ThinkFast: September 25, 2009
ThinkFast: September 25, 2009
UPDATE: The Finance Committee announced that the public option debate will not take place today. Instead, it is scheduled to occur on Tuesday.
The public option is expected to be voted on today in the Senate Finance Committee’s health care mark-up. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) explained yesterday, “Tomorrow is the opening day in our big fight, but it is going to be a fight that goes down all the way to the wire.” A new NYT/CBS poll finds 65 percent of Americans support a public option.
“House leaders Thursday released CBO estimates for liberals’ preferred version of the public option that show $85 billion more in savings than for the version the Blue Dogs prefer,” CongressDaily reports. “Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) a Blue Dog co-chair, said any possible new momentum toward a public option tethered to Medicare rates is, in part, ‘because of the cost issue’ and the updated CBO score.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran revealed the existence of a second uranium enrichment plant. U.S. officials said they “had been tracking the covert project for years.” President Obama has “decided to make public the American findings after Iran discovered, in recent weeks, that Western intelligence agencies had breached the secrecy surrounding the project.”
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that the spread of the violence in Afghanistan was worse than he expected. Asked if things are better or worse than he expected since his arrival a few months ago, the general replies, ” I think that in some areas that the breadth of the violence, the geographic spread of violence, is a little more than I would have gathered.”
A new USA Today/Gallup poll has found that 50 percent of Americans oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan. Sixty-five percent supported President Obama’s decision in February to send nearly 20,000 more troops there.
As flood waters continue to ravage Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey is calling the natural disaster a “once in 500 years flood.” Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Georgia today to help coordinate a federal response with local and state leaders.
A new study by climate researchers reports that the planet is likely to warm by 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century even if global leaders fulfill their most ambitious pledges on carbon reduction. Robert Correll, one of the researchers who conducted the study, said that “we’re not going in the right direction” on reducing carbon emissions quickly enough.
New Mexico’s largest utility, PNM, yesterday announced that it was dropping out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the group’s refusal to support climate change legislation. “[W]e have decided that we can be most productive by working with organizations that share our view on the need for thoughtful, reasonable climate change legislation,” said PNM in a statement.
“With four months left to meet its self-imposed deadline for closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay,” the Obama administration “has shifted its leadership team on the issue,” taking White House Counsel Gregory Craig off the lead of the project. A White House official tells ABC News that “not every” detainee will be out of Guantanamo by the President’s January 22nd deadline for closing the prison.
And finally: Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay isn’t the only politician strapping on a pair of dancing shoes. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) will be taking part in “Dancing with The Tacoma Stars”, a fundraiser for a local theater group, on Sept. 26. Smith and the other “stars” have been practicing for weeks, and Smith has even taken his daughter along for some extra assistance. “Losing is perfectly OK and 100 percent expected,” he told a reporter.
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Best to Chuck Schumer today.
Putting the public option on the table will serve to keep it in the news cycle, while forcing congresscritters who avoid taking a stand on any issue to go public with their position.
Call your congresscritters today & demand a public option. It’s one of the few tools we have left to sway votes. Health insurers and related predators have spent nearly $100 million since June to defeat any real reform.
Do your part, Americans, the time is RIGHT NOW!
September 25th, 2009 at 9:07 amFinally. With the trend seen in recent days, it’s looking more and more likely that a public option CAN pass the Senate Finance Committee. 10 GOP, 13 Dem. Expect Lincoln to vote with the GOP…but I really think Baucus will see that the momentum is favouring the public option, and he’ll support it. Ditto for Conrad. It’ll wind up 12-11, but the public option should pass. From there on, it’ll be bloody. It might take reconciliation. But we will have REAL healthcare reform when the smoke clears.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:10 amActually the public option gets put on the table twice today. One from Schumer and one from Rockefeller as well.
Seen Schumer on Rachel last night and he did a good job explaining how this is going to work.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:10 amIt looks like the debate over health insurance reform is turning back in our favor. Right wingers overshot the landing with their August tantrums and now the public is learning what is actually in the proposed legislation and the predictable result is an increase in support for reform.
On a personal note: I won’t be here much today, as I will be attending my uncle’s memorial service in a few hours, but I just wanted to say “Hi Tracist”, even though it appears he got himself banned.
poor little guy
September 25th, 2009 at 9:12 amCBO estimates the liberals’ preferred version of the public option provides $85 billion more in savings than for the version the Blue Dogs prefer
That’s good, but just as important as the savings are what kind of controls are placed on insurance company practices and the strength of the rules governing the administration of a public option et cetera.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:14 amRight wingers overshot the landing with their August tantrums and now the public is learning what is actually in the proposed legislation and the predictable result is an increase in support for reform.
