Sunday Snapshot -- Let's Agree To Disagree

The NGA meeting must be in town because the Sunday shows were packed with govs. debating the economy. LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), who will deliver his party's response to Pres. Obama's 2/24 address to Congress, appeared on "Meet the Press" to talk about why he is considering not accepting stimulus money.

Jindal, asked why he would turn the money down: "Well, let's be clear. The best thing that Washington could do to help Louisiana and all of our states with our budgets is to get this economy moving again. I think we just have a fundamental disagreement here. I don't think the best way to do that is for the government to tax and borrow more money. ... What would be more helpful from Washington is less unnecessary spending."

NBC's Gregory: "Why would you turn down $100 million for federal unemployment assistance for your state?"

Jindal: "Well, let's look at the programs we turned down. You're talking about temporary federal money that would require a permanent change in state law. ... The $100 million we turned down was temporary federal dollars that would require us to change our unemployment laws. That would've actually raised taxes on Louisiana businesses. We as a state would've been responsible for paying for those benefits after the federal money disappeared."

More after the jump, including the housing rescue plan, nationalizing the banks, future political plans and the state of the GOP.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

More Jindal: "What we're going to do in the stimulus is we're going to look at every program, every dollar. If it makes sense for Louisiana, makes sense for our taxpayers, we'll use those programs and dollars. ... My job is to represent Louisiana's taxpayers. Makes no sense for us to take temporary federal dollars and create permanent state obligations."

Jindal, asked if there are other parts of the stimulus money that would go to LA that he will reject: "We're going to continue to do our process. ... We are going to recommend the legislature that we take the road money. These are dollars the federal government was going to spend on roads anyway. ... We're going to look at every provision, see what's good for the state, see what's not, see what strings are attached."

Jindal, on House Maj. Whip James Clyburn accusing him of hypocrisy for asking for billions of dollars in hurricane assistance and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin suggesting his position on the stimulus is political posturing: "Well, it's not the first time I've disagreed with the good mayor of New Orleans. But going back to Representative Clyburn's comments, a couple of things. Let's be clear. Everybody knows the federal levees that were designed and built by the Corps didn't do what they were supposed to do in 2005. ... I will continue to work to make sure that the federal government repairs and builds the levees the way they should have been built in the first place, repairs our coast to prevent against future storms and also, by the way, helps to repair some of the damage that was caused by the breaking of those federal levees. That's important for Louisiana, it's important for our country" (NBC, 2/22).

SC Gov. Mark Sanford (R) was also asked why he may not accept all of the money during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."

Sanford: "Two reasons. One, at times it sounds like the Soviet grain quotas of Stalin's time -- X number of jobs will be created because Washington says so. And that's not the way that jobs get created. I would secondly say what we are looking at is, in many cases, the money that would come to our state comes with substantial strings attached that, frankly, undo a lot of what we're trying to do at the state level."

Sanford, on Clyburn saying this is "a slap in the face of African Americans": "I would just categorically say he's absolutely wrong on that one. I think that any of us as governors -- and we do have 50 different incubators of different ideas and trying to get it right within our respective states, trying to make the judgment as best they can. But the idea that color would filter into that decision-making process is absurd. What we have looked at is, for instance, what the Congressional Budget Office itself has said is that as a result of this stimulus package, there will be less, not more, in the way of economic growth going forward. And so we keep talking about a short-term window, but the long term of what Congressional Budget Office itself has said will be that there will be less in the way of economic activity, and that impacts blacks and whites alike in my state" (2/22).

And over on "State of the Union," MS Gov. Haley Barbour (R) was asked if he's prepared to say no to the federal gov't.

Barbour: "There is some we will not take in Mississippi. If we were to take the unemployment insurance reform package that they have, it would cause us to raise taxes on employment when the money runs out, and the money will run out in a couple of years. And then we'll have to raise the unemployment insurance tax, which is literally a tax on employment. I mean, we want more jobs. You don't get more jobs by putting an extra tax on creating jobs."

More Barbour: "I think most governors from both parties wish there had been more money for infrastructure, more money for roads and bridges. But a lot of the money is social policy. ... This is not about whether or not we're going to take money to build roads. This is about whether we're going to change policy to what the left wants, and then have to raise taxes on our employers to do it. It's a small item out of a big bill" (CNN, 2/22).

