Top Items:
CNN:
5 more Dems will vote against health care — Washington (CNN) — Five more House Democrats said Tuesday that they will vote against Senate health care legislation, which puts opponents of reform just 11 votes shy of the 216 needed to prevent President Obama from scoring a major victory on his top domestic priority.
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Huma Khan / ABCNEWS:
Hoyer, Eric Cantor Spar Over Health Care Vote Count, Parliamentary Tactics — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer today hinted that Democrats may use a controversial parliamentary procedure to pass the health care bill, a tactic that House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor charged would be an attempt to fool the public.
Wall Street Journal:
Opinions Harden on Health — Nearly half call plan a ‘bad idea’ in latest Journal/NBC poll, but Democrats who oppose it risk alienating base — Democratic lawmakers may be tempted to vote against the health-care overhaul plan pending in Congress because it remains unpopular with a broad swath of the public.
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Fineman Reports Kucinich to Vote “Yes” — Dennis Kucinich has called a press conference for tomorrow. Howard Fineman is reporting that Kucinich will vote “yes” on health care. — Kucinich told Obama that he wants a full ERISA waver and a public option in exchange for his vote.
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Breaking: Kucinich To Vote Yes — In a big get for House Dems, Dennis Kucinich just made it official: He's voting for the Senate bill, making him the first member to go on record fliping his vote from No to Yes. — “In the past week it's become clear that the vote on the final bill will be very close …
The Note:
Do Pelosi and the Democrats Have the Health Care Votes? Here's the Math — ABC's David Chalian reports: President Obama and Speaker Pelosi have each spent some quality time with Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, in the last 36 hours. They probably have a pretty good idea …
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Politico, Washington Post, The Hill, Associated Press, CNN and Riehl World View
Norman J. Ornstein / The Enterprise Blog:
Hypocrisy: A Parliamentary Procedure — Any veteran observer of Congress is used to the rampant hypocrisy over the use of parliamentary procedures that shifts totally from one side to the other as a majority moves to minority status, and vice versa. But I can't recall a level …
Associated Press:
If bin Laden is found, he'll be killed, Holder says — Holder: If bin Laden found, he'll be killed — Osama bin Laden “will never appear in an American courtroom,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told House members at a hearing Tuesday. — “Let's deal with the reality here,” …
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New York Times:
McConnell Strategy Shuns Bipartisanship — WASHINGTON — Before the health care fight, before the economic stimulus package, before President Obama even took office, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader, had a strategy for his party: use his extensive knowledge of Senate procedure …
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Jennifer Bendery / Roll Call:
Pelosi Calls All Female Democratic Members Into Meeting — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is asking all female Democratic Members to attend a hastily called meeting Wednesday morning but isn't saying what the meeting is about. — Pelosi's office sent an e-mail out Tuesday evening requesting …
New York Times:
Democrats Consider New Moves for Health Bill — WASHINGTON — As lawmakers clashed fiercely over major health care legislation on the House floor, Democrats struggled Tuesday to defend procedural shortcuts they might use to win approval for their proposals in the next few days.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Hot Air, ABCNEWS, Washington Post, Plain Dealer and The Atlantic Online
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Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
House Democrats scramble to ensure adequate deficit reduction in health bill
House Democrats scramble to ensure adequate deficit reduction in health bill
Discussion:
The Note, Commentary, Associated Press, Swampland, USA Today, National Review and BluegrassBulletin.com
Philip Klein / AmSpecBlog:
Dems Still Don't Have the CBO Score They Want
Dems Still Don't Have the CBO Score They Want
Discussion:
QandO, The Atlantic Online, Betsy's Page, Hot Air, Hit & Run, Riehl World View, The Politico, The Corner on National …, The Other McCain and The Hill
Chris Frates / The Politico:
PhRMA plans $6 million pro-reform ad buy in 38 House districts — Kucinich announcing vote decision at 10 a.m. — Dems 11 votes shy of 216 — Poll: Public split on reform — ‘Pay for delay’ dead — It's Wednesday. Happy St. Patty's Day. “We'll drink, and drink, and drink, and drink, and drink, and drink and Pulse!”
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Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:
FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
Discussion:
Moonbattery
The Politico:
House Dems feeling the heat
House Dems feeling the heat
Discussion:
McClatchy Washington Bureau, The Foundry, Taylor Marsh, USA Today, The Hill, CNN, Michael Calderone's Blog and Open Congress
Laura Rozen / Laura Rozen's Blog:
Admin, Dems move to put dispute with Israel in perspective — As a key pro-Israel House Democrat Howard Berman (D-Cal.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, voiced sympathy for the Obama administration's sense of frustration with an Israeli government settlements announcement last week …
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Ezra Klein:
Was Medicare popular when it passed? — For some time, I've been trying to find good polling from the passage of Medicare. According to Greg Sargent, though, the Democrats beat me to it: … I wonder how many of the legislators who took the tough vote to move Medicare forward regret doing that today.
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Dem Leaders To Rank And File: Public Was Closely Divided On Medicare, Too!
Dem Leaders To Rank And File: Public Was Closely Divided On Medicare, Too!
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Robert Kagan / Washington Post:
Allies everywhere feeling snubbed by President Obama — The contretemps between President Obama and Israel needs to be seen in a broader global context. The president who ran against “unilateralism” in the 2008 campaign has worse relations overall with American allies than George W. Bush did in his second term.
Tim Fernholz / American Prospect:
The Fine Print on Financial Reform — If Dems want to campaign on regulatory overhaul for the banking sector, they need to make sure reforms are more than in name only. — On Monday, President Barack Obama released a complimentary statement about Sen. Chris Dodd's latest proposal for financial reform …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
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Jack Chang / Sacramento Bee:
Field Poll: Meg Whitman trounces Steve Poizner, edges Jerry Brown — Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has built a massive edge over her GOP rival Steve Poizner while taking a narrow lead over likely Democratic nominee Jerry Brown, according to results released today by the nonpartisan Field Poll.
Matt Lewis / Politics Daily:
GE and Ronald Reagan: The Mutual Gift That Keeps On Giving — As part of a one-year celebration to honor the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth, General Electric will run ads honoring the 40th president's legacy — and will donate $10 million to The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library …