Top Items:
Christina Bellantoni / TPMDC:
Dems: Memo On Medicare Changes Isn't Ours — It's A GOP ‘Hoax’ — Democrats today are accusing Republicans of circulating a fraudulent memo that claims to be sent to “Democratic health and communications staff” and which suggests the majority party leadership wants to make big changes to Medicare next year after health care passes.
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Chris Frates / The Politico:
Democrats challenge authenticity of ‘doc fix’ memo — An earlier post in this spot detailed what was purported by Republicans to be an internal Democratic memo regarding the upcoming health reform vote Sunday. Democratic leadership has challenged the authenticity of the memo.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, TPMDC, skippy the bush kangaroo, The Atlantic Online, The Washington Independent, Raw Story, Newsweek Blogs, Conservatives4Palin.com, iOwnTheWorld.com, Weekly Standard, Hit & Run, Ben Smith's Blog, The Corner on National …, Townhall.com, Riehl World View and The Daily Caller
The Politico:
Obamacare threatens U.S. future — Liberals have long dreamed of putting the government in charge of America's health insurance industry. Each time they tried, the American people have stood up and rejected a government takeover of health care. — This is different.
Chicago Breaking Business:
Caterpillar: Health care bill would cost it $100M — A worker at Caterpillar's plant in Mossville, Ill. (José Moré/Chicago Tribune) — Dow Jones Newswires | Caterpillar Inc. said the health-care overhaul legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives …
Discussion:
Hot Air, theblogprof, Time, Political Byline, GOP Leader Blog, Townhall.com, Big Government, GINA COBB, Riehl World View and Confederate Yankee
Mark Matthews / Orlando Sentinel:
Kosmas to back healthcare reform — WASHINGTON — After days of fence-sitting, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach said Friday that she would support a sweeping Democratic plan for healthcare reform that has divided the country even as it aims to bring health insurance to 95 percent of Americans.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, TRAIL BLAZERS, TPMDC, TPM LiveWire, Hot Air, Washington Post and Boston Herald
New York Times:
Rift Emerges Over Medicare as Health Care Vote Nears — Share your thoughts about the health care debate. — The latest on President Obama, his administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. — WASHINGTON - A dispute over Medicare payments rates created …
The Note:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Shoots Down Rep. Bart Stupak's ‘Fix’ — ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was asked about Bart Stupak's suggestion that there could be another bill to address abortion funding and she said, “I haven't heard any of that.”
The Hill:
Anti-abortion rights Democrats working on a vote deal with Senate on bill
Discussion:
CNN, Wonk Room, Daily Kos, ABCNEWS, Congress Matters, Firedoglake, The Confluence, AmSpecBlog, The Corner on National … and Riehl World View
Matt Finkelstein / Media Matters Action Network:
Rep. Paul Broun Compares Health Care Reform To “The Great War Of Yankee Aggression”
Discussion:
Think Progress, Washington Monthly, PERRspectives, Matthew Yglesias, Wonkette and TPM LiveWire
KDKA-TV:
U.S. Rep. Altmire To Vote Against Health Care Bill — PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Congressman Jason Altmire will vote against the latest version of health care reform when the U.S. House of Representatives votes on the bill this weekend. — Altmire confirmed that he has decided to vote …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Hot Air, The Page, AmSpecBlog, The Corner on National … and National Review Online
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Jeffrey T. Kuhner / Washington Times:
Impeach the president? — The ‘Slaughter Solution’ would violate the Constitution — The Democrats are assaulting the very pillars of our democracy. As the debate on Obamacare reaches the long, painful end, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is confronting a political nightmare.
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
GOP: Dems are bluffing, don't have the votes — House GOP whip Rep. Eric Cantor has sent out a brief memo outlining the health care vote count from the Republican perspective. The best way to look at it is not to ask whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi has gotten the 216 votes needed to pass …
Suzy Khimm / Mother Jones:
Lynch: Why Obama Didn't Convince Me on Health Care — Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass), who switched from “yes” to “no” on the health reform bill, is insisting that his vote will not kill the legislation, noting that the House Democrats have the votes to pass the measure this weekend without his support.
