Last-Minute Quickie Updates
* One of the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place when the Dem Senate leadership’s office released a letter they sent to House Dems assuring them the Senate would pass the reconciliation fix. You can read it right here.
The letter doesn’t list the signatories. But Reid said today that he has “the commitment of a significant majority of the U.S. Senate” to pass the fix.
* Two key House Dems, Jim Matheson of Utah and Zack Space of Ohio, just announced that they’re voting No. Matheson, a former No who Dems had hoped to flip to Yes, said that he was “saddened” that the legislation “contains too many special deals” and “does not contain health care costs.”
But in a sign of which way this is headed, the news of their vote — which had been hotly anticipated only 24 hours ago — caused barely a ripple. And even Republicans say they’re interpreting these No votes as a sign that the Dem leadership has the votes and is now in the process of releasing some Dems and allowing them to vote No.
“The fact that Space and Matheson are peeling is a good sign they have the votes or are close to getting them,” one GOP aide emails.
* Still another sign of where this is headed: In his speech to Congress today, Obama pivoted to a mocking tone, directly called out GOP leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, and argued that Republicans fear what will happen after the bill becomes law:
You don’t do this if you think you’re going to lose.
Tomorrow is going to be intense. We’ll be blogging it right here.
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what is the sched of the vote tomorrow?
Oh God thank you. I’ve been worried sick this bill was going down. And I’m grateful for Rachel Maddow, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Chris Matthews, a couple more. Without those voices of sanity, I’d be a lot more afraid than I am.
Gasman, our youngest daughter’s heading off to grad school in Golden in August (School of Mines) so I hope it’s not too conservative there, she will not fit in at all otherwise. I agree with your assessment of Wyoming, Montana, and especially Utah but my roots go back several generations in those states and I choose them all as a place to visit but not live. New Mexico is a completely different planet comparatively, and I’m not talking just the landscape.
lfo, we haven’t heard much about the schedule yet but I think House members are scheduled to come in at 1:00 pm ET and presumably the vote will occur sometime after 2:00. I’m sure Greg will fill us in in the morning.
How was the opera?
lmsinca,
CO runs hot and cold for liberals. As basically part of the metro Denver area, Golden is probably OK, but it is home to the Coors family who are diehard conservatives. Boulder is about as liberal as Santa Fe and Colorado Springs could put in a bid to be the capital of Goober Nation. That is the stomping grounds of James Dobson and Focus on the Family.
Yeah, I’ve been following all the “turn off the lights” news from Colorado Springs in the past few months. Funny story, we got a totally bogus speeding ticket traveling through their fine city many years ago. My husband was so p!ssed he sent them a box of pennies to pay for it.
House rule for “votes” tomorrow: 1st on the rule; 2nd on the Senate-passed bill; 3rd the recommit on the “sidecar” reconciliation package; and the fourth the on “sidecar” bill.
Here’s a short run through:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbHTJSu_2Lk&feature=player_embedded
heh
Looks like the GOP party of bitter southern white trash is going to be angry when this bill passes. They can take the tea party baggers down the rabbit hole with them
Run Alice, run, over the finish line before the red queen gets you.!!!
tao9,
You and sbj have linking in common. Very funny, heh.
Will you be joining us tomorrow for the vote?
Jeeze, I did this last night too and I apologize for bringing a negative in so late, although it’s not that late here. We just heard that Loretta Sanchez is a no this time and was a yes last time. Not sure why but maybe it’s not firm. She’s a Blue Dog at least in spirit.
It could still be a nail biter tomorrow.
You know lms, when I linked that I didn’t look at the comments @ YouTube…then I clicked it again in my post and saw the thread @ YouTube–ugly and vicious.
I’m sorry I linked it. I just thought it was Mr. Hastings being goofy while under a lot of pressure, just like anybody.
I’m tired of this, and you guys might not see it but there’s much anger on both sides and good people losing their perspective on both sides.
I’m against so much of the cost stuff, it’ll just simply kill small business and capital formation.
But if it passes the Sun will still come up Monday morning and we work, even if as hard adversaries, to fix it. That’s what we do as citizens.
Going to a Great American event tomorrow:
Northwestern U vs. Syracuse U Women’s lacrosse game.
Both ranked teams NU #1. I coached one of the SU players when she was in high school. Proud as punch! BG’s weather is coming in tho, so I’m packing 8 or 10 pounds of Gore-tex.
No problem Tao, we’re all getting carried away clearly, and I include myself. You know I enjoy your posts and our back and forth. Have a good day and enjoy seeing your girl play. Never been to lacrosse before but just about every other sport under the sun. Our youngest even played rugby for two years, brutal, now she’s a rower. Hope the weather holds.
