Republican Congressmen "endorse" Public Option!

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Thursday December 02, 2010 · 11:18 AM PST

2010/12/02 · 11:18

Via the indispensible Don McCanne, from the cat food commission report-out and discussion on CSPAN yesterday:

Sen Dick Durbin (D-IL): We are hastening the day when the only option left will be a public option.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI): I think Sen. Durbin probably said it right. We are hastening the day when the only option is the public option. I think you're right (directed to Sen. Durbin), and I think that this advances that possibility and likelihood.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX): I would agree with Sen. Durbin... you are hastening more people into the public option.

DrSteveB

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Wednesday December 01, 2010 · 7:23 AM PST

2010/12/01 · 07:23

The NY Times has a depressing article about the continued resurgence of conservative economic thought inside the beltway. As Krugman, and no doubt others will point out, having been wrong about everything, and indeed being responsible for the mess we are in, is apparently no barrier to retaining power.

What is more clear then ever is that truth does not matter.
Power and money is all that matters.
And we who are of the left-progressive-populist stripe, and happen to also have reality our side, are pathetic, insofar as after the economic events of 2006-2009, we are not in ascendent and the malefactors are.

From 2006-2009 there should have been, by all rights, a political/economic shift to progressive-left-populist policies, based on the proof of failure of the conservative (what Krugman likes to refer to as the "freshwater economists") agenda and policy.

DrSteveB

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Monday November 29, 2010 · 10:00 AM PST

2010/11/29 · 10:00

The NY Times has a an almost gets it right, yet still gets it mostly wrong, pseudo-mea culpa piece today on the Media False Alarm Over the TSA. David Carr, doesn't bury the lede. It is right there as the first sentence in the second paragraph:

It began with a Drudge Report link to a video on Nov. 13 of an intrusive pat-down, and then leapt to social media and the rest of the Web.
[snip]
But then, in the real world, nothing happened.

The author goes on to suggest numerous reasons why the kerfuffle stirred up in the media, yet amounted to nothing, without ever addressing his own first point "it started as a link on Drudge." He didn't bury the lede. He just ignored it.

Here is the real problem though: Many things can be true at once.

Let us review:

DrSteveB

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Friday November 19, 2010 · 1:19 PM PST

2010/11/19 · 13:19

I am not sure as the entire media narrative behind this story, but there has been a small brouhaha over an increase in the number of federal employees who earn high end salaries, ostensibly under Obama compared to Bush. Of course the Republicans & Friends are trying to make partisan hay out of this, as part of the usual bash government, bash unions, bash workers, bash Democrats and Obama.

Waldman at the American Prospect has a pretty good takedown with regard to scapegoating Federal employees.

DrSteveB

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Wednesday November 03, 2010 · 5:22 AM PDT

2010/11/03 · 05:22

It is November 2012.

How is our country and the world doing?
What will we have done over since today through Election Day 2012?

For one thing, timing is destiny, and economy trumps everything else. And one likely reality is that regardless of what Republicans or Democrats do or say, it is likely that the economy will be slightly better. Just as a matter of the business cycle, natural post-bubble recovery, and yes even the stimulus, unemployment will be down a little and GDP growth will be up. So will federal tax receipts, so the apparent short-term deficit will be looking better.

Who will claim credit, and who will benefit in the election of 2012?

Of course, wages and income will likely still be relatively stagnant, and inequality will probably still be increasing. Will anybody bring this issue to forefront, or will it continue to be widely ignored?

DrSteveB

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Wednesday October 27, 2010 · 5:59 AM PDT

2010/10/27 · 05:59

With just 6 days left J Street Pac, is still raising campaign funds for pro-Israel, pro-peace champions under attack by the neoconservative hard-right. If Democrats are going to stand up for real peace making, then we need show them that we have their backs... and their greenbacks.

The Republican Jewish Coalition and the so-called "Emergency Committee for Israel" -- fronted by such folks as Bill Kristol, Alan Dershowitz and Ed Koch -- are closing out Campaign 2010 with a barrage of attack ads and smear campaigns against JStreetPAC supported candidates.

