This morning starts with the war in the Rules Committee. The vote is scheduled tomorrow at 6pm. Yesterday saw undecided Democrats moving to the yes column. Now if the GOP didn't buy the CBO report--Michael Steele called it a bunch of lies--they just made their own up. Tan Man Boehner's staff handed out a forged memo claiming it was an internal Democratic leadership memo saying that ,despite the CBO report, the Medicare Fix will make the bill increase the deficit. The memo was dutifully posted on Politico,Drudge and the Breibart websites. Like most things coming from the GOP these days it was a real lie, not like the CBO report.
Yesterday afternoon gave me a good insight into the difference between the Obama people and the Republicans. David Plouffe sent an e-mail to me saying as someone who runs a small business I should contact my representative. He supplied the phone numbers, including the local office. I called the local office; a human being responded and took my plea that our congressman vote for the health care bill and said he was committed to it. During the same period, the RNC, the Republican Congressional Committee and a right-wing group sent me e-mails--asking for money so that in November they can repeal. They didn't even pretend that voters should call Congress. Fox News was doing that for them. So, cash is King. Having received years of these e-mails, I'm beginning to believe the conservative political enterprise is the last great bastion of capitalism--with a slight exception, you give money and get no product. Caveat Emptor.
Canadian Mark Levin, noted conservative, is going to sue Barack Obama, Eric Holder and anyone else if health care reform passes. This is the new rallying cry. It's against the Constitution--which I wonder whether Canadian Levin has read. But I'm frankly glad conservatives have found the constitution; they ignored it rather vigorously for the past eight years.
The first challenge to health care will be brought on the "deem and pass" proposition. Used several dozen times by both parties but primarily Republicans, critics argue it violates Article 1. Sect.7 of the Constitution, which specifies that votes must be determined by yeas and neas and the names of the congresspeople must be enumerated. Why people think it applies here is that the House will vote on their fix of the Senate bill, which will be attached. So it's claimed that the House will not have voted on the Senate bill. That really doesn't wash because you are voting simultaneously for both and that's understood.
Jonathan Turley of George Washington University on his legal blog points out that it's going to be a rough road for Republicans to get this pass the District Courts. He points out that in a Supreme Court case of Marshall Field and Co. versus Clark, that the Supreme Court ruled that the judiciary has to take the statements of both the presiding officers of the House and the Senate as "conclusive evidence that a bill has passed Congress." But, in light of the last Supreme Court decision, there is an escape clause,that the Court " does retain authority to review the constitutionality of congressional enactments."
Turley claims the first hurdle for the challengers will be to establish the legal standing of the litigants, who will have to show a recognizable injury. Any such litigant will be challenged by the Democrats. Turley believes this is too heavy of a lift.
He cites the Democrats challenge to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Republicans just brushed over the clear conflict between the House and Senate versions. The House had a 36 month extension for Medicare and the Senate version only 12. They were clearly two separate bills. But the Democrats lost the case.
The GOP would have to go to the case they lost the 1998 decision in Clinton versus New York, which struck down the line-item veto. Justice Stevens wrote in deciding this case and another regulatory case that each house has to approve the same text and bill in order to receive a Presidential signature. Turley concludes his analysis saying the weight of law favors the Democrats on the issue of " deem and pass".
Now where the Republicans plan to ambush the healthcare bill is in the Senate. Both parties are now combing through the bills to try and neutralize each other's parliamentary maneuvers. There is no policy substance at this stage of the same. Mitch McConnell has organized a team to find a single line in the bill so he can call for a parliamentarian ruling. Remember the Republicans have been attacking the parliamentarian for the last two weeks to soften him up. The Senate bill would have to be identical to the House or risk being sent back to the House if the parliamentarian rules for the GOP. Or the Democrats would have to come up with 60 votes to override the objection. If the parliamentarian rules for the GOP on any one point, the only way to overcome a complete institutional metldown would be for Joe Biden to override the parliamentarian.
Turley thinks this would be even more egregrious than the "deem and pass". I totally disagree.
In other legal news, Orly Taitz is suing that her Republican primary opponent for Secretary of State in California is not eligible to run as a Republican, claiming he hasn't been in the party long enough. Besides, he's black. The California Bar Association has finally got around to reviewing Ms. Taitz mail-order legal license and may revoke it, particularly in light of her recent fine for filing frivolous suits.
Our neighbor Maryland is trying to secede from the South. Maryland is part of the Southern States' association and want to move to the Eastern States. They argue they have more in common with Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Their motivating factor is the rise in Virginia of Attorney-General Cuccinelli, who is trying to outlaw gay rights. The quest here is to secure the new headquarters of Northrup-Grunman, which Virginia seemed on the verge of winning. But Northrup-Grunman actually has an outstanding record of gays and lesbian rights for their employees. So, Maryland is trying to dramatize to the country that Virginia is for Lepers. And hope Northrup-Grunman cares about their image.
John McCain and Joe Lieberman want to "disappear" me and ,eventually, you, too. These two staunch anti-constitutionalists have introduced "The Enemy Belligerant Interrogation, Detention and Prosecution Act of 2010". The President on his sole authority as Commander-in-Chief can order the arrest, interrogation and imprisonment of anyone, including an American citizen,living anywhere on Planet Earth, indefinitely on the sole suspicion that he or she is affiliated with a terrorist group or said to be facilitating terrorist activities. Now since I have and continue to work with people who have and some continue to engage in armed struggle, it only takes a slip of a bureaucrat's pen to declare these people terrorists and any one affiliated with them as "facilitating terrorist activities."
And with the Patriot Act, the United States Government can strip me of my citizenship. This would be troublesome since my maternal side came to the States in 1670 to Delaware on the ship "Lydia". Cue in Groucho--Lydia, Oh, Lydia, Lydia, the Tattooed Lady. Luckily, I have taken prevenntive measures during the Bush Administration and secured the promise of a political haven from several Indian nations.
Oh Boy, Jon Voight is the guest speaker at the anti-health care rally this afternoon along with an alleged cousin of Barack Obama, a medical doctor who says the healthcare bill is another plot of his cousin's to bring socialism to the United States. They should have invited his other relative--Dick Cheney.
Tonight at 6pm eastern, Fox News will be showing a "documentary" on Barack Obama documenting his hard-left roots and associates. It will delve into his past--his Communist mentor in Hawaii, his far-left college associates, his long relationship with Jeremiah Wright, and --drumroll, Bill Ayres, the man who blew up the Pentagon's toilets during Vietnam. This show will reveal the dark ambitions of a politician who can read, write and speak. A definite menace to America.
Virginia may not be for lovers anymore but the Senate sure is. The Grand jury investiations into Senator Ensign and his financial dealings with the Republican Senate Committee have come under scrutiny. Staff members are helping authorities with their investigations because they feel they've gotten burned and are tainted by any associations with him. There is also a parallel Senate Ethics Committee investigation, which will only be concluded in a year.
Poor Representative Cao from Louisiana. A Republican stuck in a district once represented by Congressman Jefferson, he wants to vote for healthcare but the Tan Man and his goons keep pressuring him. Yesterday, he went from "yes", to "maybe" , to "no", back to "maybe". Stay strong, Mr. Congressman. Vote your conscience.
