December 24, 2009
Though he died in August, Sen. Ted Kennedy remained the Democrats' spiritual floor leader for today's Senate health care reform vote,
Dana Millbank observes.
"More than anything, it was his memory, and his final exhortation, that allowed the Senate Democrats to overcome considerable differences between moderates and liberals in drafting a compromise. President Obama, in his address to Congress in September, read from a letter Kennedy had written as he neared death, saying he was 'confident in these closing days that while I will not be there when it happens, you will be the president who at long last signs into law the health-care reform that is the great unfinished business of our society.'"
"One after the other, Senate colleagues invoked his name in a manner more often associated with his slain brothers."
Steven Heller: "Santa did not become the universal Claus until 1863, when the American political cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the Democrat donkey and Republican elephant, rendered the quintessential Christmas icon in pen and ink."
Nast "originated this archetype while working for New York's
Harper's Weekly in an attempt to spiritually uplift Union Army soldiers and their families who made sacrifices during the darkest days of the bloody Civil War."
Ezra Klein: "Passing legislation, it turns out, is a long and ugly process. God, is it ugly. The compromises, both with powerful special interests and decisive senators. The trimming of ambitions and the budget gimmicks and the worship of Congressional Budget Office scores. By the end, you're passing a compromise of a deal of a negotiation of a concession... It's not pretty, and it doesn't necessarily feel like winning is supposed to feel..."
"It's been a long time since the legislative system did anything this big, and people have forgotten how awful the victories are. But these are the victories, and if they feel bad to many, they will do good for more. As that comes clearer and clearer, this bill will come to feel more and more like the historic advance it actually is."
A new
CNN/Opinion Research survey indicates that a majority of Americans believe that the Democratic party's policy proposals are good for the country, 51% to 46%.
In contrast, a majority of Americans think Republican policies will move the country in the wrong direction, 53% to 42%.
The health care reform bill passed the Senate in a historic 60 to 39 vote this morning. Even though only a simple majority was needed, every Democratic senator ultimately voted for the bill.
The
Washington Post notes that with the vote "the hardest work of all will begin: reckoning with
long-standing differences with the House version and uniting behind a
single bill that can be sent to the president."
New York Times: "If the two chambers can strike a deal, as seems likely, the resulting product would vastly expand the role and responsibilities of the federal government. It would, as lawmakers said repeatedly in the debate, touch the lives of nearly all Americans... If the bill becomes law, it would be a milestone in social policy, comparable to the creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965."
President Obama will make a statement at 8:45 am ET.
A new
CNN/Opinion Research poll shows that Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) favorable rating with Americans has dropped almost 10-points in the past two weeks -- from 40% to 31%.
Lieberman's well publicized opposition to the expansion of Medicare or the creation of any government-run public insurance option led to a Senate health care compromise that left many people upset. Interestingly, Lieberman's biggest decline -- a 14-point drop -- came among independents.
December 23, 2009
More proof the GOP took an
all-or-nothing gamble on health care reform:
The Hill reports that Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) said Republicans are unlikely to be able to repeal the legislation anytime in the near future.
Said Crapo: "Technically it could be peeled back if the circumstances were right. But we would have to have a president who would sign such a bill, and we would have to have 60 votes in the Senate -- not just 50. So it would be a very tall order, and frankly, the likelihood's that that's not going to develop in the near future."
Interestingly, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) in an
ABC News interview repeatedly declined to say whether the GOP should run on a "repeal" message in 2010.
According to
Roll Call, the Senate agreed to further accelerate its schedule to complete work on the health care reform bill, deciding by unanimous consent to hold a vote on final passage at 7 a.m. on Thursday instead of at 8 a.m.
"I can assure you the vast majority of the Republican conference was on my side saying we've had all the fun we're going to have."
-- Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), quoted by the
Oklahoman, noting most Senate Republicans were
willing to concede they no longer needed to delay a final health care vote until 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Despite her polarizing status, Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) is popular within her district, a new
Public Policy Polling survey shows.
Bachmann's approval rating is 53%, with 41% disapproving. She leads both potential challengers by more than 15 points.
"You have to sort of feel some sympathy for David Paterson."
-- Rick Lazio (R), quoted by the
Journal News, on the unpopular New York governor he is running to replace.
President Obama's role in health care reform "will change from cheerleader to closer in the coming weeks,"
The Hill reports.
"Obama, who has largely deferred to congressional leaders on health care reform, is expected to play a major role in ironing out differences between the House and Senate in order to sign a bill early next year."
Meanwhile,
TPM notes that officials involved in the House-Senate negotiations aren't talking to anyone.
A new
Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky finds both Trey Grayson (R) and Rand Paul (R) leading either Jack Conway (D) or Dan Mongiardo (D) in the race to replace Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY).
Grayson leads Conway, 40% to 33%, and tops Mongiardo, 44% to 35%. Paul leads both men by identical 42% to 36% margins.
