of drift and delay.

And: "This election is about the future, not the past - and we have no doubt that Kay has the right vision and values to help Texas build an even better tomorrow."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Earlier today, we summarized GOP lawyer Ben Ginsberg's thoughts on yesterday's Supreme Court decision on campaign finance.

Here's another -- and more contrarian -- take from Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg:

1) A Tragedy. Just as both parties were beginning to successfully adopt the bottom-up, people-centered, democracy-strengthening model of politics of the new internet age, the Supreme Court blows the system to pieces.  The decision will no doubt tilt a system that was evolving into a more people based model back towards one where privilege and money will have more sway.

2) A Lot of Companies Are Not Going to Join In. Yet. Running ads with their name on it in contested races is not something a lot of companies are going to want to do.  Publicly traded companies are by nature risk adverse, and I think given how late in the cycle it is, how controversial the decision was even inside the Court itself, how directly they will be able to be attacked by a candidate or Party for running an ad that you just won't see a ton of these ads this initial cycle.

In fact I would encourage companies to take a position right now that they aren't going to do these kind of ads this cycle to avoid the pressure that is sure to come from both parties and individual candidates. Just say no.

3) This Could Become A Big Problem for Republicans. The Republicans have picked themselves off the floor in recent months by running as champions of the middle class. Having big corporate America come in on behalf of a candidate will almost certainly guarantee that a candidate becomes tarred as taking the side of big corporations against the average guy, something this cycle that could be deadly. The GOP better think twice about their newly populist brand before celebrating this decision too much.

4) The Democrats Should Try to Pass A Bill Tilting the System Back Towards People. There are a lot of ways to do this but the Democrats should stand on principle here and demonstrate they want the system to be biased towards broad, people-based participation not towards aggregated privilege, power and wealth.  Will fit nicely into their emerging people-based economic message.

What a week it's been, and we have State of the Union Week coming up next… Are Geithner and Summers in the dog house?... Obama heads to Ohio… Yesterday's SCOTUS decision looks like it will change politics as we know it… McCain's relatively tepid response to the SCOTUS decision… John Roberts as Earl Warren?... First Read's new Top 10 Senate list… And George P. Bush backs Rubio.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** What a week: What a week it's been in politics. It began with Scott Brown's (R) stunning victory in Massachusetts. After that came the Democratic scramble to save health care, which continues to hang by a thread. There also was our NBC/WSJ poll, which showed that President Obama's political standing has declined substantially after his first full year in office. And then yesterday was the Supreme Court's campaign-finance decision, which will undoubtedly transform the political system as we know it. These developments certainly weren't good news for the White House or the Democratic Party, although we still have no idea how the SCOTUS decision will play out (remember all the statements that Democrats were in trouble after McCain-Feingold?). Next week comes the State of the Union, as well as the congressional work to try to save health care. One thing is for certain: Democrats are hoping next week will be kinder to them than the past one has been.

*** Rebuking Geithner and Summers? One other thing that emerged this week was a change in the White House's tone when it comes to Wall Street. In fact, yesterday's Obama proposal to prohibit banks to use their deposit customers' money to speculate on Wall Street was a repudiation of sorts of his two top economic advisers, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Larry Summers, both of whom argued against this proposal. Indeed, it appears that it was Vice President Biden and Paul Volcker teaming up against Geithner and Summers here. Both Geithner and Summers played an instrumental role in getting Wall Street back on its feet. But given that Main Street isn't back on its feet just yet, the White House probably realizes that it can't be seen protecting Wall Street anymore. As we hinted at yesterday, there's a growing frustration in the White House between the economic team and the political team, and we're seeing that play out with the president trying to side with the populists.

*** Speaking of Main Street…: In the second stop of what the White House is calling its White House to Main Street tour, President Obama today heads to the swing state of Ohio to talk about his jobs agenda. In Lorrain County, OH, he tours a wind turbine manufacturing lab (at 1:20 pm ET) and holds a town hall meeting at the community college (2:05 pm), tours a factory at 3:25 pm ET and then is back in DC by 6:00 pm. (His first stop on the tour was Allentown, PA, on Dec. 4, 2009.) Pre-butting Obama's trip to Ohio today is House Minority Leader John Boehner, who pens this Cleveland Plain-Dealer op-ed: "President Barack Obama is coming to Elyria today to discuss job creation in a state that is desperate for a plan to put Americans back to work, but he continues to push an agenda that actually destroys American jobs." 

*** A changed political world: Yesterday, GOP lawyer Ben Ginsberg distributed a fascinating analysis of what the Supreme Court's big campaign-finance decision means. One, he said, it's going to place political candidates at a significant disadvantage to corporations and organized labor. "Controlling the issues they want to run on will become a real challenge, as will having sufficient funds to portray their positions and images." Two, it could lead to the extinction of America's political parties. "With the limits on the amounts and sources of funds they can accept, the parties will be bit players compared to outside groups that can now conduct those core functions with unlimited funds from any source." Three, it's going to benefit wealthy individuals, "leading to a number of new outlets who can carry the messages that these donors have wanted carried." Four, it will render 527s obsolete. And five, it's going to be good for the ad-makers and TV networks. By the way, Ginsberg (and also Rep. Barney Frank) will appear on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" beginning at 9:00 am ET.   

