Politico « Healthcare Horserace

Lone defender of the press: Jake Tapper

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

The Administration in power, with party control of both houses of Congress and a newly-minted supreme court justice on the bench has taken aim at one of the most prominent news organizations charged with the so-called “fourth estate” watchdog function over government.

So obviously, the other news organizations, network, cable, radio and the newly-minted blogosphere have circled the wagons, cried “censorship!” and defended their Foxy brethren and Susteren.

No?

“A White House attempt to delegitimize Fox News – which in past times would have drawn howls of censorship from the press corps – has instead been greeted by a collective shrug, reports the non-partisan Politico.

“We’re doing what we think is important to make sure news is covered as fairly as possible,” a White House official told POLITICO, noting how the recent ACORN scandal story started because Fox covered it “breathlessly for weeks on end.”

Not because a major nation-wide organization receiving hundreds of millions in tax dollars didn’t blink at supporting a purportedly depraved criminal enterprise bent on child prostitution and white slavery.

Politico continues with an analysis of Fox News’ legitimacy:

Fox denies its news coverage is slanted, and even White House aides say the network’s top correspondent there, Major Garrett, is a straight shooter. But in its non-news hours, Fox mixes in a steady diet of criticism of President Barack Obama by its prominent conservative commentators Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. It’s a formula that works for Fox, with the highest ratings in cable news.

Others say the attacks only strengthen Fox.

“This is an effort in effect to quarantine Fox News and to discourage other media outlets from picking up on stories that originate here,” Fox Washington Bureau Chief Brit Hume said on “The O’Reilly Factor.” “My guess is it won’t work….Look at Glenn Beck, he’s having a field day with this.”

At least one prominent Washington journalist publicly embraced the White House’s anti-Fox crusade, Politico reports.

“By appearing on Fox, reporters validate its propaganda values and help to undermine the role of legitimate news organizations,” former Slate editor Jacob Weisberg wrote in Newsweek. “Respectable journalists—I’m talking to you Mara Liasson—should stop appearing on its programs.”

Liasson, a National Public Radio reporter who is a regular on Fox News’s “Special Report,” did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

On the other hand, the lone voice fighting for the press seems to be ABC’s Jake Tapper.

“It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization,” Tapper confronted White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs. “Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one.”

MediaMatters.org reported that Tapper seemed “completely baffled and quite insulted” by the administration’s stance toward Fox in Jake Tapper can’t figure out how Fox News is different from ABC News?

Of course, Media Matters is more interested in tearing down Conservative outlets like Fox. But what Eric Boehlert seems not to notice is Tapper’s lone stand against the Administration is focused more on who gets to define who is and isn’t a news outlet - a fundamental 1st amendment issue:

Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” — why is that appropriate for the White House to say?

Gibbs: That’s our opinion.

And the Administration’s opinion is also that other organizations should shun and discredit Fox News because the Administration doesn’t agree with those opinions - as stated recently by senior advisor David Axelrod and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Tags: ABC News, Fox News, Jake Tapper, MediaMatters, Politico
Posted in Eye on the Media | Start the Discussion

Rep. Grayson Tells GOP ‘Get Out of the Way’ on Health Care

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Once again, here is everyone’s favorite freshman Florida representative, Alan Grayson, Democrat from the 8^th Congressional District, back to milk every last second of his fifteen minutes in the political spotlight for all it is worth. Notice how the man never once loses eye contact with the camera.

Politico has the video over at their website. There is no embedding, so just click the video below to go over to their site and watch the video:

So what is he riling against this time? Is he claiming that a former Republican governor in his state likes to eat live puppies? Not exactly, but he did take aim at Republican legislators, specifically Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, telling them, in the area of health care, to “just get out of the way.” Yep, the ol’ spirit of bi-partisan cooperation and understanding, just like President Obama said he’d usher into Congress during his presidency. Rep. Grayson added, “You can lead, you can follow or you can get out of the way, and I’m telling you to get out of the way.”

Of course, as he has done twice in the past, Representative Alan Grayson did his little soapbox rant after business hours, once every Republican legislator had gone home for the evening. The man is absolutely spineless. The man has the gaul to mock Joe Wilson who stood up and said right to the President of the United States that he was a liar. Meanwhile this guy insists he is the only truth-teller in both houses of Congress, yet chooses to make such speeches to a chamber full of empty chairs.

