
WaPo: GOP Faces Role Reversal On Medicare
The Washington Post reports that Republicans have found themselves in an odd position on Medicare -- the party that usually seeks cuts in the program is now denouncing proposed reductions, and even the medical industry isn't supporting them. "In terms of this deal, we are better off. And, also, it's the right thing to do," said Charles Kahn, president of the Federation of American Hospitals, and who is also the man behind the "Harry and Louise" ads of 1994.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama does not have any public events scheduled for today. He will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10:15 a.m. ET, and will meet with senior advisers at 10:35 a.m. ET.
Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will join President Obama for the daily briefing this morning. Then, Biden will meet with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. He will spend the remainder of the day in meetings at the White House.
Obama To Travel To Denmark, Make Pitch For Olympics
President Obama will travel to Denmark this week, to make a pitch to the International Olympic Committee for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. He will leave for Copenhagen on Thursday, accompanied by his wife Michelle, and will be the first American president to make an appeal for the Olympics in in person.
Public Option Debate Coming To Finance Committee This Week
The Senate Finance Committee is returning to work on the health care bill this week. The key moments to watch will be amendments to put the public into the Baucus bill, which will be offered by Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Enzi: GOP "Made The Mistake" of Offering Comprehensive Plan In Previous Committees
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) told Roll Call that the GOP has been taking a different approach in the Finance Committee than it has elsewhere, by offering one amendment at a time rather than a whole plan. "In the HELP Committee we made the mistake of offering the comprehensive plan. We probably got about two hours to debate it," said Enzi. "So, you get cut out of the debate. They just have to nit-pick a couple of provisions in a 1,000-page bill, and everybody votes against it based on those two provisions. That's not fair, so what we've decided to do is do the real issues and do them one at a time."
Liz Cheney Taking Stage For The GOP
The New York Times reports that Liz Cheney has emerged as a prominent Republican activist, and as a staunch advocate of her father's policies. "We can't win if we don't fight," Liz Cheney told a crowd of conservative activists in Nashville, adding that she was taught that lesson "by a great American, my dad, Dick Cheney."
SpiderPig
September 28, 2009 9:09 AM
Republican touting Medicare? Has the world gone topsy-turvy? (that last question is rhetorical)
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
September 28, 2009 9:16 AM
Hmmm, looks kinda like today's "WTF are we going to do about Afghanistan and Iran?" day at the White House.
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JohnAH
September 28, 2009 9:18 AM
Sen. Mike Enzi's comments here show that the goal is the amount of time that the GOP can get to slow down a vote. He said that they failed by only getting 2 hours in the HELP bill, so obviously they are taking a slower approach on the Finance bill.
Pathetic!
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wickning1
September 28, 2009 9:37 AM in reply to JohnAH
Enzi: In the HELP committee they nitpicked our provisions to kill our plan, which was totally unfair. Now we will turn to nitpicking provisions.
Me: It was hardly one or two provisions that were wrong in your plan. Making seeking treatment an economic decision is not only morally wrong but also stupid. Who wants 40 million workers coming to work on a bum leg, with an ulcer or a tumor?
That's exactly what high-deductible plans are DESIGNED to do - reduce costs by creating economic incentive to tough it out, walk it off, and generally avoid the hospital.
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theone718
September 28, 2009 9:44 AM
The SFC won't start debate until tommorow considering the holidays. This week will be quite interesting indeed.
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sashimi
September 28, 2009 10:11 AM
"We can't win if we don't fight," Liz Cheney told a crowd of conservative activists.
She probably meant, "we can't win if we don't torture".
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davcbr
September 28, 2009 10:45 AM in reply to sashimi
Isn't she the living - breathing draft deferment?
[born precisely 9 months after it is announced that married men without children would be eleigible]
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Clavis
September 28, 2009 11:07 AM
Thank goodness President Obama knows when to push hard to make his feelings known on an issue.
Olympics in 2016? YES DAMMIT.
Good, Affordable Healthcare for All Americans? Meh.
Liberal Dems stop threatening corporate campaign funds? YES DAMMIT.
Blue Dogs help get something the people want done? Meh.
Thanks, President Obama. You've clearly taken a page from the leadership pamphlet of Harry Reid.
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nova voter
September 28, 2009 11:25 AM in reply to Clavis
you cannot possibly be serious.
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Clavis
September 28, 2009 11:39 AM in reply to nova voter
Of course I'm serious. Haven't you been paying attention? The Senate has been feckless and irresponsible, ceding the debate to the Republicans at every turn, and President Obama failed to keep or regain the rhetorical upper hand on any moral aspect of the argument. On secrecy and lawbreaking and Iraq, he wants to "look forward, not backward". Yet we hear that progressive Dem groups got pressure from the White House to cease criticizing the Blue Dogs or risk losing WH support in the next campaign cycle. And here Obama is, making an unprecedented Presidential visit to Denmark to fight for a stupid, pointless corporate franchise marketing event.
Forgive me for pointing out how much Obama is acting like a Democratic politician these days.
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Ann Arbor
September 28, 2009 12:24 PM in reply to Clavis
If Obama makes use of the time on Air Force One, his Olympic lobbying won't burn much more time than, say, an event greeting a sports champion at the White House.
Also, you seem to be making a few assumptions about how HCR will turn out that may or may not be borne out by events.
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ondioline
September 28, 2009 12:34 PM in reply to nova voter
I think you mean "you cannot possibly be [taken] serious[ly]".
Obama's contribution to seeking good, affordable health care for all Americans rates a "meh" in this person's mind... Obama's efforts to get the Democratic Party united behind a health care reform bill that is a signficant, substantive improvement rates a "meh" in this person's mind... This same distorted, hall of mirrors-style brain equates Obama talking up Chicago's Olympic bid to the IOC as "YES DAMMIT!". It was probably also one of the so-called "progressives" who equated a 19 month timeline for withdrawal from Iraq as being a betrayal and a broken campaign promise. It probably also wanted Bob Gates sacked because "he was Bush's Secretary of Defense" (and therefore does not rate evaluation on the merits of his job performance).
These are exactly the kind of Democrats I don't like; so committed to the objective that they can't possibly grasp the steps necessary to achieve it. Or that someone else might be able to find a different way to achieve it. They're so quick to criticize, but they probably couldn't get elected President of their condo association.
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