Thnx lms.
Buenos noches.
Manana
Off to bed but leaving all with a little music that sort of encapsulates my emotions tonight. A little hopeful and still a bit melancholy over the division between people which I am having a very difficult time understanding. One of my all time favorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
lmsinca
Thanks for the KD Lang link! That track playing under the President’s speech to the House Dem. caucus today would be perfect.
thanks lmsinca-opera was great. date from hell afterwards.
let’s just say that if it had been a drinking game with wingnut talking points I would have been on my *** drunk by the end of it. best-worse moment: the torture jokes. no more blind date set ups with republicans for me.
G’night all. Big day tomorrow!
Weather sucks and I don’t want to wish it on anyone.
RAM IT THROUGH!!!
Tomorrow is today. We’re in Orphan Annie land.
Several days ago, I thought it appropriate to send Bill Kristol a short communication via the Weekly Standard. I thought it was appropriate to point out that he’d lost. If you have anything to say to the fellow yourselves, by all means go ahead.
Along with the big event today, AIPAC’s yearly shindig begins. Stephen Walt has a good piece on the current situation… http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/19/AR2010031901387.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
The shallowness of Dan Baltz… http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032003349.html?hpid=topnews
Read that piece and ask yourself whether you’ve learned a single thing from it.
Both the NYT and the WP note that the tea bag rally yesterday invovled improper things said to African Americans and to Barney Frank. Neither one (so far as I’ve found) has the courage to jar their readers with the specificity and the reality of “ni**er!” or “fa**ot!”.
A headline in today’s Ha’aretz which would never be published in an American paper
‘Current Knesset is the most racist in Israeli history’
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157857.html
psst…FOX/Limbaugh people…attend
“The nation’s continued economic troubles have sent Obama’s approval ratings spiraling just as they did Reagan’s. Though Obama’s rating hit a new low of 46% last week, it has yet to plunge to the 35% Reagan hit in early 1983.”
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-two-recessions21-2010mar21,0,7375807.story
the big day is here. woot woot.
keeping fingers crossed
Part of Steny Hoyer’s statement late last night regarding the nasty turn protests took yesterday. The first part’s worth a read as well.
“America always has room for open and spirited debate, and the hateful actions of some should not cast doubt on the good motives of the majority, on both sides of this argument. But Members of Congress and opinion leaders ought to come to terms with their responsibility for inciting the tone and actions we saw today. A debate that began with false fears of forced euthanasia has ended in a truly ugly scene. It is incumbent on all of us to do better next time.”
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/hoyer-condemns-anti-health-care-protesters-over-epithets.php?ref=fpb
Bernie, I like your idea of writing Kristol and think I’ll follow through. Any response yet?
This morning on MSNBC they called the madness of yesterdays Tea Partiers “turning nasty”. They didn’t mention what actually happened however. Any chance it will reach MTP or This Week anyone?
lmsinca–I doubt it.
Apparently there was an article in Politico yesterday that had the Republican caucus celebrating their victory over the bill. huh?
TPM: Stupak just told MSNBC he and the seven with him are talking with the WH about a possible executive order in which Obama would affirm the Hyde amendment after the bill passes in the House.
David Dayen’s last whip count had Stupak with 10, “unknown” 8, and the Nays needing 7, the Ayes 12.
@Imsinca – I think Bill has been too busy to respond just yet.
But he did find time to pen something over at WS that’s really quite remarkable. We get the obligatory totalitarian discomfort with the sixties – civil rights, women’s rights, sexual liberation, citizen participation in government and foreign affairs like Viet Nam, questioning state and religious authority, demands for transparency re America’s intelligence and military activities abroad and internally, a population more highly educated than ever before, etc are all dangerous social trends according to this ‘conservative’ view. And where does Bill go for scholarly/philosophical help on how Obama is a copy of this terrible period, but not merely an unoriginal copy, a farcical caricature of it? Where else. Karl Marx.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/eighteenth-brumaire-barack-obama
CNN crawler – Dems have the votes per Rep John Larson-CT. Woot, woot.
Steny Hoyer just told MTP that they are “single digit votes away” from 216.
Via Politicalwire, A new Kaiser Foundation poll finds the public overwhelmingly still does not understand the healthcare bill. Fer instance:
“”Only 15% of Americans, for instance, know that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said the legislation will decrease the federal budget deficit over the next 10 years. And 55% believe the CBO has said the legislation will increase the deficit over that period.”
