WASHINGTON (AP)-- Newly arrived Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts accused President Barack Obama and Democrats on Saturday of a "bitter, destructive and endless" drive to pass health overhaul legislation that Brown warned would be disastrous.
"An entire year has gone to waste," Brown said in the weekly GOP radio and Internet address. "Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and many more jobs are in danger. Even now, the president still hasn't gotten the message.
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March 14, 2010
March 13, 2010
Why We Need a New Bull Moose Movement
"I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."
With these fighting words, Teddy Roosevelt shrugged off an assassination attempt by a deranged Milwaukee saloon owner and -- bullet still lodged in his chest -- launched into a ninety-minute address railing against the corporatism and corruption that dominated both parties in Washington.
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With these fighting words, Teddy Roosevelt shrugged off an assassination attempt by a deranged Milwaukee saloon owner and -- bullet still lodged in his chest -- launched into a ninety-minute address railing against the corporatism and corruption that dominated both parties in Washington.
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Health Care Reform: Without Trust, Americans Remain Screwed
It is a wonder of incredulous proportions that Speaker Pelosi declared the other day that the House reconciliation bill will not contain a public option, because the Senate did not include it in their bill and it does not have the votes for one. This was after Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he will "whip" anything the House sends over to the Senate, after 41 Senators have now committed to a public option, and Adam Green, head of a progressive group, did its own whip count this past week and came up with over 50 senators who would support a public option. Add to this that the House has already included the public option in its version of health care reform and a voter would surely ask, what the hell is going on?
The answer to this query is an easy one: Pelosi speaking for her caucus simply does not trust the Senate. She has pointed to the over 290 bills the House has passed yet they are gathering dust on someone's desk over in the Senate. From some corners, it seems that even though 41 senators are publicly supporting the public option, when the "rubber hits the road" in terms of these senators having to cast a vote, maybe they are bluffing and really don't mean what they say or do not really back a document (Senator Bennett's letter) to which they affixed their signatures. But then again this would call into question whether the word of any elected official can be trusted. We surely know that answer. The icing on this cake is, of course, that Obama and his minions are remaining silent, preferring to let two chambers who don't trust one another duke it out, and whatever mess is decided upon they call health care reform will be what Americans will have to live with. All the while, the American voter does not trust Washington regardless of whether it is health care reform or not. Obama even delayed his upcoming trip to Indonesia and Australia for a few days to build trust among the rank and file, according to the White House Press Secretary.
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The answer to this query is an easy one: Pelosi speaking for her caucus simply does not trust the Senate. She has pointed to the over 290 bills the House has passed yet they are gathering dust on someone's desk over in the Senate. From some corners, it seems that even though 41 senators are publicly supporting the public option, when the "rubber hits the road" in terms of these senators having to cast a vote, maybe they are bluffing and really don't mean what they say or do not really back a document (Senator Bennett's letter) to which they affixed their signatures. But then again this would call into question whether the word of any elected official can be trusted. We surely know that answer. The icing on this cake is, of course, that Obama and his minions are remaining silent, preferring to let two chambers who don't trust one another duke it out, and whatever mess is decided upon they call health care reform will be what Americans will have to live with. All the while, the American voter does not trust Washington regardless of whether it is health care reform or not. Obama even delayed his upcoming trip to Indonesia and Australia for a few days to build trust among the rank and file, according to the White House Press Secretary.
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Degrading Citizenship
There is one largely unreported aspect of the recently completed Iraqi elections that I find deeply troubling, and that is the fact that polling places were set up across the U.S. providing Iraqi-Americans the opportunity to vote.
Leaving aside, just for the moment, the question as to whether or not exiles should have the right to vote, what concerns me is that in this election, like the 2005 Iraqi election, U.S.-Iraqi dual nationals voted and the entire effort was supported by the U.S. Government. While the sponsorship of Washington may be unique in this instance, the phenomenon of U.S. dual-nationals voting in foreign elections, is not. It has been the case with some European and Latin American countries and it is now spreading across the Middle East. For example, when Lebanese President Suleiman spoke to a large group of Lebanese Americans during his visit to the U.S. last December, he announced that they would be allowed to vote from the U.S in Lebanon's next parliamentary election. And soon, Israel's Knesset will decide on a proposal that would allow Israeli Americans the right to vote from the U.S. in the next Israeli contest.
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Leaving aside, just for the moment, the question as to whether or not exiles should have the right to vote, what concerns me is that in this election, like the 2005 Iraqi election, U.S.-Iraqi dual nationals voted and the entire effort was supported by the U.S. Government. While the sponsorship of Washington may be unique in this instance, the phenomenon of U.S. dual-nationals voting in foreign elections, is not. It has been the case with some European and Latin American countries and it is now spreading across the Middle East. For example, when Lebanese President Suleiman spoke to a large group of Lebanese Americans during his visit to the U.S. last December, he announced that they would be allowed to vote from the U.S in Lebanon's next parliamentary election. And soon, Israel's Knesset will decide on a proposal that would allow Israeli Americans the right to vote from the U.S. in the next Israeli contest.