There are so many ways to give money and support your favorite Democratic congressional candidates. You can give directly, or via Orange-Blue or other PACs, bundlers, etc.

But if Middle East peace is important to you, then I would suggest showing your support by giving to Democrats via the J Street PAC.

DrSteveB

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Monday October 25, 2010 · 12:17 PM PDT

2010/10/25 · 12:17

There are so many ways to give money and support your favorite Democratic congressional candidates. You can give directly, or via Orange-Blue or other PACs, bundlers, etc.

If Middle East peace is important to you, then I would suggest showing your support by giving to Democrats via the J Street PAC.

Some Democrats who have been endorsed by J Street PAC have faced potential backlash from conservatives, neoconservatives, Repuglicans, Likudniks, and their fellow travellerrs. I am not saying all these candidates are great. I am not saying J Street or J Street PAC is perfect. But a show of strength by them, and a push back to the push back by AIPAC, ZOA, Deshowitz and the like is important. And of course money talks.

DrSteveB

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Friday October 22, 2010 · 10:27 AM PDT

2010/10/22 · 10:27

State medical societies are conservative bastions of physician self-interest. So this scientific and non-partisan non-activist survey is quite revealing, even, or perhaps especially, if it is Massachussetts:

Massachusetts doctors snub state’s health reform as model for country, pick single-payer system instead

For the first time the Massachusetts Medical Society has asked doctors what they think about health reform in its annual "Physician Workforce Survey" of 1,000 practicing physicians in the state, and the results may strike some as surprising.

DrSteveB

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Monday October 18, 2010 · 6:57 PM PDT

2010/10/18 · 18:57

Un F-ing believable. The NY Times chooses now of all times to have front page article article on the alleged resurgance of academics being interested in the so called "culture of poverty."

NOW!?!?

We are living in time when, after 40 years of regressive politics, the poor are poorer, the middle class are poorer and less secure. The top 0.1% run have all the money and power. Economic and class mobility are at an American all-time low. Economic inequality is at an all time high.

So let's shift the blame back to where it belongs... on the poor?!?.

WTF!?!?

DrSteveB

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Tuesday October 05, 2010 · 8:50 AM PDT

2010/10/05 · 08:50

As reported by Noam Levey via the Tribune news service (Chicago Tribune, LA Times) and commented upon by PNHP's Dr. Don McCanne:

The insurance industry is pouring money into Republican campaign coffers in hopes of scaling back wide-ranging regulations in the new healthcare law but preserving the mandate that Americans buy coverage.

Since January, the nation's five largest insurers and the industry's Washington-based lobbying arm have given three times more money to Republican lawmakers and political action committees than to Democratic politicians and organizations.

That is a marked change from 2009, when the industry largely split its political donations between the parties, according to federal election filings.

DrSteveB

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Sunday October 03, 2010 · 2:10 PM PDT

2010/10/03 · 14:10

I was privileged to able to attend the One Nation Working Together rally yesterday in D.C. along with my 13 year old daughter.

Below are some youtube video clips from the rally, with a single payer focus. More clips are at my YouTube site. Please feel free to forward the clips, links, embeds; use the clips as you see fit.

DrSteveB

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Friday October 01, 2010 · 12:34 PM PDT

2010/10/01 · 12:34

Since this has become a hot topic, I wanted to draw attention to the a range of resources that the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Serivces has with regard to the subject of bullying:

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Republican Congressmen "endorse" Public Option!

The Reign of Error (and how weak and pathetic are we)

Getting the TSA Story Wrong: Many Things Are True At Once

Insider on increase in Federal Employees high incomes

November 2012: What Have We Done the Past 2 Years?

Support Democrats & Israeli Palestinian Peace via JStreetPAC

Support Middle East Peace & Good Democrats via JStreetPAC

MA doctors support Single Payer over other health reform

Rant: You choose NOW to talk about "culture of poverty"

GOP & Insurance Companies: still Team Evil

One Nation Rally & Single Payer - Video Clips

HHS Resources Against Bullying