House Energy and Commerce passed its version of health care

The House Energy and Commerce Committee finally passed a health care bill tonight:

The final vote was 31-28, with five Democrats opposing the measure. Democrats who voted no were Reps. Rick Boucher (Va.), Bart Stupak (Mich.), Jim Matheson (Utah), John Barrow (Ga.) and Charles Melancon (La.). All Republicans rejected the bill.

Negotiations took place throughout the day, partly to make sure the progressives were able to offer some fixes to the Blue Dog's changes. Rep. Tammy Baldwin offered one of the key amendments (a "unity package," which passed by 32 - 26).

I do think this tidbit from The Hill is important:

In a session with reporters, Pelosi wouldn't commit to putting the exact language of the deal with Blue Dogs in the final bill.

"I have three chairmen to deal with," she said. "We have three committees that have to look at it."

The House is in recess til after Labor Day. Because of the Blue Dogs, this bill didn't get a vote in the full House before the break. That gives the GOP and the insurance industry five weeks to try to drive a stake in reform. It gives our side five weeks, too. Read More......

Reviews are in for Milbank/Cillizza theatre: "Pathetic, really pathetic" "Not funny at all." "Gratuitously insulting to Hillary Clinton."

Those are my reviews. But, I think they're pretty widespread.

It's bad enough that Dana Milbank said Hillary Clinton should order "Mad Bitch" beer. That's just wrong. But, this whole video is pathetic on a whole other level: It's not funny. Not even close. Only in Washington could two pillars of the "media elite" create a video this bad. Doesn't anyone at the Washington Post have a real sense of humor? Have they no shame?


Seriously, this is embarrassing. Embarrassing. It's painful to watch. And, not at all funny. Read More......

Media Matters has an ad on CNN about Lou Dobbs and his birther obsession. Lou Dobbs doesn't like it.

Dobbs is giving all kinds of free publicity to Media Matters and its ad campaign about his birther obsession, which will be running on CNN. The ads notes "CNN Has a Lou Dobbs Problem." And, CNN does indeed have a Lou Dobbs problem.

Dobbs doesn't like Media Matters:

This must make all of those fine reporters at CNN cringe. I mean, Lou Dobbs is fast becoming the best known reporter on all of CNN -- and for all the wrong reasons. Nice work, Jon Klein. This is what happens when you give air time to a racist. Read More......

Sleazy tactics from DC-based lobbying firm, Bonner & Associates

Our opponents play dirty:

As U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello was considering how to vote on an important piece of climate change legislation in June, the freshman congressman’s office received at least six letters from two Charlottesville-based minority organizations voicing opposition to the measure.

The letters, as it turns out, were forgeries.

“They stole our name. They stole our logo. They created a position title and made up the name of someone to fill it. They forged a letter and sent it to our congressman without our authorization,” said Tim Freilich, who sits on the executive committee of Creciendo Juntos, a nonprofit network that tackles issues related to Charlottesville’s Hispanic community. “It’s this type of activity that undermines Americans’ faith in democracy.”

The faked letter from Creciendo Juntos was signed by “Marisse K. Acevado, Asst Member Coordinator,” an identity and position at Creciendo Juntos that do not exist.

The person who sent the letter has not been identified, but he or she was employed by a Washington lobbying firm called Bonner & Associates.

Don't think for a minute that these kinds of things don't happen with some frequency. Maybe not so egregiously. And, most don't get caught. But there was this article about DC-based Dewey Square allegedly forging letters to the editor about Medicare.

UPDATE: Think Progress reports Bonner & Associates has quite a history of astroturfing and other shenanigans. Read More......

Afghanistan: US has deadliest month as new strategy is developed

July has been the deadliest month to date for U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan.

Today's Washington Post reports on a new U.S. strategy for the war that Bush started, but never even tried to finish:

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is preparing a new strategy that calls for major changes in the way U.S. and other NATO troops there operate, a vast increase in the size of Afghan security forces and an intensified military effort to root out corruption among local government officials, according to several people familiar with the contents of an assessment report that outlines his approach to the war.

One of our readers, who served in the U.S. Army, was based in Afghanistan. Over the past few years, he's provided some perspective on how things are going and where they may be headed. I asked him for thoughts on the latest developments:

I left Afghanistan almost five years ago (five years ago next week, actually), and at the time I thought that the country was improving marginally, at least what I could see of it. I don't feel that way anymore.

While I do think that the administration genuinely is making a good-faith effort to do the right thing, I have a bad feeling that we're drifting into something awful.

The problem, I think, is that this has always really been about Pakistan, and while the Obama team clearly gets that (AfPak designation, etc), I'm not sure that being aware of it is enough.

When I was in-country (I was stationed in the Pashtun east), I learned a little bit of Pashto, and I would ask the locals playfully, "Bin Laden cherta die? Mullah Omar cherta die?" (Where is Bin Laden? Where is Mullah Omar?) Without hestitation, and generally without smiling, they would point east and say, "pe Pakistan ke ye" -- in Pakistan. Or sometimes "pe Quetta ke ye" even. There was no doubt in any of the Afghans whom I ever met - soldiers, translators, civilians - that the real enemy - "duchman" - came in from Pakistan.

There's more after the break. Very insightful.

Here's the rest:

So what does that mean for the mission? It means that until we can find a way to seal the border more effectively - until we can find away to deny the enemy a base to rest and refit - we're running the risk of just putting off a final day of reckoning. Even if we can restore some semblance of stability to Helmand, for example, if we can't stop the flow of bad guys coming across the mountains, they can replenish themselves endlessly, and can always wait us out. There's two ways that I can think of to stop the flow:

1) We can try to seal the border from the Afghanistan side by putting a lot more troops on the border. This seems nice, and it's something that we can "do" proactively, but I think it throws a lot of bodies into an impossible task. The border is insane - all mountains and caves that we can never know as well as the natives, and that we can never truly patrol 100% of the time. Imagine the Mexican-U.S. border on acid.

2) Pakistan can seal the border from its side. Here, I am way out of my depth. Can they? Do they want to? Can it happen without a settlement with India over Kashmir? Can we help facilitate a settlement? Would even trying to facilitate buy us enough credibility with the ISI or Army for them to want to do this? Are the ISI and the army so fatally compromised by the Taliban that the whole effort is pointless? Is the Pakistani army's current expedition against the Taliban a positive sign, a negative one, or do we not know yet?

I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but I don't have a great feeling about what the answers might be.

Anyway, I've been wrong before about Afghanistan, and hopefully I'll be wrong again. Maybe it is possible that if we can create enough stability throughout Afghanistan itself, then the country will have a chance to stand up its own institutions and protect itself and its own border. It seems like that's our game plan, so let's hope.

Read More......

Cash for clunkers lives on

Last night, I posted the news that after only six days, the "cash for clunkers" program was already running out of money. It was that popular.