Mr. Sunshine, Bibi is coming to town for meeting with Hillary Clinton and then with President Obama. I'm not sure he's gotten the message. The Cafferty File on CNN presented e-mails from viewers on the flap, almost all negative toward Israel, which made Wolf Blitzer blanche. The only one positive e-mail was from a man who said that he wanted Israel to conquer all of the Middle East because we're at war with Muslims. The one e-mail, which would worry me if I were the Israeli Ambassador, was the one from Minnesota which said that the United States was right to assist Israel when it was founded but its should be able to survive without our assistance at this date. Others invoked the domestic economic crisis, saying we can not afford aid now. On the Republican side of the aisle, they have to worry about this because neo-isolationism has reared its ugly head again.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Born on a Mountaintop in Tennessee
A NATION MOURNS. Fess Parker, the TV figure "Davy Crockett", died at the age of 85 in his home in Santa Ynez Valley. How will we go on?
Radio Free America continues undetected by the authorities. The midwest-based radio show has recruited new "listening cells" in Boston, Baltimore, Princeton,Washington,D.C. and southern Virginia. Wednesday's show highlighted the Buzzcocks, the Stooges and the Dead Boys. And, yes, local high school students have caught on to the music.
Just don't tell Glenn Beck. Jim Wallis of the Sojourners wrote an extremely polite letter to Mr. Beck requesting a sitdown to explain to him the Christian view of "social justice". This man is extremely tolerant, polite and kindly. He comes off as a gentle soul. So what was the response of Glenn Beck? He could have accepted; he could have turned the request down. No, he unleashed FOX NEWS to investigate everything Wallis has ever done, all his writings and his "associates"as if Wallis is the "opposition". So be prepared to have a man who looks like Santa Claus attacked regularly on television. Even Joe McCarthy never had such a wide audience to broadcast witch-hunts.
Yesterday Glenn Beck had the Christian revisionist historian on Fox to show a letter by Thomas Jefferson signed in the "Year of our Lord Jesus Christ". While I always thought this was just a customary sign off from an older age. Historians claim this letter--which Mr. Barton claims is an original--is a forgery and that there is absolutely no historical record that Thomas Jefferson ever signed any such letter and certainly not with such a slogan. They also point out that the extensive record of Jefferson's correspondance reveals he never wrote such a letter. Yet, Beck is on the air deliberately spreading malicious lies. He didn't tell his audience that Thomas Jefferson has been expunged from Texas history books because he advocated a separation of church and state.
The Free Republic crowd has announced there are holding a Second Continental Congress --this time in Dallas, Texas. They sent a letter to Homeland Security, claiming they have no intention to overthrow the government but want to form a parallel structure and hope to co-exist. In their release, they advocate adopting the same Constitution, minus the Amendments adopted immediately after the Civil War providing for equal protection and the rights of black Americans. If you didn't know what you were looking at, you would miss that this Constitution is the project of the white nationalist movement and has been hanging around for years.
It goes back to the sovereign citizen notion. Because I am white, I have all natural rights. Anyone given rights "artifically" by the constitution are truly second-class citizens. Therefore, Barack Obama is not a legitimate President of the United States. This really is the argument of Moldova-born Orly Taitz, Queen of the Birthers, concerning Obama's eligibility. Our Free Republic crowd realised one slight problem--the rights of women--so they accepted their right to vote.
Rep Broun of Georgia lambasted the "Yankee aggression against the South during the Civil War" in a speech yesterday in the House, ostensibly about healthcare reform.
This debate now has become the civil rights struggle all over again. Chris Matthews had the head of Americans for Prosperity on Hardball and told him that over 30,000 Americans would receive health insurance for the first time. The response--"Why are we wrecking the finest health care system in the world for those people". Those people are not African-Americans as the conservatives suggest and want people to believe, but predominantly,white middle class people as Obama has pointed out. By and large,the poor are taken care of through Medicare.
Last week, the Republicans attacked the Senate parliamentarian--who they themselves appointed; this week it's the Congressional Budget Office. When the CBO figures showed the healthreform bill more than paid for itself, Republicans attacked the CBO as lying and unreliable. They also claimed that the healthcare bill didn't cut the deficit enough. The CBO has put out figures on some of the Republicans major initiatives in the past. The lowering of the top income tax bracket would increase the national deficit by $1.5 trillion; Medicare Plan D increase the deficit for $385 billion the first year; and the first Bush tax cut by another $380 billion the first year. All the current Republicans in both the Senate and the House voted for all of these well aware of the CBO's findings.
The most problematic for everyone is the attack on the CBO by Republican Pat Ryan, whom I've mentioned before. The CBO has cost out his Republican budget proposal and found it running huge deficits for ten years and destroying Scoail Security and Medicare. If--God forbid-- the Republicans take over the House anytime soon, it is Ryan's budget that the GOP will pass. From yesterday's performance, it's quite clear the GOP will attack the CBO and its findings. It is extremely important that people be aware of the fatal dangers the Ryan Plan poses for the future of the country--that is no exaggeration.
"Tan Man" Boehner reiterated the GOP's "commonsense health plan". This would involve getting rid of malpractice suits, having insurance sold cross state borders, and the usual pap. The CBO actually costed this one out and found that it increased the deficit and only enlarged the number of insured by 2 million. And, besides, most of the key points are already in the bill.
Barack Obama poured it on at George Mason today to a joyous crowd.In addition to the usual arguments for his plan, he tried to invoke our "better angels" and a vision for the greater good. But he put some knives in also--he referred to the healthcare plan as the largest middle class tax cut in history and the largest deficit reduction bill since the 1990s. A little ju-jitsu on his Republican opponents.
His tactic is now reminding me of the days leading up to securing the nomination. Hour by hour they are leaking out more "yes' votes from the undecided Democrats. Sort of like the release of the superdelegates during the primary process. Finally, he seems to be choreographing the events the way he used to.
When the CBO figures came out yesterday, 200 advocacy groups and medical associations jumped into endorse the plan. These are groups with real living and breathing individuals as members as opposed to the corporate front groups.
The Republican madness continues. Senator Tom Coburn threatened that he would put a hold on any Democrat who is defeated this November , who voted for healthcare reform, and is appointed to a federal position. Tom, you might be in jail by then. Coburn is part of the whole Senator Ensign scandal, which has moved into the Grand Jury stage, and Tom was the guy who negotiated the pay-off to the cuckholded husband.
The hysterical lying by the Republicans has caused me to wonder if they will ever pay a price for this. Judd Gregg, whom I always thought was at least honest, has simply lied and lied repeatedly about the reconciliation process, which he advocated on C-Span for years. The constant lies--everyday and around the clock--by almost every elected Republican have to be factored in this fall elections. If the Democrats don't pounce on this, they are missing a golden opportunity. Why vote for this guy, you can't trust him because he's a liar. Deficit reduction--who can believe him? Just pick an issue. Health Care Repeal--how would that affect the deficit?
Is this having any effect? A recent poll in Florida indicates there may be some movement caused by this tea bag, obstructionist, lunatic nonsense. The Democratic candidate for Senate is one Kendrick Meek, whose campaign so far mirrors his last name. He is extraordinarily weak. He will be running against the young darling of the teabag movement and conservatives, Cuban Marco Rubio. Rubio is crushing Charlie Crist in the Republican primary. But polls show the Meek-Rubio contest is almost a toss-up. Maybe there is hope that there will be a backlash against politicians who both lie like crazy and are obstructionists.
Back to the issue of Israel. Netanyahu's brother-in-law called Obama an anti-semite and a threat to Israel on their army radio. Bibi himself is a Facebook friend of Orly Taitz, the birther Queen. Shimon Peres actually came out and critized the Israeli government for jeopardizing the relationship with the United States. What do Israelis themselves actually believe? Three polls done in the aftermath of Biden's visit and Bibi dissing the Vice President show that 70% and some actually higher believe that Obama has taken a "fair and balanced" approach to Israel.
