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Some Democrats pass on Obama rally

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:05 +0000

The Show Me State temporarily became the No-Show State on Wednesday as some prominent Missouri Democrats decided they’d rather be somewhere else when President Obama came to push his massive health care overhaul plan. Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Christopher S. “Kit” Bond, was “already locked in” to meetings in Washington, D.C., on Wall Street financial reforms, said her spokesman, Linden Zakula, who downplayed her absence for Mr. Obama’s visit to St. Charles, just outside St. Louis. “Yes, she could have been there, but she feels …

Obama Bribes, Threatens, and Rewards Congress to Pass Health Care 3.5.10

Dick Morris — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:46:06 +0000

All aspects of President Obama’s Chicago-style tactics are on display as he cajoles, bullies and bribes the House to pass his health care proposals despite the overwhelming public rejection with which they have been met.

To some, he offers bribes. Rep. Jim Matheson, endangered species — a Utah Democrat — succeeded in getting his brother Scott appointed to a federal judgeship. Matheson voted against Obamacare when it first passed the House. With his new-found winnings in his pocket, he now professes to be undecided. He faces a clear conflict between his district and his conscience on the one hand and the bribe to his brother on the other. The conscience will probably lose.

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What Will Happen if Dems Use Reconciliation to Try to Pass Health Care Legislation?

NB Staff — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:08:50 +0000

Toyota CEO cites race to pass GM as problem

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:00:04 +0000

Toyota President Akio Toyoda conceded Wednesday his company’s race to surpass General Motors as the world’s biggest carmaker “may have been too quick” and helped produce the slew of recalls and revelations that have dealt a serious blow to the firm’s reputation for safety and quality. In an extraordinary command performance before a packed congressional hearing, Mr. Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder, acknowledged that Toyota’s management “pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and organization.” The hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which also included testimony from Transportation Secretary …

Senate skirts new rules to pass jobs bill

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:51:39 +0000

It took less than two weeks for lawmakers to vote to break new rules requiring that new spending be offset elsewhere in the budget, waiving the requirement just minutes before a strong bipartisan majority passed a $15 billion job-creation bill in the Senate on Wednesday. The bill continues highway construction and offers a payroll tax break for businesses that hire unemployed workers. Given the state of the economy, supporters said the bill was too important to hold up. “This is a good bill, it’s a focused bill, it’s a modest bill, but it will do some good for the hundreds …

Senate likely to pass modest jobs bill

ASSOCIATED PRESS — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:22:48 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies that hire the unemployed would claim new tax breaks under a jobs-promoting bill that’s expected to pass the Senate on Wednesday. It’s the first of several jobs bills promised by Democrats, and passage would give President Barack Obama and Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., a much-sought victory. But the measure’s impact on hiring is likely to be relatively modest, economists say. The bill up for a vote Wednesday would exempt businesses hiring the unemployed from the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax through December and give them an additional $1,000 credit if new workers stay on …

Dems: Obama plan may pass in pieces

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:00:05 +0000

Top House Democrats on Tuesday left open the prospect of President Obama’s comprehensive health care overhaul failing and passing pieces of it, a process already being used to try to repeal health insurance industry antitrust protections. The antitrust measure, which was not in the reform framework Mr. Obama released Monday, could pass the House Wednesday with bipartisan support, which would mark the first time Republicans and Democrats have been able to agree in the health debate. It would come a day ahead of Mr. Obama’s health summit. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Democrats support Mr. Obama’s outline, but …

Pelosi doesn’t have votes to pass health bill

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:01:00 +0000

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she doesn’t have the votes to pass the Senate’s health reform bill as some rank-and-file Democrats signaled support for a scaled-down measure – one that deletes parts of both bills or breaks them into pieces, such as insurance industry reforms and Medicaid expansion. The comment marks a serious setback in efforts to pass President Obama’s top legislative priority now that Democrats are one vote shy of enough to overcome a Republican filibuster in the Senate. Senate Democrats were hoping that the House would merely pass its bill to prevent the Senate from having …

Pelosi: Senate health bill can’t pass House

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:00:21 +0000

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she doesn’t have the votes to pass the Senate’s health reform bill as written and is not rushing to come up with an alternative. “In its present form without any changes I don’t think it’s possible to pass the Senate bill in the House,” Mrs. Pelosi said. “I don’t see the votes for it at this time.” The comment marks a potentially serious setback in efforts to pass President Obama’s top legislative priority now that Democrats are one vote shy of enough to overcome a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The surprise election …

How to Pass the Bill–Whatever Happens Tuesday 1.18.10

Jonathan Cohn — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:10:24 +0000

After a weekend of interviews with Democratic staff, officials, and operatives, I’ve come to the conclusion that health care reform is not dead even if Martha Coakley loses on Tuesday–unless, that is, the Democrats let it die.

On Friday, my colleague Jonathan Chait outlined the options if Scott Brown wins the special election in Massachusetts, giving the Republicans enough votes to sustain a filibuster. One would be to approach Olympia Snowe, the lone Republican who voted for health care reform when it was before the Senate Finance Committee and who, at one point, seemed interested in voting for it on the floor.
by OutloudOpinion