Jon Stewart Takes CNN Out Back To The Shed

Jon Stewart, at his best, destroys CNN's ridiculous report on the validity of an SNL sketch. It is one of the funniest I have seen.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
CNN Leaves It There
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Olympia Snowe Votes For Health Care

Republican Senator Olympia Snowe really stood in the face of her party and recognized how big today's health care vote is by voting in favor of the Baucus bill. She was also heavily courted by Obama to vote for the bill. Why? From what I have been reading, it will hopefully cause conservative dem senators to vote for it as well. Meaning, this will probably be the backbone of the main bill that makes it to Obama's desk.

Some of Olympia's quotes:

"When history calls, history calls."

but: "My vote today, is my vote today. It doesn't forecast what it will be tomorrow."

So will she be in the final floor vote? Probably not.

Insurance Industry Sees Writing On The Wall

The public option is looking more and more likely to be apart of the health care bill. With everyone starting to accept this, the insurance industry, on the eve of the Baucus health care bill, decided to try and attack the reforms coming out of congress.

“The overall impact will be to increase the cost of private insurance coverage for individuals, families and businesses above what these costs would be in the absence of reform,” in a report from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)

Well, what do you know? The industry that's being regulated has come out with dooms day scenarios to try and change the debate. The problem is the report that AHIP is siting is a report AHIP created. At best this is poor choice, at worst this is straight up lying.

The white house was very quick to destroy the report.

"This report is untrue, disingenuous and bought and paid for by the same health insurance companies that have been gouging consumers for too long. "

I also saw a qoute warning repubs not to feast on this report so easily. They need to be weary of looking like doing the insurance industries bidding. My question is: isn't that too late?

Dems Must Attack

Good article in the Times about how the dems need to work the 2010 election cycle.

"Now that Democrats control the White House, Congress and most governorships, voters’ discontent with the status quo represents their burden, which has Democratic strategists considering tactics to push back challengers."

The dems really need to do this. Next year they need to unapologetically stand up for their agenda (provided they get health care and immigration passed). Then attack anyone who tries to paint the dem agenda as bad for America.

The problem that comes up with the dems is that they don't do this. They try and justify what they have done. Dems don't need to justify. Everyone knows that health care needs to be changed. Strong confrontation to any charges against you.

Great Quote From Ezra Klein

Found this over at PoliticalWire who got it from Ezra Klein:

"No Republican save Olympia Snowe has actually come forward with a concrete set of proposals that could permit them to sign onto the final legislation. Which is a shame, as there are actually places where conservative ideas and Republican cover could have bettered the bill. Conservatives have long wanted to end the preference for employer-based insurance, which would've been an important step forward. Many Republicans have been big proponents of moving away from fee-for-service medicine, which is a needed change. Republicans have been big proponents of making the insurance market more consumer-focused, which would be important in the context of the insurance exchanges."

"But all those opportunities were lost. Because Democrats had no Republican cover, they could not sacrifice a single member of their party. That's meant that they couldn't be courageous on taxes, and they couldn't tell the unions to stuff it when they demanded that the exchanges remain constricted. Republicans complain that the bill is too liberal (though the Senate Finance Committee's bill is actually not very liberal at all), but that's in part because no Republicans were willing to offer their votes in return for making it more conservative."

Too F-ing right. Instead of governing the repubs chose politics. They could have got a lot done that they wanted to get done had they made an effort but they chose health care (and other things) as a defining moment and totally lost the moment.

This same attitude is what cost them the Presidency, the house and the senate. I hope the forest is treating them well.

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize?

Very surprising today was the sudden anouncement that Barack Obama won the nobel peace prize. Nine months into his presidency and, from what I found out, he was president 2 weeks in February before the nomination window closed.

I am a huge Obama fan but I find this very odd. Why now and what is the Nobel committee trying to do/say. Do they really feel his diplomacy is that great (even though it has only been 9 months)? Is this a big finger in the eye of the Bush admin? Or is it both?

I have no idea but rest assured, the right will be all over it trying to denounce what is a huge honor. Point of attack from the right. Obama is out to promote himself and his star status. Warning for Obama: don't let this point of attack stick.

Politico Is Really Reaching With This Story

Pointed to by Dailykos, a politco story tries to make hay about people who supported Roman Polanski also gave money to Obama and the DNC. How in the hell is that a story.

"Movie industry types calling for the release of director Roman Polanski last year gave $34,000 to Obama's presidential campaign and the Democratic Party, FEC records show."

What are they doing over at Politico? Do they have any clue what a story is? This ain't a story. This is so bad I am not going to link to it.