Well, the program lives on. This afternoon, the House passed legislation giving the clunkers program another $2 billion:

The House approved a bill Friday afternoon to provide $2 billion to continue the federal government's week-old "cash for clunkers" program, which has proven so popular with consumers that it was almost out of cash. The vote was 316 to 109.

I'm trying to get some stats on how many cars have been sold in the past week. It must be some kind of record.

After the break, Obama weighed on "Cash for clunkers" today while talking about the economy. He seems quite pleased with its success and the quick action to keep it going.

Obama's statement from the White House transcript:

Now, one of the steps we've taken to boost our economy is an initiative known as "Cash for Clunkers." Basically, this allows folks to trade in their older, less fuel-efficient cars for credits that go towards buying fewer, more -- newer, more fuel-efficient cars. This gives consumers a break, reduces dangerous carbon pollution and our dependence on foreign oil, and strengthens the American auto industry. Not more than a few weeks ago, there were skeptics who weren't sure that this "Cash for Clunkers" program would work. But I'm happy to report that it has succeeded well beyond our expectations and all expectations, and we're already seeing a dramatic increase in showroom traffic at local car dealers.

It's working so well that there are legitimate concerns that the funds in this program might soon be exhausted. So we're now working with Congress on a bipartisan solution to ensure that the program can continue for everyone out there who's still looking to make a trade. And I'm encouraged that Republicans and Democrats in the House are working to pass legislation today that would use some Recovery Act funding to keep this program going -- funding that we would work to replace down the road. Thanks to quick bipartisan responses, we're doing everything possible to continue this program and to continue helping consumers and the auto industry contribute to our recovery.

So I'm very pleased with the progress that's been made in the House today on the "Cash for Clunkers" program. I am guardedly optimistic about the direction that our economy is going. But we've got a lot more work to do. And I want to make sure that all the Americans out there who are still struggling because they're out of work or not having enough work know that this administration will not rest until the movement that we're seeing on the business side starts translating into jobs for those people and their families.

Read More......

Update from John: He had emergency surgery today.

John went back to the emergency room this morning. The doctor said the condition in his eye was getting worse -- and he needed emergency surgery. So, he had the surgery earlier today.

John just called, from the hospital where he has to spend the night, to say things went well. He'll get the patch off tomorrow. But, he's forbidden from doing any reading for a week. Forbidden. He's already obsessing about the blog, but I told him we've got it under control and to get better.

I'll have another update tomorrow. Read More......

What will it take for CNN and Fox News to take a stand against racism?

The Lou Dobbs controversy is only growing in magnitude (as his ratings are dropping.) Here's a statement from Media Matters with with an important question:

"It is appalling that less than a year after America elected the first black president, racially motivated fearmongering is allowed to stand in for substantive commentary," said Eric Burns, President of Media Matters. "Just about everyone else in the media recognizes that this race-baiting commentary is unacceptable. What will it take for CNN and Fox News to take a stand?"

What will it take for CNN and Fox News to take a stand against racism?

Okay, there's no hope for FOX. Dobbs, however, is turning CNN into a laughing stock. That network's president, Jon Klein, has to understand that Dobbs is CNN's guy. The network gets the taint of his racism.

Check out the Dobbs/birther video and the DailyKos poll on birthers after the break.

Watch this:

DailyKos had Research 2000 do a poll on the birther phenomenon. Results won't surprise you, but "Birthers are mostly Republican and Southern." Via Markos:

Once again, Republicans find themselves outside the American mainstream. And reality.

Read More......

"It's official: we are going to have to fight to protect marriage equality in Maine on November's ballot."

Game on in Maine.

Opponents of same-sex marriage, with massive funding already from the Catholic Church and National Organization for Marriage, have submitted the signatures needed to put a measure on the ballot to repeal Maine's new law:

Opponents of Maine's new gay marriage law have submitted petitions seeking a November referendum on the measure.

Leaders of the Stand for Marriage campaign said Friday they collected more than 100,000 signatures of registered Maine voters.

Cartons containing the petitions have been turned into the secretary of state's office to be certified.

A November referendum will be held if at least 55,087 signatures are certified by Sept. 4. The referendum would ask voters whether the law should stand.

Our side's campaign is now: No on 1/Protect Maine Equality. They want to be very clear that it's a "NO" vote to protect equality. The campaign had a rally yesterday in Portland to gear up for the battle. Jesse Connolly, the campaign manager just sent out an email with the message:

It's official: we are going to have to fight to protect marriage equality in Maine on November's ballot.

Now that we know for sure there will be a public vote, everyone has to step up. Everyone. This can't be another Prop. 8. The LGBT groups, the rich donors, our straight allies, we all have to pitch in to save marriage. Our ActBlue page is here. (Maine is a relatively inexpensive state, so every dollar matters. And, Jesse Connolly, one of the best politicos in Maine, is going to run a very aggressive and sophisticated operation.)

This is going to be the main LGBT equality event of the fall. This is really about keeping our rights. And, we can't lose this time. Help make sure we win. Read More......

Sorta good news on the economy: It didn't contract as fast as expected (but the previous quarter was actually even worse)

Less bad is the new good, but it's still not all that good:

The U.S. economy contracted at a slower-than-expected pace in the second quarter, government data showed on Friday, but a sharp drop in consumer spending fanned fears that recovery would be sluggish.

Gross domestic product, which measures total goods and services output within U.S. borders, fell at a 1.0 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said, after tumbling 6.4 percent in the January-March quarter, the biggest decline since a matching fall in the first quarter of 1982. It was previously reported as a 5.5 percent drop.

Atrios, who actually understands this stuff, says "YAAAY," but, "oh wait.' That part about revision of the last quarter up a percentage point caught his attention:

I'm always fascinated by the fact that nobody cares about the revisions. Yes, in the most recent quarter for which we have data the rate of economic contraction was "only" one percent annualized. But the previous quarter was... much worse than previously thought!

Read More......

It's been a fundraising frenzy for the Blue Dogs

No wonder Blue Dog Rep. Herseth Sandlin was so ecstatic when the Blue Dogs delayed passage of health insurance reform. The delay bought the Blue Dogs another couple months of obscene fundraising. The Blue Dogs have been sucking up money from the industries impacted by the legislation:

The roiling debate about health-care reform has been a boon to the political fortunes of Ross and 51 other members of the Blue Dog Coalition, who have become key brokers in shaping legislation in the House. Objections from the group resulted in a compromise bill announced this week that includes higher payments for rural providers and softens a public insurance option that industry groups object to. The deal also would allow states to set up nonprofit cooperatives to offer coverage, a Republican-generated idea that insurers favor as an alternative to a public insurance option.

At the same time, the group has set a record pace for fundraising this year through its political action committee, surpassing other congressional leadership PACs in collecting more than $1.1 million through June. More than half the money came from the health-care, insurance and financial services industries, marking a notable surge in donations from those sectors compared with earlier years, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity.