*** McCain vs. Feingold? Not surprisingly, both John McCain and Russ Feingold -- the two authors of the famous campaign-finance law -- criticized yesterday's Supreme Court ruling. But the two men's tone couldn't have been more different. Here was Feingold's statement: "[T]his decision was a terrible mistake. Presented with a relatively narrow legal issue, the Supreme Court chose to roll back laws that have limited the role of corporate money in federal elections since Teddy Roosevelt was president. Ignoring important principles of judicial restraint and respect for precedent, the Court has given corporate money a breathtaking new role in federal campaigns." By comparison, McCain's response was pretty tepid: "I am disappointed by the decision of the Supreme Court and the lifting of the limits on corporate and union contributions." Of course, one reason why the John McCain of '10 doesn't sound like the McCain of '02 is because he probably faces a competitive GOP primary this year… 

*** John Roberts = Earl Warren? Here's a final point about yesterday's Supreme Court decision: Can Republican candidates complain about "judicial activism" with a straight face anymore? Yesterday's decision -- which overturned decades of precedent restricting corporate money in politics, and which the Roberts Court decided to re-hear to broadly challenge the precedent -- would have made Earl Warren blush. It's all ironic given John Roberts' testimony at his 2005 confirmation hearing. "Judges are like umpires," he said back then. "Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ball game to see the umpire... I will remember that it's my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat." But Roberts' decision to re-try the case broadly -- and not just over whether "Hillary: The Movie" could air before an election -- was certainly stepping into the batter's box.

*** A programming note: MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" today interviews GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch, who will talk about health care and the big banks. Also on the show: The New York Times' David Sanger, Time's Joe Klein, and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

*** First Read's Top 10 Senate Takeovers: The last time we unveiled our Top 10 Senate contests (ranked by their likelihood of flipping parties) was back in October, and a lot has changed since then. Today, after the Massachusetts special, we're releasing our new Senate list, which shows SEVEN GOP pick-up possibilities, and THREE Dem ones.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

1. North Dakota (It's looking like this is John Hoeven's seat)
2. Delaware (as long as Mike Castle doesn't have an opponent, this is going to be a cakewalk for the GOP. Paging Beau Biden...) 
3. Nevada (Harry Reid is still incredibly vulnerable)
4. Colorado (Michael Bennet faces a primary challenge and is unproven so far)
5. Arkansas (Lincoln's poll numbers are in free-fall, but a crowded GOP primary could save her)
6. Missouri (Finally, a potential Dem pick-up on this list; can Roy Blunt really tap into that Scott Brown/outsider magic?)
7. New Hampshire (Can Paul Hodes take advantage of a crowded GOP primary?)
8. Pennsylvania (If Scott Brown can win in Massachusetts, then, yes, Pat Toomey can win in PA)
9. Ohio (Has Ohio moved back to where it was in 2003-2004, when it was more favorable to GOPers?)
10. Illinois (No matter which Dem emerges from next month's primary, Mark Kirk definitely has a shot)
Others to watch: Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana 

*** More Midterm news: Stu Rothenberg has moved Blanche Lincoln's Senate seat from "Toss-up" to "Lean Takeover… In Florida, Jeb Bush's son, George P., has endorsed Marco Rubio… And in Michigan, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder says he has raised $3.2 million.

Countdown to IL primary: 11 days
Countdown to TX primary: 39 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 284 days

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"Overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections," the New York Times reports. "The ruling represented a sharp doctrinal shift, and it will have major political and practical consequences. Specialists in campaign finance law said they expected the decision to reshape the way elections were conducted. Though the decision does not directly address them, its logic also applies to the labor unions that are often at political odds with big business." 

Here's the Times' analysis: "The Supreme Court has handed a new weapon to lobbyists. If you vote wrong, a lobbyist can now tell any elected official that my company, labor union or interest group will spend unlimited sums explicitly advertising against your re-election. 'We have got a million we can spend advertising for you or against you -- whichever one you want,' a lobbyist can tell lawmakers, said Lawrence M. Noble, a lawyer at Skadden Arps in Washington and former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission."

The Boston Globe: "The 5-to-4 ruling dismayed lawmakers and public interest groups that fought for decades to limit the influence of wealthy special interests in politics. But it cheered those who have railed against what they see as government control of free speech in election campaigns."

"Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and third-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, said he would hold hearings to explore ways to limit corporate spending on elections," The Hill reports.

"Reports of health care reform's demise are greatly exaggerated, Democrats insisted Thursday as they began emergency surgery on the fast-fading legislation," the New York Daily News writes, adding, "After a string of meetings yesterday, angry, stunned House Democrats decided they were willing to break the measure into pieces and use a loophole called budget reconciliation to pass tougher parts in the Senate."  
 
