Remember how cash for clunkers was so successful that Congress was forced to triple the size of the program in a hurry? Well, those billions of dollars will go further now that hundreds of New York auto dealers have decided the program is too badly managed to keep participating in: Hundreds of auto dealers in the New York area have withdrawn from the government’s Cash | Read More »
Patrick Ruffini points to this helpful history of the ‘public option:’ One key player was Roger Hickey of the Campaign for America’s Future. Hickey took UC Berkley health care expert Jacob Hacker’s idea for “a new public insurance pool modeled after Medicare” and went around to the community of single-payer advocates, making the case that this limited “public option” was the best they could hope | Read More »
Public Policy Polling today releases the results of its most recent survey in Colorado. They find that little has changed since their last poll in April: appointed Senator Michael Bennet is extremely beatable – if the GOP can find the right candidate. More than halfway through his first year in the Senate Michael Bennet continues to sport weak approval numbers, Public Policy Polling’s newest Colorado | Read More »
A quick survey of today’s news brings some encouraging signs for those who support choice in health care. First, CNN reports that Nancy Pelosi’s most trusted ally has moved dramatically off message: Speaking in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, Murtha said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanted a health-care bill passed before the current August recess. “She said we’re going to have it before we left,” Murtha said. “We | Read More »
Some Democrats seem afraid to meet with constituents during the August recess. That might describe Congressman Dennis Cardoza, but we may never know. According to his local press, he’s not going to his district at all this month: Normally this is the one time of the year that we can expect to hear from our Congressman. Traditionally there are Town Hall meetings to give the | Read More »
While Democratic incumbents are running from constituents, holding secret meetings, and showing contempt for the people they represent, their challengers are stepping up: Hoping to highlight the incumbents’ decision not to hold similar meetings, New York Assemblyman Greg Ball, former Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg and Florida U.S. Army veteran Allen West announced this week that they are holding their own health care events. Ball, who | Read More »
In case you hadn’t realized that this debate is decades old:
Senator Claire McCaskill held a townhall today, and she may have had an epiphany:
Unbelievable. Where is the change? The Homeland Security Department, which includes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has been unable to provide permanent residence status to more than 7,000 eligible refugees and asylum seekers, Leahy said in a Senate floor speech last week. Leahy said the administration has been too slow to help foreigners who pose no threat but have been ensnarled by overly broad restrictions | Read More »
Congressman Gerry Connolly is the president of the Democrats’ Freshman class in the House. He’s quick to get out in front of the cameras and complain when it seems that his constituents may be forced to pick up the tab for Obamacare, but that hasn’t stopped him from supporting a bad bill. And like many other Democrats this August, he seems intent on avoiding his | Read More »
It looks like former Colorado Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez may be close to making a decision about whether to challenge appointed Senator Michael Bennet. I take a closer look at the signs over at theconservatives.com. I think Beauprez’s common-sense approach to the nation’s problems is called for in Washington. (You can check out his blog here.) If you want to signal your support | Read More »
The New York Times confirms today that when it came to fixing the problems with the American health care system, the Obama administration’s first goal was not to insure the uninsured, or reduce waste, or curtail defensive medicine. It was to make a deal. And now – having made a deal – the White House is willing to go to the wall to protect its | Read More »
Given the debate over the legitimacy of protests against the Democratic agenda on health care, cap-and-trade, and the economy generally, I thought it might be instructive to look at how the last administration addressed protests against its policies. The contrast is quite stark: Faced with protesters camped outside Bush’s residence in Crawford, White House officials chose to meet with Cindy Sheehan and others: About 70 | Read More »
It looks like Saturday Night Live now has a completely different side of Tim Geithner to lampoon: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner blasted top U.S. financial regulators in an expletive-laced critique last Friday as frustration grows over the Obama administration’s faltering plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulation, according to people familiar with the meeting. The proposed regulatory revamp is one of President Barack Obama’s top domestic | Read More »
Congressman Paul Ryan is the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, and this clip of him schooling Katrina vanden Heuvel – one that’s been going around the blogosphere lately – is well worth watching. Ryan lays out the problems with the Democrat approach, and demonstrates vanden Heuvel’s misunderstanding of the issues superbly: But the real surprise is not that Ryan did so well, it’s | Read More »
The President is headed to Bristol, Virginia today, to appear at a Kroger’s grocery store to push his health care overhaul. The purpose of the visit is to put a little more pressure on Virginia Senators Warner and Webb, as well as local Congressman Rick Boucher, none of whom is currently supporting Obamacare. According to CNN however, there seem to be as many Obamacare skeptics | Read More »
As Erick points out, Obamacare took another heavy shot today, as the CBO concluded that the much-vaunted reforms pushed by Democratrs to control Medicare costs would have little or no effect. OMB Director Orszag has fired back quickly however, in an attempt to turn lemons into lemonade. He says that while CBO may have little faith in the provisions as they are currently drafted, a | Read More »
It doesn’t usually attract much notice when a governor’s spokesperson retires, but the timing of this announcement is curious: After seven years of fielding questions from reporters from Pennsylvania and beyond, Gov. Ed Rendell’s chief spokesman Chuck Ardo says he plans to leave the administration… ”Because I’m tired,” he said. ”Because I’ve spent all day, every day, for the last 90 days trying to explain | Read More »
Congressman Henry Waxman is in charge of developing health care overhaul legislation that can pass the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He’s not having much success, as a few moderate Democrats have insisted on cost-cutting measures. Today Waxman made clear that he’s willing to make en end-run around the moderates, and bring his radical legislation straight to the House floor. In doing so, he made | Read More »
Paul Krugman is a respected economist and writer – and a Nobel Prize winner. He’s also the intellectual leader of the Democrats’ push for bigger government. From his perch at the New York Times, he pontificates on economics, politics, society, foreign affairs, and a whole host of issues. But how much stock can you put in an ‘intellectual leader’ who seems to stifling dissent and | Read More »
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