A look at career contribution patterns also shows that typical Blue Dogs receive significantly more money -- about 25 percent -- from the health-care and insurance sectors than other Democrats, putting them closer to Republicans in attracting industry support.

Is anyone surprised? This hasn't been about policy for the Blue Dogs. They've made craven political calculations that are filling up their campaign coffers. Read More......

UDPATED: Baucus isn't sure how he'll vote on Sotomayor

UPDATE: This afternoon, Baucus issued a statement support of support for Sotomayor, which I got via email. It reads, in part:

After personally meeting Judge Sotomayor, thoroughly analyzing her judicial record, and reviewing her nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Sotomayor unquestionably meets each of these criteria. Thus, I am proud to support her nomination and will vote to confirm her as a Justice to the United States Supreme Court.

Um, yesterday, Baucus said he hadn't paid any attention to the Sotomayor confirmation process. Today, he's analyzed the record and reviewed the hearings. Too bad he can't work so fast on health insurance reform.
________________________________
In case we needed more reasons to loathe Max Baucus, he hasn't decided what to do on Sotomayor's confirmation. The vote is next week. Baucus seems determined to screw up everything on Obama's agenda:

Baucus on Thursday twice told The Hill he is undecided on next week’s floor vote on Sotomayor.

“I have no idea,” Baucus said. “I haven’t paid any attention and I haven’t announced … I’ve been so busy with healthcare. It’s under consideration. I’ll certainly know when I vote, but right now I can’t tell you.”

Yeah, he's been busy delaying and undermining health care reform. Republican Chuck Grassley already voted against her in the Judiciary Committee. And, we've already seen that Grassley controls Baucus on health care. Maybe that extends to the Supreme Court now, too.

But, this episode gives further proof that Baucus shouldn't be the Chair on an important committee. He can't be trusted. Read More......

Friday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

The House of Representatives will begin its month-long recess today. Obviously, the health insurance reform bill hasn't passed yet. The Energy and Commerce Committee is working through its version (that's the committee where the Blue Dogs got to make changes.) We'll be monitoring that today.

The Senate stays in for another week. They won't finish health care, but we're going to have a new Supreme Court Justice by the end of next week.

Congress won't be in session, but August is going to be the decisive month. The Republicans, teaming up with the insurance industry and the teabaggers, are on a mission to kill reform. It's all politics for them. Unfortunately, Max Baucus and Kent Conrad in the Senate and the Blue Dogs in the House played right into the hands of the GOP by delaying the legislation.

That's where we are. Let's get it started... Read More......

US House passed a food safety bill

After eight years of Bush's lack of regulation, we have to worry about food safety. Really worry. So, the House passed a food safety bill yesterday. From Karina at the Gavel:

This afternoon, the House passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act by a vote of 283-142 to fundamentally change the way we protect the safety of our food supply. Each year, 76 million Americans are sickened from consuming contaminated food and 5,000 of these people die. In just the last few years, there has been a string of food-borne illness outbreaks in foods consumed by millions of Americans each day – from spinach to peppers to peanuts, pistachios and cookie dough. This recent series of outbreaks of food-borne illnesses has demonstrated that they are not random, unpreventable occurrences, but are due to widespread problems with our current food safety system.

I'm trying to figure out how anyone could vote against food safety.

I'm a little obsessed with the subject of late, because I saw the movie, Food, Inc. Watch the trailer. You'll get the gist. Read More......

When Petey met Riley

We (and by we, I mean Petey and I) have been noticing a lot of cat pictures on AMERICAblog lately -- and not so many dog pictures. So, tonight, we get a double dose. When we were in Maine a couple weeks ago, Petey met my parent's new dog, Riley. Like Petey, Riley is a rescue. He arrived in Maine from Louisiana via the Chihuahua and Pound Puppy Rescue of Louisiana. Those amazing people rescue dogs from shelters in Louisiana, where euthanasia is almost a certainty and arrange adoptions in Maine through the Golden Retriever Rescue Lifeline. When Riley made the trek north, there were 29 other dogs and two humans traveling with him. The people who do that work are saints. Like Petey, he's a bit of a knucklehead. They had a lot of fun together.



My mother's neighor, Mary Ann, took the pictures for us. Read More......

"Cash for clunkers" is out of money. Already. In less than a week.

Wow. That was quick. In just six days, the "cash for clunkers" bill has run out of money:

The U.S. government plans to temporarily suspend its "cash for clunkers" incentive program because Obama administration officials believe its $1 billion budget has been exhausted after just one week, said several congressional officials.

Department of Transportation officials contacted lawmakers offices Thursday evening to inform them the program would be put on hold as early as Friday, these people said.

The program, which offers rebates of up to $4,500 to consumers who trade in old vehicles and buy new, more fuel-efficient models, was launched July 24 and sparked a surge in car sales.

"It was an absolute success," said Michael J. Jackson, chief executive of AutoNation Inc., the U.S.'s largest chain of auto dealerships. "There's a very compelling case the government should put more money into it. It's a great stimulus to the economy.

Congress had expected the $1 billion set aside for the rebates to last several months and set up the program to expire Nov. 1.

By my very primitive calculation, using the highest rate of $4,500 per car, over 220,000 new cars were sold in the past six days. That has to be some kind of record. Read More......

David Waldman deconstructs the birthers

David Waldman, from DailyKos and CongressMatters, was on Keith Olbermann tonight, with guest host Richard Wolffe, to talk about the birthers. (MSNBC's video wasn't working for me, tonight. So I got the DailyKosTV version):


Waldman is very good on the t.v. Read More......

Teabaggers are mad at Blue Dogs

For some reason, I am now on the email list of the teabaggers. They're not a happy bunch.

Today, the El Dorado Arkansas Teabaggers sent out an email trashing Blue Dog Mike Ross over health care. According to Teabaggers, the Blue Dogs are now only "supposedly conservative." Ouch. That has to hurt:

EL DORADO, Ark. -- Local TEA Party leaders today expressed concern over what they perceive to be Rep. Mike Ross's last-minute cave-in on health care reform to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman. Ross and other supposedly conservative Blue Dog Democrats had held their ground against the trillion-dollar socialized medicine scheme until Wednesday, when Ross announced "an agreement has been reached."

"It is clear that the people of Arkansas and the nation are not happy with this legislation," said El Dorado TEA Party chairman John Wilson. "Constituents have dropped leaflets, made phone calls, and written letters showing our support of Congressman Ross's stand against a government takeover of our health care. Now we feel betrayed."

You know what this means? No more teabagging for the Blue Dogs. Read More......

Progressive Dems. are fighting for real health care reform -- and showing they've got power, too

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has been marking up the health insurance reform bill all afternoon. They're still at it and if you've got nothing better to do, check it out on C-SPAN3 or the committee's webcast.

