cuticle maintenance

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/aztSTdFWYL4/-Cashing-in-on-the-crisis-you-created

The New York Times has a must-read, in-depth story about the revolving door of crappy mortgage lenders transforming themselves into crappy load advisers (on the taxpayer dime).

And predictably, the American homeowner is screwed coming...

By Mr. Soussana’s own account, his customers fared less happily. He specialized in the exotic mortgages that have proved most prone to sliding into foreclosure, leaving many now scrambling to save their homes.

... and going ...

Yet the dangers assailing Mr. Soussana’s clients have yielded fresh business for him: Late last year, he and his team — ensconced in the same office where they used to broker mortgages — began working for a loan modification company. For fees reaching $3,495, with most of the money collected upfront, they promised to negotiate with lenders to lower payments on the now-delinquent mortgages they and their counterparts had sprinkled liberally across Southern California.

"We just changed the script and changed the product we were selling," said Mr. Soussana, who ran the Los Angeles sales office of Federal Loan Modification Law Center. The new script: You got a raw deal, and "Now, we’re able to help you out because we understand your lender."

... by the same guy. And he's not the only one:

FedMod is but one example of how many of the same people who dispensed risky mortgages during the real estate bubble have reconstituted themselves into a new industry focused on selling loan modifications.

Good to see some people are doing just fine out of this meltdown, eh?

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/b7PpyEzXN0o/-TARP-shocker:-$-used-for-all-kinds-of-crap.

WaPo:

Many of the banks that got federal aid to support increased lending have instead used some of the money to make investments, repay debts or buy other banks, according to a new report from the special inspector general overseeing the government's financial rescue program.

The report by special inspector general Neil Barofsky calls on the Treasury Department to require regular, more detailed information from banks about their use of federal aid provided under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Treasury has refused to collect such information.

Doing so is "essential to meet Treasury's stated goal of bringing transparency to the TARP program and informing the American people and their representatives in Congress about what is being done with their money," the report said.

In a written response, the Treasury again rejected that call. Officials have taken the view that the exact use of the federal aid cannot be tracked because money given to a bank is like water poured into an ocean.

That of course begs the question, "Why would you pour water into an ocean?"

You wouldn't. You would stop doing that, if you really thought about it. Really, you probably wouldn't even start.

But we did it anyway, because we were going to have "vigorous oversight." And now we know what that means: periodic reports providing details on how the things you didn't want to happen, happened.

Can't argue, though. That's what the modern Congressional idea of oversight is. Tell us about the terrible things that happened, so that we can condemn them. KTHXBI.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/2B8YaAaVj5Y/-Blogger-Call-with-President-Obama

President Obama, along with senior advisers David Axelrod and Nancy Ann DeParle, held a conference call with bloggers this afternoon to discuss healthcare reform and the need for grassroots and netroots pressure on Congress to keep the urgency of the issue alive.

President Obama strongly reiterated his basic principles for a reform bill:

• Cover all Americans
• Drive down costs over the long term for both the private and public sector
• Improve quality
• Strengthen prevention and wellness
• Enact real insurance reforms that end exclusions for preexisting conditions, etc.
• Relief to small businesses
• Create a robust public option

But the main message of the call was the urgency of getting this done sooner rather than later. In answer to John Amato's first question about the latest push for delays from Democrats and Republicans alike, President Obama answered that "we've been debating this for 50 years, that now's the time to make the tough decisions" with the options now on the table. In a followup question after President Obama left the call, Axelrod reiterated that message. This issue has been "talked to death for decades," and we've been "circling around the same issues"--what matters now is getting it done. He added that if you needed a demonstration of the urgency of getting it done, it's that those who want to stop it are counting on delays that will give them enough time to kill it. He also suggested that those pushing for delays, be they arguing in good faith or not, listen to their constituents who call and e-mail every day with their insurance horror stories.

In a follow up question from Jonathon Singer on the timeline, the President was asked whether there was a point at which he might say that 60 votes in the Senate isn't going to happen, and to push for reconciliation. He responded that the reconciliation option was structured under the assumption that the major work on the legislation would be done by October, with reconcilation held out as sort of a last resort possibility. He said that if that's not the case, then they'll "look at all the options, including reconciliation," and that the "only thing that is unacceptable is inaction."

The conversation turned to the public option, with the President reiterating that a robust public option participating in the insurance exchange would be the best competition for people like the self-employed and small business owners and employees. With the topic the public option, and the fact that the Senate Finance committee is still considering the coop model as an alternative, I asked whether there was a coop model that would be an acceptable substitute to his vision of a robust public plan. He gave the well-informed, wonky answer I'd been hoping for. His advisers have been looking at the details the coop approach, and have yet to find a model that answers the problems that co-ops have in getting off the ground and growing quickly enough to compete at the level that will be necessary in a public option. His team is looking for the evidence that exists to show that a co-op could provide that competition, and if they can find it, it might be an option. He then reiterated his commitment to having  a robust public option.