THE PASSION OF THE CRIST

The majority of govs., however, expressed support of the stimulus package:

FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R), asked why he would buck his own party to support the stimulus: "It's not a matter of bucking the party, it's a matter of helping the people. I mean, I really view it as an issue of what can I do that's best for the people of Florida? ... Certainly this stimulus package, about $12.2 billion to Florida, will help Florida an awful lot."

Crist, asked if he disagrees with the gov't role that's being exercised in trying to fix the economy: "I do. I think that, you know, there are times when you're in a crisis and we all need to work together in order to get through those crises. And I think that this is one of those times."

Crist, asked if he's an Obama GOPer: "I'm a Florida Republican. And in the Florida way, we work together in a bipartisan fashion to do what's right for the people."

Crist, asked if it's a mistake for the GOP to define itself by opposition to the stimulus: "Well, it may be. All I know is I have to do what I think is in the best interest of the people of Florida. And from my perspective, it's to try and help them. ... Another part that people don't talk about in the stimulus bill is that it cuts taxes. ... So I think it works, it works well, it helps people, it does what's right."

Crist, asked if Obama has the right prescription to ease this recession: "I think he's on the right track. I don't think anybody says this is a perfect bill. I don't. I don't think even President Obama says that. ... But we've got to do something to try to get our country back on track for the benefit of our people" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 2/22).

CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R): "Governor Sanford says that he does not want to take the money. ... I want to say to him: I'll take it. I'm more than happy to take his money or any other governor in this country that doesn't want to take this money, I take it, because we in California can need it. I think that it is a terrific package. I think that, if you ask 1,000 people for their opinion what is their ideal stimulus package, you will have a 1,000 different answers. So everyone's is a little different. I think that he has done a great job. And I think California benefits tremendously."

ABC's Stephanopoulos: "Governor Sanford and Governor Jindal and several other Republican governors are not only against the stimulus package in principle, because it's going to add to our debt, they say that some of the specific provisions, like some of the unemployment provisions, are going to ... make tax increases necessary in their states in future years. Is that what's going to happen in California?"

Schwarzenegger: "Well, no, I don't see it this way. I see only a benefit to the state of California. That President Obama is going to eventually do a tax increase on the wealthier people, I think that writing is on the wall. I think he has talked about that during his campaign. ... I think there are certain things that are inevitable, especially when you have a crisis like this. "

Stephanopoulos: "So when you see Governor Sanford, when you see the Republican leadership here in Capitol Hill absolutely opposed to this, are they being unrealistic?"

Schwarzenegger: "No, I think that people have different opinions. I mean, I think that Governor Sanford is a very, very smart guy, but he has a different way of looking at that. And a lot of my colleagues look at this differently. I look at it in a more optimistic way, and I feel very strongly that I think that President Obama right now needs team players."

Schwarzenegger, asked if he's worried his party risks becoming the party of Herbert Hoover: "I don't think that the Republican Party is any different than the Democratic Party. ... The horrible thing about politics is that, the more they attack each other, the more that they try to derail each other, the worse it is for the people. ... You've got to go beyond just the principles."

Schwarzenegger, asked if GOP leaders in DC should be cooperating more with Obama: "They should make an effort to work together and to find what is best for the people, because by derailing everything, it's not going to help anybody, and it creates instability and insecurity" ("This Week," ABC, 2/22).

MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R): "I don't like this bill, but it is now the law. It's not the bill that Mark [Sanford] and I would have crafted, but it's now our responsibility and opportunity to try to implement it.... We're going to take our share of the money" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

IN Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), asked if his state will take the money: "Sure we will. Yes, we are in a little different situation. ... We were bankrupt when times were good. It's come to a position of all debts paid and budget's balanced and pretty strong reserve. But it won't last if the erosion of the economy continues at the present rate. So we will take it. We will try to spend it prudently and wisely. In our case, we'll try to invest it for the future of our state."

Daniels, on some GOP govs. saying they won't take the money: "I've studiously stayed out of the debate about the merits or demerits of this package. I think my job is simply to use these funds, which are a fact of life, for the best interest of our state and its future. ... There are some very legitimate concerns about this bill and its massive amounts of spending on things that have nothing to do with stimulating the economy. ... People in good conscience -- my own senator, Dick Lugar, is as bipartisan and thoughtful as any member of Congress, and he couldn't bring himself to support this particular bill. And so I think we ought to simply, you know, move forward, and each of us, as governors, anyway, make the best decision we can for our own state" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 2/22).

