Nov 07 2009
The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) has passed the House of Representatives. Final vote was 220 to 215 (219 Democrats and 1 Republican in favor, 39 Democrats and 176 Republicans opposed).
The only Republican to vote in favor of health care for Americans was Representative Joseph Cao of Louisiana.
39 Democrats and 176 Republicans have a lot of explaining to do.
It has been a long day and night. More tomorrow. Goodnight.
Nov 07 2009
While doing a bit of web surfing just now, I happened to hit upon a website whose author describes himself as a “hardcore conservative.” He has the following poll posted…
How in the world do you answer a poll like that?
Nov 07 2009
From the White House weblog:
In this week’s address, President Barack Obama expressed his sadness for the tragedy at Fort Hood and praised the selfless valor of those who came to the aid of the wounded. While we mourn the heartbreaking violence, we should honor the heroism of the soldiers and civilians who rushed to help their comrades. That is the heroism which makes the U.S. military the finest in the world.
Watch the video of the President’s address below or read the full text, as prepared for delivery, after the break.
Click below to listen to the audio only:
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Nov 06 2009
Each week, your diligent and incredibly hard-working editor in chief will sort through thousands upon thousands of editorial and political cartoons and select those which best reflect the current editorial mindset and political mood of the United States of America. His efforts are laudable. Each Friday evening at this time, we present his findings in this space. Always, always remember that your mileage may vary. These are thumbnails and must be clicked upon to make them appear larger. You may, after clicking, also view a manually-controlled slide show by paying attention to the icons that will appear at the bottom of your browser window. Please enjoy.
As always, our thanks go to the talented and observant cartoonists who, each week, help us smile through the pain.
Bonus video (in which Jon Stewart channels Glenn Beck):
Nov 05 2009
Both the AARP and the AMA came forth today and endorsed President Obama’s plan for health care insurance reform. The President made an unannounced visit to the White House press room to talk about those endorsements.
Here is the text of the President’s remarks:
THE PRESIDENT: Hey! Hello, everybody. Please sit down. Good afternoon, everybody. I wanted to come down and just talk a little bit about health care before Robert gives his regular briefing.
I am extraordinarily pleased and grateful to learn that the AARP and the American Medical Association are both supporting the health insurance reform bill that will soon come up to a vote in the House of Representatives.
When it comes to the AARP, this is no small endorsement. For more than 50 years, they have been a leader in the fight to reduce the cost of health care and expand coverage for our senior citizens. They are a non-partisan organization, and their board made their decision to endorse only after a careful, intensive, objective scrutiny of this bill. They’re endorsing this bill because they know it will strengthen Medicare, not jeopardize it. They know it will protect the benefits our seniors receive, not cut them. So I want everybody to remember that the next time you hear the same tired arguments to the contrary from the insurance companies and their lobbyists. And remember this endorsement the next time you see a bunch of misleading ads on television.
The AARP knows this bill will make health care more affordable. They know it will make coverage more secure. They know it’s a good deal for our seniors. And that’s why we’re thrilled that they’re standing up for this effort.
The same is true for the doctors and medical professionals who are supporting this bill today. These are men and women who know our health care system best and have been watching this debate closely. They would not be supporting it if they really believed that it would lead to government bureaucrats making decisions that are best left to doctors. They would not be with us if they believed that reform would in any way damage the critical and sacred doctor-patient relationship.
Instead, they’re supporting reform because they’ve seen firsthand what’s broken about our health care system. They’ve seen what happens when patients can’t get the care they need because some insurance company has decided to drop their coverage or water it down. They’ve seen what happens when a patient is forced to pay out-of-pocket costs of thousands of dollars that she doesn’t have to get the treatment she desperately needs. They’ve seen what happens when patients don’t come in for regular check-ups or screenings because either their insurance company doesn’t cover them or they can’t afford health insurance in the first place. And they’ve seen far, far too much of their time spent filling out forms and haggling with insurance company bureaucrats.
So the doctors of America know what needs to be fixed about our health care system. They know that health insurance reform would go a long way toward doing that.
We are closer to passing this reform than ever before. And now that the doctors and medical professionals of America are standing with us; now that the organizations charged with looking out for the interests of seniors are standing with us, we are even closer.
I want to thank both organizations again for their support, and I urge Congress to listen to AARP, listen to the AMA, and pass this reform for hundreds of millions of Americans who will benefit from it. Thank you.
A very good question from the White House website: Ask yourself who you trust to tell the truth on reform and on your health – these massive organizations of doctors and seniors throwing their support behind it, or the health insurance industry, their lobbyists, and their handmaidens coming out against it.
The Republicans organized a protest rally in D.C. today against the health care bill. As I watched coverage of this “impromptu” rally, I was struck by the fact that most of these people actually know nothing about what they are protesting. To them, this is pure politics. As conservatives, they feel it its their duty to oppose anything supported by Democrats. It is their hatred and ignorance shining through and nothing more. They could actually care less about the people who are dying daily because they lack adequate health insurance or who are one illness removed from financial ruin. The really sad part of this whole thing is that many of those people who were “protesting” today could easily fall into either of those categories and they don’t care. They really don’t care. The only thing that matters to them is their hatred of President Obama and the Democrats. They are willing to sacrifice their own health or that of their families to keep that hatred alive.
UPDATE: It’s kind of amazing (though not really) that Republican Minority Leader John Boehner does not know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution…
Can you not imagine the screams of indignation that would be emanating from the right had a (group of) Democrat(s) shown this degree of ignorance?
Nov 04 2009
Condolences to the good people of New Jersey and Virginia. They chose to send Republicans to inhabit their governors’ mansions for the next four years and will now have to live with the consequences.
Congratulations to the folks in the 23rd Congressional District of New York. They dealt a serious blow to the extremist right wing of the Republican party (led by the likes of Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh) and elected a Democrat to represent them in Congress for the first time since Reconstruction.
And, finally, deepest sympathies to the people of the state of Maine. Big money religion mythology, bigotry and discrimination won the day in their state as they overturned their Legislature and Governor and repealed a law granting equal rights to all their citizens. They cannot be happy this morning.
P.S. On a much more pleasant note, it appears that Referendum 71 is headed for victory in Washington state.
Nov 02 2009
Can you believe it has already been nearly a year since the 2008 election? Here a couple of reminders of the bullet we dodged…
Just a little something to add to your list of things for which you should be grateful as the Thanksgiving season approaches.
Oct 31 2009
From the White House weblog:
In this week’s address, President Barack Obama said that while times are still too difficult for too many American families, this week saw real evidence of progress in the economy. On Thursday, we learned that in the third quarter the GDP grew for the first time in over a year, and grew faster than it has in the previous two years. And on Friday, reports from across the country made it clear that Recovery Act has now created or saved over one million jobs. The American people are still hurting, but these are signs that we are starting to move in the right direction.
Watch the video of the President’s address below or read the full text, as prepared for delivery, after the break.
Click below to listen to the audio only:
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