Ambinder: Obama lied to by allies at Copenhagen, "had to beg for a meeting"

Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic just tweeted the following:

On Friday 18th December 2009, @marcambinder said:

Do today's events in Copenhagen reflect a larger failure (so far) of Obama's diplomatic strategy? He was lied to by allies & had to beg for a meeting.

Read the rest of this post...

Snowpocalypse!

WASHINGTON DC GREATER METROPOLITAN AREA FORECAST
ISSUED: 902 PM EST FRI DEC 18 2009

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM EST SUNDAY...

.OVERNIGHT...SNOW. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW NEAR 100 PERCENT.

.SATURDAY...SNOW. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 8 TO 12 INCHES. HIGHS AROUND 30. NORTH WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW NEAR 100 PERCENT.

.SATURDAY NIGHT...SNOW...MAINLY IN THE EVENING. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE EVENING. ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 4 INCHES.

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION AROUND 20 INCHES. Read the rest of this post...

Ben Nelson loved voting for cloture when Bush was President

What a fraud. Ben Nelson is holding up the Senate health care debate over abortion and a couple other issues. He's threatening to prevent moving the bill forward by refusing to vote for cloture. And, this week, Nelson is that coveted 60th vote.

Funny thing, but Ben Nelson never used cloture as a weapon when George Bush's agenda was on the line. There are many, many examples, but here are where Nelson sided with the GOPers over the Democrats and Democratic constituencies:

On January 28, 2008, Nelson Voted With Republicans to Invoke Cloture On FISA Bill. In 2008, Nelson voted with Republicans to invoke cloture on a bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Even after Democrats took back the Senate, Nelson stuck with Bush on Iraq. On May 16, 2007, he joined Republicans in supporting Cloture an amendment that would require the President to withhold funding for military operations in Iraq if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks.

On June 8, 2006 and August 2, 2006, Nelson voted with Republicans to protect the "Paris Hilton" Estate Tax breaks.

Oh, and big surprise, Nelson repeatedly voted With Republicans to invoke cloture on the ant-gay constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage. On June 7,2006, Nelson was one of only 2 Democrats to vote yes on the cloture motion on the bill that would allow for the anti-gay constitutional amendment. On July 14 2004, Nelson was one of three Democrats voted for cloture on the anti-gay constitutional amendment.

He's was also a reliable vote against another key Democratic constituency: Latinos. Nelson Voted for Cloture on Immigration Bill on April 6 and on April 7, 2006.

Nelson could be counted on by Bush to vote For Cloture on anti-environmental legislation. On December 21, 2005, he voted for Cloture on the Defense Bill allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR.)

There were numerous cloture votes by Nelson on Bush's judicial nominations, too.

Nelson is a hypocrite. But, he's in the spotlight now. And, the way this health care debacle has played out, thanks to the genius strategy crafted by Rahm Emanuel and Jim Messina, Nelson is calling the shots. Not, the President. Read the rest of this post...

Lead gay legal group blasts Obama administration

Lambda Legal is the gay ACLU. They are THE gay civil rights legal group. And they're none too pleased that the Obama administration is refusing to abide by a court order directing them to provide health benefits to the lesbian partner of a gay federal employee. Note the last few paragraphs of Lambda's statement:

Lambda Legal believes Judge Kozinski is clearly correct that employees of OPM and DOJ do not have superior authority to interpret federal law than federal judges. Lambda Legal also finds it troubling and very disappointing that the Obama Administration has chosen to express its views of these legal questions through Friday-afternoon press statements stating that it will not comply with Judge Kozinski's direct orders, rather than by presenting its legal reasoning to Judge Kozinski in this proceeding so that we can respond on Ms. Golinski's behalf in the duly-established administrative forum in which Ms. Golinski is required to present her discrimination claim.

OPM has never disputed that this administrative forum is the appropriate venue for this discrimination claim, and yet has refused to participate and present its views, and now, again, refuses to respect both Judge Kozinski's duly-issued order and his direct and clear legal analysis. This is not the approach to issues of LGBT equality we had anticipated and deserve from the Obama Administration.

Remember what we told you about how the White House waits until Friday afternoon to do anything gay, in the hopes that the media, and then you the public, won't find out? And note specifically what Lambda said about how the Obama administration is outright refusing to even tell the judge what their problem is, after participating in this dispute previously. This is the forum for federal discrimination cases. The White House has unilaterally decided, it appears, that gay federal employees no longer have any recourse before a judge - hell, at this point separate but equal would be a step up. As Lambda notes, it's truly astounding that this kind of obfuscation on civil rights issues is coming from the Obama administration.

It's almost as if they're trying to do everything they can to avoid being pro-gay. Finding any technicality they can to justify slapping us in the face.

Now, why not just agree to abide by the court order? It's a Reagan appointee, for God's sake. How much better cover could you have? And do you think the base could use a bone right about now? But Obama doesn't do base. And he really doesn't do gay. We're persona non grata in this administration's civil rights plan (though we are welcome in their parades and their cocktail parties). And all they do is continue to make that more and more clear every day.

Don't Ask, Don't Give.

Enjoy November 2010 without us.

(PS We look forward to the Human Rights Campaign's blistering statement in defense of our community and our civil rights.) Read the rest of this post...

White House chief of staff promotes article suggesting Dean, progressives, bloggers, and MoveOn are racists

What kind of serious journalist, or serious mind, would argue that the only reason people are upset with the president over health care reform is because we already have insurance.

Oh, and we drink wine too, apparently.

Yes, that's why we're all so angry that our President is a serial invertebrate. Because we're spoiled rich kids. (Though, if we we're spoiled rich kids, we wouldn't care that the president keeps breaking his promises on gay rights, on health care, on immigration, to labor, on civil liberties, and on the war. If we were spoiled rich kids, we'd accept any kind of crap the administration came up with and call it a win, because we just wouldn't really care how many people the White House was leaving out in the cold because it just couldn't muster the courage to fight.)

It's hard to know what's worse. Brownstein's incredibly personal attack on progressive Obama voters, or the fact that White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel promoted the essay today in a Wall Street Journal interview. That means the White House agrees - President Obama agrees - with the ad hominem attacks on Howard Dean and the entire left.

Oh, and he doesn't stop with Howard Dean. Brownstein goes on to suggest that the liberal blogs, and MoveOn specifically, are, - there's no other way to interpret this - racists. Brownstein goes on and on and on and on in his article about how we're all white and our readers are all white, and Howard Deans supporters were all white. If that isn't race-baiting... I'm just surprised to see the White House buy into it playing the race card. (Brownstein even got a quasi-"Hitler" dig in there - it's subtle, but it's there.)

As for Brownstein's argument that none of us have problems with our insurance, I've talked about my health insurance problems before on this blog. About the fact that I could have lost sight in my right eye this summer when my retina suddenly detached while on travel. About how CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield couldn't even figure out if my imminent visit to the emergency room was covered or not under my policy. They still aren't sure if my $2,800 surgical bill is going to be covered (and I'm lucky, had I had the same emergency surgery in the states, it would have been well over $20,000.)

Then there's my asthma. The asthma that my doctor tells me I need to get under control or I'll be carrying an oxygen tank around with me in 20 years. CareFirst cut me off my asthma drugs November of last year because I'd reached my annual limit. You see, the same drug companies sell the same drugs in the states at three to five times the prices they charge in Europe. So my asthma medicine, the only one there is for my condition, there are no alternatives, broke the bank. Why did it break the bank? Because my insurance company only gives me $1500 a year in prescription drug coverage. And that's the same amount they gave me in 1999 when I began on this plan. My premiums have nearly tripled in ten years, while my prescription benefits remain the same - meaning, with inflation/rising drug prices, my benefits are going down.

Ron Brownstein needs to graduate beyond schoolyard journalism. As for the White House, I'm glad to see that they're finally learning how to fight. Now if they could only channel their nascent backbone towards taking on Republicans, conservative Democrats and other people who didn't help put them in office - rather than crapping on people who put them in office - then their education would be complete.

PS As Atrios just noted in a tweet, Brownstein just turned Markos white. Read the rest of this post...

Climate deal reached in Copenhagen, but falls short of even modest goals of conference

So is this good news, or a sell out? Read the rest of this post...

