TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Biden Casts Doubt On Iranian Election Results
Appearing on Meet The Press, Vice President Biden express doubt regarding the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "It sure looks like the way they're suppressing speech, the way they're suppressing crowds, the way in which people are being treated, that there's some real doubt," said Biden. He added: "I have doubts but we're going to withhold comment until we have a thorough review of the whole process and (see) how they react in the aftermath."
Biden: "Everyone Guessed Wrong" On Economic Figures
Also during his Meet The Press interview, Vice President Biden said that "everyone guessed wrong" on the impact of the economic stimulus. Biden's explanation was that White House economists used standard formulas to estimate that the stimulus program would save or create 3.5 million jobs -- but in fact the economy was really worse off than anyone thought. Biden promised that with money now flowing out of Washington to states and cities, there would be 600,000 new jobs in the coming months.
Sebelius: Public Option Can Support Competitive Market
Appearing on CNN's State of the Union, Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said that a public option for health care could be structured in such a way as to fairly compete in the marketplace and lower costs for everyone. "Choice and competition is what we want," said Sebelius. She added. "The president does not want to dismantle privately owned plans. He doesn't want the 180 million people who have employer coverage to lose that coverage. He wants to strengthen the marketplace."
McConnell: Public Option A "Non-Starter" For Republicans
Appearing on CBS' Face The Nation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blasted the idea of a public option. "I think that, for virtually every Republican, a government plan is a non-starter. There are a whole lot of other things we can agree to do on a bipartisan basis that will dramatically improve our system," he said. "But we already have the best health care in the world. We know it costs a lot, but we have the best health care in the world. And I don't think many Americans want to start having to, you know, wait in line and start getting government permission for procedures."
Lieberman Opposes Public Option
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) expressed his opposition to a public option on health care. "I don't favor a public option," said Lieberman. "And I don't favor a public option because I think there's plenty of competition in the private insurance market." He also said that the Senate is in reach of a bipartisan majority for universal health insurance -- but that "The one thing that will stop that is pressure on the so-called public option."
Dodd Opposes Taxing Health Benefits
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) came out against taxation of health benefits in order to finance reform. This "is unnecessary," said Dodd. "I feel very strongly about this as many do as well." Instead, Dodd said lawmakers should look at President Obama's new proposals to cut costs, as well as other proposals on prevention in order to reduce the price of health care.
Romney: Obama "Apologizing For America" Isn't Working
Appearing on ABC's This Week, Mitt Romney attacked President Obama on foreign policy. "It's very clear that the president's policies of going around the world and apologizing for America aren't working," said Romney. "North Korea is not just saber rattling. They've taken the saber out of the sheath. Iran is moving headlong towards nuclearization. Russia is on the same course they were on. And all of the apologies that he provided to the Europeans have not led any of the European nations to provide additional support for us in Afghanistan."
Grassley Defends Twittering
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) defended a controversial Twitter post in which he attacked President Obama for telling Congress to work on health care, while Obama was sightseeing with his family in Paris. "We've had a dialogue with this president since January the 20th on a program to get a bill to the floor," said Grassley. He added: "And (for) the president to say that we ought to deliver it made it look like Congress wasn't working -- the very weekend that we were working Saturday and Sunday in Washington to keep on schedule while he was sightseeing."


















Will the Democrats ever find a media-savvy enough spokesperson to publicly call Miss McConnell a bald-faced liar? Repeatedly, until it begins to "stick" with the public?
June 14, 2009 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I want the Dems to go on tv and repeatedly state to the viewing audience that "every one of these pols in Congress have great health care and YOU don't. These pols will never have to worry about going bankrupt over needed surgery, but YOU will."
I want to see the Dems writing op-eds in their local papers and national commercials from groups who want to see this pass with a public option.
June 14, 2009 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe Krugman pegged unemployment numbers to the exact digit. So why Biden would say everyone guessed wrong is beyond me. He must not have taken his medication this morning.
June 14, 2009 9:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Biden is a poor excuse for the 2nd in line - It's comical that every late night TV joker is not jumping all over his idiosy - it's now "who is the dummest politician, besides Poleosi? Biden. Bush legacy will never be as rich as JB's....
June 14, 2009 11:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's very good at it, of course, because no one seems to tell him the truth, apparently. Or, perhaps, he's just telling lies.
:-)
He's one of MY senators, too. I wrote him today about this. It was NOT favorable.
June 14, 2009 11:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Grouchy-
In insulting McConnell by referring to him as "Miss McConnell," you managed to insult every female person reading this. The greatest, most eloquent derogatory phrase you could come up with was to call him a woman-or perhaps a little girl? What does that say about you? I'll cut you some slack and assume you are over 50 and grew up in an age when Neanderthal opinions of woman were acceptable speech. Do, however, reconsider your choice of insults.
June 15, 2009 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
No shit Romney! Obama's foreign policy isn't just speeches and hand shakes.
June 14, 2009 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Joe - STFU.
June 14, 2009 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Too bad we wasted so many lives, bullets, and dollars in Iraq because Iran is the country that needs a regime change.
June 14, 2009 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Once again, Joe L shows that he's really a Republican, and not just on foreign policy. This is how he repays Obama for saving his committee chair. Didn't like it at the time, and it looks less like a good bet all the time.
June 14, 2009 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dear Twitt Romney: You are irrelevant. GFY.
June 14, 2009 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know how to handle the anger I feel over the health care debate. What can we do to stop providing health insurance for members of Congress? Let them have to go out and buy their own private insurance plans and then see how fast we finally get some action.
I am SO pissed!
June 14, 2009 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
re Biden and "guessed wrong".... WTF does he mean?
First - most of the stimulus money has not been spent yet, right?
Second - the bill was diluted with extra tax breaks, known to many as being the less effective in principle!
Third - Who is measuring how effective it's been so far anyway??
Fourth - If things are worse than expected, the stimulus bill should be having MORE good effect than expected because it should be replacing a slightly larger fraction of missing economic activity. Well, I said that poorly... What I mean is that the economy is smaller than expected so the stimulus proportion is greater.
Good grief, Joe! What ARE you talking about?
June 14, 2009 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Romney-the-liar also claimed on George's This Week that Barack told the world in Cairo that it was not up to the U.S. or any nation to tell another nation whether or not it could have nuclear weapons. Snuffy told him, rather diffidently, without looking at him, (mumble, mumble) that what Obama had actually said was that they could not be denied nuclear power with IAEA monitoring. Romney-the-good-mormon lies as a matter of course. And he does it with a smug, self-satisfied look on his face to boot. Creep.
June 14, 2009 9:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Best health care system in the world? Wow, I'd like to see the data he is using to back that up. Sure as hell isn't based on life expectancy, coverage or cost.
Oh, wait, he is a Republican, he isn't backing it up with fact, just bullshit.
June 14, 2009 10:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nor is it based on infant mortality, cost per capita, or even on the amount of research.
June 14, 2009 11:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Judging from the comments here, it's clear that few of you actually saw the Biden MTP interview. I was upset too after reading that headline but it's totally grabbing a few words and running with them to start controversy.
Biden was very good in that interview in standing up for the stimulus and president's policies.
June 15, 2009 8:47 AM | Reply | Permalink