memeorandum: Dems Start To Push Back Hard To Prevent A ‘Waterloo’ (National Journal Online)

4:20 PM ET, July 22, 2009

Top Items:

White House declines to disclose visits by health industry executives — Citing an argument used by the Bush administration, the Secret Service rejects a request from a watchdog group to list those who have visited the White House to discuss the healthcare overhaul.

Discussion: The Plum Line, MyDD, The Confluence, Salon, TPMMuckraker, Talking Points Memo, Buck Naked Politics, Denver Post, Sunlight Foundation, Think Progress, Taylor Marsh, Michelle Malkin, Outside The Beltway, Emptywheel, The Impolitic and Media Blog

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

In Health Care Fight, Defining Moment Nears for President — WASHINGTON — Six months into his administration, President Obama is at a pivotal moment. He has pushed through a $787 billion economic stimulus package, bailed out Wall Street and, on Tuesday, managed to beat the defense industry in the Senate …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Boston Globe, McClatchy Washington Bureau, AMERICAblog News, The Caucus, The Page, Clusterstock, The Plum Line, USA Today, The Campaign Spot, CNN and Eduwonk

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Obama White House breaks another promise to reject Bush secrecy — Well, at least it's bipartisan. — The still sort-of-new Barack Obama Democratic administration has again adopted another policy straight out of the administration of his much-criticized Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

Discussion: Associated Press, Right Wing News, JustOneMinute, Sister Toldjah and In The Agora

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Stephen Colbert on Chuck Todd and torture investigations — (updated below - Update II) — Amazingly, reports that Eric Holder is considering commencing an investigation into Bush-era torture crimes has created extreme consternation in multiple Beltway circles despite how narrow and limited those investigations would be.

Discussion: New York Times, The Huffington Post, Zandar Versus The Stupid and Raw Story

Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:
Blue Dogs get a deal on health costs

Discussion: Roll Call, Washington Monthly, msnbc.com, Wall Street Journal, Kausfiles, Washington Post, Wizbang and TPMDC

The Hill:
Dems at odds on how to turn tide on health

National Journal Online:

Dems Start To Push Back Hard To Prevent A ‘Waterloo’ — A telling episode recounted by Senate Finance ranking member Charles Grassley reveals the Obama administration might be more worried than they are letting on that a Republican senator's comparison of the healthcare overhaul to Waterloo might be dangerously close to the truth.

Discussion: Associated Press, RedState, Cold Fury, Maggie's Farm, Wizbang, Reason, Below The Beltway and Patterico's Pontifications

CNN:

Senator: Democrats “baffled” by president's health care stance — WASHINGTON (CNN) - As the prospects for passing health reform by the time Congress leaves for its August recess look bleaker, Democratic grumbling about President Obama is growing louder. One Democratic senator tells CNN …

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Riehl World View and Don Surber

JammieWearingFool:

'You're Going To Destroy My Presidency' — Recall Barack Obama whining the other day how “this isn't about me”? — Well, that's nonsense. Of course it's all about him. … Somebody please send Baracky a waaaahmbulance. — Oh wait, are they covered by his plan?

Discussion: Hot Air, theblogprof, CBS News, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Ironic Surrealism v3.0, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Pajamas Media, The Corner, Michelle Malkin and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Paul / Power Line:
The wrong approach — At the risk of repeating a point …

Discussion: Bookworm Room, Eunomia and PoliGazette

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Liz Cheney: No question on citizenship — Liz Cheney is taking some heat today for, amid a discussion on Larry King Live of the fringe movement that doubts Obama's citizenship, appearing to defend it. — “People are fundamentally uncomfortable, and they're fundamentally increasingly uncomfortable …

Discussion: The New Republic, TPMDC and Below The Beltway

Rachel Weiner / The Huffington Post:
Liz Cheney Defends Birthers On Larry King (VIDEO)

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates, At-Largely, Personal Democracy Forum blogs, Jack & Jill Politics and AMERICAblog News

Joan Walsh / Salon:
Liz Cheney defends the Birthers

Discussion: The Opinionator, Right Wing Nut House, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Newshoggers.com, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Washington Independent

Bobby Jindal / Wall Street Journal:

How to Make Health-Care Reform Bipartisan — In Washington, it seems history always repeats itself. That's what's happening now with health-care reform. This is an unfortunate turn of events for Americans who are legitimately concerned about the skyrocketing cost of a basic human need.

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
SNOWE FALLS ON HEALTH CARE REFORM.... It seemed encouraging, at least at first.

