NRCC is luring doctors to oppose reform by pretending to ‘honor’ them.
NRCC is luring doctors to oppose reform by pretending to ‘honor’ them.
The Wonk Room has learned that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is engaged in a misleading campaign to trick physicians into opposing health care reform. The NRCC has been placing calls and sending “hand-written” faxes to physicians across the country to ostensibly recognize physicians for their “invaluable experience” and ask recipients to call a toll-free number and approve a press release “to honor the achievements of you and other concerned physicians like you.” The missive invites doctors to “represent” their state “as a consultant on Rep. Tom Price’s (R-GA) ‘Physicians’ Council for Responsible Reform,’” but a call to the “Council” suggests that the NRCC’s real goal is to scare physicians and add legitimacy to Republican efforts to stall reform. (Download a copy of the letter HERE.) Listen to the call:
Rather than seeking “critical input” or “guidance” from doctors “who are respected by their peers”, the “Council” warns doctors about the “very real threat of Washington interfering even more with doctor’s efforts to provide the best possible care for their patients” and explains that the physicians on the Council have already agreed to “a free market type thing.”
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O’Reilly to receive a ‘Media Courage Award.’
O’Reilly to receive a ‘Media Courage Award.’
The right-wing Family Research Council has announced that at its upcoming Values Voters Summit this fall, the organization will be honoring Fox News host Bill O’Reilly with the first-ever “Media Courage Award.” In his announcement, FRC President Tony Perkins specifically cited O’Reilly’s coverage of the late Dr. George Tiller:
Bill O’Reilly has never shied away from denouncing late-term abortions and the handful of doctors who perform them. In the aftermath of George Tiller’s murder, O’Reilly became an easy target for the liberal media who tried to pin some of the blame on Bill, saying he incited the violence by decrying these unnecessary procedures on his show. Despite the unfair allegations, O’Reilly spoke the truth, bringing new light to a gruesome procedure. On behalf of our co-sponsors and millions of values voters, we want to express our gratitude to a culture warrior who uses his national platform to promote life–no matter what the personal or professional costs.
O’Reilly rarely spoke the “truth” about Tiller, who was murdered by a radical anti-choice extremist. What O’Reilly did was demonize him, calling him — even after his death — “Tiller the Baby Killer” or “Dr. Killer.” “This is the kind of stuff happened in Mao’s China, Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union,” O’Reilly said of Tiller’s medical practice. Beyond the Tiller commentary, O’Reilly rarely shows “courage” on his show. Nothing says courage less than sending your producer to stalk people because they once wrote something critical about you and you’re too afraid to actually call them up and ask them for a response first.
NAACP-Forgery Group, Bonner & Associates, Has A Decades-Long History Of Astroturf Tactics
NAACP-Forgery Group, Bonner & Associates, Has A Decades-Long History Of Astroturf Tactics
A DC-based consulting firm has been exposed for forging letters in opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The letters, replete with letterhead and made-up identities, purported to be from Virginian minority organizations including the NAACP. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) received multiple letters pressuring him to vote against clean energy reform. According to Daily Progress, Perriello staffers discovered that the letters were actually forged by Bonner & Associates. Going through past correspondence regarding ACES, staffers found at least six forged letters purporting to be from Creciendo Juntos, a nonprofit hispanic group, and the NAACP.
