The Taco Bell dog has died

From DListed, via Andy Towle.

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Wisconsin Christianists want to burn books

Perhaps they're simply waiting for the Taliban to come back so they can go home again. Read More......

Insurance industry group now recycling strategy they used to go after Michael Moore

From ThinkProgress:

Wendell Potter, a former top CIGNA health insurance official, left his job recently and is trying to atone for his role in propagating what he called “Wall Street-run health care that has proven itself an untrustworthy partner to its customers, to the doctors and hospitals who deliver care and to the state and federal governments that attempt to regulate it.” Appearing on PBS two weeks ago, Potter also divulged that the private health care industry “was really concerned” with Michael Moore’s documentary SiCKO because Moore “hit the nail on the head with his movie.” Host Bill Moyers posted copies of internal strategy memos from AHIP, the trade group and lobbying juggernaut representing the health insurance industry, detailing how to discredit Moore and conduct a PR campaign to maintain the status quo.

Now, as Congress moves into high-gear for reforming health care, AHIP appears be positioning itself to defeat a public option by using the same playbook they used against Moore in 2007.

People on our side should be destroying the opposition. It should have been scorched earth a year ago. And only now we see our party organs, and our White House, striking back. Is this going to be the playbook for the entire administration? Just assuming we're going to win, and not really fighting until we almost blow it? Yes, being the underdog and not fighting back until things get scary ultimately worked during the campaign, and the stimulus did pass after having nearly been lost. But how many times will this "let's almost lose before we win" strategy bear fruit? How about actually trying to win from the beginning, and not just assuming that victories will be bestowed like the divine right of kings? Read More......

Obama Press Conference Liveblog/Open Thread

That's it. Mostly health care. But, that last question evoked the most intense response. It's a lot more comfortable watching from my couch, sitting next to Petey.

8:56 PM: Lynn Sweet asked about the arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates and what it says about race relations in America? Obama: I know Prof. Gates. And, he recounts the facts. Cambridge Police acted stupidly arresting someone in their home. Long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by police disproportionately. That is a sign of how race remains a factor in this society. Doesn't lessen progress that's been made...

(I liveblogged the press conference with some synopses and a little bit of commentary. It's below the fold.)

Here's the rest:

8:53 PM: Real Steve Koff got to ask about Obama's visit to Cleveland Clinic? Expecting an endorsement? Obama, not expecting endorsement.

8:52 PM: (Not Steve Koff, Cleveland Plain Dealer): Will your plan, public option, lead to reduced coverage. Will you guarantee government won't deny coverage. Would you say you and Congress will abide by the same coverage? Obama: I want people to have the same coverage Congress has. Part of the reason we want to have the public option is to keep the insurance companies honest. With increased regulation, insurance companies will have to provide better service on issues like pre-existing conditions. Right now, at a time when everyone is getting hammered, insurance companies are making record profits. Can I guarantee there will be no changes in the health care system? No. The whole point is to make changes that make sense. Insurance companies are already making decisions on care. (And, Obama gets to tell Koff, I'm going to be in your city at the Cleveland Clinic.) I'd be happy to abide by the same system. But, I'm the president. I've got best coverage in the world. (Oops. This wasn't Steve Koff. It was someone else.)

8:45 PM: Julianna: You said recent bank profits have shown no remorse, no change in culture. Does your admin. need to take a harder line? Obama: We were on the verge of a complete financial breakdown because Wall Street took extreme risks with other people's money. It was the right thing for us to do...to step in. We have seen a stabilization in the financial system. It's a good thing that banks are profitable again. What we haven't seen is the kind of changes in behavior and practices to prevent having to bail them out again. We have to pass fin. regulatory reform...I'd like to think people would show some remorse before taking huge bonuses. If shame doesn't work, shareholders should know.

8:40 PM: Chrissy Parson: You said meetings would be on C-SPAN. Your admin. turned down request for list of health care execs. at meetings. And TARP issues. Are you fulfilling your promises on transparency? Obama: This hasn't been a secret. You took pictures of execs. at meetings. I understand we sent out a letter tonight. Initial meeting was on C-SPAN. Hill can put meetings on C-SPAN. I will take a look at what they say we have not provided on TARP.

8:38 PM: Chip Reid asks about pain, sacrifice in Medicare. And, what about taking politics out of Medicare? Answering part two first, Obama said that's why we are doing MedPac. This was a GOP idea. It's not going to reduce Medicare benefits. Will change the way benefits are delivered. (The president is giving very long answers for each question and weaving in related points to each question.)

8:35 PM: Obama shifted into discussion about deficit and debt. People who don't want it to pass have suggested this is just another government program. I inherited $1.3 trillion deficit. Americans had lost trillions of dollars. Already happened when I was sworn in, so I put in place recovery package. Our budget lessened deficit by $2.2 trillion over 10 years compared to policies in place when we came in. "I'm very worried about federal spending." In order to do more, we have to eliminate waste in the system..like the F-22. For all those ginned up about Obama admin. wanting to spend and spend and spend, we inherited this mess. Health care is designed to lower deficit.

8:31 PM: Jake Tapper asks about the sacrifices Americans will have to make. What will they have to give up? Obama: They're going to have to give up paying for things that don't make them healthier." (I notice when Obama says "look" before he tells us things, he sounds frustrated. And, he does sound a tad irritated tonight.) Why would we want to pay for things that don't work? Will require patients, hospitals, doctors to be more discriminating consumers.

8:27 PM: Todd follows up asks: You mentioned GOPers in opening, but given House and Senate majorities, Isn't this a fight within the Democratic party? Obama said, I'm not blaming Republicans. Repubs. have been adding ideas. If they've got a good idea, we'll take it. Politics may prevent them voting for it, but they are contributing ideas. For Democrats, some regional disparities. Rural Dems. (a.k.a Blue Dogs) want to add money for rural hospitals. That adds costs. (Yes, it does, Blue Dogs.)

8:25 PM: Chuck Todd asks: Are you going to cover all the uninsured. If not, what's enough? 10 million? Obama wants to cover everyone. Overwhelming majority of Americans want health care. Millions can't afford it. Estimates are that plans in Congress would cover 97% - 98%. Basic idea is that if you want health care, you should be able to get health care.

8:22 PM: Obama answers that first, people need it. He knows because he gets letters all the time.. If you don't set deadlines in this town, nothing happens. The default position is inertia (he used that line on the blogger call the other night.) But, we need to get it right. Lists reasons he won't sign a bill, including if it won't work. Has to be cheaper and get better result. Mentions new idea about panel advising on how to get better value from Medicare. If we didn't have deadline, that change wouldn't have surfaced.

8:18 PM: Reuters: Why the rush to get Congress to pass health care reform by August? Afraid it won't happen?

8:17 PM: Obama follows up to tell us the status quo is unacceptable. Wages and income have flat-lined for middle class Americans because of health care costs. Fixing it means money in people's pockets. But, we have to make some changes. People have become so cynical about what government can accomplish. "Folks are skeptical."

8:14 PM: First question from AP @ 8:09 PM. Have you given direction to Congress on how to pay for health care reform? If not, why not? Obama first explains what health care costs are doing to American families. Americans pay $6000 more than people in other countries with equal health care. 2/3 of money is already paid by tax dollars. Number of different ways to pay the other 1/3. Obama proposed changing tax deduction on charitable contributions for wealthiest Americans. If the solution ends up taxing middle class Americans, he won't do it. Waiting to see what emerges from Hill.

8:00 PM: Excerpt from the opening statement:

I understand how easy it is for this town to become consumed in the game of politics – to turn every issue into running tally of who’s up and who’s down. I’ve heard that one Republican strategist told his party that even though they may want to compromise, it’s better politics to “go for the kill.” Another Republican Senator said that defeating health reform is about “breaking” me.

So let me be clear: This isn’t about me. I have great health insurance, and so does every Member of Congress. This debate is about the letters I read when I sit in the Oval Office every day, and the stories I hear at town hall meetings…This debate is not a game for these Americans, and they cannot afford to wait for reform any longer. They are counting on us to get this done. They are looking to us for leadership. And we must not let them down. We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice, and provides coverage that every American can count on. And we will do it this year.

7:59 PM: Another Obama press conference. This one could be interesting. The president is in campaign mode to push through health care reform -- real health care reform. I've been to the last three evening press conferences. But, going to the White House lost its luster for me right around June 12th, after I read the DOMA brief. I didn't feel like requesting credentials to be a seat warmer in the East Room. I'll be posting as things unfold through the press conference. Read More......

And even more credit card pain

Trouble ahead for the banks (again) but now that they're all so healthy and showing profits I guess they can sink or swim on their own. How are these numbers going down when unemployment is going up?

The U.S. credit card charge-off rate rose to a record high in June as more Americans lost their jobs, Moody's Investors Service said Wednesday.

The Moody's credit card charge-off index—which measures credit card loans that banks do not expect to be repaid—rose to 10.76 percent in June from 10.62 percent in May.

However, the index showed the slowest rate of increase in six months, with companies such as American Express, the largest U.S. credit card company by sales, posting declines in defaults.

"We call for a recovery of the credit card sector to begin once industry average charge-offs peak in mid-2010 between 12 percent and 13 percent,'' Moody's said in a report.

Credit card losses usually follow the trend of unemployment, which rose in June to 9.5 percent, the highest level in nearly 26 years. Moody's estimated unemployment will peak next year at 10 percent to 10.5 percent.

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Olympia Snowe, profile in cowardice

Moderate Republicans aren't like moderate Democrats - well, they are in one way, they both vote with the Republicans. They differ in that moderate Democrats have backbone, and they'll screw their own party every chance they can get. To wit: Joe Lieberman. To wit: Blue Dogs. Moderate Republicans, on the other hand, like to pretend that they're uncomfortable with their party's conservative wing, but when push comes to shove, they rarely buck the party leadership. Olympia Snowe is one such example. Likable enough, by all accounts, but seriously spineless. Snowe seems to be backing the backdoor effort to kill the public option in health care with some sort of so-called trigger. Read More......

Bank robberies on the rise in Spain

If only they had proper lobbyists to spin their criminal activities and receive government assistance or acceptance. Heck, they could probably even walk away with even more money and pretend that they were legitimate. Spain's Geithner would probably even hire them to work through the process, but then what would happen to all of those Citi people?

With Spain's economy in freefall and loans squeezed, desperadoes are resorting to robbing banks to solve their personal credit crunch.

Bank robberies have risen by 20 per cent in two years, Spain's banking association says; and those who adopt the tactic of the stick-up to pay their debts are novices rather than hardened criminals.

"In recent months, it has become apparent that Spain is suffering from an increase in bank robberies," Francisco Perez Abellan, the head of criminology at Camilo Jose Cela University in Madrid, told The New York Times.

"We are seeing people committing offences through necessity, first-time offenders who can no longer continue to maintain their lifestyle and so turn to crime," he said.

Instances where counter clerks are tied up at gunpoint while masked raiders empty the safe have become so common that Spain's government, prodded by the bank employees' trade union, has classified bank robbery as an occupational hazard.

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Don't go home without health care reform and don't let the Blue Dogs delay -- or defeat -- real reform

UPDATE: FireDogLake has a petition urging the House to stay in til health care reform passes. Jane Hamsher reports the petitions will be delivered by Mike Stark to the House (on video) next week.
___________________
No doubt, the GOP is determined to defeat health care reform. But, despite the craziness coming from DeMint, Steele, Rush and the rest, Republicans don't really have the power to stop health care reform. Democrats do. So, here's a simple message for Democrats. Don't go home for vacation without a health care bill:

You know what happens if they allow health care reform to be delayed until after the August recess? These Members go home, they get hit by hundreds of TV ads from the murder-by-spreadsheet industry, and they get phone calls from angry voters about "socialized health care." Then they come back, scared to pass real health care reform, so they end up passing health care reform that may not include a public option or a national insurance exchange. The stakes are very high this week.

At a press conference today, Speaker Pelosi left the door open to delaying the August recess in order to get the bill passed.

Last night, former GOP congresswoman Susan Molinari was on CNN. She's as annoying as any GOPer, but she did say something that made sense:

...he can blame the Republicans, but his real problem is not the Republicans, is it? There's a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate now and an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives. He can blame the Republicans for partisanship, but it's the Democrats, the Blue Dogs, that are stopping it right now.

"He" meaning Obama and "it" meaning health care reform. And, oddly enough, she's right for a change.

If health care fails, and I'm not saying it will just because the media is in a frenzy, but if it did, who would look bad? Obama and the Democrats. Delay works for the opponents of real reform. Don't go home without it.

The Blue Dog Democrats are being used as pawns by the GOP -- to their own political detriment. But, I don't think they realize it. Remember, if things start looking bad politically for Democrats, things get worst in the conservative districts first. Those are the districts of the Blue Dogs. So, they're actually setting themselves up.

The Blue Dogs are getting "pay-go" legislation. That's what they've been clamoring for. That gives them their budget hawk cred. Now, they need to get onboard and solve the health care crisis.

Otherwise, the Republicans can just sit back, throw rhetorical bombs and let the Blue Dogs do their dirty work. Read More......

Another of your health care stories

Reader Jim in the OC writes:

Three years ago I was paying $1500/mo for the family's health care. My wife got ill one night at about 10PM with massive stomach pain that were so bad she couldn't stand straight and I had to carry her to the car. We went to the ER. We were in the ER for over 7 hours. In the end they determined that she did not have to be admitted. When I got the bill from the hospital I was shocked, but since I had health coverage I wasn't concerned. Then I got my notice that my provider didn't cover ER visits when you didn't get admitted. In other words, I was fully responsible for the costs.

The following year we had another emergency that required a late night ER visit. I refused to let my daughter get discharged from ER and demanded admittance. The cost was almost four times as much as she was admitted and them immediately released. But this time I didn't have to pay anything. :-)

See, once you know the rules, you can make sure that you play by them, and you can screw the health care provider who screwed you.

We have since changed providers and have a HMO/PPO plan at $18K/yr. As part of the HMO I recently took my daughter to her primary for be looked at for TMJ. They didn't have an x-ray machine and they sent me across the street to the hospital ER. Now I have a $25 co-pay with the primary, and since the primary referred me to the ER I assumed that I would have a $25 co-pay there. WRONG. The insurance company has stated that I have a $100 co-pay even though my primary referred me to the ER. I wonder how they will feel when we demand admission the next time.

We need the public option so that this kind of stupidity stops. Even when you have health care, the system is stacked to screw you as much as it can, and you get to pay THOUSANDS of dollars for this fine system of bullcrap.

JMI in The OC

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Senate deals blow to gun nuts

Wow. I even had a post ready to go blasting the Dems. They actually pulled this one off. Wow. Who knew the party that controlled the House, Senate and the presidency could actually accomplish things? Read More......

LA Times: White House declines to disclose visits by health industry executives

The health care industry is just as evil as the energy industry. In fact, there's a good argument to be made that these people are far worse.

From the LA Times:

Invoking an argument used by President George W. Bush, the Obama administration has turned down a request from a watchdog group for a list of health industry executives who have visited the White House to discuss the massive healthcare overhaul.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sent a letter to the Secret Service asking about visits from 18 executives representing health insurers, drug makers, doctors and other players in the debate. The group wants the material in order to gauge the influence of those executives in crafting a new healthcare policy.

The Secret Service sent a reply stating that documents revealing the frequency of such visits were considered presidential records exempt from public disclosure laws. The agency also said it was advised by the Justice Department that the Secret Service was within its rights to withhold the information because of the "presidential communications privilege."

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics said it would file suit against the Obama administration as early as today. The group already has sued the administration over its failure to release details about visits from coal industry executives.

Greg Sargent at the Plum Line has more. Read More......

Reporters love the bipartisan theme, but ignore the GOP's zealous determination to see Obama fail

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, White House correspondent for the NY Times, thinks bipartisanship is Obama's responsibility:

Mr. Obama came into office promising a more bipartisan Washington tone, which he has so far been unable to achieve. His actions in the coming weeks on health care may determine his long-term relationship not only with Republicans but also with his fellow Democrats.

The thing about being bipartisan is that it takes two sides to tango. In today's GOP, there's only one Republican, Olympia Snowe, who really is committed to working with Obama. One GOP Senator. That's really about it from their side.

I sometimes wonder if the inside-the-beltway reporters just can't get their heads around the reality that the GOP's mission to make Obama fail. See, that interferes with their warped view of the world, that somehow, at the end of the day, everyone in DC really likes each other. And, many of the DC media corps really like some of the most offensive GOPers as "people." It's kind of like the build up to the Iraq war. George Bush and top officials in his administration lied right to the faces of the White House press corps. Karl Rove realized reporters were patsies. The reporters couldn't believe that Bush and company would lie to them about a war. Su

I have no doubt that Republican operatives are feeding reporters stories about Obama's failure to be more bipartisan even as Senator DeMint maintains his view that he wants to break Obama. The "fail" message was started by GOP Leader Rush Limbaugh and echoed by most GOPers, including RNC Chair Michael Steele. That's the GOP agenda, even if it means harm to our nation. But, don't expect the traditional media to cover that part of the story. Bipartisanship is easier and doesn't make the GOP mad. Read More......

Bank of America lobbying with TARP money?

I'm sure Bank of America will say that they aren't using the bail out money for their multi-million dollar lobbying campaign, they're simply using non bail out money. And that makes perfect sense. After all, when you go to withdraw money from your savings account, don't you always tell the ATM to make sure to withdraw the birthday checks $200 and not the tax refund $200? Read More......

In honor of Senator DeMint

He's refusing to back down.

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Reich: ObamaCare is expensive because of all the giveaways to Big Pharma

Americans hate the insurance industry, and they aren't that much more in love with the pharmaceutical companies. It's not clear why we don't just crush these people like the bugs that they are:

Right now, Obamacare is at war with itself. Political efforts to buy off Big Pharma, private insurers, and the AMA are all pushing up long-term costs....

