Look what landed in my email box:
| Tea Party Nation |
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Now we fight!!! Well, everything I learned about stealing elections I learned from the rethuglicans in Ohio in 2004. I was in Columbus volunteering for the Kerry campaign and witnessed how manipulating who had enough voting machines skewed the election. |
They really are big babies.
There is a little-known rule in the Senate stating that hearings can’t happen after 2:00 p.m. each day without unanimous consent. However, every day, at the start of business, the Senate generally agrees, by unanimous consent, to waive this rule and continue with the necessary business of holding hearings. Here is the rule.
Republicans, however, are now refusing to give unanimous consent and are blocking the hearings. Today, during a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on transparency, Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) announced that he had to stop the proceedings because of Republican blocks:
Typical out-of-touch Republican temper tantrum. Unless they really see this strategy of “not working” working for them?
Got this via one of our loyal readers:(I still don’t get any correspondence from the Coons campaign even though I’ve signed up for it.):
Congress made history Sunday night, adopting landmark health care reform critical for our nation’s economic future and the well being of its citizens.
It’s great news for the more than 100,000 Delaware residents who are uninsured and the 70,000 Delaware residents who will qualify for tax credits to help them afford the health insurance they need.
The bill passed Sunday night will also give 140,000 Delaware seniors access to free preventive care while lowering prescription drug costs for 25,000 seniors on a fixed income.
That’s why I proudly would have voted “yes” on health care reform.
It is disappointing that every single Republican in the House and Senate voted against these significant reforms, including Delaware’s Congressman Castle.
This was fundamentally about whose side are you on. I listened to the AARP, which endorsed this because it was good for seniors. I listened to the doctors and nurses, who endorsed this because it’s good for patients. Congressional Republicans sided with the insurance companies, who opposed this bill. I’m proud to stand with the AARP, doctors and nurses, instead of the insurance companies.
How would you have voted on health care reform? I’m interested to hear what you think and learn how you’ve been affected by the existing health insurance system.
More than a year and hundreds of proposed amendments after the effort began, President Obama signed this critical legislation today. I agree with the President that the legislation isn’t perfect, but we as a nation simply could not afford to wait any longer to make things better. All progress starts with one step forward, and last night, Congress took a big one toward a stronger economy and healthier public.
Will you share your opinion about health care reform and tell me how you’ve been affected by the current health insurance system?
Click here to share your story
Delaware needs a Senator who will stand with his constituents, not with his party. That’s why I’m running for the U.S. Senate — to make sure we continue to have a strong progressive voice in Washington committed to moving our state and our country forward.
Sincerely,
Chris
I’m glad that he is highlighting the benefits of this bill for people here. And the best part is the bit about standing with constituents, not his party — which could have come from any Delaware Liberal post about Mike Castle. It looks like the part asking for your story gives you a chance to signup to hear from the Coons campaign, so those of us who have been waiting to hear from them, perhaps this is the cue to try again.
As expected, nothing brings success like success. Right now, most people are just starting to hear about the good provisions of the bill and not the horserace.
Americans by 9 percentage points have a favorable view of the health care overhaul that President Obama signed into law Tuesday, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, a notable turnaround from surveys before the vote that showed a plurality against it.
By 49%-40% those surveyed say it was “a good thing” rather than a bad one that Congress passed the bill. Half describe their reaction in positive terms, as “enthusiastic” or “pleased,” while about four in 10 describe it in negative ways, as “disappointed” or “angry.”
The largest single group, 48%, calls the bill “a good first step” that should be followed by more action on health care. An additional 4% also have a favorable view, saying the bill makes the most important changes needed in the nation’s health care system.
From the survey you can also see why Republicans were so scared of the bill’s passage. On health care Obama has a 46% positive/31% negative, Democrats are 32/33 and Republicans are 26/34. The scare-mongering and obstruction by the GOP is finally coming back to bite them.
Anyone who’s been around this site lately should recognize the title of this post. It’s the little signature that commenter anonone has been putting at the end of his comments. Well, I’ve been thinking about this a bit (no, I don’t have anything better to do — thanks for asking) and I’ve decided that he just might be right — but not for the reason he thinks he is.
