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Pelosi Unveils Historic Health Care
Reform Bill, Touts Public Option
Evans Politics, October 30, 2009
Pelosi Unveils Historic Health Care Reform Bill, Touts Public Option, Truthout, October 29, 2009, by Jason Leopold, excerpt quoted verbatim:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled an $894 billion health-care reform bill Thursday that includes a government-run insurance program, otherwise known as a 'public option,' that is far stronger than the public plan unveiled earlier this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
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"Unlike the Senate bill, the legislation touted by Pelosi does not provide individual states with an 'opt-out' provision. The House bill requires that Americans purchase insurance (or pay a 2.5 percent penalty based on their annual income, subject to a 'hardship exemption') and large businesses to provide employees with coverage. The bill melds three separate pieces of legislation House committees passed earlier this year.
"It comes in at just under the $900 billion ceiling President Obama set and, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will reduce the federal deficit by at least $30 billion over 10 years.
"One of the key components of the legislation calls for Medicare to negotiate drug prices with insurance companies, a provision the pharmaceutical industry spent millions of dollars lobbying against. The bill also calls for tighter regulations over the health care industry, such as eliminating the federal antitrust exemption that shielded health care providers from investigations into price-fixing and other unlawful business practices, and prohibits health insurance companies from denying coverage to people who suffer from a preexisting condition or are sick.
"At a rally in front of the Capitol where she discussed details of the 'Affordable Health Care for America Act,' Pelosi said the nearly 2,000-page bill aims to provide health benefits to 36 million uninsured Americans and will cover 96 percent of the population. It would also expand Medicaid coverage, and offer low to moderate income Americans subsidies to purchase insurance from a government plan or private health care providers through a regulated exchange.
"'Here we are, for nearly a century, it's really over a century, leaders of all political parties... have called and fought for health care and health insurance reform,' said Pelosi, who was flanked by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and other Democratic leaders. 'Today, we are about to deliver on the promise of making affordable, quality health care available for all Americans.'" ....
Read the text of the bill, Affordable Health Care for America Act (.pdf), hosted here at Evans Politics.
See Pelosi's not-so-robust public option, The Nation, October 29, 2009, by John Nichols, excerpt quoted verbatim:
Translation: The "public option" Pelosi and her team have proposed a plan that would not make payments for care based on Medicare rates, as the Congressional Progressive Caucus and key Senate Democrats have proposed.
Rather, under the Pelosi plan, the rates be tied to those of the big insurance companies. That's a big, big victory for the insurance industry, as it will undermine the ability of the public option to compete -- and to create pressure for reduced costs.
Pelosi's plan also drops a number of provisions that had been advanced at the committee level to promote consideration of "Medicare for All" models and to allow states to experiment with single-payer plans.
That's an especially bitter pill for House progressives, who has won support for state-based experimentation in committee votes.
Groups such as Progressive Democrats of America were quick to raised alarm bells because some of the most innovative responses to the health-care crisis are being forged at the state level. While single-payer proposals are being blocked at the federal level, PDA national director Tim Carpenter says the single-payer fight is ramping up in the states.
See Why Does Joe Lieberman Oppose Health Care Reform: Ask His Wife, Salon, October 29, 2009, by Joe Conason: "Both Lieberman and Evan Bayh have spouses who have profited from the healthcare industry."
*****
Pelosi Presents Health Care Plan
Paterson declares
swine flu emergency in NY
Evans Politics, October 30, 2009
Paterson declares swine flu emergency in NY, NewsDay.com, October 29, 2009, by Associated Press, excerpt quoted verbatim:
"Gov. David Paterson declared a state of emergency, saying a recent rise in swine flu cases has created a 'disaster' and that certain provisions of state law needed to be set aside to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible.
"The executive order Thursday means that far more health care professionals — including dentists, dental hygienists, podiatrists, pharmacists, midwives and physicians assistants — will be permitted to administer swine flu and seasonal flu vaccines with only brief training.
"The declaration will help avoid overwhelming hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities with swine flu cases, according to Paterson’s order.
"It also allows health centers in schools, which have been particularly hard hit, to vaccinate children and adults.
...SNIP...
