A solution to the excise tax?

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday January 15, 2010 · 8:06 AM PST

2010/01/15 · 08:06

I has a bit of insomnia last night, and for some reason my thoughts drifted to the excise tax. I worried a bit about how something that is already framed as a tax on health care benefits would be a great campaign point for the GOP in 2010 and, even worse, a possible "Read my lips" moment for Obama in 2012.

So, I fretted and worried, and then began casting around for a solution. This is what I came up with, and I wanted to throw it out there for others who have a deeper understanding of the issues to ponder, comment, etc.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 23, 2009 · 11:11 AM PST

2009/11/23 · 11:11

I'm a bit surprised that (1) Senate Republicans were obstinate enough to make such a stupid party line vote and (2) the Democratic party isn't making a peep about it.

It's almost like everyone is so bogged down in the weed counting votes and looking up procedural rules that the big picture has been ignored. Thing about it: even the the GOP has the ability to vote against the bill and a chance at a filibuster that would even prevent that vote, every single Republican that was in the chamber voted against even DEBATING the bill.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday November 17, 2009 · 12:27 PM PST

2009/11/17 · 12:27

CNN does its best to promote the America-is-evenly-divided meme that sells copy with its "CNN Poll: Americans split on health care reform" title, but a more accurate and newsworthy title would have been:

Strong majority of Americans support progressive health care reform

The CNN poll breaks down like this on the House HCR bill:

(IF OPPOSE:) Do you oppose that bill because you think its approach toward health care is too

liberal, or because you think its approach toward health care is not liberal enough?

Nov. 13-15 2009
Favor (from Q.11) 46%
Oppose, too liberal 34%
Oppose, not liberal enough 10%
Oppose, other reasons 3%
No opinion 8%

In otherwords, 56% of Americans either support the House bill and its public option OR WANT MORE! Only 1/3 of Americans - in other words, a clear minority -- oppose the bill for being too liberal. Even if we give the conservatives the "other reasons" respondents, they still don't hit 40% in their opposition.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday November 03, 2009 · 8:09 PM PST

2009/11/03 · 20:09

Tonight, Americans across the country (well, two mid-Atlantic states) voted overwhelmingly against the President Bush and the GOP, sending shockwaves across the political landscape. By electing Mark Warner and James McGreevy, the voters have clearly repudiating the conservative overreach we've seen this year: the new faith based initiatives, the President's repudiation of Kyoto, and the GOP's massive tax cuts for the wealthy.

While the GOP is clearly in spin mode and pretending that tonight's Democratic triumphs were only about "local issues" without any bearing on next year, the voters sent a clear message that they were poised to vote out congressional converatives the next chance they got. Both Congress in the midterm elections next year and the White House in 2004 are ripe for the picking.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday July 25, 2009 · 1:42 PM PDT

2009/07/25 · 13:42

Despite overwhelming public support for the creation of a public option for delivering mail, congressional Republicans and conservative Democrats have joined the private deliverers to decry the creation of the "United States Postal Service."

For years, those who couldn't afford the high delivery rates for letters and packages by the private delivery industry -- with the American market controlled by a virtual oligopoly of two major international corporations -- would have to make tough choices that others didn't have to make. Do I pay the $20 of delivery charges for my bills this week, or do I use that money to pay for baby formula? Do I spend a few hundred dollars to ship gifts to my relatives, or do I use that money to pay for my child's school supplies? And as delivery costs increase every year, more and more Americans are joining the ranks of the undelivered.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday March 28, 2009 · 12:50 PM PDT

2009/03/28 · 12:50

You know, I thought after last year's scorched earth, hard feelings primary, we might get a little break from the same sort of circular firing squad nonsense. I guess not. In Virginia, with three strong candidates looking to succeed Gov. Tim Kaine, the partisans have been at each other's throats and tearing apart the Virginia blogosphere.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 23, 2008 · 8:30 PM PST

2008/11/23 · 20:30

One of the best, if not the best, state progressive blog is hanging it up at the end of the year. Lowell Feld founded Raising Kaine to promote Tim Kaine's successful 2005 campaign, and his blog was a pivotal in the progressive wave of this decade in Virginia where Democrats:

Kept the governorship in Democratic hands.

Defeated George Allen and elected Jim Webb, flipping a U.S. Senate seat.

Flipped Virginia's Senate majority to the Democrats.

Narrowed the GOP's majority in the House of Delegates to low single digits.

Elected Mark Warner to the U.S. Senate, flipping the other U.S. Senate seat.