I am unwaveringly of the opinion that this bill, imperfect as it is, is still the most important and moral piece of social legislation passed since El Somnambulo was detailing the backroom deals that set up homeroom rules. The Republicans (and some of the Democrats) opposing this act will clearly be on the wrong side of history. Their shortsightedness in opposition and reprehensible lying and fear-mongering will be a moral stain on their party for generations to come. Just as was their opposition to Social Security. Just as was their opposition to Medicare. Just as was their (and the Southern Democrats’) opposition to Civil Rights legislation. Just as were the lies that drew us into an unnecessary war.
So yes, I do think HCR 2010 = WMD 2002. Mid 21st Century Republicans will look back at their predecessors’ opposition to health care reform that way that most (before a year or so ago) looked at the fight against civil rights, and the way history will judge our entry into war with Iraq. When my daughter’s generation grows up, they will look back in amazement at the time when millions of Americans didn’t have access to affordable health care. And if you don’t think conservatives will quickly come to support health care reform the way all Americans will, just look at Canada, Britain, or Massachusetts. The Republican Party will long regret, and will long pay for, the foolish and immoral stand they’ve made the past year.
Welcome to the first official day of our Socialist Nightmare. President Obama signed the health care reform bill today and the Senate also begins debate the reconciliation sidecar bill. So, are you ready for an open thread?
Chris Matthews owes Rep. Alan Grayson an apology. In January, Chris Matthews dismissed the scoop given to him by Alan Grayson about how the final push for the health care reform bill would be achieved: reconciliation.
Anybody can make a mistake. Certainly any pundit who tries to predict the political future will make dozens on any given day.
But to sit there and harangue a Member of Congress and all but call him crazy for laying out for you the actual game plan that turned out to hold the key to the passage of an historic piece of legislation? And to do so as a former Congressional staffer supposedly “in the know” about these things?
Americans watching the health care debate were confused for weeks on end about reconciliation, and they looked to insiders like Chris Matthews to explain it to them, with the help of guests who could provide the inside story.
Here, Matthews had the inside story handed to him on a silver platter, weeks before the rest of the traditional media were able to pick up on it (though weeks after those crazy netroots types had it), and not only does he drop it, he kicks Congressman Alan Grayson in the teeth for trying to serve it up to him.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Whoa, I just watched the video again and Tweety was more arrogant than I even recalled.
But I’d like to single out one person who deserves more praise than he’s going to claim or is likely to get: Steve Benen himself. After Scott Brown won, Democrats’ first reaction was panic. The analogy most often drawn, though it in retrospect seems deranged to compare the loss of a Senate super-majority to the loss of both Houses, was to Clinton’s situation, and his reaction, after the Republican victories of 1994. Steve stepped in on January 20—just a day after Coakley’s loss, a full week before the State of the Union—with an alternative: “pass the damn bill,” and then amend it via reconciliation. I believe he invented the slogan, though Kevin Drum picked it up a few hours later. I know that he flogged it, immediately, relentlessly and repeatedly, through good news and bad: see, for example, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. It became proverbial. It became the popular title—and, thanks to alert fans, the easy-to-remember URL—of Steve’s pithy, powerful strategy memo making the case for moving forward. It cemented Democratic opinion around the idea that failure was not an option—and, more important, that incremental reform counted as failure.
I’ve spent a lot of time lately researching what Thomas Schelling called “focal points”: salient or obvious places to rally at, meet at, or aim towards. Focal points solve what are called coordination problems, the kind of problem that when each member of a group wants to go where a lot of other people will be going but nobody has a clear idea where that might be. There are many applications. In warfare, or politics, the main takeaway lesson is that a determined and courageous leader, regardless of whether he or she is a brilliant strategist, can by conspicuous presence and force of example make the difference between a successful attack, a panicky rout, and everything in between. In this campaign, Obama provided the rhetoric, Pelosi and her people the toughness and legislative legwork, and Andy Stern and others the grassroots pressure. But “pass the damn bill” provided the focal point: not failure, not incremental reform, but the imperfect, landmark bill that the Senate had already passed. Once that was set, and only then, incremental reform or putting off the whole process started to seem cowardly and crabbed, a strategy almost impossible for a serious Democrat to justify. Steve’s explicit and successful model was William Kristol’s 1994 memo, which made all-out-opposition into the tragically successful focal point for Republicans faced with Clinton’s health reform plan.
Reportedly, Benen’s memo was passed around to every Congressional office. Now, I’m wondering, why don’t we see Steve Benen on Meet The Press or This Week?
It happens today at 11:15AM. So go get your celebratory beverage, send your boss on a wild goose chase and watch.
