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

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

Proportionally, old people get way too much gravy, thx.

was that a one time $250? those are the sorts of things that seem completely useless to me anyway.

Yeah but picture being old and living off ss, with medicare premiums going up in 2k10 and ss staying where it is. You've seen the giving out of massive bailouts in the face of public derision, and then suddenly when a measly chunk of extra change could be coming your way it's voted down in the spirit of fiscal responsibility.

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/factsheet.asp?counter=3534

was that a one time $250? those are the sorts of things that seem completely useless to me anyway.

Not as stimulus

our bingo halls and buffet restaurants are dangerously over-leveraged, state intervention is necessary.

It's a sad but sobering truth that in our day and age there are buffet restaurants too big to fail.

so, caving on KSM? well done mr. president.

LINDSEY GRAHAM WILL DEFINITELY ASSENT TO CLOSING GUANTANAMO NOW THAT WEVE UTTERLY CAPITULATED ON DOING THE RIGHT THING

guaranteed to sasisfy dick cheney, and all his kids too

I can't see the point. Is it going to shut the Republicans up? Fuck no. Is it the right thing to do? Not after everything he said during the campaign and previous to that. Just stick him on trial and ignore them!

xpost - oh, getting Graham onside. Doesn't seem worth it, to be honest...

this DOJ lawyer Al-Qaeda stuff is some fucking bullshit

i can't believe the admin thinks that shit is working... but washington is a weird place