US POLITICS: AMERICANS, PLEASE WELCOME YOUR NEW PRESIDENT... SCOTT BROWN!

Doesn't he own an insurer?

from last week Suzy
http://www.businessinsider.com/buffett-2010-2

garrett (fox wh correspondent) reports that currently, dems in congress are putting together the final bill to be voted on & both sides have a sense this is going to happen. so what they're saying now is really about the politics of what comes after (2010 election etc).

no one has told warren buffett that starting over is not an option, if the goal is to actually pass reform? it's either go forward with this bill, or do nothing.

meanwhile, who let Warren Buffett off the reservation?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33693.html

― Please Jesus, save Obama's healthcare reform plan (Dandy Don Weiner), Wednesday, March 3, 2010 12:21 AM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

I watched that CNBC interview, and Buffett said that if the choice is between no reform and the Senate bill, he'd vote for the Senate bill. The CNBC interviewers kept trying to cajole him into criticizing public health care but he made it very clear that people aren't getting the health care they need and the government needs to do something about it.

Please show me exactly where anyone was trying to cajole him. Thanks.

The transcript is here:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/35645772

Or if you can find a more accurate transcript or the video link, that'd be cool too.

Yo, if anyone has any questions for Buffett, I'll be at the BH shareholder meeting at the beginning of May (BH is my company's corporate parent), and I'm sure we'll be spending some quality time together, so pass them on.

Full transcript and video at http://www.cnbc.com/id/35671663

Bunning's assholishness temporarily circumvented

thanks for that Pancakes. I don't really see any cajoling going on, it seems more like they were trying to hold him to his earlier statements.

FWIW, Buffett says explicitly that he is not in the healthcare insurance biz, Suzy.

Oh, and Pancakes if you can give Buffett a big hug for increasing my net worth last year when you see him, I'd be mighty thankful.

politico headline is a bit sensational huh?

If it was a choice today between plan A which is what we have now or Plan B what is in front of the Senate Bill I would vote for the senate bill but I would much rather see a plan C

i mean i feel basically the same way

Please show me exactly where anyone was trying to cajole him. Thanks.

The transcript is here:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/35645772

― Please Jesus, save Obama's healthcare reform plan (Dandy Don Weiner), Wednesday, March 3, 2010 12:50 AM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark

That transcript isn't even close to complete.

There was a part where the middle-aged dude in the CNBC HQ was talking to Buffett about "free market solutions" and all that sort of BS and Buffett said something to the effect of "no... people do need their health care."

Daniel . . . And I know what a neo-con is.

i didn't mean to suggest otherwise! apologies for whatever in my comment sounded condescending. it wasn't meant to.

It was gbx's comment - he probably didn't mean to imply that either.

Haha Don, I'm kinda hoping they're giving out "A" shares as a door prize or something.

the CNBC dude even brought up that Whole Foods guy, and his groundbreaking ideas about healthcare.

which are what, eat a peach?

markets are magic bros

politico headline is a bit sensational huh?

THE POLITICO headline writers have to WIN THE DAY see

i haven't read POLITICO since before the 2008 election. i am a symbol of "the enthusiasm gap," i guess.

haha well yeah. this weekend they also totally didnt listen kent conrads thing about reconciliation and wound up with the wrong, opposite headline.

how can it be WRONG if you WIN THE DAY

i assume u saw this daria? goole will get a kick out of it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DwiBNZxN6Y

meanwhile, BEWARE THE BRIETBARTOCALYPSE.

ilx can be proud we were on to xtranormal what, 9 mos ago?

So basically Jim Bunning backed down bcuz the dems "allowed" him to attempt to add an amendment to the bill which was soundly defeated...?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/DragonMyst103/Dylanconfuse.gif

Democracy in action!

o word?

Obama calling for action on healthcare
By Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook | 10:33 a.m.
The president is expected to formally argue for the controversial legislative tactic called budget reconciliation to escape delay in the Senate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030302213.html?hpid=topnews

"Capitalism" and "Free Market" are both terms not found in the Constitution.

Neither are "privacy," "social security," "healthcare," or "rhetorical tactic that sounds kind of nice but means fucking nothing."

Obama address is O in woodshed mode, surrounded by MDs.

obama + overtures from various senators & congressional leaders making feel cautiously optimistic

dunno where else to put this but i figure a lot of ppl here read him - blogger jon swift died

http://tomwatson.typepad.com/tom_watson/2010/03/a-death-in-the-blogging-family.html

Aw man, that sucks. RIP. His stuff was excellent.

Harkin said reconciliation is a go earlier. its gonna happen, but its still gonna be several weeks (CBO estimates dontchaknow)

house still has to pass it iirc?

that's the first step

then reconciliation to resolve financing and budget issues, i believe. that's why i don't see how the public-option is available via reconciliation -- it isn't a financing and/or budget issue.

Exclusive: RNC document mocks donors, plays on 'fear'

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33866.html

Normally I mock everything Politico posts, but this one looks interesting. Neat little presentation on how to scare money out of small donors. Looks real enough even if it is a fake.

example slide:

http://images.politico.com/global/slideshow/100303_slide5.jpg

daniel from what i've read/heard no one is seriously talking about the public option anymore

didn't actually harbor any hope for it in the first place iirc

obv :(

Sherrod Brown is talking about introducing the public option as its own bill if it doesn't get included in the general reform plans. Which is proof to me that it's not happening...

public option costs money = it impacts the budget = it could theoretically go through reconciliation

but yeah it's dead

k3vin, there are at least 33 or 34 senators who claim they would support passing a public option via reconciliation. but i just don't see it. shakey, i hear you, but it was my understanding that the mere fact a public-option "impacts the budget" is enough to make it available in reconciliation. virtually every prospective congressional act "impacts the budget." the public option sounds like a policy provision that can't be adopted in reconciliation.

but, obv., i'm wrong about this point. otherwise, these senators wouldn't be announcing their support for a public-option in reconciliation (it would be a futile gesture).

Meanwhile anti-abortion House Dems are threatening to torpedo Health Care unless the wording on that issue reflects their views as opposed to the Senate language.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124265069&ft=1&f=3

Yeah, I looked at that story and none of the Congresspeople quoted for their anti-choice stance are women, so quelle surprise.

Not really looking for that senior vote, guys? Pretty stupid IMHO...

The Senate has rejected President Barack Obama's proposal to give a $250 bonus payment to people on Social Security.

http://www.salon.com/news/2010/03/03/us_senate_social_security_bonus/index.html