ThinkFast: December 22, 2009

The Washington Times reports that RNC Chairman Michael Steele is leveraging his position to “market himself for paid appearances nationwide, personally profiting from speeches with fees of up to $20,000 at colleges, trade associations and other groups — an unusual practice criticized by a string of past party chairmen.”

The Senate moved its health care reform bill forward this morning voting 60-39 on the second of three procedural measures to wind down debate and move to final passage on Christmas Eve — “a vote that now could take place as late as 10 p.m. that night, under the current Senate schedule.”

Support for the Senate’s health care reform bill “has risen six points since early December, according to a new national poll, and although a majority of Americans still oppose its passage, only four in ten agree with Senate Republicans that the bill is too liberal.” In an editorial, the New York Times writes that the bill “has some imperfections but is worthy of support from lawmakers who care about health care reform.”

Washington lobbyists are “on track to shatter last year’s record $3.3 billion spent to lobby Congress and the rest of the federal government.” The “five senators charged with overseeing the floor debate” over the health care bill in particular received millions of dollars from health industry interests.

In a “significant coup” for President Obama and congressional leaders, “the American Medical Association endorsed the Senate’s healthcare reform legislation Monday, giving Democrats the blessing of the nation’s largest physician society.” The AMA has “opposed comprehensive healthcare reform bills” for decades.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is expected to announce today that he will not run for Senate next year. Giuliani will instead “throw his endorsement to 2010 GOP gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio.”

The State Department has reportedly received multiple assurances from Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni that he will “work to block a harshly anti-gay bill from becoming law in his country” and “veto the legislation should it come to his desk.”

Mexico City legislators legalized same-sex marriage in the city last night, making it the first capital in Latin America to do so. “We are putting an end to segregation and stigmatization of a sector of society, giving access to full marriage rights,” David Razu, one of the legislators who led the push for marriage equality, told the press.

The recession’s jobless claims are “draining unemployment-compensation funds so fast that according to federal projections, 40 state programs will go broke within two years and need $90 billion in loans to keep issuing the benefit checks.” The shortages are prompting state governments to “either raise taxes or shrink the aid payments.”

And finally: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) dour retort to President Obama’s call on Congress to “make history” by passing comprehensive health care reform: “A lot of things that have happened in history have not been good.”

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