ThinkProgress has acquired the forged letters. See them here:
Bonner & Associates has a long history of shady tactics and big business corporate associations:
Show Me the Money: Founder Jack Bonner bragged in 1994 that the group has no “ideological or political bent,” the Washington Post noting that “if you’ve got the money and need some ‘regular people’ to flog your issue, Bonner will find them for you.” [8/23/94]
Defrauding the U.S. Government: In 1986, the firm was caught defrauding the U.S. government in order to retain a contract. Bonner & Associates was fraudulently submitting names from phone books, yearbooks, agency employee books, and other sources. The firm claimed to fire the offending employee: “We fired the people we determined were involved in it…what they did was in direct violation of the written policy of the firm.” [New York Times, 12/18/86]
Fighting the Smoking Ban on Behalf of Philip Morris: Bonner & Associates was hired by Philip Morris during the early 90s to build opposition to the workplace smoking ban. A 1994 National Journal piece reports that the firm “was paid about $1.5 million to solicit 7,000 letters to OSHA from small businesses, criticizing the indoor air proposal.” [National Journal, 12/3/94]
Killing Health Care Reforms on Behalf of PhRMA: After the group was hired by PhRMA to kill Maryland legislation that would have affected prescription drug legislation, they faxed dozens of community leaders with a petition that was meant to appear grassroots, “including grammatical errors and a handwritten cover letter.” A community leader that received one of the faxes said, “I wish they would take off the masks. If the drug industry wants to organize people at the grass roots, they should be honest.” [Baltimore Sun, 3/9/02]
In a statement following their most recent offense against Rep. Perriello, the company responded, “We immediately fired the person on our staff responsible for the error.” The Bonner firm’s weak dismissal of their breach as “an error” is a laughable attempt to ignore the nefarious nature of the company’s entire strategic philosophy: Astroturfing (that is, misrepresenting corporate-backed policy as a real grassroots movement).
This incident demonstrates the incredible lengths that the vested interests of health care and energy are willing to go through to undermine reform. With Congress going on recess soon, more of these astroturf tactics will undoubtedly occur as corporate backed anti-reform groups gather in Congressional districts throughout the country to obstruct health care and clean energy reform.
We take our business very seriously. A temporary employee--lied to us--and contrary to our policies sent these letters. We--no one else--we on our own found this out. We immediately fired the person. We then, called those effected, explained what happened and apologized. In the case of the group in the story--we did it in person and by letter.
This should not have happened--we had a bad employee--but through our internal checks, we found the problem, and on our own initiative took the step to notify the affected group.
“The NAACP is appalled that an organization like Bonner and Associates would stoop to these depths to deceive Congress. In this case Bonner and Associates are exploiting the African-American Community to achieve their misdirected goal. These tactics illustrate that discriminatory tactics normally used to deceive voters are now being used to deceive the Congress,” stated Hilary O. Shelton, Director of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau and Senior Vice President for Advocacy.
Fired U.S. attorney Daniel Bogden is re-nominated by Obama for his former position.
Fired U.S. attorney Daniel Bogden is re-nominated by Obama for his former position.
Today, President Obama nominated four individuals to serve as U.S. attorneys — most notably Daniel Bogden in Nevada. “These fine men and women have demonstrated the extensive knowledge of the law and deep commitment to public service Americans deserve from their United States Attorneys,” said Obama in a statement. Bogden has actually already served as a U.S. attorney, but he was ousted in the Bush administration’s political purge. Even Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) said that the case had been “completely mishandled” by then-attorney general Alberto Gonzales. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has been pushing the White House to bring back Bogden.
Milbank jokes that Hillary Clinton should drink ‘mad bitch’ beer.
Milbank jokes that Hillary Clinton should drink ‘mad bitch’ beer.
Washington Post reporters Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza regularly do a political commentary video series called “Mouthpiece Theater.” In the newest segment, Milbank and Cillizza discuss President Obama’s “beer diplomacy,” and what types of beer various public officials should drink. They suggest a “Happy Ending” beer for Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) and a “XXX Porter” for Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC). Their suggestion for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, however, is considerably more offensive — a “Mad Bitch” beer. Watch it (2:35):
(HT: Brian Beutler)
Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’
Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’
This morning, Politico reported that Democratic members of Congress are increasingly being harassed by “angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior” at local town halls. For example, in one incident, right-wing protesters surrounded Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and forced police officers to have to escort him to his car for safety.
This growing phenomenon is often marked by violence and absurdity. Recently, right-wing demonstrators hung Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) in effigy outside of his office. Missing from the reporting of these stories is the fact that much of these protests are coordinated by public relations firms and lobbyists who have a stake in opposing President Obama’s reforms.
The lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the FreedomWorks website Tea Party Patriots, details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress:
– Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”
– Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”
– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”
The memo above also resembles the talking points being distributed by FreedomWorks for pushing an anti-health reform assault all summer. Patients United, a front group maintained by Americans for Prosperity, is currently busing people all over the country for more protests against Democratic members. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the NRCC, has endorsed the strategy, telling the Politico the days of civil town halls are now “over.”
Meanwhile, AHIP, the trade group and lobbying juggernaut representing the health insurance industry is sending staffers to monitor town halls and other right-wing front groups are stepping up their ad campaign to smear reform efforts. The strategy for defeating reform — recently outlined by an influential lobbyist to the Hill newspaper as “delay” then “kill” — is becoming apparent. By delaying a vote until after the August recess, lobbyists are now seizing upon recess town halls as opportunities to ambush lawmakers and fool them into believing there is wide opposition to reform.
"Several blogs have picked up your post: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/31/recess-harassment-memo/ which mentions Americans for Prosperity's efforts next to your mention of Bob MacGuffie's memo about town hall meetings. Mr. MacGuffie's memo was his own work. I would appreciate your help in correcting the erroneous rumor people have passed around that this memo came from AFP. We have encouraged our members to attend town halls, ask questions and register their opinions about issues including health care -- as all citizens should do. We always promote civil dialogue and do not condone disruptive behavior."As noted in the post, MacGuffie is a volunteer who actively posts and volunteers with the website Tea Party Patriots. A review of the sponsoring organizations reveals that both FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity are sponsors of the website as "Freedom Coalition" partners. A few months before joining Americans for Prosperity, Menefee herself worked for the medical device/pharmaceutical industry-funded "think-tank" called the Galen Institute.
Giuliani Hopes For No Health Care Reform, Says Those Making ‘$250k Or More’ Are ‘Struggling’
Giuliani Hopes For No Health Care Reform, Says Those Making ‘$250k Or More’ Are ‘Struggling’
Last night on Hannity’s Fox News show, former New York City Major Rudy Giuliani officially joined the ranks of his fellow conservatives who are trying to “kill” Obama’s health care agenda. “I hope there’s no hope for the health care plan this year,” Giuliani said bluntly at the outset of the segment.
Later, Hannity and Giuliani began discussing “all the taxes” Democrats allegedly “want to raise now.” “They basically — if you wake up in the morning, they’re probably going to tax that,” Hannity complained. Giuliani then took the opportunity to stand up for the “so-called rich”:
GIULIANI: We already have major distribution of wealth going on in this country. … Redistribution of wealth, from rich to poor. The rich pay — the so-called rich. We’re talking about $250,000 or more in New York City. I know this is hard for people to understand. These people sometimes are two-earner families. They’re really struggling.
Watch it:
Yes, New York is an expensive city to live in, but claiming that people living there making “$250,000 or more” are “really struggling” is laughable. The people who are “really struggling” are those who can’t afford health insurance, which, represented by both of his statements above, Giuliani seems to care nothing about.
Thankfully, most Americans do care. A recent Time magazine poll found that “large majorities” of Americans want health care reform. Forty-six percent said it is “very important” for Congress to pass reform in the next few months and an additional 23 percent said it is “somewhat important,” while 55 percent said it would be better to pass “major reform.” And a Kaiser Family Foundation poll out this month found that 56 percent said “it is more important than ever to take on health care reform now.”
Republicans Reveal Their Hypocrisy On Health Care, Refuse To Support Bill To Kill Government-Run Medicare
Republicans Reveal Their Hypocrisy On Health Care, Refuse To Support Bill To Kill Government-Run Medicare
For months, Republicans have been trying to scare Americans away from supporting a public option in health care reform, claiming that “government-run” medicine is akin to socialism and would be disastrous. But the government already runs several successful, well-loved health care programs — most notably, Medicare.
Yesterday, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) decided that it was “put-up or shut-up time for the phonies who deride the so-called ‘public option.’” He offered an amendment that would eliminate government-run Medicare:
Not a single member of Congress voted for the amendment, and Republicans were blasting it as a “political farce.” Last night, Weiner went on MSNBC and explained the GOP’s hypocrisy:
WEINER: Well, for some reason, I guess Republicans don’t like publicly funded, publicly administered health plans except for Medicare, and, I guess, except for the Veterans Administration and except for the health care that our military gets from the Department of Defense. The fact of the matter is, what we’ve learned is that government administered health care works pretty darn well. It’s got lower overhead and people like it.
So, when my Republican colleagues pound the drum and pound the podium about how they hate government-run health care, I guess they haven’t looked at what they get.
Watch it:
Republicans are refusing to acknowledge the hypocrisy in their statements warning about “socialized” medicine and their support for Medicare. Of course, conservatives also opposed the creation of Medicare in the 1960s and made many of the same claims that their counterparts are doing today. Forty-four years later, Medicare has helped America’s senior citizens live longer, healthier lives. By not voting for Weiner’s amendment, conservatives are acknowledging that their supposedly substantive claims about health care reform are nothing more than crass political fear-mongering.
Lobbyist Dick Armey’s Pollution Gospel: ‘As An Article Of Faith,’ It Is ‘Pretentious’ To Believe In Global Warming
Lobbyist Dick Armey’s Pollution Gospel: ‘As An Article Of Faith,’ It Is ‘Pretentious’ To Believe In Global Warming
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) appeared as a witness for the Republican bicameral hearing on climate change legislation yesterday on Capitol Hill. Along with a cadre of polluter CEOs and Chamber of Commerce officials, Armey played his part leveling an array of attacks on any effort to transition to a clean energy economy.
As the hearing progressed, most of the witnesses spent their time recycling months-old debunked studies. But Armey distinguished himself by invoking a religious argument to back up his smears against what he called “environmental hypochondriacs” filled with “eco-evangelical hysteria.” Armey claimed that in his world view, because God created the heavens and the Earth, it would be “quite pretentious” for people to believe God would permit global warming to even occur:
DICK ARMEY: What I’m suggesting is we have a sort of an eco-evangelical hysteria going on and it leads me to almost wonder if we are becoming a nation of environmental hypochondriacs that are willing to use the power of the state to impose enormous restrictions on the rights and the comforts of, and incomes of individuals who serve essentially a paranoia, a phobia, that has very little fact evidence in fact. Now these are observations that are popular to make because right now its almost taken as an article of faith that this crisis is real. Let me say I take it as an article of faith if the lord God almighty made the heavens and the Earth, and he made them to his satisfaction and it is quite pretentious of we little weaklings here on earth to think that, that we are going to destroy God’s creation. [...]
SEN. ORRIN HATCH: Mr. Armey it’s great to have you here. Great to see you again and we appreciate all you’ve done throughout the years and your work on Capitol Hill. Great job.
Watch it:
Despite Armey’s claims, global warming is very real and has already caused great damage to creation. Indeed, though Armey would like to create a false dichotomy between people who want to stop global warming and people who believe in God, no such gap exists. A Faith and Public Life poll found 63% of Catholics and 50% of white evangelicals want the federal government to do more to address climate change. Pope Benedict XVI has called for a greater focus on the environment, saying “if you want to promote peace, safeguard creation.”
Armey’s use of faith to demonize clean energy reform should come as no surprise. After promoting a polluter agenda for many years in Congress, Armey became a lobbyist for the firm DLA Piper, which represents many interests with a stake against curbing greenhouse gas emissions:
–- DLA Piper represents Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE, on energy related issues such as maintaining the U.S.-UAE relationship where “U.S companies have played major roles in the development of UAE energy resources, which represent about 10 percent of global oil reserves.” [US Department of Justice, accessed 7/30/09]
– DLA Piper recently signed on Colonial Oil as a new client. [Senate Lobbying Disclosures, accessed 7/30/09]
– DLA Piper represents Irving Oil, lobbying directly on clean energy reform legislation. [Senate Lobbying Disclosures, accessed 7/30/09]
After leaving Congress, Armey became the head of Citizens for a Sound Economy, a right-wing front group funded largely by oil companies like ExxonMobil. CSE later morphed into the astroturf organization known as FreedomWorks, which Armey has used to orchestrate the vicious anti-Obama tea party rallies. And, as ThinkProgress has documented, though FreedomWorks purports to fight on behalf of a purely free market ideology, Armey has used FreedomWorks to whip up “grassroots” support for the clients he represents.
Poll: Majority of Republicans are birthers.
Poll: Majority of Republicans are birthers.
A new DailyKos/Research2000 poll reveals the shocking news that 58 percent of Republicans sympathize with the far-right birthers. Twenty-eight percent don’t believe that President Obama was born in the U.S., and another 30 percent aren’t sure. The birther sentiment was strongest amongst people older than 60 and people living in the South. Politico’s Glenn Thrush asks, “When do we start a serious dialog about the Birther movement being a proxy for racism that is unacceptable to articulate in more direct terms?”
Hutchison covers for innocent mistake by resorting to anti-gay rhetoric.
Hutchison covers for innocent mistake by resorting to anti-gay rhetoric.
Yesterday, the Austin American-Statesman discovered that the website of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s (R-TX) gubernatorial campaign contains a long list of hidden phrases, including the words “rick perry gay.” When called on this very minor incident, Hutchison’s spokesperson quite plausibly explained that “a vendor sold them on a tool that generates the phrases hourly or less in an attempt to divine the most frequent Web searches made by individuals who search online using one or all of the terms ‘Rick Perry,’ ‘Kay Bailey Hutchison’ and ‘Texas.’” Hutchison’s staff was merely monitoring how she and Texas’ present governor are viewed by websurfers, and the phrase “rick perry gay” appeared because a large number of people apparently enter these words into Google. Rather than simply leave it at that, however, Hutchison then released this statement:
We did not know these offensive word associations were being searched for by hundreds of thousands of Texans everyday nor do we condone the computer-generated existence on our Web site.
Hutchison did not clarify what exactly she finds “offensive” about the phrase “rick perry gay.” Is she offended by the very notion that her state could be governed by a gay man, or does she simply find the word “gay” itself to be offensive? In either event, her initial mistake was nothing more than an innocent attempt to monitor search engines. Why she felt the need to respond with anti-gay rhetoric is anyone’s guess.
ThinkFast: July 31, 2009
ThinkFast: July 31, 2009
Col. Timothy Reese, an adviser to the Iraqi military’s Baghdad command, recently wrote a blunt memo stating that it is time “for the U.S. to declare victory and go home.” “Extending the American military presence beyond August 2010, he argues, will do little to improve the Iraqis’ military performance while fueling growing resentment of Americans.”
Karl Rove went on a public relations offensive yesterday, “saying he did nothing wrong in the controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys.” His comments “prompted immediate calls of foul play by congressional Democrats, who accused him of sidestepping an agreement not to discuss” his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee. “It’s hardly surprising…that selectively leaked documents would serve his version of events,” a committee spokesman said.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) is still undecided on whether or not he will vote to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. “I have no idea,” Baucus said. “I haven’t paid any attention and I haven’t announced. … I’ve been so busy with healthcare.” Baucus joins other Democratic senators who are waffling in the face of pressure from the National Rifle Association.
The Washington Post notes that “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.”
President Obama described yesterday’s “beer summit” as “a friendly, thoughtful conversation.” “What you had today was two gentlemen who agreed to disagree on a particular issue,” Sergeant James Crowley said. Professor Henry Louis Gates said, “We’ve learned that we can have our differences without demonizing one another.”
After Handing Out Jumbo Stimulus Checks, Jindal Still Refuses To Give Obama Any Credit For Stimulus
After Handing Out Jumbo Stimulus Checks, Jindal Still Refuses To Give Obama Any Credit For Stimulus
Yesterday on CNN, host Wolf Blitzer asked Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) about the state of the Louisiana economy. Jindal quickly boasted that he was “proud” of his state’s job growth and “economic development.” Given Jindal’s apparent belief that the recession is over in his state, Blitzer then asked if he was willing to give Obama “some credit” for the $3.2 billion dollars Jindal is accepting from the Recovery Act:
BLITZER: Are you ready to give the president of the United States some credit for turning — helping to turn this economy around?
JINDAL: Look, I love what he says. And I — I do have a lot of skepticism about, in D.C., the fact they think that we can spend our way into prosperity, borrow our way into prosperity. Now they want to tax our way into prosperity. [...]
BLITZER: Excuse me for interrupting. Let’s stay on the stimulus for a second. Louisiana — we just checked — they were getting, your state, $3.3 billion, part of the economic recovery, the stimulus money. Already, they have made, what, they say, $2.2 billion available. They have paid out almost a half-a- million — a half-a-billion dollars, $480 million. I assume, even though you — you hated the stimulus package, you’re taking the money, and it’s helping. [...]
Watch it:
The fact that Jindal refused to give the Recovery Act a single word of acknowledgment for its role in turning around the Louisiana economy speaks to his political motivations, not reality.
As ThinkProgress first reported, Jindal has been touring his state boasting about job creation, while simultaneously giving away jumbo-sized checks filled largely with stimulus money to local Louisiana communities. Jindal plastered his own name on the checks and until recently, did not even reveal that much of the money was from the Recovery Act. Below is a picture compilation of checks Jindal has presented to Louisiana communities such as Lafayette, Terrebonne Parish, St. Landry Parish, and Vernon Parish:
Jindal’s self-proclaimed greatest accomplishment — job growth — is tied directly to the very “Washington spending” he denounces on a daily basis. Of the education money Jindal is accepting, nearly $10 million is for vocational training. Weatherization programs in Louisiana, totaling nearly $54 million from the Recovery Act, create jobs. Additional Recovery Act funds — including everything from law enforcement training programs, infrastructure grants, to community service programs — also boosts the employment rate in the Bayou State.
MSNBC Host Calls Out Pence’s Lie That House Health Care Bill Will Cost ‘$1 Trillion In Higher Taxes’
MSNBC Host Calls Out Pence’s Lie That House Health Care Bill Will Cost ‘$1 Trillion In Higher Taxes’
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) has taken a leading role in the Republican efforts to lie and fearmonger about the Democrats’ health care plans in hopes of killing it. Last May, Pence argued the public option “will deprive roughly 120 million Americans of their current health care coverage,” a claim PolitiFact.com deemed to be “false.”
Pence was at it again this morning on MSNBC. This time, he claimed that the House health care bill recently scored by the Congressional Budget Office “will literally cost nearly a trillion dollars in higher taxes.” Host Carlos Watson immediately jumped in. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Watson interjected, “unless you’re looking at different data than I’m looking at, I don’t remember there being a trillion dollars in new taxes.” Pence said he was “rounding up,” and then later revised his figure to $800 billion. But Watson wouldn’t budge, and neither would Pence:
WATSON: I’m very clear that we are not talking about anywhere close to a trillion or $800 billion in new taxes…so if you’ve got data from the CBO that suggests that some of the proposals on the table…represent that much in new taxes then that’s significant new information. Where are you getting that?
PENCE: Well I don’t think that’s significant new information I think the estimates we’ve all been working with from the CBO are in the — I’m trying to remember — it’s about the $800 billion range in the estimated cost of new taxes. … That’s really all out there Carlos.