"At least 351 schools were closed last week alone — affecting 126,000 students in 19 states, according to the U.S. Education Department. So far this school year, about 600 schools have temporarily shut their doors.
"The number of closings this fall appears on target to surpass the roughly 700 schools closed last spring when the swine flu outbreak first hit.
"The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that for the week of October 11-17, the latest available, influenza activity continued to increase. It said the number of doctor visits with flulike illnesses are much higher than usual, hospitalizations for laboratory confirmed flu is much higher than expected for this time of year and
'almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far are 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses.'" ....
Read the full article, here.
See City Parents Opting Out of Swine Flu Vaccine, The New York Times, October 28, 2009, by Jennifer Medina:
"As people across the country clamor for the swine flu vaccine, fewer than half of New York City parents with children in elementary school have given permission for their children to receive the vaccine at school, reflecting some ambivalence about the need for the vaccine or concern about its effects.
Reid, Durbin Open to Majority Vote
to Beat Health Care Fillibuster
Evans Politics, October 29, 2009
Reid, Durbin Open to Majority Vote to Beat Health Care Filibuster, The Huffington Post, October 28, 2009, by Ryan Grim:
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"As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid works to cobble together the 60 votes he needs to overcome an expected Republican attempt to block a floor vote on health care, there is still one powerful parliamentary weapon he could draw from his back pocket.
"The process known as budget reconciliation only requires a simple majority -- and can not be filibustered -- meaning Reid (D-Nev.) would need only 50 Democrats plus a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Joe Biden to declare victory.
"Is he still considering going that way?
"'Sure, it's always an option,' Reid said after leaving his press conference Monday, when he announced that he'd be pushing forward with a public health insurance option with an opt-out provision that would give states the right not to participate.
"Reconciliation gained new relevance on Tuesday, when Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said that unless the public option is stripped out, he's prepared to join a GOP filibuster of the health care reform package. Without Lieberman, Democrats would only have 59 votes to end a filibuster -- one short.
"Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who is in charge of corralling and counting votes, also said that reconciliation is still being considered. 'The failsafe on this is reconciliation,' Durbin said. 'I hope we don't reach it because you can only do a limited amount of things on reconciliation.'
"Durbin was referring to the Senate parliamentarian's ability to strip out parts of any bill going through the reconciliation process that don't have a direct impact on the budget. (More on reconciliation here.)
"But reconciliation is also a club that Reid can swing at conservative Democrats and Lieberman." ....
Read the full article, here.
BUT SEE Happy Hour Roundup: Reid Not Seriously Considering 'Reconciliation', Who Runs Gov: The Plum Line, October 29, 2009, by Greg Sargeant, excerpt quoted verbatim:
* Senator Harry Reid set off a bit of a stir by saying this yesterday about the possibility of doing health care through the Dem-only reconciliation process: “Sure, it’s always an option.”
But Reid spokesman Jim Manley says his boss was only repeating what he’s said for months, and adds that it’s not seriously being considered. “It’s always been an option, but the only thing we are focused on right now is trying to get 60 votes for the strongest bill possible,” he emails me. (REID may be playing a bit of a game of cat and mouse with reconciliation -- Paul Evans)
* The White House goes easy on Joe Lieberman.
* Worth recalling that 68% of Lieberman’s constituents in Connecticut, including 73% of independents (Joe’s brand!), favor the public option. Which, of course, will cause Lieberman to immediately reconsider his opposition.
See Pass the Public Option with 51 Votes, Daily Kos republished here on Evans Politics, June 19, 2009, by thereisnospoon.
See Pelosi Unveils House Health Care Bill, The New York Times, October 29, 2009, by David M. Herszenhorn:
"The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, on Thursday unveiled an $894 billion health care package that would provide insurance to up to 36 million people by broadly expanding Medicaid, the state-federal insurance program for the poor, and by offering subsidies to moderate-income Americans to buy insurance either from private carriers or a new government-run plan."
See Exclusive: Robust Public Option Lacks the Votes to Pass House, Internal Whip Count Document Show, The Plum Line at Who Runs Gov, October 27, 2009, by Greg Sargeant.