If you can watch it, here are some online streaming options:
The White House Which I am going to embed to see if we can get the live stream here. (No idea if this will work, but worth checking out.)
I think I heard Al Mascitti this AM say that WDEL will be covering this live too, and you can find their live stream here if you can listen either on line or via your radio. (Click the Hear Now button at the upper left hand side of the page.)
Before I preview today’s session, I simply HAVE to feature House Concurrent Resolution #28, introduced by the most bat-shit crazy of the House & Senate Rethuglican Caucus. Note the moderate tone this resolution strikes:
URGING THE 111TH CONGRESS TO ABANDON THE IRRATIONAL PURSUIT OF A FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE FEDERAL HEALTHCARE ENTITLEMENT PLAN AND ENACT LESS COSTLY ALTERNATIVES TO REDUCE THE COST OF HEALTHCARE AND INCREASE ITS AVAILABILITY FOR ALL AMERICANS.
This resolution makes the case that the current healthcare entitlement program being considered by Congress is not supported by the majority of Americans; is not fiscally wise or sustainable; and will increase the burden on taxpayers while reducing healthcare options.
It further maintains that the federal government does not have the authority to impose a federal healthcare program and urges the U.S. Congress to pursue less costly and more viable alternatives to reduce the cost of healthcare and increase its availability.
Lastly, should the 111th Congress decide to abandon rational thinking and thwart the will of the American people by enacting a federal healthcare entitlement, it urges Delaware’s Congressional delegation to advocate for a provision that would require states to choose to “opt-in” to the program.
For the record, the Delaware Rethug White Noise Machine consists of sponsors Rep. Hudson (Capano), the prime offender sponsor; Rep. D. Short & Rep. Briggs King & Rep. Ramone & Sen. Booth & Sen. Bonini; and Reps. Cathcart, Carey, Hocker, (Monsignor) Lavelle, Lee, Manolakos, Outten, Wilson; Sen. Simpson. Guess we should give them brown-nose points for trying to play in the Big-Kids’ Sandbox.
I neglected to provide you with a post-game wrap-up last Friday. Here’s the session report. The Senate went ahead and unanimously passed HB 3, Rep. Hudson (Capano)’s sop to the nursing home industry. In both houses, only Rep. Earl Jaques voted ‘no’ on this bill. IMHO, his was the correct vote, and I salute him for it.
Let’s scope out today’s possibilities. Hopefully, they will strike a more, what’s the word I’m looking for, sane tone than HCR 28.
On the Senate agenda, one, count it, one bill. Looks like the Senate believes in the Ronald Reagan quote, “I’ve been told that hard work never killed anybody, but I figure why take the chance?”
The bill, HB 284, sponsored by Rep. J. J. Johnson, one of Dover’s better ‘under-the-radar’ representatives, “…addresses and eliminates an unintended chilling effect on the reporting of sexual assaults and other sexual offenses which may occur at the State’s detention facilities. The current statute criminalizes conduct for both the victim and perpetrator, likely causing such crimes to be underreported out of fear of criminal prosecution. This Act changes the statute to impose criminal liability solely on employees, visitors, contractors and volunteers at detention facilities. Prisoner-on-prisoner sexual assaults remain prosecutable pursuant to already existing criminal statutes.”
HB 284 passed the House unanimously and will likely do the same in the Senate.
The House agenda consists of leftovers from last Thursday’s agenda. Most of these bills have previously been discussed here. Once again, I’ll be real interested to see if legislators use common sense and consign SB 60 to the scrap heap of bad ideas, or whether it goes along with this bad idea that will inevitably cause trouble down the line. One point of interest: Rep. Melanie Marshall is the tentative floor manager for the bill since she’s the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. I would not be surprised if she defers to one of the bill’s sponsors to run the bill. As an attorney, she may well not be that enamored of SB 60 and its possible impact on separation of powers. Just something to keep an eye on.
So far, the biggest news of this truncated 3-week mini-session is that we have yet to see Rep. Schwartzkopf’s legislation to expand the number of casino locations in Delaware surface on an agenda. No doubt there are serious negotiations going on. I doubt that this bill will make it to the floor until and unless the Majority Leader has the votes to pass it. Tickticktick…
Obama has bet that this is his destiny. He is extremely cautious from day to day, staggeringly flexible on tactics, but not at all modest when you look at the big picture. He still wants to rebuild the American economy from the ground up, re-regulate Wall Street, withdraw from Iraq, win in Afghanistan, get universal health insurance and achieve a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine in his first term. That’s all. And although you can see many small failures on the way, and agonising slowness as well, you can also see he hasn’t dropped his determination to achieve it all.