That segued into his concluding remarks, in which he said that he was "not interested in making the best the enemy of the good" in the bills the individual committees were reporting out, that the House and Senate conference will be where the tough and serious negotiations play out, and where much of the heavy lifting will occur. (That said, this blogger thinks that we still need to keep the pressure on to try to have the bills that get to the floor of each chamber the best that they can be, making sure that the key elements, like a robust public option, are at least one of the bills that goes to conference.)

Axelrod continued to reinforce the urgency of this effort, and of the necessity for the netroots to keep talking about the "enormous human price of inaction." Answering a question from Joe Sudbay about whether good policy will be a driver over bipartisanship, particularly in light of DeMint and Kristol and "Waterloo," Axelrod said that the White House expects the bill to meet certain standards and that while it would probably be easier to get a good bill through the regular process with some Republican support, they are "driven by outcome, not process." He did, however, say that there are some Republicans working in good faith, that not all of them are following Kristol and some even want fundamental reform for the American people.

He was also asked if the President would veto a bill without a strong public option, and answered that the President "expects that the bill he signs will include a robust public choice," and that they have not "weiled the threat of the veto pen as of yet," but have made it very clear to all of the negotiators that is has to be included.

While not directly stated as such, the call was part of the White House take charge strategy, which includes OFA's 50 state healthcare reform push. His charge to the netroots, via Axelrod in answer to a question from Cheryl Comtee about what we can do, "spread the word."

Update: Read dday's write-up of the call. You can hear the audio at C&L.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/-E4L6gvlxBY/-AHIP,-Kristol,-and-Bipartisan-Reform

The lobbying organization that has the most to lose if real healthcre reform is enacted, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) have been pretending to play nice on reform, but their real agenda has now been made clear with a seven-figure advertising campaign for "bipartisan reform."

"We have serious concerns with that legislation, particularly having to do with a government-run insurance plan that's going to use Medicare rates," said Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for AHIP, in an interview with the Huffington Post.

Instead, AHIP favors a bipartisan solution, which, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), necessitates that Democrats eliminate the public option.

When asked point-blank whether AHIP opposes a public health option, Zirkelbach said, "That's very correct. A government-run plan in any form is simply not necessary." A public option, he claimed, would "bankrupt hospitals all over California" and force "as many as 120 million people" off the private system.

And we all know what "bipartisan" means by now--Bill Kristol made it perfectly clear--kill reform and, particularly, kill the public option. If there were actually any Republicans committed to real healthcare reform, they'd actually have introduced some real legislation. No, they don't want reform, they want to kill it. And they've got the whole right-wing media behind them, using Kristol's "Kitchen Sink" approach:

But it's more complicated than that. Steve Benen has more on the complications:

Now, as a tactical matter, this makes sense. DeMint, Steele, Castellanos, and Kristol are Republicans, who a) don't support health care reform; and b) are committed to undermining the majority party and the president. Opposition parties are supposed to oppose, so these characters are playing their appropriate role. (The real-world consequences for Americans and their families would be devastating, of course, if the GOP approach successful, but I'm speaking only to the political strategy.)

I just like to point out, from time to time, that these folks can't succeed on their own. They simply don't have the votes. They can call for delays, changes, watered down bills, obstructionism, etc., but Democrats are in a position to finally reform health care anyway.

The only way for this Republican strategy to succeed -- literally, the only way -- is for Democrats to help them. The GOP has its plan, but no way to execute it effectively. They've already been turned out by the electorate.

This is just basic. Regular Americans want healthcare reform. Private insurers and Republicans don't. Now, the latter might provide a lot more money to members of Congress than the rest of us, but we're the ones who vote. Democrats who are working at cross purposes with the White House and Congressional leadership--i.e., the Blue Dogs, would do well to keep that in mind.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/ZH5qiuTKjlM/-Late-afternoon-early-evening-open-thread

What you missed on Sunday Kos ....

• Pat Buchanan got a double hit if being smacked upside the head for last week's racism. In Behind the white folks who built this country..., David Waldman superbly laid out the case that the accomplishments of the Founders and other official "achievers" in America were built on the backs of the non-white and poor white, and in The intellectual dishonesty of Pat Buchanan, Jed Lewison schooled him in basic U.S. history.
• In The Money Chase: An Early Analysis, Steve Singiser provided a detailed rundown of individual key races for 2010 and how candidates are faring, according to the most recent FEC reports.
• In The Doomsday Gap, Plutonium Page detailed how our modern conservatives are stuck in another era when it comes to the Doomsday Clock and President Obama's efforts to negotiate an arms treaty with Russia.
• In Two Novels, for a Change, SusanG reviewed Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows and Andrew Sean Greer's The Story of a Marriage.
• In Mustang americanus, Devilstower described -- and saluted -- two of the most widely recognized symbols of Americanism, the Ford Mustang and the four-legged wild western mustang, in a beautiful post that pulled together different strands of evolutionary theory.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/gMEysRsORbo/-Feingold-Challenges-Dennis-Blair

After the House Intelligence Committee announced that they would investigate:

... whether the CIA broke the law by not informing Congress promptly about a secret program to deploy teams of killers to target al-Qaida leaders.