Gotta give the repubs credit. Only they could find a way to “over-reach” as a dwindling, increasingly irrelevant, regional, minority party. Just imagine how they could over-reach if they were a majority party! Oh, yes, that’s right. We’re still dealing with the clean-up operation from the last time that happened.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:20 amAs flood waters continue to ravage Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey is calling the natural disaster a “once in 500 years flood.”
Deja Vu all over again, as Yogi Berra says.
We saw ‘500 year floods’ twice in just 7 years up here in the Red River Valley. Kind of skews the meaning behind that term. As global warming accelerates climate change, we’ll see more torrential rains & flooding.
Soon, a 500 year flood will be known as a ‘5 year flood’.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:23 amDamn. AP’s reporting the public option vote will be put off until next week. Hope they’re wrong.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:29 am“House leaders Thursday released CBO estimates for liberals’ preferred version of the public option that show $85 billion more in savings than for the version the Blue Dogs prefer…”
These wolves in blue clothing need to explain why they’re more interested in supporting corporate profits than citizen’s health care.
$85 Billion is a HUGE number. It’ll be interesting to hear how they try to avoid admitting this as fact.
Is anyone else as sick of Blue Dogs & Red Hogs as I am?
September 25th, 2009 at 9:32 amjust heard on stephanie miller that the boner wants nancy pelosi to make ED SCHULTZ appologize for his rant wednesday night…
damn. i wish i could find that clip…
September 25th, 2009 at 9:33 amkaty,
I wasn’t able to watch Ed Wed. night…what was the rant about?
Laughable, however, would be Boner objecting to something said by a political talk show.
WTF?
Has he ever listened ClusterFox?
September 25th, 2009 at 9:38 amBoehner wants Pelosi to MAKE Schultz apologize? Does he think that a Democratic politician can control a left-leaning pundit? …. Well, yes, I suppose if he looks at how the Republican politicians control the right wing pundits, then he could be excused for thinking it works on the other side of the political aisle.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:38 amkaty says
September 25th, 2009 at 9:33 am
just heard on stephanie miller that the boner wants nancy pelosi to make ED SCHULTZ appologize for his rant wednesday night…
_____________________________________________________________
Really? When did Nancy become Ed’s mommy? And why is Boehner running to her like a six year old who just got beat up on the playground?
September 25th, 2009 at 9:43 amRantingTommy says
September 25th, 2009 at 9:12 am
____________________________________________________________
My condolences to you and your family today, Tommy. I hope it’s a lovely service, and I hope you and your family are comforted by fond memories of your uncle.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:45 amThanks much. The pressure is on. My family requested that I play a song. My uncle was a huge fan and introduced me to Elton John’s music at an early age, so I’m going to play “Your Song” at the services. I felt less pressure playing in front of 2500 people. It’s going to be tough to get through the whole song without breaking down.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:52 amRantingTommy, I extend my condolences to you and your family as well.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:53 amA new NYT/CBS poll finds 65 percent of Americans support a public option.
___________________________________________________________
I’ve noticed that support for a public option (as well as support for most of President Obama’s ideas) has picked up somewhat since his speech on 9/9.
I think another reason for support is that it’s starting to dawn on people that we’re already paying for uninsured people, and we always have. It’s cheaper to pay to keep people healthy than it is to try to rescue them at great expense in an emergency room later.
Furthermore, as long as we mandate that everybody has insurance, it makes sense that we’re going to have to pay to subsidize some people. And as long as we’re going to be picking up that tab, why wouldn’t we want to pay an entity with no profit and a low overhead, instead of paying for some CEO’s inflated salary, perks, and corporate jet?
The Republicans already shot their wad during the August recess. The people have become immune to the fearmongering and they are re-examining their own situations.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:53 amRantingTommy says:
Please accept my condolences on the loss of your uncle. A man is not really gone as long as he lives in the momory of those who love him.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:54 amI suppose if he looks at how the Republican politicians control the right wing pundits
No offense, PLC, but I think you might have that backwards. From where I sit, it looks more to me like the right wing rant-jockeys control the republican politicians.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:54 amWith the new CBO estimates showing that a public option would be more cost efficient than previously estimated this will make it MUCH harder for Blue Dogs to push the meme that they are mostly concerned about costs. If they do not come around and embrace the public option they will further show the Nation that their interests lie solely in garenteeing corporate profits over what is the right thing to do for our populace. Give ‘em hell Schumer and Rockefeller!