As I noted this morning, the progressives in Congress, who have largely been ignored by the White House, are not going to accept a weakened bill. Lots of things were happening today. Jane Hamsher reports that 53 members of the Progressive Caucus will not support the Blue Dog compromise and won't vote for a final bill without a robust public option. UPDATE: 57 members signed this letter. The names are here.

And, from Roll Call (sub. req.), progressives on the Energy and Commerce Committee aren't making any promises either:

The outcome of a health care markup in the Energy and Commerce Committee was still in jeopardy Thursday afternoon as liberal Members continued to balk at a deal reached with Blue Dog Members that sliced more than $100 billion from the package.

Several liberal Members from the committee met to discuss the issue and and are trying to find alternative budget cuts that would satisfy Blue Dogs without shrinking subsidies that would help people buy insurance.

The Blue Dogs and Baucus/Conrad don't run the Democratic Party. Selling out to the GOP isn't going to work this time.

My sense is that Rahm Emanuel and his Deputy, Jim Messina, decided they really needed to work with conservatives on the Hill in order to pass the Obama agenda -- even if it meant compromising on core values. After all, Emanuel elected the Blue Dogs and Messina used to work for Baucus. That's their world view. You know their attitude about progressives is "where can they go?" They think the progressives want a bill so badly that they'll settle for a GOP bill. That's proving to be wrong. (I also think people in the White House made the same calculation about LGBT voters. You know, like, where else are they going to go.)

We were all led to believe that Obama was a different kind of politician who wasn't going to play the same old DC games. His top staffers are playing those games and making their boss look really bad outside of DC. Read More......

When a Beluga Whale saved a diver with severe cramps

Here's a nice break from the on-going political circus and a way to detox after reading about Karl Rove again. It's a great story. Check out the pictures, too:

It looks like a moment of terror - a diver finds her leg clamped in the jaws of a beluga whale. In fact, it was a stunning example of an animal coming to the rescue of a human life.

Yang Yun, 26, was taking part in a free diving contest without breathing equipment among the whales in a tank of water more than 20ft deep and chilled to Arctic temperatures.

She says that when she tried to return to the surface, she found her legs crippled by cramp from the freezing cold. At that point Mila the beluga took a hand, or rather a flipper.

Nice work, Mila. Read More......

Rove had an even bigger role in scandal over firings of US Attorneys

Most of us think Karl Rove was the mastermind of most evil doings in the Bush White House. Because, he was. So, it is satisfying to see The Washington Post headline that Rove had an even "heavier hand" in the US Attorney scandal:

Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to e-mails obtained by The Washington Post, in a scandal that led to mass Justice Department resignations and an ongoing criminal probe.

Is anyone surprised by this? Except maybe the DC press corps who fawned over Rove.

It sure seems like Rove has gotten himself into quite a fix here. One wonders if he's been honestly answering questions from federal investigators. Rove is so arrogant that he thinks his view of reality is the right view, even if it doesn't match the facts.

One other aspect of this story that's fascinating. The Rove-led effort to fire New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was initiated after he wouldn't press charges against ACORN. Yes, Rove started that.

There's more on ACORN and additional reporting from the Washington Post after the break.

On ACORN:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's ex-chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, testified last week that "during the run-up to the midterm elections," the A.G. told him Rove had "complained" that David Iglesias, the U.S. attorney in New Mexico, and two other federal prosecutors, were not doing enough to prosecute voter fraud—a top GOP priority. It was shortly after that, Sampson said, that Iglesias got added to the list of U.S. attorneys to be fired. (Iglesias told NEWSWEEK he had been repeatedly pushed by New Mexico GOP officials to prosecute workers for ACORN, an activist group that was registering voters in minority neighborhoods, but he found no cases worth bringing.)

So, Rove started the GOP obsession with ACORN, which continues to this day. Rove saw a potential political issue, but the U.S. Attorney didn't see any wrongdoing. Iglesias got fired. Let's hope Rove finally goes to jail.

Someone's been lying and spinning about this scandal for years now. From the Post:

The e-mails and new interviews with key participants reflect contacts among Rove, aides in the Bush political affairs office and White House lawyers about the dismissal of three of the nine U.S. attorneys fired in 2006: New Mexico's David C. Iglesias, the focus of ire from GOP lawmakers; Missouri's Todd Graves, who had clashed with one of Rove's former clients; and Arkansas's Bud Cummins, who was pushed out to make way for a Rove protege.

The documents and interviews provide new information about efforts by political aides in the Bush White House, for example, to push a former colleague as a favored candidate for one of the U.S. attorney posts. They also reflect the intensity of efforts by lawmakers and party officials in New Mexico to unseat the top prosecutor there. Rove described himself as merely passing along complaints by senators and state party officials to White House lawyers.

Read More......

Military adviser: "after six years in Iraq, we now smell bad to the Iraqi nose."

Time to wrap this thing up says a top military adviser. Long past time to wrap this thing up say a lot of Americans and Iraqis:

A senior American military adviser in Baghdad has concluded in an unusually blunt memo that the Iraqi forces suffer from deeply entrenched deficiencies but are now capable of protecting the Iraqi government, and that it is time “for the U.S. to declare victory and go home.”

Prepared by Col. Timothy R. Reese, an adviser to the Iraqi military’s Baghdad command, the memorandum asserts that the Iraqi forces have an array of problems, including corruption, poor management and the inability to resist political pressure from Shiite political parties.

For all of these problems, however, Colonel Reese argues that Iraqi forces are competent enough to hold off Sunni insurgents, Shiite militias and other internal threats to the Iraqi government. Extending the American military presence in Iraq beyond 2010, he argues, will do little to improve the Iraqis’ military performance while fueling a growing resentment.

“As the old saying goes, ‘Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.’ ” Colonel Reese wrote. “Since the signing of the 2009 Security Agreement, we are guests in Iraq, and after six years in Iraq, we now smell bad to the Iraqi nose.”

It's had a stench in this country, too. Read More......

House GOP campaign chair got earmark for a blimp. And, the story just gets better from there.

You can't make this stuff up. After the break, read the first five paragraphs of the article about Rep. Pete Sessions and the blimp earmark. Each has a fun fact. We've got hypocrisy, inexperienced blimp makers, lobbyists with criminal records, blatant lies about job creation and fake addresses.

This is too much:

Rep. Pete Sessions — the chief of the Republicans’ campaign arm in the House — says on his website that earmarks have become “a symbol of a broken Washington to the American people.”

Yet in 2008, Sessions himself steered a $1.6 million earmark for dirigible research to an Illinois company whose president acknowledges having no experience in government contracting, let alone in building blimps.

What the company did have: the help of Adrian Plesha, a former Sessions aide with a criminal record who has made more than $446,000 lobbying on its behalf.

Sessions spokeswoman Emily Davis defends the airship project as a worthwhile use of federal funds and says it could eventually lead to thousands of new jobs in Sessions’s Dallas-area district.