See House health compromise has 'public option' with a catch, The L.A. Times, October 29, 2009, by Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook, excerpt quoted verbatim:
"The new bill would require the government to negotiate healthcare costs with providers rather than set the rates itself. Liberals hope it will get conservative Democrats on board."
See Pelosi Cuts Costs to Woo Blue Dogs, Who Runs Gov Blog, October 28, 2009, by Who Runs Gov.
See Sen. Carper sketches a 'Plan B' after Lieberman salvo -- Reid moves to arm-twisting mode -- Chamber up with ads against 'government-run' health care (including Maine, Louisiana and Arkansas), Politico Pulse (blog), October 28, 2009, by Chris Frates. "So much for the afterglow."
See Will We Stand for the People or the Insurance Companies?, Daily Kos, October 28, 2009, by Dennis Kucinich.
*****
Health Bill Unveiled
CBS video - October 29, 2009 - 2 minutes
Obama Visits Returning War Dead
Evans Politics, October 29, 2009
Obama Visits Returning War Dead, © The New York Times, October 29, 2009, by Jeff Zeleny, excerpt quoted verbatim:
"President Obama traveled to Dover Air Force Base early Thursday morning, where he met with family members and paid his respects as the bodies of 18 Americans killed this week in Afghanistan were returned to the United States.
"It was the president’s first trip to the Delaware air base, the main point of entry for the nation’s war dead to return home. The trip was a symbolic one for Mr. Obama — intended to convey the gravity of his decision as he moves closer to announcing whether he will send more troops to Afghanistan.
"The overnight trip was not announced in advance. The president, wearing a dark suit and long overcoat, left the White House at 11:44 p.m. A small contingent of reporters and photographers accompanied Mr. Obama to Dover, where he arrived at 12:34 a.m. aboard Marine One. He returned to the South Lawn of the White House at 4:45 a.m.
"October has been the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began eight years ago, with at least 55 troops killed in action. This week alone, about two dozen soldiers have died in attacks and accidents. The bodies returning to Dover Air Force Base shortly after midnight included seven Army soldiers and three agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration who were killed when their helicopter crashed on Monday in rural Afghanistan. The bodies of eight soldiers killed in an attack on Monday also arrived on an Air Force C-17." ....
Read the full article, here.
Mac vs. PC meets Dems vs. GOP
Evans Politics, October 29, 2009
DSCC video - Oct. 24 - 1:05
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The Founder of Daily Kos Fills Us In.
The State of Play
on Health Care Reform
and the Public Option
Evans Politics, October 29, 2009
Daily Kos TV - Oct. 28 - 4:19
These Idiots Are Playing with Fire!
Randall Terry Urges 'Burn In Hell'
Protests; Abortion Foe Calls For
Burning Pelosi and Reid Effigies
Evans Politics, October 29, 2009
Randall Terry Urges 'Burn in Hell' Protests; Abortion Foe Calls For Burning Pelosi and Reid Effigies, The Huffington Post, October 27, 2009, by Ann Sanner, excerpt quoted verbatim:
"WASHINGTON — Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry is calling on people to burn effigies of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this Halloween, as part of a 'Burn in Hell' video contest to protest the health care legislation in Congress.
"Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, said Tuesday that the contest serves as a political and spiritual statement that 'gives people a chance to peacefully vent their rage.'
"'If Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid force us to pay for child killing and they die unrepentant, they will burn in hell for this,' Terry said in a telephone interview.
"But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called the contest 'unfortunate.'
"'I don't think appealing to people's anger and in effect inciting them to acts which either display or in any way project violent acts is consistent with rational discussion of very critical issues,' Hoyer told reporters." ....
See HuffPost Editor Roy Sekoff on the Far Right's Political Porn, The Huffington Post (video), October 28, 2009, by Huff TV:
"Sekoff denounced the effort as 'political pornography' and 'straight out of the Glenn Beck school of hate-filled buffoonery.' He also noted that it's tempting to dismiss such outrages as irrelevant bleating by the lunatic fringe, 'but then you think of George Tiller. You think of the doctor who was shot down in cold blood by someone who was following the likes of anti-abortion zealot Randall Terry. And that's when it gets really scary.'"