This is what we’ve learnt this year: Obama does not mind defeats if they are procedural or about others saving face. He’s happy to admit error; to give his opponents a chance to lunge at his jugular; to let opponents enjoy a day in the sun; to shave off any small stuff as long as the big stuff remains. He seems oddly impervious to personal insult: he doesn’t mind being affronted by the Chinese or humiliated by Netanyahu as long as it’s a matter of symbolism. On substance, he wants what he wants; and, on the big stuff, he has given up on nothing yet.
And so we dig in, with the sole relief of knowing that Obama seems as serenely confident as ever. This fight is real and bloody and gruelling. But if he succeeds — from healthcare to Israel to Wall Street — he will bring real change, at home and abroad. And abroad because of at home.
That describes exactly what I voted for. We knew, even back in the early primaries, that Obama had a different style than most politicians. He was cool-headed, even-tempered and played the long game. He never seemed to get caught up in the day-to-day horserace.
Obama’s leadership style is definitely not one that we’re used to from politicians. Today’s political coverage (and blogs are guilty of this as well) is to assign points to one team or another and add them up, like it’s some kind of basketball game. As Sullivan points out, Obama ignores most of that. This can be very frustrating for people because the stories pushed by Republicans can dominate the news cycles.
I don’t think that the health care debate has played out how Obama had planned and I also think that he’s made mistakes along the way. But Obama’s leadership style is now crystal clear after this fight and I hope that helps us understand him better. Still, I hope some of the passion that he showed in the last month for the health care fight will carry over into the next big fights – immigration, DADT repeal and financial reform. I hope Obama has learned a lesson during this fight and I think we have as well.
GOP senators emerged Monday to caution that the health debate had taken a toll on the institution, warning of little work between parties the rest of this year.
“There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year,” McCain said during an interview Monday on an Arizona radio affiliate. “They have poisoned the well in what they’ve done and how they’ve done it.”
Shorter McCain: Get off my lawns!
How many of you would like a job where you can announce to everyone that you’re going to do nothing because you’re having a temper tantrum and continued to get paid?
…and apparently took RNC Chair Steele to task on this during his show today:
The Large Hadron Collider ran through a bunch of tests last week (and will shut down for some maintenance) and the predicted end of the world did not happen. HCR was passed in the House yesterday and the world still spins on its axis. Even better — the S&P and the NASDAQ are up abit today, so the economy certainly did not come crashing down as predicted. The fear mongering and the manufactured outrage didn’t get these repubs much and maybe Shep wants to know what the rest of us want to know: when will these guys abandon the apocalyptic bullsh#t and get to work? Steele really embarrasses himself here — if you can’t drop the talking points to have a conversation with someone who has asked you something outside of the comfort zone of those talking points, you aren’t leading anybody.
As xstryker noted last night, Mike Castle definitely voted no for HCR and its reconciliation bill. Castle’s office put out a press statement on last night’s historic vote, that should be read in it’s entirety to fully comprehend how badly he is managing to maintain any moderate cred while marching lockstep with his party. But let’s take a look at a few things here:
The debate about how to reshape health insurance in order to reduce skyrocketing costs, and increase access, has dominated the attention of Congress for the past year. While there are many areas of agreement, Congress and the American public remain divided and it is easy to see why. While I am glad the “deem and pass” procedure was abandoned, and the House of Representatives allowed an actual vote on the bill, I feel strongly that Congressional leaders and the President have missed a real opportunity to take incremental, bipartisan steps that recognized the concerns of Americans who feel as though they will foot the bill for widespread reforms that they do not embrace.
See the problem? We get another unenthusiastic recitation of his party’s talking points on this thing, certainly. But how can you have “many areas of agreement” with the HCR and then call for small, incremental steps to get this done? There was little about this effort that was small, unless he wants to count the 200+ Republican amendments included to this thing. But either Castle is trying to dog whistle his party’s sense of entitlement (you have to do what we say or it doesn’t count!) or he hasn’t been paying attention. And note the faux concerns for what Americans feel about this — there are alot of Americans genuinely confused about what is in this bill. And that is a real failure of Democrats for not messaging this thing properly; of Republicans who lied about this non-stop AND the media who did little to help their audiences sort out fact from fiction. More on that in abit.
