memeorandum: The Cure That Makes the Disease Worse (John/Power Line)

11:25 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

Washington Post:

Budget Analyst Assails Cost of Congress's Health-Care Proposals — CBO Chief Says Democrats' Proposals Lack Necessary Controls on Spending — Congress's chief budget analyst delivered a devastating assessment yesterday of the health-care proposals drafted by congressional Democrats …

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

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

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Baucus: Bipartisan health deal close

Discussion: The Page, Zandar Versus The Stupid and The Sundries Shack

Jeffrey Young / The Hill:
Senators: No bipartisan health deal this week

Discussion: Hot Air

John / Power Line: The Cure That Makes the Disease Worse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: JustOneMinute, Macsmind, Fausta's Blog, Weekly Standard, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Townhall.com, 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: Wonk Room, Gateway Pundit, Latest Open Salon Blog, Riehl World View, Think Progress, Grist and Weasel Zippers

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

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

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

Discussion: Reason and Townhall.com

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: Power Line, Zandar Versus The Stupid, 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: Zandar Versus The Stupid, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Volokh Conspiracy, Wonk Room and Hot Air

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

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, How Appealing, PERRspectives, The Nation, Above the Law, Los Angeles Times and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

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

Discussion: The TrogloPundit, Real Clear Politics and The Washington Independent

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: Stop The ACLU, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, RedState, Don Surber, Right Pundits, Wizbang, Townhall.com, Weasel Zippers and Doug Ross

John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:

RNC Web site promoting anti-Semitic, anti-Latino, and pornographic literature — (UPDATE: I understand the Latino book is not anti-Latino, but in fact debunks anti-Latino prejudice. Fair enough. But I'm still looking forward to the RNC's explanation for including “bondage,” “anal,” and “clitoris.” )

Discussion: 24Ahead, Raw Story, The Political Carnival and The Impolitic

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

Political Punch:
Should They Have Called It The ‘Stabilization’ Act?

Discussion: Hot Air and Stop The ACLU

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

Discussion: Slate and WhiteHouse.gov Blog

Chris / TVNewser:

Susan Roesgen Out at CNN — Breaking: TVNewser has learned CNN correspondent Susan Roesgen's contract will not be renewed and she will be leaving the network. — Roesgen, you'll recall, was criticized for her coverage at the tax day tea parties in April, when she said the event she was covering …

Discussion: No Sheeples Here!, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Gateway Pundit, RedState, Founding Bloggers and Macsmind

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Obama Tells Fellow Blacks: ‘No Excuses’ for Any Failure — President Obama delivered a fiery sermon to black America on Thursday night, warning black parents that they must accept their own responsibilities by “putting away the Xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour,” …

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Politico

Sunlen Miller / ABCNEWS:
Obama Stresses Responsibility at NAACP's 100th Anniversary

Discussion: The Swamp, The Politico and The Moderate Voice

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

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: Crooks and Liars, Virginia Politics, The Huffington Post, The Washington Independent, The Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, The Political Carnival and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

CNBC.com:

Roubini: Views on Economy Unchanged Despite Reports — Nouriel Roubini, the economist whose dire forecasts earned him the nickname “Doctor Doom,” said after markets closed Thursday that earlier reports claiming he sees an end to the recession this year were “taken out of context.”

Discussion: Zandar Versus The Stupid and Calculated Risk

BBC:

Fatal blasts hit Jakarta hotels — At least six people have been killed in two separate explosions at luxury hotels in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, police say. — The country's Metro TV reported that one blast hit the Ritz-Carlton and the other, the Marriott Hotel.

Discussion: msnbc.com, CNN and The Moderate Voice

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, Bookworm Room and Are We Lumberjacks?

A.L. / The Anonymous Liberal:

John Yoo: Still Lying — In this morning's Wall Street Journal, John Yoo has an op-ed defending himself from the malpractice charges set forth in the recent Inspecter General's report. As with the opinions themselves, the op-ed is deeply disingenuous and misstates the law repeatedly.

Discussion: The Note

John Yoo / Wall Street Journal:
Why We Endorsed Warrantless Wiretaps

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Kos, Slate, No More Mister Nice Blog, At-Largely, The Washington Independent, Emptywheel and Power Line

Jonathan Cohn / The Treatment:

BREAKING: AMA Endorses House Bill. — Via Health Care for America Now: The American Medical Association just sent a letter to House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, endorsing the health reform proposal put forward by three House committees. — This is unexpected. Or, at least, I wasn't expecting it.

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

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, race42008.com, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Hot Air, The Fix, Newsweek Blogs, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, GOP 12, Washington Wire and The Swamp

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, Hullabaloo, Gawker and Balloon Juice

Wall Street Journal:

Obama and the Speech — What is the point and purpose of the President's orations? — Printer — Friendly — Can Barack Obama talk his way onto Mount Rushmore? He might. In fact, if just half of what Mr. Obama has said that he, we or the world should do comes to pass, he's going straight to that mountain.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, GayPatriot and Betsy's Page