Tags: bipartisan, Florida, Maine, Olympia Snowe, Politico, Representative Alan Grayson
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Sen. Harry Reid Lectures GOP on Patriotism

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

If you cannot grasp the tremendous sense of irony this article’s title has then you clearly are not paying close enough attention. Democrat Harry Reid, the increasingly desperate Senate Majority Leader from the state of Nevada, lectured Senate Republicans on the floor this afternoon, believing them to be “so blinded by their desire to defeat President Obama they cheered the Chicago’s loss of the Olympics.” Hmm, anyone want to take a case who not-too-long-ago said directly that the war in Iraq was lost? Just take a wild guess.

Politico’s Glenn Thrush has video of Senator Reid’s entire speech as well as a brief transcript of some of the highlights:

“This is the same minority that happily pumped one fist when America lost its bid to host Olympics, but shakes the other fist at those it slanders as unpatriotic.

This is the same minority that disputes indisputable evidence about how our health care plan will help seniors, or disputes indisputable evidence about our President’s birth records.”

This is the same minority that relies on distortions, distractions and deception to change the subject away from health care, rather than debate the facts in good faith”

Would any one else care to point out to Mr. Reid that a measly forty-seven percent of Chicagoans, you know, the same eight-five percent of whom voted for Barack Obama in the last presidential election, supported the Olympics coming to their city in 2016?

Whatever happened to dissent is patriotic? Were these not the same people, Senator Reid among them leading the charge, who spewed this line when George W. Bush was in office? Now, all of sudden, its unpatriotic to not support the president? And does invoking Obama’s failed Olympic bid support his point about conservative opposition to health care reform at all? Not really; in fact, it does more damage then good. Senator Harry Reid, like his fellow Congressional Democratic leadership colleagues, is desperate to garner Republican support, no matter how piddling (*cough*Olympia Snowe*cough*), so he can exclaim, “Look! I got us bi-partisan support!” He knows time is running out quickly as public support for the president’s health care proposal steadily decreases with each new poll released.

Tags: Chicago, George W. Bush, Glenn Thrush, Nevada, Olympia Snowe, Politico, Senator Harry Reid
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Politico Outlines “Health Care Hot Spots”

Monday, September 28th, 2009

In an article in today’s Politico, Josh Kraushaar offers an analysis of a political commentary and research resource, The Cook Report, to explain which states are the most active in the fight for or against Obamacare. The reasons for such vigorous debate in these areas, he argues, are the high populations of seniors and geographic political leanings.

Many of the hot spots are in states and districts with high concentrations of senior voters.

In its report to subscribers, The Cook Political Report argued that the 2010 midterm elections are shaping up to be an election for “angry white seniors” who are the least supportive of President Barack Obama’s domestic agenda and are poised to turn out in large numbers to the polls to express their displeasure next year.

Indeed, according to exit poll data, Obama is facing a stark generational gap. In last year’s presidential contest, he carried 66 percent of the vote among 18-29-year-old voters but won only 45 percent among seniors — a 21-point difference.

Health care has also become a contentious issue for Democrats in rural, conservative-minded states and districts — that are traditionally resistant to change and hesitant to support any Obama-backed initiatives.

“There’s a perception out there, fed by the cap-and-trade energy bill vote, that Democrats have continued a policy that prioritizes big institutions over small-town institutions,” said Cook Political Report House analyst David Wasserman.

And, if all that grumpiness is paired with a frustrated and apathetic liberal base still nursing its wounds from not getting what it wants, the Democrats’ prospects get even worse.

The states that have proved to be the most contentious for the health care reform debate are:

Alabama
New Jersey
Arkansas
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Oregon
Virginia
Ohio
Florida
North Carolina

Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Cook Report, David Wasserman, Florida, Josh Kraushaar, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Politico, Virginia
Posted in Horserace | 3 Comments »

Imprisonment Possible Consequence for Failure to Meet Insurance Mandate

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

Under the Senate Committee on Finance proposals of Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), individuals who refuse to purchase insurance could face a year of jail time for their non-compliance.

According to a letter obtained from Politico, Section 7203 of the Code “provides that if there is a willful failure to file, pay or maintain appropriate records and the like, that the taxpayer may be charged with a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to $25,000 and not more than one year in jail.” This assessment comes from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Thomas Barthold, who submitted a handwritten followup to Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) after he inquired about the consequences of not paying the $1,9000 penalty for failure to purchase insurance.