... Greg Sargent at The Plum Line noted that the remarks by President Obama's director of national intelligence, Dennis Blair, who said that he did not believe the CIA violated the law, put Obama "at odds with Congressional Dems who question its legality and want a probe."

And today, Sargent reports that Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) also took note and has challenged Blair to put up or shut up, writing:

According to a story on Thursday in the Washington Post, you stated that the failure to notify the congressional intelligence committees about a program recently cancelled by CIA Director Leon Panetta did not violate the law. I disagree and believe that the program in question fit squarely within the notification requirements of the National Security Act. I therefore request that you provide me with your analysis, and any analysis by the DNI General Counsel, supporting your conclusion.

As sternly worded letters^tm go, this one cuts right to the chase, and as Sargent points out, it:

... creates an awkward choice for the White House. It can either walk back Blair’s comments, or openly defend the program as legal, putting the White House at odds with House Dems who are probing the program for possible lawbreaking.

My .02? Walk it back. Now. Both because it's the right thing to do, and because this isn't a good time for the White House to be alienating its congressional allies.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/UI8_PBjsy4A/-Steele-explains-GOP-opposition-to-health-care-reform

Yesterday, Mitch McConnell once again made it clear that Republicans are the party of no health care reform.

Today, speaking at the National Press Club, Michael Steele explained why:

Transcript:

260 million Americans currently have health insurance coverage, the great majority through private insurers, and polls consistently show that they are overwhelmingly pleased with their current coverage.  ...  The vast majority of Americans like their health care coverage. The vast majority of Americans like the quality of their health care. The vast majority of Americans don't want Uncle Sam to touch their health care.

What a stupid thing to say. You can't make an argument that Americans don't want health care reform when the fact is that a staggering majority supports getting something done to fix the system. 85% of Americans support "fundamental changes" to or a "complete rebuild" of the health care system. 64% believe the government should guarantee insurance for all Americans and 72% think the government should offer a public option styled after Medicare to compete with private insurers.

Despite all this, Michael Steele -- along with every single Republican at the Federal level -- opposes health care reform.

It turns out The Waterloo moment Jim DeMint dreams of may in fact be on them. The GOP isn't just pursuing bad policy, they are practicing bad politics.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/3g91L8nnOOw/-Healthcare-Reform:-Obama-Takes-Charge

President Obama capped a tumultuous week on Saturday, and set the stage for this week, with a strong Saturday speech, that provided the strongest statement he's yet made on having a public option:

That’s why any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans – including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest – and choose what’s best for your family.  And that’s why we’ll put an end to the worst practices of the insurance industry: no more yearly caps or lifetime caps; no more denying people care because of pre-existing conditions; and no more dropping people from a plan when they get too sick.  No longer will you be without health insurance, even if you lose your job or change jobs.

That signaled the beginning of what will be Obama's week of healthcare reform bully-pulpit barnstorming. As WaPo notes in a report today, he's set to "take the baton," and enter campaign mode again.

Senior White House aides promise "an aggressive public and private schedule" for Obama as he presses his case for reform, including a prime-time news conference on Wednesday, a trip to Cleveland, and heavy use of Internet video to broadcast his message beyond the reach of the traditional media.

"Our strategy has been to allow this process to advance to the point where it made sense for the president to take the baton. Now's that time," said senior adviser David Axelrod. "I don't know whether he will Twitter or tweet. But he's going to be very, very visible."

Another senior White House aide added: "It's time to raise the stakes on this."

The week started today with a healthcare roundtable at Children's National Medical Center.

Now, there are some in this town who are content to perpetuate the status quo, are in fact fighting reform on behalf of powerful special interests.  There are others who recognize the problem, but believe -- or perhaps, hope -- that we can put off the hard work of insurance reform for another day, another year, another decade.

Just the other day, one Republican senator said -- and I'm quoting him now -- "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo.  It will break him."  Think about that.  This isn't about me.  This isn't about politics.  This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses, and breaking America's economy.

And we can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care.  Not this time.  Not now.  There are too many lives and livelihoods at stake.  There are too many families who will be crushed if insurance premiums continue to rise three times as fast as wages.  There are too many businesses that will be forced to shed workers, scale back benefits, or drop coverage unless we get spiraling health care costs under control.

