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.
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:
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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.
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, Hot Air, TPM LiveWire, Boston Herald and Washington Post
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.”
ama-assn.org:
AMA Supports House Passage of Health System Reform — Will work with Congress and the administration to make critical changes that cannot be addressed through the reconciliation process — For immediate release: — Washington, D.C. - After careful review and consideration …
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ABCNEWS, Washington Monthly, Liberal Values, Little Green Footballs, Political Punch and D.C. Now
The Hill:
Anti-abortion rights Democrats working on a vote deal with Senate on bill
Discussion:
Wonk Room, ABCNEWS, Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Congress Matters, The Confluence, AmSpecBlog, The Corner on National … and Riehl World View
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, National Review Online, AmSpecBlog and The Corner on National …
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David Dayen / Firedoglake:
New Health Care Whip Count: 193 Yes, 208 No (with Leaners: 203-211); Update 2x: 195 Yes — Update: John Boccieri has just confirmed that he will vote for this bill-that brings the Yes column to 194. — Update 2: Dina Titus gets us to 195 “yes.” — Here's the last one.
Sarah Binder / The New Republic:
A Viewer's Guide to This Weekend — Sarah Binder is a professor of political science at George Washington University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is the author of several books on Congress, including Stalemate (Brookings 2003) and Politics or Principle?
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Jeffrey T. Kuhner / Washington Times:
Impeach the president? — The ‘Slaughter Solution’ would violate the Constitution
William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
Kristol: Reconciliation “Fixes” Make Health Care Reform MORE Politically Toxic
Discussion:
Questions and Observations
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, Shot in the Dark, Chicago Boyz, Townhall.com and AmSpecBlog
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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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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
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:
Ben Smith's Blog, news.firedoglake.com, The Daily Politics, Washington Monthly, TalkLeft, Congress Matters and msnbc.com
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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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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:
The Hill, Maggie's Notebook, TPMDC, The Corner on National …, The Washington Independent and Riehl World View
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 …
Discussion:
YID With LID, Wonk Room, Newsweek Blogs, Washington Post, The Corner on National …, Betsy's Page and The New Republic
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.
Wall Street Journal:
Now for the Slaughter — On the road to Demon Pass, our leader encounters a Baier. — Excuse me, but it is embarrassing—really, embarrassing to our country—that the president of the United States has again put off a state visit to Australia and Indonesia because he's having trouble passing …
Discussion:
Democratic Strategist, Salon, JOSHUAPUNDIT, TPM LiveWire, Maggie's Notebook, Mediaite, Wonkette and The Corner on National …
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.
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 …
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 …
David Neiwert / Crooks and Liars:
Beck: Health-care reform will affect America like the bombing of Pearl Harbor — Glenn Beck continued his eliminationist attacks on progressives yesterday with a novel and absurd comparison: … As he was talking, the screen behind him showed the bombs falling on ships at Pearl Harbor and smoke billowing up in their aftermath.
New York Times:
After a Bitter Campaign, Forging an Alliance — WASHINGTON — On a snowy Thursday shortly before her weekly meeting with President Obama last month, Hillary Rodham Clinton got a distressing phone call: her husband, Bill Clinton, was in a hospital with chest pains and needed an urgent heart procedure.
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