MI Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D): "This, to me, is not about philosophical theory. This is about real people who, through no fault of their own, are laid off because of a recession. They need to be able to put food on the table. So you better believe I'm going to take every dollar that is coming to Michigan. And if my colleagues here in Minnesota and South Carolina don't use theirs, I'm going to be first in line to say for my people, for our citizens, to put people to work and to make sure that they can survive through this, I'll take their dollars, too."

More Granholm: "I'm going to be enforcing this. We want to make sure that it's transparent, that not a single dollar is wasted. ... I wish we had put more money ... into infrastructure, because that really is a way for us to have a long-term investment and put people to work right away" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

MT Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D): "It does sound strange to hear any governor complaining about the stimulus dollars, because the fact that when the stimulus dollars come in, it keeps the governor from having to raise state taxes, because people get thrown off of health care, you have to raise taxes if you're going to pay for it. And so this stimulus package is actually good for governors so they don't have to raise taxes" ("State of the Union," CNN, 2/22).

OH Gov. Ted Strickland (D), asked if he is accepting the stimulus plan: "Absolutely. ... We need these resources. And I'm very happy that the Congress and the president is providing this resource to our states. You know, this is a very unusual time in the history of Ohio and in the history of the country. And this is not a normal economic up- and-down cycle that we're seeing. It's historic, unprecedented. And I think it's necessary and appropriate that the administration and the Congress is helping us out in these ways" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 2/22).

PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D): "In the long term, I don't think anybody can be sure that any single thing is going to fix the economy. It has to be a number of things, attacking on all different sides of the problem. But I do think it will create jobs. ... It's not all stimulus. I mean, part of it is relief. ... I'm not sure that we can, over the long run, cope with the higher unemployment compensation standard that this mandates for states, but I don't care. My people are suffering. My people are hurting. They need that extra money. And right now that's paramount in my mind."

More Rendell: "I've decided to devote most of the next two years, my last two years as governor, to be the stimulus enforcer in Pennsylvania. It always works best if the governor does that and doesn't delegate. And I think it's very, very important we get this right. I think the infrastructure dollars -- we can have people working by May" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

NJ Gov. Jon Corzine (D), asked if his state will take the money: "I think we'll probably take that and make sure that we're educating our kids and providing health care as best we possibly can to the citizens of New Jersey. I think the president has done the right thing. I think it saves jobs. I think some of the other expenditures that are a part of the program, on highways and bridges and the energy infrastructure of the country, I think we're going to create a lot of jobs. ... Combined with the things that we're already doing in the state with regard to our infrastructure and schools, I think it is actually going to make a big difference in the economy" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 2/22).

MA Gov. Deval Patrick (D), on Barbour saying he won't take some of the money: "Eerywhere across the country, certainly in Massachusetts -- and I'll bet it's true in Mississippi -- people want their roads repaired, they want their bridges repaired, they want a clean energy strategy and alternatives and real alternatives, and they want us to be candid with them about those needs. So whether governors say that they will or won't take this or that part of the stimulus bill in some ways is irrelevant. People want that help" ("State of the Union," CNN, 2/22).

OUR HOUSE, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR STREET

Meanwhile, HUD Sec. Shaun Donovan spoke about the admin.'s housing rescue plan on "Face the Nation" and "State of the Union."

Donovan, asked why other people should be subsidizing these people who made bad judgments and bad decisions: "The president made this very clear on Wednesday in Phoenix -- is that we have designed this plan to make sure that the folks who did take advantage of people, whether it was lenders or speculators or flippers, that they're not eligible for this plan. ... We're going to have a very strict program to make sure that people who participate are what they say they are. And we're not going to benefit those who took advantage before."

Donovan, asked if he thinks Congress will allow a modification for loans that are in existence now: "We're in discussions, and there seems to be growing consensus that this is an important part of the solution. I want to be clear, though, as well. We don't think that bankruptcy court is the answer to the problem. ... And that's why we announced an aggressive plan this week to modify loans -- we think we've got to get these things worked out before they ever get to bankruptcy, that that's just the last resort" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 2/22).