Defeated incumbents Thelma Drake and Virgil Goode and won Tom Davis's open seat to provide Democrats with a majority of House seats.

Turned Virginia blue once and for all as an Obama state.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday November 04, 2008 · 9:35 PM PST

2008/11/04 · 21:35

Of all the sweetest icing on the cake, I would pick having the biggest xenophobe in the Congress lose his blood-red seat to a wonderful, progressive Democrat.

And guess what!

Tom S. P. Perriello 155,589 50.31%
Virgil H. Goode, Jr. 153,488 49.63%

Precincts Reporting: 305 of 307 (99.34%)

There isn't 2000+ votes left in those last two precincts, my friends! Congrats Rep.-Elect Tom Perriello!

URGENT: Obama calls for Virginia volunteers

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday November 04, 2008 · 3:08 PM PST

2008/11/04 · 15:08

As you can see from this Raising Kaine diary linked below, Obama is calling for Virginia volunteers. Polls close in Virginia in an hour -- but anyone in line by 7pm can vote. If you've got a car or near a Metro station and can get to the Commonwealth ... GO! And if you can make calls, DO IT!

The data the Virginia Democratic party has is that turnout is so heavy everywhere that we just don't know. We need to flush out the last Obama supporters until the well is dry. If Obama wins Virginia and Pennsylvania, lights out for McCain.

DIVE IN!

http://www.raisingkaine.com/...

And before you dive in, REC ME UP!

GOP's closing argument: GRIDLOCK

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday October 27, 2008 · 9:40 AM PDT

2008/10/27 · 09:40

In a year where Americans have proved over and over that they want serious change this year, the GOP has settled on a killer final argument. The opposite of change. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Republican party has, some how, settled in on an anti-change gridlock message to close out the "we want change" election, and it's time to start calling them on it.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday October 21, 2008 · 9:40 PM PDT

2008/10/21 · 21:40

Kaboom! Here's the script for Obama's robo-call that puts the hammer down on McCain's own sleazy calls and mailers. In a brilliant maneuver, Obama's call is by a former McCain supporter that flipped to Obama because of McCain's slash-and-burn campaign:

Hi, this is Jeri Watermolen, calling for the Campaign for Change. I live in Green Bay and, like you, I've been getting sleazy phone calls and mail from John McCain and his supporters viciously -- and falsely -- attacking Barack Obama. I used to support John McCain because he honorably served our country -- but this year he's running a dishonorable campaign. We know McCain will continue many of Bush's policies, and now he's using George Bush's divisive tactics. In fact, he hired the Bush strategists whose attacks even McCain once called hateful.

Barack Obama will turn the page on these negative politics and stand up for the middle class. That's the change we need, and it's why I have changed my mind about John McCain. Join me in voting for Barack Obama. Paid for the Campaign for Change, a project of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, 608-255-5172, and authorized by Obama for America.

VirginiaDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday October 05, 2008 · 10:26 AM PDT

2008/10/05 · 10:26

Two can play at this game. As McCain fires up the guilt-by-association machine, I'd love a quote like this from Biden:

"You know, Barack could play this game too. John, you know I love him, but he's broken bread with some unsavory characters. He's been in Congress for a long time, met a lot of people, and that's just how it goes. But I don't think it casts his judgment in a negative light. It's John's actual judgment on the issues that casts his judgment in a negative light. And so Barack and I aren't going to play this old Washington game of guilt-by-association, we're not going to smear John the way his campaign is smearing Barack. We're going to focus on the issues that matter to everyday Americans, and not debate this sort of nonsense that Americans don't care about. Who Barack and John associated with has nothing to do with how we're going to fix the mortgage crisis, how we're going to fix health care in this country, how we're.... "

You get the picture. Let the speechwriters play with the language, but the key is to point out that McCain has his own closet full of sketchy people.

Newer
Older

RSS

A solution to the excise tax?

The entire Senate GOP voted NO on even talking about HCR

CNN poll: Strong majority support progressive HCR

Democrats sweep VA and NJ, GOP doomed in 2002 and 2004

Republicans, Blue Dogs, industry blast public option for mail

Primary Nonsense coming to an election near you

Raising Kaine: GBCW

Virgil Goode going down, folks!

URGENT: Obama calls for Virginia volunteers

GOP's closing argument: GRIDLOCK

Fighting fire with fire: Obama unleashes robocall denouncing McCain campaign

McCain's sketchy cast of characters