Better late than never, I guess. While individual Republicans have offered proposals (and hundreds of amendments), there has been no real GOP alternative to the various health care bills that are working their way through Congress. Now, John Boehner says they are going to produce one. But when you look at what the House Minority Leader …
Republican Party
Lofgren’s Bad Day
It’s safe to say that Thursday was an eminently bad day for Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat. Lofgren, chair of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, thought much of the news cycle that day would revolve around a 20-page report clearing Rep. Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican who had been referred to the committee …
4 for 2010?
House Republicans are starting to pull together an agenda for 2010. It’s not as sweeping as the Contract with America, or, even, Six for 06. But if you’re a small businessman with a commercial real estate problem or a company wondering how you’re going to pay for mounting unemployment insurance costs — than this plan’s for you. Once, …
HCAN Protests AHIP
A dispatch from TIME’s Sophia Yan:
“Congress, We Are Watching You!” was scrawled across handmade signs, bobbing above the heads of the few hundred rallied by Health Care for America Now to show support for a public option. “We need a public option, not a stock option,” shouted one woman. Some came out to support family
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Docs Fix DOA
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just told reporters that he will not be moving Senator Debbie Stabenow’s 10-year, $247 billion freeze on doctors’ Medicare payments. He said he thought he had the votes – and was promised Republican 27 votes from the AMA – but has since realized he doesn’t. “I don’t bring anything to the …
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Olympia?
The Republicans’ famed discipline is cracking. As Politico’s Lisa Lerer and Manu Raju reported this week, Lindsey Graham’s wheeling and dealing on global warming. And, of course, Olympia Snowe is the lady of the hour, week and month on health care (as much as Nancy Pelosi downplays her importance).
How does the GOP prevent …
Another Mainer
That didn’t take long. Susan Collins is signaling she’s open to voting for health care reform if Dems can “fix the flaws” in the bill…
It’s Harry’s Show Now
So, four months after its first deadline, the Finance Committee is finally done. Now the spotlight turns to Harry Reid. The fates must have some small sense of irony to burden the largest bill of just about anyone’s career (unless you’re Bobby Byrd and were here for the passage of the Civil Rights Act) on the most vulnerable 2010 …
Forecasting the Chances of Snowe
Olympia Snowe didn’t make a liar out of Max Baucus, who had been predicting for months that he would have at least some GOP support when passing his health care reform bill out of the Finance Committee (all along most of us read this as one person: Snowe). For the chairman this must be a huge relief. But Snowe made it clear that her …
McCain, Maverick No More?
John McCain returned to the Senate in 2000 a virtual liberal: throwing bombs at his Republican leaders (and especially George W. Bush).
John McCain returned to the Senate in 2009 a virtual conservative: a model Republican and leading critic of President Obama – especially, these days, on the war in Afghanistan.
McCain’s …
DWTS Week 3: Tom DeLay Watch
“What’s a little pain, when you can party?”
After voting for Tom DeLay in the first round of Dancing with the Stars, I must admit I haven’t been keeping up. But fortunately, Christina Bellantoni brings us up to speed. It turns out he has been dancing with not one but TWO stress fractures.
Will the Hammer get booted tonight? Even …
UPDATE: And Yet Another Republican For Obamacare
Who knew there were so many socialists in the Republican Party?
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement urging the passage of health care reform at the national level:
“As Governor, I have made significant efforts to advance health reform in California. As the Obama Administration was launching
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More Republicans for Obamacare
Okay, maybe it’s not enough to call a groundswell. But after former Majority Leader Bill Frist told me last Friday that he would end up voting for the bill were he still in Congress (with some caveats about the shortcomings of the legislative language as it now stands), we’ve heard from some other GOP voices in support of the basic …