See RADIO CLAIMS: Reid jabs generate backlash: (Supporters decry joking about effort to rig family car to blow up in 1981), ReviewJournal.com, October 28, 2009, by Benjamin Spillman.
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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy |
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Support Free, Independent Journalism
John Kerry: the "silver tongued persuader"
(wait, what's wrong with that description???)
Eff'dghanistan:
John Kerry & Dick Cheney
Evans Politics, October 29, 2009
The Daily Show - Oct. 27 - 5:34
See Getting Lost in Afghanistan, The Guardian (U.K.), October 28, 2009, by Gilles Dorrensoro: "Matthew Hoh's resignation as a US official in Afghanistan delivers a sharp, honest and accurate critique of the war"
Former US marine and foreign service officer Matthew Hoh's letter of resignation from the US state department delivers a shot across the bow of those who would escalate the American combat presence in Afghanistan. "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," Hoh wrote. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
With Tuesday's attacks making October the bloodiest month for US troops in the country in the eight years since the war began, Hoh's letter is an expression of deep moral conviction, and senior US officials, from ambassador Karl Eikenberry to vice-president Joe Biden, are taking it seriously. But the statement is more than a cri du coeur. It presents several arguments that are worthy of discussion.
"If honest," Hoh writes, "our strategy of securing Afghanistan to prevent al-Qaida resurgence or regrouping would require us to additionally invade and occupy Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, etc."
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Eff'dghanistan - John Kerry & Dick Cheney | ||||
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So, the 'advisers' are already in place, eh?
U.S. Quietly Speeds Aid
for Pakistani Drives on Taliban
Evans Politics, October 29, 2009
U.S. Quietly Speeds Aid for Pakistani Drives on Taliban, © The New York Times, October 28, 2009, by Eric Scmitt:
"WASHINGTON — Even as the Pakistani government plays down the American role in its military operations in Taliban-controlled areas along the border with Afghanistan, the United States has quietly rushed hundreds of millions of dollars in arms, equipment and sophisticated sensors to Pakistani forces in recent months, said senior American and Pakistani officials.
"During preparations this spring for the Pakistani campaigns in Swat and South Waziristan, President Obama personally intervened at the request of Pakistan’s top army general to speed the delivery of 10 Mi-17 troop transport helicopters. Senior Pentagon officials have also hurried spare parts for Cobra helicopter gunships, night vision goggles, body armor and eavesdropping equipment to the fight.
"American military surveillance drones are feeding video images and target information to Pakistani ground commanders, and the Pentagon has quietly provided the Pakistani Air Force with high-resolution, infrared sensors for F-16 warplanes, which Pakistan is using to guide bomb attacks on militants’ strongholds in South Waziristan.
"In addition, the number of American Special Forces soldiers and support personnel who are training and advising Pakistani Army and paramilitary troops has doubled in the past eight months, to as many as 150, an American adviser said. The Americans do not conduct combat operations." ....
Read the full article, here.
*****
GLOBAL PULSE: Pakistan at War
Link TV video - Oct. 28 - 5:12
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"(October 28, 2009) It has been a bloody month for Pakistan. The army has launched an offensive in South Waziristan aided by US drones, and the Taliban are fighting back with suicide bombs in major cities. With hundreds dying, what do the Pakistani people think?" |
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See Taliban Strikes Again In Afghanistan, CBS YouTube video, October 28, 2009 - 4:38
See Oliver of the North Goes to Afghanistan, Open Salon, Lulu and Phoebe's Blog, October 28, 2009.
Support Free, Independent Journalism
Obama: "I Trust Joe Lieberman" - Oh Damn...
MSNBC Olbermann:
Nelson, Lincoln, Lieberman... WHAT?
Evans Politics, October 28, 2009
MSNBC video - Oct. 28 - 5:18
Rep. Weiner, Fighting for the Public Option:
Program Trading = Cash Cow
Evans Politics, October 28, 2009
The Daily Show - 4:22
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Cash Cow - High-Frequency Trading | ||||
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Rep. Weiner, Fighting for the Public Option:
Weiner Discusses the Public Option
Evans Politics, October 28, 2009
MSNBC video from Oct. 28 - 3:32
The One, the Only, George 'W' Bush
Breaking the Banks (Right?)