My comment was that I know several otherwise intelligent people who are nevertheless convinced that opposition to the plan stems from it’s lack of a public option or some arcane difference between the House and senate bills that the reconciliation bill will or won’t fix. It’s just yet another example of how American politics make a lot more sense when you keep in mind that most Americans don’t really pay much attention to politics or policy. It matters a lot who shouts the loudest and repeats their talking points the most times.
Bernie, there’s so many things wrong with that Kristol piece I don’t even know where to start. But here’s the one we’re fighting against. Pre-Obama status quo anyone? Indeed, I believe I will pen a few remarks to Kristol. He seems to be channeling Glenn Beck in regards to progressives, I thought he could be a bit more original than that.
“But, fortunately, here in America, we have an opposition party and an engaged public. Together, for the next few months, they can help push the administration towards more responsible—or at least less damaging—public policies. The Republican party will then gain seats in November, and will be able to do more to prevent further damage—and lay the groundwork not just for a return to the pre-Obama status quo in 2013 but for a vigorous conservative reform agenda.”
PS: I just realized the connection between the Kaiser foundation and Kaiser automobiles. Somehow I never noticed the “Henry J.” in their name before.
Here’s something funny to begin a long day. Barnie Frank had buttons made for Capitol Hill staff, “Little Punk Staffer”, after Boehner told the “Banksters” to stand up to them last week.
All, morning roundup posted:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/the-morning-plum-94/
lmsinca–I would love to get one of those buttons.
so I am trying to figure out when to be glued to the tv and when to jump up and down with joy?
@Imsinca – Propagandists usually are unoriginal. They deal in shallow cliches, after all. A fine example is the visual art produced during the Soviet regime or in modern China or Korea. Originality is dangerous rather than exciting.
“A day before Biden’s arrival, Netanyahu appeared onstage with Pastor John Hagee in Jerusalem. The occasion was Hagee’s Night To Honor Israel, an event the far-right Texas-based preacher arranged to tout his ministry’s millions in donations to Israeli organizations and to level bellicose rhetoric against Israel’s perceived enemies.
At the gathering, Hagee called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “the Hitler of the Middle East” and denounced the Goldstone Report as “character assassination by an unbiased and uninformed committee. “Netanyahu welcomed the crowd of 1000 American evangelicals to Jerusalem, a city he described as “the undivided, eternal capitol of the Jewish people. Then, he told them, “I salute you! The Jewish people salute you!” In the audience were top-level members of the Israeli government, from Ambassador Michael Oren to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon.” http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/03/bibi-and-hagee.html#more
Would ADL’s Abe Foxman prefer a Palin presidency to an Obama presidency? It’s quite likely. Would the Council of Catholic Bishops prefer a union with the party of Hagee rather than the party of Obama? Apparently so.
As usual, it seems to be only McClatchy which has the integrity to honestly state what was (apparently) said yesterday at the tea party hate-in.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/03/bibi-and-hagee.html#more
oopers… http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/03/20/90772/rep-john-lewis-charges-protesters.html
“The Washington Post Has No Shame
This morning’s paper carries an op-ed criticizing health care reform primarily on the grounds that it will cost too much. It urges that the plan be sharply scaled back so that it will get bipartisan support.
If this op-ed were written by a Republican member of Congress it would be unremarkable; not even worth publishing. But this particular op-ed was authored by someone who appears to have meaningful expertise on the subject. The writer, Tom Scully, is identified as the former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a White House official during the George H.W. Bush administration.
Given this resume, one might think that Scully was a career health professional, an expert that those on both sides of an issue might look to for counsel and guidance. In fact, Scully is a rank Republican political hack who was responsible for one of the most reprehensible episodes in recent American political history. It was Scully who helped ram through Congress the totally unfunded Medicare Part D program that will cost taxpayers roughly $1 trillion over the next decade–that’s $1 trillion more than Obama’s plan, which is fully paid for according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Scully was in fact critical to getting part D enacted because he personally hid from Congress critical details about its cost that would have torpedoed the legislation had those facts been known prior to the congressional vote in 2003.
Rather than go through the whole sorry story again, I am reprinting below my Forbes column from last year in which I discussed Scully’s duplicitous behavior. Included are hyperlinks documenting his culpability for saddling taxpayers with trillions of dollars of debt just so his party could buy the votes of seniors and win the 2004 election….” http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/bruce-bartlett/1583/washington-post-has-no-shame
I wish all newspapers were McClatchy.
Here’s something funny to begin a long day. Barnie Frank had buttons made for Capitol Hill staff, “Little Punk Staffer”, after Boehner told the “Banksters” to stand up to them last week.