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04 Mar 2010 09:55

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Politics: The Atlantic: Democrats regained their health-care momentum

  • Then – Jim Bunning’s decision to put a face on Republican obstructionism in the Senate. … Bunning’s gesture of ill-will erased any credibility the GOP Senate had.
  • Atlantic writer Mark Ambinder • Regarding what he calls a “perfect storm” of decisions that have put health care back in the Democrats’ court. He names a number of reasons (WellPoint’s rising insurance rates), but Bunning’s move stands out the most notable in a series of events that have seemingly put the ball back in the Democrats’ court once again, after Scott Brown effectively took it away. However, it’s not a slam-dunk. First they have to please folks like Rep. Bark Stupak, who won’t support the Senate bill unless key abortion provisions are removed. He pushed for a compromise in that regard for the House bill. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2010 20:42

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Politics: Mitt Romney makes a good (and true!) point on health care

  • The lifespan of the average American is less than that of people in nations that spend far less (on health care). … To put it bluntly, we spend more and die sooner.
  • Mitt Romney • In his new book, “No Apology” (which could also be what that LMFAO rapper got), regarding the health care plan he enacted in Massachusetts. According to Polifact, this nugget is in fact true. At a 77.8 year life expectancy, 23 nations are ahead of us, and Japan is nearly five years ahead of us. And regarding health care expenditures, we spend $7,290 per capita on health care, which is WAAAAAYYY (we’re talking thousands) above each of those 23 nations. In fact, one nation ahead of us, South Korea, spends a quarter per capita. (Why is this, anyway?) Romney knows what he’s talking about – he enacted a bipartisan health care plan in Massachusetts, which has a TON in common with Obama’s plan. This is funny because the title of the book is inspired by a criticism of something Obama said. Awk-warrrd. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2010 10:29

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Politics: David Paterson forgets that people also asking him to quit

  • A number of people have contacted me and asked me to stay.
  • Gov. David Paterson • Regarding the scandal which is ruining his governorship and is really making Eliot Spitzer look like a prince in comparison. The politician is facing one messy scandal, as word is that he personally ordered state police to pressure a woman domestically abused by one of Paterson’s top staffers. Paterson didn’t look good before this, and now he looks beyond reproach. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2010 20:35

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Politics: Here’s a guy who’s upset with Jim Bunning right now. Thanks CNN!

Joe Orr, right, got an e-mail the other night explaining that his unemployment benefits were ending. He says that Jim Bunning needs a “reality check.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2010 20:16

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Politics: Jim Bunning gets what he wants, and all is right with the world

  • Dude got the emergency unemployment bill paid for. Thanks to a lot of complaining and even more grandstanding, the lame-duck Senator got the emergency unemployment bill paid for. How? Democrats decided to remove a biofuel tax credit on so-called “black liquor,” a byproduct of the paper manufacturing process, which is expected to save $24 billion – more than enough to cover the emergency $10 billion unemployment benefits bill. You win, Sen. Jim Bunning. Next time, do it on a bill that doesn’t screw over a million people, OK? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2010 10:01

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Politics: Harold Ford explains why he isn’t running, blames the party

  • The cruel twist, of course, is that the party bosses who tried to intimidate me so that I wouldn’t even think about running against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who had been appointed to the seat by Gov. David A. Paterson, are the same people responsible for putting Democratic control of the Senate at risk.
  • Harold Ford Jr. • In an editorial explaining why he chose not to run for the New York Senate despite pushing hard to make his move. This quote seems a weeee bit pissed off for some reason. We’re not sure why. But like we said last night, Gawker is responsible for his campaign going nowhere. Because they made it clear that he was both completely incompetent and sounded like a carpetbagger. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2010 23:02

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Politics: The history of political gridlock, Salon.com edition

  • The increasing mismatch between population and power in American government that underlies the present gridlock needs to be addressed by structural reforms.
  • Salon writer Michael Lind • Regarding the social reasons the Republican party is currently strongly obstructionist. Lind compares working-class white voters to social groups of earlier eras – including British Protestants (who feared European immigrants) and Southern planters – that held disproportionate power in Congress and the presidency despite their declining numbers. He also suggests ways they hold that power, and how to get around it that are completely unrealistic (What if New York was five states instead of one?) and some that might be more realistic (What if we get rid of this stupid filibuster?). source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Mar 2010 21:40

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Politics: ABC News cameras resort to chasing down Jim Bunning

  • “EXCUSE ME! I HAVE TO GET TO THE FLOOR!” Jim Bunning, the senator and former baseball player, may kinda sorta have a point in his PAY-GO criticism, but this bill is really not the one to be making said point on. And the media is chasing him down looking for droplets of blood they can trail down as a result. Prior to this clip, Bunning flipped off an ABC News producer, which generally isn’t considered proper decorum in the Senate. (On a side note, we’d just like to point out that Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins has done this before.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2010 21:08

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Politics: Harold Ford decides not screwing with N.Y. Senate election smart

  • After giving it considerable thought and talking it over with his wife, he reached the conclusion that he would not be running, although he said he would like to remain active in the Democratic Party here.
  • New York Assemblyman Vito Lopez • Regarding Harold Ford’s decision not to take on Kirsten Gillibrand in the New York Senate race. Ford hasn’t exactly made himself a lot of friends when attempting his Senate run, making himself sound like an idiot on multiple occasions, all of which have been covered at length on Gawker. In fact, some might argue that Gawker singlehandedly ruined Ford’s chances by publicizing his stupid moves. Including us. Yeah, we said it. OK, we’ll give Harry some credit too. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2010 11:10

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Politics: Warren Buffett: Health care like a “tapeworm” on economy

  • If it was a choice today between Plan A, which is what we’ve got, or Plan B, which is the Senate bill, I would vote for the Senate bill. But I would much rather see a Plan C that really attacks costs, and I think that’s what the American public wants to see.
  • Super-investor and overall smart guy Warren Buffett • Regarding the current state of health care, which he says is damaging the possibility of a clean economic recovery. “It’s like a tapeworm eating at our economic body,” he said. That’s like the coolest quote ever. He also called the 2008 financial crisis an “economic Pearl Harbor,” but said that we will eventually win the war. We economically like the way this guy talks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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