Jonathan Karl: "Say what you want about the health care bill, but Harry Reid is about
to complete a task of LBJ proportions. And Lyndon Johnson never had to
corral 60 Senators for one vote during a blizzard. If public opinion
doesn't turn around for Democrats, this may ultimately prove to be a
pyrrhic victory, but on a purely procedural level Harry Reid now looks
like the master of Senate. One month ago, who seriously thought the
health care bill would pass the Senate by Christmas?"
Mike Allen reports that White House officials "say January's tight legislative calendar means it's unlikely health reform will get to the president's desk before the State of the Union address (likely Jan. 26, maybe Feb. 2 --West Wing hasn't settled on date)."
"The House comes back Jan. 12 and then goes on a Democratic retreat. The Senate doesn't come back until Jan. 18. Everyone seems committed to getting a bill to the president's desk as soon as possible, but there are huge issues -- notably abortion language -- that have to be worked out between the House and the Senate. Officials at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue hope to avoid a FORMAL CONFERENCE -- appointing conferees requires a series of votes. Some House members want the formal process, but the differences are more likely to be hashed out among Speaker Pelosi, Leader Reid and the White House, with some personal involvement by the president."
In addition, CBO scoring of the new bill could take an additional 7-10 days.
Nate Silver says the most valuable House Democrat of 2009 -- defined as the person "who votes with his party on key pieces of legislation more often than a typical congressman from his district would" -- is Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN). He voted with Democrats on 8 of 10 key votes this year in spite of being in a R+13 district.
Unfortunately for Democrats, he's
retiring.
The
Huntsville Times notes Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL), who
switched parties yesterday, still faces a very tough Republican primary if he expects to retain his seat.
Hotline On Call reports the Club for Growth
criticized
Griffith "for his votes in favor of some Dem priorities, and he already
has other candidates in the race against him. If anything, Tea Party
activists could see a GOP-held seat with no viable Dem contender, so
far, as the perfect chance to campaign against a DC insider with a less
than perfect voting record."
The symbolism of a party switch is devastating for Democrats, but it will quickly fade if Griffith's re-election race becomes another fight for the soul of the Republican party.
Meanwhile, one key data point that probably helped Griffith make the move:
SurveyUSA shows President Obama's approval rating in Northern Alabama at just 30%.
December 22, 2009
Think Progress caught a chilling moment on
C-SPAN this morning. A "teabagger," apparently taking Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
at his word, called in tears, worried that his prayers for Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) to die before the early morning procedural vote on health care had backfired. The caller was distraught over the absence of Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK).
Read more...
Politico tells the story of how Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) went hunting with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) in the latter's home state and how, six weeks later, Schumer secured Nelson's crucial vote on health care reform.
It's a fascinating story of an unlikely friendship between the Senate Democratic Conference's most conservative member and one of its most liberal.
This
photo from the outing is priceless.
The
Reno Gazette-Journal reports that recently filed documents in the divorce case of Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) and the first lady "go into further detail about his contention that he shouldn't have to pay alimony past 2011 because he might not be re-elected."
With polling showing him
very unpopular, Gibbons' lawyer "has argued that the governor should be able to stop paying Dawn Gibbons alimony after Jan. 1, 2011 because he could be unemployed after the next election. Gibbons has discounted that his lawyer's argument concedes anything about next year's election, in which he's facing a Republican primary battle."
Democrats and Republicans have agreed to vote on final passage of the Senate's health care reform legislation at 8 a.m. Christmas Eve, instead of at 7 p.m. as previously scheduled.
In an interview with the
Washington Post, President Obama rejected the criticism that he has compromised too much in order to secure health-care reform legislation.
Said Obama: "Nowhere has there been a bigger gap between the perceptions of compromise and the realities of compromise than in the health care bill. Every single criteria for reform I put forward is in this bill."
He added that the Senate legislation accomplishes "95 percent" of what he
called for during his 2008 presidential campaign and in his September speech to a joint session of Congress.
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) have pulled their endorsement of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) for the U.S. Senate, the
St. Petersburg Times reports.
The lawmaker brothers from Miami offered few details as to why, just that Crist had "left us no alternative and he knows why."
Recent polls show primary challenger Marco Rubio
gaining ground quickly and it's clear Crist -- once considered a runaway favorite -- will now have a real fight.
"I will not leave until my friends in the Senate have completed their work. My attitude is if they are making these sacrifices to provide health care to all Americans, the least I can do is be around and provide them any encouragement and last-minute help."
-- President Obama, on delaying his planned Hawaii vacation until the Senate passes the health care reform bill.
A new
Insider Advantage survey in South Carolina finds Attorney General Henry McMaster (R) and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer (R) tied at 22% for the GOP nomination for governor, with Nikki Haley (R) way back at 13% and Gresham Barrett (R) at 9%.
On the Democratic side, Jim Rex (D) leads the field with 21% support, followed by Dwight Drake (D) with 15% and Vincent Sheheen (D) at 8%.
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