CNN's J. King: "To restore confidence in the economy, we need to restore the housing market, without a doubt. ... And yet, if you look at major benchmarks so far, in a very young administration, the financial markets have not responded with confidence. ... Why is the administration failing, so far, to win the confidence of the markets?"

Donovan: "Well, as the president has said consistently, we are in a really difficult economic crisis. And, unfortunately, there was not action on the housing front under the last administration. Had we acted a year or more ago to try to stop some of these problems in the housing market, we wouldn't be where we are today. We need to take action and we're doing that, decisively. And, frankly, I think the real measure of success in this plan is not Wall Street but Main Street. This plan's going to go into effect on March 4th, and I think what you'll see is a response on Main Street that foreclosures will go down and that we'll see more modifications happening. And that's the real measure, I think, of the success of this plan, what's happening to the average American family, not what's happening on Wall Street" ("State of the Union," CNN, 2/22).

Among the other reaction to the housing plan:

Crist, asked if the housing rescue plan is the right plan: "It may be a good start. I think some of the details still have to be rolled out in early March, as I understand it, and we're going to watch it very closely. But we need to do something to help the housing market. Certainly it's huge in Florida."

Gregory: "But this housing plan, can you describe how it will stop the slide of housing prices?"

Crist: "Well, I'm not sure that it will. I don't think we know that yet. I think it's too early to tell."

Gregory: "Can it be called a success if it doesn't do that?"

Crist: "Well, probably not. But you know, none of us have a crystal ball. So we have to try something, we have to do something to make this economy move forward."

Gregory: "But do you support it or don't you?"

Crist: "Well, I think we might. It all depends on what the details are once they're finally laid forward."

Gregory: "But you're not sure yet. I mean, that's a significant point, that the Florida governor doesn't support the plan yet."

Crist: "We don't support it yet. You know, we have to look over it, we have to review it and we have to be practical and pragmatic. I'm not going to lurch forward because we're on the show today" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 2/22).

Schwarzenegger: "Look, this is America. You help each other. You reach out. If someone is in trouble, if someone has a house and that person has lost their job, I mean, why would we want to see them lose his house because of that? It's because of the economic crisis that he lost his job. So let's help that person, let's have him be able to work something out with the bank for the next half year so he doesn't have to make those high payments so he can stay in that home, the family can stay in that home. ... There's nothing wrong with helping people. We do it with unemployment, when people are unemployed. ... When people are falling through the cracks in health care, so we pick up and help them. ... We cannot just go and have this kind of brutal philosophy, well, I didn't get any help, so therefore he shouldn't get any help either. That's not the way America is. America, people help each other" ("State of the Union," CNN, 2/22).

Granholm: "The bottom line is we want to keep people in their homes. The banks want to keep people in their homes. They don't want to hold these assets. ... This is part of a three-legged stool. ... This is a desperate time. And what this will allow people to do is to stay in their homes with a reasonable flat mortgage rate that allows both the government and the bank and the person to take a haircut. I think it's a shared responsibility and I think it's a good plan" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

Sanford: "I think it's a horrible idea. ... Let's just make the math simple. About 95 percent of folks are playing by the rules and struggling but still paying their mortgages. The idea that somebody down the street gets a different system I think is ultimately something that's going to undermine a whole lot of other folks with regard to paying their mortgage. Secondly, the idea that a judge can go back in and redo a contract that was signed by two parties I think is incredibly dangerous for the precedent it sets. And thirdly, I would say simply this. There are a lot of other ways of getting at this problem other than giving money back to Freddie and Fannie, who are two of the biggest culprits in causing this problem in the first place."

Rendell, in response: "Number one, Mark, judges do that already in bankruptcy with second homes, so don't be so concerned. Secondly, are we rewarding bad behavior? No. I think we're rewarding people who made a mistake and sometimes were duped. But compare and contrast them to these banking institutions and lending institutions. Are we rewarding bad behavior there? You bet we are. And that's bad behavior by people who should have known better, who weren't duped, were actually, in many cases, the dupers. And why are we doing it? Because if we don't do it, the whole system collapses. Every economist -- conservative, liberal, moderate, progressive -- you name it -- says that we've got to do these bailouts, as bad as they are, because otherwise the entire system collapses" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

Pawlenty: "There's a better way to do this, and that is to make low interest rates available to people and allow them to choose to refinance. But this notion where the government's going to step in and forcibly reconfigure the terms of an existing contract should scare us" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

DON'T BANK ON IT

Pols also weighed in on the idea of nationalizing the banks:

Senate Min. Mitch McConnell: "I think nationalizing the banks is exactly the wrong thing to do, and we certainly shouldn't go in that direction" ("State of the Union," CNN, 2/22).

