I wrote earlier that I didn’t know whether the Slaughter solution would hold up, and I still don’t know. Will it bring reluctant Dems in the House on board? Does Pelosi have the cojones to go through with it? And … Continue reading →
A great many people are crying out for term limits as a remedy for Congressional corruption and power trips. And there are certainly many advantages to the idea. But certain recent actions of the Democrats in Congress have made me … Continue reading →
In Forbes, Shikha Dalmia offers a good summary of the present state of health care reform. It’s worth reading the whole thing, but here’s a short excerpt: …[B]oth the Democratic Party and President Obama have mutually reinforcing blind spots that … Continue reading →
I must confess I don’t understand how this could possibly get by: House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter is prepping to help usher the healthcare overhaul through the House and potentially avoid a direct vote on the Senate overhaul bill, the … Continue reading →
Health care reform has had so many missed legislative deadlines that it’s difficult to count them. The first one I can remember was last summer. The goal was to pass this thing before the American people had time to study … Continue reading →
…or doesn’t she? Have the votes for HCR, that is? Even Pelosi doesn’t know for sure. As for me, I would not believe a word that comes out of Pelosi’s mouth. And that includes “and” and “the.” While it’s true … Continue reading →
Representative Eric Massa (D-NY) accuses the Democratic leadership of forcing him out to save health care reform. He says the target has actually been on his back since he voted against cap and trade: “When I voted against the cap … Continue reading →
If you’re finding it difficult to understand exactly how reconciliation would work in terms of the current bills regarding health care reform, you’re not alone. To clarify—or perhaps to add to your confusion—here are two somewhat opposing articles on the … Continue reading →
What a difference an election makes. Obama used to sing quite a different tune on why a strong and bipartisan majority was needed to pass a transformative bill such as HCR. There are lots of previous Obama quotes to that … Continue reading →
Today’s thoroughly excellent WSJ editorial on using reconciliation to pass health care reform makes the point that Democrats’ comparisons to previous transformative bills such as Social Security, Medicare, and welfare reform are inappropriate, because all those measures enjoyed significant bipartisan … Continue reading →
This WaPO piece is another in a series of recent articles about how Rahm Emanuel is the only voice of practicality, incremental change, and reason in the Obama White House (I wrote about an earlier piece here). I’m not at … Continue reading →
This Politico piece calls Nancy Pelosi “one of the strongest speakers in modern history.” I suppose that depends on what you mean by the word “strong.” If you’re thinking Nurse Ratched strong rather than the greater strength that comes from … Continue reading →