Someone will have to step in and lead if Obama can’t
By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Whether we realize it or not, Washington has come to a standstill and at a very dangerous time. Democrats, who have control on paper, have neither enough votes in Congress nor enough support among the American people to move a serious agenda. [...]
The size and power of the state is growing, and discontent is on the rise
Jan 21st 2010
From The Economist print edition
IN THE aftermath of the Senate election in Massachusetts, the focus of attention is inevitably on what it means for Barack Obama. The impact on the Democratic president of the loss of the late Ted [...]
By Laura Litvan
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) — Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, who negotiated a provision that would allow his state to get extra Medicaid help in health-care overhaul legislation, wants Senate leaders to give all states the same deal.
In a statement, the Democrat said yesterday he is asking that lawmakers working on melding House and Senate [...]
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: December 24, 2009
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation’s health care system, passing a bill to guarantee access to health insurance for tens of millions of Americans and to rein in health costs as proposed by President Obama.
The 60-to-39 party-line vote, on the 25th straight day of debate on [...]
Why the health care bill is the greatest social achievement of our time.
Jonathan Chait
American liberals have a habit of withdrawing into cynicism and ennui at the most inopportune moments. The 2000 presidential election, and subsequent recount, was one such moment. The most die-hard reaches of the left, deeming the Democratic Party hopelessly corrupt, rallied to [...]
By Natt Hentoff
Lurching through Congress, the Democrats’ health-care bill is revealed in all its roiling confusion by this reaction from Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., after the proposed controversial “compromise” Senate expansion of Medicare: “Any big agreement is progress. Even if we do not know any of the details.”
Follow the leaders, President Obama and Harry Reid! [...]
By Dana Milbank
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Harry Reid began the week in familiar fashion, by detonating an improvised literary device on the Senate floor. It bombed.
Instead of merely scolding Republicans for their filibuster of the health-care legislation, he compared them to slaveholders and racists. “You think you’ve heard these same excuses before? You’re right,” [...]
By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: December 11, 2009
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders hit a rough patch Friday in their push for sweeping health care legislation, as they tried to fend off criticism of their proposals from a top Medicare official, Republicans and even members of their own party.
Slogging through a 12th day of debate [...]
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: December 5, 2009
WASHINGTON — Snowflakes swirled around the Capitol on Saturday, whipped by wintry winds, but on the Senate floor inside, a heated debate raged as Democrats and Republicans traded jabs over legislation to achieve President Obama’s goal of near-universal health insurance coverage.
By a vote of 53 to 41, the Senate on [...]
By Cal Thomas
Assuming a rock-solid 40 Republicans stand against the health care reform bill now being debated in the Senate, it will take just one Democrat or independent to derail this monstrosity, which along with its House companion, may be the most disastrous piece of legislation ever to be this close to enactment by Congress.
So [...]