September 25th, 2009 at 9:56 amRanting Tommy – Our condolences on your family’s loss. Hurry back, your wit is always welcome.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:57 amkaty, zimzone,
Here’s a link to the transcript for The Ed Show Wednesday night:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33005044/ns/msnbc_tv-the_ed_show/
September 25th, 2009 at 9:59 amMr. Boehner’s well-tanned skin is very thin.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:59 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
misscoleopteramolly says:
A new NYT/CBS poll finds 65 percent of Americans support a public option.
___________________________________________________________
I’ve noticed that support for a public option (as well as support for most of President Obama’s ideas) has picked up somewhat since his speech on 9/9.
Republics’ preemptive vocal strike psychosis during August recess fully intended to create chaos & divert public awareness of the public option.
It almost worked.
Now that the dust is settling, coupled with that CBO report, true public opinion has emerged. Blue Dogs & Red Hogs alike will be hard pressed to find counter arguments without losing voter support.
I’m disappointed by the delay on this vote, but we all know all the Republics have left in their toolbox at the moment is drag, delay, obfuscate and drum up silly amendments.
By the way, John Kyl is beyond ignorant.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:02 am24.
Go back to school. Take a class in poli-sci. And civics. Learn the fkn difference between “progressive” and “anarchist”.
You’re a constant embarassment to yourself.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:09 amstorm, you are just a liar and this proves it. No where in the article was the word progressive used but you injected it and bolded it.
Nice work exposing yourself as a total fraud and liar worthy of the right wing.
These are the reasons you are in decline.
Thanks.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:09 amSTORM it is just astonishing how stupid and pathetic you are.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:13 amJust wanted to post my disgust at the NY Daily News this morning. I open the editorial page and there is the smug Charles Krauthammer’s ugly neo-con face staring back at me. I will offer no link but suffice to say his editorial today was a tribute to Krauthammer’s idol and father of neo-conservatism, the recently deceased Irving Kristol. I fired of a long letter to the editor asking them to stop giving this perenially wrong pseudo-intellectual a platform to spread his lies and failed socio-political philosophy. I told them I almost lost my breakfast when I turned the page and saw him once again polluting their pages. Why do these neo-cons keep getting so much air time in the media? They are always wrong, they had eight years to show the world what they could do and it nearly destroyed America. Sorry for the rant guys but these people just make me sick.
OTOH, TGIF everybody!
September 25th, 2009 at 10:15 amtom, I know what you mean about the pundits controlling the politicians. I almost wrote my post that way, but it just didn’t flow as a counter to Boehner’s complaint. Besides that, I actually think that the control works both ways with the Republicans, depending on which pundit and which politician is being examined.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:16 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Put this one in the “GOP sore loser” basket (currently overflowing):
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/09/judge_to_rule_b.html
The Repulic Party is trying to block the Gov. of Massachusettes from appointing an interim to fill Kennedy’s seat. The judge will make a ruling today to decide whether or not the Governor will be allowed to make the appointment.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:20 amThe only way you will ever get to know if the protesters were progressive, STORM, is by ASKING them.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:20 amStorm:
Are you into White Culture?
September 25th, 2009 at 10:20 amOur rules are that you have to use intelligence and kindergarden mentality gets you nothing.
If you don’t know the difference here you are too uninformed to be commenting on it.
Sorry, our rules.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:21 amstorm, tell us why you thought it was appropriate to change the entire meaning of the article to try to blame progressives.
Tell us why you couldn’t just find an article that actually reflects what you want to say about progressives that actually talks about progressives.
Is it because you can’t?
September 25th, 2009 at 10:23 amYou’ll get through it, Tommy. You’ll start the song and your training as a musician will carry you through the performance, and the emotion will reach everyone there to share and celebrate.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:23 amNo, Stormfront — your twisted terminology does not determine “our rules”.
Progressives are NOT “Anti-capitalist” any more than conservatives are “Anti-economic justice”.
Oh wait. Bad example.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:25 amdixie blood, thanks much for that link to the Ed show.
