ThinkFast: July 22, 2009
ThinkFast: July 22, 2009
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The Washington Post reports that the health insurance industry’s “effort to defend its turf has led it to cherry-pick the facts.” For instance, the insurer’s chief lobbyist, Karen Ignagni, is constantly citing a poll to claim that Americans don’t want reform. But the poll actually shows Americans want a public health insurance option.
Using a Bush administration argument, the Obama White House “has turned down a request from a watchdog group for a list of health industry executives who have visited the White House to discuss the massive healthcare overhaul.” CREW asked about visits from 18 executives, but the Secret Service replied that the documents “were considered presidential records exempt from public disclosure laws.”
Attorney General Eric Holder “has told associates he is weighing a narrow investigation, focusing only on C.I.A. interrogators and contract employees who clearly crossed the line and violated the Bush administration’s guidelines and engaged in flagrantly abusive acts.” Holder’s limited inquiry would initially “review more than 20 abuse cases, including some involving prisoner deaths.”
A report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office said “that the Pentagon had not violated a federal prohibition on propaganda by using retired military officers to promote the Bush administration’s war policies in the news media.” But the report did not examine whether companies received a competitive advantage — and made it clear that “legitimate questions” remain as to whether “defense contractors … received favorable treatment in procurement decisions.”
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Tuesday that he expects “that the jobless rate — now 9.5% — could rise as high as 10.1% later this year before falling to as low as 9.5% by the end of 2010 and as low as 8.4% by the end of 2011.” “Still, Bernanke added unemployment would likely remain ‘well above’ healthy levels through 2011.”
Rajendra Pachauri, head of the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change, said “trade tariffs in a House-passed bill to limit heat-trapping pollution have only served to irritate international negotiations and could undermine U.S. efforts to persuade developing countries to enter into a new global warming treaty.” “This is a dangerous thing, and I think people in Congress must understand this,” said Pachauri.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that the U.S. would consider extending a security umbrella to states in the Persian Gulf region if Iran does not bow to international demands to rein in its nuclear program. “[I]f the U.S. extends a defense umbrella over the region…they won’t be able to intimidate and dominate, as they apparently believe they can, once they have a nuclear weapon,” Clinton said.
A new report from Amnesty International criticizes Saudi Arabia for its human rights abuses, stating that “thousands of Saudi suspects have been detained for years without charge or trial.” The 69-page report describes Saudi Arabia’s human rights record as “shocking” and “dire.”
Right-wing Pastor John Hagee, who came under intense controversy during the 2008 election for his views of Catholics and gays, told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep building settlements. Hagee said Netanyahu should “grow and develop the settlements of Israel as you see fit.”
And finally: An attempted auction of the Watergate Hotel has failed to attract any bids. The complex made infamous because it is the site of the 1972 burglary that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation did not attract any offers after bidding opened at $25 million. “The innocent hotel is part of a large condo complex that’s a nice place to live, if you’ve got a bundle. Condoleezza Rice crashed there in between trips to global crises. Hillary Rodham Clinton dined there during a private tutor session with Rice before the inauguration.”
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Amazing how much Republicans will lie, spin, distort, and obfuscate, just to deny the rest of America health insurance and protect the fraudulent profits of the health insurance industry.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:09 amWell, this is a depressing ThinkFast. Item after item on Obama’s policies mirroring BushCo. Holder will conduct a very limited investigation, but not about who violated the law when and on whose orders.
Change my arse.
PEACE
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:13 amThe Who comes to mind, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..”
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:16 amanyone that thought Obama was some sort of magical messiah bought into the Republican/MSM meme
he is a politician, a damned good one, but just a man
it will take more than just his 8 years to fix the mess that Reagan, Bush 1, and Bush 2 created.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:19 amOff Topic, I know. But this pisses me off… on Neil Cavuto’s show “Is Dr. Regina Benjamin too FAT to be Surgeon General?” WTF? If she were a man, this wouldn’t even come up. But no, she is a black woman so Faux News has to find SOMETHING negative about her. Unreal.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 am“I promise a transparent…err…translucent….err…fcukit, I’m goin’ with Bush on this one.”
