August 19, 2009 – 10:23 am
With Republicans resisting the push for socialist-ish medicine, Democrats are ready to go it alone – and of course blame Republicans for standing in the way of progress. Here’s Rahm, via ABC: “The Republican leadership,” said the White House chief of staff, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is […]
August 17, 2009 – 11:19 am
In early May, President Obama announced that a series of health industry organizations had agreed to trim $2 trillion in costs from their operations. The move signaled that the big players in health care were aligning with, not against, systemic reform. It may have been the high water mark of the president’s push for government […]
August 15, 2009 – 8:50 am
Not since Teddy Roosevelt carted carcasses into the White House have the press found so much meaning in presidential pastimes. Earlier this week Time magazine told us how President Obama’s golf game offers insight into his leadership style. Friday, CNN.com previewed the president’s trip to Montana with a story headlined: “Obama’s fly-fishing trip is apt […]
August 13, 2009 – 2:33 pm
Sorry, that should read “White House unleashes viral email,” according to Jake Tapper at ABC News. The email, from Obama political adviser David Axelrove — er, Axelrod — is meant to combat those other viral emails, which contain false information about health reform and manage to spread like wildfire. It’s a smart strategy by the White […]
August 13, 2009 – 2:15 pm
Mike Allen in today’s Politico: “A new coalition this morning is launching $12 million in TV ads to support President Obama’s health-reform plan, in the opening wave of a planned tens of millions of dollars this fall. The new group, funded largely by PhRMA, is called Americans for Stable Quality Care. It includes some odd […]
August 12, 2009 – 12:59 pm
Since it’s the middle of August and we’re just phoning it in, here’s an interesting take on the current health-care debate (and protests) from someecards.com:
August 8, 2009 – 11:01 am
Two quick health care nuggets today. First, Sarah Palin writing about the Obama plan on her Facebook account (that’s what happens when you leave the governor’s mansion): [W]ho will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in […]
August 1, 2009 – 10:52 am
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to take a strikingly aggressive tone against insurance companies — you know, the entities that make reliable health care available to a couple hundred million Americans. Politico reports: “The glory days are coming to an end for the health insurance industry in our country,” Pelosi told reporters Friday afternoon. “This is […]
After yesterday’s posts on beer and football, let’s get back to health care, because President Obama doesn’t want us to get distracted from the big issues. Politico today publishes a memo from House Democratic leaders advising members on how to gin up support for a government takeover of health care during their August “District Work […]
At Wednesday night’s press conference, President Obama sought to get to the heart of Americans’ concerns about health care: I realize that with all the charges and criticisms that are being thrown around in Washington, a lot of Americans may be wondering, “What’s in this for me? How does my family stand to benefit from […]
Any doubt that Republicans (and conservative Democrats) are winning the argument over health care reform was erased within moments of President Obama opening his mouth at tonight’s press conference. While delivering his opening statement, the president looked and sounded chastened – like the teacher’s pet who got unexpectedly scolded in front of class. The president […]
Here’s House Speaker Nancy Pelosi explaining to Politico why she wants to lift the income level at which the proposed surtax to pay for a government takeover of health care would kick in: “I’d like it to go higher than it is,” Pelosi said Friday. The speaker would like the trigger raised to $500,000 for individuals and […]
I’m not surprised that Paul articulated my point about the wider implication of the Miller/Obama student loan proposal even better than I could. As Paul says, the federal government has long paid a subsidy to private loan providers in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. That’s because banks incur costs when they originate and […]
I don’t want to scare anyone, but if you really believe President Obama’s government-run health care option is just a benign attempt to inject some competition into the health care system (I’m lookin’ at you, Paul and Robert Reich), take a look at what Congressman George Miller is proposing for the student loan industry. In […]
How did we get by without him? Example number 487, from Sunday’s Politico Playbook by Mike Allen, quoting “senior White House officials” on health reform: “This is probably the most difficult legislation attempted by anybody, EVER. We’ve never been closer on health care, in 50 years.” Seriously? Over the last 50 years, the federal government gave birth […]