Boner’s job nowadays must be to protect little Can’tor Can’ts bruised ego, rather than staring at Bachmann’s ass.
Can’tor is a whiney, ADHD, bought & sold crybaby who can’t take it, but loves to dish it out.
Does this mean Beck has to retract what he’s said about Obama?
September 25th, 2009 at 10:26 am31.
You don’t like the federal government. Timothy McVeigh didn’t like the federal government. You’re a violent terrorist, just like Timothy McVeigh.
Either learn the finer points of debate (and logic) or leave here for Freep-ville.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:27 amI thought the libertarians on the board were trying to claim that anarchy was the only extreme manifestation of conservatism, that all other extremes were leftist?
Now Stormfront is trying to say that anarchists are leftist, too?
Sheesh. It’s almost like they believe their side can do no wrong.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:28 amSTORM says: Progressives are Anti-capitalist Right?
Wrong, as usual. I’d describe the progressive view of capitalism to you, but I highly suspect that you would ignore it as you have every other time someone else as explained this (and many, many, many, many, many) other issues.
Why don’t you just tell us what YOU think, rather than post links to other people’s ideas or, worse, to try to read our minds? You’ve demonstrated a distinct problem with regular reading comprehension of the written word and your mind reading comprehension skills are even more pathetic.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:29 amI can play the same game.
Using “our rules”, the anarchists are against one world government and so they are most likely members of the John Birch Society. Birchers are also for the most part supporters of Ron Paul.
Are you not capable of thinking for yourself and not just spewing the garbage sent to you by Eric Odmom’s astro-turf spin machine?
September 25th, 2009 at 10:29 amSchumer is one of the leaders in the Senate, and he sounds quite confident.
I hope and pray that he is right.
We need the Public Option, especially in these troubling times of unemployment and rapacious health insurance cabals.
Screw the repiggies, and screw the teabagger trash.
Let’s get this done already.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:30 am42.
The “libertarians” here conform to a very narrow definition of “libertarian”.
I consider myself a libertarian of sorts…and can’t stand to be grouped with these brainless schmucks.
The self-described libertarians we see aren’t libertarians. They’re confederates.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:34 am“House leaders Thursday released CBO estimates for liberals’ preferred version of the public option that show $85 billion more in savings than for the version the Blue Dogs prefer,” CongressDaily reports.
Now that cost is no longer a viable argument for the Blue Dogs, the only argument left is the concept of a government takeover. The CBO report puts the Blue Dogs on the spot because it removes the major obstacle. Progressive groups will be able to utilize the report to preempt the cost argument with ads targeted to Congressmen who are in close election races. If the Blue Dogs continue to oppose the public option, then the logical conclusion is that the opposition is connected to campaign contributions. That is not something these congressmen want to be used against them in an election.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:36 amHeh. Perhaps we ought to make John Boner apologize for Glenn Beck.
And Rush Limbaugh. And Michelle Malkin. And Sean Insannity. And Bill O’Reilly. And Michael Savage. And Michael Levin. And Neal Boortz. And Lou Dobbs. And Steve Doocy. And….
September 25th, 2009 at 10:37 amthank you, dixie… the transcript helps a bit…
this is the part that got boner so riled:
Hold it right there. The Republicans lie. They want to see you dead.
They‘d rather make money off your dead corpse.
zim, sorry, i missed your request till now… that transcript helps, but it doesn’t do justice to the actual visual… i’ve never seen ed so ready to burst! he was more angry than ever…
curious as to why that isn’t posted on ed’s msnbc site…
September 25th, 2009 at 10:39 amPoint taken. And I assume you’re talking about the ones who seem to take their libertarianism seriously, not the ones who just are embarrassed to admit they’re Republicans…
September 25th, 2009 at 10:44 amAnnie, I’d settle for getting him to apologize for Addison “Joe” Wilson.
Or even getting Wilson to apologize to the House.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:45 amThanks, katy, that bears repeating…
Hold it right there. The Republicans lie. They want to see you dead.
They‘d rather make money off your dead corpse.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:58 amgood one, annie @48… ought to send that to nancy…
September 25th, 2009 at 11:01 am50.
Of course. Lest we forget, Noam Chomsky’s an avowed libertarian. So was Murray Bookchin.