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:21 amFor instance, the insurer’s chief lobbyist, Karen Ignagni, is constantly citing a poll to claim that Americans don’t want reform. But the poll actually shows Americans want a public health insurance option
What never fails to amaze me is how Conservatives have the exact same internet access to tremendous information that the rest of us do, and yet they refuse to spent two seconds googling anything before opening their ignorant mouths.
The arrogance of the willfully ignorant is truly astounding…
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 amThere are no OTs in the TF thread.
I, too, am enraged by the right wing attack on Dr. Benjamin because she is overweight. Not everyone is genetically slender no matter how little they eat or how much they exercise.
There would be no comment on this if she were male and white.
What about Dr. Koop? I don’t recall that he was slender.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:25 amThis, of course, sends the message to the entire world that the Bush guidelines for enhanced interrogation techniques are acceptable.
It also sends the message that the U.S. is above the standards of international law. We, the world’s policeman, have become the ‘bad cop.’
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:30 amMarie@8, I thought the exact thing! After watching the Sotomoyer hearings and the “Wise Latina” comments, I thought at least the Righties would lay low on the woman bashing, but alas, I was wrong.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:31 amThe Reukelicans attack ads are all full of lies on the halth care system they just put an ad out the totally lies about the Canadian health care system. The Canadians favor there health care system over America’s please check this link out and pass it on.
http://www.nowpublic.com/health/canadians-favour-their-health-care-u-s-system-poll
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 amP.D. says:
Did you also notice the troglodyte wore a “NO CHUBBIES” t-shirt? Wanna bet he originally showed up in a “NO FAT CHICKS” shirt and they offered him a t-shirt they saw as less offensive?
Disgusting. But after all, it’s FuxNews.
PEACE
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:37 amspencers mom@12, OMG! I didn’t notice that! I think I’ll get sick. Why, oh why, do people watch Faux? Are they sadistic? As a woman, If I were a Faux viewer I’d be pissed. But the intelligence of Faux viewers says it all. All those hours of being brain-washed by Republican propaganda,, your brain would start to sizzle.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:43 am“I promise a transparent…err…translucent….err…fcukit, I’m goin’ with Bush on this one.”
If he released their visits, the reich-wing would go all “birther” idiotic even though it’s not comparable to Exxon meeting with Cheney before the Iraq war.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 am… are there still burrowed bushies in the Government Accountability Office?
seems they’re everywhere…
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 amOn one hand, the White House should be the house of the people and what goes on there should be public knowledge.
But, on the other hand, maybe there is benefit by having the discussions anonymously. I think it is possible that some executives may be either less willing to participate or their discussions will be guarded based on public scrutiny.
The anonymity could enable public fleecing, but it could also be the conduit for a more earnest discussion where the parties aren’t pulling punches.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:50 amThe Reukelicans attack ads are all full of lies on the halth care system they just put an ad out the totally lies about the Canadian health care system. The Canadians favor there health care system over America’s please check this link out and pass it on.
Yeah, it’s a shame that Canada and European countries live under such “oppressive totalitarian systems” when they could just as easily vote it out. But that’s par for the course. My wingnut repuke governor said yesterday that (40% of insured would lose their health insurance plans if Obama’s healthcare bill goes through” because that some 40% would leap to the govmint public option.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:51 amThe Washington Post reports that the health insurance industry’s “effort to defend its turf has led it to cherry-pick the facts.” For instance, the insurer’s chief lobbyist, Karen Ignagni, is constantly citing a poll to claim that Americans don’t want reform. But the poll actually shows Americans want a public health insurance option.
When you got nuttin, the nuttin get goin.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:51 amAh, but think if we were this far into a McCain/Palin presidency. …
The entire auto industry would be belly-up.
Hundreds of billions more would be pumped into the banking and insurance industry with nary a word of complaint.
Health insurance reform would have been passed already, consisting of a bill granting doctors immunity from malpractice lawsuits and insurance companies immunity from lawsuits for failing to abide by their own policie’s terms.
The Iran war, having had initial success in March, is hopelessly bogged down, Iran’s use of dirty bombs having devastated U.S. ground forces with low-level radiation poisoning. The national debate centers not on if a draft is necessary, but how many to call up, and whether women should be given front-line combat duty.
And Palin, thanks to an executive order signed by McCain squelching all ethics investigations about her, enjoys her role as Queen of the Senate immensely. She returns McCains favor giving him a high cholesterol doughnut and a cup of half and half every day. You betcha!
