Inside the Beltway

But not everyone has signed on to help, says Michael Cass, a reporter for the Tennessean in Nashville, who managed to obtain a copy of the roster. Despite the White House use of the word “confirmed,” “it’s a “wish list,” he observes.

A THOUSAND DAYS

When President Obama delivers his State of the Union address Jan. 24, it will mark exactly 1,000 days since the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate has passed a budget. The Senate has not bothered to pass a budget since April 29, 2009, notes Americans for Tax Reform, which did all the checking.

“The Republican-led House of Representatives passed Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget that reduced Obama’s spending levels by 6 trillion dollars over the next decade. The Democrat-controlled Senate has not passed a budget in three years,” says Grover Norquist, president of the group. “When President Obama tries to blame a ‘do-nothing’ Congress for his problem, he is half right. The Democrat Senate has done nothing.”

WEEKEND WEB FORAY

Voila. A snappy website freshly launched by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to illuminate the “triumphs of risk taking, hard work, and innovation.” It includes an interview with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, among others. Find it here: www.FreeEnterprise.com.

POLL DU JOUR

• 10 percent of Americans say they are “very conservative”; 20 percent of Republicans, 4 percent of Democrats and 8 percent of independents agree.

• 30 percent overall say they are “conservative”; 51 percent of Republicans, 16 percent of Democrats and 28 percent of independents agree.

• 35 percent overall say they are “moderates”; 23 percent of Republicans, 38 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of independents agree.

• 15 percent overall say they are “liberal”; 3 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of Democrats and 14 percent of independents agree.

• 6 percent overall say they are “very liberal”; 1 percent of Republicans, 10 percent of Democrats and 5 percent of independents agree.

Source: A Gallup tracking poll of 20,392 U.S. adults conducted between January and December and released Thursday.

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