Here’s my report from last night for TIME.com.
Health Care
NEWS FLASH: Rush Limbaugh Endorses Health Reform!
Except he apparently didn’t know it.
Over at the New Republic, Anthony Wright explains.
What is the Abortion Compromise?
In addition to getting a sweetheart deal for his home state, Ben Nelson also got Harry Reid to offer more than the Casey abortion language in the manager’s amendment. In addition to providing stronger conscience protections for medical institutions and health workers opposed to abortion, and expanding adoption tax credits, the manager’s …
In the ArenaUncategorized
Lieberman’s Health Care Coquetry
I share Joe Lieberman’s opposition to making Medicare available to those in the 55-64 age range. It’s not that I don’t want health care made available to all; it’s that Medicare, as currently constituted, is an unmanaged financial sinkhole. I’d be in favor of Medicare for All if doctors were paid salaries–as the Mayo and Cleveland …
Lieberman Going Rogue (Again)
Next week, much to the discomfort of the Obama Adminsitration, Joe Lieberman — chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Relations Committee — will begin his investigation into whether the Fort Hood shooter was a terrorist and if law enforcement agencies missed red flags that could’ve prevented the tragedy. This caps …
Snapshot From The Senate Finance Committee
Chairman Max Baucus just warned the committee that he is prepared to work all night. I would take this more seriously if it hadn’t been for the fact that he made this announcement to four Democrats, five Republicans … and 10 empty chairs.
UPDATE: Commenter Rustyreturns asks: Who are the “missing” Senators, Karen?
My First Markup
Hi Swamplanders. I’m staff writer Kate Pickert and I’ve been covering the health care reform debate for Time.com. I’m joining the Swampland crew for a few days this week to help Jay Newton-Small and Karen Tumulty cover the Senate Finance Committee markup of Chairman Max Baucus’s health reform bill. Here in the Hart Senate Office …
Pre-Game at the Senate Finance Committee
A few minutes after the scheduled 9 a.m. start, and Max Baucus has launched into his opening statement, declaring, “This is a balanced package.” At each place on the press tables is a stack of papers several inches deep.
I got here about a half-hour early and was not surprised to see what looked to be a couple hundred people standing …
Pelosi Chokes Up
The topic of the day on all the cable nets seems to be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s emotional plea for calm during her regular weekly briefing yesterday.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1JTAKPcM3o]
Is Obama Only Reaching Out to Dems?
Here’s a story from me about the latest in the Senate on health care reform. I was surprised to hear that the White House hasn’t been wooing any other moderate Republicans aside from Maine’s Olympia Snowe:
During the summer of discontent the White House stopped reaching out to some key potential votes: the other senator from Maine,
…
If You Repeat A Lie Often Enough…
It’s still a lie.
Sarah Palin is back on “death panels” in the Wall Street Journal.
UPDATE: Worth reading her circular logic in this justification for making things up. Apparently, it was okay to spread a falsehood, because people actually believed it: Establishment voices dismissed that phrase, but it rang true for many Americans.
In the ArenaUncategorized
Lower Than Dirt
The New York Times ran a front-page story today about a quiet man who drove a long distance with his wife to attend a town meeting in Georgia hosted by his Congressman Sanford Bishop. The guy was there because his wife has breast cancer and he’s worried that the Obama health care plan will force rationing, which will decrease her chance …
In the ArenaUncategorized
Public Droption
The news that the Obama Administration seems to be abandoning the so-called Public Option should come as no surprise to anyone who was following this issue. My assumption always was that the public option–which was never really defined (there were several versions)–was a bargaining chip to be cashed late in the game in return to for …