Tags: headline, individual mandate, insurance mandate, John Ensign, Max Baucus, Politico, Thomas Barthold
Posted in Policy Alternative | 2 Comments »

Buying this blue dog: A sound investment

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Overpaying for a small-town Arkansas pharmacy:

$222,000

Overpaying for the pharmacy inventory:

$500,000

Paying off the owner to “not compete”:

$100,000

Owning a key Blue Dog Democrat two years before health care reform threatens your way of life:

Priceless

ProPublica/Politico reporter Marcus Stern reports that Arkansas Rep. Mike Ross was paid off between $1 million to $1.67 million for his pharmacy in Prescott, Ark., in 2007.

“You can buy half the town for $420,000″ - the base value USA Drug paid Ross for the building alone - Adam Guthrie, chairman of the county Board of Equalization, told ProPublica.

Guthrie appraised the property and building at $198,000.

Furthermore, two weeks after the sale of Holly’s Health Mart, USA Drug owner Stephen LaFrance contributed $2,300 to Ross’ campaign, ProPublica and Politico report.

The liberal media, including FiredogLake’s Jane Hamsher are turning the scandal into an argument for the public option, which Ross opposes “because his constituents don’t want one.”

But equally liberal Daily Kos/Research 2000 conducted a poll showing 74 to 80 percent support for the public option.

But the real payola is what Ross is fighting to get in the health care reform bill, according to Hamsher’s report.

He bragged about holding the health care bill “hostage.”

He offered up the same co-op plan in the House that appeared in the Baucus Senate bill — authored by a former Wellpoint executive.

He was one of 5 members of Congress who received a total of $2.5 million in advertising support from PhRMA.

A week later he signed a letter asking that pharmaceutical manufacturers not have to negotiate for drug prices, per a sweetheart deal they negotiated with the White House.

ProPublica’s Stern highlighted the bacon Ross has brought home for his PhRMA “constituents.”

On Aug. 1, the National Community Pharmacist Association issued a news release thanking Ross for an amendment to the health care reform bill that would create greater transparency in the operations of pharmacy benefit managers, who act as clearinghouses for insurance company reimbursements for pharmaceuticals.

In June the National Association of Chain Drug Stores issued a news release thanking Ross for introducing legislation authorizing payments to pharmacists to train patients in how to manage their medications.

Open Secrets did a little more digging:

In 2007, Ross was worth between $782,018 and $1.8 million and listed a few health-related assets on his personal financial disclosure forms. This includes between $500,001 and $1 million invested in Ross Pharmacy.
Ross has collected $992,500 from the health care sector since he was elected in 2000, making it his second largest contributing sector, after labor.
Among Blue Dogs, Ross ranks No. 3 in contributions from the health sector to his candidate committee and leadership PAC and No. 9 in donations from pharmaceutical and health product companies.
At $602,800, health care professionals have given more to Ross’ candidate committees than any other industry since the 2000 election cycle.
Ross’ former chief of staff, Drew Goesl, is now a principal for Capitol Counsel, which lobbies for pharmaceutical companies Amgen and AstraZeneca PLC and industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (better known as PhRMA), among other health-related companies.
LaFrance has given largely to Republicans over the years. At least two other Democrats, in addition to Ross, have collected money from LaFrance, and both are senators from Arkansas: Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor.

Blogger Prairie Weather called for reform of the way Congress does business in Blue dog swallows happy cookie.

“One Democratic blue dog is now an official member of the Shameless Party, the third party which has come to dominate Congress,” Prairie Weather wrote. “Oh, okay. He disclosed it in those disclosure reports. That makes it okay, right in line with what Congress demands of its members. Maybe it’s time to do something about that process?”

Tags: Blue Dog, Firedoglake, Jane Hamsher, Mike Ross, Open Secrets, Politico, Prairie Weather, ProPublica, USA Drug
Posted in Eye on the Media | Start the Discussion

Note to Obama: ‘Read the bill’

Monday, September 21st, 2009

If you haven’t read Warner Todd Huston’s quick take on Obama denying the dictionary definition of “tax” it’s worth a visit.