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The Huffington Post:
Reid Promises Separate Public Option Vote In Next Few Months — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Hoping to assuage progressive Democrats who remain disappointed with the content of the health care reform bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) committed on Friday to holding a separate vote on a public option in the coming months.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Hill, Maggie's Notebook, The Washington Independent, TPMDC, The Corner on National … and Riehl World View
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Breaking: Ellsworth To Vote Yes — Another big get for Dems: Rep Brad Ellsworth, a former Yes vote who shared the concerns of the Stupak dozen and was intensely wooed by both sides, will vote Yes on the Senate bill, his spokesman confirms to me. — “He's a Yes,” Jonathan Kott …
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John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Brad Ellsworth Abandons Stupak, Will Vote Yes (UPDATED)
Discussion:
Townhall.com
Ezra Klein:
Notes on CBO skepticism — My colleague Neil Irwin has a very good piece on the difficulty the Congressional Budget Office has predicting the cost of something complex like the health-care reform bill. But because his piece is coming in the context of a coordinated conservative effort …
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Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
On health reform's price tag, score one for skepticism
Discussion:
New York Times, The Foundry, Matthew Yglesias, USA Today, NewsBusters.org and The Corner on National …
Capitol Confidential / Big Government:
The Heat is On: Congressman's Office Says Constituent Calls Are ‘Harassment’ — Yesterday, I decided to call Rep. John Garamendi's (CA-10) office in Washington, D.C. He's my representative and I wanted to voice my opposition to the Senate Health Care Bill. I spoke with a female staffer …
Discussion:
The Corner on National …, theblogprof, American Power, Chicago Boyz, Shot in the Dark, Townhall.com and AmSpecBlog
Bruce Bartlett / Forbes:
The Misinformed Tea Party Movement — For an antitax group, they don't know much about taxes. — On March 16 the Tea Party crowd showed up for yet another demonstration on Capitol Hill in Washington. Curious about the factual knowledge these people have regarding the issues they are protesting …
kff.org:
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — March 2010 — The March Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds the public still divided on health reform legislation, with 46 percent of Americans backing the reform proposals on Capitol Hill, 42 percent opposing them and 12 percent saying they aren't sure.
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Ezra Klein:
Twilight of the interest groups — Think back to 1994 for a second. The insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the American Medical Association, the hospital industry and the major business groups ferociously opposed Bill Clinton's health-care reform proposal.
Discussion:
Sadly, No!
Kathryn Jean Lopez / The Corner on National …:
'America's Comeback' — By: Kathryn Jean Lopez — This RGA video will resonate: — Watch it and tell me you're not feeling it right now ...
Bloomberg:
Federal Reserve Must Disclose Bank Bailout Records — The Federal Reserve Board must disclose documents identifying financial firms that might have collapsed without the largest U.S. government bailout ever, a federal appeals court said. — The U.S. Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled today …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
SEIU To Yank Support For Arcuri, Will Search For Challenger — It appears SEIU is dead serious about this business about yanking support for House Dems who vote No on the health bill. — The SEIU bluntly informed Dem Rep Michael Arcuri of New York yesterday that it's pulling support …
Discussion:
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Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Fact Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care Bill — click for a PDF of our health care reform fact sheet — I'll be on the new CNN show with Jon King that premieres at noon ET, available for live stream here — jh — The Firedoglake health care team has been covering the debate in congress since it began last year.
Brian Aguilar / Wall Street Journal:
A History of Wall Street Journal Hedcuts — When job-seeking illustrator Laura Levy first met the team of Wall Street Journal hedcut artists in the early 1980s, she was struck by their peculiar task. — “I saw what these people were doing and I thought, 'they're insane,'” says Levy.
Barry Ritholtz / The Big Picture:
Explaining the Impact of Ultra-Low Rates to Greenspan — As noted last night, Alan Greenspan has blamed the crisis on a lack of regulation rather than ultra-low rates. (You can find his Brookings institute paper The Crisis here). — While the lack of regulatory enforcement — ironically …
Discussion:
Corrente
Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online:
Democrats Want to Buy Now, Pay Later With Health Care? — I don't want to be overconfident in my predictions, as obviously I'm rather invested in the health care issue. I don't know what's going to happen in November, and to the extent that I do know, it's because I think the broad macro forces simply …
Discussion:
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