On the Radar: April 4, 2011

Hope and Continuity
By John Dickerson, Slate
Barack Obama launched his 2008 reunion tour today. Technically it's called a re-election, but the themes and images of the Obama 2012 campaign so thoroughly echo the last one, people might be excused for calling him Senator. Read more

U.S. Shifts to Seek Removal of Yemen’s Leader, an Ally
By Laura Kasinof and David E. Sanger, The New York Times
The United States, which long supported Yemen’s president, even in the face of recent widespread protests, has now quietly shifted positions and has concluded that he is unlikely to bring about the required reforms and must be eased out of office, according to American and Yemeni officials. Read more

An Obama Insider, Running the Race From Afar
By Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times
For two years, Jim Messina worked 41 steps from the Oval Office, a distance he counted when he first arrived at the White House. His next assignment — in an office 700 miles from President Obama — will test whether proximity is the key to power. Read more

G.O.P’s 2012 Strategy Puts Focus on Timing
By John Harwood, The New York Times
The last time Republicans challenged an incumbent Democratic president, they were simultaneously running a Congressional revolution. Read more

No party for John Boehner
By Doyle McManus, The Los Angeles Times
For a man who's getting most of what he wanted, House Speaker John A. Boehner looked pretty unhappy last week. Only three months ago, when he took the speaker's gavel from Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Boehner declared himself the leader of an unstoppable wave of conservatism. "The American people have spoken, and it's time for Washington to listen," he said. Read more

Boehner wants to pass spending cuts with GOP alone
By Chuck Babington, Associated Press
Sometimes in politics and legislation, whether you win is less important than how you win. That's the dilemma facing House Speaker John Boehner as he tries to round up the votes to pass a fast-approaching spending compromise and avert a partial government shutdown by week's end. Read more

GOP Aim: Cut $4 Trillion
By Naftali Bendavid, The Wall Street Journal
Republicans will present this week a 2012 budget proposal that would cut more than $4 trillion from federal spending projected over the next decade and transform the Medicare health program for the elderly, a move that will dramatically reshape the budget debate in Washington. Read more

Wages Fail to Keep Up With Inflation
By Sudeep Reddy, The Wall Street Journal
Despite improvement in the labor market, many workers are barely treading water as their wages fail to keep up with rising prices. Average hourly earnings for all private-sector workers, including salaried employees, were flat in March from the previous month at $22.87. Wages have moved little in the past six months despite consistent job gains during that period. Read more

Posted: Mon, 04/04/2011 - 12:00pm