The Daily Show
On George W. Bush's
'Get Motivated' Speech
Evans Politics, October 28, 2009
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| George W. Bush Hits the Lecture Circuit | ||||
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Break Up the Bank Monsters
'To Big to Fail' Bill
Introduced by Treasury Department,
House Democrats
Evans Politics, October 28, 2009
'To Big to Fail' Bill Introduced by Treasury Department, House Dems, © The Huffington Post, October 28, 2009, by Ryan McCarthy, excerpt quoted verbatim:
"The Treasury Department and the House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank (D - Mass.) last night unveiled a sweeping new bill that attempts to rein in 'too big to fail' financial institutions. The proposed legislation, its authors argue, would end the era of taxpayer bailouts for failed firms.
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"In essence, as the blog Volatility put it, the bill would force large banks and other financial firms to contribute to a 'financial superfund,' so that they, instead of taxpayers, would foot the bill for the failure of immense institutions. Here's more on the proposed cost-shifting from House Financial Services Committee's website:
Costs to resolve a failing firm will be repaid first from the assets of the failed firm at the expense of shareholders and creditors, and to the extent of any shortfall, from assessments on all large financial firms. In this instance we follow the "polluter pays" model where the financial industry has to pay for their mistakes--not taxpayers...[The] Resolution Fund is structured to spread the cost over a broad range of financial companies with assets of $10 billion or more, and provides for a flexible repayment period to avoid potential procyclical effect of such assessments.
"The plan would also give the Federal Reserve the power to reduce the size of of banks, hedge funds and other financial firms with more than $10 billion in assets.
"Community banks and other lending institutions that may have more than $10 billion in assets, but don't pose systemic risks, will not be covered under the proposed legislation, according to Bloomberg. But the bill could cover money management firms and many larger hedge funds.
"The bill gives the Federal Reserve the power to determine which firms are actually "too big to fail" and pose systemic risk to the financial system. But it also creates a new council of financial risk regulators. Here's Bloomberg:
Under the bill, the Fed would oversee the biggest financial companies, known as Tier 1, and would hold the most power on a new council of regulators, officials said. The measure gives each major market regulator such as the Fed, FDIC, other bank agencies, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Housing Finance Agency a seat on the council and some authority for monitoring systemic risk.The draft gives the council powers to impose "heightened prudential standards" on financial holding companies deemed a threat to market stability. That determination could be made on a broad range of criteria, including the degree of a company's reliance on short-term funding.
Read the full article, here.
RECOMMENDED: Hell: A 'Job-Loss Recovery' w/Little Regulatory Reform, Daily Kos, October 27, 2009, by bobswern. In Evans Politics' opinion, Mr. Swern writes the best columns on the web about Wall Street, banking, regulatory reform and the economy in general.
See Jamie Dimon, Head of JP Morgan Chase: Everyone Should Be Allowed to Fail, The Huffington Post, October 27, 2009, by Shahien Nasiripour.
FOX 'News' vs. FOX 'Opinion'
Evans Politics, October 28, 2009
Media Matters - Oct. 28 - 2 minutes
See Fox News: A 24/7 Political Operation, Media Matters for America YouTube video, October 20, 2009 - 2:49
UPDATE: See Why is the media defending FOX and attacking Obama, Salon, October 28, 2009, by Mike Madden.
See Don't Be Surprised the Media Elite Sided with Fox, Salon, October 28, 2009, by Gene Lyons.
See "Why FOX is Not News," below.
*****
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*****
“Every company in America should be on its knees thanking Jesus for being born. Without Christmas, most American businesses would be far less profitable.” -- Bill O'Reilly
...and THIS, kiddies, is how the Republican leadership really feels. This is why the Republicans lost the election. Their leadership feels not humble joy of celebration at Jesus' birth. No, they're mainly glad they can make money off him. This is out of touch with the feelings of the American people.
If you like my politics pages, send your friends a link to them! And let me know what YOUR favorite news and views websites are. Email me with your own favorites, send me really good news stories, and let me know what you think of my website. - Paul