For the record, it would truly be strange if Obama were anti-semitic since he kicked off his political career at the Southside Chicago home of a rabbi. The rabbi was a neighbor and Barack would teach classes at the Synagogue. This is contrary to the urban myth that he declared his candidacy for Senate at the home of Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorhn. But you never know because as Bibi said, David Axelrod is another "self-hating Jew". And David didn't serve in the UDF.
Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League must have heard the Bibi's dog whistle and attacked General Petraeus for his "dangerous" remarks on Israel before the Senate Armed Forces Committee. Politico speculates that the Jewish community will vote against Democrats this fall to "punish" the administration. Now how real is that? Abe Foxman himself warned in an ADL report that the teabaggers were infiltrated by neo-nazis, anti-semites and white supremacists. Now the Jewish community is going to run to embrace that?
Meanwhile Bibi has called Hillary to kiss and make up. Bibi is flying to Washington for a meeting and says he's preparing some initiatives to re-start talks with the Palestinians. Let's hope but I believe this little fracture can lead to bigger problems for Israel down the line.
Well, the last great tea party rally this weekend may have some problems capturing air time. the March for Justice will be happening the same time. This is the march for immigration reform. I hope they turn the corner and march into the teaparty gang, who will flee to avoid contamination with immigrants. Also, there is the first spring anti-war rally. I wonder which Fox will cover?
Meanwhile I wait for the new one from Johnny Lang. If you haven't listened to him before, just find Lie To Me,which is one of the finest rock albums ever.
Radio Free America continues undetected by the authorities. The midwest-based radio show has recruited new "listening cells" in Boston, Baltimore, Princeton,Washington,D.C. and southern Virginia. Wednesday's show highlighted the Buzzcocks, the Stooges and the Dead Boys. And, yes, local high school students have caught on to the music.
Just don't tell Glenn Beck. Jim Wallis of the Sojourners wrote an extremely polite letter to Mr. Beck requesting a sitdown to explain to him the Christian view of "social justice". This man is extremely tolerant, polite and kindly. He comes off as a gentle soul. So what was the response of Glenn Beck? He could have accepted; he could have turned the request down. No, he unleashed FOX NEWS to investigate everything Wallis has ever done, all his writings and his "associates"as if Wallis is the "opposition". So be prepared to have a man who looks like Santa Claus attacked regularly on television. Even Joe McCarthy never had such a wide audience to broadcast witch-hunts.
Yesterday Glenn Beck had the Christian revisionist historian on Fox to show a letter by Thomas Jefferson signed in the "Year of our Lord Jesus Christ". While I always thought this was just a customary sign off from an older age. Historians claim this letter--which Mr. Barton claims is an original--is a forgery and that there is absolutely no historical record that Thomas Jefferson ever signed any such letter and certainly not with such a slogan. They also point out that the extensive record of Jefferson's correspondance reveals he never wrote such a letter. Yet, Beck is on the air deliberately spreading malicious lies. He didn't tell his audience that Thomas Jefferson has been expunged from Texas history books because he advocated a separation of church and state.
The Free Republic crowd has announced there are holding a Second Continental Congress --this time in Dallas, Texas. They sent a letter to Homeland Security, claiming they have no intention to overthrow the government but want to form a parallel structure and hope to co-exist. In their release, they advocate adopting the same Constitution, minus the Amendments adopted immediately after the Civil War providing for equal protection and the rights of black Americans. If you didn't know what you were looking at, you would miss that this Constitution is the project of the white nationalist movement and has been hanging around for years.
It goes back to the sovereign citizen notion. Because I am white, I have all natural rights. Anyone given rights "artifically" by the constitution are truly second-class citizens. Therefore, Barack Obama is not a legitimate President of the United States. This really is the argument of Moldova-born Orly Taitz, Queen of the Birthers, concerning Obama's eligibility. Our Free Republic crowd realised one slight problem--the rights of women--so they accepted their right to vote.
Rep Broun of Georgia lambasted the "Yankee aggression against the South during the Civil War" in a speech yesterday in the House, ostensibly about healthcare reform.
This debate now has become the civil rights struggle all over again. Chris Matthews had the head of Americans for Prosperity on Hardball and told him that over 30,000 Americans would receive health insurance for the first time. The response--"Why are we wrecking the finest health care system in the world for those people". Those people are not African-Americans as the conservatives suggest and want people to believe, but predominantly,white middle class people as Obama has pointed out. By and large,the poor are taken care of through Medicare.
Last week, the Republicans attacked the Senate parliamentarian--who they themselves appointed; this week it's the Congressional Budget Office. When the CBO figures showed the healthreform bill more than paid for itself, Republicans attacked the CBO as lying and unreliable. They also claimed that the healthcare bill didn't cut the deficit enough. The CBO has put out figures on some of the Republicans major initiatives in the past. The lowering of the top income tax bracket would increase the national deficit by $1.5 trillion; Medicare Plan D increase the deficit for $385 billion the first year; and the first Bush tax cut by another $380 billion the first year. All the current Republicans in both the Senate and the House voted for all of these well aware of the CBO's findings.
The most problematic for everyone is the attack on the CBO by Republican Pat Ryan, whom I've mentioned before. The CBO has cost out his Republican budget proposal and found it running huge deficits for ten years and destroying Scoail Security and Medicare. If--God forbid-- the Republicans take over the House anytime soon, it is Ryan's budget that the GOP will pass. From yesterday's performance, it's quite clear the GOP will attack the CBO and its findings. It is extremely important that people be aware of the fatal dangers the Ryan Plan poses for the future of the country--that is no exaggeration.
"Tan Man" Boehner reiterated the GOP's "commonsense health plan". This would involve getting rid of malpractice suits, having insurance sold cross state borders, and the usual pap. The CBO actually costed this one out and found that it increased the deficit and only enlarged the number of insured by 2 million. And, besides, most of the key points are already in the bill.
Barack Obama poured it on at George Mason today to a joyous crowd.In addition to the usual arguments for his plan, he tried to invoke our "better angels" and a vision for the greater good. But he put some knives in also--he referred to the healthcare plan as the largest middle class tax cut in history and the largest deficit reduction bill since the 1990s. A little ju-jitsu on his Republican opponents.
His tactic is now reminding me of the days leading up to securing the nomination. Hour by hour they are leaking out more "yes' votes from the undecided Democrats. Sort of like the release of the superdelegates during the primary process. Finally, he seems to be choreographing the events the way he used to.
When the CBO figures came out yesterday, 200 advocacy groups and medical associations jumped into endorse the plan. These are groups with real living and breathing individuals as members as opposed to the corporate front groups.
The Republican madness continues. Senator Tom Coburn threatened that he would put a hold on any Democrat who is defeated this November , who voted for healthcare reform, and is appointed to a federal position. Tom, you might be in jail by then. Coburn is part of the whole Senator Ensign scandal, which has moved into the Grand Jury stage, and Tom was the guy who negotiated the pay-off to the cuckholded husband.
The hysterical lying by the Republicans has caused me to wonder if they will ever pay a price for this. Judd Gregg, whom I always thought was at least honest, has simply lied and lied repeatedly about the reconciliation process, which he advocated on C-Span for years. The constant lies--everyday and around the clock--by almost every elected Republican have to be factored in this fall elections. If the Democrats don't pounce on this, they are missing a golden opportunity. Why vote for this guy, you can't trust him because he's a liar. Deficit reduction--who can believe him? Just pick an issue. Health Care Repeal--how would that affect the deficit?
