Happy Hour Roundup
* RNC chair Michael Steele, it turns out, is considering a punishment for GOP Senators who supported the stimulus package. Asked if the RNC might cut off funds to such Senators, Steele said: “That is something that is absolutely on the table for me.”
* Move over, Harry and Louise. Jonathan Chait has discovered an amazing health care anecdote. For the pro-reform side, that is. It’s a doozy.
* HuffPo catches a GOP Congressman admitting: “I might be a closet Democrat.”
* The Weekly Standard is lovin’ those moderate Democrats and the potential they have to obstruct Obama’s agenda.
* Taegan Goddard notices that President Obama is planning to introduce his new Federal Emergency Management Agency chief in New Orleans, which is still recovering from Katrina. Another shot at Bush?
* Elana Schor points out that those centrist Dems complaining about the size of Obama’s spending proposals can’t bring themselves to pinpoint specifically which expenditures they object to.
* John Aravosis has a nifty takedown of the new media meme that has it that the Obama White House is solely responsible for the Rush Limbaugh media circus. A taste:
Barack Obama single-handedly forced Michael Steele, the head of the Republican party, and Rush Limbaugh, the Republican party’s star mouthpiece, to publicly savage each other, then he forced all of the major media to cover the story, even though it had nothing to do with Obama.
Yep. That’s what happened.
* And if you watch the latest ad by the labor-backed Americans United for Change — which hails Rush Limbaugh as the GOP’s real “leader” — you almost get the sense that Dems have some kind of strategy in place to get people to see the GOP as the party of Limbaugh or something.
I hope he does. Can you spell defections?
Sooo… What does a Lt. Gov. do, exactly? Is it kind of a no-show job? The kind where you’re happy that nobody pays attention to what you’re doing?
C’mon out of the closet, Joseph. Do the switch and stop worrying about getting knocked off by a wingnut in the primary.
Meaning – I hope Steele punishes Republicans. I should have been a tad more informative.
* Taegan Goddard notices that President Obama is planning to introduce his new Federal Emergency Management Agency in New Orleans, which is still recovering from Katrina. Another shot at Bush?
I’m glad someone remembers NOLA. It seems to me that the stories about Jindal pretending to refuse stimulus funds could have brought NOLA up but mostly the stories are about Red State Welfare, which frankly I find offensive. But I’m just one southerner out of a whole bunch of people. (Tex doesn’t get RSW; most of the rest of the south does cause most of the rest of the south is damn effing poor.)
McDonald’s, huh? That stuff’ll kill ya.
Michael Steele- what a bonehead. Yes, please Mr. Steele cut off Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Arlen Specter. I look forward to them making it 60 plus votes on every bill the Dems propose or even switching parties over that. Ha ha ha ha!
Indeed, it seems Democrats in PA like Arlen more than the Repubs do. Just sweetin’ that deal for Arlen switching, Steele. I don’t think he’ll take much convincing if you do.
Olympia will follow shortly there after. Then followed by Collins (they are “sisters” after all). Oh, I can see it now….
Will there be a Limbaugh/Obama debate? I think it is possible, if Sasha gets her homework done early.
Yeah. I cannot wait for Boss Limbaugh and Boss Steele to get all punitive on the Republicans who will not do what they want regarding the stimulus package.
Hey, the mortgage assistance plan is online now. I don’t see it posted on any blogs yet. For anyone that qualifies, congratulations!
http://www.financialstability.gov/makinghomeaffordable/refinance_eligibility.html
That McDonald’s anecdote needs to be looked at more closely. This seems to be a workman’s comp issue. If the guy had regular health insurance, it would presumably cover any injury, not just work-related injuries.
But it does focus attention on our crazy-quilt approach which invariably leaves people out – even heros.