Discussion: TPMDC and The Plum Line

CNN:
CNN Poll: President's approval on health care under 50 percent

Discussion: Newshoggers.com and Right Pundits

Deirdre Walsh / CNN:

GOP's new youth ambassador: Lady Gaga? — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Politics may make for strange bedfellows — but even for this town, this may be the oddest couple to ever make beautiful music together: House Republicans...and pop diva Lady Gaga. — At Tuesday morning's weekly GOP conference meeting …

Discussion: Below The Beltway, Top of the Ticket, Shakesville, Indecision Forever and Ironic Surrealism v3.0

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Lady Gaga Strategy

Discussion: Ezra Klein, ATTACKERMAN and Reason

Mike Soraghan / The Hill:

Pelosi: Congress should work through recess — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said she's open to keeping the House in session through the August recess to pass its healthcare overhaul. — “I think 70 percent of the American people would want that,” Pelosi said. “I want a bill.”

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Note, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, TPMDC and MoJo Blog Posts

Tory Newmyer / Roll Call:
Pelosi: We Have the Votes to Pass Health Care

Discussion: Weekly Standard and Politics Nation

Quinnipiac University:

Toomey Ties Specter In Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Say New Democrat Does Not Deserve Another Term — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's 2010 reelection lead over Republican challenger Pat Toomey has shrunk to a tie with 45 percent for Specter and 44 percent for Toomey …

Discussion: The New Republic, The Fix, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Wire, Daily Kos, D-Day, Notepad, Real Clear Politics, Scorecard's Blog, Hotline On Call, The Page, AmSpecBlog, Commentary, TPMDC, Taegan Goddard's … and RedState

Bob Franken / Politics Daily:

Sarah Palin 2013: A Look Ahead — It is noon, Jan. 20, 2013. Sarah Palin raises her right hand to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. — Palin had won a decisive victory over the incumbent, Barack Obama. The country was still trapped in economic rubble …

Discussion: Indecision Forever

Laura Litvan / Bloomberg:

Republican Hatch Leaves Bipartisan Health-Care Talks — Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said he is ending his participation in bipartisan talks aimed at compromise health-care legislation, a setback in President Barack Obama's call for a measure lawmakers in both political parties might support.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Campaign Silo

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Orrin Hatch quits health care talks

Discussion: The Treatment and The Page

Capitol Briefing:

Democrats Defeat Concealed Weapons Amendment — In a 58-39 vote, supporters of the looser gun law — including all but two Republicans and 20 Democrats — fell two votes short of the 60 they needed under Senate rules to approve the measure. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Thune …

Discussion: The Fix and TPMDC

Martin Kady II / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
Gun amendment shot down in close vote

Discussion: The Note

Chris Harris / Media Matters Action Network:

Rep. Blackburn: “We're Not Going To Cry ‘Emergency’ Every Time We Have A Katrina” … THE MEANING OF “EMERGENCY” — While extolling the virtues of a balanced budget during a PAYGO debate on the floor of the House, Rep. Marsha Blackburn shamefully exclaimed: … This statement is shocking on many levels.

Discussion: Think Progress and Daily Kos

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
KATRINA WASN'T AN EMERGENCY?.... Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R) …

Discussion: The New Republic

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Why did Obama meet with the CBO? — The relevant clip comes at the three-minute mark, where Viera challenges Obama on the CBO scoring of the health-care reform bills: — Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy … Why is this important?

Discussion: protein wisdom, Political Punch, The Foundry, Director's Blog, Fausta's Blog and YID With LID

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Conrad: A thorn in Obama's side

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and Campaign Silo

Rasmussen Reports:

53% Now Oppose Congressional Health Care Reform — The health care reform legislation working its way through Congress has lost support over the past month. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% of U.S. voters are at least somewhat in favor of the reform effort while 53% are at least somewhat opposed.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Weekly Standard, Hot Air, YID With LID, HotAirPundit, Don Surber and RedState

Josh Drobnyk / Morning Call:

Callahan to challenge Dent, sources say — Bethlehem mayor's run for Congress vs. GOP incumbent seen as key race in 2010 — Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan will run for Congress against Republican incumbent Charlie Dent in 2010, sources say, setting up a political battle the likes of which the Lehigh Valley hasn't seen in 17 years.

Discussion: Scorecard's Blog, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Swing State Project and pa2010.com

Fred Kaplan / Slate:

The remarkable vote to kill the plane and what it means for America's military future. — This is a big deal: The Senate today voted to halt production of the F-22 stealth fighter plane, and it did so 58-40, a margin much wider than expected. — Not only is this a major victory for Secretary …