THIS JUST IN... The Advocate: Obama admin violates judge's order, refuses to give health benefits to lesbian partner of fed employee

You're next. Read the rest of this post...

Strategic blunder

UPDATE: I wrote this post yesterday, Thursday, and never got to posting it. I now see that Atrios has written something similar, so I'm posting mine and adding his at the bottom. First me:

I think it's a mistake for the White House to be talking incessantly about how this bill will cover 30m people who didn't have insurance before. As I've written previously, human beings are selfish. Especially during a time of crisis. Most people are still worried about the economy, about the direction our country is heading in. They're worried about their families. They're much less worried about the family down the street, or worse, the family in another state who they don't even know. That doesn't mean that it's not morally laudable to insure 30m people who don't have insurance. It does mean that it's a difficult sell telling people how much the other guy is going to benefit, rather than focusing on how they will benefit. Especially when they were promised that the legislation would help all 300 million Americans, not just 30m.

Now Atrios:

Welfare

It's a loaded question, of course, but one of the political minefields associated with this bill is the lack of universality of benefits. "Some people" will get subsidies, and as we know in this country benefits which go to poor people are not exactly popular.

Whatever the merits of the bill, and they exist, the politics are going to be horrible.

Read the rest of this post...

OFA volunteers not happy

Newsweek:

On Wednesday morning, Organizing for America, as Obama’s reconstituted campaign organization is now known, emailed its list of 13 million Obama supporters asking them to “call your senators now and help us ‘ring in reform.’”

The campaign yielded 150,000 calls – less than half the number of a similar effort in October – and it prompted a backlash among online and local activists who had logged countless volunteer supporting Obama’s campaign and legislative agenda, but who felt betrayed by recent Democratic concessions in the healthcare reform fight...

But there’s plenty of unhappiness. One leading OFA volunteer in Florida blasted an email to a statewide listserv urging activists to “just say no” to the phone-banking effort – uncorking a torrent of frustration from Florida Democrats – while some OFA subscribers replied directly to the call-to-action email with angry messages and others asked to be removed from the list entirely.

Still others said they would indeed call their senators – but would urge them to oppose the bill.

Read the rest of this post...

Paul Krugman is a great economist

But his his argument in favor of passing the Senate health care bill simply rings hollow from a political perspective:

But won’t paying the ransom now encourage more hostage-taking in the future? Maybe. But the next big fight, over the future of the financial system, will be very different. If the usual suspects try to water down financial reform, I say call their bluff: there’s not much to lose, since a merely cosmetic reform, by creating a false sense of security, could well end up being worse than nothing.

The next big fight will be different? Not my next big fight. Newsweek is already reporting that they don't expect President Obama to get within 100 feet of a gay rights proposal next year at all. And how about Climate Change? Sure, the administration says they're on board, now, but that's what they said on health care reform, at the beginning. What's to stop them from cutting the climate change baby in half, dropping a bunch of the necessary reforms and implementing just enough to slow, but not forestall, the eventual destruction of all life on earth? So we die in 300 years rather than 200, at least it's better than Bush would have done, no? How about immigration reform - let half the immigrants stay (again, better than Bush). And so on and so on.

I get that the wonks see benefit in this bill. But I see peril from a political perspective. Joe and I have been saying for a year now that something is rotten in Denmark - the White House just doesn't have the stomach for a fight, ever. And if we reward the bad (to put it lightly) behavior by Democrats on this legislation - the president refusing to ever get involved or take a position (just ask him which bill he prefers, House or Senate, and see what he says), thinking that conservative Dems who have been bought off by industry and conservative Republicans are going to negotiate in good faith, that caving to extortionists will make them go away, that giving up your most important demand at the beginning of the negotiations will convince the other guy to give up his - if we tell Democrats that it's okay, we'll forgive you this time, then we guarantee that it will happen again next time.

