memeorandum: The real price of Goldman's giganto-profits (Matt Taibbi/Taibblog)

8:45 PM ET, July 16, 2009

Top Items:

It's Not An Option — Congress: It didn't take long to run into an “uh-oh” moment when reading the House's “health care for all Americans” bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal. — IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure

The Note:

CBO Sees No Net Federal Cost Savings in Dem Health Plans — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: — Here's a blow to President Obama and Democrats pressing health care reform. — One of the main arguments made by the President and others for investing in health reform now is that it will save …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Political Punch, American Spectator, Wonk Room, Hot Air, The Politico, msnbc.com, Wonkette, QandO, American Power, Scared Monkeys, TPMDC, MoJo Blog Posts, Townhall.com, Liberal Values, AmSpecBlog and KeithHennessey.com

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:

CBO Chief Criticizes Democrats' Health Reform Measures — Director Says Proposed Changes Would Weaken Economy — Instead of saving the federal government from fiscal catastrophe, the health reform measures being drafted by congressional Democrats would worsen an already bleak budget outlook …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Firedoglake, The Hill, The Corner, Matthew Yglesias, The Foundry, YID With LID, Washington Monthly, NOW! Blog, Wizbang and Arkansas News

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

Baucus: Bipartisan health deal close — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus(D-Mont.) said Thursday that he hopes to have a bipartisan deal on a health care reform bill by the end of the day. — He made the remarks after huddling for about two hours with five Finance Committee members …

Discussion: The New Republic, The Page and The Sundries Shack

Jonathan Cohn / The Treatment:
BREAKING: AMA Endorses House Bill.

Discussion: New York Times, Firedoglake, Open Left, Liberal Values, Democratic Strategist, NOW! Blog, Washington Monthly, AmSpecBlog, Blog entry and Paul Krugman

David M. Herszenhorn / The Caucus:
Baucus: On Paying for Health Care, Obama Isn't Helping

Discussion: TPMDC, Hullabaloo, Commentary and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

New York Post:
DEM HEALTH RX A POI$ON PILL IN NY

Discussion: The Opinionator, The Daily Dish, JammieWearingFool, Political Punch, Don Surber, Atlas Shrugs, Right Pundits, neo-neocon, LewRockwell.com Blog, Concurring Opinions, The Awl, Gawker, On Deadline, JONATHAN TURLEY, Cold Fury and Power Line

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
Health Legislation Is Said to Carry Debt Risk

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Swampland

The Note:
They're Baaack — New ‘Harry and Louise’ Ad Is for Health Care Reform

Discussion: Emaxhealth, WSJ.com and The Hill

Steve Chapman / Reason: The ‘Public Option’ Health Care Scam

Erica Werner / Associated Press:
House Democrats set to vote on health care bill

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Foundry, Say Anything, TPMDC and The Plum Line

New York Times:
Health Care Vote Illustrates Partisan Divide

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, Time, The Huffington Post, The Politico, The Note, The Caucus, Top Stories from CQ, NewsBusters.org, Washington Monthly, Althouse, Firedoglake, TigerHawk and ABCNEWS

Wall Street Journal: Big Pharma Gets Played

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Video: Witness rips Boxer for racial condescension — Red meat by the slab, folks! Barbara Boxer wound up getting reamed by Harry Alford, the chair of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, after attempting to challenge his testimony on energy policy. When Boxer started waving position papers …

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Townhall.com, Weekly Standard, Say Anything and The Other McCain

Michael O'Brien / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:

Black Chamber head slams Boxer words as ‘racial,’ ‘condescending’ and ‘God awful’ — The President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) tore into Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) Thursday for what he said were “condescending” and “God awful” racial statements at a hearing.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Think Progress, Riehl World View, Wonk Room, Grist and Weasel Zippers

Dan / Riehl World View:
Boxer: But You're Black!

Discussion: GayPatriot, theblogprof, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Rhetorican

Anne Schroeder Mullins / Anne Schroeder's Blog:
Sen. Barbara Boxer, accused of race politics today during the EPW hearing

Discussion: Townhall.com and Reason

Penny Starr / CNSNews:

Joe Biden: ‘We Have to Go Spend Money to Keep From Going Bankrupt’ — (CNSNews.com) - Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money.

Discussion: RedState, Right Pundits, Townhall.com, Don Surber, Hot Air and Wizbang

Washington Post:

Up Next: Biden vs. Cantor — Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) landed a fresh blow in a tit-for-tat battle with Vice President Biden today after the latter accused the senior Republican lawmaker of smearing the administration's $787 billion stimulus package. — Cantor called an afternoon news conference …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Hot Air, Say Anything, Washington Monthly, Gateway Pundit, Weekly Standard and msnbc.com

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
REDEFINING BIPARTISANSHIP.... At a White House event yesterday …

Discussion: Slate and WhiteHouse.gov Blog

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

How Republicans missed their chance with Sotomayor — Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are down to their last chance to make the case that there are serious questions about Sonia Sotomayor's fitness for the Supreme Court. One of the things they will do is stress a subject …

Discussion: The Campaign Spot and Hot Air

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:

Rosen Was Right — After two days of Sotomayor testimony I thought of Jeffrey Rosen's piece on Sotomayor back in May (before he had to backpedal and support her so as not to embarrass the “team"). I don't think much of his temperament criticism, but his analysis of her legal and intellectual capabilities seems exactly on the money:

Discussion: Wonk Room, The Volokh Conspiracy, Hot Air and Bench Memos

Washington Post:
Sessions: GOP Won't Block Vote on Sotomayor Nomination

Discussion: PERRspectives, The Nation and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

NRA-ILA Site Updates:
Joint Statement On Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Nomination To The …

Discussion: Real Clear Politics and The Washington Independent

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Contradictory Objections from the Blue Dogs — One thing that's clear from reading today's news is that Representative Mike Ross (D-AR) is very upset about the House health care bill and is planning to lead a bloc of Blue Dog Dems on the Energy & Commerce Committee to vote against it unless major changes happen.

Discussion: Arkansas News, The Daily Dish, Don Surber, NOW! Blog, Taylor Marsh and Grasping Reality …

Mike Soraghan / The Hill:
Blue Dogs threaten to bring down Pelosi's healthcare bill

Discussion: Think Progress, The Politico, Hullabaloo, Campaign Silo, The Hill's Twitter Room, Hot Air, Wonk Room, DownWithTyranny!, Open Congress, Michelle Malkin, Gateway Pundit, The Anchoress, Jules Crittenden, Wake up America, Obsidian Wings, Riehl World View and A Certain Enthusiasm

Jared Allen / The Hill: Healthcare taxes could shift to deficit reduction

Lily Gordon / Ledger-Enquirer.com:

Federal judge dismisses reservist's suit questioning Obama's presidency — A federal judge this morning dismissed the suit filed here by a U.S. Army reservist who says he shouldn't have to go to Afghanistan because he believes Barack Obama was never eligible to be president.

Discussion: On Deadline, WorldNetDaily and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Lou Dobbs and the Birthers: Stefan Cook's orders were rescinded by the military

Discussion: The Reaction

CNN:

Tracking Michelle Obama's slave roots — GEORGETOWN, South Carolina (CNN) — In many places across the South you can walk in the footsteps of slaves, and if you understand the history, it is not a happy journey. The same is true at Friendfield Plantation outside Georgetown, South Carolina.

Discussion: American Power and Riehl World View

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Romney Edges Palin, Huckabee in Early 2012 GOP Test — Palin's favorable rating stable after announcement of her resignation — PRINCETON, NJ — About one in four Republicans and Republican-leaning independents make Mitt Romney their top choice for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination …

Discussion: The Plum Line, Right Pundits, Newsweek Blogs, race42008.com, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Hot Air, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Fix, The Note, GOP 12, The Page, Washington Wire, The Swamp and msnbc.com

John Yoo / Wall Street Journal:

Why We Endorsed Warrantless Wiretaps — The inspectors general report ignores history and plays politics with the law. — Printer — Friendly — It was instantly clear after Sept. 11, 2001, that our security agencies knew little about al Qaeda's inner workings …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Washington Independent, No More Mister Nice Blog, At-Largely, Emptywheel, Power Line, unbossed.com and Think Progress

A.L. / The Anonymous Liberal:
John Yoo: Still Lying

Discussion: The Note and The Washington Independent

Not Larry Sabato:

REPUBLICANS BECOMING UNHINGED — VA-GOP CANDIDATE JUST SAID: “IF WE LOSE AT THE BALLOT BOX, WE WILL HAVE TO TURN TO THE BULLET BOX.” VIDEO TO COME!! — UPDATE: Quote corrected (it's actually worse):"We have the chance to fight this battle at the ballot box before we have to resort to the bullet box …

Discussion: Virginia Politics, The Huffington Post, The Washington Independent, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Political Carnival

Matt Taibbi / Taibblog:

The real price of Goldman's giganto-profits — Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein in Washington DC in November 2008 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty) … So what's wrong with Goldman posting $3.44 billion in second-quarter profits, what's wrong with the company so far earmarking $11.4 billion in compensation for its employees?

Discussion: Mediaite, Zandar Versus The Stupid, MoJo Blog Posts and Hullabaloo

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:

The President Moves the Economic Goalposts — The stimulus isn't working as originally advertised. — Printer — Friendly — So what's a president to do when the promises he made about his economic stimulus program fail to materialize? If you're Barack Obama …

Discussion: Commentary, neo-neocon, Washington Monthly and Bookworm Room

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Cap, Trade, and Taxis — Sarah Van Schagan at Grist asks for advice on “How should you talk to your cab driver about cap-and-trade?” Well, I'm not sure what the right answer is. But if you want to be very literal about it, ecological sustainability and the interests of cab drivers go hand in hand.

Sarah Van Schagen / Grist:
How should you talk to your cab driver about cap-and-trade? 16

Discussion: MoJo Blog Posts and The Bellows

The Huffington Post:

Former GOP Congressmen Accuse Republicans Of Putting Party Above Constitution — Two former Republican members of Congress have accused their GOP colleagues of putting party politics over the Constitution during the Bush years, arguing that they failed dramatically to check the White House's use of executive powers.