Hopefully, President Obama will also take charge of getting the Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House in line.

And a handful of moderate Democrats on that panel — members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition — have signaled they are not afraid to vote with Republicans and force major changes on the legislation, or stop it entirely, if their concerns are not satisfied.

"There’s no doubt in my mind that if the Blue Dogs join with the Republicans, they can bring this bill down," said Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry A. Waxman , D-Calif.

The caucus isn't big enough to challenge the progressive coalition on the floor, but they are overrepresented on E&C, and are doing everything in their power to exert their obstructionist influence there. They got an assist from a handful of freshmen Dems, led by politically inconsistent Jared Polis, who apparently don't think taxing the very wealthy for the public good is appropriate.

Constituent calls to these members, as slinkerwink advises are critical. But the phone call that would make the most difference would probably the one from the White House letting them know that they might be jeopardizing the backing of a very popular president in 2010.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/8lBfS68yD50/-Congress-Matters:-Catching-up-on-the-Senate-

You may have noticed in the daily This Week/Today in Congress feature that the Senate usually appears to have very little scheduled, as compared with the House. That's because while the House can depend on strict majority rule for its scheduling, the Senate can see its schedule disrupted, at least temporarily,  by a single objecting Senator. So their schedule is a lot harder to get a clear handle on in advance.

As a result, while you can see both the major issues and the minutiae that the House deals with in its regular, forward-looking schedule, you can only see the details on the Senate either as it happens, or in retrospect.

That's why I try to update Congress Matters readers every so often with a "Catching up on the Senate" feature. If you're interested in what's moving by unanimous consent, or the many dozens if routine presidential appointments, or even when to expect cloture votes and the deals that often surround them, I recommend checking in on it every so often.

Today's installment features an important follow-up on the long-promised hate crimes legislation. Check out its status, and the latest twists and turns on its path, at Congress Matters.

Remember, it's part of the Daily Kos family, so your Daily Kos ID and password will get you in and ready to join in the comments.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/nMoiozQ-nDo/-Midday-Open-Thread

• Republican NJ-Gov candidate Chris Christie doesn't seem too interested in letting Spanish-speaking voters know he's a Republican. Compare the English and Spanish versions of his new "Bringing Back Our Cities" web ad. The Spanish one omits the word "Republican" in a couple places where the English one identifies Christie with his party.
</p>
• Vanity Fair whips Sarah Palin's resignation speech into publishable form.
• Steve Benen: Might it be in the interest of "centrist" Dems to kill health care reform?
• Mike Castle faces a crowd of angry birthers. Dave Weigel sharply uses this to illustrate how this issue affects even moderate Republicans.
• Phil Nugent on Walter Cronkite. And speaking of Cronkite, check out this clip where he was asked his greatest regret.
• Palin, Ayotte, Crist:

• Just when you thought the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository was dead, the Republicans try to resurrect it. - Plutonium Page
• What happens when a tsunami of coal ash hits a town -- and why it could happen again. - Plutonium Page
• Obama is meeting with the president of the LDS Church, accompanied by Harry Reid. This is some interesting outreach: Obama's approval rate is lower among Mormons than other major religious groups, and, of course, he got soundly defeated in Utah. - Steve Singiser
• The rural blog The Daily Yonder is definitely not interested in having Sarah Palin be the spokesmodel for "rural America". - Steve Singiser
• Today is the last day to apply for an America's Voice scholarship to Netroots Nation. - Scout Finch

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/-BINnVTtEYI/-Obama-takes-on-GOP-politics-of-delay-and-defeat

President Obama slams the Republican Party for playing politics and carrying the insurance industry’s water on health care reform, singling out Sen. Jim DeMint's "Waterloo" comment:

Transcript:

   Now there are some in this town who are content to perpetuate the status quo, who are in fact fighting reform on behalf of special interests. There are others who recognize the problem but believe — or perhaps hope — that we can put off the hard work of insurance reform for another day, another year, another decade.

   Just the other day, one Republican Senator said — and I’m quoting him now — "If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

   Think about that.

   This isn’t about me. This isn’t about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America’s families, breaking America’s businesses, and breaking American’s economy.

   We can’t afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time, not now.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/9Y7a8-TWlAQ/-VA-Gov:-Imitation-Is-The-Sincerest-Form-of...Something

Back in March, the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) decided to form a separate political action committee called Common Sense Virginia, with the intent of assisting whomever would emerge as the Democratic nominee for Governor from Virginia.

At the time, the Republican Governors Association assailed the DGA, accusing the Democrats of creating a "shadow organization" and stated the the RGA would be totally transparent about their involvement in the race.

SIGH...do you even NEED the punchline anymore?