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Something Is Brewing Across America Today: The Coffee Party is Percolating
At over 350 small coffee shops across the country today, Americans are witnessing the birth of a new movement. It's not Democrat or Republican, it's not progressive or conservative, it's not young or old. It's not about issues so much as a new way of seeing politics. It's not even the Coffee Party (full disclosure: I am a lifelong tea drinker); as someone said this morning, "We're the Coffee, Tea and We Party."
I attended the first organizing event of the nascent Coffee Party at an ungodly hour of a rainy morning in the welcoming Busboys & Poets coffeeshop in downtown Washington, DC. I had persuaded my friend Mary Panke to go with me, believing in her ability to think positive thoughts and to see creative solutions in every issue. I attended mostly out of curiousity and the cynical fear that the Coffee Party was attempting to copy the Tea Party's tactics.
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I attended the first organizing event of the nascent Coffee Party at an ungodly hour of a rainy morning in the welcoming Busboys & Poets coffeeshop in downtown Washington, DC. I had persuaded my friend Mary Panke to go with me, believing in her ability to think positive thoughts and to see creative solutions in every issue. I attended mostly out of curiousity and the cynical fear that the Coffee Party was attempting to copy the Tea Party's tactics.
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Friday Talking Points — Git ‘Er Done!
Call it the calm before the storm. Democrats in Washington are going through one of those "It's quiet out there... too quiet..." cliché moments, as everyone holds their breath in anticipation of the beginning of the end of the health reform debate in Congress.
What everyone's waiting on is for Congress to leap into action. But, in a surprising twist, this time it might actually happen.
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March 12, 2010
Dream Team: Desiree Rogers, Van Jones and Gavin Newsom?
If Americans once looked east to Washington as the new Camelot, during the presidency of John F. Kennedy, should they be now be looking west to San Francisco and cities ringing the San Francisco Bay as the new ecotopia?
As Congress struggles to free itself from the corporate tar-baby that has entrapped most old style politicians, the new West is moving in the direction of the new economy. Free of the drag of entrenched corporate interests, the new West promises to remake America in the image of its people, not its failed politicians.
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As Congress struggles to free itself from the corporate tar-baby that has entrapped most old style politicians, the new West is moving in the direction of the new economy. Free of the drag of entrenched corporate interests, the new West promises to remake America in the image of its people, not its failed politicians.
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A Bogus Choice Between Creating Jobs and Protecting Federal Lands
Following the recent leak of a Department of Interior memo about preserving America's public lands, some members of Congress have aggressively declared their support for a corporate takeover of federally-owned lands. You'd think they would be better informed about the tremendous benefits of protected lands that belong to the American people. Sadly, some short-sighted politicians have presented a bogus choice between creating jobs and better protecting areas that the federal government -- and therefore the American people -- already own.
With the news this week, some politicians have many people believing that ideas being considered by the Obama Administration constitute a "land grab" by the federal government. Let's be clear -- the land in question is already existing federal property. The question is: should that land be used to preserve America's national treasures, or should we allow its future to be put at risk by special interests that make large campaign contributions to Washington politicians?
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With the news this week, some politicians have many people believing that ideas being considered by the Obama Administration constitute a "land grab" by the federal government. Let's be clear -- the land in question is already existing federal property. The question is: should that land be used to preserve America's national treasures, or should we allow its future to be put at risk by special interests that make large campaign contributions to Washington politicians?
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Health Care Reform: Caddell and Schoen Have It Wrong
A few crocuses have braved the snow, but it's been a long winter in Washington. It started in August, with the town hall meetings on health care reform. The latest icy blast was the March 12 Washington Post opinion piece ("Democrats' Blind Ambition") aimed at Obama and congressional Democratic leaders by Democratic pollsters Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen. They make many points we have made, but miss the signs of spring.
We pointed out last June that Democrats were cherry-picking the polls to argue that Americans supported the House of Representatives' health reform bill, so we can hardly argue with Caddell and Schoen on that point. Nor can we dispute their view that Congressional Democratic leaders are "out of step" with the public, since in December and January the public told us the Democrats were not "out in front" but "out of touch."
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We pointed out last June that Democrats were cherry-picking the polls to argue that Americans supported the House of Representatives' health reform bill, so we can hardly argue with Caddell and Schoen on that point. Nor can we dispute their view that Congressional Democratic leaders are "out of step" with the public, since in December and January the public told us the Democrats were not "out in front" but "out of touch."
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Why Caddell’s Wrong — Passing The Bill Will Help Democrats
he editorial's written by Patrick Caddell, described as a "political commentator and former pollster," and Douglas E. Schoen. Caddell and Schoen play the "pollsters to the past two Democratic presidents" card prominently, but here's what they don't tell you: Schoen's been on a third-party kick since he wrote a paean to centrism called Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party System. And Caddell's a "commentator," all right: he's now a right-leaning Fox News regular. There's plenty of YouTube video of Caddell clucking tongues with Glenn Beck over Van Jones' "violent past," or whatever the right-wing outrage of the day happens to be.
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