Is this having any effect? A recent poll in Florida indicates there may be some movement caused by this tea bag, obstructionist, lunatic nonsense. The Democratic candidate for Senate is one Kendrick Meek, whose campaign so far mirrors his last name. He is extraordinarily weak. He will be running against the young darling of the teabag movement and conservatives, Cuban Marco Rubio. Rubio is crushing Charlie Crist in the Republican primary. But polls show the Meek-Rubio contest is almost a toss-up. Maybe there is hope that there will be a backlash against politicians who both lie like crazy and are obstructionists.
Back to the issue of Israel. Netanyahu's brother-in-law called Obama an anti-semite and a threat to Israel on their army radio. Bibi himself is a Facebook friend of Orly Taitz, the birther Queen. Shimon Peres actually came out and critized the Israeli government for jeopardizing the relationship with the United States. What do Israelis themselves actually believe? Three polls done in the aftermath of Biden's visit and Bibi dissing the Vice President show that 70% and some actually higher believe that Obama has taken a "fair and balanced" approach to Israel.
For the record, it would truly be strange if Obama were anti-semitic since he kicked off his political career at the Southside Chicago home of a rabbi. The rabbi was a neighbor and Barack would teach classes at the Synagogue. This is contrary to the urban myth that he declared his candidacy for Senate at the home of Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorhn. But you never know because as Bibi said, David Axelrod is another "self-hating Jew". And David didn't serve in the UDF.
Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League must have heard the Bibi's dog whistle and attacked General Petraeus for his "dangerous" remarks on Israel before the Senate Armed Forces Committee. Politico speculates that the Jewish community will vote against Democrats this fall to "punish" the administration. Now how real is that? Abe Foxman himself warned in an ADL report that the teabaggers were infiltrated by neo-nazis, anti-semites and white supremacists. Now the Jewish community is going to run to embrace that?
Meanwhile Bibi has called Hillary to kiss and make up. Bibi is flying to Washington for a meeting and says he's preparing some initiatives to re-start talks with the Palestinians. Let's hope but I believe this little fracture can lead to bigger problems for Israel down the line.
Well, the last great tea party rally this weekend may have some problems capturing air time. the March for Justice will be happening the same time. This is the march for immigration reform. I hope they turn the corner and march into the teaparty gang, who will flee to avoid contamination with immigrants. Also, there is the first spring anti-war rally. I wonder which Fox will cover?
Meanwhile I wait for the new one from Johnny Lang. If you haven't listened to him before, just find Lie To Me,which is one of the finest rock albums ever.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Republicans Go Nuclear!
As the clock winds down, House Republicans have vowed to have each member submit individual proposals to the Rules Committee. The right-wing websites are in overdrive reproducing virtually every lie told about health care reform from the very beginning--abortion, death panels, the gutting of Medicare, the whole shooting match. Redstate.com promises a laundry list of reprisals against the Democrats if this passes. Attorney-Generals will sue individual congresspeople, there will be such anti-government rage that violence will erupt, the Supreme Court will instantly produce it null and void by a 6-3 count, dozens of states will refuse to recognize it as law, and the Republicans will stop government until January 5th next year when they gain control. Paul Ryan claims the first item on the business agenda will be to repeal healthcare reform. Wonder if he'll ask the CBO for an estimate of the costs of doing so?
Conservative representative Steven King along with Glenn Beck slams the Democrats for holding the vote on the Sabbath. I'm sure if it had been scheduled on Saturday we would hear the same from Eric Cantor. Glenn Beck said the Founders would never do that. Now that Thomas Jefferson has been kicked out of our history by Texas , he might come back and demand a Sunday vote.
Mitch McConnell was delirious in his statements to the press, probably setting the world record for most lies within a single sentence. He and Orrin Hatch are cooking up the procedural roadblocks for the Senate vote.
Representative Clyburn, the Democratic Whip, stated quite clearly that there is no such thing as "deem and pass", despite all the accusations by the Republicans, which were duly repeated by the press.
President Obama had to postpone his overseas trip again. I believe the Republican actions are deliberately aimed at delaying his visit to where he spent some of his childhood. Everything has become personal now and the President must realize this. There is nothing the Republicans will not do to stop him and his administration from achieving anything.
Grover Nordquist vowed that if healthcare passed, Obama would break his vow on taxes and be defeated. Excuse me. What taxes? And where was Grover when the largest tax cut occurred? No where. Not even whispers.
Apparently, the teabaggers are going to have another go at it on Saturday and bus people into the Capitol. Apparently, Dick Armey was so embarrassed by his last performance and the derision from the media he's launching a demonstration on a bright Spring Washington Saturday, where he believes he can draw the crowds.
Last count I saw, Democrats needed two more votes. Inshallah!
Conservative representative Steven King along with Glenn Beck slams the Democrats for holding the vote on the Sabbath. I'm sure if it had been scheduled on Saturday we would hear the same from Eric Cantor. Glenn Beck said the Founders would never do that. Now that Thomas Jefferson has been kicked out of our history by Texas , he might come back and demand a Sunday vote.
Mitch McConnell was delirious in his statements to the press, probably setting the world record for most lies within a single sentence. He and Orrin Hatch are cooking up the procedural roadblocks for the Senate vote.
Representative Clyburn, the Democratic Whip, stated quite clearly that there is no such thing as "deem and pass", despite all the accusations by the Republicans, which were duly repeated by the press.
President Obama had to postpone his overseas trip again. I believe the Republican actions are deliberately aimed at delaying his visit to where he spent some of his childhood. Everything has become personal now and the President must realize this. There is nothing the Republicans will not do to stop him and his administration from achieving anything.
Grover Nordquist vowed that if healthcare passed, Obama would break his vow on taxes and be defeated. Excuse me. What taxes? And where was Grover when the largest tax cut occurred? No where. Not even whispers.
Apparently, the teabaggers are going to have another go at it on Saturday and bus people into the Capitol. Apparently, Dick Armey was so embarrassed by his last performance and the derision from the media he's launching a demonstration on a bright Spring Washington Saturday, where he believes he can draw the crowds.
Last count I saw, Democrats needed two more votes. Inshallah!
The End Game
The CBO finally released their numbers of the "reconciled" health bill. If any Democrats were wavering, they could just vote for it as the largest deficit reduction bill since the Clinton days. The total bill is $940 billion, which is about 40 more than President Obama promised. So watch this becoming the next burning issue. It reduces the deficit by $130 billion for the first 10 years; and about $1.2 trillion over the second ten. It reduces the growth rate in Medicare by 1.4%, extending the solvency of Medicare by 9 years. It closes the 'donut hole" in Medicare prescription drugs. And it expands health coverage to 32 million more Americans.
The bottom-line for me is that the bill dramatically lowers the possibility that anyone will go bankrupt if something catastrophic happens to them. According to Newsweek, 73% of all bankruptcies in America are the result of medical expenses--and a staggering 86% of these people have health insurance. Oddly enough, both the rich and the poor are currently better off in the health care system than the American Middle Class.
For most of us, the bill really doesn't change our status quo except by providing their deeper security over catastrophic costs. In a few years, it may result in my health insurance premiums being cut in half if I join the "exchange".
Why all this fuss with the CBO? I hope it's for the day if and when Republicans ever get control of a branch in Congress. The Bush Medicare B program didn't bother with CBO estimates and Tom DeLay actually sexually blackmailed a few members to vote for it. End result--a $5 trillion liability. It's also good politics for the Blue Dog Democrats, who always cry about the budget. If anything, people should vote for this as a deficit reduction bill.
