After saying a health care vote before August was all but hopeless yesterday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) just said it’s possible–though not certain–that the Senate will ‘go into overtime’ to pass a bill. In other words, to delay recess.
Yesterday, President Obama was silent on the question of the August recess, but said that deadlines–even if not officially met–can be key to making progress. In other words, this could be a push to meet interim goals, or to actually get work done. Source
Michael Steele has spent a lot of time in his short tenure as RNC Chairman railing against President Obama for what he perceives as the president’s lack of outreach to the Republican Party. “When you don’t take our suggestions seriously…you’re not serious about bipartisanship,” Steele said in March. Just this week, Steele even complained of an Obama/Pelosi-led “cabal” that is constructing a “closed health care system where Washington decides.” But last night on Fox News, Steele urged Democrats to pass a health care reform without GOP input. Host Sean Hannity agreed: Source
(CNN) – Health Care for America Now and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who favor President Obama’s plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system, are switching their focus from potential congressional swing votes to staunch opponents, announcing a half-million dollar ad buy Thursday that targets some key GOP critics of the legislation.
“Republicans intent on killing reform for political gain need to be held accountable for their actions,” said Richard Kirsch, Health Care for America Now’s national campaign director. Source
Roll Call reports today that “Senate Democrats are increasingly frustrated by the secrecy and duration of Finance Chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) bipartisan talks on health care reform, with some saying it could undermine Democratic support for the bill.” “At some point, [Baucus is] going to have to worry about getting Democratic votes,” an anonymous senator told the newspaper. “If they think that we’ll take whatever it is that comes out because we want to get something passed, they’re wrong.” Beyond the frustration with the timing of the talks, one source of contention may be that in contrast to GOP negotiators, Baucus isn’t expected to “run any deal by his caucus” before making an agreement: Source
Nothing like a question from out of left field to elicit some bare-boned truths about policing, race, and stupidity.
President Obama in a televised news conference, billed as an attempt to shore up allied support and win converts for his health care plan, turned to Chicago Sun-Times Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet for the final question of the evening. Did Ms. Sweet ask about universal health care? The ups and downs of a single-payer system? The heartburn of quaking Blue Dog Democrats over the cost of the Obama plan? Bill Kristol’s blinkered, ideological suggestion that Obama’s critics on the right sniff the blood and “Go for the Kill?” No. Source
In the wake of revelations that CIA had failed to disclose to Congress a planned terrorist assassination program for seven years, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Reyes announced Friday that his committee has launched a formal investigation into CIA’s failure to disclose its activities to Congress. Congressional Republicans, who in the past have been vociferous critics of CIA and especially its communications with Congress, complain that the investigation would be unfair to CIA and is a smokescreen to protect Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
After careful consideration and consultation with the Ranking Minority Member and other members of the Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence will conduct an investigation into possible violations of federal law, including the National Security Act of 1947.
National Dems think they’ve caught a prominent Republican in another major health care gaffe, and they say they’re planning on banging away at it all day today.
The gaffe in question: GOP Rep. Roy Blunt has now said Republicans won’t offer a health care bill of their own, breaking a previous promise. Worse, it turns out Blunt is chair of something called the “House GOP Health Care Solutions Group.”
“Our bill is never going to get to the floor, so why confuse the focus? We clearly have principles; we could have language, but why start diverting attention from this really bad piece of work they’ve got to whatever we’re offering right now?”
First Posted: 07-22-09 04:16 PM | Updated: 07-22-09 04:31 PM
During an interview on NBC Wednesday morning, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) declined to back down from his earlier statement that health care reform represented President Barack Obama’s “Waterloo.” And now, Democrats are all too happy to continue to make the South Carolina Republican the center of the debate.
The Democratic National Committee is releasing a new television advertisement accusing DeMint of politicizing health care reform and symbolizing the “Party of No” characteristic of the GOP.
After saying a health care vote before August was all but hopeless yesterday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) just said it’s possible–though not certain–that the Senate will ‘go into overtime’ to pass a bill. In other words, to delay recess.