Oh, and the official Whitehouse spokesman is Joe the Plumber.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 amBnF, thanks for that Chilling Reminder…
I hate it that Obama hasn’t rolled back much of the BushitCo power grab…But…
The thought of McIIIrd as POTUS is just too damned scary to contemplate, let alone VeePalinator…
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:56 ami’m still wondering about this:
chuck todd just said on hardball that there is more money being spent ADVOCATING for Obama’s plan, than arguing AGAINST it…
i find that hard to believe.
anyone elce?
i think he was attempting to make the argument, ’so it’s hard to imagine why obama is having such a hard time here’…
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:03 amJuly 20th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Neal Cavuto is a little fattie himself. Who is he to criticize the overweight status of others?
The “conservative” ranks are teeming with angry fat white guys in their 30’s and 40’s who are dealing with impotence issues. This accounts for so much of their fury at and contempt for women.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 amOkay the narrow investigation stinks but if we can have evidence for the Hague brought out…
Oh the Pentagon is only 97% corrupt, they say…
Unemployment is already way over 10%, some people just stopped looking or get like 10 hours a week…
Great, Hillary’s dumbrella is back.
And if we can’t trust the Saudis, whom can we trust?
Oh and Hagee was also wondering if they could build some gated communities and cul-de-sacs, err, Freedom Circles. I mean, if one group pushes out another, surely Christians can follow suit!
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 amb-cup, I just caught up with the executive pay thread from last night, and I must salute your sober, sensible comment on the matter.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 amI think they have “skinny mirrors” at Faux News. You know, the kind of mirrors that tell you you’re skinny even when you’re not?
I think they also have “compassionate mirrors”, “middle-class mirrors” and “logical mirrors”.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:09 amDoes anyone find it awful that they posture about Iran and defending other countries over there, but so many hit by Katrina and other storms are SOL?
I mean a natural storm hits our own citizens and they have no real plan (private “planner”), come in late, kick people out long after the fact, FEMA trailers are in barbed wire and have asbestos, etc.
Or just California, surely some bad planning and necessary consequence but D.C. wants/needs Google, Wells Fargo, etc. …cuts will mean more homelessness, ER visits, etc.
And Iraqis have gov’t health care, right?
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 amseems the new post voting system has made a positive change in backup
another positive: AJ seems to have given up
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 amIt’s too bad that the president is disapointing the left and the right.A one term president who will lose democratic congress and senate. Time for him to steer LEFT before it’s all over. Woe is us.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 am.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:21 amThis all hardly matters, now that aliens have landed an Earth-sized ship on Jupiter; exactly four years after their first ship crashed there. Get your affairs in order! Or comb your hair, at least…
.
ralph. I went back and read it. It’s downright commie. : )
I’ve gone from the capitalist system being imperfect, but the best one for overall economic growth; to a position of some tenets of capitalism being important, if they are moderated by government to ensure that most can participate and the others provided base subsistence. (The question becomes; where’s the sweet spot and what constitutes base subsistence – that’s relatively subjective).
The main reason I did not vote for Obama was the ’spread the wealth around’ comment he made.
But, I am starting to see how that might not just be good for those without, but for the whole in general.
Because a system that crashes due to huge imbalances in wealth, isn’t going to be good for anybody.
Thanks.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:25 amIt’s high time for someone to do an on-line photo gallery of “conservative” white male fatties. How many web pages would that entail?
Their name is legion, and they are many.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:29 amspencer’s mom said
Did you also notice the troglodyte wore a “NO CHUBBIES” t-shirt?
That gave me a chuckle — because in my neighborhood, a “chubby” is the equivalent of a “woody.”
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:33 amIt’s too bad that the president is angering the left and the right.A one term president who will lose democratic congress and senate. Time for him to steer LEFT before it’s all over.Fight for our rights now. Woe is us.I know you don’t like
hearing this but, he needs to help those that supported him.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:48 am
b-cup, there’s no argument that the competition fostered by capitalism is healthy for an economy. What the free-market fundamentalists fail to recognize is that those forces are not neutral. They favor those who already have wealth, and the natural dynamic is to concentrate that wealth in fewer and fewer hands.
That is inherently unhealthy for an economy, as the histories of colonial-legacy markets in Latin America make clear.
