Wednesday, July 22, 2009
D.C. Morning Writeup
The President will speak to the nation about health care this evening, as Democrats secure concessions on their reform proposal. The President will also meet with the Prime Minister of Iraq to discuss the future of U.S. troops in the nation.
Obama to Present Six-Month Report Card in Primetime
UPI: Amid a decline in popularity, the President will hold a prime-time news conference this evening to address both his health care agenda and his performance in his first months of office.
“White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told The New York Times Obama intends to use the news conference as a “six-month report card,” to talk about “how we rescued the economy from the worst recession” and the legislative agenda moving forward, including health care and energy legislation. Political observers said Obama is at a pivotal moment in his presidency because how he handles the healthcare issue during the next few weeks could help shape the rest of his presidency and his relationship with Congress, among other things.”—Read More
Liberals and Blue Dogs Make Health Care Deal
Politico: Democrats make a key concession to moderates yesterday, agreeing to allow an independent panel to make cuts to government health care programs. The compromise is being hailed as victory for the Democrats’ reform bill.
“But the arcane-to-the-outside development is a pint-sized breakthrough in an ocean of concern. It’s also a concession to one subgroup — the Blue Dogs — that’s likely to inflame others. And set against the self-imposed August deadline for getting health care reform through both the House and the Senate, such a small-ball advance underscores the amount of work still to be done.”—Read More
Jindal: Health Care We Can All Agree On
WSJ: The Louisiana Governor outlines his version of meaningful health care reform that will lower cost and maintain quality of care.
“Third, Mr. Obama’s rhetoric paints a picture of a massive new benefit that will actually cost average Americans less than what they pay today. The Democrats want middle-class taxpayers to believe they won’t feel the pinch of this initiative, even as their employers are assessed massive new taxes. They might as well try to argue that up is down. The analysis of the Democrats’ proposal by the Congressional Budget Office shows that it will not reduce government spending on health care, and that it will substantially increase the federal deficit—and this despite all the tax increases.”–-Read More
Obama Meets Privately with CBO Director Elmendorf
HotAir: Obama revealed on NBC’s the Today Show that he met with CBO Director Elmendorf to discuss the economic metrics of health care reform. Meetings between presidents and the CBO are rare and generally frowned upon as a politicization of the independent budget scoring process.
“[T]he CBO exists for independence from the executive branch in fiscal matters. If Barack Obama needs clarification on CBO scoring, he should work through Congress to get it, rather than demand face time with the CBO director. Even more appropriately, the President should work through his own Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director for analysis of CBO scoring.”–Read More
No Chubbies Allowed: Can Fat Government Officials Talk About Health Care?
HuffPo: A guest on Neil Cavuto’s Fox News program yesterday made the startling claim that only skinny, healthy people should be in charge of government-run health care programs. The guest took particular aim at Obama’s nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin.
“Ok, let’s then turn the tables. Would you then want the head of the Fed Reserve to be a guy in a cardboard box who lives underneath the highway because he understands the plight of poor people and he understands how to make money work? [...] Would you want Michael Jackson’s doctors to be in charge of drug control at the DEA? The bottom line is it’s a symbolic position and obesity is the number one issue facing our country in terms of the health and wellness and she has shown not that she was born this way, not that she woke up one day and was obese, she has show through being lazy, and making poor food choices, that she’s obese.”—Read More
Maliki, Obama to Map New Iraq
WaPo: The Iraqi Prime Minister will meet with the President today to discuss the future of America’s presence in the country.
“Iraq would like the United States to provide more economic support, help resolve problems with some of its neighbors and — when asked — assist in combating the myriad security problems it still faces. Otherwise, it would like the Americans to leave it alone. For its part, the Obama administration wants Baghdad to stop the sectarian disagreements that continue to impede economic and political progress, show a little more public respect for U.S. sacrifices on its behalf and start behaving like a normal, oil-rich democracy.”—Read More
Harvard Prof Not Charged for Breaking into Own Home
Washington Times: Boston authorities will not charge Henry Louis Gates Jr. after he tried to force open his own door. Gates has alleged racial profiling.
“’I’m outraged,’ Gates said in extensive comments made to TheRoot.com, a Web site he oversees. ‘I can’t believe that an individual policeman on the Cambridge police force would treat any African-American male this way, and I am astonished that this happened to me; and more importantly I’m astonished that it could happen to any citizen of the United States, no matter what their race.’”—Read More
Florida Man Apprehended With Live Shark on Train
CBS: The shark was still attached to the man’s fishing line.
“There’s a movie about snakes on a plane, but what about a shark on a train….Passengers say the shark was bleeding and still gasping for air.”—Read More
Corpse Discovered In McDonalds Food Machine
Fox: A Southern California food processing plant employee’s body was found in one of their machines yesterday. The company is one of the suppliers for the McDonalds fast-food chain.
“Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives say the woman’s body was found early Tuesday at Golden State Foods in the City of Industry, an east Los Angeles suburb. Investigators believe her death was accidental.”–-Read More
Barrel Monster Creator Gets Community Service
News and Observer: The N.C. State University prankster who built a roadside ‘monster’ out of traffic cones will volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. The Barrel Monster has over 11,000 fans on Facebook.
“A page dedicated to the Barrel Monster on Facebook has more than 11,000 fans from all over the world. Dedicated fans have used Photoshop to insert the smiling monster into dozens of iconic images: Barrel Monster plummeting over Niagara Falls, Barrel Monster accompanying the Beatles on their 1964 arrival to the United States, and the construction barrels standing in for John Travolta in the Saturday Night Fever movie poster. One fan suggested that the Barrel Monster make an appearance at this year’s State Fair to spread a message of safety while driving near highway construction.”—Read More
Chinese Engineer Kills Himself After Losing iPhone 4G
USA Today: The 25-year-old jumped off a building after being subjected to harsh interrogation.
“The 25-year-old engineer, Sun Danyong, who worked for Foxconn, jumped from a 12-story building last week. A Chinese newspaper reported that his property had been seized and that he was held in solitary confinement, where he faced “unbearable interrogation techniques” for having lost one of 16 ‘4G’ prototypes. Foxconn apologized, but questioned reports that police beat Sun.”—Read More
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