That the president would imply something is a stretch because it has to be looked up in Merriam Webster defies any sense of logic (what because Merriam Webster is some obscure, partisan, slanted source?).

See for yourself:

Perhaps President Obama should have read the bill, which plainly calls the fees an “excise tax,” as Politico reported in Health bill says ‘tax’ when President Obama said ‘not’ by Chris Frates and Mike Allen.

“He could look it up — in the bill,” they write.

Page 29, sentence one of the bill introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont) says: “The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax.”

Villainous Company’s Cassandra writes: “if your name is Barack Obama, you can not only make up your own definitions, but you’re entitled to make up the facts, too!”

And over at No Quarter, Larry Johnson glibly pointed out, “It Depends On What Your Definiton Of “Tax” Is.”

Johnson provides the link as well as a full transcript.

Um, aren’t these EXACTLY the same things OBAMA is planning on doing? Let’s see - he attacked Hillary Clinton during the Primaries by claiming she would fine people who didn’t have insurance. She never said that, but now Obama is. Obama claimed in the campaign that McCain was going to cut money from Medicare and tax people on their insurance, and now Obama is planning on doing both! WTF???

Tags: Barack Obama, Chris Frates, Larry Johnson, Mike Allen, No Quarter, Politico, tax, Villainous Company
Posted in Eye on the Media | Start the Discussion

The party in power cries ‘poor me’ over ‘health reform’ opposition

Monday, September 21st, 2009

When you’re on top, it’s hard to find sympathy against the underdog.

An editorial in The New Republic online today implies that founding father James Madison would cry out loud over the partisanship and factionalism characterizing the fight over health care reform.

But, this week, as the health care reform battle reached a crucial juncture, the violence of faction has become gratuitous.

We refer, of course, to Max Baucus’s long-awaited health care reform bill–and the resounding thud with which it landed on Capitol Hill. There are many flaws in Baucus’s bill, but there is one thing that can be said for it: It represents as sincere an attempt in recent memory to achieve consensus.

The editorial continues, characterizing as a compromise a bill that violates nearly every tenet of Republican philosophy, “when it came to winning over Republicans, Baucus went more than halfway: eliminating the public option, strengthening protections against federal funding of abortions, and lowering the legislation’s price tag.”

The American Spectator’s Quin Hillyer re-named the article Michael Kelly Weeps, implying that the former New Republic editor would be grieved by the Madison editorial. “TNR went on to whine at great length that those meanies in the GOP have turned into the ‘Party of No’.”

Hillyer accuses TNR of 8th grade logic and 7th grade self-absorption.

The National Review Online’s Ramesh Ponnuru similarly lambasted the editorial with unvarnished snarkiness, leading with, “Every time you resist Democratic health-care legislation, you make James Madison cry in heaven.”

The New Republic’s commitment to the idea that minority parties should try to meet majorities halfway is not deep. The magazine never complained about the Democrats’ repeated filibusters of judicial appointments, for example. The editorial expresses dismay that only nine Republicans voted for Sotomayor’s confirmation. Only four Democrats voted for Alito’s. As I recall, the New Republic was urging no votes.

Expect change
Regardless of whether the Baucus bill represents a true compromise, the media is already forecasting additional changes in efforts to make a passable bill.

Politico’s Live Pulse blog reported $28 billion might be added to the bill to provide higher tax credits and lower penalties for those who do not purchase insurance.

The Hill’s Eric Zimmerman provides a little more clarity:

The changes were spurred by a Congressional Budget Office analysis that found Baucus’s original bill would reduce the deficit by $49 billion over 10 years. Baucus has decided to instead spend $28 billion of those savings to make the bill more palatable to centrists.

The Wall St. Journal’s Greg Hitt reported that “Mr. Baucus said the changes would help ‘garner broader support in the committee’.”

The Finance Committee is expected to take up the broader health bill on Tuesday.

Tags: Politico, Quin Hillyer, Ramesh Ponnuru, The American Spectator, The Hill, The National Review, The New Republic, Wall Street Journal
Posted in Eye on the Media | Start the Discussion

Side bets at the track - Joe Wilson

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Aaand they’re neck and neck!

Joe Wilson’s re-election campaign (R-NC) raised more than $1 million in three days since he yelled “You lie!” during president Barack Obama’s address to Congress Wednesday.
“Conservatives who wanted a champion not afraid to take the fight to Obama have found a hero in Joe Wilson, my congressman,” said blogger Mike’s America, “who catapulted to fame by shouting “You LIE” at President Obama when he falsely claimed that WE were the ones lying about illegal immigrants qualifying for benefits under Democrat health care takeover plans!”

Politico blogger Ben Smith said “Wilson’s sucess– despite having been criticized by Republican leaders — represents the power of the conservative grassroots to reward politicians who confront the White House in the sharpest terms.”

He updated his post to add that Democrat challenger Rob Miller broke $1 million Friday.

The Sunlight Foundation writes that real-time fund-raising disclosure, like that provided by liberal Rob Miller-fanclub ActBlue can inject energy into an underdog candidate’s campaign that quarterly paper reports would be slow to close on.

It’s interesting then, that Sunlight blogger Paul Blumenthal did not report Joe Wilson’s real-time disclosure.

Democrats are still trying to make hay off the outburst, with Pelosi speaking sanctions, according to the New York Times.

House rules and precedents provide substantial guidance on how a House member can and cannot refer to the president while speaking on the floor, and the guidelines state that it has been found impermissible to call the president a liar. The House was in formal session at the time of the speech.

However there is a substantial difference between calling someone a liar and confronting a lie.

One is despicable. Not doing the other is also despicable.

Tags: Ben Smith, Joe Wilson, Mike's America, New York Times, Politico, Sunlight Foundation
Posted in Eye on the Media | Start the Discussion

Did Joe Wilson upstage the president?

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Numerous boos, heckling by South Carolina Cong. Joe Wilson, and other reactions gave viewers a lot to watch during last night’s address by the president to a joint session of Congress.

But how effective was the rallying cry?

Twitter shows Joe Wilson is still leading the trending topics. Obama is nowhere to be found, though President is about halfway down the list.

We’re still waiting for the comprehensive numbers, but TV by the Numbers blogger Robert Seidman gives us a sneak peak as well as some good context.

President Obama’s Health Care speech had a combined 13.2 rating in the early metered markets across NBC (5.5), ABC (4.7) and CBS (3.0). One ratings point = 1% of the television homes. These numbers do not include the viewing on other networks or any of the cable news networks. We expect we will have a full accounting of viewership for Obama’s address this afternoon. In the meanwhile you can check out the combined viewership numbers (across all networks) for President Obama’s previous press conferences.

ratings

The “Health Care Press Conference” was his summer ABC infomercial - not Wednesday’s joint address to Congress.

Politico’s Ben Smith observed early that “Obama stumps America” with the use of the word demagoguery in his speech - that sent people running to the Google to find out what he meant.

The number one search on Google a bit earlier this evening: “Demagoguery.”

Obama used the word: “In fact, I want to speak directly to America’s seniors for a moment, because Medicare is another issue that’s been subjected to demagoguery and distortion during the course of this debate.”

Tells you something. I’m just not sure what.

(”Joe Wilson” has now supplanted as the top search.)

CBS News’s Steve Chaggaris points out that the speech created more questions than answers.

The big question, however: did the president’s speech work? Are Democrats now unified? Will moderate Republicans jump on board? Are Americans’ concerns quelled and are their questions answered? Did Americans even watch or is there a sort of health care reform fatigue?

Steve also gives us a slew of links to the news coverage of his speech.

Washington Post’s Shailagh Murray and Paul Kane, “Congress Gets Nudge Down a Long Road”

New York Times’ Robert Pear and Jackie Calmes, “Obama’s Plan Builds on Others’ Ideas”

Associated Press’ Jennifer Loven, “Obama willing to deep-six public option”

Politico’s Patrick O’Connor and Glenn Thrush, “Can Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer keep lid on public-option tensions?”

Los Angeles Times’ James Oliphant and Tom Hamburger, “Obama says he will weigh medical malpractice reform”

Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown, “Barack Obama’s health-care speech: What he said, what he meant”

Associated Press’ Calvin Woodward and Erica Werner, “FACT CHECK: Obama uses iffy math on deficit pledge”

Washington Post, “FACT CHECKER”

Boston Globe, “Obama’s speech invokes letter from Kennedy“

Tags: Barack Obama, Ben Smith, CBS News, Nielsen ratings, Politico, Robert Seidman, Steve Chaggaris
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