The RGA has registered a new PAC in VA to support the association's work for GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. The name of the new group, however, sounds awfully familiar. It's called VA Common Sense PAC. And it reminds, not by accident, of Common Sense VA, the group the DGA used during the party's primary contest to spend some $3M on ads framing McDonnell as out of touch with Virginians.

So...let's just work our way through this. Not only does the RGA copy the DGA's idea to create a Virginia-specific PAC, they all-but-swiped the NAME, too?

This gave the DGA a good laugh:

"So the first thing Haley Barbour does as chair of the RGA is copy our playbook?" said Emily DeRose, DGA comm. dir., in an email to On Call. "We're flattered, but at some point the RGA and Bob McDonnell will have to get some ideas of their own."

Later, Jennifer Skalka at Hotline On Call followed up with the RGA, who issued a curt statement saying that the account has been dormant since its creation a month ago, and remains dormant.

Of course, that doesn't mean it will be dormant in August, September, October, and November. Indeed, if they filed the paperwork for the PAC, with no intention of ever using it, then someone at the RGA apparently just likes to fill out and submit paperwork.

Possible, but it is a lot more plausible that the RGA is waiting to use this PAC to hit Deeds between the eyes come the Fall. Which, in itself, is no big deal. Hell, the DGA's Common Sense Virginia PAC has already spent a couple of million dollars softening up Bob McDonnell.

The only problem is (for the 5683rd time for those keeping track) that once again the Republican Party screams at the top of their lungs advocating for one thing, while quietly doing the opposite when they are convinced that no one is watching.

Par for the course, to use a golf analogy on this British Open weekend...

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/eYBKQVeQXSo/-Kristol-on-healthcare:-dont-appear-constructive,-instead-go-for-the-kill

Taking a page out of the Jim DeMint playbook on health care reform Republican-style, Bill Kristol doesn't even pretend that there is any goal other than to kill it:

With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. There will be a tendency to want to let the Democrats' plans sink of their own weight, to emphasize that the critics have been pushing sound reform ideas all along and suggest it's not too late for a bipartisan compromise over the next couple of weeks or months.

My advice, for what it's worth: Resist the temptation. This is no time to pull punches. Go for the kill.

It's hard to believe that this needs to be said again, but obviously it does: Republicans aren't interested in bipartisanship. They aren't interested in meaningful health care reform. And God knows they don't give a damn what it means for millions of Americans. The only thing they want is a political victory. Period.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/b9hwz9RsZN4/-More-great-news-for-John-McCain

WaPo:

Cable news programs repeatedly declare[d] the president's health care program is "teetering" or "embattled," despite a week in which Obama's proposals were endorsed by the doctor and nurses associations and committees in both legislative chambers passed major bills.

CNN and Fox were the worst offenders in this department. Fox, of course, is understandable -- they are GOP TV. But it's hard to figure out what CNN's gameplan was. Don't they understand Fox has cornered the market on conservative propaganda?

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/Yq0Y1qWSBcI/-Sanford:-The-affair-was-a-gift-from-God

Now Mark Sanford says he is "thankful" for the experience afforded him by his extra-marital affair.

Seriously.

In an op-ed written for South Carolina newspapers, Sanford writes:

It is true that I did wrong and failed at the largest of levels, but equally true is the fact that God can make good of our respective wrongs in life. In this vein, while none of us has the chance to attend our own funeral, in many ways I feel like I was at my own in the past weeks, and surprisingly I am thankful for the perspective it has afforded.

Look, Mark, I don't know if you've ever been to a funeral, but what you've been through over the past few weeks -- a five-day vacation with your mistress in Argentina and another five-day vacation with your wife in an undisclosed location (all the while pulling down a fat paycheck) -- isn't anything like a funeral.

If you had resigned as governor, maybe you could claim this was like a funeral of sorts, but judging by the fact that you are keeping yourself in the public eye, you're holding out hopes for your political career, aren't you? In fact, you are trying to nurse it back to life, right? A sort of a political reincarnation, no?

Truth is, you're trying to seduce the Republican electorate by spinning this whole sordid affair as a story of God -- with yourself as the hero, struggling to return from the beyond, a story of your own rebirth. To wit:

I’ve been humbled and broken as never before in my life, and as a consequence have given up areas of control in a way that I never have before. And it is my belief that this will make me a better father, husband, friend and advocate.

It’s in the spirit of making good from bad that I am committing to you and the larger family of South Carolinians to use this experience both to trust God in his larger work of changing me and, from my end, to work to becoming a better and more effective leader.

Listen, Mark, you might as well have gone all the way and started talking about what it will be like at your own resurrection, because that's what you're going for here.

