Dems Pick 3-Bill Agenda for 2010 Congress

1. The Wall Street reform conference report
2. An extension of unemployment benefits and
3. Legislation bolstering credit for small businesses to Obamas desk in the next two weeks.

They calculate that all three bills fit the partys campaign narrative that Democrats are standing up for working people while Republicans act for Wall Street and corporate interests. The three-bill agenda also embraces the notion that politics is the art of the possible for the party appears to have the votes to pass these pieces of legislation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced that the Senate will take up energy legislation before the August recess but it is far from clear whether that bill will reach Obamas desk. Energy and climate legislation was not discussed Tuesday in a meeting between Obama and a group of Senate Democrats at the White House. Senators acknowledge that once members return from recess on Sept. 13 little legislating will be possible before the election. That leaves Senate Democrats with four crucial weeks to build a legislative message to voters. They also expect to win confirmation of Obamas second pick for the Supreme Court Solicitor General Elena Kagan and move an emergency spending bill for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. But it is the three business bills that they see buttressing party chances this fall. At his daily briefing White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said voters would get a clear choice between the parties on the three issues. Whether it is small-business lending or theres unemployment or whether it is financial reform I think the message is going to be fairly clear" Gibbs said a few hours after Senate Democrats left their agenda meeting with the president. The Wall Street legislations conference report is the first piece of the three-part agenda likely to reach Obama. Reid scheduled a cloture vote for Thursday and with Republican Sens. Scott Brown (Mass.) Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Susan Collins (Maine) all supporting it the regulatory overhaul is expected to pass. Gibbs predicted that unemployment insurance benefits would come before the Senate and pass next week leaving small-business lending as the outstanding piece of business. Collins and Snowe voted for the unemployment legislation before the July 4 recess and Democrats believe they will have the 60 votes needed to clear it through the Senate when West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) fills his states open Senate seat on Friday. Despite rocky poll numbers Gibbs said Democrats dont have anything to be dispirited about." Gibbs himself on Sunday acknowledged there is no doubt" that Republicans are within striking distance of taking control of at least one of the chambers. I think we can take a robust case to the American people about the steps that weve taken to help this economy recover to lay that foundation for economic growth in the long term" he said. And I think we can have a debate about how we got into this mess the eight years that ... produced the type of financial calamity that we dealt with. I think that is a debate that will energize the whole of the Democratic Party." Obama and Senate Democratic leaders also discussed the need to coordinate the legislative message better. Gibbs himself on Sunday acknowledged there is no doubt" that Republicans are within striking distance of taking control of at least one of the chambers. Democratic senators have been frustrated to see splits between Democrats on Capitol Hill and the administration emerge during some legislative debates. We discussed a need to better coordinate our message to simplify our message and to repeat it as much as we can" said one Democratic senator who was at the meeting. A senior Democratic aide said the discussion was about getting on the same page so theres no more situations like weve had." The aide pointed to legislation passed by the Democrat-controlled House which on July 1 approved a measure to fund teaching jobs by slicing $800 million from three of the administrations education initiatives. That has drawn a veto threat from Obama. During the debate over healthcare reform earlier this year Democrats in both houses of Congress pushed single-payer healthcare proposals without administration support. Its about syncing up the administration and congressional messages to make them a little tighter" the aide said. When something isnt echoed by the White House it has less effect. Its about reinforcement." Tuesdays meeting included 15 top Democrats in all including Reid Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.).