"The objection to the health care bill has become a proxy for other sentiments..." Part II

I have decided that in the coming 2010 Campaign Season, I'm not going to give money to the DSCC or the DCCC, because there are (frankly) certain Democrats (Blanche Lincoln, Bart Stupak) that I don't want to give money to. Frankly, I could care less if they won their jobs back. I will concentrate my money on local races and to select Democrats.

That being said, I'm going to add Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) (Kent State, Akron) to my list of people worth giving money to.



What he said wasn't that revolutionary or special. He's not going to be competing with the President in a contest of oratorical skills anytime soon. He just took the podium, and said what needed to be said. And the fact that it was said by a straight white guy should not go unnoticed. I think it would have been easier to dismiss if it was another Gay member of Congress or another African-American.

The only thing that would have been more effective was to see a Republican make this speech. I would have gladly posted it, but so far, all I hear is crickets.

A fair summary of what to expect once it passes (VIDEO)

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"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true..." (VIDEO)

While the Washington Post is calling this a "Health Care Cliffhanger" (at least according to what was on the WaPo Homepage), I think it's really in the bag. Listen to the way the President talks. You don't run this kind of smack if they're any kind of a doubt about victory.

Oh, and according to Ezra Klein, the White House didn't release the text of this speech, because there was no prepared text. Obama spoke off the cuff start to finish.

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"The objection to the health care bill has become a proxy for other sentiments..."

Wherein the Teabaggers go there. The complete TPM Report.

Health Care: The Closing Argument (VIDEO)

From George Mason University:

President Obama’s Nowruz Message

In your choice of languages:

Persian:



Or Arabic:

The Fireside chat for March 20, 2010 (VIDEO)

As a key committee in the Senate takes up reforming the ways of Wall Street, the President lays down a marker: “I urge those in the Senate who support these reforms to remain strong, to resist the pressure from those who would preserve the status quo, to stand up for their constituents and our country. And I promise to use every tool at my disposal to see these reforms enacted: to ensure that the bill I sign into law reflects not the special interests of Wall Street, but the best interests of the American people.”

What this is really about...

TPM Reporter Brian Beutler witnessed a bunch of Tea-Party protesters calling Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) a "faggot".

And if that wasn't enough, I'm sure you can guess what they called Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)...not that he hasn't heard it before.

When logic and persuasion fails...

TPM is promising more on this as it comes.

Jon Stewart's (second) Finest Hour (VIDEO)

Has to be seen to be believed. To me, it was that good...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Intro - Progressivism Is Cancer
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

And...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Conservative Libertarian
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

All this has happened before...all this will happen again...

Yes, for those of you already in the know, that was a Battlestar Galactica/Caprica reference, but it also applies to our health care debate, as the graphic from 1955 below demonstrates:

The depths (VIDEO)

Teabaggers? This is why we hate you guys...

Nothing like breathless commentary on an otherwise meaningless story... (VIDEO)

Let's face facts. The image of Barack Obama picking his Presidential Bracket is meant as a fun, cute little story. The President is a B-Ball fan, he knows the Sport, so his expertise isn't coming from a staff member. Filling out a bracket is something he seems to genuinely enjoy. It's not without some political benefit, as "Mr. Arugala" is shown doing something that millions of Americans are doing themselves. More power to him.

Needless to say, that hasn't stopped folks in the press (this year and last year) from overanalyzing this sucker.

This is a story that belongs on the front page of ESPN...and that's about it.

Don't get me wrong, if an analyst wants to crush the President by saying something along the lines of "Picking Georgetown over Ohio State, he's lost his mind" is fine by me. That's the coverage I expect. But "Picking Georgetown over Ohio State, he's going to alienate Ohio votes" is the very reason why I hate reporters sometimes.

Update (March 18, 2010: 5:29pm) : Extended Cut:

Rachel Maddow's Interview with Timothy Geithner (VIDEO)

While I'm never the biggest Rachel fan, I am (believe it or not) a Geithner fan (blame Dad and all those Econ books I've been reading). This interview was particularly enlightening.

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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The Fireside chat for March 13, 2010 (VIDEO)

The President discusses his blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act to overhaul No Child Left Behind, the latest step from his Administration to encourage change and success in America’s schools at the local level.

