David Shulter defends Keith Olbermann on Reliable Sources. Baltimore Sun David Zurawik actually says that Bill O'Reilly has been more reasonable during the past year than Olberman. O'Reilly defended calling George Tiller a baby Tiller after the doctor's death. On what planet does Zurawik find that reasonable. Zurawik goes on to attack the "Worst Persons" list by comparing Olbermann to Joe McCarthy. Zurawik fails to realize he can't attack Olbermann for using heated rhetoric and then commit the same journalistic sin.
Fun fact: at the end of the video Howard Kurtz says the daytime news shows practice journalism standards. The news shows are unapologeticly anti-Obama.
Andrew Breitbart is refused to talk to Talking Points Memo about James O'Keefe's bizarre plan to film himself having sex with CNN reporter Abbie Boudreau. Fortunately, Boudreau was tipped off about O'Keefe's goal to act out his porn movie fantasies. (Ceiling mirror and dildos? Really.) O'Keefe has posted videos on Breitbart's web site in the past. Breitbart defended O'Keefe when the latter was arrested for attempting to tamper with Sen. Mary Landrieu's office phones. Breitbart got into an insane shouting match with David Shuster.
Breitbart and Shulter argued over O'Keefe's ACORN videos. A law enforcement investigation found that O'Keefe doctored the video.
Brooklyn prosecutors on Monday cleared ACORN of criminal wrongdoing after a four-month probe that began when undercover conservative activists filmed workers giving what appeared to be illegal advice on how to hide money.
While the video by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles seemed to show three ACORN workers advising a prostitute how to hide ill-gotten gains, the unedited version was not as clear, according to a law enforcement source.
"They edited the tape to meet their agenda," said the source.
On Tweeter, Breitbart threatened to sue blogger Oliver Willis for libel. Willis posted this tweet.
wow, @andrewbreitbart's crew strikes again. o'keefe planned to seduce cnn reporter on boat with sex toys
Bretbart fired back at Willis.
@owillis '@andrewbreitbart's crew'? do you want to get sued for libel?
It is an empty threat. O'Keefe has been on Breitbart's payroll. Shulter reported the fact in the video and Breitbart did not refute it. Breitbart would be laughed out of court if he tried to sue Willis over a tweet. Breitbart needs to spend less time worrying about the Left and more time working on anger management issues. The guy seriously has problems.
Side note: Glenn Reynolds links to an Esquire interview of O'Keefe accomplice Ben Wetmore defending the plan to seduce Boudreau on the boat. Reynolds is actually doing pushback for his buddy Breitbart. I am more than happy to point out the moral void that is InstaPundit.
Conservatives have supported health insurance exchanges. The Heritage Foundation and U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio have advocated taking health care coverage away from employers. The advantage of employer-based health insurance is private companies can negotiate cheaper coverage with insurers. Citizens don't have that power. That is the same reason why the proposed co-opts have limited leverage with insurance companies. The public insurance option will be big enough to leverage for cheaper medical treatment.
Obama has caved in to Sen. Olympia Snowe and is proposing insurance exchanges.
Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage. We will do this by creating a new insurance exchange - a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we've given ourselves.
This will take health insurance coverage from employers and into the private markets. Companies save money by not offing insurance and insurers can charge higher prices per person. This is not health care reform. Obama is offering a financial giveaway to insurers and businesses. My fears have been proven to be true.
Snowe told David Shuster she will not support a public option. Snowe is optimistic about Obama's speech. Health care advocates should be worried.
Update: After watching speech, it appears a scaled down version of the public option is still on the table.
Progressive Caucus co-chairs Lynn Woolsey and Raul Grijalva sent a letter to President Barack Obama. The Progressive Caucus makes it clear any bill without the public option is "unacceptable." The letter is reaction to news the White House has Sen. Olympia Snowe writing a health care trigger bill. This would mean true health care reform would be delayed until cost overruns "trigger" a reaction. Private health insurance premiums and Medicare costs are already out of control. Blue Dog Democrats and some Republicans support a trigger bill because it would delay reform.
Dear President Obama:
Thank you for continuing to work with Members of Congress to draft a health reform bill that will provide the real health care reform this country needs.
We look forward to meeting with you regarding retaining a robust public option in any final health reform bill and request that that meeting take place as soon as possible.