Jebus. Talk about a complex. You've got the fever something fierce.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/b1g080fDh3c/-Sunday-Loon-Watch

Behold, Mitch McConnell defending the greatest health care system most powerful insurance industry the world has ever known:

(As Jim DeMint would put it, McConnell was preparing for the Battle of Waterloo.)

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/leCE8LGaSD4/-Former-NRCC-head-denounces-Bush-doctrine

Better late than never, I guess:

WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Cole, in a candid new assessment of the state of the Republican Party, says the GOP lost its majorities in the House and Senate because of the Iraq war and calls for the party to abandon former President George W. Bush’s doctrine of unprovoked aggression....

"Experience suggests that the Bush doctrine of 'pre-emptive' war is ill-suited to America’s values, traditions and democratic institutions. It ought to be discarded."

Amazing what an ass-whuppin' at the polls will do to readjust your views about making your own reality. And about what, exactly, is "ill-suited to America's values."

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/57-psJLWuKA/-This-Week-in-Congress

In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

First Vote of the Week... Monday 6:30 p.m.
Last Vote Predicted... Friday p.m.

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2009

On Monday, the House will meet at 12:30 p.m. for Morning Hour and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m.

Suspensions (14 Bills)

1. H.Res. 607 - Celebrating the Fortieth Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing (Rep. Hall (TX) - Science and Technology)
2. H.R. 2729 - To authorize the designation of National Environmental Research Parks by the Secretary of Energy (Rep. Lujan - Science and Technology)
3. H.R. 1622 - To provide for a program of research, development, and demonstration on natural gas vehicles (Rep. Sullivan - Science and Technology)
4. H.Res. 507 - Supporting the goals of National Dairy Month (Rep. Courtney - Agriculture)
5. H.Res. 270 - Recognizing the establishment of Hunters for the Hungry programs across the United States and the contributions of those programs efforts to decrease hunger and help feed those in need (Rep. Gingrey - Agriculture)
6. H.Con.Res. 164 - Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture (Rep. McGovern - Agriculture)
7. S.Con.Res. 30 - Recognizing the Bureau of Labor Statistics for its 125th anniversary (Sen. Schumer - Education and Labor)
8. H.Con.Res. 123 - Recognizing the historical and national significance of the many contributions of John William Heisman to the sport of football (Rep. Thompson (PA) - Education and Labor)
9. H.Res. __ - Instructing Managers in the Impeachment of Judge Kent to advise the Senate that the House does not desire further to urge the articles of impeachment (Rep. Conyers - Judiciary)
10. H.R. 1933 - A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act (Rep. Klein - Judiciary)
11. H.R. 2632 - Korean War Veterans Recognition Act (Rep. Rangel - Judiciary)
12. H.R. 2873 - Enhanced S.E .C. Enforcement Authority Act (Rep. Campbell - Financial Services)
13. H.R. 1675 - Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2009 (Rep. Murphy (CT) - Financial Services)
14. H.R. 2245 - New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act (Rep. Grayson - Financial Services)

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2009 AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK

On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10:30 a.m. for Morning Hour debate and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. Members are advised that the official photograph of the 111th Congress will be taken on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business. On Friday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business.

Suspensions (17 Bills)

1. H.J.Res. 56 - Approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (Rep. Crowley - Ways and Means)
2. H.Res. 654 - Honoring the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation (Rep. Hastings (FL) - Foreign Affairs)
3. H.Res. 538 - Resolution supporting Olympic Day and encouraging the International Olympic Committee to select Chicago, Illinois, as the host city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Rep. Schakowsky - Foreign Affairs)
4. H.Res. 285 - Congratulating the people of the Republic of Lithuania for its 1000th anniversary of Lithuania and celebrating the rich history of Lithuania (Rep. Shimkus - Foreign Affairs)
5. H.R. 1511 - Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2009 (Rep. Smith (NJ) - Foreign Affairs)
6. H.Res. 519 - Expressing appreciation to the people and Government of Canada for their long history of friendship and cooperation with the people and Government of the United States (Rep. Stupak - Foreign Affairs)
7. H.R. 2498 - To designate the Federal building located at 844 North Rush Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the "William O. Lipinski Federal Building" (Rep. Oberstar - Transportation and Infrastructure)
8. H.Res. 508 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the general aviation industry should be recognized for its contributions to the United States (Rep. Fortenberry - Transportation and Infrastructure)
9. H.R. 2093 - Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2009 (Rep. Pallone - Transportation and Infrastructure)
10. H.R. 1665 - Coast Guard Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (Rep. Cummings - Transportation and Infrastructure)
11. H.R. 1752 - To provide that the usual day for paying salaries in or under the House of Representatives may be established by regulations of the Committee on House Administration (Rep. Brady (PA) - House Administration)
12. H.R. 2510 - Absentee Ballot Track, Receive, and Confirm Act (Rep. Davis (CA) - House Administration)
13. H.R. 2728 - William Orton Law Library Improvement and Modernization Act (Rep. Lofgren - House Administration)
14. H.R. 2972 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 115 West Edward Street in Erath, Louisiana, as the "Conrad DeRouen, Jr. Post Office" (Rep. Boustany - Oversight and Government Reform)
15. H.Res. 534 - Supporting the goals and ideals of "National Children and Families Day" (Rep. Edwards (MD) - Oversight and Government Reform)
16. H.Res. 350 - Honoring the life and accomplishments of Harry Kalas for his invaluable contributions to the national past-time of baseball, the community, and the Nation (Rep. Sestak - Oversight and Government Reform)
17. H.Res. 566 - Congratulating the 2008-2009 National Basketball Association Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, on an outstanding and historic season (Rep. Waters - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.R. 2920 - Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009 (Rep. Hoyer – Budget) (Subject to a Rule)