Big Pharma, for example, is in line to get just what it wants. The Senate health panel’s bill protects biotech companies from generic competition for 12 years after their drugs go to market, which is guaranteed to keep prices sky high. Meanwhile, legislation expected from the Senate Finance committee won't allow cheaper drugs to be imported from Canada and won't give the federal government the right to negotiate Medicare drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies. Last month Big Pharma agreed to what the White House touted as $80 billion in givebacks to help pay for expanded health insurance, but so far there's been no mechanism to force the industry to keep its promise. No wonder Big Pharma is now running "Harry and Louise" ads -- the same couple who fifteen years ago scared Americans into thinking the Clinton plan would take away their choice of doctor -- now supportive of Obamacare.

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

This morning, Matt Lauer interviewed Senator Jim "Waterloo" DeMint on health care. DeMint kept saying "we have to put the brakes on Obama." Actually, like so many of his ilk, he wants to "break" the President. The GOPers thinks health care reform is nothing but a political issue, but one from which they garner additional campaign money from the insurance industry. It's a two-fer.

Maybe Senator DeMint should read John's first-hand account of his whopping $32 emergency room visit yesterday in France, one of those evil so-called "socialist" health care systems the GOP keeps railing against (emergency eye surgery added another $140 to the bill, that was it). Compared to the way Blue Cross has treated John, we should be so lucky to inject a little France into our health care system.

DeMint kept saying he wants to slow things down. That's the GOP/insurance industry ploy to kill health care reform. Members of Congress have been studying and debating health care reform for decades. Decades. They need to do their jobs and pass health care reform before they go on vacation. Finish the job first.

Today, Obama is meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister. Let's not forget how the GOP led us into that mess. Bush and his allies played politics with our national security. Doing it with our health care isn't a big leap for the Republicans.

It's too early to be so annoyed. I need coffee... Read More......

Christine Lagarde: banker bonuses are an "absolute disgrace"

Now, now there. We have to be nice to the bankers or they might get angry and ruin our economy and stick us with the bill. Asking for accountability is so socialist.

France's Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said banks which resume guaranteed bonus payments are an "absolute disgrace" and must be reined in by G20 leaders, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

It quoted Lagarde as saying in an interview that G20 governments meeting in September should introduce curbs on pay practices deemed to encourage too much risk-taking.

"It is an absolute disgrace that guaranteed bonuses of several years could still be paid, or that some people are thinking of reinstating the old ways of compensating with insufficient relationship between compensation and lasting performance and risk management," Lagarde said.

The newspaper said several international banks have offered multi-year guarantees to recruit and retain staff, although they says the practice has been limited to top talent.

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UK national debt highest since WWII

When the credit bubble was building, being in bed with Big Finance sounded so dreamy but now that the bill has arrived and the economy is in the tank, the cold water wake-up is not quite as fun. Somehow though, both the UK and US are still letting the bankers maintain a business-as-usual attitude. This is real income redistribution as the middle class gets stuck paying the price and the bankers shower themselves with bonus cash.

Britain's borrowing surged to a record £13.3bn in June, official figures showed yesterday as economists used phrases such as "dire", "alarming" and "parlous" to describe the state of the nation's public finances. The figure is nearly double that for the same month last year while the actual cash shortfall also stood at a record of £19bn, £7.6 billion higher than last year.

Total borrowing now stands at a colossal £799bn – 56.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Debt as a proportion of national income is expected to surge above the level it reached when Jim Callaghan was forced to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund in 1976. And as a proportion of GDP, it is shooting up to levels not seen since Britain was paying off the borrowing it incurred to fund the Second World War.

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UN funding short $5 billion

It's unfortunate but during recessions it's also to be expected. Governments from rich countries are currently more worried about funding projects at home. With the recession likely to stay around for a few more months and limited growth after, the UN could come up short for a few more years. The Guardian:

The United Nations is warning of a $4.8bn (£2.9bn) shortfall in funding to tackle humanitarian crises in the world's poorest countries, as the credit crunch leaves developed world governments with little cash to spare.

Delivering its half-yearly update about emergency fund-raising, John Holmes, of the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that while the UN's emergency appeals had received more funds than at the same time last year, the economic crisis was exacerbating poverty and increasing need.

"It is clear that the global recession puts pressure on the aid budgets of all donor governments, but of course it puts immeasurably more pressure on crises-stricken people in poor countries," he said.

The UN has raised a total of $4.6bn over the past six months for its humanitarian appeals – but Holmes said it had identified $4.8bn of "unmet needs" – the biggest gap ever.

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For the GOPers, health care is politics. They just want Obama to fail.

From the DNC:

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