"Back on planet normal..."

Matt Yglesias (originally caught by Andrew Sullivan):

[N]obody lasts in office forever, no congressional majority lasts forever, and no party controls the White House forever. But the measure of a political coalition isn’t how long it lasted, but what it achieved. From the tone of a lot of present-day political commentary you’d think that the big mistake Lyndon Johnson made during his tenure in the White House was that by passing the Civil Rights Act he wound up damaging the Democratic Party politically by opening the South up to the GOP.

Back on planet normal, that’s the crowning achievement of his presidency.

Reconcile This! (I know a trend when I see one)

Ezra and Krugman have both used this, so I figured, better late than never? (Krugman's favorite bit in bold).

Though we have tried to engage in a serious discussion, our efforts have been met by repeatedly debunked myths and outright lies. At the same time, Republicans have resorted to extraordinary legislative maneuvers in an effort not to improve the bill, but to delay and kill it. After watching these tactics for nearly a year, there is only one conclusion an objective observer could make: these Republican maneuvers are rooted less in substantive policy concerns and more in a partisan desire to discredit Democrats, bolster Republicans, and protect the status quo on behalf of the insurance industry.[...]

60 Senators voted to pass historic reform that will make health insurance more affordable, make health insurance companies more accountable and reduce our deficit by roughly a trillion dollars. The House passed a similar bill. However, many Republicans now are demanding that we simply ignore the progress we’ve made, the extensive debate and negotiations we’ve held, the amendments we’ve added (including more than 100 from Republicans) and the votes of a supermajority in favor of a bill whose contents the American people unambiguously support. We will not. We will finish the job. We will do so by revising individual elements of the bills both Houses of Congress passed last year, and we plan to use the regular budget reconciliation process that the Republican caucus has used many times.

I know that many Republicans have expressed concerns with our use of the existing Senate rules, but their argument is unjustified. There is nothing unusual or extraordinary about the use of reconciliation. As one of the most senior Senators in your caucus, Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, said in explaining the use of this very same option, “Is there something wrong with majority rules? I don’t think so.” Similarly, as non-partisan congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein said in this Sunday’s New York Times, our proposal is “compatible with the law, Senate rules and the framers’ intent.”

Reconciliation is designed to deal with budget-related matters, and some have expressed doubt that it could be used for comprehensive health care reform that includes many policies with no budget implications. But the reconciliation bill now under consideration would not be the vehicle for comprehensive reform – that bill already passed outside of reconciliation with 60 votes. Instead, reconciliation would be used to make a modest number of changes to the original legislation, all of which would be budget-related. There is nothing inappropriate about this. Reconciliation has been used many times for a variety of health-related matters, including the establishment of the Children’s Health Insurance Program and COBRA benefits, and many changes to Medicare and Medicaid.

As you know, the vast majority of bills developed through reconciliation were passed by Republican Congresses and signed into law by Republican Presidents – including President Bush’s massive, budget-busting tax breaks for multi-millionaires. Given this history, one might conclude that Republicans believe a majority vote is sufficient to increase the deficit and benefit the super-rich, but not to reduce the deficit and benefit the middle class. Alternatively, perhaps Republicans believe a majority vote is appropriate only when Republicans are in the majority. Either way, we disagree. Keep in mind that reconciliation will not exclude Republicans from the legislative process. You will continue to have an opportunity to offer amendments and change the shape of the legislation. In addition, at the end of the process, the bill can pass only if it wins a democratic, up-or-down majority vote. If Republicans want to vote against a bill that reduces health care costs, fills the prescription drug “donut hole” for seniors and reduces the deficit, you will have every right to do so.

First of the "Stupak Dozen" breaks with Stupak...

Yay.

Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), a key supporter of Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-Mich.) anti-abortion language intended for the health care bill, said Tuesday night that he’s satisfied the Senate abortion language prohibits federal funding of abortions and will likely vote for the bill.

The President's Speech in Glenside, PA on Health Care Reform (VIDEO)

The Fireside chat for March 6, 2010 (VIDEO)

Not cool...

Fort McHenry is a nakedly pro-Obama as they come. But even I'm not cool with this.