H.R. __ - Department of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Rep. Olver – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule)

H.R. _ - Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act, 2010 (Rep. Obey – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule)

* Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.

* Motions to go to Conference should they become available.    

* Possible Motions to Instruct Conferees.

In the Senate, courtesy of the Secretary of the Senate:

Convenes: 1:00pm

Resume consideration of S.1390, DoD Authorization

Committee events of note:

• Mon., 7/20, 4pm. House Energy & Commerce Committee: H.R. 3200, The America's Affordable Health Choices Act Of 2009 Markup, Day 3
• Tue., 7/21, 10am. House Energy & Commerce Committee: H.R. 3200, The America's Affordable Health Choices Act Of 2009 Markup, Day 4
• Tue., 7/21, 10am. House Oversight & Government Reform Committee: Following the Money: Report of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP)
• Tue., 7/21, 10am. Senate Environment & Public Works Committee: Clean Energy Jobs, Climate-Related Policies and Economic Growth - State and Local Views. CO Gov. Bill Ritter; WA Gov. Chris Gregoire; NJ Gov. Jon Corzine; ND Gov. John Hoeven
• Tue., 7/21, 10am. Senate Judiciary Committee: Nomination: Sonia Sotomayor to be an Assoc. Justice of the US Supreme Court
• Tue., 7/21, 11am. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law: Ramifications of Auto Industry Bankruptcies, Part II
• Tue., 7/21, 2pm. House Financial Services Committee: Systemic Risk: Are Some Institutions Too Big to Fail and If So, What Should We Do About It?
• Tue., 7/21, 2:15pm. Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Climate Change and Global Security: Challenges, Threats and Diplomatic Opportunities. Former Sen. John Warner
• Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Energy & Commerce Committee: H.R. 3200, The America's Affordable Health Choices Act Of 2009 Markup, Day 5
• Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Financial Services Committee: Regulatory Perspectives on the Obama Administration’s Financial Regulatory Reform Proposals
• Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Foreign Affairs Committee: Iran: Recent Developments and Implications for U.S. Policy
• Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law: Ramifications of Auto Industry Bankruptcies, Part III
• Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Natural Resources Committee: Full committee markup: H.R. 2499: To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico. "Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009"
• Wed., 7/22, 10am. Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee: The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress. Ben Bernanke, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
• Wed., 7/22, 1pm. Senate Agriculture Committee: The Role of Agriculture and Forestry in Global Warming Legislation. Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture; Lisa Jackson, Administrator Environmental Protection Agency; John Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science & Technology
• Wed., 7/22, 2pm. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: TARP Oversight: Warrant Repurchases and Protecting Taxpayers
• Thu., 7/23, 9:30am. Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee: Establishing a Framework for Systemic Risk Regulation. Sheila Bair, Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Mary Schapiro, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Daniel Tarullo, Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
• Thu., 7/23, 10am. House Budget Committee: The Recovery Act: Strengthening Our Economy. Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation; Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
• Thu., 7/23, 10am. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts: The Worsening Foreclosure Crisis: Is It Time to Reconsider Bankruptcy Reform?
• Thu., 7/23, 2pm. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties: Continuity of Congress in the Wake of a Catastrophic Attack
• Fri., 7/24, 10:30am. House Financial Services Committee: Regulatory Perspectives on the Obama Administration’s Financial Regulatory Reform Proposals-Part Two

Another extremely busy pre-August recess week. The committees continue to work at breakneck speed, appropriations bills dominate the floor (if not the appearance of the week's schedule in the House), and health care reform has yet to wrap up. Chairman Leahy will likely be waiting a week or so as requested by committee Republicans, before holding a vote on Judge Sotomayor's nomination. The House Energy & Commerce Committee is the last of the three House committees that needs to act on the health care proposal, but no one's yet heard from the Senate Finance Committee. They've all along been believed to be the key panel in this, but the momentum has all but passed them by, and they appear to diminish as a center of gravity with each passing day.