Watch it:
Pence’s claims are indeed “out there” in that they aren’t true. In fact, the CBO’s preliminary estimate of the House bill said that its entire cost would be just over $1 trillion over 10 years. $540 billion of that (i.e. not $800 billion or $1 trillion) would be paid for with new taxes on the rich affecting just 1.2 percent of U.S. households. The rest of the bill would be fully offset by savings in Medicare and other health systems.
But Pence doesn’t seem to care that his attacks on health reform are lies. He’s promoting the MSNBC segment with Watson on his own YouTube channel. And as further evidence that Pence just blurts out whatever he thinks will kill reform, just this week, he urged those who “oppose government-run health care” to “call your congressman.” Yet later in the same day, Pence said, “I support Medicare.”
Tom Tancredo says ‘Sonia Mayer’ appointment could indicate that Obama is racist.
Tom Tancredo says ‘Sonia Mayer’ appointment could indicate that Obama is racist.
Last night, former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) went on The Ed Schultz show to tacitly defend Glenn Beck’s statements on President Obama’s perceived “hatred of white people.” Tancredo further claimed that Obama’s appointment of “Sonia Mayer” could serve as an indication that he is in fact a racist:
TANCREDO: I do not know if he has a hatred for white people. I can say that his [Obama] statements and his appointment of someone I do believe to be a racist, “Sonia Mayer,” for her racial views by the way — that is an indication, that could be used as an indication by some, that he is indeed a racist. Because it’s depending on what you use as a definition.
Watch it:
Back in May, Tancredo called Judge Sonia Sotomayor a “racist” member of the Latino KKK, otherwise known as National Council of La Raza — the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. He has been accused of racism himself for warning that immigration “threatens western civilization.” And he even blasted the pope for his pro-immigrant positions. At the end of the segment last night, Tancredo claimed that Schultz could be accused of hate speech for his attacks on Beck and that he would be “affronted” by the mere suggestion that he might have a “deep-seeded hatred for the Latino community.”
Clear Channel not interested in hiring Sarah Palin.
Clear Channel not interested in hiring Sarah Palin.
On Monday, Inside Radio reported that former governor Sarah Palin’s representatives “have been quietly testing the waters to see how much interest radio syndicators have for her.” While Palin isn’t committed to radio, she is reportedly open to it as “a possible next step.” But the interest in her might not be as great as some had speculated. According to Broadcasting & Cable, Clear Channel Broadcasting, the country’s biggest radio conglomerate, has already turned Palin down because of fears that she wouldn’t be able to “hold forth for three hours a day.”
Right-Wing Florida Legislators Propose State Constitutional Amendment To Ban Federal Health Care
Right-Wing Florida Legislators Propose State Constitutional Amendment To Ban Federal Health Care
As the Obama administration and Congress work to pass legislation that would expand affordable coverage for all Americans, some state lawmakers are trying to preemptively undermine those efforts.
Earlier this week, Florida State Senator Carey Baker (R) and State Representative Scott Plakon (R) introduced a state Constitutional amendment that, if adopted, would prevent Floridians from enrolling in any federal health care plan. The language of House Joint Resolution 37 states:
To preserve the freedom of all residents of the state to provide for their own health care:
A law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system.
“We believe this unprecedented power-grab by President Obama and Congress is clearly not in the best interests of the citizens of Florida,” Baker and Plakon said in a joint statement. Baker, who is a Republican candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, participated in the right-wing tea parties on July 4. Both he and Plakon are sponsors of a “sovereignty” memorial, a measure meant to serve “as a notice and a demand to the Federal Government…to cease and desist, effective immediately, from issuing mandates that are beyond the scope of [their] constitutionally delegated powers.”
Their amendment to ban health care would need approval by a three-fifths vote in both the House and Senate. If passed by the legislature, Florida voters would vote on the constitutional amendment on Election Day 2010.