Sanford: "With all due respect to the federal government, the idea that the group that ran the Katrina rescue would come in and run the banking system of this country I think ... would be awfully, awfully tough, because, with all due respect, again, to folks in Washington, they don't have a whole lot of financial experience" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

Pawlenty: "The unions and the auto companies have been unable to put a deal together that fundamentally restructures the industry. It needs to get done. The only way it's really going to get done is in bankruptcy court. They should have done it six months ago. They should do it now" ("Fox News Sunday," 2/22).

Schwarzenegger, asked if a nationalization of banks is necessary: "We have a really good system here in America. You don't have to talk about nationalization. All it basically says is that if a bank doesn't have the money to give their customers, so if it, you know, defaults in some way, that the federal government comes in, because it secures those moneys. ... The federal government always had that right to take over. So it's not nationalizing anything. I don't see it as such. ... That's a huge service to the people of America, to have that security to know that, no matter what happens, the federal government will step in and will get your money" ("This Week," ABC, 2/22).

SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE?

Sunday anchors would not allow the govs. to leave before asking about their future political plans.

During their roundtable on "Fox News Sunday," Granholm, Pawlenty, Rendell and Sanford were asked about WH '12.

Fox's Wallace: "Any of you willing to say that you absolutely, positively will not run for president in 2012? Please raise your right hand. This is a trick question. ... I notice that the two of you did not raise your hands."

Sanford: "My dad died of Lou Gehrig's disease when I was in high school, and the day you got's the day you got. It hit home for me how you take one day at a time. So is it a plan? Absolutely not. Is it a likelihood? Absolutely not. But I've learned that you never say guaranteed on tomorrow when you don't know tomorrow."

Wallace: "There's obviously been a lot of talk, and especially given the strong line you've taken against the ... stimulus package -- well, he's setting himself up for 2012."

Sanford: "Well, if you go back to those days in Congress, I took a lot of lonely votes back then tied to spending, and this is not exactly a new pattern for me."

Pawlenty: "I'm going to make news right here on 'Fox News Sunday' and tell you I am going to run for president of my Eagan youth soccer association. ... Actually, I'm thinking about running for reelection for governor in 2010, and all of us are focused on this crisis. We've got people hurting across our states. And I would speak for all four of us and say we're not thinking beyond that and shouldn't be thinking beyond that."

Wallace: "But you're not ruling out 2012."

Pawlenty: "I'm first thinking about running for reelection for governor in the state of Minnesota, and that's my focus. And if I do, you know, people would expect you to serve out that term" (2/22).

Jindal, asked if he wants to be POTUS: "I want to run for re-election to be governor of Louisiana in 2011. I told the people of our state we have a once in a lifetime chance to change our state. We just finished the longest presidential election in America's history. I don't think our country needs another election. I think we need this president to be successful. We need to work with him."

Gregory: "So if you're re-elected in 2011, will you serve out your term as governor in Louisiana?"

Jindal: "If the people of Louisiana will have me, I absolutely want to be governor for the next seven years. Now, that's up to the voters of Louisiana."

Gregory: "So if you win, you will serve out your term?"

Jindal: "I want the people -- yeah, it's my intent to run for re-election. If they elect me to serve as governor, I will..."

Gregory: "You're not ruling out a run for the presidency?"

Jindal: "What I'm saying is I'm running for re-election. I have no plans beyond that."

Gregory: "Just to show you, we save our tapes around here. There was another prominent politician who had something similar to say when he was on the program back in 2006. Watch this. [on screen: footage of Obama telling Tim Russert that he will not run for POTUS or VP in '08] We'll be checking this tape closely."

Jindal: "Keep it in your archives" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 2/22).

Crist, asked if he would like to run for FL SEN in '10: "I don't know. I'm focused on Florida. ... We've got a session that begins the first week in March. I've got to get through what's happening in the Florida economy. I'm focused on that and that's where my focus has been and will stay" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 2/22).

