memeorandum: A very bad deal to pass a very good bill (Ezra Klein)

8:15 PM ET, November 7, 2009

Top Items:

A very bad deal to pass a very good bill — The final compromises before a bill comes to the floor are never very pretty. This one, however, is worse than I anticipated. Opposition from anti-abortion Democrats, driven in large part by aggressive activism from the Catholic Church …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, FiveThirtyEight, TalkLeft, Daily Kos and AmSpecBlog

Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:

Bishops endorse the bill — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops delivered a critical endorsement to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday by signing off on late-night agreement to grant a vote on an amendment barring insurance companies that participate in the exchange from covering abortions.

Discussion: The Note, Associated Press, The Daily Dish, Swampland, Wonk Room, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, QandO, The Corner on National …, Firedoglake and George's Bottom Line

The Huffington Post:

Obama To Dems: GOP Will Attack Regardless Of How You Vote — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — In a final push to get health care reform through the House of Representatives, President Barack Obama warned lawmakers on Saturday that a vote against the legislation would not immunize them from Republican attacks.

Discussion: The Plum Line, Washington Monthly, MyDD and Daily Kos

Washington Post:

House passes key hurdle on health-care legislation — Debate expected to last at least four hours, vote on landmark reform scheduled this evening — After receiving a pep talk from President Obama, House Democrats cleared a key procedural hurdle Saturday in the debate over expanding …

Discussion: Newsweek Blogs, The Page and Blue Virginia

Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:

The abortion deal — Abortion opponents won a huge last-minute concession late Friday night after Democratic leaders agreed to grant them a vote on an amendment that would effectively bar insurers that participate in the exchanges from offering coverage for abortions.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The New Republic, Wonk Room, Daily Kos, Weekly Standard, St. Louis Tea Party and Alas, a blog

The Politico:

Sources: Pelosi, Dems lock up 218 — TAGS: - Joe Crowley, - George Miller, - Bart Stupak, - Health Care Bill, - James Clyburn, - Barack Obama, - Eric Cantor, - Abortion, - Health Care, - Health Care Reform, - Henry Waxman, - Steny Hoyer, - Mike Pence, - Nancy Pelosi, - House Energy And Commerce Committee …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and Raw Story

New York Post:
Shutting off the miracle-drug spigot

Discussion: JammieWearingFool

Chris Frates / The Politico:
Stupak says he has the votes

Discussion: Open Left

The Hill:
Up-or-down vote on an amendment to block abortion funding approved

Discussion: RHRealityCheck.org, TPMDC, Washington Monthly, CNN, The Politico, theblogprof, Hot Air, jillstanek.com, AmSpecBlog, Taylor Marsh, BlueNC blogs, The Impolitic and Wake up America

David M. Herszenhorn / Prescriptions:
Abortion Fight Erupts in Health Care Debate

Discussion: Firedoglake, NOW! Blog, New York Times and New York Times

Booman Tribune:
Price for Health Care, Women Under Bus

Discussion: TBogg, Washington Monthly and American Power

Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:
Schakowsky: We're fighting off Stupak amendment

Discussion: RHRealityCheck.org and Alas, a blog

David Dayen / Firedoglake: House Voting Now On The Rule For Health Care Debate

Think Progress:

GOP Gone Wild: Unruly Republicans Silence Women Lawmakers With Screams, Shouts, And Delay Tactics — This morning, the House began consideration of the rule for debate of the House health care bill. As the Democratic Women's Caucus took to the microphone on the House floor to offer …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, The Political Carnival, The Reaction, The Mahablog, Washington Monthly, MyDD, At-Largely, The Moderate Voice, Hullabaloo, Stop The ACLU, Crooks and Liars and Little Green Footballs

TCOT REPORT 2009©:

President Obama Acknowledged Today That He and Bill Owens Pulled a Health Care Fast One on the Voters in NY-23 — The New York Times is reporting that in his pep talk to the Democrats in Congress this morning, President Obama acknowledged that he and newly elected NY-23 Democratic Congressman Bill Owens …

Discussion: American Power

Michelle Malkin:

Liveblogging: The new Imperial Congress votes on Pelosicare; Update: Female Democrats turn House resolution process into circus; GOP responds; Obama rallies weakened Dems; will Stupak amendment stick? — The House is now in a rare Saturday session for the government health care takeover ram down.

