The agreement between members of the House Blue Dog coalition and Democratic leaders led by Rep. Henry Waxman is getting extensive media coverage, including reports on all three networks. The deal is being generally hailed as a significant accomplishment. The Washington Post, for example, reports on its front page that with "the White House prodding both sides behind the scenes, House Democrats broke two weeks of gridlock Wednesday and reached a health-care deal that granted critical concessions to the party's conservative wing, allowing a key committee to resume consideration of the legislation."
The New York Times reports the deal calls for a public plan, but it "would not use Medicare fee schedules to pay doctors and hospitals, as envisioned in the original House bill. Instead, the public plan would negotiate rates with health care providers, as private insurers often do." NBC Nightly News reported that in Congress, "some of the President's priorities may be on the chopping block, including a mandate requiring employers to provide insurance and a government-sponsored insurance plan."
Some analysts, meanwhile, are downplaying the deal's impact on the prospects for eventual passage of a healthcare reform package. Roll Call reports that "the weakening of the public insurance option" in the House deal "incensed some liberal Members, with Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairwoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) declaring she would vote against the bill." The Washington Times notes that with "few House Republicans expected to support the bill, House Democratic leaders could not afford too many defections in their own ranks if the bill was to emerge from the committee and pass the full House."
On its front page, the Los Angeles Times notes Rep. Pete Stark also criticized the Blue Dogs, "I think they've had an inordinate amount of input. ... And every time people have given them some consideration, they want more."
CNN's The Situation Room (7/29, Bash), meanwhile, said that "not all conservatives, so-called Blue Dog Democrats, are on board. But four did reach a deal with Democratic leaders and the White House chief of staff that lifts the brakes they put on committee action." And Fox News' Special Report noted that the Blue Dog Coalition "of 52 members pointedly noted in a statement that it had not formally ratified today's deal."
On Fox News' Hannity, Karl Rove said of "the seven Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee, four of them signed onto a bad deal, and three of them said, 'Do not count us in.'"
On Fox News' Special Report roundtable, Morton Kondracke of Roll Call said there "is loads of trouble ahead," because the 52-member Blue Dog Coalition "has not endorsed this bill" and "a bigger coalition in the House, the progressive caucus, 82 members, is mad at any kind of compromise that does not have a Medicare- like public option in it, an option that pays Medicare rates, which is designed to kill the private insurance industry."
President Obama promoted his healthcare reform plans in North Carolina and Virginia yesterday, with what some analysts described as a new message: One designed to appeal to those who already have health insurance and are happy with it. The new effort comes as a number of new polls show support for the President's reform efforts and his approval are falling. NBC Nightly News said Obama "is tailoring his pitch to emphasize benefits to those who already have insurance, such as stopping insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions or dropping coverage for the seriously ill and banning lifetime caps on coverage." The Washington Post says "Obama employed a sometimes-partisan defense of his economic stewardship and a sometimes-personal advocacy of his plan to extend insurance to the roughly 46 million Americans who do not have it." Karl Rove, in the Wall Street Journal, writes that "Obama promised to end the 'politics of fear and cynicism.' Yet he is now trying to sell his health-care proposals on fear." Obama "is dropping his high-minded rhetoric and instead trying to scare voters."
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that "Obama's ability to shape the debate on health care appears to be eroding as opponents aggressively portray the effort as a government-takeover that could limit Americans' ability to choose their doctor and course of treatment, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll." The CBS Evening News reported "only 31% said those plans would actually help them. Nearly twice as many said they would not. And less than half approve of the way...Obama is handling healthcare." Bloomberg News noted a new NPR poll showing Obama's "public approval rating slipping as more Americans blame him for the lingering recession. Fifty-three percent of registered voters approved of the way Obama was handling the presidency while 42 percent disapproved, according to a poll conducted July 22-26 for National Public Radio."
On NBC Nightly News, Chuck Todd said a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows "for the third straight month, the President's job approval rating has dropped from 61% in April, to 56% in June, to 53% now. ... On the economy, the President's numbers are even lower. Just 49% approve of his performance," and "just 41% approve of the President on" healthcare.
Democrats Said To Risk 2010 Backlash McClatchy reports that President Obama "and the Democratic Party may be putting themselves in political jeopardy with their expensive and ambitious agenda, which has yet to show benefits for the country." Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said, "There are warning signs for Democrats heading into 2010. ... Despite trusting and supporting the Democratic agenda, majorities think the administration is spending too much and doing too many things."
The Politico similarly reports, "Democrats giddy with possibilities only six months ago now confront a perilous 2010 landscape signaled by troublesome signs of...Obama's political mortality, the plunging popularity of many governors and rising disquiet among many vulnerable House Democrats."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
While overshadowed by his own comments on healthcare reform, President Obama's statement yesterday indicating that the US "may be seeing the beginning of the end of the recession" is also generating some media coverage. Bloomberg News notes that the President "addressed the economy at the start of the event in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a later gathering in Bristol, Virginia." AFP, however, notes the President also "questioned the cover of the current edition of Newsweek magazine, which pronounced that 'The Recession is Over.'" Said Obama, "I imagine that you might have found the news a little startling. I know I did."
The Wall Street Journal also mentions Obama's "beginning of the end" comment in a story about economic data released yesterday. The Washington Times says the President "gave an impassioned defense of his administration's response so far to the economic crisis."
The Hill notes "Obama peppered his speech at the town hall meeting with gibes at those who had attacked his spending." Republicans, meanwhile, "pointed out that Democrats deserve some blame for increased spending even before Obama took office since they had been in charge of Congress since 2007."
In an interview with the editorial board of the Bristol Herald-Courier, President Obama was asked for his position on the range of cost estimates for the cap and trade bill, which ranged from the EPA's $300 to $3,000. Obama said, "I think that the EPA is right on this one, because the independent analysts -- this wasn't just the EPA, it was also the CBO and others who are independent evaluated this. If I'm not mistaken, the person who did the $3,000 estimate, even that person has corrected it and said, if you look at what was negotiated that it turns out in fact that the costs would be very modest. ... If you look at what this does for clean coal technology, if this looks at the investments that were made strengthening an industry that has fallen on hard times, it is pretty remarkable and promises a long-term sustainable future for the coal energy, that if we don't have this bill, it wouldn't be there."
Media accounts tend to portray what they have termed a "Beer Summit" between the President, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and police Sargeant James Crowley as an attempt to ease tensions elevated to the national stage by Obama's own comments. The AP, for example, reports, "Obama convened the 'beer summit' after calling both men last week in an attempt to defuse the political fallout from his comment at a news conference that police had 'acted stupidly' in arresting Gates at his home after responding to a call from a passer-by about a possible break-in." Obama's comments "inflamed matters further, and the subsequent outcry and constant commentary reached such a pitch that he was forced to acknowledge that he could have been more diplomatic with his words."
The Washington Post notes Obama "publicly expressed regret for saying July 22 at a nationally televised news conference that Cambridge police had 'acted stupidly,'" and adds that the President's "remark ignited a backlash from conservative commentators and law enforcement officials, who accused Obama of speaking rashly and being anti-police." Bloomberg News quoted White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who said yesterday, "I think this will be a very casual affair. ... There's no formal agenda other than cold beer."
NBC Nightly News added that Obama's "political opponents, who have huge followings, were off to the races and to the commentators, at least, it was all about race." Glenn Beck, host of the Glenn Beck Program: "This guy is, I believe, a racist." Rush Limbaugh was heard saying, "Let's face it, President Obama is black and I think he has a chip on his shoulder."
Lawyer For 911 Caller Suggests Obama Snubbing Her Client USA Today reports, "The 911 caller who reported a possible burglary" at Gates' home "said Wednesday she would make the call again if she had to." Under the headline "Is Obama Snubbing 911 Caller?", The Politico says that Lucia Whalen's attorney, Wendy Murphy, is "suggesting her client is being snubbed by not being invited" to the beer gathering. Said Murphy, "The one person whose actions are exemplary will be at work tomorrow in Cambridge. I don't know, maybe it's a guy thing."
During her appearance yesterday, the AP reports Whalen "was vilified as a racist on blogs after a police report said she described the possible burglars as 'two black males with backpacks.'" But "tapes of the call released earlier this week revealed that Whalen did not mention race."
Domestic Beer Industry Upset The CBS Evening News noted that the professor will have Red Stripe beer, the sergeant, Blue Moon, and the President, Bud Light." Added CBS, "Cheers." Under the headline "White House 'Beer Summit' Becomes Something Of A Brouhaha," the Wall Street Journal reports that the event "has the American beer industry hopping mad. ... The problem is that all three beers are products of foreign companies. Red Stripe is brewed by London-based Diageo PLC. Blue Moon is sold by a joint venture in which London-based SABMiller has a majority stake."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
The Dallas Morning News reports Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) said yesterday she would resign her Senate seat in the next four months to focus on her primary challenge to Gov. Rick Perry (R). McClatchy says Perry "mocked Hutchison's announcement, and suggested he wasn't convinced she would actually step down from her position." The Washington Post says that Republican "observers" believe that Perry will appoint a replacement and then schedule a special election to fill out Hutchison's term next May. Adds the Post, "Regardless of who Perry picks, Republican strategists see the strength of their field as Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Attorney General Greg Abbott. There is a sense in Texas Republican circles that both men won't run, choosing instead to work it out between them."
The Hill reports national Republican officials arrived in San Diego for their semi-annual meeting yesterday "with a new sense of optimism" stemming from President Obama's political setbacks," noting that the GOP "has shifted into attack mode - a technique that seems to be working." The AP reports that Republicans at the meeting "hope to map plans for a rebound that will repair the party's tarnished brand, lure back big-dollar contributors and increase voter registration from coast to coast." In related new, CQPolitics reports that National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Pete Sessions told reporters yesterday that his group "is targeting 80 Democratic-held House districts in 2010," and the core strategy "will be to paint the Democratic moderates who represent many of those districts as enablers of" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Conan O'Brien: "Of course, President Obama has invited Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and the policeman who arrested him to the White House. Reportedly, Obama is going to serve them Budweiser. ... And in the spirit of racial harmony, Budweiser is changing its nickname from the 'King of Beers' to the 'Martin Luther King of Beers.'"
Jimmy Fallon: "Finally, tomorrow, President Obama has his big beer summit with Professor Henry Louis Gates and Sergeant James Crowley. Yeah, that's a great idea. In my experience, the best way to settle an argument between guys from Boston, just add alcohol."
Jimmy Fallon: "Former Governor Sarah Palin, she's rumored to be interested in a new career as a talk radio host. It's a four-hour show but she'll be gone after two. So, that's -- she says it's part of her deal."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5advertisement
Get your POLITICALBULLETIN
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5Embed exclusive U.S. News headlines, rankings, columns, and blog postings to your Web site, blog, or social network.
advertisement
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