Joe and I have seen this behavior before - repeatedly, in fact, on gay rights issues. For many of you, what's happening on health care reform is new, and disturbing. For gay and lesbian Americans it's all too familiar. The Obama administration and Congress have screwed us on our issues ten times over in the past year, and it's always followed the same pattern that you're witnessing on a much larger level with health care reform. If you don't mind the White House and Congress gutting the Democrats' promises on immigration reform, climate change, civil rights, civil liberties, financial reform, Iraq and Afghanistan, then please do hold your nose and embrace this legislation. But remember this post the next time the President and Congress go soft - it won't be long. Read the rest of this post...

Kucinich to investigate Citi tax deal

Hold on there fella. That's not the way you're supposed to act in Washington. If Kucinich actually succeeds in stopping this latest Wall Street giveaway, he might disrupt the well oiled machine that produces so much for the insiders and so little for the voters.

A House subcommittee said Thursday that it will investigate the Treasury Department's decision to change a long-standing law so that Citigroup could keep billions of dollars in tax breaks.

Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) called Treasury's action a "farce" and an "outrage" during a hearing Thursday of the domestic policy subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Kucinich, the subcommittee chairman, said that he would demand an explanation from Treasury officials.

"This committee is not going to rest until we've examined this last deal threadbare, until we have spoken to every individual associated with it, examined every communication related to it, with every person that may have had an interest in it, or who may have had some kind of a channel of influence," Kucinich said.

Read the rest of this post...

A Holiday Card for President Obama from Open Left's Adam Bink

The DCCC invited people to send holiday wishes to President Obama. Open Left's Adam Bink did:

Dear President Obama,

Thanks for no help in Maine, no real support for the public option, hiring folks like Rahm Emanuel and Jim Messina to push Congressional leaders to cave to Joe Lieberman and Blue Dogs, and caving on core Democratic initiatives of late, such as re-importation of cheaper prescription drugs. I am appreciative of the smaller initiatives you have undertaken, but in 2010, please stop throwing progressive allies under the bus and screwing up major progressive initiatives.

As a holiday gift, I am enclosing a gift certificate to a semester-long class on Negotiation 101. I hope you put it to good use.

Happy holidays,
Adam

Well said. Read the rest of this post...

Rep. Kissell's vote against health care "has enraged fellow Democrats" back home

The people who elected Larry Kissell last November aren't happy with Rep. Larry Kissell:

Fueled by the liberal grass roots, Democrat Larry Kissell stitched together a winning message about jobs and kitchen-table concerns, including rising health insurance costs, and he rode the Obama wave to unseat a five-term GOP congressman by 11 percentage points. Democrats here rejoiced. Finally, they were sending to Washington a representative to fight for their interests -- and to help enact the new president's agenda.

Now, one year later, the euphoria has given way to second thoughts at best and outright rebellion at worst. Kissell is siding with Republicans on Obama's top domestic priority, fixing the nation's health insurance system, and his "no" vote has enraged fellow Democrats.

As they plunge into next year's midterm contests, Republicans and Democrats are making dicey calculations with their health-care votes, each weighing the demands of their party's base against the political climates of their districts. With Republicans opposing the bill in lock step, the White House needs a fragile coalition of Democrats to enact reform, but it is vulnerable Democrats like Kissell who form the greatest obstacle.

And that is why Democrats here are steaming.

"People want change, and when someone puts their foot in the door to kill the whole thing, that's what has them riled up," said Michael Lawson, an African American leader of the state Democratic Party and one of Kissell's constituents. "It's almost like 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,' but Mr. Smith turned out to be somebody that wasn't Mr. Smith."

Imagine expecting a politician to actually keep his or her promises. Imagine that.

How do politicians expect to be reelected when they piss off the people who do the most work to get elected? Something happens to good people who run for office when they get to Washington. They start out with good intentions, but go through something like akin to high-powered car wash that strips them of their authenticity and humanity. Rahm Emanuel is the CEO of the car wash and the stripping process is orchestrated by the professional D.C. Democrats, consisting of the over-paid consultants, long-time hill staffers and fundraising types.

When politicians actually lead and aren't afraid of taking hard votes and don't cower, people respond positively. Leadership matters. When those politicians get all squirrely and only worry about reelection, they become just run-of-mill politicians, nothing more. That's what team Obama has done to the President. And, it's what Larry Kissell has done to himself. Read the rest of this post...