Discussion: GayPatriot, Gateway Pundit, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Left Coast Rebel, Sister Toldjah, Weasel Zippers, Macsmind and The Other McCain

Michelle Malkin:

Liveblogging, Pt. 2: The hurry-up House debate on health care — There's less than half an hour left of general debate on the House government health care takeover bill. — Next, there will be debate on the Kabuki Stupak abortion funding measure (which GOP leader Boehner exposed in his exchange with Charlie Rangel this afternoon).

Discussion: Prescriptions, GayPatriot and Hot Air

The Huffington Post:

WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — After months of debate, the House of Representatives is set to vote on major health care reform legislation today. Keep updating this page for breaking news updates, read the overview AP coverage HERE, and follow live streaming video of the fierce House debate and Twitter updates HERE.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Open Left, The Hill, The Greenroom, MyDD, jillstanek.com and Daily Kos

Chris Frates / The Politico:
Cooper will vote yes

Discussion: Daily Kos and Campaign Trail

The Politico: The Undecideds — Where the fate of the bill rests

Telegraph:

Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists — Major Nidal Malik Hasan worshipped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a “spiritual adviser” to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001. — Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre …

Discussion: Power Line, American Power and Hot Air

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Maybe If We Apologized With Greater Deference

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Atlas Shrugs, Gothamist, Room for Debate, American Power and Jules Crittenden

Michael Moss / New York Times:
Muslims at Fort Voice Outrage and Ask Questions

Discussion: Biased BBC, Associated Press, Stop The ACLU and msnbc.com

Stephen Schwartz / New York Post:
Take a look at Hasan's old mosque

Discussion: Washington Post and Outside The Beltway

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Obama Says Don't ‘Jump to Conclusions’

Discussion: American Power, Mudville Gazette, The Swamp and The Blotter

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Gregg: CBO cost estimate of Pelosi Plan $3 trillion; Update: Heritage says $2.4T — You know, Senator Gregg, talking like this won't get you an appointment to Barack Obama's Cabinet. Oh, wait ...: … I'm not sure where Gregg gets the $3 trillion number.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

Dan Perrin / RedState:
CBO: New House Health Bill Spending Estimate, $3 Trillion over 10 Years

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and The Foundry

Betsy McCaughey / Wall Street Journal:
What the Pelosi Health-Care Bill Really Says

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Pajamas Media, Republican Ways and Means, The Strata-Sphere and Weasel Zippers

MyFox Boston:

Barney Frank present during marijuana bust — BOSTON (FOX25, myfoxboston) - FOX25 has learned that Congressman Barney Frank was present during a marijuana arrest at James Ready's home in Ogunquit, Maine. Ready is well-known for his relationship with Congressman Frank.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Greenroom, Atlas Shrugs, Scared Monkeys, JammieWearingFool, Weasel Zippers, Gateway Pundit, Instapundit, The Powers That Be and Moe_Lane's blog

Chris Frates / The Politico:

Dems sources: 218 is on the way — At this moment, Democratic sources say their internal head counts have them breaking through the 218 mark this afternoon. Whether that will mean that more Democrats will come on board, or that Pelosi is going to cut other members lose, is still unclear.

Discussion: AmSpecBlog and Hot Air

Kevin Boland / GOP Leader Blog:

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX): “If the IRS and Medicare Had a Baby, It Would Look Like This” — At a press conference this morning with House Republican Leaders, Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Ranking Republican Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) employed a colorful metaphor in his effort to describe the vast …

Discussion: Big Government

GOP Leader Blog:
Mega-Bureaucracy: J.E.C. Chart Shows Speaker Pelosi's New Bill …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Times, Chronicle of the Conspiracy, Conservatives4Palin.com, Nice Deb, American Freedom and Townhall.com

Hillary Chabot / Boston Herald:

Neighbors aim to silence Old Ironsides' cannons — Quiet riot! — Old Ironsides' upscale Charlestown neighbors are trying to pull off what British, French and Barbary pirate guns failed to accomplish in more than two centuries - silencing the cannons of the nation's oldest commissioned naval vessel.

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel