Conrad goes on Fox, Threatens House

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday December 20, 2009 · 8:21 AM PST

2009/12/20 · 08:21

The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee says the House must stick close to the Senate's version of health care reform or risk losing the 60 votes needed to pass it in the Senate.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday December 10, 2009 · 7:13 PM PST

2009/12/10 · 19:13

Barack Obama ran for president as a man of the people, standing up to Wall Street as the global economy melted down in that fateful fall of 2008. He pushed a tax plan to soak the rich, ripped NAFTA for hurting the middle class and tore into John McCain for supporting a bankruptcy bill that sided with wealthy bankers "at the expense of hardworking Americans."

Then he got elected.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday September 11, 2009 · 5:10 PM PDT

2009/09/11 · 17:10

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the first time yesterday suggested she may be wavering on her support of the public option by saying she would support any provision that increases competition and accessibility for health insurance - whether or not it is the public option favored by most Democrats.

from openleft.com: EXCLUSIVE: UnitedHealth Lobbyist Announces Pelosi Fundraiser As She Begins Backing Off Pub Option

Pelosi ruled out any non-negotiable positions," according to CNN. This was also corroborated by the Associated Press, and by Pelosi's own words, as quoted in those stories.

This announcement came just hours before Steve Elmendorf, a registered UnitedHealth lobbyist and the head of UnitedHealth's lobbying firm Elmendorf Strategies, blasted this email invitation throughout Washington, D.C.

The sequencing here is important: Pelosi makes her announcement and then just hours later, the fundraising invitation goes out. Coincidental? I'm guessing no - these things rarely ever are.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday August 25, 2009 · 9:51 AM PDT

2009/08/25 · 09:51

Senator Wyden is one of the uncommitted Democratic senators currently being pressured by The Alliance (OpenLeft.com, Democracy for America and Health Care for America Now) to publicly commit to the public option - in order to bring the count to the required 50.

I just spoke with Senator Wyden's DC and Portland, OR offices. Their good-news responses are below the fold.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday August 22, 2009 · 6:44 AM PDT

2009/08/22 · 06:44

As you all know, Sebelius' comments last weekend created a firestorm about the public option. Yesterday, however, while visiting the Ohio State University Medical Center, her comments were much more supportive of the public option. Link and quotes below the fold.

Thanks to all who have contacted Congress and donated, our message is reaching the administration.

Please keep up the good work. We will do this. And please continue to donate; thereisnospoon has a great diary with all the information you need: OMG, What Have You People Done

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday August 21, 2009 · 1:46 PM PDT

2009/08/21 · 13:46

Talking Points Memo has a post from the Cook Political Report - and it doesn't look good for the Dems.

The newest analysis from the Cook Political Report -- one of the most respected political commentators out there -- finds that the Democrats have lost control of the political environment, and that current trends could point to significant Congressional losses in 2010.

http://www.tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.c...

These data confirm anecdotal evidence, and our own view, that the situation this summer has slipped completely out of control for President Obama and Congressional Democrats.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday August 20, 2009 · 10:09 AM PDT

2009/08/20 · 10:09

Greg Sargent at The Plum Line has a post that provides an internal anti-reform memo from "Conservatives for Patient's Rights", outlining that they are prepared to go all out to kill the public option - now that it is receiving new life.

The memo discusses a "Martha’s Vineyard ad strategy" that’s set to kick in next week. According to a source familiar with the group’s plans, this is a reference to a planned national ad targeting the public option that will reference the President’s vacation.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday August 19, 2009 · 8:33 AM PDT

2009/08/19 · 08:33

Oh brother!

The Hill is reporting that this morning Robert Gibbs said the NY Times article about the Dems going it alone on health care is wrong.

He actually gave credit to Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee for working in good faith on reform. His quote below the fold.

I wish this administration would get its story straight. My head is spinning.

Bottom line: we're going to have to fight harder than ever before to make this happen.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 17, 2009 · 12:39 AM PDT

2009/08/17 · 00:39

There is a new site called stopbackingdown.com that has started a petition to be delivered to Democratic members of Congress, the text of which is below the fold.

Thus far the signers are not holding back in their comments. Would love to see names and comments from the DKos community added.

If you feel so inclined, please sign and pass along to your friends, family, listserves, etc. And please rec. this diary to raise awareness of the petition.

Here's the link:

http://www.stopbackingdown.com

Poll

140 votes Show Results

Will you sign the petition and share with others?

140 votes Vote Now!

Will you sign the petition and share with others?

Yes, absolutely

126 votes

Maybe

4 votes

No way

10 votes

Media Finally Waking Up UPDATED

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday August 15, 2009 · 9:10 AM PDT

2009/08/15 · 09:10

I had a most pleasant surprise as I picked up my newspaper this morning.

On the front page of The Oregonian is an article entitled "Health reform foes have vested interest". Its subtitle is: "Lobbyists: Critics backing opposition groups hold financial stakes in the debate". It includes a sidebar which says "$263.4 million: The amount spent by health care lobbyists in the first six months of 2009, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group".

I realize this is a short diary, but I thought this article might brighten your day.

Some quotes below.

nandssmith

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday August 09, 2009 · 11:51 AM PDT

2009/08/09 · 11:51

Ezra Klein has a WaPo article with Lindsey Graham that reveals three shocking facts about Ron Wyden, a supposed liberal Democratic senator from the blue state of Oregon, and member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

1. Wyden just penned an op-ed in the Washington Post touting bi-partisanship as important and necessary in developing health-care reform.

2. According to Lindsey Graham, Wyden has promised Republicans Bennett from Utah and others that he will drop support for a public option in favor of bi-partisanship to gain support for "his" (Wyden-Bennett) bill.

3. According to Graham, Wyden is doing this despite getting beaten up by his constituents back home over the public option issue.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/...

Newer
Older

RSS

Conrad goes on Fox, Threatens House

Updated: Matt Taibbi: Obama's Big Sellout

BREAKING: UnitedHealth Lobbyist Announces Pelosi Fundraiser As She Begins Backing Off Pub Option

Wyden will support public option if bill fiscally sound

Good news: Sebelius' Newest Public-Option Comments

Cook Report: Bad news for Dems

Internal anti-reform memo: gearing up to kill the public option

BREAKING: White House walks back "Dems going it alone"

Please sign new petition to demand public option, with Poll

Media Finally Waking Up UPDATED

Dem Senator Wyden Selling Out Public Option?