I don’t think anyone would make the mistake of calling them “Republicans”. The lesser forms we see posting here ARE too ashamed to admit they’re republicans. Kinda like some of the less-than-solid “liberals” after the ‘94 elections refusing the call themselves “Democrats”
September 25th, 2009 at 11:02 amSTORM
No rules involved just YOU being your usual moron self. What a punk you are.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:09 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Leftest Suck Moose Dykes
—
September 25th, 2009 at 11:16 amAs in the most left? Are you a middle schooler pretending to have the flu to stay at home today?
Sorry your rules.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:17 am—
If they are my rules why are you declaring what they are?
RealityCheck
here’s a reality check for you. You are on the sidelines, watching. There is nothing you can do except whine.
You failed at everything and now you will see sucess on every front and it will infuriate you.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:18 amFred, “Reality checked” is also able to recycle the Left’s attacks on Bush’s war strategy as if they just invented them, in order to attack Obama.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:21 amRealityPUNK
Just go kill yourself. You are a disgusting lying pile of dogshit. You disgust every human being you intrude your putrid presence on. Your sister/wife was crying last night as she blew a leper on skid row about how much she wanted you to kill yourself. I’ve seen your trailer trashwhore of a mother take a break from blowing crackheads to sob uncontrollably that she didnt drown you at birth. Everyone who has ever so much as seen you wants you to kill yourself. The world STINKS just that bit more because you are in it and will be just that much sweeter as soon as you do the right thing and go kill yourself. You are a nausea inducing peece of crap. Just do the right thing and go kill yourself you putrid worthless punk.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:21 am56.
Where to begin…
I can only assume you blasted Bush et.al. for diverting funding and troops to Afghanistan to invade Iraq, for not sending enough troops to Iraq to do the job right, for not sending adequate body army to our troops in Iraq, for allowing KBR to kill our troops with their shoddy engineering…
Yeah. Didn’t think so. Hypocrisy is like oxygen to you.
Also, Leftest Suck Moose Dykes…
Dude. Get your house tested for lead paint.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:23 amEach week I spend less time in the political hash…I read fewer email’s and delete instead of responding to patitions to end the never ending war, patitions that no one seems to act on, Obama do’s not respond…It has become like the Glen Beck fiasco in Mt.Vernon…Protesters and the councel were against him getting the key to the city but the dumbass Mayor want’s Beck so the one vote win’s against all others…Like a dictatorship…Yep! Million’s of us want the spending of 2,7 billion a day to fund the GD. war to stop, we want out service persons to stop dieing and being maimed and the hand full of profateers are winning…The contracters of war have won, our polaticians are whores to war…I give up, I will mind my own little war here, it is the only one I seem to be able to win…..Didn’t we vote in a new administration.?,Guess not, it all seems the same to me…P.B. & J
September 25th, 2009 at 2:09 pm…”I don’t take responsibility (I don’t have good info!)”
…”(Science is beyond changing!)”
…”6.3 is a lot (2 much!)”
QED
p.s. sometimes folks get mixed up!?
p.p.s. “It is said, after Plato,” Emmerson, U.S.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:35 pmA new USA Today/Gallup poll has found that 50 percent of Americans oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan. Sixty-five percent supported President Obama’s decision in February to send nearly 20,000 more troops there.
flip flopping like a fish out of water.
September 26th, 2009 at 2:50 pmEugeneDebs says:
RealityPUNK
Just go kill yourself. You are a disgusting lying pile of dogshit. You disgust every human being you intrude your putrid presence on. Your sister/wife was crying last night as she blew a leper on skid row about how much she wanted you to kill yourself. I’ve seen your trailer trashwhore of a mother take a break from blowing crackheads to sob uncontrollably that she didnt drown you at birth. Everyone who has ever so much as seen you wants you to kill yourself. The world STINKS just that bit more because you are in it and will be just that much sweeter as soon as you do the right thing and go kill yourself. You are a nausea inducing peece of crap. Just do the right thing and go kill yourself you putrid worthless punk.
When in doubt, I can always count on reading insults from the communist, debs, an empty windbag that has nothing but insults in his vacant dome.
September 26th, 2009 at 2:52 pm“House leaders Thursday released CBO estimates for liberals’ preferred version of the public option that show $85 billion more in savings than for the version the Blue Dogs prefer,” CongressDaily reports. “Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) a Blue Dog co-chair, said any possible new momentum toward a public option tethered to Medicare rates is, in part, ‘because of the cost issue’ and the updated CBO score.”
lots of talk. no action
September 26th, 2009 at 3:15 pm