Health care reform

Entries Tagged as 'Health care reform'

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Betsy Markey to Vote Yes on Health Care Reform

March 18th, 2010 · No Comments · Health care reform, Politics

Betsy Markey announced this afternoon she’ll vote yes on health care reform. Here’s an excerpt from a letter sent to supporters:
This bill will be the single largest deficit reduction bill in 27 years. It will most likely be the single largest deficit reduction measure I vote for as a Member of Congress.
That’s why I’m voting for [...]

More About Abortion & Health Care for Women and Children

March 6th, 2010 · No Comments · Health care reform

Yesterday I wrote that I didn’t think Diana DeGette and other strongly pro-choice Democrats would scuttle health care reform over the crappy deal women are bound to get out of any bill that eventually arrives at some compromise language on abortion. Matt Yglesias cites Theda Skocpol and offers further support for my read of the [...]

Missing the Point

March 6th, 2010 · No Comments · Politics

WaPo headline: “Massa resigns; Democrats’ ethical lapses could threaten hold on power.”
Don’t get me started. Scummy politicians are bad, but they’re pretty much beside the point. Democrats’ inability to function as a unified caucus is what threatens the party’s hold on power, as evidenced by the fracture and fallout surrounding health care reform. Massa’s resignation [...]