But the company that received the earmarked funds, Jim G. Ferguson & Associates, is based in the suburbs of Chicago, with another office in San Antonio — nearly 300 miles from Dallas. And while Sessions used a Dallas address for the company when he submitted his earmark request to the House Appropriations Committee last year, one of the two men who control the company says that address is merely the home of one of his close friends.

Got all that? Wow. This is truly mock-worthy. Read More......

Harvey Milk to receive Medal of Freedom from President Obama

A long overdue, but fitting tribute to an American hero.

The full list of Medal of Freedom recipients, which can be found here, includes Senator Ted Kennedy, Billie Jean King and Stephen Hawking.

In his statement, Obama said each recipient was "an agent of change." Harvey Milk sure was. So, this is another very nice gesture from the White House. I wonder if Harvey Milk would think this gesture is enough in the quest for LGBT equality. I don't think so. Read More......

SPLC keeping up the pressure on CNN for letting Lou Dobbs fan "the flames of racism"

Just got this email from Richard Cohen, President of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The group is not backing down in its battle with CNN over Lou Dobbs:

This week, I appeared on the "O'Reilly Factor," and Bill O'Reilly told me that we shouldn't take Dobbs seriously, that it's all just about ratings.

But Dobbs is playing a dangerous game. By promoting paranoid conspiracy theories that originate in extremist circles, he's fanning the flames of racism among a segment of society that can't accept a black man in the White House. And we've already seen a wave of violence committed by racial extremists since Obama was elected.

Let me be clear: This issue has nothing to do with Dobbs' First Amendment rights. We're not calling for the government to silence Dobbs. We're simply calling for CNN to exercise responsible editorial judgment.

O'Reilly told me that CNN won't care what the public thinks about Dobbs' irresponsible reporting. I disagree. I think, together, we can make a difference. I want to thank all of you who have joined this call and all who support SPLC's work.

Please help us again by joining our call to take Dobbs off the air — and forward this email to your friends and family members so that we can make our voices ring even louder in CNN's executive offices.

One wonders how the colleagues of Lou Dobbs over at CNN feel about him fanning the flames of racism. Seems to undermine some of the very good work others, like Soledad O'Brien, have been doing on race issues. Read More......

There is no Senate health care deal -- and GOP Sen. Enzi says no deal on unless he get everything he wants in the final bill

So, remember the big deal reached in the Senate by Max Baucus and those GOP Senators? Not true say those GOP Senators, Grassley (IA) and Enzi (WY).

Even better (or worse), Enzi said there will be no deal unless he gets everything he wants in the final bill. I first read about Enzi's statement on CNN.com, but had to see the original statement. Here it is:

“I also need commitments from Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi, as well as the Administration, that the bipartisan agreements reached in the Finance Committee will survive in a final bill that goes to the President.”

So, not only does Enzi expect Baucus to cave by producing a GOP bill, he wants everyone else to cave -- up to and including Obama. That's pretty ballsy. Enzi has been empowered to think he controls the whole process.

Democratic Senators Max Baucus and Kent Conrad have really screwed this up. They have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, but have managed to cede power to the GOP.

More from CNN's report after the break.

This is a real mess, thanks to Senator Baucus. First "the bombshell":

Two of the three Senate Republicans negotiating a bipartisan deal on health care reform said they consider an agreement out of reach before the Senate goes on its August recess.

That likely dashes the hopes of Democratic leaders and President Barack Obama for a deal among the so-called Gang of Six negotiators that could deliver critical momentum for the stalled health care overhaul.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyoming, dropped the bombshell news to CNN and two other reporters in Capitol hallways Wednesday night. They have spent weeks behind closed doors, trying to hammer out an agreement with their Democratic counterparts on the Senate Finance Committee but said too many issues remain unresolved, making it virtually impossible for them to sign on to a deal before the break.

And, more on Enzi:

Enzi, a soft-spoken conservative, was furious about headlines Wednesday morning that suggested he was close to reaching a deal with the Democrats.

“I felt my reputation was in danger,” he said.

He issued a statement batting down the stories and insisted any deal he might ultimately sign onto would have to be preserved by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Reid when it is merged with other more liberal legislation in the Senate and House.

“I’m not interested in lending credibility to disaster,” Enzi said.

Read More......

"The Military Is Not the Police"

That's the headline in an editorial in today's NY Times: The Military Is Not the Police. That law (Posse Comitatus Act of 1878) was almost violated by the Bush/Cheney regime. And, that's what the ACLU is still worried about:

The American Civil Liberties Union has been sounding the alarm about the proliferation of “fusion centers,” in which federal, state and local law enforcement cooperate on anti-terrorism work. According to the A.C.L.U., the lines have blurred, and the centers have involved military personnel in domestic law enforcement. Congress should investigate.

Janet Napolitano, the homeland security secretary, said Wednesday that fusion centers were not intended to have a military presence, and that she was not aware of ones that did. She promised greater transparency about what role, if any, the active military was playing.

Um, thanks, Secretary Napolitano. A good operating principle here is: the Military is not the police. Read More......

Progressives push back on conservative health care concessions

UPDATE: Progressive members of Congress need to hear from all of us. FireDogLake has made it easy. Names and numbers are here. Ask the progressive to hold the line by supporting the public option. A real public option. These calls are making a difference.
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Things could be getting a lot more interesting up there on Capitol Hill. I've had the sense that White House negotiators have long believed their biggest (only) hurdle was the Blue Dogs and the Baucus/Conrad roadblock. They've taken for granted the wishes of the real progressives, who actually support Obama's agenda. But, the progressives are letting it be known they won't be taken for granted. This is what we want from progressives -- A spine:

The Blue Dogs’ deal, which cut $100 billion from the healthcare reform price tag, was instantly denounced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who said, “It’s unacceptable. We’re not going to vote for anything that doesn’t have a robust public plan.”

Liberals aimed to win 50 signatures on a letter to their leaders opposing the deal to make it clear they could defeat the healthcare bill on the floor.

“Fifty is our threshold,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a co-chairman of the caucus. “That’ll kill anything.”

There's more after the break. You'll see that Obama has already called Rep. Jan Schawkowsky (D-IL). She needs to stick with the progressives on this one.

Remember, the Blue Dog's bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee is only one of three moving forward in the House. Two other House Committees passed bills with Obama's health care agenda intact.

Here's more of that article. Democratic leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue seem to realize they have a problem with progressives now:

The White House and Democratic leaders moved quickly to try to quell the liberal insurrection. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called a group of liberals to her office in the mid-afternoon, and Democrats postponed plans to continue a stalled markup of the bill by the Energy and Commerce Committee until Friday. Instead, they held a caucus meeting to answer member questions.

“It’s more important to let members ask questions, raise concerns,” said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the chairman of Energy and Commerce.

Within hours of the liberal complaints, Obama was on the phone with Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a fellow Illinois Democrat and Energy and Commerce member who is in charge of the healthcare issue for the Progressive Caucus.

He told her the bill should go forward, Schakowsky said.

Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Deal or no deal? That's the big question on health insurance reform. For the past few weeks, the conservative Democrats have had their way. Let's see how progressives on the Hill fight back.

Tonight, President Obama is having Officer Crowley and Professor Gates over for a beer. This has become the most important "getting together for a beer" event in the history of the world. The discussion about beer has trumped the underlying reason for the meeting.

There's lot swirling around out there. Let's get to it... Read More......

Responding to attack from increasingly unhinged Lou Dobbs, Rachel asks if she can really be a "teabagging queen"?

I thought this was funny. I love Rachel.

Birther King Lou Dobbs called Rachel Maddow a "teabagging queen." Rachel pondered the question last night:

Lou Dobbs must make CNN's president Jon Klein so proud. And, all of Lou's colleagues at CNN should realize that Dobbs is the becoming the voice of that network. What he says, they all own. Read More......

A veiled (or not so veiled) threat to remove Baucus as Chair of Finance Committee

We're not the only ones noticing what a disaster Max Baucus has been as the chair of the Senate Finance Committee:

In an apparent warning to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), some liberal Democrats have suggested a secret-ballot vote every two years on whether or not to strip committee chairmen of their gavels.

Baucus, who is more conservative than most of the Democratic Conference, has frustrated many of his liberal colleagues by negotiating for weeks with Republicans over healthcare reform without producing a bill or even much detail about the policies he is considering.

“Every two years the caucus could have a secret ballot on whether a chairman should continue, yes or no,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “If the ‘no’s win, [the chairman’s] out.

“I’ve heard it talked about before,” he added.

Harkin did not mention Baucus, but his suggestion would likely resonate with the senior Montana Democrat, who has often clashed with his colleagues over important bills.

Baucus pretty much handed the reins of power of the Finance Committee to Republican Chuck Grassley. Now, Baucus is touting the GOP health care bill. It's beyond pathetic.

FYI, Joe Lieberman, who isn't even a Democrat, thinks this is a bad idea. Read More......

Rep. Alcee Hastings explains how White House staff worked against his amendment to stop funding Don't Ask, Don't Tell

I wrote about this controversy earlier today at gay.AMERICAblog.com:

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) had an amendment to the Defense Appropriations that would have prevented funding any DADT investigation. That's the kind of procedural tactic Republicans have used for years to stop funding of programs they didn't like. For years, Republicans blocked federal funding of DC's domestic partnerships and needle exchange. I'm not sure if this was the best approach, but, sometimes, the only way to make progress is to use (or abuse) the appropriations process. But, a funny (or not so funny) thing happened on the way to the Appropriations bill mark-up. In his own words, Hastings was pressured by the White House and others to drop his amendment.

There is no White House strategy to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Still.

Tonight, Hastings was on Rachel Maddow's show to explain what happened. I'll put the full clip of the interview up when it's available. But, here's a clip: Wow, those Rachel people are fast. Here's the full interview:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

(YouTube link here.)
We wouldn't be having these problems if we knew the White House even had a strategy. But, there's nothing. When this White House wants to get something done, they let "people" know. When they don't want to get things done, "people" know, too. Read More......

NY Times/CBS poll: Obama losing support on health care because opponents have shaped the message

UPDATE: Hadn't seen this earlier, but today Nate Silver wrote a post titled "Obama, Democrats Flunking Health Care Sales Pitch." He's right and has some constructive ideas for strategy.
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This is why we worry about messaging (or lack thereof) on health care:

President Obama’s ability to shape the debate on health care appears to be eroding as opponents aggressively portray the effort as a government-takeover that could limit Americans’ ability to chose their doctor and course of treatment, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Americans are concerned that overhauling the health care system would reduce the quality of their care, increase their out-of-pocket health costs and tax bills and limit their options in choosing doctors, treatment and tests, the poll found. The percentage who describe health care costs as a serious threat to the American economy — a central argument being made by Mr. Obama — has dropped over the past month.

The Obama campaign ran a brilliant campaign. They figured out effective messaging and stuck to their messages. For some reason, they seem to have lost that touch now that they're in power. It's almost like they view themselves as above the rough-and-tumble of politics now. Well, the GOPers are always in campaign mode. And, they've got one mission: To destroy Obama's presidency.

Now, the numbers aren't all bad:

Still, Mr. Obama remains the dominant figure in the debate, both because he continues to enjoy relatively high levels of public support even after seeing his approval ratings fall off somewhat, and because there appears to be such a strong desire to get something done: 49 percent said they supported fundamental changes and another 33 percent said the health care system needed to be completely rebuilt.

The poll found 66 percent of respondents were concerned that they might eventually lose their insurance if the government does not create a new health care system, and 80 percent said they were concerned the percentage of Americans without health care would continue to increase unless Congress acts.

By a margin of 55 percent to 26 percent, respondents said that Mr. Obama had better ideas about how to change health care than Republicans in Congress.

Republican haven't brought Obama down to their level, but they'll keep working on it. Thanks to the Blue Dogs,the GOPers and their allies in the insurance industry have all of August to undermine and hammer away at real health insurance reform. Nothing like a few ugly insurance industry-funded t.v. ads to get members of Congress cowering.

This poll, among others, should be a real wake up call. What the brain trust at the White House has been doing isn't working. Read More......

And, then, there were 39

This fall, Texas Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is quitting to run for Governor:

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) on Wednesday said for the first time that she is prepared to resign her Senate seat in October or November, paving the way for a May 2009 special election to replace her.

Hutchison, who would resign her seat in order to focus on campaigning for governor, said in a radio interview with a Dallas-Fort Worth station that she couldn’t stay in office and wage the kind of campaign she wanted.

So, for six or seven months anyway, the Republican caucus will be down to 39 (in 2006, there were 55 GOP Senators.)

Too bad Democrats only have 60 Senators in their caucus. Otherwise, they might be able to get some things, like health insurance reform, done. Read More......

A bit of a GOP split over birthers

RNC Chair Michael Steele isn't a birther (for now, anyway. Rush may yell at him and that'll change.)

Among others, Missouri Congressman and Senate candidate Roy Blunt is a birther.

More birther madness courtesy of Mike Stark:

The birthers, along with the teabaggers, are the GOP. Read More......

Defender of "core conservative values"/Prostitute patron David Vitter trashes Voinovich

I love a good GOP cat fight.

In one corner, Ohio Senator George Voinovich, who blasted his GOP colleagues saying "the party's being taken over by southerners."

In the other corner, those Southerners are being defended by the leading voice for conservative values in the Senate -- and patron of prostitutes, David Vitter from Louisiana:

Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana slammed fellow Republican George Voinovich Wednesday for saying the GOP's problems stem from the fact that it is "being taken over by Southerners," calling the Ohio senator "a moderate, really wishy-washy."

"I'm on the side of conservatives getting back to core conservative values," Vitter told the Washington Times. "There are a lot of us from the South who hold those values, which I think the party is supposed to be about. We strayed from them in the past few years, and that's why we performed so badly in the national elections."

"[Voinovich is…] a moderate, really wishy-washy," he said.

So, you have a really wishy-washy moderate up against a defender of core conservative values/patron of prostitutes.

Okay. Have at it. Read More......

Sam Stein explains to Ed Schultz how it really works here in DC: It's about the money

As noted below, the Blue Dogs are claiming "victory" for postponing a vote on health insurance reform. But, there's a back story as to how the game is played here in D.C. It's a dirty game.

When most Americans support a public option, including 60% of Republicans, there's a nefarious reason why Congress doesn't go along. It's the money. Sam Stein explains:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

As we now know, the Blue Dogs won a "victory" by delaying a vote in the House on the reform bill. Sure gives them a lot more time to do fundraising, huh? Read More......

“It is because of the Blue Dog Coalition that there is no floor vote before the August break.”

The Blue Dogs have blocked a vote on health insurance reform before the August recess -- and they think it's a big win:

Blue Dogs and House leaders have struck a deal to guarantee that the House will not vote on a healthcare bill before August, a leading Blue Dog said on Wednesday.

In exchange for putting off a floor vote until after Labor Day, the Energy and Commerce Committee may be allowed to continue its markup of the healthcare bill this week even if an agreement has not been reached between committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and seven Energy and Commerce Blue Dogs over the content of the bill.

The Blue Dogs consider this a great victory. Of course, the biggest beneficiaries are House Republicans and the insurance industry who wanted a delay. Check out this statement from Blue Dog Stephanie Herseth Sandlin:

Herseth Sandlin also made it clear that she believes the Blue Dogs have scored a major victory by getting leaders to back away from their goal of having the House vote on a healthcare bill before members return home for the month of August.

“We’ve achieved the victory of not having a vote on the House floor that will give every member a chance to digest what’s in the bill, whether it’s in a markup that occurs in Energy and Commerce or whether it’s as the bill exists right now,” she said. “It is because of the Blue Dog Coalition that there is no floor vote before the August break.”

Got that? This is considered a "victory" by the Blue Dogs. That's beyond appalling.

UPDATE: Still waiting for details on the agreement. The concern about delay is that the insurance industry will bombard House members with ads over the vacation. That will freak a lot of them out. So, even if there are good provisions in the compromise, the question is whether they'll still have the votes in September. That's why the insurance industry and their lackeys in the GOP wanted to delay the vote. The House is really our best (only) hope for real reform. Read More......

The new message: It's Health INSURANCE reform. Yes, it is.

First Read reports that there's a change in messaging in the debate about reform -- it's health insurance reform. It always has been about the insurance companies. It's about time the White House figured it out:

In fact, the White House is now talking about health INSURANCE reform, not health CARE reform. As an administration spokesperson emails NBC News, “At events in North Carolina and Virginia today, the president will lay out for Americans why health insurance reform means more security and stability for them and their families. Building on the theme that he outlined at the start of last week’s press conference, the president will make it clear that when he signs a reform bill into law, the discrimination, dropping, and coverage gaps that riddle today’s health insurance system will be a thing of the past.”

Obama just finished a speech in North Carolina. And, he did make it about health insurance reform, because that's what it is. Here's some video:

Okay, that's important. Finally focusing on the real culprits. (Text from Obama's speech is after the break.)

Blue Dogs and the Baucus/Conrad caucus are in a position of siding with doctors and patients or siding with the GOP and the insurance industry. It's that simple. The insurance industry has a lot of lobbyists and a lot of campaign cash.

But, this is about reforming an industry that screws over the American people every day on pre-existing conditions, denials of payments and caps. That's also why the public option is important. The insurance companies need that competition to keep them honest. Anyone who has ever dealt with an insurance company knows we need to do everything to hold them accountable and keep them honest.

Here's more of Obama's speech on insurance reform:

Well let me explain why the health of America’s people and America’s economy demand health insurance reform. Let me explain what reform will mean for you.

First of all, no one is talking about some government takeover of health care. Under the reform I’ve proposed, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. And if you’re one of the 46 million Americans who don’t have coverage today, you will finally be able to get quality, affordable coverage.

But what a lot of the chatter out there hasn’t focused on is the fact that if you’re an American who already has health insurance, the reform we’re proposing will provide you with more stability and security. Because the truth is, we have a system today that works well for the insurance industry, but it doesn’t always work well for you. What we need, and what we will have when we pass these reforms, are health insurance consumer protections to make sure that those who have insurance are treated fairly and insurance companies are held accountable.

Let me be specific. We will stop insurance companies from denying you coverage because of your medical history. I will never forget watching my own mother, as she fought cancer in her final days, worrying about whether her insurer would claim her illness was a preexisting condition so it could get out of providing coverage. How many of you have worried about the same thing? How many of you have been denied insurance or heard of someone who was denied insurance because they have a pre-existing condition? That will no longer be allowed.

With reform, insurance companies will have to abide by a yearly cap on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. No one in America should go broke because of illness.

We will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms, colonoscopies, or eye and foot exams for diabetics, so we can avoid chronic illnesses that cost not only lives, but money.

No longer will insurance companies be allowed to drop or water down coverage for someone who has become seriously ill. That’s not right and it’s not fair.

And we will stop insurance companies from placing arbitrary caps on the coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. Whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don’t have today – reforms that become more urgent and more urgent with each passing year.

Read More......

"Schwarzenegger decimated AIDS services across the board"

Just did a post at Gay.AMERICAblog.com on the mess in California. It's ugly. In the words of Rex Wockner, using the line-item veto, Governor Schwarzenegger "decimated AIDS services across the board."

Great legacy for Arnold. His wife, Maria Shriver, should be so proud of him. Because of Arnold, according to the California Dept. of Public Health, "more people will become infected." With the lack of services, more people will get sicker and need more care. More people will probably die. For some Californians, Arnold really is the Terminator. Read More......

NY Daily News: "GOP Disses 9/11 Responders"

From the The Mouth of the Potomac, we learn that 9/11 responders are getting the cold shoulder from Capitol Hill Republicans. Not really a surprise. George Bush, Karl Rove, Rudy Giuliani and other GOPers milked all the political value they could from 9/11.

Hard to understand how dissing first responders is good politics. But, as Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich explained, the GOP is now a party of Southerners and these 9/11 responders are from that liberal bastion, New York City. Republicans have probably made another political calculation here and decided New York's 9/11 responders don't matter to them anymore. Read More......

GOP has caught Dems in "generic" poll

This is disturbing. Via Taegan at Political Wire:

A new NPR poll finds Republicans catching Democrats in a generic congressional ballot test.