Thus, while “unfettered capitalism” is an attractive idea for many, its practical endpoint is disaster.
Glad you’re moving in what I consider the right direction.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:52 amAny one else having problem’s posting today.? Twice I have posted and poof gone…What’s with that,? I didn’t even swear..Jeebos.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:01 amMy only question to you backup is why has it taken you so long to figure this out? Anybody with a brain can figure out that when you give complete control to the economy to a few people, they will manipulate it to their own benefit.
When the economy is regulated so that manipulation is kept to a minimum, more people are able to take part which leads to a much bigger expansion and more people benefit from that expansion.
The problem is that even in business school, too much time is spent studying simple supply and demand curves (microeconomics) and very little time studying the fact that those simple scenarios really don’t exist in reality (market speculation etc.)
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:14 amralph. you’re right here. And it’s a strong argument for a pendulum swing movement in the other direction, considering the current economic circumstances.
I’ve got to go to work, see ya.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:17 amSecretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that the U.S. would consider extending a security umbrella to states in the Persian Gulf region if Iran does not bow to international demands to rein in its nuclear program.
“Security Umbrella” Is that what they call Empires nowadays?
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:29 amSign up for the Security Umbrella today and get a billion dollar embassy courtesy of the American tax payer.
How about a security umbrella to protect people in the region from Israel’s bombings, incursions, and 200 nuclear weapons? Maybe we could stop giving them the $2 billion each year.
backup, yes, the people need a living wage in order for the capitalist system to work. Otherwise, noone buys the goods and the corporations go bust.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:34 pmThe Washington Post reports that the health insurance industry’s “effort to defend its turf has led it to cherry-pick the facts.” For instance, the insurer’s chief lobbyist, Karen Ignagni, is constantly citing a poll to claim that Americans don’t want reform. But the poll actually shows Americans want a public health insurance option.
why don’t just once they “she’s as lying whore!”?
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:43 pmWow! Good thing we can rely on WaPo to jump on the unbiased facts so quickly — like they did during the run up to Bush’s War on Iraq. What would we do without them? /snark
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:52 pmhelen – i read my mom’s time magazines when she’s finished…
this morning i read that NYT’s bill keller admits that “the press gave the Bush Administration a free pass”:
Q. Why do you think the press gave the Bush Administration a free pass on the misleading statements it made to get us into the war in Iraq? Randal Davis, PORTLAND, ORE.
A. It was partly the insatiable desire for scoops people in the Administration were feeding about the potential threat in Iraq. But a lot of it was just that we floated along with the conventional wisdom, the worst enemy of journalism.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1909597,00.html
also, from that piece, found out that bill keller will no longer “try to be a good sport” after his appearance on TheDailyShow with Jon Stewart… ha!
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:09 pmI hate that Dr Benamin is being judged by her appearance rather than her many accomplishments, but FOX news is hardly the only place one finds these comments.
As for Cavuto, he defended Dr. Benjamin. In my opinion it showed poor judgement even discussing the matter.
By Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:00 pmmsnbc.com contributor
updated 7:44 a.m. CT, Thurs., July 16, 2009
Since President Obama announced his pick for the nation’s Top Doc, Internet message boards have been atwitter with the observation that Dr. Regina Benjamin is fat.
44 — oh, so the MSM was more concerned about scoops about “potential threats” and thus just ran them without checking to see if there was validity to them? They have only THEMSELVES to blame for losing readership and/or viewers. It’s pretty sad when people believe they get a better view of the news on quasi “news-comedy” shows such as Stewart, Colbert, and to a certain degree Bill Maher.
Keller’s probably just ticked because Stewart skewered him with truth. I didn’t see that segment but I can imagine it.
It’s akin to Tina Fey’s doing Sarah Palin — Fey out-Palined Palin. In the second “skit” Fey did she used Palin’s own words and didn’t really have to do anything more to make Palin look like the idiot Palin is.
Thanks for your info on Time and Keller. Very interesting.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:06 pmWhy is that loudmouth fathead Hagee encouraging Netanyahu to keep building settlements? That’s a very point of contention in the Israel/Palestinian area and something that violates UN law.
Of course, Hagee is another one who is preparing for Armageddon. He’s been on a few trips to Israel leading tour groups for born-agains. He’s another one of the fruitcakes.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:12 pm