Why the GOP resistance to this bill? First, they don't care about deficits unless they can use it to dismantle the social welfare state. Secondly, anything proposed by Barack Obama will be opposed for the rest of his term as has been shown by the New York Times piece on Mitch McConnell's strategy to oppose through procedure everything the administration advocates. Thirdly, this bill is about regulating the health insurance industry. It has nothing to do with government health care which progressive critics have maintained all along. The GOP is committed to blocking the regulation of any sector of the private sector and the banks.
When the dust settles and grandma didn't die at the hands of Rahm Emmanuel's brother, this will go down as another initiative of Barack Obama to save capitalism from itself. In the process, it actually may help millions upon millions of people.
The bottom-line for me is that the bill dramatically lowers the possibility that anyone will go bankrupt if something catastrophic happens to them. According to Newsweek, 73% of all bankruptcies in America are the result of medical expenses--and a staggering 86% of these people have health insurance. Oddly enough, both the rich and the poor are currently better off in the health care system than the American Middle Class.
For most of us, the bill really doesn't change our status quo except by providing their deeper security over catastrophic costs. In a few years, it may result in my health insurance premiums being cut in half if I join the "exchange".
Why all this fuss with the CBO? I hope it's for the day if and when Republicans ever get control of a branch in Congress. The Bush Medicare B program didn't bother with CBO estimates and Tom DeLay actually sexually blackmailed a few members to vote for it. End result--a $5 trillion liability. It's also good politics for the Blue Dog Democrats, who always cry about the budget. If anything, people should vote for this as a deficit reduction bill.
Why the GOP resistance to this bill? First, they don't care about deficits unless they can use it to dismantle the social welfare state. Secondly, anything proposed by Barack Obama will be opposed for the rest of his term as has been shown by the New York Times piece on Mitch McConnell's strategy to oppose through procedure everything the administration advocates. Thirdly, this bill is about regulating the health insurance industry. It has nothing to do with government health care which progressive critics have maintained all along. The GOP is committed to blocking the regulation of any sector of the private sector and the banks.
When the dust settles and grandma didn't die at the hands of Rahm Emmanuel's brother, this will go down as another initiative of Barack Obama to save capitalism from itself. In the process, it actually may help millions upon millions of people.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy Saint Patrick's Day
Remember Saint Patrick rid Ireland of the snakes. Well Virginia has one today. Our birther, homophobic, climate change denier Attorney-General Ken Cuccinelli II has announced that Virginia will be the first state to sue the federal government if the Health Care Bill passes the House. He has also sent Nancy Pelosi a letter saying that if the "Slaughter provision" is used--on the "deem and pass" procedure--he will take the issue to the Supreme Court. Earlier last week,while no one was looking, Virginia passed a law prohibiting government from requiring anyone from buying health insurance. What about house insurance or auto insurance, which Vurginia requires? A commentator to a local downstate newspaper complained that Virginia is not South Carolina or Texas where ignorant people live. Buddy, of yes, we are. RECALL CUCCINELLI. I think I have my next project.
Meanwhile Virginia's own Eric Cantor sheepishly admitted on television while Steny Hoyer explained "deem and pass" that it was legitimate and that Republicans used it many times in the past.
Idaho wants to brag they are the first state which passed a law that requires the State to sue the federal government if citizens are required to buy health insurance.
Americans for Prosperity, one of the corporate front groups spending millions in the final days of the healthcare debate, has run ads against Democrats but with some interesting consequences. They accused Representative Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania for being weak on cancer and supporting women foregoing mammograms until late in life. The Congresswomen is actually known for being one of the leaders on the Hill urging preventive measures to combat cancer in women. Unfortunately for the group, the Congresswomen also lost both parents recently to cancer. The series of lies in these commercials were deemed by Poltifact to be significant as to warrant their "Pants on Fire" rating--their lowest.
60 leaders of religious orders for Catholic women came out today to back the healthreform bill, in contradiction to the American Bishops.
A blog did some research on polling about Medicare at the time it was introduced and found the same ambiguity among the American people. The same, the author opined, applied to Social Security at that time.
Homeland Director Napolitano suspended the construction of the border fence with Mexico because of corruption issues. Now the Militia Men are travelling to the border, fully armed to scout for illegal immigrants.
The great state of Georgia now has introduced a law making it mandatory to do random drug tests on the unemployed.
As of 9pm tonight, the health care vote will be on Sunday. The House is tweaking the bill to imrpove CBO numbers, which should appear tomorrow. As of now, I guess there are 7 Democrats, who really are undecided.
The Republican strategy is clear--let the corporations bombard the swing Democrats with ads and threats about the mid-term elections--and at the end of the day stimulate a wave of lawsuits by the states to make it appear the law really doesn't take effect. The reason for this is simple--they know it would be an historic achievement for President Obama and the Democrats and they want to muddy this impression.
Meanwhile Virginia's own Eric Cantor sheepishly admitted on television while Steny Hoyer explained "deem and pass" that it was legitimate and that Republicans used it many times in the past.
Idaho wants to brag they are the first state which passed a law that requires the State to sue the federal government if citizens are required to buy health insurance.
Americans for Prosperity, one of the corporate front groups spending millions in the final days of the healthcare debate, has run ads against Democrats but with some interesting consequences. They accused Representative Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania for being weak on cancer and supporting women foregoing mammograms until late in life. The Congresswomen is actually known for being one of the leaders on the Hill urging preventive measures to combat cancer in women. Unfortunately for the group, the Congresswomen also lost both parents recently to cancer. The series of lies in these commercials were deemed by Poltifact to be significant as to warrant their "Pants on Fire" rating--their lowest.
60 leaders of religious orders for Catholic women came out today to back the healthreform bill, in contradiction to the American Bishops.
A blog did some research on polling about Medicare at the time it was introduced and found the same ambiguity among the American people. The same, the author opined, applied to Social Security at that time.
Homeland Director Napolitano suspended the construction of the border fence with Mexico because of corruption issues. Now the Militia Men are travelling to the border, fully armed to scout for illegal immigrants.
The great state of Georgia now has introduced a law making it mandatory to do random drug tests on the unemployed.
As of 9pm tonight, the health care vote will be on Sunday. The House is tweaking the bill to imrpove CBO numbers, which should appear tomorrow. As of now, I guess there are 7 Democrats, who really are undecided.
The Republican strategy is clear--let the corporations bombard the swing Democrats with ads and threats about the mid-term elections--and at the end of the day stimulate a wave of lawsuits by the states to make it appear the law really doesn't take effect. The reason for this is simple--they know it would be an historic achievement for President Obama and the Democrats and they want to muddy this impression.
Happy Norooz!
Happy Iranian New Year to everyone. Hopefully, spring will bring good things for the Iranian people.
Meanwhile back in Stoogeland, I headed to the House today and on the way back got stuck in traffic as the President's motorcade went pass. Besides the Batmobile, he has several SUVs, a bomb disposal truck and an ambulance as well as a phalanx of police motorcycles. He had been up to the House to speak to members on the Health Reform Bill.
Since it's the Year of the Tiger, we should expect good news but things are still tight. Dennis the Menace did the manly thing and endorsed the bill. A few of the Stupak gang also have signed on. Yet, the remaining Democrats are facing a blitz of corporate ads in their home district. The Chamber of Commerce announced in addition to their $25 million this week, they will devote $55 million for the mid-year elections and target those wafflers who vote for the bill in the end.
Tea Baggers expressed disgust with Dick Armey's effort yesterday and thought he had more resources to bear on the final health care event. Oh, I'm sure he did but it's for himself.