Public opinion polls continue to show that a majority of Americans want the choice ofa robust public plan and we stand in solidarity with them. We continue to support the robust public option that was reported out of the Committees on Ways and Means and Education and Labor and will not vote for a weakened bill on the House Floor or returning from a Conference with the Senate.
Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, a public option built on the Medicare provider system and with reimbursement based on Medicare rates-not negotiated rates-is unacceptable. A plan with negotiated rates would ensure higher costs for the public plan, and would do nothing to achieve the goal of providing choice and competition to keep rates down. The public plan with set rates saves $75 billion, which could be lost ifrates are negotiated with providers. Further, this public option must be available immediately and must not be contingent upon any trigger.
Mr. President, the need for reform is urgent. Every day, 14,000 Americans lose their health care coverage. We must have health care reform that will effectively bring down costs and significantly expand access. A health reform bill without a robust public option will not achieve the health reform this country so desperately needs. We cannot vote for anything less.
We look forward to meeting with you to discuss the importance of your support for a robust public plan, which we encourage you to reiterate in your address to the Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday.
Lynn Woolsey Raul Grijalva
The Progressive Caucus makes up 60 votes in the House. Nancy Pelosi made it clear there are not enough votes, if the public option is taken from the bill. Obama's math on the votes is insane. There is no guarantee Snowe will even vote for her own bill. The Snowe bill would automatically lose 60 House votes. I tweeted this comment on Twitter. David Shuster, of MSNBC, and othersretweeted my post.
@DavidShuster Interesting how Obama governs, as if Dems don't have supermajorities. Imagine if Bush banked on Wellstone and Feingold in 2002
Obama already made an agreement with pharmaceutical companies to block Congress from negotiating for cheaper drugs. An Obama health care plan, without the public option, would mandate every adult American buying private health insurance. This isn't reform. This is Obama being the industry's leading insurance agent. Democrats need to vote against any bill that is an insurance industry giveaway. It is better that Obama not pass any health care bill than legislation that would make taxpayers dependent on the insurance industry. My advice to Democrats is the party can survive without Obama. Republicans lost power by supporting every horrible Bush policy initiative.
Democratic presidents Truman and Johnson got health care with progressive policies. Obama is proposing a neoliberal vision that will be a financial windfall for insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Obama never objected to Max Baucus writing a bill that excluded the public option. Obama himself stated the public option is not essential. The public option was the carrot on the vstick for progressives. Silly rabbit, did you really believe Obama.
Back in June, Obama refused to commit to the public option. Progressives have to save America from President Barack Obama.
MSNBC anchor David Shuster tweeted the public option is dead.
Every indication public option is dead at WH. So, reform means taxpayer funds transferred to for profit companies to cover more people. That won't fly on the left
Not only not fly with the Left, the Progressive Caucus will not vote for the bill. Darcy Burner has organized 60 Democrats, in the House, to support a public option only bill.
Burner said liberals have new organizational muscle to back up their threat. As evidence, she pointed to a fundraising effort coordinated by MoveOn.org and left-wing bloggers that netted about $400,000 in small-dollar donations in just a few days for 60 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Those lawmakers signed an Aug. 17 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pledging to vote against a bill that doesn’t include a robust public plan.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear health care reform will not pass with a public option.
Not at all, she said. Asked by HuffPost if she would allow a reform package without a public option out of the House, she responded: "It's not a question of allow. It wouldn't have the votes."
Obama spent his political capital on the hope Charles Grassley and Mike Enzi would support health care reform. The White House has finally come to the conclusion Grassley and Enzi will never vote for any Democratic backed health care bill. Obama is left with a health care bill with no public option that will not get through the House. The President risks losing his base. This is Obama's "read my lips 'no new taxes" moment.
Shulter made a great observation of Obama's brand of change.
@jillosopher that's right. Corporate welfare to a group obama said was holding the economy hostage. So now let's give them more money and more hostages. Odd
Shuster fears Obama will sign a bill requiring all Americans to buy private health insurance. Taxes will be used to help lower income people get private insurance. This is a giveaway to the insurance industry. Democrats need to vote against this. If Obama really is pushing for a private insurance bamboozle then the Democratic Party should run candidates against the President in 2012.