"Asked whether they would support a Democrat or a Republican for Congress in 2010 if the election were held today, 42% said they would choose a Democrat and 43% a Republican, a difference well within the poll's margin of error (plus or minus 3.4 percentage points for each number in each question)."

For several years, Democrats have held wide leads on such questions.

For several years, it seemed like Democrats were really going to solve problems and work for the American people. They're waiting. But, too many Democrats -- including the Obama brain trust -- have been striving for bipartisanship at the expense of progress. In my view, they've empowered the Republicans who offer no solutions for the American people.

76% of the American people support a public option as part of health care reform. That's a big number. But, Democrats on the Hill are blocking that provision. Democrats: Blue Dogs in the House and the Baucus/Conrad caucus in the Senate. They've had the public on their side and they're blowing it. Read More......

Senate GOP health bill moves forward

Senate Republicans didn't introduce a health care reform bill. They didn't have to. Instead, they took the Democratic bill and removed the key provisions supported by Democrats. Max Baucus (D-MT) let them do it, because he wants a "bipartisan" bill. Baucus got a GOP bill:

An emerging consensus among a bipartisan group of senators is poised to shift the dynamic in the congressional debate over health-care reform and could lead to a final product that sheds many of the priorities that President Obama has emphasized and that have drawn GOP attacks.

Three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee are expected to wrap up their arduous multi-week talks in the coming days, and Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said he expects a panel vote before the Senate recess, which will begin Aug. 7.

Assuming the fragile committee coalition holds, the legislation it produces would scramble the reform landscape by introducing policy ideas that have their origins in the political center. The bill is bound to disappoint liberals. But with prominent GOP backing, it also could prove more difficult for Republicans to reject out of hand -- the approach they have taken to the House bill and a second Senate version, written by the health committee.

The finance panel's legislation is expected to include incentives for employers to provide health insurance for their workers, rather than a more punitive coverage mandate. The committee is also likely to endorse narrowly targeted tax increases, rejecting a controversial tax surcharge on wealthy households that the House adopted and limits on deductions for upper-income taxpayers that Obama is seeking.

GOP negotiators rejected from the outset the kind of government-run insurance plan that Obama and most Democrats are pushing for in an attempt to inject the health-insurance market with pricing competition. Instead, the committee would create coverage cooperatives modeled after rural electricity providers.

I swear, when the 40 Republicans get together for their caucus, knowing the Democrats not only have a majority, but a filibuster-proof majority, they must just laugh at how easy it is to roll Baucus and others. It's pathetic.

But, don't worry, this will all be fixed in the final House-Senate conference. Right. Read More......

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Well, we've got a little situation here at AMERICAblog. John may have to get emergency eye surgery as a follow up to his eye problems last week. Until then, he's forbidden to do any reading -- so he better not be reading this. And, he has to stay on his side 24 hours/day until they decide what to do. Literally, on his side. (He tells me he has his laptop sideways on his desk, and it works.) It sounds a little intense. Chris in on vacation with his wife. So, for the next couple days, it's just me. There's plenty to write about. I'll try to stay on top of everything. Just bear with me.

Your president is heading to North Carolina and Virginia today to talk about health care. He should travel up to Capitol Hill to knock some sense into the Blue Dogs, Max Baucus and Kent Conrad. Those idiots are selling out the Democratic party -- and Barack Obama.

It's hard to believe the House and Senate are going home without passing health care reform. Not many of us can take a month-long vacation without completing our work. But, they all have excellent, taxpayer-funded health care. Although, maybe, with H1N1 on the Hill, they should all be quarantined til they get reform done -- and done right. (Can you imagine a worse torture than being quarantined with the likes of Jim DeMint and Michelle Bachmann?)

Let's get this started... Read More......

"quite possibly the H1N1 virus" is on the Hill

Swine flu may have hit Capitol Hill:

Five Senate pages appear to have contracted the dreaded flu virus, which has been linked to more than 300 deaths, and they have been quarantined from their peers and lawmakers, Sergeant at Arms Terrance W. Gainer announced Tuesday night in an internal memo to senators and staff.

Gainer, who oversees the page program, said the teenagers "are exhibiting flu-like symptoms -- slightly elevated temperature, cough, and sore throats -- and the Office of Attending Physician believes that they most likely have influenza, quite possibly the H1N1 virus."

The pages do not have confirmed H1N1 cases, Gainer noted, because doctors have not tested them for the virus. "The test itself is uncomfortable and the results of the test will not alter the treatment plan," he said, noting that most outside doctors are following this course.

No doubt, we'll be hearing more about this. But, don't worry. Members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers have excellent taxpayer-funded health insurance. If any of them get sick, they'll be covered.

But, maybe they should quarantine all of Congress. Then, perhaps they'd actually finish their work on health care reform so the rest of us will be covered. Read More......

Tenn. State Senator (a typical anti-gay Republican) quit over affair with intern

Tennessee State Senator Paul Stanley (R) quit on Tuesday:

"Due to recent events, I have decided to focus my full attention on my family and resign my Senate seat effective August 10," Republican Sen. Paul Stanley wrote in his resignation letter.

Court records show that Stanley, 47, told agents investigating a blackmail case that he had a sexual relationship with intern McKensie Morrison. Her boyfriend, Joel Watts, is charged with trying to extort $10,000 from Stanley in April in return for explicit photos of Morrison that Stanley had taken....

...Stanley's legislative proposals were largely focused on pro-business issues, but he also sponsored failed measures to ban gay couples from adopting children. He also spoke out against funding for Planned Parenthood because he said unmarried people should not have sex.

"Whatever I stood for and advocated, I still believe to be true," he said during an interview Tuesday with Memphis radio station WREC-AM. "And just because I fell far short of what God's standard was for me and my wife, doesn't mean that that standard is reduced in the least bit."

"Pith in the Wind" has more on that radio interview on a right wing station. There was lots of talk about God -- and lots of bashing blogs. Read More......

Krugman on O'Reilly latest health care inanity

Krugman:

"I need a drink."

Here's why:
Read More......

Ohio GOP Senator Voinovich on "the GOP's biggest problem"

Voinovich unplugged:

“We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?’ ”

What the hell they got to do with most of America? But, that's today's GOP. Read More......

Rahm built the Blue Dog caucus, now he can't control the Blue Dogs

Via the Campaign Silo at FDL, we get a clear explanation of the Blue Dogs from Rep. Maxine Waters. Basically, Rahm can't rein in the Blue Dogs.


And, you'll see the guest co-host is our good pal, Kerry Eleveld, who is the D.C. correspondent for The Advocate. Read More......

Rush and his fellow right wingers not even subtle about race-baiting anymore

It's getting really ugly out there in right wing whacko world. They went nuts over the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. That seemed to open up the floodgates of racism and hate-speak. Rush and company aren't even trying to hide it anymore:
Read More......