UPDATE: In my haste, I neglected to mention a few simple facts. A) The event was by invitation, with a turnout of 55 people or so. B) I was present on account of a family connection (the hosts are my in-laws). C) While the crowd was mostly made up of Democrats, a few confirmed Republicans [...]
Entries from March 28th, 2010
Betsy Markey on Sarah Palin, Health Care Reform, and the 2010 Midterm Election
March 28th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Colorado
Tags: 2010 Congressional Election·Betsy Markey·Colorado's 4th District·Fundraising Event·Loveland
Republicans Dissect Their Health Care Strategy
March 26th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Health care reform, Politics
Via Yglesias, Patrick Ruffini dissects Republicans’ failure in the battle over health care policy.
On health care, I have no idea what our basic guiding principle is. Seriously, I don’t.
We have tried ineffectively to stretch free market rhetoric to health care without appreciating that health care is already too far removed from a free market for [...]
Denver Post, Justice Dubofsky to AG Suthers: Just Let it Go
March 25th, 2010 · No Comments · Colorado, Government, Health care reform, Politics
The Denver Post Editorial Board, which has been critical of health care reform, has called on Colorado’s Attorney General John Suthers to drop the lawsuit to repeal the individual mandate. So has former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Jean Dubofsky. Meanwhile, governors in Wisconsin and Washington have told their AGs to let it go. It’ll be [...]
Tags: Colorado Attorney General·Individual Mandate Lawsuit·John Suthers·Repeal Health Care Reform
Pissy GOP Cuts Senate Business Hours
March 24th, 2010 · No Comments · Government, Politics
UPDATE: CNN reports that Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was also blocked from working, unable in this case to conduct a hearing with a U.S. military commander flown in from Korea.
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It’s no secret that Republicans are unhappy with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But cutting the U.S. Senate’s hours of [...]
Tags: Afghanistan·Claire McCaskill·Mark Udall·Pine Beetles·Republican Obstruction·U.S. Senate
CBS Calls Republican Efforts “Obstructionist”
March 24th, 2010 · No Comments · Health care reform, Politics and media
Nice to hear the media call it what it is:
Republicans on Tuesday rolled out all of the obstructionist tactics they promised as the Senate kicked off its final health care showdown, beginning 20 hours of debate on the reconciliation bill meant to amend the comprehensive legislation signed into law on Tuesday. GOP tactics to stall the measure [...]
Tags: CBS News·Health care reform·Obstruction·Republicans·Senate Reconciliation
Suing to Repeal the Individual Mandate
March 23rd, 2010 · No Comments · Health care reform, Politics
On the topic of suing to repeal health care reform, Kevin Drum cuts fastest to the chase:
But here’s the thing: if the Supreme Court decided to overturn decades of precedent and strike down the mandate even though Kevin Drum says they shouldn’t (hard to imagine, I know), the insurance industry will go ballistic. If they’re [...]
Tags: Colorado Attorney General·Health care reform·Individual Mandate·John Suthers·Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act·Supreme Court
Checking the Fact Checkers
March 21st, 2010 · No Comments · Health care reform
Regardless your feelings on the health care bill currently under debate on the House floor, the fact sheet featured on Firedoglake is pretty interesting (be sure to scroll down to the myth/truth table). I suspect dissatisfied liberals and dissatisfied conservatives will each find things to like about it.
I don’t pretend that the current bill is [...]
Obama’s Big Talk with House Democrats
March 20th, 2010 · No Comments · Health care reform, Politics
Some campaign promises are big and rhetorical, while some campaign promises are intimate and very specific. In the first group fall the compulsory issues candidates have to weigh in on: balancing budgets, reducing crime, improving schools, etc. Today, President Obama addressed the second group of campaign promises when speaking with House Democrats in advance of [...]
Deep Thought: Protestors, Like Caucus Goers, Not Representative of Mainstream America
March 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Health care reform, Politics and media
Yesterday I was listening to Ryan Warner of Colorado Matters interview Bob Loevy, a political scientist at Colorado College, and something Loevy said struck me.
The caucus electorate is a very exotic one. These are people who tend to be dedicated members of their political party, uh, party regulars, party loyalists. In the Democratic party they [...]
Tags: Anger·Bob Loevy·Caucus Electorate·Colorado Matters·Health care reform·Protestors