The Times: "Even as Speaker Nancy Pelosi affirmed her commitment to pass far-reaching health care legislation this year, members of Congress and health policy experts began Thursday to deal with the reality that a smaller bill would have a better chance. Passage of a comprehensive bill looked impossible after the Democrats' loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts. As an alternative, lawmakers in both parties said, some pieces of the bills already passed by the House and the Senate could be pulled out and packaged together in a measure that would command broad support." 

Max "Speedy" Baucus proclaims, "We're going to pass health care reform. There are lots of options, and we're just talking about the pros and cons."

"Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in the next few weeks intends to introduce legislation that would take away the minority's power to filibuster legislation," The Hill writes. "Harkin has wanted to change the filibuster for years, but his move would come in the wake of Republican Scott Brown's dramatic victory in Massachusetts… Democratic leadership aides say Harkin's bill is unlikely to succeed and that the idea hasn't been seriously considered in light of Brown's victory." 
 
Populist outrage: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday he wants more information from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on how to pressure banks into helping the economy," The Hill writes. "Bernanke's current term is up on Jan. 31, and Reid has yet to schedule a vote or invoke cloture on a nomination that has drawn strong criticism from some Republicans and Democrats."

OBAMA AGENDA: Siding with Volcker
The Wall Street Journal: "President Barack Obama proposed new limits on the size and activities of the nation's largest banks, pushing a more muscular approach toward regulation that yanked down bank stocks and raised the stakes in his campaign to show he's tough on Wall Street."

More: "With former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker at his side, Mr. Obama said he wanted to toughen existing limits on the size of financial firms and force them to choose between the protection of the government's safety net and the often-lucrative business of trading for their own accounts or owning hedge funds or private-equity funds. Mr. Volcker has been an outspoken advocate of such rules; until recently Mr. Obama's top economic advisers, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, were less than enthusiastic." 

The New York Post: "Obama laid blame for the financial crisis squarely at the feet of the banks, railed against their "excess and abuse," and laid out far-reaching new regulations on them that instantly drew sour reactions from Mayor Bloomberg and others concerned about the vitality of the financial industry."

There's your transparency... "The Obama administration on Friday is posting to the Internet a wealth of government data from all Cabinet-level departments, on topics ranging from child car seats to Medicare services," the AP writes. "The mountain of newly available information comes a year and a day after President Barack Obama promised on his first full day on the job an open, transparent government. Under a Dec. 8 White House directive, each department must post online at least three collections of 'high-value' government data that never have been previously disclosed."

The Boston Globe captures the scene with Brown in Washington yesterday: "Senator-elect Scott Brown arrived in the nation's capital yesterday to a reception fit for a celebrity, greeted by spontaneous applause in the marble hallways of the Russell Senate Office building, invited to a spaghetti lunch with Senate Republicans, and smothered by reporters."
 
And he sure likes retail politics... "He shook hands with nearly everyone he saw, including Capitol police officers ('Hey, how are you?' he said to one, extending his hand. 'I'm Scott.') 'You play hoops?' Brown said to a tall man in the hallway. (He did). At one point, he crossed paths with a school group from Kentucky and happily paused to pose for another picture. 'What are you doing here?' Brown asked the students. 'Just hanging?'"  
 
"Massachusetts Senator-elect Scott Brown, whose election was heralded as a possible death knell for the Democrats' health care overhaul, said Thursday he was 'open' to voting for a reform bill -- just not the ones currently before Congress," The New York Post writes. He voted for it in Massachusetts. Brown added, "I'm certainly not in favor of higher taxes and cutting Medicare half a trillion." 
 
"Brown (R-Mass.) wrapped up a visit to Washington on Thursday by naming Armed Services, Homeland Security and Appropriations as the committees on which he'd like to serve," The Hill writes. 
 
And for now, it's all Mr. Nice Guy... "Brown, who expects to be sworn in next week, said he's received a warm welcome from senators across the aisle, including Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). 'We had a nice talk, we cracked a few jokes,' Brown said of his chat with Reid. 'The reception I've received from the folks on the other side, the Democrats on the other side and the delegation especially has been extremely gratifying,' Brown added. 'I really appreciate their efforts to reach out.'"  
 
(And here's a lead -- dateline Amherst, MA -- that will make conservatives snicker: "They filed in and out of coffeehouses, all but crying in their cappuccinos, barely touching their carrot cake muffins, still in shock that Scott Brown - a Republican! - had been elected to the US Senate in the state that pioneered universal health care, legalized same-sex marriage, and normally sends 12 Democrats to Congress.")
 
Eric Cantor took a shot at RNC Chairman Michael Steele for holding the RNC Winter Meeting in Hawaii: "Chairman Steele has a role to play in these elections," Cantor began. "Obviously, I have said that I disagree with his statement that we can't take back the House. So, do I want voters to think that Republicans do nothing but go to beach resorts in January? No." The RNC Winter Meeting begins in Honolulu starting Monday and continuing through Wednesday.