Schwarzenegger, on reports he's going to take a small part in Sly Stallone's movie: "Since I've become governor, I've done three cameos when friends asked me. And Sly asked me if I would do a cameo. I said, 'Of course I'll help you and do a cameo. There's no two ways about that.' But it had nothing to do with the budget crisis or with the budget negotiations, because that will be done some times in April, May or June. I have no idea."

Stephanopoulos: "How about after 2010? You're term-limited. Do you run for Senate or do you go back to the movies?"

Schwarzenegger: "I have no idea. You know, I'm not thinking now about what I'm going to do, because remember one thing: As soon as I stepped into this political arena, when I became governor, it was not about 'me.' It was about 'we.' We turned that 'me' upside-down. It was about 'we.' ... It's all about California. It's all about the people. I have been very successful in creating some of the reforms that we needed. If it is worker's comp reform, if it is rebuilding California and their infrastructure, if it is the open primary, if it is the redistricting that we won just last November, I'm a reformist. I want to go in there and reform and fix what is broken in California. And I will be relentless with that, and I never, ever give up" ("This Week," ABC, 2/22).

Schwarzenegger, asked what the next chapter is: "I have no idea what I'm going to do in the future, but I'm concentrating right now to reform the system in California to make the state come back again, to create employment, to create more revenues, bring businesses, bring the economy back" ("State of the Union," CNN, 2/22).

THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION IS MORE COWBELL

And what's the future of the GOP?

Jindal, on the state of the GOP: "Our Republican Party got fired with cause these last two election cycles. We became the party that defended spending, corruption that we never should've tolerated, and we stopped offering relevant solutions to the problems that Americans care about. I think now is the time and it's a great opportunity for Republican governors and other leaders to offer conservative-based solutions to the problems."

Gregory: "Will that be your message Tuesday night in response to President Obama?"

Jindal: "That will be a part of it. We can't just be the party of no, we have to offer real solutions. We stand ready to work with our president. I think he has a chance to work and lead our country in a bipartisan way. Unfortunately, with the stimulus he allowed Congressional leaders to write this bill. A lot of them put 10 years worth of spending in this bill they've been waiting to do. I think he's got a real chance. We want to work with him going forward" (NBC, 2/22).

Schwarzenegger, asked what the prescription is for the GOP to get the majorities back: "It's very simple. Listen to the people. The best thing you can do, no matter what party you're in, listen to the people. ... If the nation is screaming out loud, 'We need health care reform. We want to have universal health care. We want to have everyone insured. We want to bring the costs down. We want everyone to have access.' I mean, that's what they want; that's what you do. ... Even though it maybe is against your principles or philosophy, you still have to go, because that's what the people want you to do" ("This Week," ABC, 2/22).

Crist, asked if there is currently a nat'l GOP leader: "I don't know if there is or is not at this time. ... There is a national leader, his name is President Obama. And the people elected him. And I'm willing to give him a good shot and try to help make this work."

Gregory: "You have disagreements with your party right now nationally with regard to the stimulus plan. In your view, what is the key to the road back to power for Republicans?"

Crist: "I think the key is doing what's right for the people. It's by having a compassionate approach, it's by being fiscally conservative and it's by utilizing common sense. The people of our country want people in office who will put common sense in their decision-making process. Many times government and common sense don't meet. We're trying to introduce them a lot more in Florida."

Crist, asked if the GOP in DC should not be the party of no: "Well, you shouldn't be the party of no. ... There's a time to say no. But I think you need to be a party that works across the aisle, that you participate. Both of them have to do that" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 2/22).

Schwarzenegger, asked where the nat'l party has gone wrong: "In all fairness, I'm here in Washington, not at the Republican Convention in Sacramento that's going on right now. So I can't be in two places at the same time. ... Second of all, I think it is very important to say that I have promised the people of California to be their servant, not to be a party servant, not to be a Republican servant, but to serve all people of California. So I pay attention to that, I do what is right for the whole state and of course that is not always good for politics, it is not always good for the party. The parties want to have you kind of lock in to their ideology. I try to break through that. That's why we have open primary reform. ... Parties are moving further and further apart and therefore they cannot come to an agreement on anything. And the action is in the middle. It's like Eisenhower said, politics is like the road, the center is drivable and the left and the right represent the gutter. And that's exactly the way I see it" ("State of the Union," CNN, 2/22).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "This Week" roundtable discussed the Obama admin.'s economic efforts.