The Orlando Sentinel notes, “Nearly 4 million Floridians are uninsured presently, and an effort last year by Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature called ‘Cover Florida’ to try and make more no-frills coverage plans available without placing mandates on businesses or insurers has so far failed to make a dent in that number.”
Unfortunately, Florida is not the only state considering such radical measures. The Arizona state legislature has previously approved a bill that would “put a proposal on the 2010 ballot which would constitutionally override any law, rule or regulation that requires individuals or employers to participate in any particular health care system.”
Fox News poll: Palin should be a homemaker.
Fox News poll: Palin should be a homemaker.
When Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska over the weekend, she left pundits and politicos to speculate about her next career move, with the latest rumor focusing on Palin hosting a radio show. Earlier this week, Fox News released a poll revealing a plurality of Americans think Palin shouldn’t do radio — or be involved in politics:
About a third of Americans think the best job for Palin is homemaker (32 percent), while nearly one in five see her as a television talk show host (17 percent). Vice president of the United States comes in third (14 percent), followed closely by college professor (10 percent), with president coming last (6 percent).
Republicans think the best job for Palin is vice president (27 percent), followed by homemaker (18 percent), talk show host (14 percent), president (12 percent) and professor (7 percent).
According to the Fox poll, 51 percent of Americans have a negative view of Palin, compared to 38 percent who say they have a favorable opinion of her.
The full, unedited interviews with Roy Blunt on birther conspiracies.
The full, unedited interviews with Roy Blunt on birther conspiracies.
Yesterday, blogger-activist Mike Stark released a new compilation of his interviews with Republican lawmakers on whether or not they believe President Obama was born in the United States. One of the interviews that received the most attention was with Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), who said that Obama still hasn’t produced a valid “certificate of live birth.” He was widely labeled a “birther” in response. Blunt campaign spokesman Rich Chrismer later released a statement, saying the congressman’s comments had been taken “completely out of context”:
We encourage this blog to release the video of the entire interview instead of only the edited version which take his comments completely out of context.
This is what happens when you talk to reporters and have press conferences. Things can be taken out of context when you open yourself up to media on a daily basis. We are not going to take the Robin Carnahan approach of dodging questions and hiding from the media.
Today, Firedoglake released the full, unedited footage of Stark’s conversation with Blunt. Watch them here:
What was missing from the original compilation was Blunt saying that he doesn’t have “any reason not to believe” that Obama was born in the United States (in the second video above). However, he then still says that it’s a “legitimate question” to ask why Obama “can’t produce a birth certificate.” Greg Sargent noted that when he followed-up and asked Chrismer “whether Blunt believes Obama is legitimately the president,” the spokesman “sidestepped” the question.
Obama Restores Credibility To The Presidential Medal Of Freedom
Obama Restores Credibility To The Presidential Medal Of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civil award, awarded to individuals who have contributed to: 1) the security or national interests of the United States, 2) world peace, or 3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Today, President Obama announced his first batch of Medal recipients — a bipartisan group of individuals who have “blazed trails and broken down barriers.” The list includes former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, former Republican congressman and NFL quarterback Jack Kemp, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), legendary tennis player Billie Jean King, and LGBT civil rights pioneer Harvey Milk. From Obama’s statement on these recipients, who will be recognized at a ceremony on Aug. 12:
These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way.
Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we all should strive. It is my great honor to award them the Medal of Freedom.
The award seems to be finally regaining the honor that it largely lost during the tenure of President Bush, who doled it out to his cronies. Bush’s final three recipients in January 2009 were Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, and former Prime Ministers Tony Blair of the United Kingdom and John Howard of Australia, who were recognized for their willingness to be “staunch allies of the United States” — and Bush’s foreign policies.
In fact, support for the Iraq war became a good predictor of whether one would receive the honor. Other recipients included neoconservative godfather Norm Podhoretz (2003), L. Paul Bremer (2004), Gen. Tommy Franks (2004), Gen. Richard Myers (2005), George Tenet (2004), and Gen. Peter Pace (2008). A look back:
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