Lots going on with some hot topics, and many big names appearing before other committees this week as well. The full schedule appears below.

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/lJ2RpR9Dx2s/-Cheers-and-Jeers:-Monday

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE

Six Months Later...

Six months ago, Barack Obama took the oath of office---twice---and became our nation's 44th president amid a recession bordering on a depression, record-low consumer confidence, two undeclared wars, crumbling infrastructure, and a tarnished reputation around the world.

So...how's he doing? Here's my scorecard:

The Good: - Signing an order to close the Guantanamo prison within a year - Signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - Re-authorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program - Allowing states to determine their own vehicle emissions standards - Efforts to help save the American auto industry - Decent cabinet picks - Sonia Sotomayor - The Cairo speech and outreach to the international community - Not interfering with the turmoil in Iran - The First Pooch - Green shoots! - Inspiring and energizing African-Americans - Honoring the timeline for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq's major cities - House passes climate-change bill - Allowing federal funding of stem cell research - Taking a pragmatic stand on the Israel/Palestine conflict - His buoyant personality, sense of humor, energy and optimism - First Lady Michelle Obama - HAVING A VALID U.S. BIRTH CERTIFICATE, YOU BOOGER-EATING FREEPER MORON SHIT-FOR-BRAINS DROPPED-ON-YOUR-HEADS-AT-BIRTH BOTTOM FEEDERS!!!

Ahem. [Straightens tie]

The Bad: - Lots of talk but no action on gay civil rights - Refusal to investigate documented lawbreaking and war crimes by the previous administration - Not delivering the Executive Branch transparency as promised - The "Special Olympics" wisecrack on The Tonight Show - Bailing out the "too big to fail" banks without much transparency or accountability or additional regulation - Spending too much time pitching woo to Republicans who have no intention of reciprocating - An unemployment rate that, while not his fault, was underestimated - Turning a mostly-deaf ear to progressive economists - No end in sight to our military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan

The Yet-to-be-Determined: - The effects of the $787 billion stimulus and pushing through another one if necessary - The renewed surge in Afghanistan - Health care reform - Homeland Security reform that includes ditching the color-coded threat alerts - Inviting me to the White House to help weed the vegetable garden

So, in my opinion, a generally positive but often troubling start. For reasons I can’t understand, a true progressive agenda with real reform is still treated as somehow toxic. Obama frequently opts to stand in the middle of the road where, as Jim Hightower says, there's "nothing but yellow stripes and dead armadillos." No doubt it's partly because our party is more ideologically-fragmented than the other side, but it's still frustrating.

With Bush/Cheney you knew you were getting a radical conservative agenda hellbent on making the rich richer and their cronies cronier. But Obama/Biden? I'm not sure yet. Maybe we'll have a better handle on 'em in another Friedman Unit.

Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/z3M2iH3Fy8I/-Your-Abbreviated-Pundit-Round-up

And now for some work week punditry!

Study: Most Children Strongly Opposed To Children’s Healthcare
h/t Mark Blumenthal at pollster.com

Ross Douthat:

This is the big question underlying both the "wise Latina" contretemps and the controversy surrounding Sotomayor’s role in Ricci v. DeStefano. Whither affirmative action in an age of America’s first black president? Will it be gradually phased out, as the Supreme Court’s conservatives seem to prefer? Or will it endure well into this century and beyond?

Sotomayor grilled by white men? Sessions is sooo 2009.

Al Hunt: There's no getting around the white guys grilling the Latina thing.

What endures, however, is the spectacle of middle-aged, white Republicans instructing the first Latin female nominee about the irrelevance of race, gender and life experiences for a judge. Even Graham, one of the more enlightened lawmakers, a strong immigration advocate and a thoroughly modern Republican, didn’t get it.

Eva Rodriquez:

During an appearance on C-SPAN earlier today, he had been asked about a Politico article quoting a prominent Texas Republican political consultant, who warned that "Cornyn’s going to have to repair fences with Hispanics; they are going to be scrutinizing him a lot harder after the way he questioned Sotomayor." Cornyn also took a question from an Arkansas caller on the "Democrat" line, who pointed to repeated and sometimes intense Republican cross-examination of Sotomayor over her "wise Latina comments" and argued that Cornyn would face backlash in his home state, with its substantial Hispanic population, if he voted against confirmation of the would-be first Hispanic justice.

Cornyn didn't see it that way but he knows how this looks.

Ted Kennedy on health care in his own words.

NY Times: If Marijuana Is Legal, Will Addiction Rise?

EJ Dionne:

It was not the soaring rhetoric that is Barack Obama's signature, but he recently offered the sound bite that may define his presidency: "Don't bet against us."