NYU's Stern School of Business economics professor Nouriel Roubini, on the idea of nationalizing banks: "No one is in favor of a long-term ownership of the banking system by the government -- that would be a bad idea. Those like myself who support it think about the government taking over the bank, cleaning them up, separating the good and the bad assets and then selling them back in short order to the private sector."

Business Week's Suzy Welch, on the housing rescue plan: "This discussion of moral hazard and that [CNBC's Rick] Santelli moment, for the sake of argument, let's talk about this maybe being a revolution. Of course there's not guns on the streets, but think about what's going on. There's massive uncertainty. There's panic. There's vilification of certain groups. There's blame-mongering. There's upending of institutions. And if that's what it is and our kids are going to be looking back and ... study this period, what's it going to be called? Is it the Great Reinvention? Let's make sense of it" (ABC, 2/22).

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed AG Eric Holder's comments about race, the New York Post cartoon and the Obama admin.'s economic efforts.

Fox's Hume, on housing rescue plan: "At least you can say of the bailout of a bunch of these financial institutions that the government on behalf of the taxpayers took equity in, part ownership in, those companies. And loans were given at very high interest rates so that the government got something back for this bailout money. In this case, it seems to me, the government gets nothing back. This is just pure taxpayer financing to, in effect, buy down loans that people can't pay. And while it will undoubtedly help some people who were doing their best and really got caught in a downdraft, it's also going to help a lot of people, as you suggest, that shouldn't have bought these homes in the first place."

NPR's Liasson, on the admin.: "In terms of how much they're worried about this populist backlash, I think they're worried, and rightly so. In this kind of a situation, you want to be dishing out the populism if you're the president. You don't want to be on the receiving end. And he is trying to sell a very, very difficult package where we do have to bail out some bad actors like Wall Street bankers, like people who maybe did take on too much mortgage than they should have. ... They're at risk of being kind of overtaken by a real populist backlash, and that's why they want to get out in front of it. That's why Barack Obama early on put pay caps for bankers. And you're going to see a lot more populist measures coming from them" (2/22).

The "State of the Union" roundtable discussed Obama's upcoming address to Congress, the Obama admin.'s economic efforts and more troops being sent to Afghanistan.

CNN's Henry, on the speech: "He is going to have to be somewhat optimistic. He's going to walk a fine line here. You heard the criticism from Bill Clinton, a mild criticism but he said he needs to wrap these speeches up after he talks about crisis and catastrophe and put a little sunny optimism in the end, that we're going to get through this. ... What senior White House officials say is they feel the Bush administration spent too long saying the economy's going to get better, things are relatively OK, President Bush would never use the 'R' word, recession, until the very end of his second term in office. And so they feel they have to be blunt about the crisis but they are also getting the message, they say, that it has to be a combination, they have to be optimistic as well."

CNN's Yellin, asked how Obama connects his popularity to his policies: "He has to do it with his greatest gift, which is his ability to communicate. And he's going to do that Tuesday night with not just the stimulus, but with some of the initiatives ... especially health care reform, energy reform, education. He's going to outline an incredibly ambitious agenda that he really thinks they can get done quickly in what is a very contentious Congress right now because they think there's a public momentum behind these initiatives as long as he uses what we were talking about, his ability to communicate" (2/22).

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed the Obama admin.'s economic efforts, IL SEN and Holder's comments about race.

Bloomberg's Hunt, on Crist not openly supporting the housing rescue plan: "He rather equivocated. I think he left open the fact he may come back and Tuesday suddenly find wisdom in the plan. ... Has [Obama] come up with a perfect plan? I suspect not. Few plans are. But I am struck by the range of experts who think it's a workable and a good plan."

NPR's Norris: "One key person who has not called for Senator Burris to step down at this point is Mayor Daley. At this point he said he's not willing to do that. Because of the way the Chicago political machinery works, if that were to happen, I think that would really spell bad news for Roland Burris. That has not happened yet. ... This is so interesting, because this was suppose to be Illinois' moment in the sun. And they sent a son of Illinois to the White House and then, you know, this trail follows it" (NBC, 2/22).