Top Items:
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, Washington Post, The Hill, The Politico, Associated Press, CNN, Riehl World View and The Hill
RELATED:
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.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Left Coast Rebel, The Moderate Voice, AmSpecBlog, The Reaction, Hotline On Call, Washington Post, QandO, Gateway Pundit, The Corner on National …, RedState, The TrogloPundit, The Hill, Hot Air, Another Black Conservative, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Riehl World View, TPMDC and Firedoglake
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 …
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.
Huma Khan / ABCNEWS:
House Majority Leader: 'We're Going to Have a Clean Up or Down Vote' — Steny 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 …
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
GOP senator predicts legal challenges to ‘deem and pass’ — The Senate's second-ranking Republican predicted legal challenges if Democrats use a controversial tactic to move healthcare reform. — Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday said litigation could result if Democrats draft …
The Politico:
Kucinich is a ‘yes’ on health care
Kucinich is a ‘yes’ on health care
Discussion:
The Note, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Prescriptions, The Swamp and Another Black Conservative
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
Chris Frates / The Politico:
PhRMA plans $6 million pro-reform ad buy in 38 House districts …
PhRMA plans $6 million pro-reform ad buy in 38 House districts …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, OpenSecrets.org, TPMDC, The Washington Independent, Washington Post and Time
David Harsanyi / Denver Post:
Where is the outrage? — Not long after President Barack Obama gave his conciliatory speeches to the Islamic world, he chose not to meddle in the sham election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In fact, he offered not a word of support for the men and women who took to the streets against that totalitarian regime.
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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 …
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Jobs Bill Passes in Senate With 11 Votes From Republicans — WASHINGTON — The Senate approved and sent to President Obama on Wednesday what Congressional Democrats hope will be the first in a series of bills spurring employment by providing tax breaks and other hiring incentives to businesses.
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Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
Senate OKs jobs bill for Obama's signature
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.
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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William Teach / Stop The ACLU:
ACLU Sues Government Over Use Of Drones In War Zones — ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. Really? Because it sure appears that they are (still) doing everything possible to not only protect Islamic jihadis, but, to make sure they have the information necessary in order to not be captured and killed by the US government.
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Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Kinsley's Transcendental Deduction of Hyperinflation — Michael Kinsley has a very strange column alleging that we're soon going to face hyperflation: “When everybody assumes 10 percent, all the forces that produced 10 percent push it to 20 percent, and then 40 percent …
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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.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, ATTACKERMAN, Commentary, The Washington Independent, Weekly Standard and Ben Smith's Blog
Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Hawaii considers legislation to ignore birthers. — The birther conspiracy continues to live on, despite definitive proof showing that President Obama was indeed born in the United States. Hawaii's government agencies are becoming so frustrated with the delusional birthers that the state …
RELATED:
Mark Niesse / Associated Press:
Hawaii considering law to ignore Obama ‘birthers’
Hawaii considering law to ignore Obama ‘birthers’
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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.
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 …
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:
FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan — WASHINGTON - Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print. — Premiums are likely to keep going up even if the health care bill passes, experts say.