Conservatives are now threatening to take the health care bill to the Supreme Court. That is very intriguing. We know the corporations own the majority of the court--let's not pretend anymore. But the constitutional issue would center around mandates to buy health insurance. Progressives have criticized President Obama for omitting a public option. If the present bill passes, it is a type of TARP bailout for an industry that is currently operating on a failed business model. So the industry would be faced with the new regulations, but then if the Court ruled mandates were unconstitutional they would essentially go bankrupt and enter into a financial meltdown mood. It would be interesting to see where the insurance industry actually came down on such a court case. Currently, they are playing high-price chicken over the bill but at the end of the day they stand to gain over 30 million new customers. Do they want to lose them?
The right-wing radios keep telling people the bill doesn't take effect until 2014. But here's a list of things that start immediately:
*35% immediate tax break for small businesses who provide insurance for employees;
*Prohibit dropping people from coverage when they get sick in all plans;
*Lowers senior prescription drug prices;
*Eliminates lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits on all plans;!!!!
*Requires plans to cover dependent children until the age 26;
*Requires new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing;
*Provides immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans because of pre-existing conditions;
*Ensures consumers have access to an internal and external appeals process to appeal insurance plan decisions;
Requires premium rebates to enrolees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and requires public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs.
The Democrats also created a website at the House where one can see the benefits of the bill for each congressional district. It actually works great.
The Republicans are miffed that if the bill passes they aren't being invited to participate in the signing ceremonies at the White House. They hope they can get the simulus effect--voting no but showing up with the stimulus check for the project in their districts.
As of late afternoon today, the Senate has already drafted their bill, which accepts the House changes. This was a confidence-building measure for House Democrats, who were afraid the Senate would renege on their promises. The draft copy of this reads well and improves everything rather dramatically.
After seeing about a dozen representatives today performing their functions on other issues, I have severe doubts any of them would understand anything about the health care bill. It was a sorry bipartisan bunch. If you deal alot with young democracies, you forget that the first generation produces the best, most finely-tuned talent available. Thereafter the gene pool starts getting diluted.
The Senate actually passed an anemic $18 billion jobs bill with some Republican support. The bill is almost entirely tax cuts. What the Senate is really excited about is increasing the threshold for estate taxes to $10 million, instead of the Bush $7 million. Here we have alot of energetic Senators.
If the Health Bill passes, it will only provide a temporary halt to the slide of health care in the United States. For instance, Arizona, facing critical budget shortfalls and run by a neanderthal, will cut 42,000 children from the SCHIP program and another 376,000 from the health insurance rolls. The devastation of the current economy is blowing holes through almost every state's budget resulting both in health care cuts but also the wholesale closings of schools.
Apparently, the President is continuing his healthcare fight in the hustings. He's appearing a few miles away on Friday to fire people up.
On another military front, Leon Panetta testified that the Obama campaign against Al Qaeda has forced the organization deeper underground and that the group no longer has any systemic command and control. Intercepted communications had lesser Al Qaeda officials pleading with Bin Laden to show some leadership as the group has been devastated. Panetta indicated a drone killed Hussein al-Yemeni, the Al Qaeda operative thought responsible for the attack on the CIA outpost. He also served as their explosives expert for all the affiliate organizations. Panetta claimed that Al Qaeda no longer could plan large sophisticated operations against the United States. Instead, they were looking for recruits who had no arrest records or ties with terrorist organizations and who did not fit the traditional Muslim profile.
In another hearing, General Petraeus claimed that recent Israeli actions have been exploited to recruit new people to Al Qaeda. This was a bombshell on the Hill because most members were attacking the administration for the misunderstanding with Israel. He also went further and said that continued Israeli-Palestinian tensions also gave Iran greater influence in the Middle East through their relationships with Hamas and Hizbullah. He further said that the conflict fueled anti-American sentiments because of perceived favoritism and has acted to limit the degree to which the United States could form partnerships with the Arab world and build relationships with moderate countries. In a later blog I'll try and reconstruct the briefing of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that went further in-depth on this issue. But, with a strong caveat, the biggest client of Centcom right now are Arab states so the discussion obviously tilted in the direction of Arab national interests, which are not ours.
It will be interesting to see what General Petraeus has to say when he receives AEI's Irving Kristol Award. He is supposed to give a lecture that accompanies the presentation of the award. This was all decided before Petraeus came out for a repeal of DADT, criticized Israel and said today that the Iran nuclear project has gotten sidelined for a while.
Meanwhile Hillary Clinton was scheduled to talk to Mr. Sunshine, Bibi. The quick reactions by AIPAC and others in Washington has been undercut as more and more career people like Petraeus who have strong Republican support are continuing to speak out on this issue and elaborating in full detail some of the deeper issues. Here, I believe the Pentagon is pushing their own agenda, which is too favorable to Arab states. But once Bibi decided to play with fire, expect this debate to start opening up in ways it never has in Washington before. And, frankly, I am very sorry that it has.
Meanwhile back in Stoogeland, I headed to the House today and on the way back got stuck in traffic as the President's motorcade went pass. Besides the Batmobile, he has several SUVs, a bomb disposal truck and an ambulance as well as a phalanx of police motorcycles. He had been up to the House to speak to members on the Health Reform Bill.
Since it's the Year of the Tiger, we should expect good news but things are still tight. Dennis the Menace did the manly thing and endorsed the bill. A few of the Stupak gang also have signed on. Yet, the remaining Democrats are facing a blitz of corporate ads in their home district. The Chamber of Commerce announced in addition to their $25 million this week, they will devote $55 million for the mid-year elections and target those wafflers who vote for the bill in the end.
Tea Baggers expressed disgust with Dick Armey's effort yesterday and thought he had more resources to bear on the final health care event. Oh, I'm sure he did but it's for himself.
Conservatives are now threatening to take the health care bill to the Supreme Court. That is very intriguing. We know the corporations own the majority of the court--let's not pretend anymore. But the constitutional issue would center around mandates to buy health insurance. Progressives have criticized President Obama for omitting a public option. If the present bill passes, it is a type of TARP bailout for an industry that is currently operating on a failed business model. So the industry would be faced with the new regulations, but then if the Court ruled mandates were unconstitutional they would essentially go bankrupt and enter into a financial meltdown mood. It would be interesting to see where the insurance industry actually came down on such a court case. Currently, they are playing high-price chicken over the bill but at the end of the day they stand to gain over 30 million new customers. Do they want to lose them?
The right-wing radios keep telling people the bill doesn't take effect until 2014. But here's a list of things that start immediately:
*35% immediate tax break for small businesses who provide insurance for employees;
*Prohibit dropping people from coverage when they get sick in all plans;
*Lowers senior prescription drug prices;
*Eliminates lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits on all plans;!!!!
*Requires plans to cover dependent children until the age 26;
*Requires new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing;
*Provides immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans because of pre-existing conditions;
*Ensures consumers have access to an internal and external appeals process to appeal insurance plan decisions;
Requires premium rebates to enrolees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and requires public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs.
The Democrats also created a website at the House where one can see the benefits of the bill for each congressional district. It actually works great.
The Republicans are miffed that if the bill passes they aren't being invited to participate in the signing ceremonies at the White House. They hope they can get the simulus effect--voting no but showing up with the stimulus check for the project in their districts.
As of late afternoon today, the Senate has already drafted their bill, which accepts the House changes. This was a confidence-building measure for House Democrats, who were afraid the Senate would renege on their promises. The draft copy of this reads well and improves everything rather dramatically.
After seeing about a dozen representatives today performing their functions on other issues, I have severe doubts any of them would understand anything about the health care bill. It was a sorry bipartisan bunch. If you deal alot with young democracies, you forget that the first generation produces the best, most finely-tuned talent available. Thereafter the gene pool starts getting diluted.
The Senate actually passed an anemic $18 billion jobs bill with some Republican support. The bill is almost entirely tax cuts. What the Senate is really excited about is increasing the threshold for estate taxes to $10 million, instead of the Bush $7 million. Here we have alot of energetic Senators.
If the Health Bill passes, it will only provide a temporary halt to the slide of health care in the United States. For instance, Arizona, facing critical budget shortfalls and run by a neanderthal, will cut 42,000 children from the SCHIP program and another 376,000 from the health insurance rolls. The devastation of the current economy is blowing holes through almost every state's budget resulting both in health care cuts but also the wholesale closings of schools.
Apparently, the President is continuing his healthcare fight in the hustings. He's appearing a few miles away on Friday to fire people up.
On another military front, Leon Panetta testified that the Obama campaign against Al Qaeda has forced the organization deeper underground and that the group no longer has any systemic command and control. Intercepted communications had lesser Al Qaeda officials pleading with Bin Laden to show some leadership as the group has been devastated. Panetta indicated a drone killed Hussein al-Yemeni, the Al Qaeda operative thought responsible for the attack on the CIA outpost. He also served as their explosives expert for all the affiliate organizations. Panetta claimed that Al Qaeda no longer could plan large sophisticated operations against the United States. Instead, they were looking for recruits who had no arrest records or ties with terrorist organizations and who did not fit the traditional Muslim profile.
In another hearing, General Petraeus claimed that recent Israeli actions have been exploited to recruit new people to Al Qaeda. This was a bombshell on the Hill because most members were attacking the administration for the misunderstanding with Israel. He also went further and said that continued Israeli-Palestinian tensions also gave Iran greater influence in the Middle East through their relationships with Hamas and Hizbullah. He further said that the conflict fueled anti-American sentiments because of perceived favoritism and has acted to limit the degree to which the United States could form partnerships with the Arab world and build relationships with moderate countries. In a later blog I'll try and reconstruct the briefing of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that went further in-depth on this issue. But, with a strong caveat, the biggest client of Centcom right now are Arab states so the discussion obviously tilted in the direction of Arab national interests, which are not ours.
It will be interesting to see what General Petraeus has to say when he receives AEI's Irving Kristol Award. He is supposed to give a lecture that accompanies the presentation of the award. This was all decided before Petraeus came out for a repeal of DADT, criticized Israel and said today that the Iran nuclear project has gotten sidelined for a while.
Meanwhile Hillary Clinton was scheduled to talk to Mr. Sunshine, Bibi. The quick reactions by AIPAC and others in Washington has been undercut as more and more career people like Petraeus who have strong Republican support are continuing to speak out on this issue and elaborating in full detail some of the deeper issues. Here, I believe the Pentagon is pushing their own agenda, which is too favorable to Arab states. But once Bibi decided to play with fire, expect this debate to start opening up in ways it never has in Washington before. And, frankly, I am very sorry that it has.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Under Great White Northern Lights
Wow. Halfway through The White Stripes new album--a live set of songs played during their July-August 2007 tour of Canada. I've always said Jack White is insane--and musically gifted. The first eight cuts make me think the next step for him is to have the Melvins as his backup band. A run-through of his peculiar genius--and it is peculiar--is the album Icky Thump. But this new one magnifies his sound to a nice deafening level. Probably you shouldn't tell Glenn Beck about Jack White. Let him take another ten years to catch up.
Eric Holder is fighting back against his critics. Finally, someone in officialdom said," We aren't going to capture Bin Laden." He going to be killed or killed by his colleagues to avoid capture."We'll be reading Miranda rights to a corpse." Since the Clinton Administration, there has been this very strange conceit we want to or will capture Bin Laden. Clinton spent millions on a design for an ergonomic chair that would encase Bin Laden for a flight back to the United States. The CIA used to house it. Holder further lectured the House subcommittee just how the Administration is fighting terrorism and that law enforcement is secondary to killing them. I thought he got the better of the Republicans who sounded confused by hearing about the real policy , not the one their staff imagined for them.
J Street, the organization of moderate and liberal Jews for the defense of Israel, is offering a petition to be signed and sent to Congress supporting the Obama Administration and its calls on Israel to enter into a peace process. AIPAC has virtually declared war on J Street and sought to prevent a meeting between them and the Israeli ambassador. Fights have already broken out in Jerusalem over the Levittown idea. J Street's simple point is that the security of Israel can not be secured by the endless building of settlements and ignoring the need for entering into peace negotiations with the Palestinians. As I wrote before, Bibi has lit an exploding cigar and his actions since the rebuff of Joe Biden have not soothed things.
I received a strange e-mail from Organizing for America. It asked me to contact "wavering Republicans on healthcare." Like whom? The House with the exception of Cao is a unanimous block against the bill and in the Senate, we will have to wait to see if anyone believes they are missing an historic moment. The Medicare vote in the 1960s saw a few stragglers at the end.
The White House released a powerful video from yesterday's trip to Ohio by Barack Obama urging for passage of the bill. Watching it, I realized this really is about his mother and the impact of his mother's cancer on him. Throughout the campaign, he would talk about her on the phone to the insurance company while dying of cancer. And he frequently said that his mistake was writing a book about his father and not his mother. If that is the experience that motivates him, go for it. That's why I never understand the criticism of Barack Obama that he doesn't understand the experiences of real America. On the contrary, he has lived them much more than Peggy Noonan, who is the one talking head who keeps raising this.
The Republicans held a press conference denouncing Obama for "nationalizing student loans". This is reference to the Administration's plan to give student loans through the government and not through private banks. All he is doing is cutting out the banks, who got the money from the government in the first place. The idea is to lower the interest rates and eliminate the overhead costs. I still don't get how you can make hay out of this one.
The great state of Oklahoma has decided unilaterally to ignore the new Hate Crimes Law ,which covers gays and lesbians. This is the same state who took the President's picture down from the legislature. It's also the same state which sends Jim Imhofe to the Senate so he can declare climate change a hoax.
As Bob Dylan sang, The Night is falling from the Sky and the teabaggers have wrapped it up. Just to make them feel good, two million came out in force today. Actually, it was 300ish, according to the DNC. Of that over half were staffers from the Republican congressmen, who spoke to the throng, about another half from nearby conservative think-tanks and the remaining, actual people who drove into Washington. But they did get media coverage. I never saw the coverage of Howard Dean's first rally of over 10,000 for healthcare or Dean's rally/protest last week, which had about 2,000 marching against the insurance companies.
Again we had the Death Panel lies. All the media nonsense on the procedural process and the Democrats not wanting to vote on the bill was all lies, concocted by the Republicans, who actually did this over eight years. When the dust settles and the ceiling doesn't cave in,will the people who lied about this bill be held accountable? Will people who lean Republican just shrug their shoulders and claim the GOP had to do these things to stop the bill and to get the media's attention or will some voters understand you can't trust these people with any real authority?
President Obama made it clear today that any Democrat who opposes healthcare reform will not get funding from the party and he won't campaign for them. The last time a President did this was Ronald Reagan on his tax cuts. He told Republicans the same thing. Hopefully, this time it works again.
Bart Stupak is camping out at Fox News. He's complaining that the House leadership no longer consults with him. Fox, which enables Stupak's lies about the 12 votes he controls, asked him why. He says they are waiting to the end of the process. He did admit they are getting his colleagues separately.
Besides Lawrence O'Donnell, who continues his one-man bummer campaign, I also nominate "fake progressive" Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake, who writes such nonsense about the bill. Today, she said she was doing whip counts with--tea party people. Both sides, luckily, concluded the house had the votes. But she is shameless. First her alliance with Grover Nordquist to kill the bill. Then her piece in Huffington Post about Obama's attacks on women who are defending "choice". Puh-Lease!
Michael Moore championed Dennis Kucinich as the only politician with courage to stand up for the right kind of health care. Terrific, that and a couple of bucks will get you a cup of coffee. Tonight, Howard Fineman claims that Dennis the Menace will vote for the bill. Dennis actually sent out a press release late this afternoon announcing he would declare his decision around 9am.
I am waiting word from Iraq about how far the fraud has gone in this election and whether the results will be honored. But Mookie Sadr is inching into third place. In some ways, that country deserves him.
General Petraeus ruined his Republican presidential prospects by testifying why it's time for openly gay people to be allowed to serve in the military.
This week there was a pretty disgusting episode where a woman Jene Newsome was thrown out of the National Guard because some cops saw her Iowa marriage license naming her female spouse through a window and contacted her base. Previously, she had been obeying the DADT policy. The ACLU is taking up her case.
NOM, the organization who campaigns against same-sex marriage, is now back in California. Their target now is the very staid, conservative Republican Tom Campbell, who is running for the GOP Senate nomination. You see Campbell is socially a libertarian and he wrote an article against Prop 8 in Reason magazine. So now he is the moral equivalent of Barbara Boxer. I always liked Campbell, even though he is ineffective and his economic philosophy is not suited to these dire times.
Yes, the Cleveland Clinic, who is treating Natoma Canfield, the heroine of Obama's speech, says she will not lose her house. So I think Tan Man Boehner should address the House that this fact alone means healthcare reform isn't necessary.
Eric Holder is fighting back against his critics. Finally, someone in officialdom said," We aren't going to capture Bin Laden." He going to be killed or killed by his colleagues to avoid capture."We'll be reading Miranda rights to a corpse." Since the Clinton Administration, there has been this very strange conceit we want to or will capture Bin Laden. Clinton spent millions on a design for an ergonomic chair that would encase Bin Laden for a flight back to the United States. The CIA used to house it. Holder further lectured the House subcommittee just how the Administration is fighting terrorism and that law enforcement is secondary to killing them. I thought he got the better of the Republicans who sounded confused by hearing about the real policy , not the one their staff imagined for them.
J Street, the organization of moderate and liberal Jews for the defense of Israel, is offering a petition to be signed and sent to Congress supporting the Obama Administration and its calls on Israel to enter into a peace process. AIPAC has virtually declared war on J Street and sought to prevent a meeting between them and the Israeli ambassador. Fights have already broken out in Jerusalem over the Levittown idea. J Street's simple point is that the security of Israel can not be secured by the endless building of settlements and ignoring the need for entering into peace negotiations with the Palestinians. As I wrote before, Bibi has lit an exploding cigar and his actions since the rebuff of Joe Biden have not soothed things.
I received a strange e-mail from Organizing for America. It asked me to contact "wavering Republicans on healthcare." Like whom? The House with the exception of Cao is a unanimous block against the bill and in the Senate, we will have to wait to see if anyone believes they are missing an historic moment. The Medicare vote in the 1960s saw a few stragglers at the end.
The White House released a powerful video from yesterday's trip to Ohio by Barack Obama urging for passage of the bill. Watching it, I realized this really is about his mother and the impact of his mother's cancer on him. Throughout the campaign, he would talk about her on the phone to the insurance company while dying of cancer. And he frequently said that his mistake was writing a book about his father and not his mother. If that is the experience that motivates him, go for it. That's why I never understand the criticism of Barack Obama that he doesn't understand the experiences of real America. On the contrary, he has lived them much more than Peggy Noonan, who is the one talking head who keeps raising this.
The Republicans held a press conference denouncing Obama for "nationalizing student loans". This is reference to the Administration's plan to give student loans through the government and not through private banks. All he is doing is cutting out the banks, who got the money from the government in the first place. The idea is to lower the interest rates and eliminate the overhead costs. I still don't get how you can make hay out of this one.
The great state of Oklahoma has decided unilaterally to ignore the new Hate Crimes Law ,which covers gays and lesbians. This is the same state who took the President's picture down from the legislature. It's also the same state which sends Jim Imhofe to the Senate so he can declare climate change a hoax.
As Bob Dylan sang, The Night is falling from the Sky and the teabaggers have wrapped it up. Just to make them feel good, two million came out in force today. Actually, it was 300ish, according to the DNC. Of that over half were staffers from the Republican congressmen, who spoke to the throng, about another half from nearby conservative think-tanks and the remaining, actual people who drove into Washington. But they did get media coverage. I never saw the coverage of Howard Dean's first rally of over 10,000 for healthcare or Dean's rally/protest last week, which had about 2,000 marching against the insurance companies.
Again we had the Death Panel lies. All the media nonsense on the procedural process and the Democrats not wanting to vote on the bill was all lies, concocted by the Republicans, who actually did this over eight years. When the dust settles and the ceiling doesn't cave in,will the people who lied about this bill be held accountable? Will people who lean Republican just shrug their shoulders and claim the GOP had to do these things to stop the bill and to get the media's attention or will some voters understand you can't trust these people with any real authority?
President Obama made it clear today that any Democrat who opposes healthcare reform will not get funding from the party and he won't campaign for them. The last time a President did this was Ronald Reagan on his tax cuts. He told Republicans the same thing. Hopefully, this time it works again.
Bart Stupak is camping out at Fox News. He's complaining that the House leadership no longer consults with him. Fox, which enables Stupak's lies about the 12 votes he controls, asked him why. He says they are waiting to the end of the process. He did admit they are getting his colleagues separately.
Besides Lawrence O'Donnell, who continues his one-man bummer campaign, I also nominate "fake progressive" Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake, who writes such nonsense about the bill. Today, she said she was doing whip counts with--tea party people. Both sides, luckily, concluded the house had the votes. But she is shameless. First her alliance with Grover Nordquist to kill the bill. Then her piece in Huffington Post about Obama's attacks on women who are defending "choice". Puh-Lease!
Michael Moore championed Dennis Kucinich as the only politician with courage to stand up for the right kind of health care. Terrific, that and a couple of bucks will get you a cup of coffee. Tonight, Howard Fineman claims that Dennis the Menace will vote for the bill. Dennis actually sent out a press release late this afternoon announcing he would declare his decision around 9am.
I am waiting word from Iraq about how far the fraud has gone in this election and whether the results will be honored. But Mookie Sadr is inching into third place. In some ways, that country deserves him.
General Petraeus ruined his Republican presidential prospects by testifying why it's time for openly gay people to be allowed to serve in the military.
This week there was a pretty disgusting episode where a woman Jene Newsome was thrown out of the National Guard because some cops saw her Iowa marriage license naming her female spouse through a window and contacted her base. Previously, she had been obeying the DADT policy. The ACLU is taking up her case.
NOM, the organization who campaigns against same-sex marriage, is now back in California. Their target now is the very staid, conservative Republican Tom Campbell, who is running for the GOP Senate nomination. You see Campbell is socially a libertarian and he wrote an article against Prop 8 in Reason magazine. So now he is the moral equivalent of Barbara Boxer. I always liked Campbell, even though he is ineffective and his economic philosophy is not suited to these dire times.
Yes, the Cleveland Clinic, who is treating Natoma Canfield, the heroine of Obama's speech, says she will not lose her house. So I think Tan Man Boehner should address the House that this fact alone means healthcare reform isn't necessary.
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