Throughout the debate, I have advocated for common-sense policies that aim to lower costs and expand access, without compromising the quality of American medicine or raising taxes on the American people. I have urged leaders to consider legislation to drive down the costs of care first, in order to increase access and coverage through affordability.
Oh really? The only thing I can remember is the wellness thing — which wouldn’t have been especially effective at expanding access, might lower costs for people who are healthier and also lets somebody — government or insurance company decide if you are taking care of yourself well enough to get those lower rates. Other than this, Castle has been largely AWOL during this thing. (BTW — did anyone hear Castle speak last night? I didn’t, but wasn’t completely glued to my computer screen all day.)
While there are policies embedded in this legislation that have bipartisan support, they are buried under budget gimmicks that threaten the long-term solvency of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security– the existing entitlement programs that are draining the federal budget based on their current obligations. Health care reform will impact the lives of every American, our federal budget, and 1/6 of our economy. Reform should hold insurance companies accountable, eliminate barriers to competition and quality care, promote prevention, and drive down health care costs. To ignore the costs and enact unrealistic and misleading legislation will only prolong our health care challenges for generations to come.
Budget gimmicks? These are budget gimmicks that Mike Castle voted for:
In other words, Mike Castle spent the last decade voting for budget gimmicks, but it was OK because His Party Told Him To. But here he is pretending that no one will remember any of this stuff and count of this fake moderation to tide him over.
He ends with more talking points on how to change this bill. Some of that is worth doing, but none of that would cover 30M+ people for health insurance. None of it. And like the rest of his caucus, Mike Castle bailed on any real substantive discussions about this bill — if they cared about long term cost controls, they could have been heros everywhere by joining in the process to work this out. Instead, they want to pretend that this little stuff actually stands in for making major reform work better. This is the price of a policy of Obstruction Only. A policy that Mike Castle is fully committed to. And as you listen to him claim to be trying to influence process, remember that he is specifically lying to you. Because it is the policy of his party to Just Say No to Everything — a policy that has nothing to do with the lives of Delawareans — because his party has judged that to be in their best interests. Working towards common sense solutions means you have to work with the other party to have some impact. And as long as he isn’t doing this — because this is the will of his party — you aren’t watching anything near moderation.
Welcome comrades, to your new Socialist Utopia. All citizens are required to report to the nearest Death Panel for processing. It’s open thread time!
The House approved the Senate bill last night, warts and all. Those warts – a tax on high-end insurance plans, several special deals made for members of the Senate on Medicaid and abortion language that pro-life Democrats in the House weren’t comfortable with – are removed through a budget reconciliation measure. That plan – which also passed the House last night – was the product of careful negotiations between the House, Senate and Obama administration and had the blessing of labor unions and many health care advocacy and interest groups. It also contained reforms to the student loan system.
Here’s where it gets tricky. Obama on Tuesday will sign the Senate-passed bill, clearing the way procedurally for Senators to begin debate on the reconciliation fix. The whole thing made House Democrats very nervous since that meant trusting the Senate would actually fix the bits they didn’t like. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid showed House Democrats a letter signed by members of his caucus proving they had the votes to pass the reconciliation measure on an up-or-down vote. That paved the way for Sunday night’s House victory. Still with me?
The Republicans will try to challenge the reconciliation under the Byrd rule. The Senate parliamentarian will rule on whether individual provisions in the bill are budget-related. If the parliamentarian rules agains the Democrats, that measure will be stricken from the bill. If the bill is changed, it will have to go back to the House for a vote on the changed bill. Members of the Senate are meeting with the parliamentarian today, so later we may have news about any changes to the bill.
Matt Yglesias has an interesting perspective on the health care reform legislative victory – that it was partially driven by Republican intransigence:
My point is even more basic—at a couple of moments along this race the conservatives won the argument and Democrats were ready to buckle. Credit for not buckling goes to Nancy Pelosi and other gutsy leaders. But it also goes to the GOP. They wouldn’t take “yes” for an answer when lots of people wanted to surrender and settle for something much smaller. Instead, whipped up into a frenzy of ideological fanaticism and overconfidence, they decided to take no prisoners. So nobody surrendered! And that’s how Mitch McConnell brought universal health care to America. And the thing of it is that most conservatives are so shallow, and so driven by hippie-hatred rather than any real views, that if they get to use this as an “issue” to win seats in the midterms and it never gets repealed, they’ll consider themselves vindicated.