Surprise! Even if he gets anti-abortion language, Dem. Sen. Nelson now wants to let states opt-out of bill's remaining main provision

Appeasement never works. If you show weakness, your enemies will take advantage of it. The Lieberman cave was just the latest in a long string. And Ben Nelson learned his lesson well. He's going to milk it for everything he's got.

Earlier Thursday, in an interview with a Nebraska radio station, Nelson said even if the abortion issue were resolved, he still could not support the $848 billion package, complaining that the plan to cover more than 30 million additional Americans calls for dramatically expanding Medicaid, which is partially funded by the states. The Medicaid expansion would "create an underfunded federal mandate for the state of Nebraska," Nelson said, arguing that states should be permitted to "opt out" of that idea and find other ways to offer coverage to their poorest residents.

Have we hit rock bottom yet? Read the rest of this post...

Friday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

There's one week til Christmas and still no Senate health care bill. That long-awaited CBO score hasn't appeared. And, Ben Nelson has taken the spotlight away from Joe Lieberman. Now, Nelson is the one with demands or he won't vote for cloture. More on that shortly. There have to be a lot of very cranky people on the Senate side of the Capitol.

The President is in Copenhagen where he's already given his speech to the Climate Change conference. He talked about the responsibilities of the United States as "the world’s second largest emitter" and said "we must have a mechanism to review whether we are keeping our commitments, and to exchange this information in a transparent manner." He was talking about China without saying China.

D.C. is under a "Winter Storm Warning." We could get five to ten eight to 12 inches of snow. This city can't handle 1/2 inch of snow. Being from Maine, I love a good winter storm. But, I don't like to drive in the snow around D.C. People in this town think snow means 1) drive faster and 2) usual traffic laws regarding stop signs and red lights aren't applicable. It's dangerous.

Let's get threading. Read the rest of this post...

China blocks Copenhagen agreement, for now

The US stepped up yesterday with the $100 billion pledge which had to increase pressure on China. (Whether the US can follow through with that money in Congress is a big question market.) China has repeatedly negotiated well in recent years and may not feel inclined to sign onto anything that is not going forward. Who wants to negotiate from a weaker position. Well, besides the Democrats during most critical debates, that is. It may not be right but China is more concerned with China and continuing growth than with appeasing the West.

All eyes are now on China to see if it will allow itself to be cast in the role of the villain who prevented a new international climate deal and deprived the world's poorest people of the chance to get substantial new aid to tackle the effects of global warming which are now inevitable.

The initial reaction of the Chinese at Copenhagen last night was defensive and appeared to show no real movement. He Yafei, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that his country would increase reporting on emissions under domestic law, but would not accept verification that was "intrusive" or infringed on Chinese sovereignty.

What doesn't help the overall process today is the leaked UN report that is not complimentary to what has been negotiated. At the current rate, global temperatures would still increase substantially. Read the rest of this post...

British bankers lobby to avoid 50% tax

My first reaction was that it's all a bit too late. Why did they have to wait so long to come to such a position? Then again, raising four times the amount does have its benefits during these tough times. It's obvious the banks want to prevent any precedent with their pay being legislated, so why not use the leverage today and take care of some leftover business?

Bankers in the US continue to get away with doing as they please including not even showing for a meeting with the President. Like most other political debates in the US, the White House has failed to capitalize and strike hard when the leverage existed. Until someone in the US is willing to act tough, everyone will walk all over them, including the banks. If pushing the bankers to the brink is what it takes to get them to come to their senses, push them, knock them over until they scream "uncle". Asking nicely and throwing out baskets of bon bons is not a strategy that is likely to work with bankers.

Some of the most senior bankers in Britain are planning to convince the Treasury to drop the new 50% tax on bonuses by dangling the prospect of a combined contribution to the exchequer of £2bn.

The promise of the boost to Britain's depleted coffers has been made in recent days and is almost four times the £550m Alistair Darling has said he intends to raise through his payroll tax on bonuses.

The Chancellor has been met with anger in the City since he announced the one-off tax in his pre-budget report last week and been warned of a mass exodus of high-flying bankers to countries with a less punitive tax regime.

Read the rest of this post...

In other words, they'll respect you when they fear you

What I've been arguing all along. Read the rest of this post...